Hey,
I have been itching to get back in to this game. But the there hasn't been much of a change in how the game functions. I think it would be cool to create a new game world, but have the start be in the 1960 or 70's rather than current time. There are ton of older aircraft that are already modeled and could be used for this. Maybe even add more.
Just my thoughts.
In my opinion not possible: From where do you want to calculate the passenger demand in "Cold War" Times? How do you manage restrictions and forbidden routes? In my opinion, the idea is great but Airlinesim is not programmed, in my opinion, to make it happen (soon).
The demand shouldn't be much of a problem I think. Just force the demand from airports in the former USSR and coutries like Poland and Hungary towards the western world to 0. If it would be possible on coutrylevel it shouldn't be to much work I suppose.
The demand shouldn't be much of a problem I think. Just force the demand from airports in the former USSR and coutries like Poland and Hungary towards the western world to 0. If it would be possible on coutrylevel it shouldn't be to much work I suppose.
If it’s not too much work, I’m sure that AS would appreciate your help, in calculating the demand for the entire world in the 70’s. 
If it's not too much work, I'm sure that AS would appreciate your help, in calculating the demand for the entire world in the 70's. ;-)
From where do you know, that I might have such data ^^
Nonetheless, I do not see a chance. This involves more than 40hrs work not to talk about the restrictions.
Furthermore, I am not sure, how they calculate demands. This seems to be tricky at all, because I might have pax-numbers but not routes. Next problem is the Soviet Union, because data is not reliable....
As I said: The idea is great. But is it possible to implement such world? I doubt it...
I must add to that: I later saw, that you did not mean me @Banff. I fully agree with your statement in context with:
The demand shouldn't be much of a problem I think. Just force the demand from airports in the former USSR and coutries like Poland and Hungary towards the western world to 0. If it would be possible on coutrylevel it shouldn't be to much work I suppose.
In my opinion not possible: From where do you want to calculate the passenger demand in "Cold War" Times? How do you manage restrictions and forbidden routes? In my opinion, the idea is great but Airlinesim is not programmed, in my opinion, to make it happen (soon).
I am not sure how to tackle this question. I would assume that making 100% demand calculations would be improbable. Although if we can assume that we can at least gather some data, and then make some liberties about how demand would work overall that wouldn't that be sufficient? Or is only the precise real world data acceptable?
A lot of players on here play because it is the most realistic airline management simulation, some (including myself) won't play on game worlds already where liberties are taken (only new aircraft, double slots). I believe should a historic game world be introduced that is should be as realistic as possible, and this would include as realistic demand between all 4300+ airports, realistic runways, airports and slots for that period, realistic fuel prices for that period, realistic aircraft for that period, realistic salaries....
The limitation with that is of course the research and the data
Ian
I am not sure how to tackle this question. I would assume that making 100% demand calculations would be improbable. Although if we can assume that we can at least gather some data, and then make some liberties about how demand would work overall that wouldn't that be sufficient? Or is only the precise real world data acceptable?
Well, if Simulogics separates the "old day world" from the current system at all, well, then I see a chance. But is it so easy? I am not sure. If you have basic data, well, you can somehow calculate theoretic demands. But as I said: You have to do it from the beginning and I am not sure if it is possible due to costs.
Well, if Simulogics separates the "old day world" from the current system at all, well, then I see a chance. But is it so easy? I am not sure. If you have basic data, well, you can somehow calculate theoretic demands. But as I said: You have to do it from the beginning and I am not sure if it is possible due to costs.
The basic problem in principle I think is one of level of detail, ie the data quality demanded is beyond the getting without making a career of it (data old, on paper rather than available online, in many cases lost if it even existed in the first place etc). If there were a degree of flexibility allowed in the interest of producing a set of data for locations, aircraft etc that 'smells' more or less correct without necessarily being "accurate" down to the 94th level of pedantry then I'm sure you could put something together fairly quickly - certainly I know having done stuff to, and with, AS's airport data in the past that that aspect of it would be dull and tiresome but hardly beyond the ken of a reasonably informed person - but for good or ill they've got where they are by keeping to particular minimum standards for the integrity of that sort of thing and if there were a desire or sufficient openness for any flexibility I expect we'd have seen 1950s, 1970s etc stuff a long time ago - I know it was a subject of discussion around when I was Involved with things rather than just some random player and that was a depressingly long time ago!
There is also the issue that particularly as you go further back date-wise things start to work less well from a technical perspective - how do you manage stuff like air travel between the UK and Australia if the aircraft involved need to make five stops rather than one, stuff like that - and that would require at least an amount of work in testing etc which probably still isn't thought worthwhile.
There is also the issue that particularly as you go further back date-wise things start to work less well from a technical perspective - how do you manage stuff like air travel between the UK and Australia if the aircraft involved need to make five stops rather than one, stuff like that - and that would require at least an amount of work in testing etc which probably still isn't thought worthwhile.
Well, this is what Airlinesim does very successfully. I have no idea about the final destination calculation they do. BUT: It works. The system seems to be very flexible, meaning: You can let them transfer three times and the system recognizes the starting- and final destination regarding demand. However. To gather such data and to draw borders appropriately in such times is, in my opinion, a big problem in terms of employees needed/time/resources (costs).
I get the whole, ultra realism part of Airline Sim. It is one of the things that attracts me to the game. But any game can't be 100% realistic.
I just remember as a kid fly to the west coast to visit my dad and flying on a MD-88. Not terribly comfortable to fly on if you are 6 feet tall and the Airline was AA. But still, it was one of the reasons I would buy used aircraft of these type over others. I really don't think that AirlineSim offers much in the way of worlds that offer the use of these kinds of aircraft, and seeing that they are just getting older means that they will be used less and less until not at all.
It's an idea to have a fictitious world set in the past using "made up numbers" within the reason of AirlineSim fashion. I am not saying that it will be for everyone, but if there were enough people interested maybe it could garner a new game world set up this way. I'd love to be one of the first Airlines to buy a DC-9 or an MD-81 or a 747-100 right off the production line.
The demand shouldn't be much of a problem I think. Just force the demand from airports in the former USSR and coutries like Poland and Hungary towards the western world to 0. If it would be possible on coutrylevel it shouldn't be to much work I suppose.
As much as I like your idea, I have lived through the pre 1990s-era. Especially in Europe, things would get quite complicated. I shudder thinking of how complicated the treaties were back then.
Just as an example: You would have to add new game rules for West Berlin to allow only airlines based in one of the four allies' countries to transport passengers between German cities and TXL or THF (the West German airline Lufthansa and most other international airlines were not permitted to fly to West Berlin during the Cold War Era).
There were also quite a few changes in the early 80s in Russia (I guess, they needed money) where most European carriers would be permitted a fuel stopover in SVO on their Europe - Japan routes. In fact, the game does not provide any means for fuel stopovers. However, in pre-B747-400 / MD-11 times, fuel stopovers were required to get from Europe to any Far East destination (NRT, HKG, MNL, etc) as most wide-body aircraft wouldn't operate beyond 9 hours flight time.
So - *a lot* would have to be changed to accomodate your idea (which I still find intriguingly interesting).
This request has come up periodically over the years and for many of the reasons mentioned its always been a firm no.
I would love to have an airline with Viscounts, Caravelles and B720s. Other games do have them but they are no match for AS.
1. many airlines back then were state owned
2. compicated treaties - too much research + coding
3. old aircraft data - too much research
4. demand - research
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