A moral dilemma...

A kind of hard question...

What do you think about creating a historical mission in editor, based on actual events, with as much details as research and DCS allowed - but knowing that an allied plane was shot down and the pilot killed?

Is it enough just to mention the incident without any details?

Is it OK to mention pilot's name and further details, put some more info in radio messages and popups to create a kind of documentary, story driven mission?

Where is the line between having fun at the computer, trying to tell a story or teach some facts in an interactive way and the respect to those who were killed in combat?

If you do it in a respectful way I see no problem.

It's a tough one, i would probably replace the name but keep everything else factually accurate.

Mainly because you don't have permission from the family to use the pilot's name i guess?

hmm

I proposed long ago the reconstruction of the USTICA massacre.

but unfortunately the F104 mig23 are missing and the Italian-Yugoslav map is missing.

from the options translate the subtitles from Italian to English.

Isn't that essentially the 'Nirvana' that the WWII crowd want ?

- to be able to re-fly the actual battles that were fought, and in which actual real pilots died ?

If they re-create the circumstances leading up to an attack (x was bombed by y, z civilians were killed and n pilots lost by both sides), aren't they doing what you want to, but not naming names simply because the list is too long to make naming one person significant ?

Why hide that we're playing a game that simulates killing people ?

People really die in wars, that's why we should avoid them when unnecessary.

A kind of hard question...

What do you think about creating a historical mission in editor, based on actual events, with as much details as research and DCS allowed - but knowing that an allied plane was shot down and the pilot killed?

 

Is it enough just to mention the incident without any details?

Is it OK to mention pilot's name and further details, put some more info in radio messages and popups to create a kind of documentary, story driven mission?

 

Where is the line between having fun at the computer, trying to tell a story or teach some facts in an interactive way and the respect to those who were killed in combat?

As long as the information you want to use is in the public domain, then I don’t see a problem with including the details.

As long as the information you want to use is in the public domain, then I don’t see a problem with including the details.

+1 this.

Also, if the material is handled respectfully, and fidelity to historical facts is a goal, then it is disrespectful for that troop's legacy to transfer their sacrifice to a fictitious proxy

If the battle is just a setting for a free-for-all, that's one thing, but when recreating units, air craft #s, et cetera, then you are representing actual people & their names& memory should be preserved.

Consider this: in the use of actual names, you give people a springboard to look deeper into these people, so they become more than "that extra guy who dies" , and can spark an interest in the human side of conflicts. That's somewhat obscured when you use fictitious names

The moral dilemma is in the real war. Every war game I've ever played had historical scenarios, often based on specific people/battles. That's the reality, whether you name them or not. It's no different than using an ace's skin on your plane.

At least if you mention their name, people will continue to know they existed and might actually bother to learn about them, the conflict, etc. At the end of the day, this is a game, ''morals'' and the vagaries of war are irrelevant here. If somebody's heart is hurt by such things, they probably shouldn't spend their recreational time playing a game that actively and deliberately emulates it.

Basically, every combat mission ever flown in which ordinance was released resulted in someone dying. That's the terrible nature of what our pastime simulates; war is a horrendous thing.

All that said, you do deserve kudos for having the introspection to ask this. You clearly respect the subject matter. Not too many gamers do, frankly.

Where is the line between having fun at the computer, trying to tell a story or teach some facts in an interactive way and the respect to those who were killed in combat?

S!

Thanks for all replies! I will try to do my best :)

If I was the son of a killed Pilot, no matter which nation or flag, the least I wanted to encounter is to find my Dad's name in a "game" used for someone's fun.

It is no simple question to answer as one could also conclude:"Never let this happen again" after having played that mission. It all depends on the participants perception of things.

The wise move, imho, would be to exclude real names to not feed the dragon.

Exceptions could be WWII scenarios which happened 75+ years ago.

I use the words "game" and "play" to underline the difference between Real Life and Virtual World.

If with respect and is in public domain, do not see the problem with this.