Hi everyone,
I'd like to open a discussion regarding update that disables all international passenger and cargo demand for routes from the USSR. I understand the intent behind this change was to reflect historical realism, and I appreciate the effort to make the game more immersive. However, I believe this adjustment may not fully align with historical reality.
In fact, during the Soviet era, Aeroflot operated a significant number of international routes. These included scheduled services to:
• Major cities in the United States, such as New York and Washington, D.C.
• China, with multiple routes and strong state ties.
• All Eastern Bloc countries, including Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Bulgaria, etc.
• Numerous Asian nations, including India, Vietnam, and Japan.
• Select Western European cities, such as Paris, London, Rome, and Vienna.
While it's true that the USSR had a tightly controlled aviation system, it certainly maintained a large and politically important network of international connections, especially through Aeroflot. These routes were operational and served both state and civilian purposes.
With that in mind, I'd like to respectfully ask the developers:
• Would it be possible to reintroduce at least historically accurate levels of international demand for key political and strategic routes?
• If maintaining realism is not feasible due to technical or balance reasons, could the current international demand restrictions simply be lifted or made optional in the settings for added flexibility?
I believe this change would better reflect historical operations while also improving gameplay for those interested in managing airlines from the USSR or its neighboring regions.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and input.
Continuing from my earlier post here's an added angle: if the goal is to impose more Cold War realism, why not supplement flight restrictions with fleet constraints?
Historical Fleet Restrictions
• Limited or no access to Western-built aircraft
During the Cold War, Soviet airlines (including Aeroflot and Eastern bloc carriers like Interflug and TAROM) primarily used Soviet-made models. Western airframes were largely inaccessible due to CoCom embargoes and political barriers
• Eastern bloc airlines couldn't procure Western jets until the late 1980s
For example, Interflug only received Airbus A310s in 1989 after limited thawing of trade restrictions. Similarly, Romanian TAROM had to procure BAC One-Elevens and Boeing 707s only after special permission in the 1970s.