The Optional Rule that time forgot.....

[JDR Dragoon]

An Optional Rule, which was already in the manual and described there, has now finally made it into the MC series without it being noted in the changelog.

I am of course talking about "Low Visibility Air Effects"

Just to recap (DF85 user manual page 63):
This is an Optional Rule that causes conditions of low visibility to result in reductions in air unit availability. The exact reductions are determined by parameter data. See the Parameter Data Dialog to determine the exact values that apply to a given scenario."

In K85 for instance, these values are as follows (using the summer .pdt):

Allied Air Availability: 50% North Korean Air Availability: 30%

Air Limitation:
Visibility 1 Hex: 50% Visibility 2 Hexes: 75% Visibility 3 Hexes: 100%
Visibility 4 Hexes: 100% Visibility 5 Hexes: 100%

So when this rule is in effect, the Air Availability will be 37.5% with vis. 2 for the Allied side and 25% with vis. of 1. Needless to say, this rule favors the side with less strike missions (usually WAPA, NorKs, Arabs) and penalizes the side with more airpower.

Still, it is a useful optional rule, especially if airpower feels too dominant (due to lack of attrition) as it might do in some of the larger MC scenarios.