Much of the discussion in this thread displays a fundamental lack of reasoning skills.
Have I gotten your attention yet?
How many of you guys can honestly say that you have successfully intercepted a heavy P-47 coming in at 20k doing nearly 400 mph level? This gets magnified when the field is recently captured, meaning that virtually everyone is down on the deck either rearming or about to land.
I see the argument posed about flying defensive CAP all the time in these discussions. I wonder how often the vocal advocates of this actually do it themselves? I do it from time to time, but unless there's a steady parade of incoming - it's dreadfully boring. Moreover, it's all but impossible to stop a fast mover intent on suicide if he's up in the stratosphere when he arrives. You must be content with killing these turkeys after the damage is already done, and they know it.
During WWII, forward airfield fuel storage was dispersed around the airfield, usually under camo netting and almost impossible to spot from a fast aircraft even 1,000 feet above the ground. Often, fuel storage was MILES away from the field itself. In AH, we know exactly where the fuel is and it's very easy to spot. The same goes for ordnance too. In the real world fuel and ordnance are ALWAYS stored a safe distance from the field for the obvious reason that explosions are not especially good things to have near aircraft and buildings. Ever try to spot an ammo bunker from the air, when they are usually buried under earth or camo netting? You could circle the place for 20 minutes and not find them. Your only real clues are signs of traffic having moved to and from the bunkers, roadways, tire ruts and so on. I understand why HTC put the fuel and ordnance out in the open, many AH players can't locate their peters in a dark room, much less hidden fuel storage.
I can see it now, a suicide maggot arrives, but can't see the depot from 20k, not even from 10k. Now he has to scout around at low altitude... Better learn how to fight in that airplane junior, because you will have to, not having 500+ mph in the bank any longer.
My solution would be to randomly put four camo'd fuel depots in each sector. Each depot is divided into 5 separate storage areas, each requiring 1k or ordnance to destroy. Fields always have 25% fuel on hand, the depots bring it up to 125%. Each of the individual storage areas provides 5%. To pork base fuel, you have to find them, and then kill them. Requiring 5k of ordnance to kill each bunker complex effectively makes fuel porking an organized mission, assuming they can even find the fuel. Sure, after a few map evolutions, the location of fuel bunkers will be noted, but their being hardened will make them much tougher to pork than it is now. I can see the suicide guys with pencil and paper taking notes on the bunker locations. For a big map, they'll need a binder. No ack at bunker complexes, as this is an impossible to miss marker. I'd set up ordnance and troop barracks the same way, but reduce the hardness to 250 pounds for each area.
This would create 15 independent targets in each sector. Where two fields are in a single sector, both are supplied from the same strats, meaning that two fields are effected by loss of the strats. I would do away with zone fields and triple the number of acks at factories and make a portion of factory acks manned. I'd also like to see 88mm or 90mm manned guns at some airfields. These would fire proximity fuzed rounds like the 5" fleet guns. This gives you a fighting chance to kill the suiciders before they can unload. These guns should be placed in hardened redoubts eliminating the single pass strafe kill of the gun. Require 1k or equivilent to knock them out. These guns should be limited to medium and/or large fields only.
Virtually any map could be modified this way.
I suggest that players check out some of the CT set-ups where fields are greatly hardened. It does make for better air combat when the field is tougher to pork.
To reduce the suicide bombing of CVs by Heavy Bombers, I'd require the use of armor-piercing bombs, and those would be available only to Naval aircraft or dive bombers this includes the Ju-87 and Ju-88 (yes, the Ju-88 was equipped as a dive bomber and was quite effective too) and anti-shipping types like the Mosquito.
I can hear the howling already. Nonetheless, not a single major naval combatant was sunk by heavy bombers while underway during WWII (before anyone points to the Bismarck, it was at anchor).
Last evening, the Knits sent at least 4 formations of B-17s to suicide a Rook CV. I killed 6 of them, but that wasn't enough as each survivor dived their bombers straight into the carrier. Any peawit can do that, and we have no lack of peawits.
I'd also make all 5" turrets man-able. Lastly, I'd like to see those who wish to command CVs actually have to remain within icon range of the CV or else lose control. Absentee captains are a pain in the neck. While they're watching the Simpson's in another room, guys are busting their butts to keep the CV afloat... Or worse, some dork changes the fleet's course without a clue as to what is actually happening at the CV because they are in a tower 10 sectors distant.
There's no doubt that a greater measure of idiot control will go a long way to eliminating much of the behavior that annoys so many players.
My regards,
Widewing
