32 member Squads typically do not pork and auger. they dont have to. Typically they come in as is the "hoards" a term I beleive I first coined though I may be wrong. Its just that I am the first one I have seen use the term to discribe these huge masses of people that Steamroll base after base and capture it against what turns into only token resistance due to their sheer numbers.
Its not something to do with the squads, but rather the number of it all. Opinions can be different on who 'started' the 'horde' term, but one thing for certain is it began with Fariz's Typhoon raid missions first, which the Knights and some of their capable squads such as the FBs and Damneds quickly adopted. And with the increase of such deadly use of force, the RJO was firmly organized to fight back against the onslaught.
What was so surprising and fearful of such missions, was that it was in a fashion which was unseen before. I don't know if Fariz has foreseen through it, or it was an accidental happening, but consequentially it brought a whole new concept of "force by numbers" into the MA.
Previously, before that point, missions were generally small-scale. They were tightly formed, with squad-individuals participating and trying to follow an organized fashion as if it was real-life WW2 missions - waypoints. However, the gigantic Typhy raids was something totally new. It made full use of the single largest resource available in all countries - namely, the large number of new pilots newly recruited into AH.
The new types of missions generally didn't seem to care about a certain style or organization. There wasn't any section or wing leaders. There was only the flight leader, who formed a mission, and the rest of the people - incredibly large number of people by the standards of those days - followed. There objective was simple and not complicated. Lift-off, follow, and then attack any base object of opportunity. This mission had a large number of people who were marginally trained, or untrained at all in squad operations. Most of them are lacking in bomb-lobbing skills and such, but what they lacked in precision they made up with incredible numbers. And it was unbelievably powerful. There was basically no stopping it. It didn't matter how many people died through the attack, or how some people smack and augered.
As long as the initial objective of destroying important field strats were fulfilled - no matter what the cost(which includes suicidal runs) - the defenders air power was decimated almost in an instant.
You're right, in that nobody wants to willingly kill themselves to get a job done.
However, the following consequences was that there wasn't any need to motivate or train pilots anymore. As long as they know how to fly and change directions, and press the bomb release button, they could turn the tide of the battle for air-superiority. There is no price to pay for our deaths, while the end-result of such attack runs pays off very high dividends.
The cost-effectiveness of such missions was so high, that basically it totally got rid of any need of the painstaking process of becoming a better pilot. You don't have to be a good pilot anymore, to help your country. The outcome is the observation as Batz sees - 'suicdal porking'. It wasn't intended to be a suicide, but the end result is the same. It's the easy way to crush your opponent, without having to fight in the air at all - destroy them while they're at the ground.
It's a brutally effective tactical concept, except it ruins the fun as an air-combat game.
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Now I understand what you feel, because I've experiened the exact same thing. It was a long time ago, but the Rooks were in the bucket once. I'd do the same thing - taking off, going NOE, approaching the enemy field and hoping to knock out their fuels, so our main base could finally be rid of the insane numbers of enemy fighters terrorizing it. Basically, it's an "eye for eye" sort of tactic. They come in hordes to bust our base? Fine, I go in stealthy and bust their base in retribution - kill most of the fuels so our friends have time to regroup and fight back.
Now, at this point, this discussion converges with the main theme of the thread. I don't think it's any one individuals fault. I don't see this as Batz does - it's not the individual "dweebey" mindset that is the problem.
The MA has been shaped into that way, and people simply follow the most effective way they know to crush opposition - namely, steamrolling enemy bases. In turn, the defending side has no choice but to use the same tactics against the attacker - go and destroy their stats to delay attack.
That, is why, I want to help shape the arena into something else. Steam rolling is effective due to the fact, that the aircraft capable of such attacks are positively impossible to intercept. Its free. Its damn fast. You need an aircraft substantially higher top speed, to stop a Typhoon coming in at 8~10k which just dives straight to the field full throttle, when they see interceptors. More often than not, its impossible to stop them in the air.
A P-51D, or a Typhoon or a P-38L dives very fast, making it very difficult to catch(although the P-38L compresses, and that's why so many people auger in it..). They carry a 2k bomb load. You know how difficult it is to land an effective hit with only a 500lbs bomb. However, if a plane has 2k load, it could land it in the general area and the bomb blast will effectively knock the target out.
That is why the steamrolling is so effective - the pilot may be auger, but he'll get the job done. The payload, divespeed, and top speed of the plane allows it so. It's cost efficient and doesn't require high level of skill for the pilot. Just fly there, dive, and drop whether you die or not.
The planes I'm asking to perk, are also (mostly) the planes that carry highest payloads. Would the steamrolling be so effective when it takes a really careful drop to land a single 500lbs directly at the target?
I think not.
Would the pilot, however 'dweebey' he may be, be willing to constantly risk loss of 3 perk points again and again in such base-attacks?
I think not, again.
If the perks will shift the plane usage to mid-war planes which carry a smaller payload, and has lower top speed - I'm thinking that the steam-roller just won't be efficient or worthwhile to risk dying for. I told you I've done the same thing when we were in the bucket. I did that because I knew, that even if I die, my heavy ordnance load will bust the field strats, which will immediately help my friends fight back.
I wouldn't feel that way if I had to do it with a plane with a single 500lbs or single 1k bomb. I'd probably have to die again and again and again, and still wouldn't do enough damage to stop the enemy. This works both ways - both for the defender and the attackers.
Or, if the perks will shift the plane usage to ground attack planes which carry higher payload, but significantly disadvantaged in an A2A fight - such as the 110, Mossie, A-20, IL-2, etc etc.. - then they're much easier to intercept.
That, is one of the reasons why I'm advocating this perk idea. Arena balance is one reason, this, is the other.
