Formation Suggestion

[F4J]

How about having drones join up with another nearby formation when they drift apart from their original formation. In real life, a plane separated from his formation would do just that. It's unrealistic to just have them explode after drifting off 1000 yards. With the new bigger towns and spread out airfields, it is critical to arrive with as many buffs as possible.

[Simaril]

I hear what you're saying, but part of the drone's effect is to limit radical maneuvers by bombers. In real life, heavies avoided jerking around like a fighter, or dive bombing with a pull out at 50 ft -- both of which are physically possible in AH. (Maybe it's undermodelling of frame stress effects.) In any case having drones to worry about forces Buff pilots to be appropriately conservative.

Rather than write code to allow transferred drone allegiance, i'd like to see resolution of the "drone gone stupid" problem, where for no discernable reason they'll stop climbing, fail to turn, or otherwise deliberately separate themselves from their masters.....

[F4J]

Rgr that Simaril,
You're right about the conservative flying requirement, and you're right about the problem of the drones gone stupid. I had posted that also as a Beta bug report. Sometimes though, you do have to turn a little sharp and you do lose drones. I also had drones drift off when your lead plane gets damaged and goes into a wild dive or spin.

The only time you'd benefit by a drone attaching itself to someone else's formation is if a squaddie or some other friendly is closer to the drone than you are. In other words, let's say the drone drifts off over 1000 yards, but is within 600 or whatever of another friendly formation. It would be better than have it just blow up, and would be more realistic.

I will say that the undermodelling of the stresses on the frame is better than AW's having the wings ripped off when you try to make a little turn.

[Kweassa]

The drones are no more or less stupid then AH1. It's just people don't undertsnad their actions, which brings to them to the conclusion it must be dumb.

 The drones will attempt to form on you after 200feet AGL is reached. Only when that altitude is exceeded, will it properly attempt to align itself.

 99% of the drone loss during take-offs caused by the pilot in the lead bomber doing inappropriate things, rather than a stupendous failure in the system.

 Also, there's no such thing as "need to turn sharp" in bombers. If a bomber is forced into that action then whatever the reason its entirely at the fault of the pilot - inappropriate plannings, hasty adjustments, improper throttle control etc etc.

 Basically, if the lead bomber pulls a turn so sharp and fast that the drones cannot keep up and drift away, then its the lead buff doing the wrong stuff, not the drones.