Here is my post on the AGW board. Not everything applies to AH yet - we have no tactical bombers for starters, yet. But it may be relevant sooner or later:
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Topic: May be trying to fix the wrong thing here.
My, what a heated and personal discussion about something so innocent as a random bomb drift in a computer game.
Incredible number of stupid opinions bordering on paranoia.
To "bomber defenders" - chill down. Nobody is trying to get rid of the bombers in WB. Those fighter pilots who do not like them, do not engage them.
There are lots of things to do besides attacking the bombers in WB.
Quite the opposite, there can be many more bombers flying if some changes were made to the whole bombing concept while making the "war" more realistic for all of us - bombers and fighters.
At the same time, just introducing the bomb drift and changing nothing else is going to kill the whole level bombing bisness in WB. So fixing the exessive bombing accuracy is the very wrong thing to do first. Yes, the laser-guided bombs from 30K are unrealistic, but at least there is some gameplay going on.
The major flaw with the current design is the use of the strategic level bombers for tactical bombing. It has several causes and many implications, none of them good.
The level bombers were always used against the area targets. That is impossible in WB because there are no such targets. Or rather, the targets require direct hits to be destroyed. The effects of the blast are negligible compared to the real life. So it becomes necessary to deliver a pinpoint strike.
Contrary to all reality, it is much easier to do that (hit an ack dead center) from a Fort flying at 30K then from a dive-bomber like Ju87. As if an ack should need a dead center hit to be destroyed.
As a result, very few people are flying tactical bombers.
Also, it is not that easy trying to learn pinpoint bombing from 30K, so very few new players do it after a first try.
A (very) few bomber pilots who mastered that completely unrealistic art reject any changes, but really they are backing the system that prevents more people from flying bombers, while they think they are trying to preserve the bombers in WB.
Here is what could be done:
1. Make the random bomb drift depending on the altitude.
2. Make the targets (fields, cities, etc.) suseptible to caret bombing. Blast effects should be more pronounced on most structures and cumulative.
A few hardened structures, like bunkers, may need much close blasts to damage them or direct hits, but direct hits should be damaging even with smaller bombs.
Most structures could get much weaker in general because they will be much less likely to be hit dead center. So a near hit from a smaller bomb will have some effect. While level bombers will be just as effective (less accuracy offset by more damage from blast and more bombs in the salvo), Jabo and tactical bombers will be able to score some with closely-delivered smaller/fewer bombs.
The values of the blast effect, target hardness and bomb drift should be adjusted in such way that an experienced bomber on average achieved the same result in closing or damaging the field or other target.
The huge difference would be that a newbie would be able to fly and carpet bomb the same target and may be get 10-20% of the effect of an experienced pilot, not zero like it is now! He would still get some acknowlegement for his efforts and an encouragement to continue flying.
So a few less exrienced bombers will be able to combine and achieve the same result as one experienced guy. They will learn in the process.
There will be many more bombers flying around. Many fighter pilots will be trying bombing once in a while, so when not flying bombers they will be more likely to provide an escort. And they will know something about the issues the bombers face first-hand.
There will be more incentive to fly bombers lower to trade the safety of high alt for the improved accuracy and shorter flight time.
With shorter and more rewarding bombing missions there will be even more bombers around. Also while bombers will be flying lower then now, the fighters will be flying higher - fewer of those low-level aimless furballs. Escort missions will be more easily accepted because they will be more certain to see action.
The tactical bombers - Ju87 and Mossie, maybe even US/Japanese navy dive-bombers will see action for the quick suppression of some targets where a level bombing raid is excessive.
Ju-88 will be more effective because it combines the qualities of a tactical and strategic bomber. The Axis side will not suffer that much because of their bomber disparity.
Allies will have their strategic bombers and Axis have great interceptors specifically designed against those.
At the same time Axis will have more effective medium/tactical bombers - Ju88, Ju87, Bf110 and Allies will have to watch for those.
So the whole setup will be much, much more realistic.
The great bomber pilots will still be great.
There will be many more people, including fighter pilots, flying bombers with some success at least part time.
There will be more flying planes variety with tactical bombers having something to do and being able to do it better then level bombers.
What do you think?
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miko--
