Fighter Bombers or Light Bombers

[Minotaur]

One idea that I have been forming for some time relates to the in-effectivenes of the use of fighter bombers. Related to this, are my thoughts on the use of level bombers.

Currently fighter bombers are very in-effective, bordering on worthless. This will not change if light bombers are added to the AH plane set.

This is because, high altitude level bombers are so incredibly effective, because medium altitude level bombers are so incredibly effective, and because low altitude level bombers are so incredibly effective.

There is no role for fighter bomber attacks, so they don't really exist in the game.

Traditionally, large level bombers primarily hit "Strategic Target Areas", while medium level bombers hit "Tactical Target Areas and / or Targets", and fighter bombers hit "Tactical Targets".

This all could be changed by altering one game feature. Decrease the effect of the bombsight zoom feature. Either reduce the zoom, really "Fuzz" up the sight or significantly reduce the FOV to decrease "Aiming Time".

Almost everything else about this game models the difficulty of air combat, I suggest modeling the difficulties of accurate bombing as well. Make it alot harder!

This would force the use of carpet bombing or multiple bomb pickles from high altitude to hit a target. You would now be attacking the AREA the target is in, not the exact target.

It should require the use low altitude level bomber attacks to achieve "Pin Point Accuracy", but still require multiple bomb pickles to garantee a hit, depending upon the altitude the bombs are dropped from. The lower the altitude the better the chances.

IE: Force bombers to "Bracket" their target. The one bomb, one destroyed target, kind of stretches things.  Not for the bombs ability to destroy the target, but for the accuracy with which it is deployed.

What I have described above IMO will also greatly encourage the use of fighter bombers, using dive attacks, to achieve the highest degree of pin point accuracy.  This would require "Game Skill" not just a good sight apparatus.

Players will use methods that seem to work out the best, dictated by how the game models the various aspects of bombing.

Mino

[This message has been edited by Minotaur (edited 01-16-2000).]

[stachel]

i agree with you 100% minotaur.

however the one thing that makes fighter bombing next too impossible in the game is the first thing that should be fixed ,yes i mean the 99%accurate field acks ! ,that way we would be able to USE all this wonderfull ordenance at our dissposal wich is now as you statet utterly useless.
next addition would be the posibillity to actually CLOSE an airfield,so no planes can take off while certain targets are destroyed (hangar ,fuel,ammo bunkers in any combination)so we doen't have defenders coming out of completely wasted fields anymore(we might add the poss to drop fuel and ammo with C47's for ressuply to give it some extra strat. element  

cya up there
stachel

[juzz]

You're right, taking out AAA with high level bombers is totally ridiculous. You wouldn't even be able to see them at 10k, they sorta concealed them a bit, didn't they?  

You know what would be a good idea? Getting as far away as possible from the nonsense "Capture The Fields" roots of the whole strategy model.

Here's a possible plan though. A few B-17/B-26's take out the acks at every strat target and airfield they can. Then a mass force of heavy laden fighters comes in and smashes everything in sight; bombing, rocketing and strafing the S*** out of everything they can. Call it "Bodenplatte" or something...  

[This message has been edited by juzz (edited 01-16-2000).]