Perking Bomb load out's

[Karnak]

Why?

Perking bombs over 500lbs does no good on some planes. They carry the same total regardless of 500lb or 1000lb bombs. It's just another attempt to get people to play your way. This is a classic furballers whine so if you dont like them bombing you up a plane and kill them....

The best option is to fix the dive bombing part by fixing the bomb release.....not the bombs.

Perk ord options then bring back 25% fuel!

Steel

It should only be applied to Fighters, and the "why" is because fighters very rarely carried bombs larger than 500lbs in reality.  Bombs shouldn't have to pay perks for any of their bombs.

[Steel]

If you applie it strictly to fighters I can see the benifits...

In many bombers it makes nosense tho.

[SmokinLoon]

Forget perking the bomb loadouts, perk the bombers.

The Ar234 is damned fast but cant carry any more than a B25.  The Lancaster can carry a massive amount of ord and %80 more than the next nearest bomber, but yet it isnt perked.  The B24 and B17 can carry enough ord to level an airbase and still defend themselves... yet they are not perked (yeah, the Ju88 can carry just as much but it is quite weak in defense).

It isnt the bomb loads that need to be perked, it is the bombers themselves.  Oh?  You dont like that idea?  Hmm.  Stop and think about the destruction those bombers can cause... AND... what do we spend out bomber perks on now (and bomber perks are the easiest to earn, too)?

IMO, the following bombers need to be perked and how much per plane (at least for starters):

Ar234  (20)
Lanc  (11)
B24  (8)
B17  (5)
B26  (3)

The Ar234 is fast, but it is not easy to fly.  It takes a long time for it to "settle" for a constant bombing speed and fuel management is key to any long range mission.  Plus, it only carries a max of about 3300lbs of ord (per plane), and it can really only drop on three targets.  The rest of the bombers are all more steady, more effective, and can hit more targets. 

Maybe losing those perks will control some of the bomb-n-bail gamers. 
 

[Lusche]

It isnt the bomb loads that need to be perked, it is the bombers themselves.  Oh?  You dont like that idea?  Hmm.  Stop and think about the destruction those bombers can cause... AND... what do we spend out bomber perks on now (and bomber perks are the easiest to earn, too)?

Stop and think how easy bombers are to bring down. Look at the stats how bombers fall out of the sky in droves. See how long it takes to get them to reasonable alt to have a half decent chance to survive.  Take into account who is flying most of that buffs after all ("NEED GUNNA!")
And how are all those n00bs supposed to earn the perks for buffs? By flying helpless Ju 88s and Boston III's ?
Your proposal would shut down bomnber operations to a huge degree. Only "vets" like me would still be able to fly buffs, new players would hardly ever be able to fly a B24 or Lancaster. And certainly all remaining standard buffs in the air would  probably be inclined to climb to VERY high altitudes... I don't think that this will please everybody

Instead of low & medium lancs we would see an even greater amount of bomb-carrying fighters, which are much harder to stop before reaching their target. Exactly the opposite what we should try to accomplish - getting more variety in the air instead of less.

Perking the Lanc in the LW is, I dare to say, an almost rediculous idea.

[4propjoe]

This is clearly a troll. Stop feeding it before it climbs out from under the bridge and touches you.
Perk planes are Perk planes because in the hands of the right person they can cause exceptional damage or have characteristics outside of the "norm" troll.
IN your trollingness you have failed to realize that even in the hands of a master if one or two people with more intelligence then a trice dropped crack baby attack a bomber specifically a lancaster, any damage done by that bomber formation will be short lived.

Also nothing about a bomber forces you to stay at a base and fight there..Perhaps if in addition to being a troll you where not a gangbanger you would be able to branch out and explore the game in other bases than "A1 to A2"

IN conclusion your a troll.

[FYB]

Forget perking the bomb loadouts, perk the bombers.

The Ar234 is damned fast but cant carry any more than a B25.  The Lancaster can carry a massive amount of ord and %80 more than the next nearest bomber, but yet it isnt perked.  The B24 and B17 can carry enough ord to level an airbase and still defend themselves... yet they are not perked (yeah, the Ju88 can carry just as much but it is quite weak in defense).

It isnt the bomb loads that need to be perked, it is the bombers themselves.  Oh?  You dont like that idea?  Hmm.  Stop and think about the destruction those bombers can cause... AND... what do we spend out bomber perks on now (and bomber perks are the easiest to earn, too)?

IMO, the following bombers need to be perked and how much per plane (at least for starters):

Ar234  (20)
Lanc  (11)
B24  (8)
B17  (5)
B26  (3)

The Ar234 is fast, but it is not easy to fly.  It takes a long time for it to "settle" for a constant bombing speed and fuel management is key to any long range mission.  Plus, it only carries a max of about 3300lbs of ord (per plane), and it can really only drop on three targets.  The rest of the bombers are all more steady, more effective, and can hit more targets. 

Maybe losing those perks will control some of the bomb-n-bail gamers. 
 

You ever notice how a lanc can be up in the air for 1 hour and gain 5k alt? Yeah, dont perk it, it has a weak defense; i could easily go below it and then rise with 6 x 50.cals firing and break the poor thing to peices.
B-17G and B-24J are like the P-51D and P-51B, they are for everyone. Even exp pilots fly em'. So are you suggesting we perk those planes too? 

-FYB

[Saxman]

Here's an idea:

What about differentiating AP bombs from GP munitions? Midway is a great example of how you didn't use the same type of bomb against shipping that you would against a ground target.

[moot]

Great comment Sax.. One more way to enrich gameplay.

[FYB]

Here's an idea:

What about differentiating AP bombs from GP munitions? Midway is a great example of how you didn't use the same type of bomb against shipping that you would against a ground target.

Where do you get these things?
Bet you have a magic knowledge box no?
I'm all in for it.

-FYB

[Martyn]

I keep telling everyone - implement the Fairey Battle and perk it heavily - that'll use up those perks! 

Seriously though, I have 2k bomber perks that I can't really use up. So maybe if they made the destruction of strategic targets a little more crippling and then added small perks to all the heavies, say 5 pts (or maybe 10?) to B24/B17/Lanc that might help balance things out a little more in the long run. It would give us bombers more of an incentive and more of a cost at the same time.

Also I think the AR-234 is overly perked. Yes it's fast (eventually) but has little defence and is not very accurate when bombing - and only carries a light load.

As far as bombing/strat/bomber perks are concerned the game doesn't seem to balanced quite right.

[Steel]

AR-234 has the same inherent accuracy as all the other bombers...

Its over perked in my eyes as well and could be knocked down to 1/2 to 2/3rds of its current level.

Steele

[Martyn]

You're probably right, the accuracy is implemented the same way as the other bombers but the AR-234's apparent inaccuracy (I believe) is due to the speed induced oscillations. It needs longer to settle down as compared to the prop driven bombers. Thus it needs more care/skill to aim effectively - unless you're good at dive bombing - which I haven't really explored yet.

[Airborne]

I keep telling everyone - implement the Fairey Battle and perk it heavily - that'll use up those perks! 

Seriously though, I have 2k bomber perks that I can't really use up.

well its nice to know you have all those points, but take it from someone who is relatively new- having been playing for a little over a month- The first bomber I flew was a 17, then a Lanc, because I know those two a/c.   Newbies enjoy flying a/c that are familiar to them, and perking a/c, that 1- are very hard to survive in unless you spend 2 hours climbing to alt, and 2- take a long time to get to and from target whether you climb out or not will make it that much more difficult for new subscribers to stay with the game;


Hell, I think it sucks already to have planes perked when I pay 15 a month to play a game, only for the game to tell me I cant fly something- but thats not near as bad as that red devil ENY telling me I cant fly something.

[moot]

it sucks already to have planes perked when I pay 15 a month to play a game, only for the game to tell me I cant fly something- but thats not near as bad as that red devil ENY telling me I cant fly something.

The planes are historical. It would suck even more if those perk planes were free.
Without ENY you'd be burried even deeper under hordes and would have even less fun.

[BnZs]

The OP is correct to point out that bombers are a problem in this game. They are the single biggest factor in moving the map. Virtually *every* fight that ends is decided by the use of buffs to toolshed the other base into submission.

I see some here have repeated the absurdity that unescorted bombers are defenseless. Hardly. In point of fact, they are more dangerous to attack than the average AH stick in a fighter. American heavies especially are death-stars from every reasonable attacking angle. Yes, buffs that come in below 12K tend to get ganged to death eventually, but not before taking out hangars and some hapless noobs trying to attack them from a position of altitude disadvantage.

Now a Jabo with a heavy bomb-load out, THAT is a defenseless target up until it pickles the ordinance, at which point its mission is busted, thus the interceptor has accomplished its primary function.

However, I do not think perking  bombs or formations is the way to go. A four-pronged plan:

1. Unlink the defensive guns in a formation so an interceptor fighter diving is being fired at by 6 .50s, not 18. This will still make attacking bombers dangerous, equivalent to strafing an M-16 or HOing an A-20, but not the absurd suicide run it is for a lone fighter against even mildly competent gunner.

2. Introduce some shifting wind currents, starting at 8K, to make bombing more difficult. A layer of randomly shifting wind every 5K or so would greatly reduce J-DAM like bombing precision. It should be a *VERY* lucky thing to hit a hangar from 15K or higher. Thus, the issue of forcing the buffs to go to 30K would be deflected by the fact that IF they go that high, they might not even hit the base, much less the hangar.

3. As a general measure, I think hangars should be hardened, it would be nice if one jabo couldn't take one out.

4. With the stick, a carrot. I think we should decent strat targets for buffer to carpet bomb. See Krusty's wish...