Base/port defenses

[eddiek]

I know it's been suggested before, but with the increasing use of NOE with overwhelming #'s of aircraft, perhaps it's time to modify base defenses.
The defenses would be upgraded a bit against air, sea, and land attack via a two fold method.
First, add either German 88mm cannon, useful as manable AA or able to be depressed and used as antitank/GV defense weapons.  Alternative choice, and the one I would prefer, would be the US 90mm M2, also able to alternate between AA and ground defense.  The M2 would have the capability of proximity fusing, much like the USN 5 inchers, OR the user could select the fuse timing (perhaps by a ".r 50 command to set the fuse for 5K range?  Use 30, 35, 40, etc to set the fusing for 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0K ranges).  For ground defense, use the backspace key just as on a ship to select between AA and AP round.  Either 88mm or 90mm weapons could be sited as batteries of 4 guns, as in RL, or as individual guns arrayed in and around the base and just as importantly, in the town.  All these guns would have a 360 degree field of fire, just as the mannable guns do now.
Second, after looking at the various ports and sea side airbases, a lot of them have the shore batteries sited with fields of fire that do not protect the base and town.  My proposal would be to have a minimum of two SB's at any base situated along the shore, with at least one of them having a field of fire that will protect the town and shoreline in front of it.  Bases having 4 SB's would have two inner SB's sited for fields of fire to cover the base and town, and two outer SB's sited to have fields of fire that only cover sea lanes.
Third, have one battery of 88/90mm guns sited up on the "pyramid" with the SB's, also with the ability to depress to engage ground targets.

That's my proposal, some will hate it, some will look at this wall o text and go  and hopefully some of you will agree.

Just my thoughts on how to improve the game.

<S>!!

[branch37]

i like the idea and agree that the bases do need more defenses but there is nothing that pisses me off more than getting popped by manned 5 inch guns on a CV......also a smart NOE commander would plan to have to guns destroyed the same as maybe a VH.....but overall i like the plan 

[stroker71]

To maybe add to your post:

I think it would be nice if the towns with the airbases be adjusted to meet the size of said airbase.

Small AB: 40 town buildings (i think) w/ 8 ack guns
Med. AB  60 town buildings w/ 12 ack guns
Large AB 80 town buildings w/ 16 ack guns

Just a thought and I feel it makes sense that larger AB would have a larger town as they are more important targets.  But NOE into a large base knock the town down and whoola you have base that's very hard to keep down if you do it the conventional way.

[eddiek]

Thanks for the responses......branch, I'll be travelling thru your neck of the woods tomorrow evening, gotta go down to Abilene on my way to Dallas for a seminar.

I'm not sure yet just how many mannable 88/90mm guns would be feasible to site on an airbase, but it should be proportionate to the size of the base, I agree.
As to the puffy ack.....been there and done that.  Probably everyone has been victim of the puffy ack kills over his own base, or half a sector away, with auto ack going into action as soon as you go above 3K feet in altitude.  Didn't think about that, but hmmmmm....it WOULD turn the tables on the CV attackers, they'd have to take down the larger mannable guns and run the same risk of getting blasted someone attacking a fleet does.  I like that idea!
I would think making the guns mannable, with either proximity fuses (selectable in the hangar just as a GV'er selects his ammo loadout?) or user set timing on the fuses would make it more of challenge and therefore more enjoyable for everyone.
Imagine a trio of buffs flying over an airbase, and they no longer are immune to AA fire above a certain limit, IF someone gets in one of the mannable ack positions and engages them.  I think everyone has seen the pics of the AA fire the American bombers had to deal with over Germany, a sky black with flak bursts.  Also....the older gentleman I visit with from time to time, the Jug pilot, told me the German AA fire could be identified by the color of the flak bursts, like gray for 20mm, white for 37mm, etc.  I see no reason our AA guns at the fields should not be time fused.  Would make things more....interesting?

More feedback?

[Cajunn]

I agree some changes need to be made (what I don't know), but the skill level of players in general is getting where a base can be taken with a NOE mission with little effort. Even though there or new players who find the game somewhat hard, you can't let the game get to easy for the older players to where there is no challenge, in reference to taking bases.

[trotter]

I always thought that the 37mm manned guns pose a nice balance between not too easy, and not too difficult to master. They threaten aircraft, but not in the instant kill sense of a 5 incher. I don't think any mannable 5 inchers should be added to towns or fields. But I would like to see a lot more manned 37mm guns around towns, and on ports too.

[Hazard69]

Have to agree 100%.

Especially on ports. Ports are a vital part of any military's infrastructure and thus are meant to be rather well defended.
Shutting a port down should require a massive assault, much less capturing it.

The current port is almost as easy to kill as a town. This should not be the case.
Perhaps the guns on the ships in port should also be firing?. Would think that if a real port was under attack the harbored ships would put up some defense, rather than get pounded pointlessly.

I don't like the manned 5" model. Its too easy to kill something with, even 3K out. However 2 or 3 of these on a port would be a good thing.

For airbases I like the bigger the airbase, bigger the town idea. However no manned guns in town please. And no manned 5" over any airbases. I'd prefer sets of auto puffy ack placed around the airfields though, perhaps in clusters of 4 or 5 guns on a tower? Unless a airbase is meant to have no defense from hi altitude bombing, apart from its fighters.

[kvuo75]

For airbases I like the bigger the airbase, bigger the town idea. However no manned guns in town please. And no manned 5" over any airbases. I'd prefer sets of auto puffy ack placed around the airfields though, perhaps in clusters of 4 or 5 guns on a tower? Unless a airbase is meant to have no defense from hi altitude bombing, apart from its fighters.

the 40mm (it's a 40mm bofors from the looks of it) manned ack is effective against moderately high bombers (10-15000)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bofors_40_mm_gun


the auto puffy ack is the worst thing still in the game, IMO, the way it seems to prefer shooting at fighters than bombers.