We're missing the point - bombers dont need to be perked

[caldera]

A perk on bombs over 500 lbs would be great for fighters.  As for bombers, what about the Stuka?  It would need an exemption from the perked ords idea.  And the SBD too.

[waystin2]

I am kind of on the fence for this issue.  My thought is just adjust ENY on any aircraft that tips the balance to far one way or another.  I don't think that the size of the bomb really matters.  I really think it is the pilot's accuracy and plane capability that defines whether ordnance is unbalancing gameplay in the arena.  Still scratching my head and thinking about it...

[Dragon]

Just to throw it into the mix, how about a split perk, 50 per plane, but a ceiling of 22k, or the 100 per with no ceiling.


Yesterday I was a gunner in the 29 as well as being shot at by one.  In both positions, I didn't like the guns.  

[Tupac]

The views aren't very good from the guns, lots of blind spots.

[Kazaa]

The views aren't very good from the guns, lots of blind spots.

In real life, the B-29 had a fire control computer which ment you didn't have to lead the guns, just put the plane in the crosshairs and the computer would calculate lead/bullet drop.

[Dragon]

In real life, the B-29 had a fire control computer which ment you didn't have to lead the guns, just put the plane in the crosshairs and the computer would calculate lead/bullet drop.

Well that's all fine and dandy till you can't see the plane to get the cross hairs onto it.  Too many blind spots and the rear gun just doesn't look under the plane well enough.

[Kazaa]

not from me... because I'm undecided on this. The perk price is either too high or quite right depending on how you intend to use it. You can put the emphasis on combat and come in fairly low, where the vulnerability of the engines will make that price you are paying for it fairly high.

But on the other hand - A player can (and often will) chose to take it really high, and then you have a very difficult to stop bomber that (yes, much more difficult than any other) that can bring obscene amounts of bombs to about any place on the maop. This feature alone is is absolutely demanding a big price tag.

The bomb load is the elephant in the room here and I highly doubt we'll get a perk ord system any time soon.

[JUGgler]

+1  well thought out, (shakes head) I cant believe I am agreeing raider

Damn it Dodger, honestly man! His head, just look at the size of his friggin head now 




JUGgler

[Delirium]

As I said in the other thread, there is literally no reason to fly at reasonable altitudes in a bomber within the MA. There is an easy bomb site, no varying wind layers, no cloud layers and very few people fly above 20k routinely. The bomber pilots can 'laser designate' all their targets from 30k and have no accuracy issues what-so-ever.

[waystin2]

The bomber pilots can 'laser designate' all their targets from 30k and have no accuracy issues what-so-ever.

You have obviously never seen my Lancaster landscaping service...

[Beefcake]

As I said in the other thread, there is literally no reason to fly at reasonable altitudes in a bomber within the MA. There is an easy bomb site, no varying wind layers, no cloud layers and very few people fly above 20k routinely. The bomber pilots can 'laser designate' all their targets from 30k and have no accuracy issues what-so-ever.

Wrooooooong. I'll send you my film of me bombing from 17k in a B29 last night, my setup was perfect, my speeds were spot on, and I still ended up missing 50% of the time. Don't even ask how many bombs I wasted when I bombed from 20k.    

The higher and faster you fly leads to a greater error percentage when dropping. Being 1mph off when calibrating at 20+k and 300mph can send your bombs as far as 200-300 feet off target.



Now on to perked loadouts, this idea has merit but let me ask one question. I'm a newbie that just joined the game and I want to fly a B17. How am I going to do it if all my bombs are perked?

[gyrene81]

Now on to perked loadouts, this idea has merit but let me ask one question. I'm a newbie that just joined the game and I want to fly a B17. How am I going to do it if all my bombs are perked?

i believe the premise is the heavier loadouts would be perked...or the heavier bombs maybe (?)

[Lusche]

Now on to perked loadouts, this idea has merit but let me ask one question. I'm a newbie that just joined the game and I want to fly a B17. How am I going to do it if all my bombs are perked?

You may read the proposal given in the link I provided in my 1st post in this thread for a perked ords variant that deals with this.  

(In a nutshell: smaller bombs are always free in heavy bombers, and heavy bombs carried by fighters are much more perked than when carried by light bombers like Ju-87, TBM and so on)

[RamPytho]

The higher and faster you fly leads to a greater error percentage when dropping. Being 1mph off when calibrating at 20+k and 300mph can send your bombs as far as 200-300 feet off target.

It's called to short of a flight to get a stable speed. Other heavies you need a sector to get a stable speed. B29 you're most likely going to a longer time too, but still applies.

[dirtdart]

Nothing should be perked over 200, regardless of eny. No bomber should be worth over 100 (for a formation), regardless of eny.   

I have advocated in the past that formations should only cost what the base airframe is worth.  I agree with all counterpoints to this notion in principle.  What it boils down to is time.  I would say, 150-200 of the 5000 (my guess, no bashing allowed on my guess dammit) players, have enough bomber perkies to afford flying this ride and losing more than a set or two.  Were I to lose a formation of B-29s, it would take me 3-5 months, depending on my mood, to round up enough perkies for another B-29 sortie.  I just can't let myself believe that HTC created a airframe to be used by the bulk of players 3-4 times a year (if they lose it).  (yeah yeah, dont get shot down....right.)

We all pay $xx.xx a month, regardless of how many hours we play.  The perk incentives impact on those who spend more time online is much less than their counterparts who play on weekends.  This is unsatisfactory because it benefits a specific set of clients, not the entire base of customers, who again, all pay the same amount.

My understanding is the perk system balances the planes capabilities against other aircraft.  This with the ENY provide a balance to promote more competetive fighting and to discourage folks from massing to one country with the intent of capturing the planet.  I cannot see/understand how limiting the access to bombers, to this extent, changes the game play as signficantly as with fighters.  It discourages the use of the airframe.  I have no kidding, only killed one flight of mossie 16s since they were introduced, the only flight I have seen.  The bulk of the bombers I see are lancs/24s/17s.  Would it make that significant of a difference to see a B-29 or AR-234 or Mossie 16 in similar numbers?  I think not. 

If the bombers were actually able to shape the fight in a strategic sense, then yes, because of the speed and load some should have to be perked, but they don't.  A B29, regardless of the fact it can drop 40K of ords is still not going to drop an entire town in one pass.  So, what epic game play changing capabilities do these bombers bring.  I suggest none. 

I can fly a 262 all day long and not worry about being shot down, if I am smart.  Not the case with bombers.  Those mossie 16s I shot down, I trailed in a TA-152 until they got short on gas and tried to descend after chasing them for 5 or so sectors.  In a 262, I would be in the bar before that 152 got into my sector.

Thoughts?