"Anecdotally", over the years since 2002, I've noticed that about the time I get my gunnery consistent in one patch or version release, the next one changes the gunnery sweet spot of the previous version. I also see this happen between different maps and different arenas. Furball Lake has one of the most consistent gunnery environments of all the arenas and maps. But, then it stays static, is never rotated and receives few changes other than the game version or major terrain coad changes that all maps receive.
Since about 2005, offline with every new update I spend time with the F4U-1, P47, P51D, spit16, La7, Yak9T/U and K4 as a gunnery benchmark tool. I look for changes in perceptual accuracy, time on target to kill, and effective convergence ranges. Ardy maybe we both are loosing our minds. After all this is just anectdotal black box observations of someone elses program.
Just before the release of our current new version 2.23, I was able to set the P51D 6-50's at 500, 400 and 300 and destroy cons very well offline and in the MA with 1-sec bursts, point blank to 600. I had the spits, La, Yak and K4 at 400. With 2.23 and subsiquent patches I've finally returned my P51D and spits all to 300 again. The La and Yak to 350 and the K4 to 250.
The benchmark is the amount of time it takes for a drone to explode between 400 and 200 yards under fire from these aircraft while at full gunsight zoom.
In the new version I needed more time on target or a more concentrated burst of fire on target opposed to the convergence settings from the pre-2.23 version. As usual that ment pulling the convergence in and concentrating all of the guns to a single point. With motor mounted cannon it means setting the convergence number in the hanger to a smaller number. I still cannot find those adjustment bolts and shims for the motorkanon in the Bf109 manuals. I'm sure if I keep looking I'll find a special addendum from Rechlin Erprobungsstelle or Rheinmetall-Borsig explaining how it's implemented. But, we have to accept records from that far back were destroyed sometimes in the confusion of the Allied push through germany...
An explanation about the Mk108 and NS-37.
Offline you can successfully fire a single 30mm round and hit a drone at 200 yards with the MK108 2 out of 3 times. My criterion was when the number of times I had to tap the trigger before a single round hit at 200 yards increased past 3. Then it was time to change the convergence. Previously 400 was perfict. Now it's back to 250 and I changed nothing but installing the new game versions.
For you Yak9T fans, always use a triple tap when shooting at air to air targets. I get my highest percentage of drone hits from 200 yards that way during offline testing. Single rounds with the NS-37, regardless of how fast, flat and narrow it's dispersion modle is programmed in this game, just has a low hit probability unless you send a minimum of 3 rounds. I watched hours of slow motion AH video compairing the two guns and our NS-37 rounds are allergic to aluminum. The MK108 is an aluminum seeking missle in comparison.
So Ardy do we need to start drinking a different brand of KoolAid.....
