AI gunnery in Bombers is it fair

[Karnak]

Yeah if the bandit is between ~450-550 and the you aim is only off in the horizontal.

Depends on how much your aim is off by...

[999000]

Wiley you and Waystin2, Zoney, Slapshot    pretty much have always owned me! I might get a bullet hole in your plane..but I usually end up in the death spiral!!!!!!
The one thing I sometimes wonder about is when two or more fighters have the opportunity to attack it is not often that they coordinate there attack with eachother.
999000 <S>

[gyrene81]

Wiley you and Waystin2, Zoney, Slapshot    pretty much have always owned me! I might get a bullet hole in your plane..but I usually end up in the death spiral!!!!!!
The one thing I sometimes wonder about is when two or more fighters have the opportunity to attack it is not often that they coordinate there attack with eachother.
999000 <S>

some of us get greedy bud. if there is a chance that we get to poke holes in your fortresses we lose our minds and go for the glory. then when the text buffer shows 999000 shot you down,           

[B-17]

Never run into Tatertot, all I know is I once got a ping from 999000's bombers while flying parallel to him getting set up when my distance marker said '1.6K'.  I went elsewhere to find something to shoot at.

[caldera]

Took a stupid angle on this set of B-17s:







Got a pilot wound on the second ping.  "Freakin' 999!"    RTB was the correct choice at that point.


Most of the bomber guys are fairly easy to shoot down - if you take your time to do it right. 
Bombers are at your mercy.  If you get shot down, it's because you really screwed up.

[999000]

Caldera  That is a most excellent attack...  got my first bomber quickly! Sometimes the bomber guys just get a lucky shot. To tell you the truth if I see a guy like you coming in with this kind of proffessional  angle..I pearsonally only shoot 1 quick burts just to let the fighter attacking  know I see him and not let him get tooo comfortable in his attack
I actually try to get my shot on the guy as he passes down and out. Trying to hit fighters attacking on the way in from these kinds of angles is a waste of ammo. usually the second or third attack angles are then to the bombers advantage.
999000

[tassos]

wtg otto

[Zoney]

Looked like a pretty good approach to me Caldera.  There "ain't no" approach to that aircraft that does not allow him to shoot back and there is always that bullet with your name on it flying around hoping to meet ya.  As 999 said he shoots as you are going away for the best possibility of a good hit.  I have found that true in most of the very good buff gunners.  I'm always changing my altitude and angle as I pass by, (and sometimes I duck my head a little bit but I don't think that helps).  Someday I would like for a buff gunner to killshoot himself with his own AI but frankly I'm not holding my breath on that or actually trying to set him up for it.  BTW, did you land it?

[4brkfast]

I see no problem with AI gunners or manual gunners. What I do have an issue with is having the ability to place all 10~ .50's in the same place, as if one gunner controls all eight people controlling them. That's just silly, consistently bombers are the most dangerous things in the sky, regardless of my speed or angle of attack. I know it's a game, things are modeled to make them 'even'. But if you want to know what buff hunting was really like...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quPkPvGxtHo

Also, at the end, you can see how a real 190 performs vs a P47. In life, the 190 was superior everywhere except on the deck, it was 50/50 then.

[Karnak]

I see no problem with AI gunners or manual gunners. What I do have an issue with is having the ability to place all 10~ .50's in the same place, as if one gunner controls all eight people controlling them.

I have good news!  In AH you can't place the .50s from a bomber in the same place!  It is 100% completely impossible!  Aren't you excited to know this!

[wil3ur]

If you shoot down the first buff in the group of 3 and the message says: "You have shot down 999000", immediately disengage, count your lucky stars, salute him, thank him, scream to your squaddies you killed him, run like a girl for home, and then most importantly warn everyone within 3 sectors where he is and watch the skies clear around his aircraft.

I've done this in a 262 before...  and any time I see a set of 17's I start praying before I start my first pass.

One thing I'd like to see is Bomber Convergence...  Let me set it out to 800.   

[caldera]

Caldera  That is a most excellent attack...  got my first bomber quickly! Sometimes the bomber guys just get a lucky shot. To tell you the truth if I see a guy like you coming in with this kind of proffessional  angle..I pearsonally only shoot 1 quick burts just to let the fighter attacking  know I see him and not let him get tooo comfortable in his attack
I actually try to get my shot on the guy as he passes down and out. Trying to hit fighters attacking on the way in from these kinds of angles is a waste of ammo. usually the second or third attack angles are then to the bombers advantage.
999000

Thank you sir.  Of course it was an excellent attack from your perspective, as I ended up with a pilot wound. 
Guess it was a better approach than most people do; straight up the six until somebody dies.  So many times I see people get slaughtered doing that while climbing to set up my own attack.  Might have gotten that other wingtip had Billy Bob not suddenly yelled "G.. Damn it!" (my pilot wound sound) while I was lining up.  My usual approach is much steeper than that.  Coming in shallow gave you longer time to track me, as well as bringing the nose guns into the mix.  Good shooting in any case. 

BTW, did you land it?

Yep. Ran like a little girl all the way home. 

[shiv]

Caldera  That is a most excellent attack...  got my first bomber quickly! Sometimes the bomber guys just get a lucky shot. To tell you the truth if I see a guy like you coming in with this kind of proffessional  angle..I pearsonally only shoot 1 quick burts just to let the fighter attacking  know I see him and not let him get tooo comfortable in his attack
I actually try to get my shot on the guy as he passes down and out. Trying to hit fighters attacking on the way in from these kinds of angles is a waste of ammo. usually the second or third attack angles are then to the bombers advantage.
999000

Aha, thanks.

[Scca]

I think it is fair, yes.

If you are having a difficult time attacking buff formations I invite you to wing with me.  I am by no means the best but I am willing to show you how to increase your chances of killing them AND living to land them sir <S>.

I have to agree, it's all in your approach. 

I buff hunt a lot in an F4U-1A, usually over a CV.  You get lots of practice shooting down bombers when you do CV CAP.  Last tour I shot down 52 bombers, 5 got a kill on me.(10.4-1 K/D), this month hasn't been my best, but still I am at 2.5-1. 



If you are dying to buff's frequently  then it's your tactics, not the buff gunners skill, or the "AI" effect (with the exception of a few)

[Vinkman]

There is no AI.

If you are referring to the 500 Yard convergence, again you are incorrect. They do not hit exactly at exactly that point.

Quite simply draw a line from the gun you are sitting in extended in your aiming direction. Put a mark 500 Yards out on this line.

All guns in your plane shoot parallel to the line.

Take the center point of each other plane and draw a line from that point to the point above.

All guns in the in each plane shoot parallel to their corresponding line.

HiTech

that's the first time I've seen that explained properly in the two years I've been playing. Thanks for that.