New Stuka

[Citabria]

love the new models they are amazing.

but its ashame that there was a ju87 with 20mm wing guns that will never be added to the game even as an optional gun package for the new model that could be disabled in scenarios. 20mm armed ju87 is a big deal in terms of a plane getting used or never seeing the light of day and sitting in the hangar.

its a bit like chosing the b25c over the b25j then wondering why no one flies it in the main arena.

[Karnak]

B5N2  .

Probably faster.

[Ack-Ack]

B5N2  .

The Kate isn't a level bomber and its still faster than the Ju-87G-2, though not by much.


ack-ack

[SmokinLoon]

love the new models they are amazing.

but its ashame that there was a ju87 with 20mm wing guns that will never be added to the game even as an optional gun package for the new model that could be disabled in scenarios. 20mm armed ju87 is a big deal in terms of a plane getting used or never seeing the light of day and sitting in the hangar.

its a bit like chosing the b25c over the b25j then wondering why no one flies it in the main arena.

Never say never.  Who says we wont get it?  Remember, like it has already been pointed out, HTC released 4 different versions of the P40 in a very short time.  It could still happen.    

[MK-84]

The Kate isn't a level bomber and its still faster than the Ju-87G-2, though not by much.


ack-ack

It has a bombsight for level bombing, therefore its a level bomber, Like the TBM, but I get what you're saying.

It could be used as a bomber interceptor in AH just like the IL2 can.  Except when has anyone seen an IL2 do that?  Furthermore, the IL2 armor piercing rounds appear to do not nearly as much damage as an explosive round, and seeing as the G-2 also uses armor piercing, we're looking at an awesome round that essentially is not effective unless it hits a critical component (unlike a tater for example)

On that idea, I am reasonably convinced that that IS modeled in AH.  For example Taters do "splash?" damage due to an explosive round, but armor piercing do not, hence how less effective they are against aircraft.  You can see this by landing a 30mm near a target but not hitting it, and watching your target explod, VS putting an il2 round in the same spot and watching the target take no damage.

Edit:  So no, a Stuka will make a terrible bomber interceptor even in AH.

[Citabria]

fighters tend to get an average of 3-4 versions for heavily used long serving popular models.

bombers and attack aircraft have an average of one or two versions.


ju87G will get used. I'm a luftwaffe fan so I am looking forward to the Ju87G!  the il2 with its extreme ammo clip will still get used more unless the bk37 is overpowered and can one shot tanks.

the only point I wish to make is the ju87d3 will be a rare bird in the Main Arena once the newness wears off.  somthing like the ju87d5 with 20mm wing guns would bring it out of the hangar more often and get used with its big bomb and 20mm for all kinds of ground attack and straffing because even though its a sitting duck it can fight back against ultra stupid attackers and actually kill acks and buildings... it was after all a ground attacker.

this has happened before. with the b25's. the b25c is kin to the ju87d3 like the ju87d5 is kin to the b25J.

the differences may be simple but they are the difference between getting used and collecting dust.

[Krusty]

the only point I wish to make is the ju87d3 will be a rare bird in the Main Arena once the newness wears off.

...

the differences may be simple but they are the difference between getting used and collecting dust.

No offense.... but some planes should gather dust. They can't (and shouldn't) all be late war wonder planes. I'm sure you yourself have commented about certain planes being outclassed in the past, and you must know that you shouldn't just stick huge guns on something just to make it "competitive" -- otherwise the entire game would be staffed with uber planes from 1946.

The very weakness and hangar-queen-ness of the plane makes it interesting to fly. If everybody were doing it, where would be the fun? I used to rather like it when I was the only C.205 in the arena, but in the rare surges where it gains popularity I find myself tiring of seeing everybody else flying what I fly, so I start flying something else until that surge dies down.

[MajWoody]

I don't think there is a level bomber in the game that is slower than the Ju-87.  Waste of time if you intend to use the Ju 87G-2 for that job.

ack-ack

Shows you what I know. Don't think I've ever flown a JU-87

[bustr]

POTW does stuka raids for the big bomb and the afterwards pure dork factor.

Much of the time if we only bring stuka to a GV base we kill the hangers and nibble down all but one gun while the auto guns nibble us down. Then a fighter or two shows up and the feeding bell rings out. We have gotten good enough to hold our own for awhile with BB's. Even knock down a few fighters. But not having the 20mm snap shot power eventualy gets most of us killed. Even with a fighter escort.

Still, trying to RTB once the dinner bell rings is a magic trick. The thing is so slow you have to kill everything around you and on the trip home. That usualy means the survivors were who ever ran out of BB's first and left the area. In the LWMA whether we like it or not the game flow is majority dictated by late war rides in unskilled hands coupled with numbers. Like the ETO in late 44 onto the end of the war, anything that came up to challenge the 8th or got caught in the open was ganged by allied fighters.

It was painfully obvious in the few stuka raids I took part in, that for the lack of 2 - 20mm we could have killed most of the unskilled fighters attacking us and made the GV bases we attacked ready for the C47 or M3 without fighter escort. Skilled squads would find the D5 a challenge but, a very doable challenge with 20mm in the wings. The D3 is just a fun dorky thing to raid with once in awhile and pad the unskilled's kills landed message for picking a flock of something that can barely fight back. I've survived longer in big furballs when the POTW did fun D3A sweeps.

I still beleive in the LWMA the D5 with 20mm would generate a small dedicated following of players who enjoy turning the tables on the unwary who beleive a stuka is a free kill. How do you whine about being killed by a stuka in the face of the feelings over the Brewster in the LWMA?
 

[Volron]

It's quite fun and funny when ye sucker someone into a slow going fight with a Val.  Last time I got into a dogfight in a Val, I suckered a 109F into a very slow turning fight.  It didn't end well for his right wing.  All the while I had 4 other cons trying to knock me out of the sky.   Damn it!  Wished I had filmed that one.

Now, who's gonna take screenshots of our current Stuka and place it next to one of the screenshots HTC put up?

[Karnak]

A Stuka is a free kill.  That doesn't mean you can't make screw up and die to it though.  If approached with any thought at all it is a free kill though.

[Butcher]

I almost died laughing when my squad decided to take up a bunch of Val's to dogfight, Laughs on me because quite a few decided to dogfight them and lost...

/I took up a Hurri 1, however I did land my 3 kills:)

[Krusty]

I wonder if folks haven't considered that the fact the stuka has a niche following is because it has no cannons. Putting cannons on it and flying it like a base defender or a better-gunned zeke (with a tail gun!) might be a total abuse of historic record, and instead of being fun would simply become the worst of the "lame" for players to indulge in, eh?


EDIT: Put it this way... if it can out turn anything, out stall anything, kill anything with 1 snapshot, and still have the range to go across the map and back.... Where's the bragging rights? That takes no skill.

(just food for thought)

[Debrody]

A Stuka is a free kill.  That doesn't mean you can't make screw up and die to it though.  If approached with any thought at all it is a free kill though.

Not as much. Turns great, not as bad in climb rate (without ords), dives excellent. The only problem is, they can run away before the lil peashooters take effect. Still can survive long enough til the help arrives.
With 20mm cannons at least you could shoot their running arse or keep them from hoing.

[Raphael]

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