If there's more complexity to the buff modelling, in addition to the 4 ship box, that will be fine; as a buff fan and someone who likes the challenge of trying to shoot them down, I'm looking forward to it. Frame rate will be the major issue, but personally, I couldn't give a rat's bellybutton for all those complaining or bragging about the uber-uber potential of this.
First of all, even putting four Lancs in formation isn't going to do much for their survivability. Their guns are weak and they have no belly defence. The 4 ship thing will simply turn them from a tasty snack into a mobile buffet.
It's a mistake to believe that the b-17 is so uber, and that it will now be unstoppably uber. When flying 17s I've always had a better than even chance of shooting down attackers, but it's always been against guys who persist, against all evidence to the contrary, in making dead astern attacks, or head on attacks (OK, I know, sometimes you make mistakes and end up there, do that a lot myself). The most fun I've had in 17s has, paradoxically, been against those guys flying Luftie machines in particular who really know their trade, who take time to set up for the high side attack, the slash, or the death dive from above. Then I know I'm in trouble, and if I manage to shoot one of them down, I really feel it means something.
Is all this going to change with the new features? Only in numbers, not in fundamentals. If you want to be the lone pilot that takes on the bomber formation, more power to your elbow--you'll probably find out why so many very good LW pilots died unnecessary deaths in the last year of the war. You'll need multiple interceptors, who know intercept tactics. Will that be everyone's cup of tea? Of course not. But I can see it is going to make for some epic battles in the high blue. Four 190s against four buffs say? Even money. All the talk about 48 guns is BS. Just as when you attack a lone 17 now, you can never get more than 4 guns firing at you, and you try and maximize your attack so that you have only 3 or 3. In the same way, you aren't going to be able to bring all 48 guns to bear. Plus, there is the added constraint that if the 4-ship box is really tight, you are going to be unsighted a lot of the time (it's going to depend how exactly this is implemented, of course; some people have already raised questions about whether the guns will check fire and/or damage other ships in formation; it will also be interesting to see if you are going to be confined to the lead ship until you're whacked, in which case , even with two people gunning, its still going to be more difficult to track your attackers).
4 JU 88s? See notes for Lanc.
The ones that have me woried are the B26 and the KI. They are going to be a little harder to shoot down when they have numbers.
I'm looking forward to trying to attack these formations as much as I am flying in them.
