Originally posted by lazs2
sabre... I would say that if you have to have 3 AI for every one plane that is being flown in order to entice people to actually use the things then they are indeed.... fluffs.
lazs
Can't say as I follow your logic here. The 4-ship pulk is simply compensation for the decrease in effectiveness a single bomber will have. Why does that equate to fluff? You yourself have long complained that it takes no skill to operate AH bombers. Now that changes are being made such that skill will be required to make them effective, you must find some other reason to put them down. It's all about balancing effectiveness against level of effort.
The idea behind AH is to recreate something of the feel of World War II aerial combat. If it were only about fighters shooting each other down there’d be no point to modeling actual WWII aircraft. Simple generic fighters based totally on fantasy (like “Crimson Skies) would be enough to keep people coming in to the arena. A simple arcade game. AH is much more than that, which is why it is so popular. Bombers were a central part of WWII air combat. What the new bomber changes are trying to do is give them more of their historical place. Against fields, it will take multiple bomber pilots to achieve what one guy in a single bomber can do now. This seems to redress an oft-repeated criticism of yours. Against densely packed targets like cities, however, they will be devastating (as they historically were).
Bombers never flew alone on purpose; they were neither effective or survivable that way. Hence the 4-ship pulk. The bomber pilot in effect becomes a flight leader. The addition of bomb drift (dispersion) coupled with a much more difficult to operate bombsite insures that skill will be required of the operator while limiting the damage that a single player can do to your ability to up from a field. Again, what you’ve advocated for in the past. The perfect solution…in theory, and if it works as advertised. Granted there is the potential for missuse and abuse, depending on how it is implemented.
Each bomber pilot will have to do the same work, whether he/she takes one plane or a 4-ship pulk. It will take the skill developed through practice (not the same specific skill as ACM, but skill nonetheless). Indeed, he will need more skill in some ways, or at least more tactical forethought. No more violent defensive movements while gunning from the tail, least you break the gossamer-thin lines that tie those drone bombers to your waistcoat. You can’t even call them “A/I” bombers, since they can do nothing more than attempt to follow the manned plane’s lead. This is a two-edged sword, for while it increases the potential defensive firepower of the bombers, it forces a much more sedate maneuver limit on them as well. No more constant, hi-G turns to keep an enemy fighter on the bomber’s six. That means that gunnery will become more important, as the bomber gunners will not be able to maneuver to give themselves more time or a more favorable line-of-site.
All in all, these upcoming changes will give me a reason to go back to bombers more often. I can’t wait to see how it all shapes up.
