Author Topic: Buff drones: Daamage and controls (Read 642 times)

CavemanJ · « **on:** July 05, 2002, 09:52:16 PM »

While the new buff formations are great they do need a little refinement in the damage and control areas.

Damage: I was flying a B-17 formation and was attacked by an F4U4. I jumped to the guns, switched to aircraft #2 (cause I couldna see the hog well from #1), and proceeded to blow him outta the sky. He killed the ball turret on aircraft #2. Jumping back to aircraft #1 the ball turret was dead on it also. Jumping to aircraft #3 also revealed a dead ball turret.
Another flight, in lancs this time, and I was attacked by a p38. Again I jumped to aircraft #2 and the P38 was coming in dead 6 on this one. The upper and tail guns on all 3 of my lancasters were shot out.
I've noticed the same with missing parts from the airframe as well.

Control: Ju88, idle power, dive brakes, setting up for a torpedo drop. The drones blundered on ahead w/o slowing down. They dropped thier fish (strange the ack wasn't shooting at them since they were ahead of me

) but the fish were duds when they hit the water because the drones were moving too fast.

Idle power descents to get ready for landing the drones to handle well either. They run out infront of ya and then start porposing and other weird stuff.

Saintaw · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2002, 02:20:34 AM »

Caveman, try the Ar234

Would be cool to have a dot command to set the flight separation.

Innominate · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2002, 03:29:12 AM »

The drones wont use rudder or dive flaps, so dont use it to slow down.

I had a very strange thing happen to me, I was strafing a field with a formation of b-26's, ack took out both of the drones. I started to fly home, about halfway I lost an engine. My only damage was a turret and an aileron, fuel and oil were okay. A few minutes later, with the field in sight, the other engine shuts down. It seems like the three buffs arent three buffs, just three times the bombs, and a speed and maneuverability limiter, and that they all take damage as one.

Esme · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2002, 05:11:49 AM »

You should NOT be using dive brakes to slow down for your torpedo drop. That you are ABLE to do it that way if you want to is neither here not there; most torpedo-bombers had no such brakes and the Ju88 used as a torpedo bomber didnt use them that way either in RL. What you should be doing is to approach the target more slowly in the first place.

Given the AH version of low-alt flak, though, I well understand the temptation to come in fast and ditch speed fast - its often safer (unless your braking drops you into the sea!). What is really needed is an overhaul of the low-alt flak (less accurate and a longer wake-up time the lower the altitude the attacker is flying at) IMO.

Esme

Innominate · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2002, 05:24:14 AM »

bah, the trick to using torpedos is to avoid getting so close that you need to worry too much about the ack. Circle around in front of the ships,and drop the torpedos right in thier path.

Overall though, divebombing is the most effective way to kill ships.

CavemanJ · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2002, 07:40:15 PM »

Ok, after spending a little more time in the buffs today it seems that not as much refinement is needed. Flying a B-17 formation I was attacked and my lead ship was lit on fire after repeated passes from a P-51. After sending him home trailing glycol and oil I bailed from the burning ship just before it blew. #2 had no damage on it at all. About half the guns from #1 had been knocked out, but all guns were working on #2. Don't know about #3. So I continue my run.

Then suddenly I start blacking out. I had been pilot wounded while in the lead ship, and after bailing (and giving the pony driver a kill!!) I'm still pilot wounded. All I can say to this is: WTF?!?!?!?

I'm hoping this is just an oversight, as were a couple other things, and will be corrected in the next patch. Otherwise there's no real point in taking a formation anywhere, when a fighter can come along and pilot wound you and then fly away knowing you can't bomb your target. You will eventually get a solid red screen (red out assume, because it cleared after bailing from #2, then immediately bailing from #3) and can't do anything. If ya stay long enough ya might even get sent straight to the tower.

Blue Mako · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2002, 11:33:58 PM »

I also noticed that while gunning in the buff formations it appeared that all the ammo depleted on each drone at the same rate, even if you use the individual fire button to only fire your own gun. I will test this to see if it is indeed the case.

HFMudd · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2002, 10:05:23 AM »

Last night I took ack hits to two of the engines on my lead B-17 and started leaking oil. On the way back to field the two engines eventually stopped. Examining the drones I noticed that the same engines on them shut down as well.

Innominate · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2002, 10:08:08 AM »

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58321

the bomber formation damage model is broken

hitech · « **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2002, 10:18:58 AM »

The eng stop very simply because the drones take there eng control from the lead, to them it looks like the lead shut down his eng so they shut down theres also. If you bail from the lead you can restart the others engines, they are not damaged. Not sure if this is a bad thing, because they don't need the other engines to keep up with the lead.

HFMudd · « **Reply #10 on:** July 09, 2002, 10:26:23 AM »

Yeah Hitech, that is just what I thought and agree that it is not a bad thing. Thanks for the reply. For the most part I love the buf system.

(Of course I have yet to manage the feat of getting out of the lead plane once it takes a leathal hit before the drones also break up.)

Mickey1992 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 09, 2002, 10:42:16 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by hitech
.....If you bail from the lead you can restart the others engines, they are not damaged. .....

I have bailed from damaged bombers twice and ended up in the last one where some time later one of the undamaged engines would quit. Both times I was UNABLE to restart the stopped engine. I could individually stop and start all other engines.

hitech · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2002, 11:39:10 AM »

Next time try SHIFT E i.e. select and start all engines