Author Topic: New MA Bombing Tactic (Read 423 times)

Turbot · « **on:** July 18, 2002, 12:41:45 PM »

Yesterday started seeing alot of Tri-bomber units coming in and more or less dive bombing the whole formation. At one point in NDISLES last night was a whole squad of em doing it with goons in trail (of course with the surviving bomber formations circling and strafing.).

Is this what heavy bomber gameplay is de-evolving to in the MA now? This can not be good.

Baine · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2002, 12:45:00 PM »

If you can't hit anything level bombing, I guess the only alternative is to dive. I've been practicing my tail off both on- and off-line, and I still drop short and long more often than I drop close to the target.
I haven't tried dive-bombing yet, but a few more fruitless runs and I'll be willing to give it a try.

muckmaw · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2002, 12:51:03 PM »

I would not dive bomb a heavy simply because it goes against the spirit of the aircraft and the game. If I want to dive bomb...I'll take up a dive bomber.

My level bombing skills are just as bad as everyone elses. I've got my calibration down, but I swear last night, I put a bombs all AROUND the hangar I was aiming at. It was funny to see a hanger encircled in craters. I would guess I'm hitting 30-40% of my targets when bombing from 10,000 feet, at 240 kts.

At 20,000 ft, and 200 kts, I have yet to hit anything. 0 for 5 from this altitude.

Adjusting for the 30kt wind is a nightmare.

But keep practicing.....

Apache · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2002, 12:53:38 PM »

I don't see this to be any different than the scores of typhoon and P38 suicides we've been seeing as of late.

I've gotten to the point that when I see a cloud of typhoons, I just hover near thier intended target and watch them nose dive in. They aren't intending on surviving anyway so I don't waste my time chasin'. Makes for a great pyrotechnics show however.

Just gamers I guess. Whatever dusts thier cookies.

Innominate · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2002, 01:24:59 PM »

Well you can make a single pass on a base, drop all your bombs, and maybe kill one or two thing, even if you got a perfect calibration. Or you can divebomb, and get something resembling reasonable accuracy, without having to fly for 10minutes to stabilize your speed, and then another 10minutes just to turn around for another pass.

The fact that level bombing is not capable of doing damage is forcing divebombing. I'm not really sure how to fix it, but, the way bombing is now, you're better off divebombing after the first pass.

Maybe fields should be made denser, or the various groups of targets should be in tight clusters, so that bombers CAN damage a field. Maybe that should be done to strat instead, and then strat be made more important.

You can't really be upset that people are using bombers as effectivly as possible.

muckmaw · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2002, 01:32:47 PM »

I don't find the use of heavy Bombers for Dive-Bombing upsetting. It's just something I won't do. The point of AH FOR ME (Everyone plays as they want) is to be immersed in as realistic of a simulation as possible. So I strive to use the hardware as it was intended in WWII.

Like I said, this is just my taste. Some folks will agree. Others won't and that's perfectly fine. As long as everyone has a good time, is all that matters.

As for the current bombsight method, I think it's great. Buff drivers are required to have a significant amount of skill now, and the number of heavy specialists has thinned a great deal. I love a good challenge, and acutally hitting your intended target brings great satisfaction to me now.

I'm a happy buffer!

Packy · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2002, 01:44:12 PM »

Another post mentioned an intriguing idea of group bombing.
An experienced bombardier with excellent bombsight calibration skills would be in the lead bomber. Other players would fly in close formation with the lead bomber and drop their bombs on his command. I'm willing to try this option.

Revvin · « **Reply #7 on:** July 18, 2002, 02:05:57 PM »

Packy> No.9 Squadron have been using this method since v1.10 was released and use it well. For large formations this works very well providing the formation stays close, I'm talking less than 150 yards which is quite acheiveable when the other pilots only have to maintain formation and drop when ordered. We've practised various salvo's and delay's as well as this tactic and were accurate on drops before the bombsight was updated in patch 2. You will also never see us use heavy bombers as dive bombers or fly above 30K.

john9001 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 18, 2002, 02:47:49 PM »

WW2 , bombing of mainland japan:

GEN LeMay orders bombers to drop from 8000 ft agl because they are not hitting targets from 20,000 ft

hawk220 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 18, 2002, 06:58:10 PM »

Remember? this is what happened in Air Warrior..they would take a B17 and when they weren't dogfighting a spit in it (and winning) they would divebomb the base with a few buffs..

MadBirdCZ · « **Reply #10 on:** July 19, 2002, 02:49:36 AM »

Those unable to properly calibrate and hit target in a level bombing run should be reassigned to kitchen duties!

Well most of them fly for Bishops anyway...

Pooh21 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 19, 2002, 03:28:02 AM »

Now I havent been pinging single acks with single 100ers. But I quit flying bombers about 3 months ago. When 1.10 came out I average now about 1 sortie a day. 1.10 but the fun back into bombing, I consider it a hit if I hit the field, dont matter if I get an ack or a fuel or maybe a hanger with my 36x500s Its fun. More fun then the old style ever was. Had one of the funnest sorties ever the other day nursing home a shot up formation where my lead had 1 engine left.

quit whining and learn how to bomb! lol
Or maybe HTC should model piper cubs for all you who cant bomb and you can haul mail:D

Another good thing about 1.10 is I have seen only 2! only 2 dogfighting bombers, 1 was a lone lanc turning like a spit got the assist on him as I was only carrying the hub gun in my 109. The other was a formation of b26s, I promptly recieved 2 kills as dweeby discovered drones don't snap roll.

Innominate · « **Reply #12 on:** July 19, 2002, 11:20:44 AM »

The problem though, isnt the difficulty of calibration, a monkey could be trained to drop bombs accurately.

The problem is that calibrating mean you get one pass, then have to spend 10minutes turning around, or just go strafe the field. Even with a perfect calibration, you can't do much damage in one pass.

Innominate · « **Reply #13 on:** July 19, 2002, 11:38:22 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Oedipus
That's not a problem. That is an improvement.

Thanks,
Oed

Making bombers in groups of less than four or five completely worthless is an improvment? It's the reason it's better to divebomb in a b17 than to bother turning around for a second pass.

Trying to bomb a factory is no different from trying to bomb a field. Both are virtually all empty space and require pinpoint drops to actually inflict any damage. On top of that, strat targets have little effect on the game, especially on akdesert. We can take three people, hit three seperate strat targets, and then any fields we attack within the next hour will take another 20-30mins to repair(Except hangars which are hardly affected).

Never mind that by the time an attack gets there the strat has started repairing, and that if you can GET a successfull attack on a field, you might as well just cap it and wait for a goon.

Strat bombing, leaving bombers out of field attacks, sounds good. But in the game, strat bombing is pointless without the ability to bomb fields.

I'm not saying a lanc formation should be able to hit pinpoint targets across a field, simultaniously killing the fuel, hangars, radar, ammo and troops. But they SHOULD be arranged, so that a bomber can actually inflict damage, rather than, kill one or two objects and go home.

Currently, Bombers have nothing worth bombing.

Turbot · « **Reply #14 on:** July 19, 2002, 11:59:44 AM »

The worse it is for bombers the happier some people are. Was this way in Air Warrior. Was this way in Warbirds. It is this way in AH too. Temper input based on how many bomber sorties that person flies you will see a pattern

However, the orginal intent of this message was to put on record that dive bombing bombers is not something that should be encoiuraged. I hope that isn't in contention.