"Once bitten, twice shy". Many "fighter" pilots seem to react that way when it comes to buff-killing. The end result is endless whining to "please dumb down a buffs ability to defend himself".
Oh, c'mon ladies... if the buff is too strong, your setup is too weak
Key elements to buff-killing "should" be known to to our wannabe fighter pilots.
These are:
a) Patience
b) Fast slashing attacks
c) Knowledge of blind areas
d) Altitude
e) Speed
f) Fill in things I've missed so far
Even more important than "knowing" the theories is actually TRAINING buff-kills!
It is OBVIOUS that you'll die often to bombers in the beginning. No one can expect to achieve anything well without learning "the job".
What does this mean? Go fight buffs, die, learn from your mistakes, go fight buffs, get better, go fight buffs... etc
Mindset:
A good Buff kill starts in the hangar. The decision to kill buffs should be made BEFORE you jump into your plane.
Why?
a) Plane selection. Some planes are better suited than others for buff killing. You can obviously select weaker planes for the job too, but they are only effective when you "really" know what your doing. Make your life easier and select planes with good arnament, climb rate and speed. I personally prefer the Spit IX (with the alternative gun loadout), because its a fairly good buff killer, but also can fight its way back if attacked by fighter escorts.
b) Setup. You'll need altitude to engage buffs. You have to figure out where buffs are likely to show up (forward airfields, HQ). Sure you can go after enemy fighters and jump the random buff that comes along, but 9 times out of 10 you'll rush into the engagement and die. If you limit yourself to buff kills alone for a sortie your mind will be free to concentrate on the job.
c) Situational awareness. Watch the buff closely BEFORE you do anything!
1: Is he manouvering? If your lucky (the plane is set on a straight course), the buff driver is afk while having the autopilot on and isen't aware of your presence.
2: At which range does he start to fire? If the buffer starts firing at plus 1k he's: a newbie (newbie = bad gunner, wadting ammo) or a pro thats faking newbieness
3: Check six! The best buff-killing setup will get ruined if you fail to see his escort fighter...
4: Make it hard for him! Come in from high above and aim for something offset from his turret - the BEST target is his wing. Fire at short range. Some buffers don't even know you are there untill they hear the pings and it's harder to lineup on close targets from a buffers point of view. Try it yourself! Fly a buff, check out the turrets. The framework obscures your line of sight.
5: How smart is this buff driver? Some buffers have great evasive manouvers to blow your setup. Make a quick decision if you are good enough to counter his moves. If not, abort or fight him anyways... as I said before TRAINING is the key.
Conclusion.
Buff kills get easier if you are willing to do your part. Learn.
Whining about a buffs toughness shows one thing alone: YOU want your kills served on a silver plate without being forced to actually develop your flying ability.
I feel sorry for you... if I had the money I'd send you a copy of Quake to satisfy your "I want my kills nice n' easy" mentality
Introduce gun shake in buffs? Fine with me. As long as its an emmersion feature. Not to make a buff drivers life even more miserable
p.s. I'm not a dedicated buff driver. This tour I've been in fighters exclusively.
I just welcome the challenge buff engagements have to offer.
Scores vs Buffs so far...
Against
B-17G 5 kills, 1 death
B-26b 5 kills, 1 death
Lanc III 3 kills, 1 death
Effdub
