Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Virage on September 20, 2002, 05:24:57 PM

Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Virage on September 20, 2002, 05:24:57 PM
The Jury is out.  Bombing is too hard.  What can be done to bring Buffing back to the masses?
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: thrila on September 20, 2002, 05:29:27 PM
what jury is this then?
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Puck on September 20, 2002, 05:32:38 PM
No, the Jury is in.

The new model is more or less fine, just needs some tweaks (like lateral separation in the formation).

Define "average".  I consider myself below average, and I managed to figure it out with a bit of effort.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Revvin on September 20, 2002, 06:02:15 PM
BS! the bombing system is fine, I'd like to see Puck's idea for separation but apart from that it's fine it just takes practice.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Revvin on September 20, 2002, 06:07:01 PM
And the funny thing is 'over there' in brand 'W' they'd love a more complex bombsight, something that takes a little skill but the dev team don't seem bothered about introducing it whilst here the dev team have introduced such a system and there are some in the community that want it taken away
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Virage on September 20, 2002, 11:09:03 PM
Quote
Define "average".  


Average:  

Generally has less BBS posts then me.

Can't hit much despite what the experts say.

Are venting their frustration in Text channels.

Aren't flying Buffs anymore.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Karnak on September 20, 2002, 11:19:54 PM
New layouts for the targets are comming in the future (1.11?) that will address the shortcommings than bombers currently labor under (95% of bombs doing no damage at all).

Hold your horses and wait to see the new layouts and their effects on the game.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Hornet on September 20, 2002, 11:35:24 PM
Trying to shoot fighters that move around is hard, can't believe HT would program such BS.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: ramzey on September 21, 2002, 04:26:12 AM
Quote
Trying to shoot fighters that move around is hard, can't believe HT would program such BS.


How do u know its a BS?
Are u fly on any bomber as a gunner in RL?;)

No ?
Im sure in RL was much harder then here and gunning here must be more harder then now to be more real;)

Practice, practice, practice and once again practice

greets

ramzey
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Innominate on September 21, 2002, 05:43:09 AM
Bombing now can be difficult but it's not impossible, the problem is that it's a one-pass event, there are no second chances, there is no way a buff can do noticable damage to a field.

It doesnt matter if you can kill two of a fields fighter hangars, if it doesnt affect the operations there, the bombing run was a failure.  And while multiple bombers ARE able to disable a field, it's usually more efficient to bring a few jabos, kill the hangars, and vulch for a while.

The field layout's are obviously designed to be something of a challenge to kill for the old precision bombers.  The effect of strat is minimal(except for HQs)..

While playing around on the test server, and as it noticable in some of the scenario maps, there are "old" fields which consist of two fighters hangars next to each other, and a bomber hangar.

What if we changed our current maps so that the fields were laid out like that?  Instead of many hangars well spread out, replace them with a few tightly grouped hangars(maybe 2FH/1BH for a small field, 4FH/2BH for a med, 6FH/3BH for a large, in groups of two for FH's and alone for the BH's)  The damage required to kill the hangars could be increased so that the total damage needed to kill the hangars could be raised a bit to keep the total tonnage to disable the field equal.

Essentially the same bombload would be required for a field, bombers with an accurate drop could help with field capture, precision bombing is gone, but buffs can still hit the fields, and deal noticable damage.

Fields could be arranged so that each type of object can be killed in a single pass, i.e. FH, BH, fuel, ammo, barraks, radar, etc, but so that ONLY that object(Or half of two types) could be killed in that pass.  So if you went after FH's, there wouldnt be any fuel along that bombing path.  Since fuel is so crippling, and so slow to rebuild, it could be set up to take two passes instead of just one to kill.

Really though it comes down to a question, Was the problem with bombers the fact that it took no skill or practice to laser-bomb a field like so many people whined about.  Or is the problem just that furballers dont want to be interrupted by a buff they didn't bother attacking?  Is it WRONG of me to try and think that buffs can be involved in field captures?
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Imp on September 21, 2002, 06:12:16 AM
Good idea Innominate

Another idea is to make runway destroyable.
Bombing in WW2 was innacurate so they had to use big targets
Luftwaffe attacked airfields allot in BoB (It was the main targets)
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: samu1 on September 21, 2002, 06:42:02 AM
It would give the buffs a big enough target to effectively hit, and if you give a runway a few craters you ain't gonna get many planes taking off from it.  But this might make it too easy to close a base, maybe implement a quick repair time??

My 2 pennies
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: gatso on September 21, 2002, 07:01:05 AM
I'd like to see some new airfield layouts too. While I suppose there are advantages to having all large/med/small fields the same I would like to see more variety, change em around a bit.  As already stated there are some interesting bases on some of the scenario maps so it can't be impossible. Make some easy for buffs to kill, make some hard, but easy for JABO to kill.

Best airfield BUFF target IMHO is the large grouping of FH on a large base.  Lets have more of that.

My  £0.02

Gatso
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: MRPLUTO on September 21, 2002, 07:10:13 AM
Virage,

Check out Kweassa's post on how to bomb.  It's well written with many illustrations.

I regularly bomb from 20,000 to 28,500 feet above the target, with consistantly excellent results.  I never go above 28.5k, because that's the highest operational mission I've read about for a large formation of B-17s.  I know Mossies bombed from 30k+, and occaisionally 17s and 24s did too.  But the crews got real cold and the guns often froze up.

How do your drops miss?  Long, short, left, right?  All of the above?  It may be just one simple thing you're doing or not doing that's causing you to miss.

  MRPLUTO  VMF-323  ~Death Rattlers~  MAG-33
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Samm on September 21, 2002, 07:51:26 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Hornet
Trying to shoot fighters that move around is hard, can't believe HT would program such BS.

Man I wish you were searious, this would be a shoe in for the Whine of the week .
Title: Bombing
Post by: SkyWorm on September 21, 2002, 08:27:50 AM
I agree, this bombing thing still is BS.  U set the crosshairs on the target and by the time u get there the crosshairs are not on the target and bombs miss. Killing a lot of sheep.  I have to hold down the Y key for 10 seconds, LOL.:p
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Virage on September 21, 2002, 08:34:36 AM
Mr Pluto, Check out my posts on how to bomb.  I never said it couldn't be done.  

This post is an attempt to discuss the effects the new system has on the game and community.  The community has had time to adjust to 1.10  and we can now take a critical look at its effects.  

Landing a successful bombing sortie was never easy, but many casual pilots would fly buffs with a reasonable chance of reward.  The current system requires a high degree of proficiency and is one of the most challenging apects of AH.  I think the bar was raised to high.  IMO the new system has kept buffs pilots away instead of bringing them to the game.

I like the redesigned target solution.  HT has mentioned the redesign of Strat targets.  I would like to see fields included in the redesign.  Innonminate's Hanger idea has merit.  Designing the focus of Buffs on Strat is too limiting.  

There are many subjective aspects to the new calibration system .  MAYBE they could be adjusted to find a middleground between the ease of pinpoint bombing and the current system.

I would like to see a strong and thriving Buff community within AH.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: lazs2 on September 21, 2002, 09:20:21 AM
I would not like to see a strong and THRIVING buff community in AH.   Not with the present strat/gameplay.

right now... in order for the fluffers to have fun they have to interact with the fighters.   They can only be "part" of the game by ruining the fighters game.   One guy in control of 3 planes and 30 guns firing in all directions and on guy flying one plane woith forward mounted guns is apples and oranges.
lazs
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: ET on September 21, 2002, 09:33:28 AM
Buffs are still ruining the game.Tone down the guns and take away the outside views.
:rolleyes:
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: AvidMC on September 21, 2002, 12:05:55 PM
I, for one, have been pleasantly surprised lately at the amount of buffs I have seen in the MA. The last few times I have logged on it reminded me of the old days with buffs hitting fields in conjunction with fighters capping it. I am also very happy with the defensive fire power of buffs. You have to think about your approach and coordinate with other fighters, if available, to take down a formation while remaining relatively ping free. It adds to the realism and the fun!!! It also says to me that more pilots are figuring out the new bomb site. A big SALUTE to HTC for creating the new bomb site and to holding firm on it's use during the complaints that always follow a new feature release.

     My suggestion to those that are frustrated with it is to keep trying. HT has said in an interview, I believe it was on the wargamers site, that new more densely populated targets are in the works. If you figure it out now with the smaller targets just imagine the destruction you can heap onto a larger one. Oh..and don't feel like the Lone Ranger on the frustration, we all have had to deal with it. Keep working at it and it will pay off.

Avid
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: Shiva on September 21, 2002, 12:16:26 PM
Quote
It would give the buffs a big enough target to effectively hit, and if you give a runway a few craters you ain't gonna get many planes taking off from it. But this might make it too easy to close a base, maybe implement a quick repair time??


Nahh.  Give each crater a 2 hour repair time, the same as all the other strat targets at a field -- and then add a new vehicle, a bulldozer, which has only one forward and one reverse gear (i.e., dead slow), spawns from the field HQ, has about half the armor protection of an M3, and which erases craters by driving over them and 'painting' a dozer-width swath of the original terrain (runway, etc). That way, people who are interested in getting the runway fixed can go out and fill in the holes themselves if they want it done faster.
Title: New Bombing design too frustrating for Average Pilots
Post by: ALF on September 21, 2002, 12:35:39 PM
Bombing now requires something that all the other planes have always needed..... P R A C T I C E    

PLease see below