Having bomber guns operational when on the ground is killing gameplay under the present field-capture style game. This is something that HAS to be fixed before this game goes 'production.' Now before anyone starts the old folded/spindled/mutilated arguments about what did and did not happen in R/L, let me just say that that is irrelavent within the framework of field-capture. It's a game, and this is simply a gameplay issue.
Currently, the goal is to make it possible for either side, given reasonably balanced numbers, to capture fields. The deciding factor then is the level of cooperation of players on each side, since it's very difficult for any single player to capture fields when there's any enemy presence to oppose them. Last night, the Buccaneers went on a rampage, moving from field to field in well-timed, coordinated field-captures...until we attacked one particular field. We had a bomber to take out the ack, two fighters for CAP and vultching, and a Dakota driver. We nuked all the ack, cleared the airspace of enemy fighters, then hovered over the field to keep anyone from taking off in a fighter. We called for the Gooneybird orbiting nearby, and he started in for his drop.
Suddenly, a B-17 appeared at the end of the runway. It made no attempt to take off, but simply waited to strafe the drunks in their chutes. This same individual had done this at another field earlier, but we didn't have CAP'rs at that field. This time we did, so we figured we'd be able to keep this guy down long enough to let the drunks land. We killed him a half dozen times (great for padding a score, but boring), but he only stayed gone for a few seconds before re-spawning (an appropriate term in this case, I think). Eventually, the ack came back up, and we gave up.
I'm sure HiTech, pyro, and all the old hands from WB are infinitely familiar with all the arguments covering this tired subject. Either the guns must be disabled until you leave the ground, some other artificial means of limiting this behavior needs to be implemented (such as being able to close a field), or field-capture by troop-drop (or landing the field) has to be discarded as the primary arbiter of who "wins" the war.
BTW, before anyone cries "hypocrit," I will openly admit that I once landed a buff near an enemy field after the ack had been destroyed, and gunned the enemy fighters as they appeared (only once, mind you). After due consideration, I concluded that this too is a practice that unbalances the game; I'll not be engaging in it again. Thankfully, the same measures ought to stop both practices.
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Rojo (S-2, The Buccaneers)
