Randomness of the Tater

[titanic3]

Is the damage all random or is it just me? Half the time, if I land a tater on a plane's tail, it'll fall off. The other half, i'll hit it yet the guy only loses a rudder or an elevator. Same with the wing tips and engine block. They either fall of completely/explode or lose an aileron/get an oil hit. I don't know if it's bad luck or if it's the damage model, but I can't count the times I lost a kill or died because the other got away with taters hits. It's even more fun when they take a hit in the tail AND wing and only lose an elevator/aileron.

[bangsbox]

never seen a plane/ anything with 1 engine  take 2 taters...i have had a few times had a p-51 take one 30mm us and german and flew away with nothing missing or smoking

[Gman]

I have film of a P51 taking 3 30mm in 3 separate bursts, taking different damage each time.  First one was engine, forget the 2nd, and 3rd shot hit something in his tail and blew 1/2 of it off.  I'll post it if you want.

It's rare, but it CAN happen.

[Noir]

if you hit a control surface it will pop off, if you hit the engine it will smoke and shut down. In theory a single engine plane can take 3 hits and glide to the deck.

[MK-84]

I think there is a myth out there that a 30mm tater is a one shot one kill weapon, and although very powerful it certainly is not.

[dirtdart]

I have all kinds of films of taters hitting planes and doing next to nothing damage.  A hit from a tater on the engine of a jug can stop it dead in its tracks.  I have put two into the engine nacelle of a lanc and not even gotten an oil leak.  My personal favorite was hitting the cockpit of a dora, actually seeing the round impact the instrument panel from the opponent, on film, and watch the guy fly away. 

Not a one shot kill weapon for sure.  I think it all boils down to timing, skynet, luck. 

[VonMessa]

I think there is a myth out there that a 30mm tater is a one shot one kill weapon, and although very powerful it certainly is not.

It should be an all but a one-shot kill weapon.  Perhaps not because of the impact of the round directly all of the time, but certainly on the next high-g maneuver that the receiver of the 30mm makes, especially if the shot landed on a critical airframe component such as a wing root.  The airframe should be stressed and damaged enough that the affected parts should rip off if the pilot pulls any moves with high G.

  Most fighters (note that I do not say bombers) should take heavy enough damage from a 30mm or two to render them unable to do anything but limp home, not being able to continue a protracted, high maneuvering dogfight, climb, dive, etc. without tearing something important off.

[oakranger]

if you hit a control surface it will pop off, if you hit the engine it will smoke and shut down. In theory a single engine plane can take 3 hits and glide to the deck.

Yep, took one one into the engine and killed it.  Still glide it back home since i was +25k.

[Gryffin]

I have absorbed a single tater in a jug and survived a couple of times, but it is pretty rare. Usually 1 tater = 1 trip to the tower.

[MK-84]

It should be an all but a one-shot kill weapon.  Perhaps not because of the impact of the round directly all of the time, but certainly on the next high-g maneuver that the receiver of the 30mm makes, especially if the shot landed on a critical airframe component such as a wing root.  The airframe should be stressed and damaged enough that the affected parts should rip off if the pilot pulls any moves with high G.

  Most fighters (note that I do not say bombers) should take heavy enough damage from a 30mm or two to render them unable to do anything but limp home, not being able to continue a protracted, high maneuvering dogfight, climb, dive, etc. without tearing something important off.

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Right, what you just said was that most of the time a single round into a fighter destroys or cripples it.  Which is exactly what we have in AH.  But it is not a One hit 100% chance of a kill as many think it has to be, and then cry foul.

[PR3D4TOR]

I think it's good with some degree of randomness. Accounts for those lucky few who made it back with what would normally be catastrophic damage.

[VonMessa]

Right, what you just said was that most of the time a single round into a fighter destroys or cripples it.  Which is exactly what we have in AH.  But it is not a One hit 100% chance of a kill as many think it has to be, and then cry foul.

No, certainly not 100%, but 90% of the time, a 30 mm hit should make most single engine fighters start thinking about something beyond continuing the fight.

[JOACH1M]

I think it's good with some degree of randomness. Accounts for those lucky few who made it back with what would normally be catastrophic damage.

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Even 7.9 bullets could do that. Hurricanes and wood and fabric tail sections...

I have a film of hitting a yak with 3 taters and the 3rd pass I killed it.

[Seanaldinho]

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Autocad 2011 :drool: 

[grizz441]

There's definitely some randomness it seems, or such a level of precision that separates a fatal shot from a non fatal shot that essentially creates a random environment for the shooter.  The better you aim, the more lethal you will be, regardless of "anomalies".