NOE=MIA

[Wanker]

Anyone familiar with Warbirds will recall how NOE(Nap of Earth) flying was a risky, yet potentially rewarding way of sneaking a raid into enemy territory. I can recall many successful raids on airfields behind enemy lines, where we hugged the ground in our Mosquitoes or B-25H's to get there safely. Anyone remember flying B-25H's in the New Guinea scenario? *Sigh*, those were the days.

NOE flying is pretty much non-existent in AH, probably because of the sector counters. Kind of a shame, actually.

[fd ski]

I think it has to do with teh dot thing.. it's just way too easy to distinguish anything that isn't a part of terrain...

in WB some planes merged with terrain.. ie - finding a 190D9 without icon was a real pain  


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Bartlomiej Rajewski
aka. Wing Commander fd-ski
Northolt Wing
1st Polish Fighter Wing
303 (Polish) Squadron "Kosciuszko" RAF
308 (Polish) Squadron "City of Cracow" RAF
315 (Polish) Squadron "City of Deblin" RAF

Turning 109s and 190s into scrap metal since 1998

Northolt Wing Headquarters

[Ripsnort]

Yes, I agree banana, (Still have  my NG pin too!)

I'd like to see only radar around airfields, as many of the community would.

[Fury]

I remember flying my P38 ahead of the bombers in order to do a low-level jabo of the acks, so the bombers could come in at what, 200 or 500 feet?  That was a *blast* (talking about NG).

NOE flying in AH is pretty tough for me, I usually do not time my climb correctly.  In AH I feel I need to get to 6-8k before bombing because anything lower and the acks will eat you up  .  To be able to try a 500ft run and not be torn to shreds by the ack would be kinda neat.  Someone else was talking about suprising the acks in the gameplay forum.

Fury

[hblair]

What Rip said.

[CavemanJ]

I used to have some success with NOE raids to capture a field.  5 B26s at 50ft AGL the whole way in.  Back before the different flavors of ack were put in.  And even after that it's still possible, but the ostwind pretty much killed it.  They see a 4 bar marker coming and spawn an ostwind, and the instant fire of the 40mm means you gotta climb alot earlier.

I remember doing NOE flights way back in the beta when flying below radar was first introduced.  1 B26 and 1 gooney bird.  The 26 climbs, pops the 3 acks, and the goon takes 19 or 3 or 11  

[flakbait]

Usually I'm at 10-14k in my Yak looking for some dumb schmuck to introduce to my beloved ShVAK. Once in a while I'll get a burr in my girdle and go low level just for fun. Flying NOE is something I do all the time offline, and in the TA when I do log in. Nothing better than aweing people by flying a Bf-109 G10 only 15 feet off the deck. Now that 10Bears released his Russian terrain I've been doing some NOE flying in a Yak.

Really pissed off the guys at the Stalingrad airodrome. Seems a Yak doing 350mph over the mess hall creates a load of noise. I don't think the racket made 'em mad, I think it was my left wing taking their TV antenna for a ride that did it.

NOE raids are something I do rarely. NOE flying is much more fun when you're mucking around in enemy territory. They see this dot driving on the ground at hideous speeds, unless they've got a Typhoon they can't do a thing about it. Mostly I fly NOE for fun. Occasionally I'll do an NOE run into a target for some toss bombing practice....and miss. One thing I do miss about WBs is taking an Me 262 for an NOE ride. Now that was pure fun.

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Flakbait
Delta 6's Flight School
Whattaya mean I can't kill em? Why the hell not?!
 

[Gadfly]

Jeez, man New Guinea in B25's... I had an absolute blast.  Big Money, Big chill and Big Mama! I lead a group of them and over the course of the event we flew NOE most of the time, often to kill ships, sometimes to soften up airfields.

I still do most of my bombing with a NOE posture, it is about all a solo bomber can do.

[funked]

Too bad the sector counters and ZSU-23/4 airfield defenses make NOE just about worthless in the Main Arena.  

[Wardog]

This is the problem i had comin outa WBs. Sector counters tell all and shouldnt be included. Back in beta i talk to Pyro about it and he said it was there for playabilty sake.

Id like to see Dar local to fields only with the exception of those aircraft that had radar, then at least if someone is in the air in a Me410 with Dar they can yell out on country channel what the others cant see.

Dog out......

[Fury]

I remember that too Wardog.  Maybe Pyro can re-think the 'playability' again.  Seems to me that with field radar and the area it covers, dot dar and sector counters could only be lit up when entering the range of field dar.  I think there is sufficient field radar coverage in our current maps that will allow warning when a strike is inbound or when ground vehicles may be approaching bases.

Looking at sector counters as currently implemented, we can get an idea of the strength of enemy activity at the enemy base by the counter.  Instead, why not rely on "verbal" counts of enemy?  Attacks can be spoiled because if you see a big red bar in a sector next to your base, you can guess that a base will soon be attacked -- sorta spoils the suprise.

I'd vote for changing to field dot and counter radar only (showing dot and sector counters only when the enemy is in field range and radar is up).  Let's just see what it does to playability.  I think there's enough communication going on that people will be able to find the action easily, plus the friendly dar is still there.

Fury

<edit: confused by my own post    I mean to say that sector counters should be eliminated.  Coverage of current radar is more than enough.  Maybe leave sector counters along with dot dar for fields -- then if field dar is taken down, leave sector counters only).

[This message has been edited by Fury (edited 12-08-2000).]

[Gadfly]

EZMODE radar and super-duper Weapon system for the Bombers is what keeps me away.

[Hangtime]

There are a buncha guys that watch that bar counter... almost impossible to 'sneak up' via NOE or any other method on a strat target anymore. Good defenses are tuff to break. Have to knock out the damn countrys DAR to get in without having the itty bitty ostie titty weclome committe on hand w/40mm appetizers  

I still recall tryin my luck at three diffrent fields.. all three times I was 'busted' by Titanium. <S!> Came back on line a few hours later; tried three diffrent fields in succwession.. got busted by Gronk. <S!>

Some days; it just pays better dividends to hang out in yer own dar coverage and watch that damn sector counter. I mean; why go lookin fer trouble.. it'll come to you.  

Hang

[washedup]

Am I mistaken or can you still sneak under DAR if you stay below 500' AGL?  As far as I know, only disadvantage to NOE flight is that your plane clearly shows up as a black dot to anyone nearby...  Make camo work and no more NOE problems...

[Bluedog]

<Jeez, man New Guinea in B25's... I had an absolute blast. Big Money, Big chill and Big Mama! >

AMEN to that!! Flew in Big Mama (was potman back in the wb days) got two KI61s with my trusty old 'H  
Some of the most exciting, tense and fun time I have ever spent in front of my PC.

I have to agree, counter sectors take more away from the game than they add......ditch 'em, or at least tie 'em to local field radar or something, make NOE hit and run strikes a viable option at least.

<S> Blue