23.04.2008, 20:21
When we build missions using the FMB ...or things like mission mate or DCG...... we need to remember that the DEFAULT speed setting for ALL aircraft is 300kph
Now some planes do not have that as their maximum speed, so it will be automatically reduced for them by the FMB engine..
But what i am trying to take into consideration here is relative speeds of bombers....compared with fighters..
An extreme example is the DCG campaign over Malta, wherein the Gladiators have almost no chance of catching up with an Italian bomber once it has gone past.....
When writing my Battle of Britain missions, after the introduction into the game of the Hurricane and later on the Spitfire, I became aware that leaving the bombers at their default speeds was not very realistic as after a single pass at them or maybe a couple, it was a struggle to catch them up again, even for the AI spitfires..
We all like to envision masses of bombers inexorably humming their way to the target, with fighters skimming and dashing and twisting amongst them, as they make their rapid pass and try to escape the return fire.......
To achieve this we need to adjust the speed assigned to the bombers at each waypoint...having both fighters and bombers at the default speed of 300kph is not going to work.... the bombers need reducing to at least 250kph or even less
Realistically we know that some of the bombers like the Ju88 had top speeds as good as that of the fighters.....but also to remember that they had to stay in formation, which requires a slower speed....once having bombed they would then lose height and rush for home at top speed, often abandoning formation.....so one could increase their speed at the waypoints following the ground attack one and have them losing height too...
It is the interception before they reach their target which is the most important for the fighters...so that is when you must be more careful with their speeds
Also with BoB style missions it is necessary to reduce the fuel of the Bf 109's , so that they will break off action and head for home at the right point in the mission
Now some planes do not have that as their maximum speed, so it will be automatically reduced for them by the FMB engine..
But what i am trying to take into consideration here is relative speeds of bombers....compared with fighters..
An extreme example is the DCG campaign over Malta, wherein the Gladiators have almost no chance of catching up with an Italian bomber once it has gone past.....
When writing my Battle of Britain missions, after the introduction into the game of the Hurricane and later on the Spitfire, I became aware that leaving the bombers at their default speeds was not very realistic as after a single pass at them or maybe a couple, it was a struggle to catch them up again, even for the AI spitfires..
We all like to envision masses of bombers inexorably humming their way to the target, with fighters skimming and dashing and twisting amongst them, as they make their rapid pass and try to escape the return fire.......
To achieve this we need to adjust the speed assigned to the bombers at each waypoint...having both fighters and bombers at the default speed of 300kph is not going to work.... the bombers need reducing to at least 250kph or even less
Realistically we know that some of the bombers like the Ju88 had top speeds as good as that of the fighters.....but also to remember that they had to stay in formation, which requires a slower speed....once having bombed they would then lose height and rush for home at top speed, often abandoning formation.....so one could increase their speed at the waypoints following the ground attack one and have them losing height too...
It is the interception before they reach their target which is the most important for the fighters...so that is when you must be more careful with their speeds
Also with BoB style missions it is necessary to reduce the fuel of the Bf 109's , so that they will break off action and head for home at the right point in the mission