quick question

[Millsy]

Without going into the micro level detail how will the air/sea combat work. What will be the best ship killer DB or TB ?

Historically level bombing was not that sucessful i am assuming that this would be similar in S@S.

[tony_glazebrook]

Without going into the micro level detail how will the air/sea combat work. What will be the best ship killer DB or TB ?

Historically level bombing was not that sucessful i am assuming that this would be similar in S@S.

Millsy

Without getting into too much detail,I hope this answers your questions. This is off the top of my head and I have given just the main factors I can remember without diving back into the code:
- aircraft in a strike have to fight their way through defending fighters and flak before dropping their payload.
- Their chances in an aerial duel are affected by relative numbers, a/c characteristics (firepower, ruggedness, speed and manouever (as affected by any current weapon load), strength, pilot skill
- Their chances of being shot down or damaged by flak depends on the combined Ack Ack screen of the fleet plus the particular ship being attacked of course. The effectiveness of the Ack Ack depends on the volume of fire plus the accuracy (combination of radar level, operator skill, fire control effectiveness, number of targets). Long range and short range Ack Ack are computed separately. Also, the type of aerial atack and enemy aircraft speed is important - slow low flying torpedo bombers are a target for longer than say dive bombers.
- Ack Ack can also reduce the chance of hits being scored - pilots can lose aim or lose nerve even if they are not fatally or seriously hit.
- The chance of a hit depends on the type of weapon, pilot skill, speed and manouverability of the target, the size of the area to be hit (eg dive bombers are affected mostly by deck area; torpedo bombers by waterline length)
- Weather also affects things of course.
- Dive bombers are more accurate than level bombers, definitely. Level bombers find it hard to hit anything, especially small targets, but they can still damage from near misses. There are actually up to four possible bombing heights that level bombers can come in on - extremely high, very high, high or medium - the lower thay bomb from the more the chance of a hit but the more susceptible they are to both Ack Ack and also defending CAP. Default bombing heights apply (eg the players with a very cautious stratgey will favour extremely high heights - like the Italians) but a player can change this if they want to.

Bombs do superstructure damage of course plus structural danmage and flooding posssibly if they penetrate into the vitals; torpedos can be very damaging of course but the extent of damage depends - like it does in ship to ship combat - on the size of the warhead, the structural integrity and degree of watertight compartmentation (and for BBs and BCs, any TPS which can be of varying effectiveness) damage control of the target and that old chestnut 'luck' (eg if it explodes on the partition between 2 compartments, etc).

There is no simple answer to the torpedo bomber vs dive bomber debate but playtesting confirms that 'all else being equal' (which it never is) DBs are more likely to score hits, especially against small fast targets; the hits may not be as damaging but you don't need to sink a ship to render it ineffective - if damaged enough it will turn around and head for home, and then be out of the game while repairing.

Cheers

[Millsy]

Tony,

thanks for your comprehensive response, exactly the level I was looking for.

The point you make is a good one in a strategic level game severe damage necessitating significant time in the dockyard is probably nearly as good as actually sinking a ship. I am reminded of Tirpitz which was repeatedly damaged even before actually sunk with same effect - unusable for its prime purpose.

Have just finshed re-reading Dive Bomber! by Peter C Smith which just re-inforces how the FAA (and RAF) neglected the art of dive bombing.

The description of how AA fire works also shows how suicidal the swordfish strike during the 'channel dash' was.

Thanks again and look forward to S@S sailing into port shortly.

[tony_glazebrook]

Tony,

thanks for your comprehensive response, exactly the level I was looking for.

The point you make is a good one in a strategic level game severe damage necessitating significant time in the dockyard is probably nearly as good as actually sinking a ship. I am reminded of Tirpitz which was repeatedly damaged even before actually sunk with same effect - unusable for its prime purpose.

Have just finshed re-reading Dive Bomber! by Peter C Smith which just re-inforces how the FAA (and RAF) neglected the art of dive bombing.

The description of how AA fire works also shows how suicidal the swordfish strike during the 'channel dash' was.

Thanks again and look forward to S@S sailing into port shortly.

Not far out of port now! And I also have Smith's Dive Bomber on my shelf and I consulted it when looking for stats on dive bomber effectiveness - my library on aircraft is not as extensive as for ships so it's rather a nice coincidence you mention that book ;)

Cheers Millsy