Shambolica
Chieftain
How do you guys keep your bombers useful in the game?
I find as soon as the A.I. gets fighters the bombers are not so useful, except for damaging incoming naval ships without carriers. Even the stealth bomber gets shot down by vanilla fighters (not jets).
Let me ask a newbie question please:
If I have fighters on the same tile as my bombers, set for engadge and then set my bombers off on an attack run and they come under attack by the AI's fighters, will my fighters engadge (offer effectively bomber support)? If so, what's the attack order: his fighter against my bomber, then my fighter against his fighter? Even this would not be ideal, I'm losing bombers (ok, he's also losing fighters)
If not then would it not be so much better to allow my fighters to offer bomber support?
A few different ideas for this to be implemented:
* Keep it simple; all fighter vs fighter battles are resolved first and anything the AI has left is used to attack bombers
* The AI chooses randomly which to engadge - a bomber of a fighter. If it engadges a bomber then that battle is resolved first, maybe the bomber gets a defensive bonus for being protected by fighters. The fighters then square off and it could be the case that my fighter gets a large offensive bonus (or doesn't take damage at all, as the other enemy jet is merely trying to evade - maybe have a chance of evasion, at which point that battle is over) because the enemy has targetted my bomber. If the AI chooses the fighter then the fighter vs fighter battle is resolved normally.
* Radar Station Building / Upgrade to an airport (with radio, maybe a unit not a building, so you can move it around to front lines) - This building allows fighters to perform duel roles. A fighter can be assigned bomber support but if that is not required on the bombing attack run then the fighter is also on standby to engadge incoming enemy units during the same turn.
At the moment I just find it depressing watching stealth bombers being shot down consistently, they're expensive! The good news is; I'm a noob so am probably not playing at all well
I find as soon as the A.I. gets fighters the bombers are not so useful, except for damaging incoming naval ships without carriers. Even the stealth bomber gets shot down by vanilla fighters (not jets).
Let me ask a newbie question please:
If I have fighters on the same tile as my bombers, set for engadge and then set my bombers off on an attack run and they come under attack by the AI's fighters, will my fighters engadge (offer effectively bomber support)? If so, what's the attack order: his fighter against my bomber, then my fighter against his fighter? Even this would not be ideal, I'm losing bombers (ok, he's also losing fighters)
If not then would it not be so much better to allow my fighters to offer bomber support?
A few different ideas for this to be implemented:
* Keep it simple; all fighter vs fighter battles are resolved first and anything the AI has left is used to attack bombers
* The AI chooses randomly which to engadge - a bomber of a fighter. If it engadges a bomber then that battle is resolved first, maybe the bomber gets a defensive bonus for being protected by fighters. The fighters then square off and it could be the case that my fighter gets a large offensive bonus (or doesn't take damage at all, as the other enemy jet is merely trying to evade - maybe have a chance of evasion, at which point that battle is over) because the enemy has targetted my bomber. If the AI chooses the fighter then the fighter vs fighter battle is resolved normally.
* Radar Station Building / Upgrade to an airport (with radio, maybe a unit not a building, so you can move it around to front lines) - This building allows fighters to perform duel roles. A fighter can be assigned bomber support but if that is not required on the bombing attack run then the fighter is also on standby to engadge incoming enemy units during the same turn.
At the moment I just find it depressing watching stealth bombers being shot down consistently, they're expensive! The good news is; I'm a noob so am probably not playing at all well