Air Battle Algorithm ???? 9 vs 4 Loses ???

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    • Air Battle Algorithm ???? 9 vs 4 Loses ???

      I would like one of the admins to explain how 9 Fighters attacking 3 Fighters and 1 Bomber, loses the battle.

      Two of my fighters shot down, while none of the opponents, only slight damage.

      This is either a serious bug, or there is some type o foul play here.

    • There is another possibility. There is a random element (commonly called 'X Factor') to battles. Sometimes your units will get unlucky, and lose a battle you expected them to win. As another example of extremely unlucky battles, someone lost a commando in mountains, to an airplane convoy(!).

      (Is it possible the enemy aircraft were researched to a higher level than yours, and so able to do more damage per unit than yours, making the outcome slightly more probable in their favour?)

    • That is the way it always is, and always has been.



      First rule of planes: Planes on patrol defend themselves. So check the "defend" column of a Tac bomber. They actually defend themselves against attack fairly well.

      Second rule of planes: Planes on patrol defend anything in their patrol radius that gets attacked. I think this means that the planes defend themselves a second time. They react to something in their zone being attacked from the air by shooting at the attacker. So by direct attacking them once you have allowed them to fire at you twice.

      Third rule of planes: Planes on patrol attack things in their patrol zone every 15 minutes. So if you were unfortunate enough to be in their zone during the regularly scheduled "tick" you got hit a third time.


      So it is EXTREMELY unwise to direct attack patrolling planes. It is much better to patrol so that your circle overlaps theirs.
      War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin keep out of the way til you can. - Winston Churchill



      VorlonFCW
      Retired from Bytro staff as of November 30, 2020.

      >>> Click Here to submit a bug report or support ticket <<<

    • Also at play in that case is the SBDE. So no more than 5 of your interceptors fired on the enemy, the other 4 were along for the ride.
      War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin keep out of the way til you can. - Winston Churchill



      VorlonFCW
      Retired from Bytro staff as of November 30, 2020.

      >>> Click Here to submit a bug report or support ticket <<<

    • VorlonFCW wrote:

      Planes on patrol defend anything in their patrol radius that gets attacked. I think this means that the planes defend themselves a second time. They react to something in their zone being attacked from the air by shooting at the attacker. So by direct attacking them once you have allowed them to fire at you twice.

      Third rule of planes: Planes on patrol attack things in their patrol zone every 15 minutes. So if you were unfortunate enough to be in their zone during the regularly scheduled "tick" you got hit a third time.
      Good stuff. Yea, most of the imbalance claims is in regard to planes, because it's plane specific, not a general issue with mechanics. I don't know if the plane stack actually being attacked would get an extra 100% hit bonus, but any patrolling stacks overlapping it would. That is the main reason this comes up.

    • DxC wrote:

      . . . if a target is attacked that happens to be in the patrol radius of [its] own patrolling planes, the attacker will receive 100% damage (not 1/4) from all patrols and will deal no damage back.
      And this is why a combat air patrol (CAP) of fighter squadrons flying over your ground units is the best defense against enemy air attacks.

    • Now if I didn't miss anything, the result received by maroman is not yet explained (maybe would have been if the attacked plane stack had been on patrol, but as maroman said that was not the case).

      Some other folks reported the attacker always suffers inexplicable, great losses in plain, direct air-to-air-attacks and that fits my own observation (don't have a game running to test it now, though).
      Could anyone tell us about their experience with this?

    • Yes, direct plane-to-plane attacks are suicide UNLESS you have fighters and the enemy is bombers ONLY. Still need at least equal fighters to bombers.
      When the fake daddies are curtailed, we have failed. When their roller coaster tolerance is obliterated, their education funds are taken by Kazakhstani phishers, and their candy bars distributed between the Botswana youth gangs, we have succeeded.
      - BIG DADDY.

    • K.Rokossovski wrote:

      Yes, direct plane-to-plane attacks are suicide UNLESS you have fighters and the enemy is bombers ONLY. Still need at least equal fighters to bombers.
      I concur. K.Rokossovski's statement is excellent advice, consistent with my own air war experience, and a good rule of thumb for fighter-vs-unescorted-bomber direct attacks.

      I might also add that the best time for aircraft-vs-aircraft direct attacks is when the enemy targets are stuck on the ground during their 5 to 30-minute refueling window, they are absolutely defenseless, and their hit points are reduced from 20, 25 or 30 hit points per squadron to only 5 hit points per squadron. Please note, however, that once their refueling cycle is completed, the enemy aircraft squadrons will defend themselves with their full defensive strength even though their icon is shown on the ground. You can check their refueling status by clicking on the icon of the enemy aircraft stack, and the unit spec sheet will show them with only 5 hit points per squadron; hovering your mouse cursor over the stack will show the refueling time remaining.

      Good luck.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by MontanaBB ().