there is a fundamental issue with planes in this game

apathyontop · May 12th 2023, 11:52am

80% of the time, I love playing this game. The other 20% turns this game into a grueling slog of constant activity and micromanagement. That 20% is during plane on plane combat.
There are a few reasons why plane on plane combat is busted. Planes are obviously meant to have one real “weak” point, that being refueling. The problem is, most players have now realized that you can practically completely bypass this requirement by simply patrolling. Not only this, but any patrol in an airplane’s “cone” of attack won’t even require it to touch down at home base first. All this, and the attack rate and damage are essentially at the same ratio, if not higher from the saved time.
this is a huge issue when coupled with long ranged bombers, like strategic bombers. The only way to trigger a refuel on a patrolling plane is to knock out their airfield, after which time they’ll try to head to another one and refuel, if they can’t, they’ll land where they were and become convoys. This essentially turns the game into a strat bomber on strat bomber tango where you’re hoping to knock out his airfield before he does yours, which for some odd reason is the *only* way a refuel can happen for a patrolling plane.
the hilarious part is, interceptors can’t even do anything about it. If you try and patrol with them over the strat bombers, they’ll just move their patrol, and you’ll keep going until someone goes inactive. Alternatively, they’ll hit your airfield and force you to refuel. If you attack them, they’ll just bomb the airfield and convoy you out, such that you can’t do anything anymore.
This game needs a change to cut this unrealistic BS out, and I think a great start would be limiting the amount of attack “ticks” a patrolling airplane could have, or time in air. Perhaps a strat bomber nerf would be nice too.

jubjub bird · May 18th 2023, 2:48am

I do think patrolling might be a little too strong and am open to other ideas. A limit of number of ticks might work, or even a slight nerf like that patrolling planes do 40% instead of 50% damage. Something to make the decision of attack vs patrol less obvious, where 99% of the time the correct answer is to patrol.

Brando Dilla · May 18th 2023, 3:53am

Problem: Enemy planes
Solution: Interceptors

Carking the 6th · May 18th 2023, 6:39am

Missiles are good for the airstrip death job. Once refueling in another place destroy that airfield, make convoy, then move in with air or land units.

Tolol_aja · May 18th 2023, 7:47am

maybe limiting amount of plane to patrol before go back for refuel.
for example your plane will go back to refuel after completing 4 patrolling loop.

cheap solution like putting AA's on your vital asset and force that expensive heavy bomber into battle of attrition is good tho

Tolol_aja · May 18th 2023, 7:52am

Carking the 6th wrote:

Missiles are good for the airstrip death job. Once refueling in another place destroy that airfield, make convoy, then move in with air or land units.

strategic bomber outrange any missile or rocket and most of time players tend to operate their planes at maximum range, so you need strategic bomber of your own or try your luck with military sabotage to shutdown that damn airstrip

Carking the 6th · May 18th 2023, 12:32pm

Tolol_aja wrote:

Carking the 6th wrote:

Missiles are good for the airstrip death job. Once refueling in another place destroy that airfield, make convoy, then move in with air or land units.

strategic bomber outrange any missile or rocket and most of time players tend to operate their planes at maximum range, so you need strategic bomber of your own or try your luck with military sabotage to shutdown that damn airstrip

Yes but rocket fighters or interceptors can shoot them down. You can’t stop a missile

Claudio NVKP · May 18th 2023, 12:35pm

Carking the 6th wrote:

Tolol_aja wrote:

Carking the 6th wrote:

Missiles are good for the airstrip death job. Once refueling in another place destroy that airfield, make convoy, then move in with air or land units.

strategic bomber outrange any missile or rocket and most of time players tend to operate their planes at maximum range, so you need strategic bomber of your own or try your luck with military sabotage to shutdown that damn airstrip

Yes but rocket fighters or interceptors can shoot them down. You can’t stop a missile

They cannot be transported easily, have inferior range.

Carking the 6th · May 18th 2023, 12:46pm

Claudio NVKP wrote:

Carking the 6th wrote:

Tolol_aja wrote:

Carking the 6th wrote:

Missiles are good for the airstrip death job. Once refueling in another place destroy that airfield, make convoy, then move in with air or land units.

strategic bomber outrange any missile or rocket and most of time players tend to operate their planes at maximum range, so you need strategic bomber of your own or try your luck with military sabotage to shutdown that damn airstrip

Yes but rocket fighters or interceptors can shoot them down. You can’t stop a missile

They cannot be transported easily, have inferior range.

But they are pretty cheap and it’s not too hard to push in close enough to fire one off before the enemy can anything to stop it. You just have to be smart with timing, like firing when the enemy is refueling at a newly built airbase somewhat close to the frontline

Lord Crayfish · May 18th 2023, 1:58pm

Thing about units in this game: a thumbnail represents not a single tank or plane. Except for presumably capital ships and a few other exceptions, it represent many of that plane/vehicle/soldier -- typically at least a regiment -- as well as all its logistical support.
When aeroplanes are patrolling, I have assumed that, since only half the damage is dealt and received each "round", at any one time half the aeroplanes must be patrolling that area, and the other half are being fitted out, pilots resting, &c. to fly out again.
This explains why they do not need to expressly refuel, but do to organise and ferry to a new location or co-ordinate an attack.
This also sort of explains why they don't need to refuel for trips within the "cone" due to aircrafts' range limitations. However it doesn't explain why they don't need to when switching from patrol to attack immediately; they'd need to scramble lots of pilots first.
Thoughts?

Carking the 6th · May 20th 2023, 8:56pm

Lord Crayfish wrote:

Thing about units in this game: a thumbnail represents not a single tank or plane. Except for presumably capital ships and a few other exceptions, it represent many of that plane/vehicle/soldier -- typically at least a regiment -- as well as all its logistical support.
When aeroplanes are patrolling, I have assumed that, since only half the damage is dealt and received each "round", at any one time half the aeroplanes must be patrolling that area, and the other half are being fitted out, pilots resting, &c. to fly out again.
This explains why they do not need to expressly refuel, but do to organise and ferry to a new location or co-ordinate an attack.
This also sort of explains why they don't need to refuel for trips within the "cone" due to aircrafts' range limitations. However it doesn't explain why they don't need to when switching from patrol to attack immediately; they'd need to scramble lots of pilots first.
Thoughts?

This is exactly how I see it and I completely agree. I guess you can assume the rest of the planes flew out to join the patrolling ones (like the army ordered them to fly there and get ready to join the rest of the force) when you attack? What I mean is when you send a patrolling unit to attack, it’s kinda like if Schrödingers cat is always alive when you open the box (send a patrolling unit to attack) and is always dead if you keep it closed (rest of pilots not there when you attack). I probably explained that terribly but it’s hard to put it into words for some reason.

Share