Level bombers banking before completing the bomb run

[lancerr]

Have some issues with level bombing - hope you all can help.

I am able to get the level bombing working somewhat with the HE-111 but there are a number of problems I run into.

1. Can't seem to tell the other bombers to adopt my timing & salvo count. I want everyone to drop the way I do - but they seem to drop with default settings

2. The moment the first bomb is dropped, they swerve away - swing bombs widely over the landscape. Interestingly, I noticed that If I play the quick mission where the germans are attacking the airfield, the bombers there seem to stay on course after dropping their load.

I have tried adding another waypoint after that's in line, extending the waypoint past the target etc. No luck.

I'm using the Attack Target - and setting the target to a train docked in a train yard for these tests.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Blackdog_kt]

I've seen this behaviour in certain videos on youtube, but i've also managed to have them bomb properly.

Yesterday i made a very small (in terms of objects), basic mission so that i can train in flying the Blenheim: take off from Lympne, cross the channel and bomb Coquelles airfield near Calais. The mission has 10 Blenheims in two flights (7 in the first and a vic of 3 in the second), eight Bf-110s parked on the enemy airfield as targets and some flak guns around the place to make things interesting.


I wanted to test things out so i ran the mission, activated the AI control and bumped up the time compression until they got close to the target. The leader called bombs away and all the aircraft (including my own, under the AI autopilot control) stayed in formation and dropped.

I know the Blenheim has a maximum of only four bombs (if using 250lb ones, the secondary bomb bays can't be loaded yet) while the German ones can have a dozen small ones and this makes the bomb drop sequence more time consuming for them. So, if they are programed to turn after a certain amount of time from the moment the first bomb is released, bombers with a lot of bombs will exhibit the behaviour you described (especially if a high interval between bombs is selected) while those with less bombs will be able to drop all of them before they start turning.

That being said, in that sample mission my flight kept going straight for quite some time. Due to the airspeed and bomb travel distance we were a couple of kms from the target when the bombs away command was given by the leader, but the flight continued straight and overflew the target waypoint before turning back for home.

The only difference between what i did and what you did is that i didn't set them a direct "attack target" command. I used the area attack command (i think it's called attack ground or area, not really sure right now) and set the waypoint on top of what i wanted them to attack (the static Bf-110s).

I knew it worked correctly because even though most of the bombs missed (i had them set to the default average AI), quite a few were close enough and did good damage to the static Bf-110s i used as targets.

Maybe you could try doing the same with the He-111 (i would do it right now but i'm a bit short for time), i would be very interested to know your findings.

Also, i agree that it would be good having the ability to transmit bombsight settings to the rest of the flight and also have them drop on command (this one exists in the radio command menu, i guess we'll be able to have them drop on command when it gets debugged).

Hope this helps, if you test it please report on how it turned out. Cheers ;)

[lancerr]

Good idea. Let me test that and see how well it works.

[lancerr]

That worked perfectly - thanks. Attached some pics.

1. I like unloading my sticks all in a bunch for such a compact target like a rail yard. Group complies - no wild banking, but man are they dropping them at too far an interval. Follow the leader fellas.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_hbQO7fHZJjg/Tdpc390u5FI/AAAAAAAAHho/Ja003_PaHVA/s800/shot_20110523_080107.jpg

2. Here's the target area
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_hbQO7fHZJjg/Tdpc4ZwXD5I/AAAAAAAAHhw/2fMSqIHeb3U/s800/shot_20110523_080228.jpg

3. Impact - Nice and compact
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_hbQO7fHZJjg/Tdpc5BRYqxI/AAAAAAAAHh0/cQI097gFqAE/s800/shot_20110523_080237.jpg

[Blackdog_kt]

Thanks for testing this out.

So, it seems that "attack target" is meant mostly for dive bombing and precision/point attacks, so they turn away as soon as they press the bomb release button, while area attacks give us proper level bombing.

I'll go ahead and add this to the list of things i'm noting down, i want to have some sort of FAQ ready when the US release hits so that any new players can pick up the basics faster: less gnashing of teeth, less repeating the same questions and answers on forums, more time flying ;)

[SG1_Lud]

I,d thought it is good to have also in account the following, and please bear with me as I am talking off my memory: I don't remember where, but I read an statement about the AI having own criteria to decide that if a target was well covered by other planes, they would switch to another target in the area.

I noticed this myself after trying to reproduce the black death scenery in a custom made FMB mission, and observing that some AI planes bombed the runway, as I designed, but other switched to hangars etc on its own.

[jojovtx]

I presume this is all being done offline. I need help figuring out level bombing online in multiplayer. Without a level stabiliser much like 1946 I am not sure how bombing can be done in MP.

[JG53Frankyboy]

depends on plane......
but the most important thing in all bombers, you have to trim them almost perfectly !

then, with Br20 and Blenheim you have no other chance to keep the thing trimmed. They have no help at all.....

The He111 have this 'heading tracker'. Ig you are trimmed ok before activating it you have a chance that the plnae flys stable till you get to target.
in the Ju88 this system is not working in the moment because the Gyro compas is not workingn thats a Bug.

BUT, the best thing in the moment online you can do is to fly bombers with two humans..........

[jojovtx]

Well I will have to get home and check out the HE111 and this "heading tracker" you speak of. Is that what it is called in the keymapper? I already have my bombsight adjustments mapped as well as bomb door open. Will probably need to map more things to my arrow keys for fine trim as my rotary wheels tend to be pretty major movement even for the slightest of input.