Offline challenges.

[dimlee]

Originally Posted by gaunt1

C4 is slightly superior to Pe-3bis. D1, E2, and even G2 are no match at all. F-2 may be equal, or just slightly inferior, needs testing.

Well, I'd prefer F2 at low alt and G2 at high. But I agree, the testing is required.

So far, I can win at both sides, against ace AI, one on one, using E2, F2, G2 vs Pe-3/3bis. AI G2 is the most difficult for me due to speed advantage at higher alt. AI Pe-3bis is the most difficult for me when I fly C and E variants of Bf 110.

Need to try 2 vs 2. Should be interesting.
I have lost once against Bf 110E2 at low level in multiplayer. Was too overconfident and decided to play turn game instead of climbing. The opponent was good and punished me after several minutes of intensive fight.

[JacksonsGhost]

Slightly off-topic I know, but since we're talking challenges I'm curious what difficulty rating you aces would give to the stock Single Mission "Pearl Harbor Defense 2", flying the P-40B in v4.13.4. (rating 1 as easiest, 10 as hardest)

And can any of you take down any bombers before they reach their targets?

[dimlee]

Originally Posted by JacksonsGhost

Slightly off-topic I know, but since we're talking challenges I'm curious what difficulty rating you aces would give to the stock Single Mission "Pearl Harbor Defense 2", flying the P-40B in v4.13.4. (rating 1 as easiest, 10 as hardest)

And can any of you take down any bombers before they reach their targets?

Thanks for recommendation. I never tried this mission before. It is fun. Reminds me some "real life" experience in multiplayer with eager vulchers camping over your airfield.
I'd rate this one as 10 when your try it first. Then, once you understand AI behaviour, it's easier...7 probably? Did not manage to take down any bomber before they reach our airfield. Yet. We'll see...

[dimlee]

Back to Pe-3bis vs Bf 110. Just tried 2 vs 2. Only 110 F2 so far.
Start at 3000 m, avoiding head on attack.
Wingman is veteran. Fuel 50% for both sides.

Not too difficult with veteran AI, but more interesting against ace AI. They fly smarter and their gunners are very good. Still, AI of both types demonstrate the same tendency: after two or three passes they dive and continue dogfight close to deck. Mostly turning fights, so they become predictable.

[JacksonsGhost]

Originally Posted by dimlee

Thanks for recommendation. I never tried this mission before. It is fun. Reminds me some "real life" experience in multiplayer with eager vulchers camping over your airfield.
I'd rate this one as 10 when your try it first. Then, once you understand AI behaviour, it's easier...7 probably? Did not manage to take down any bomber before they reach our airfield. Yet. We'll see...

Thanks dimlee.

Note the bombers aren't actually targeting Bellows airfield though. They're targeting around Pearl Harbor, so my challenge was to get them before they drop their bombs there. This of course still means escaping the clutches of the "eager vulchers" rather quickly!

And of course if you chase the bombers you'll still be credited with defending Bellows because the actual mission victory parameters are all screwed up anyway!

[Jumoschwanz]

Originally Posted by RPS69

Try a 2 on 2 just veteran flying bf110 against Pe3-bis, at low level. You will most probably be beaten 9 out of 10

A fun challenge. I ran it at 1000 meters altitude. I am not sure what the purpose of the veteran setting is but I went with it. I flew the 1941 Bf110, and it was quite a pig even with 30% fuel, I gave the Pe3s 50% fuel because during the first fight one of them ran out of fuel after I had given it 30% or 40%, maybe it did not have sealing tanks.

My wingman and I flew the mission ten times and won nine of the matches. They were not easy.

My tactic was to command my wingman to attack the oncoming Pe3s, right after the command I would fly a 360-degree circle to let the wingman get ahead of me a few kilometers, this way the pair of Pe3s would usually be occupied while I flew in and attacked. Sometimes the wingman got shot down, sometimes the wingman got a kill, but I always managed to tip the contest in our favor at the end.

With the effective tailgunner of the Pe3 you can attack them from any angle but six-o'clock, which I did, usually doing the most damage from about ninety-degrees when they were turning, or in some sort of head-on.

Sometimes a Pe3 or my wingman would fly off for home-base if they were damaged, sometimes I let them go home, sometimes I gave chase and shot them down if I felt like wasting the time to do so.

Once I was down to one engine and smoking but my wingman chased down the remaining pe3 and shot it down.

Maybe I will try it again sometime against Ace Pe3s to see if it makes any difference.

The last mission was almost a draw, my wingman flew home damaged, the last remaining pe3 flew off to it's base either from damage or lack of fuel or ammo, and I was damaged and limping back to home base when I ended the mission. I figured since we had two aircraft in the air to their one it was our point.



Edit: Oops, I just looked and I only had my side set for veteran, the PE3 pair were set to ace....

[Jumoschwanz]

Originally Posted by JacksonsGhost

I'm curious what difficulty rating you aces would give to the stock Single Mission "Pearl Harbor Defense 2", flying the P-40B in v4.13.4. (rating 1 as easiest, 10 as hardest)

Jackson, I would give the mission a high difficulty rating, especially if you are going after the bombers. I don't think the mission is to take down any bombers though, or it should not be. Your field is being attacked and your wingmen are under fire from zeros, so I don't think any real pilot would take off and leave the airfield and their wingmen alone to fly away and attack bombers.

But I did just that a few times and I did go after the bombers, but because they start in the air by the time you intercept them they are approaching Pearl Harbor, and with them flying in formation with tail-gunners I think the best anyone is going to do is to get maybe one shot down before they are peppered to death by the tailgunners and before the rest of them reach Pearl Harbor anyway. I scored some hits on the bombers but the low firepower of the p40b does not do well at taking out aircraft with safe deflection shots in one pass.

As soon as my engine is started I turn the aircraft to the left and take off between two parked P-40s and I head right for the mountain-range to shake-off attacking zeros. Then I figure my real duty is to cover my wingmen who have just taken off behind me if there is anything left of them. Just fighting the zeros attacking the field is enough of a challenge.

If you take enough fuel and evade the zeroes then you can attack lots of bombers which have probably already dropped their loads, I was doing this and I ran out of fuel, I looked and by default it had only given me 30%, next time I took 50%.

[dimlee]

Bf 110 vs Pe-3bis, 2 vs 2.
I just realised that initial task was set for low altitude.
Decided to try again.
Bf 110F2 veterans, AI Pe-3bis aces.
50% fuel both sides.
QMB, Moscow winter map, 500 m.

"Cover me" order to wingman and turn into Pe-3bis immediately after the head on pass. Then focus on the higher one or the closest one. Sometimes Pe starts to climb - and it gets more difficult for Bf 110, sometimes they prefer to turn - little chance for them to win turning contest unless their gunners "help". Head on attacks of Pe-3bis are the most dangerous for me. Otherwise, it's just a bit of patience and avoiding gunners fire.

Important remark:
One big - really big - advantage of Bf 110 is ammo supply. In Pe-3/3bis I fire from 250-300m. In Bf-110 I fire from 500m and up and sometimes manage to score good hits from 700m. Basically, I just don't care about ammo in short time mission in Bf 110 and fire at any suitable occasion but have to restrain myself in Pe-3/3bis. Same with gunners. UBT of Pe-3bis is nice machine gun, but 200 rounds is just not enough.

Next time I have to try 110E2 and 110D - the latter without Dachshund's belly, of course. Should be interesting...

[RPS69]

I did it on 100% fuel both airplanes. And everything started at 1000 as Jumo did.
I will try it with 50% and see if it is far better, or nowadays I'm really crap at flying this.

[RPS69]

Flying on the Pe side, I always win, on the 110 side, a win was extremely hard.