LB Payloads (Full Version)

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CRations -> LB Payloads (6/18/2012 12:19:32 AM)

I have a question regarding ground attack effectiveness of LB payloads. Which is more effective - 4 50kg bombs or a single 250kg bomb?

It seems to me that if I have poor pilots than four 50kg bombs give me a better chance to hit but the damage will be light. But a 250kg payload that scores a successful hit is going to give me more squad kills - right?


CR




kevin_hx -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 8:39:25 AM)

But, how can you choose the type of the bombs of LBs in the game? 




koniu -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 8:42:26 AM)

Bigger is better. I will prefer 250 kg bomb as it have chance to do some damage after hit.

Remember hit not always mean that you do damage.

50kg bomb probably even if hit will not do any damage. Maybe for not fortified soft targets on open ground but give them some forts or tree cover and they will be only waste of supplies. I do not know how it is in case of AF attack but damage from 50kg will be minimal.




koniu -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 8:50:13 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: kevin_hx

But, how can you choose the type of the bombs of LBs in the game? 


Is not directly answer for question but there is how bomb load is working in game.

Bombers have primary and secondary bomb load.

Primary is used when bomber is flying on normal range from proper size AF.
For Japan it will be AF size 2 for single engine bombers and lvl 4 for 2E bombers.
For Allies it will be lvl 4 for 2E bombers and lvl 5 for 4E (B-17, B-24) for B-29 that will be lvl 7 AF to use full bomb load.

If you use extended range bombers will use secondary bomb load.

Also is AF is smaller from required bomb load will be reduced to secondary and bombers will only be able to fly on normal range. There will be also coordination penalty, planes will have big chance do not fly at all and also ops losses will increase

I think that also if you will flay below 6000 ft bomb load will be reduced by half.

My memory is not perfect so please correct me if i wrong




Puhis -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 8:50:52 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kevin_hx

But, how can you choose the type of the bombs of LBs in the game? 


YOu cannot choose bomb type. Some planes use 50 kg bombs, some use 250 kg bombs etc.

Maybe 4 x 50 kg is better than one 250 kg if you're bombing airfield, but other than that 50 kg bombs are definitely useless.




koniu -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 9:02:09 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Puhis


quote:

ORIGINAL: kevin_hx

But, how can you choose the type of the bombs of LBs in the game? 


YOu cannot choose bomb type. Some planes use 50 kg bombs, some use 250 kg bombs etc.

Maybe 4 x 50 kg is better than one 250 kg if you're bombing airfield, but other than that 50 kg bombs are definitely useless.


Yes you cant chose bomb load but you can chose planes. Especially with PDU ON.
Producing bombers using 50kg bombs or even 100kg bombs is waste of time.

250kg is what you need.




kevin_hx -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 9:05:09 AM)

I see.
thx for all




Puhis -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 1:56:30 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: koniu


Producing bombers using 50kg bombs or even 100kg bombs is waste of time.



Light bombers are cheap trainers. You don't need 2E bomber to train bomber pilots. Although usually there is enough light bombers to fill all training squadrons, there's no need to produce any.




crsutton -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 10:05:42 PM)

I did a bunch of tests with attack bombers and fighters bombers vs Japanese armor and can say for sure that the bomb is the important factor over say cannons and MGs. Bigger "is" better as the 250 lb bombs on the beaufighter was all but useless vs armor, but 500 lb and 1,000 lb bombs killed tanks very nicely. 50KG bombs are virtually useless.




Commander Stormwolf -> RE: LB Payloads (6/18/2012 10:49:13 PM)



large will cause more damage (effect), go through armor (penetration) and, also be more accurate (accuracy)

large is better, and historically it was better (remember a larger piece of ordnance will have more explosive effect than 2 smaller pieces ordnance of the same weight

BUT remember if 1x250 kg will kill something (vessel is obliterated), then 1x800kg is a big pointless, so it would be better to have 3x250kg than 1x800kg




CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/19/2012 5:40:49 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kevin_hx

But, how can you choose the type of the bombs of LBs in the game? 


Hi Kevin. I was looking at different models of Light Bombers. Some carry a single 250kg bomb while others carry multiple 50kg bombs. I want to keep the most effective LB in production for ground support, hence the question of payload effectiveness.

Regards,

CR




CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/19/2012 5:44:21 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Puhis


quote:

ORIGINAL: koniu


Producing bombers using 50kg bombs or even 100kg bombs is waste of time.



Light bombers are cheap trainers. You don't need 2E bomber to train bomber pilots. Although usually there is enough light bombers to fill all training squadrons, there's no need to produce any.



Good point on the training air groups - thanks for the advice.

CR




CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/19/2012 5:49:34 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I did a bunch of tests with attack bombers and fighters bombers vs Japanese armor and can say for sure that the bomb is the important factor over say cannons and MGs. Bigger "is" better as the 250 lb bombs on the beaufighter was all but useless vs armor, but 500 lb and 1,000 lb bombs killed tanks very nicely. 50KG bombs are virtually useless.


Thanks for the input regarding armor. Is it the weight of the payload or were you using AP munitions? For soft kills I just wasn't sure of the 250kg VS 3-4 50kg bombs. I can see a 250kg making a much bigger splash but I wasn't sure if the multiple 50kg would cover a greater area. Against infantry it just seems like I'd get a better area of effect with multiple smaller bombs IF they are delivered on-target...

CR





Alfred -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 12:00:59 AM)

The OP is trying to apply real world considerations to a set of game abstractions. There is therefore no good answer to what he is trying to achieve as it fundamentally involves a trade off.

Have a read of this thread:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2583518&mpage=1&key=bomb%2Csize�

in particular post #19 and the linked thread contained in that post.

The basic error being committed here is that the OP wants to go CAS, a concept which is not particularly well implemeneted in the game as it involves too much abstraction compared to a naval strike against a ship. To compound the error, CAS is only a sub set of ground attack in the game which, in the case of airfields and ports, is even more abstracted.

Yes, in very simplified terms, the bigger the bomb, the more damage it will inflict IF delivered onto the target area. However it isn't of much value if it misses. Having more, albeit smaller bombs, increases the odds that something will be delivered onto the target area.

Then you have to factor in the actual game abstractions. When you go CAS after a unit, you don't get to pick

(a) which unit is targetted in the hex (if there are several present) or

(b) within a unit itself what devices exactly will be targetted. Against soft shelled devices in the unit, a smaller bomb will often suffice whereas a hard shelled device would need a bigger bomb. In any case even with a big bomb the result is likely to be only a disablement, which is not outright destruction.

Then consider the greater set of ground attack on which level bombers are mainly used (and not on CAS). In hitting airfields/ports the destruction of supply is dependent on bomb size. But what about cratering runways. What exactly do you think that 70% runway damage actually represents? A single large bomb crater right in the middle of the runway or 70 small craters caused by 70 small bombs, the WWII equivalent of cluster bombing.

Alfred




CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 3:27:55 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

The OP is trying to apply real world considerations to a set of game abstractions. There is therefore no good answer to what he is trying to achieve as it fundamentally involves a trade off.

Have a read of this thread:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2583518&mpage=1&key=bomb%2Csize�

in particular post #19 and the linked thread contained in that post.

The basic error being committed here is that the OP wants to go CAS, a concept which is not particularly well implemeneted in the game as it involves too much abstraction compared to a naval strike against a ship. To compound the error, CAS is only a sub set of ground attack in the game which, in the case of airfields and ports, is even more abstracted.

Yes, in very simplified terms, the bigger the bomb, the more damage it will inflict IF delivered onto the target area. However it isn't of much value if it misses. Having more, albeit smaller bombs, increases the odds that something will be delivered onto the target area.

Then you have to factor in the actual game abstractions. When you go CAS after a unit, you don't get to pick

(a) which unit is targetted in the hex (if there are several present) or

(b) within a unit itself what devices exactly will be targetted. Against soft shelled devices in the unit, a smaller bomb will often suffice whereas a hard shelled device would need a bigger bomb. In any case even with a big bomb the result is likely to be only a disablement, which is not outright destruction.

Then consider the greater set of ground attack on which level bombers are mainly used (and not on CAS). In hitting airfields/ports the destruction of supply is dependent on bomb size. But what about cratering runways. What exactly do you think that 70% runway damage actually represents? A single large bomb crater right in the middle of the runway or 70 small craters caused by 70 small bombs, the WWII equivalent of cluster bombing.

Alfred


Hi Alfred - thanks for your thoughts and the research/links you provided. I am trying to find out what would work best for ground support - the smaller munitions or the larger. I think what MichaelM was saying was that bigger bombs do more damage but smaller bombs in a payload give me multiple chances of scoring a hit. I assume also that the leader and pilot skill levels of the air group are the primary check for a successful hit.

It sounds also like there's no real damage until the enemy unit's supplies are used up? I haven't checked supplies but I have noticed fatigue and morale loss after successful attacks against a ground unit. Perhaps there's no real loss of squads until the units supplies have been exhausted?

I'm beginning to think that in regards to enemy ground units, the real payoff is in the loss of moral and increase of fatigue and not so much the destruction of squads in an enemy unit.

This game is interesting in that the designers keep so much of the information out of the manual. This really forces me to study the combat and learn by trial and error. I was hoping to use the experience of others on this forum but I now think I need to play a few hundred turns head to head against myself and just examine the actual damage, effects, and changes during different forms of combat.


CR




Alfred -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 3:43:16 AM)

You are on the right track. It is a trade off between more damage and getting any damage inflicted.

A land device is not killed off outright. First it must become disabled. Then, if a disabled device is struck again, it is destroyed. Left alone disabled devices will become ready devices dependent on

(a) the number of support squads present
(b) adequate supplies on hand

Fatigue and morale does not factor directly into the destruction of devices, but they do impact upon the combat effectiveness of the ready devices. To the best of my knowledge, the size of a bomb has no direct impact on the degree of fatigue and morale of the unit. This is the sort of abstraction I alluded to earlier and why the debate over small or large bombs for use against land targets is, IMHO, largely sterile. It is always a case of horses for courses.

As to the claim that much has been left out of the manual, that is a claim often made, but in my view usually unfairly. For time after time I see posters displaying a lack of understanding of the game mechanics when a careful reading of the manual provides the answer to their posted questions. And what is not found in the manual, and frankly no manual can ever hope to be encyclopedic, can be asked and be promptly answered on the forum.

Alfred

Alfred




crsutton -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 3:44:35 AM)

Well in a nutshell what Alfred said, use the biggest bombs you can regardless of the target. The game does not really allow much freedom or take into account the type of target or mission. Basically, whatever the target, bigger bombs do more damage.




morganbj -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 3:13:19 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well in a nutshell what Alfred said, use the biggest bombs you can regardless of the target. The game does not really allow much freedom or take into account the type of target or mission. Basically, whatever the target, bigger bombs do more damage.

This is correct. For example, see the amount of damage a 21 kt "Fat Man" will do. [X(][:D]




JWE -> RE: LB Payloads (6/20/2012 6:34:04 PM)

One may adapt the type and size of bombs to missions, by using the Alt_Device and Alt_Use fields in the editor.

One may have a standard load, defined by the Aircraft specs, but various alternative loads for specific missions. The bomb Devices need not be the same size as those in the standard load. Calculations will be done to load the plane out to the value in the plane’s Max Load field (depending on mission, range, etc..).

One must be thoughtful and careful, particularly with value and value/2, and keep primary and secondary missions in mind, but the tools are there to allow many aircraft to have many different loadouts for various different missions.





CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/21/2012 4:29:06 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: JWE

One may adapt the type and size of bombs to missions, by using the Alt_Device and Alt_Use fields in the editor.

One may have a standard load, defined by the Aircraft specs, but various alternative loads for specific missions. The bomb Devices need not be the same size as those in the standard load. Calculations will be done to load the plane out to the value in the plane’s Max Load field (depending on mission, range, etc..).

One must be thoughtful and careful, particularly with value and value/2, and keep primary and secondary missions in mind, but the tools are there to allow many aircraft to have many different loadouts for various different missions.





Ahh - for testing purposes while playing head-2-head... But if I actually tried to save a payload change I'd be creating a mod - right?

I think initially I need to stick with the stock and learn the rules. I have poked around a few of the scenarios with the editor but I wasn't willing to make any changes. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it before I try any changes - [:D]


CR




CRations -> RE: LB Payloads (6/21/2012 4:37:19 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

You are on the right track. It is a trade off between more damage and getting any damage inflicted.

A land device is not killed off outright. First it must become disabled. Then, if a disabled device is struck again, it is destroyed. Left alone disabled devices will become ready devices dependent on

(a) the number of support squads present
(b) adequate supplies on hand

Fatigue and morale does not factor directly into the destruction of devices, but they do impact upon the combat effectiveness of the ready devices. To the best of my knowledge, the size of a bomb has no direct impact on the degree of fatigue and morale of the unit. This is the sort of abstraction I alluded to earlier and why the debate over small or large bombs for use against land targets is, IMHO, largely sterile. It is always a case of horses for courses.

As to the claim that much has been left out of the manual, that is a claim often made, but in my view usually unfairly. For time after time I see posters displaying a lack of understanding of the game mechanics when a careful reading of the manual provides the answer to their posted questions. And what is not found in the manual, and frankly no manual can ever hope to be encyclopedic, can be asked and be promptly answered on the forum.

Alfred





Regarding the manual: Yes - it looks like I've got to get really-really friendly with it. I just had the opportunity to discover airfield limitations. I was getting quite cross with one of my air groups because it wasn't doing what I asked it to do. It took me a little digging to understand that I was giving orders that weren't kosher with the base the air group was assigned to... [:D]

You know, if they made this game manual in similar fashion to the comic-book PM manuals I had when I was in Army boot camp (I could be dating myself here) it would be much more fun to read.


CR




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