26-12-2003 09:37									#1
	Some wishes about air combat Enter the AD-FREE zone

Here are some of my wishes about air combat. They're more than I can do in editor, (so that it's unlikely realized by fan mods,) but I think they are within the range of a patch. And I hope at least some of them can enter the sight of developers.

1. Give a priority on bombing list of planes to ground units with AA ability, just as naval and air units currently have.

Currently, a bombing plane will target naval or air unit first, which is a good thing; then ground units with highest defense ability (often but not only defense value), which is not that good, since current AA units, Flak and Modern SAM, having only defense value of 6, will fall quite behind in the target list, while they constantly threating the safety of bombing planes. Giving them a priority is most logical. And they are priority targets in real life, too.

2. Make chance of interception a factor in AA formula.
I don't know the exact formula yet, but tests I have done suggest it is not. If it's already in the formula, make it a more significant factor, please. It doesn't make sense that a flak has same chance to shoot down a normal bomber and a stealth bomber. And of course, keep the final chance of a flak shooting down a normal bomber roughly the same as it's now, if not improving it.

3. Increase chance of intercepting normal planes to 75% or higher. Give Fighters and Jet Fighters a higher defense value. Make AI use stealth planes to bombing first, then planes with highest defense to shoot down enemy intercepters. Normal bombers come only when relative safe, e.g. haven't been intercepted twice in a row, or enemy don't have Flight tech yet.

That change is to make Air Superiority true air superiority, make it fighters fighting with fighters, not fighters shooting down bombers.
And that change will get well along with current air-to-air combat mechanics. An air-to-air combat can only have three results under it: not intercepted and carrying out bombing, bomber down and no bombing, intercepter down and no bombing. By increasing chance of interception, the first case will appear fewer (when defender still has intercepters), and air combat become more intense.
By that change, only a fool will send his bombers when enemy still has heavy air defense. That is what in real life, too.

4. Add a new unit: Advanced Jet Fighter, which has a higher attack and defense value, better bombing ability, able to precise bombing, requires oil and aluminum, available at Miniaturization. And change F-15 to be its UU version (so that improve it).

That is purely a wish, I know that. I wish it because a jet fighter in 50s and jet fighter in 90s are totally different beasts. The former one is still pure fighter, the latter one is fighter bomber all in one.

	27-12-2003 01:46									#2
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quote: 1. Give a priority on bombing list of planes to ground units with AA ability, just as naval and air units currently have.

It would be good to have AA units be a separate class of air-bombardment target so they may be targeted, similar to air or naval units in port.

quote: 3. Increase chance of intercepting normal planes to 75% or higher. Give Fighters and Jet Fighters a higher defense value. ...

In PTW, I used 67% chance of interception, and fighter defense strengths were "attack strength - 1" (F-15 was 8/8). The only reason I haven't done this in C3C is that I don't know what relationship defense strength has to AA function.

	27-12-2003 01:59									#3
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: 2. Make chance of interception a factor in AA formula.

Against stealth aircraft, ABSOLUTELY! Versus other aircraft, they may have to adjust how AA works to factor it in. They would probably want a unified way to handle it.

quote: 4. Add a new unit: Advanced Jet Fighter, which has a higher attack and defense value, better bombing ability, able to precise bombing, requires oil and aluminum, available at Miniaturization.

A generic F-15 that is available later is good.
It also would be good to have separate naval bombers,* and prohibit big bombers from carriers.

*naval bombers would have different graphic and shorter range, any conceived smaller payload would be compensated by representing more aircraft.

	27-12-2003 02:21									#4
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Its never really sat well with me seeing those large bombers onboard carriers. :\

	27-12-2003 03:37									#5
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Well, it IS just a "graphic" thingy (like spears in the modern age).

	27-12-2003 03:39									#6
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Firaxis needs to explain explicitly how all of the stats work in air combat. For example, interestingly enough when a fighter is set to "Air Defense" it uses its attack value, whereas the attacking fighter uses its defense value.

	28-12-2003 02:27									#7
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Is "air defense" a new name for "air superiority" mission? I haven't played that far in Conquests yet...

I always thought it very odd that an air unit assigned to "air superiority" would automatically attack only air units conducting missions in its area. I think it should attack *anything* entering its area, including tanks etc. After all, that's why you *have* air superiority - to control the ground. No-one cares about the air for its own sake, do they?

	28-12-2003 02:31									#8
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in that sense it would be nice to have a sentry button for bombers/fighters then

	28-12-2003 02:52									#9
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

quote: Originally posted by Plotinus Is "air defense" a new name for "air superiority" mission? I haven't played that far in Conquests yet...

Sorry, I meant air superiority and said air defense (not that there is a seperate mission "air defense").

	28-12-2003 08:35									#10
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

quote: Originally posted by Plotinus I always thought it very odd that an air unit assigned to "air superiority" would automatically attack only air units conducting missions in its area. I think it should attack *anything* entering its area, including tanks etc. After all, that's why you *have* air superiority - to control the ground. No-one cares about the air for its own sake, do they?

Air superiority is about controlling the air. Attacking ground units is ground support. Attacking roads is logistical bombing, etc.

What I'd like to see is units set to air superiority duking it out with each other, fighter a fighter, Battle of Britain style.