S3 Series

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Summary: Due to the ineptitude of escorts, skill of LW 190 pilots, fully functioning GPS moving map, 100% fool proof IFF, Satellite radio capability,Buff Tuff will be increased.

Please shoot one extra bullet into the Allied Buff pilots noggins to ensure it gets through


Merry Christmas!

Dobs

Spank, Spank, Spank!

Increasing the bomber hardness in the middle of a 8th AF series is exactly the trigger that jaded me on S3 many years ago.

I do not wish to be jaded but I also will not impale my group on this particular altar, AGAIN.

I suggest that, in way of protest, we ignore the bombers completely and hunt Allied fighters instead. It has the added allure of protecting our lead for the last three frames. We just need to maintain a decent fighter v. Fighter kill ratio (I think).

Slinging fighters against up armored bombers will certainly be harmful to our survival rates and there is no way we will keep them from getting the points for Berlin.

Dawger,

It is funny I was thinking the EXact same thing The very few remaining buff guys might quit if they dont make it back next frame, poor bastards, they are good sports though for being such nice targets. Lets say we go 80% strippers and 20% shooters for frame 3?

Seriously though, only 12 Buff drivers in the S3 on a classic buffs to berlin scenario...them numbers are some cause for concern.

I find it hard to understand why the 2nd group of buffs turned back (they were human driven, not AI). That also explains why there was so much escort for the 1st and only group. We were tying up 20 or so fighters with our 11, but that leaves 28-30 Allied fighters on Escort Duty. The 475th couldn't find any escort until the took a pass on the buff group and found a bunch of Runstangs hiding with the Buffs.

Number would be higher if the Knights actually flew mostly buffs with their small "composite" group. I have not looked at numbers but in the past they flew almost 50/50 fighters/buffs. Darryl is back do the Raiders want back in? Also have the UMM to populate.

Hey Beaver, frame 2 shows 14 b24 pilots sortied and 14 lost. i think Jabo refers to the AI being so unpredictable as the group that turned back.

The Knights fighters are actually an embedded fighter squad NWO and also looks like the 69th is flying close escort as well. I suppose the buff numbers is a topic for the CO forum and not here, but in any case in Frame III lets keep our buff attacks by the book and only execute HO's there will be no need to chase down any remaining buffs and take chances shooting from rear.

AI had an issue where they would just start slowly descending....hence the "turn back" terminology used since I think he just turned them off.

Bottom line is I've stated this several times to squaddies...this is the most organized side I've been on for an S3 in terms of sticking to the assigned mission and getting the job done. We have been just, as we refer to it down South, "WHUPP'N ASS!"....should be making the escorts step up their game vs dialing up the buff tuff, but hey its that or some monitstat 7:)

Dobs

Since they had some AI trouble on Frame 1, the alignment for Frame 2 was Human group, Human group, then AI Group. If the second group turned back, it was Human.

No player groups turned back. They were completely wiped out in Frame 2.

This is the first time we have used MA settings in an S3 so some adjustment has to be made. In all past S3s we have a bufftuff of 2.5 but we ran it at 1 to see if the damage model was up to snuff. It needs some work so we have adjusted a bit. AI bombers will continue to be easy to knock down as they are not effected by buff tuff.
Attacks on bombers have been excellent. If you PK the pilot he will die regardless of bomber tuff. We all remember the old BOB series where the only hope of taking down a German bomber was a nice HO. Otherwise you have to be vigilant and continue attacks as you have done. We are almost out of bomber\strike pilots, if we have 16 show up we consider it a banner day. Using AI and tough bombers is the only way to even attempt a BOG event or BOB event. Its sad but it is our reality now.