Why is this backwards?

[Kavik Kang]

Someone mentioned this in a thread below and I think it should be at the top of the list of things for the team to look in too.

When bombers start hitting one of my bases aggressively, what do I do with my interceptors? You know, those planes designed to stop such attacks and strike fear into the hearts of bomber pilots?

I relocate them to another base immediately! The bombers will badly defeat my Zeros IN THE AIR!!! So you have to just get them out and too another base.

This has just got to be wrong. 3 bombers attack and shoot down 4 out of 36 Zeros killing a pilot or two, complete their bombing mission, and fly away untouched. In reality, all 3 bombers should be shot down and no Zeros should be damaged. It would be a day in the park for the Zeros.

That is just an example, from my obsevations so far a bomber has superior air-to-air capabilities to a fighter in this game and that has to change.

[thantis]

Many Japanese accounts of the South Pacific Campaign described the extreme difficulty their pilots had shooting down B-17s & B-24s. This occurred for a couple of reasons historically:

1) The Zero was underarmed (two machine guns initially) and it took quite of bit of pounding to do enough damage to take down even a single B-17 (they're called Flying Fortresses for a reason).

2) B-17's could also bomb above the flight ceiling of most Japanese interceptors.

Also, lack of decent (or even any in most cases) of Japanese radar limited interception time, giving the interceptors less time to try go after the bombers. It can be frustrating, but once the Japanese player is on the defensive it can be very difficult to deal with the increasing numbers of American bombers coming at you from a few different directions.

[Burch]

Another thing to remember is that while zeros were very agile fighters not only did they lack hitting power initially they were relatively fragile. 17's and 24's were flying freight trains bristleing with 50 caliber machine guns. This fire power and armor/durability difference may be seen by the game as a literal one on one number crunch thereby giving the bombers an extreme advantage.

[kaleun]

For those of us with BTR experience, the early ME 109 G2s and G6s were also very innefective against B17s and B24s, kind of like the Zero against the B17. This even though the Germans had a pretty adequate radar warning system.
I think the Japanese have a very hard time in this game. Whichever long scenario they play, they must be extremely aggressive to achieve victory, and this would open them up to an early defeat. Then again, that is what Yamamoto said right at the begining.
K