Optimal Altitude For Dive Bombing

[VonFrag]

My apologies if this has been asked before but here goes.

Allies, august 42, latest patch.

I set my Dauntlesses at 20,000 feet for dive bombing. They never hit squat. I dropped it to 15,000 feet and it seems to be better. What altitude seems to work for you? Or what is the best altitude to set them at?

Thanks

Frag out

[Justus2]

Dive Bombing only works between 10,000-15,000 feet

[StK]

This question in particular is very well answered in the video tutorials of n01487477, but I'm not allowed to post links yet.. could someone post it?

[Justus2]

Tutorial Links

Bombing tutorial

Here's the link to a video that also shows a chart.

[StK]

thank you

[dr.hal]

Isn't this in the manual?

[VonFrag]

Who has time for the manual.............. [:D] Tanks for the info. I was thinking Uncommon Valor and dive bombing from 20k, in which I read a nice interview somewhere with Dick Best and he mentioned they started at 20,000 feet many times. But no big deal.

Frag out.

[dr.hal]

Frag, the manual is sadly out of date however it does provide foundational information that gives you the basics that allow you to avoid unknowingly making mistakes and allows the player to short cut the learning process of the game. It may not be a great read, but it is an important one (at least in my book, pun intended!). Hal

[ny59giants]

Fighters @ 15k
DB @ 12k
TB @ 9k

[dr.hal]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Fighters @ 15k
DB @ 12k
TB @ 9k

How do you come to these conclusions ny59giants? For maximum impact one should put the TBs and DBs at the same altitude along with escorting fighters (all at 13K). Thus the DBs actually divebomb, the torpedo bombers will drop down to 200 ft and drop their torpedoes while the escort flies 2K feet above the formation for protection. This also allows for the maximum chance of a coordinated strike. Hal

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Fighters @ 15k
DB @ 12k
TB @ 9k

How do you come to these conclusions ny59giants? For maximum impact one should put the TBs and DBs at the same altitude along with escorting fighters (all at 13K). Thus the DBs actually divebomb, the torpedo bombers will drop down to 200 ft and drop their torpedoes while the escort flies 2K feet above the formation for protection. This also allows for the maximum chance of a coordinated strike. Hal

+1

Consistent with LoBaron air Manual.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: VonFrag

Who has time for the manual.............. [:D]

Me.

Alfred

[pmelheck1]

I always set all my DB, TB and fighter aircraft to 15k. Strikes are less likely to arrive piece meal and dive bombers will dive bomb. I also believe that AAA is a bit lower at 15k vs 12k but i may very well be wrong on that count. For fighters set purely to cap I start at 15k and adjust to raid altitudes.

[dr.hal]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

ORIGINAL: VonFrag

Who has time for the manual.............. [:D]

Me.

Alfred

Nicely put Alfred!

[Balou]

@ ny59giants
In one of my recent posts I was told to set DB and TB to same altitude, since it increases the likelyhood of coordinated strikes, say 11k.

[LoBaron]

Just for theory, the optimal alt setting for the IJN can be viewed as 13k - as Pax Mondo already pointed out. The reason is that above 15k
the Zero mvr rating drops a notch, so setting your strike to 13k sets the escorts at 15k, the highest optimal alt setting for the escorting Zero.

The Allies are not restricted to this as the Wildcats mvr rating only drops after 20k, so with regards to getting as much of a strike through as possible,
one could argue that the optimum alt setting is 15k.

But there is another factor weighting just as much: Strike accuracy. The lower in the 10-15 band your strike goes in, the better the accuracy of your DBs.

I don´t think that there is a conclusive test up to now where the optimal tradeoff altitude for strikes lies when weighting in accuracy vs. getting as many planes
as possible over target undamaged. I also believe this will never be the case, as selecting the alt highly depends on type and number of opposition.
13k still looks a good alt to me, independent of the side you play, but I think the trick is to vary and remain unpredictable, thats what I am trying to do.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Fighters @ 15k
DB @ 12k
TB @ 9k

How do you come to these conclusions ny59giants? For maximum impact one should put the TBs and DBs at the same altitude along with escorting fighters (all at 13K). Thus the DBs actually divebomb, the torpedo bombers will drop down to 200 ft and drop their torpedoes while the escort flies 2K feet above the formation for protection. This also allows for the maximum chance of a coordinated strike. Hal

I got my carrier based ac at three different altitudes and all the time launch strikes of 300+ aircraft in early/mid 42 while having ALL carriers in the same TF. Works well, don't give too much on "I have to look at CV stacking per TF and alts for aircraft".

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Fighters @ 15k
DB @ 12k
TB @ 9k

How do you come to these conclusions ny59giants? For maximum impact one should put the TBs and DBs at the same altitude along with escorting fighters (all at 13K). Thus the DBs actually divebomb, the torpedo bombers will drop down to 200 ft and drop their torpedoes while the escort flies 2K feet above the formation for protection. This also allows for the maximum chance of a coordinated strike. Hal

I got my carrier based ac at three different altitudes and all the time launch strikes of 300+ aircraft in early/mid 42 while having ALL carriers in the same TF. Works well, don't give too much on "I have to look at CV stacking per TF and alts for aircraft".

You will notice though that independent of different alt settings you only got one incoming altitude (also visible in the combat report) if a strike goes in coordinated. Which means that theres only two possible
outcomes: either your different alt settings are useless because the secondary groups reset to the same alt as the lead group when the strike coordinates, or the strikes do not coordinate.

But I agree with you that the chances to coordinate very high for CV airgroups independent of the alt setting.

[dr.hal]

But you maximize your chances of a coordinated strike if you set your altitudes for the various forms of attack (and escort) at the same altitude. Yet as in all aspects of the game, this is an individual decision that has many choices; all up to the player.

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: LoBaron


You will notice though that independent of different alt settings you only got one incoming altitude (also visible in the combat report) if a strike goes in coordinated.

This is simply wrong.