Airforce positive or negative ?

[39battalion]

Returning to this great game after a break I see that it is now possible to have an airforce and that this is an option that can be toggled on or off.

What is your experience of playing with the airforce enabled ? Does it make the game even better than it was ? Or does it just add another level of complication that makes the game less enjoyable ?

There is already so much depth (and complexity) in this this game I am not sure I want to add more. But maybe it would be worth it.

Thanks

[Twotribes]

Adds a new twist depending on planet you may get good air craft or crappy. I always add it

[KarisFraMauro]

I've tried it a couple times. It's interesting and I always appreciate the option of new features. That said I tend not to actually use aircraft very often. For one thing they seem to really hog ammunition, feel like artillery in that respect. For another the range limitation can be a pain. If you ask me again after a few more games I may feel differently though.

I've been hearing about an option for extending AI turn time, basically making it smarter in exchange for taking longer turns, but haven't seen that box anywhere. Is it in a newer update? Maybe I just didn't notice it...

[pauls2271]

ORIGINAL: KarisFraMauro

I've been hearing about an option for extending AI turn time, basically making it smarter in exchange for taking longer turns, but haven't seen that box anywhere. Is it in a newer update? Maybe I just didn't notice it...

It is under Preferences/Game if your running the beta version. Originally it appeared only in the initial game setup screen.

[Jorgas]

It was fun with something new, but it's a hassle to get proper designs out, so I usually skip it now.

[Soar_Slitherine]

The worst part about air forces is that the UI for designing aircraft is awful. I haven't had the opportunity to play out a proper air war yet, since in the games I've played to near completion since the release of the air forces beta, I ended up in a dominant position compared to the AIs fast enough that they never got around to developing air forces.

[zgrssd]

ORIGINAL: Soar_Slitherine

The worst part about air forces is that the UI for designing aircraft is awful.

That is wierd. Because it is a improovement over the normal design process (actually having a summary page/confirmation page).

It is just that the rest of the design process was always that bad.

[Soar_Slitherine]

The model design UI is poor overall, but it's adequate for ground unit designs because they're way less complicated. With aircraft designs, the effect that altering the size of the engine, wingspan or fuel tank has on the performance of the final design is entirely context-dependent, so you have to repeat the design process multiple times over in order to discover the optimal combination of components, which is a pain in the ass.

[DasTactic]

I keep it turned on but agree with the comments above so hardly use them. Very hard to design due to the UI. Very expensive in terms of ammo and fuel. I'd also add that the airfields are also a big problem as you need a different size airfield for each aircraft type and the airfields are limited to the size of your city. So if you need a quick airfield built then you can only fly ultra-lights from it. And so on from there. So just to field a group of fighters can take a lot of turns just to build the airfields.

Where they are good is if you have helicopters as these don't require an airfield. Aircraft are also a great way to get the recon on a hex up as a precursor to artillery or an attack by ground forces.

[Akrakorn]

I think it'd be a change for the better if the level of airbases weren't tied to the city level.

[KarisFraMauro]

Maybe the design user interface could be improved by letting you go back one step rather than starting over entirely, and giving an indication of what effect the different choices have as you go along rather than only at the very end. I didn't know about helicopters though, definitely something worth exploring!

Hogging ammunition at least would be less of a pain if ammunition production could be automated. I have more than enough resources so that's not the issue, it's the annoyance of having to go through the process of making it every turn, or even more than once per turn if I'm building units. Something like just having a box to check for "auto-produce ammunition to storage limit" would be a comparatively minor change to implement surely. You could even set it to percentages like with assets if you're not quite in peak form for resources.

[pauls2271]

giving an indication of what effect the different choices have as you go along

That's right. If the results were a panel was on every design panel and as you added/changed features, it updated, the UI would be a million times better. That way you could see as you made choices what the effect of that choice is.

Instead it is all a mystery until you hit the last design choice and see the results.

[Hazard151]

For that matter, doing the same as with machinery production and creating a munitions factory asset that cranks out munitions at greater efficiency is just as valid an option.

[Mercutio]

I agree the design of air units needs work. Also I should be able to build an air base anywhere. This isn't a commercial airport! (although that would be a nice addition)

[eddieballgame]

In a 'pbem' game with air units...round 50, not much so far.
Personally, I prefer games without it (for now) & in another 'pbem' game, not using it.

[39battalion]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have decided to enable airforces in my next game to give it a try.

It does look though as if the design UI needs some tweaking.

[zgrssd]

ORIGINAL: pauls2271

giving an indication of what effect the different choices have as you go along

That's right. If the results were a panel was on every design panel and as you added/changed features, it updated, the UI would be a million times better. That way you could see as you made choices what the effect of that choice is.

Instead it is all a mystery until you hit the last design choice and see the results.

ORIGINAL: 39battalion


Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have decided to enable airforces in my next game to give it a try.

It does look though as if the design UI needs some tweaking.

The Design process needs a overhaul, full stop.
It has needed one since forever now. There have been plenty of suggestions for it. It just never was a priority Vic could focus on.

[Fritz1776]

I agree the design of air units needs work. Also I should be able to build an air base anywhere. This isn't a commercial airport! (although that would be a nice addition)

I think unit design as a whole needs to be overhauled such that it isn't actually a significant investment unless you want it to be. That is to say, you are always developing random variants in the background, and when R&D shows up with a particularly promising one, you can build on that one specifically. That, or you can demand they get something working that meets a specific requirement you've outlined, at which point there is a "Mean Time To Happen" before you get what is assured to be a good product, even if it takes seemingly forever. The current system is just too random and narrow, especially for aircraft since they need to be built to very specific specifications.

[KarisFraMauro]

I've been thinking there is one way to make air forces really worth the investment, and it feels logical too in terms of realism. No retreat for ground forces being attacked by air. As it is now I'll send in a massive force, and it goes great for the first and second of the ten rounds. Then all my targets disappear and I spend the next eight combat rounds flushing ammo and fuel down the toilet. It makes sense for units to retreat in ground attack obviously. Attacked from the west, retreat to the east, attacked from the east, retreat to the west (assuming unist aren't surrounded of course). But if you're attacked from above you can hardly retreat downwards! That's the entire reason air power was so terrifying when it was first introduced to the world. Suddenly ground units would have a pressing need for AA protection, again just like the real world. As it is it's practically impossible to destroy a unit from air, which is NOT realistic, and especially annoying the best way to do so is attacking with one unit at a time over and over and over, to try and pick off the elements which retreated in the previous attack.

Anyone think I'm on to something here?

[zgrssd]

ORIGINAL: KarisFraMauro

I've been thinking there is one way to make air forces really worth the investment, and it feels logical too in terms of realism. No retreat for ground forces being attacked by air. As it is now I'll send in a massive force, and it goes great for the first and second of the ten rounds. Then all my targets disappear and I spend the next eight combat rounds flushing ammo and fuel down the toilet. It makes sense for units to retreat in ground attack obviously. Attacked from the west, retreat to the east, attacked from the east, retreat to the west (assuming unist aren't surrounded of course). But if you're attacked from above you can hardly retreat downwards! That's the entire reason air power was so terrifying when it was first introduced to the world. Suddenly ground units would have a pressing need for AA protection, again just like the real world. As it is it's practically impossible to destroy a unit from air, which is NOT realistic, and especially annoying the best way to do so is attacking with one unit at a time over and over and over, to try and pick off the elements which retreated in the previous attack.

Anyone think I'm on to something here?

It is relatively easy to stealth your units from airforces:
In a forested area, just move into a forrest.
On plains, just deploy cammo nets.

This defenses are propably part of normal hiding vs ground attacks, but against airforces they are very effective (as they have a certain distance to the ground).
It was SOP to not shoot airforces unless you were the target or escort, because it gave away your position.