Difficulty against the computer

[sfbaytf]

I'm playing against the computer and have it on historical difficulty. I see in the manual that it reccomends you crank it up to hard. How is it on hard or very hard? Does it make that much of a difference? I'm getting up to speed again and waiting for 1.5 before I try to find a PBEM opponent-don't think the AI will ever be as much fun or challenging as a real opponent.

On another note I just started the Rising Sun scenario and my B-17's managed to hit the CVL Ryujo with 500lb bombs from 10,000 feet. That is if the reports are accurate as I'm playing with the fog of war option on. I decided to go an change the attack altitude of my B-17's and Hudsons to 5000 and see if they would be more effective, but so far the results has been no hits and more damage suffered by the bombers. The homely Swordfish have been my most effective bomber so far. They scored 3 hits on Japanese battleships-if I can rely on the combat reports.

I have a questions about laying mines. Do you just send minelayers to a destination and they lay a minefield when they get there? Do you minefileds show up on the map so you know where they are or do you have to keep track of them. How effective are they?

When I played the Guadalcanal as Japan I used most of my subs to lay mines, as I figured since they were too easy for the Allied to find and kill I would try to find another use for them.

[freeboy]

if you continue to move your subs around, and never use them in shallows they will be great, if you have non hystorical use inabled... I remember sinking alot of aks againstthe ia, back in the play against ia days around SF...

[wild_Willie2]

On hard/very hard the Ai just gets more units and combat bonusses, the game does not get more difficult, just "slower" because instead of 1 LCU you have to kill 3 or 4 LCU's

[ckk]

Sometime ago it was determined that level bombers could only bomb from 6,000 feet or higher. This was the lowest the absracted bombsight would be effective[;)]

[ckk]

send minelayers to a destination with retirement allowed and it will lay the mines and a dot will show in the hex.

[PeteG662]

Altitudes below 6000 will result in more ops losses. There was discussion about bombing accuracy but I do not remember what the consensus was regarding the level bombers and what appeared to be the minimum altitude setting.

Regarding laying mines, set a mine layer TF to a destination with retirement on and it will lay mines in the destination. There will be a little asterisk on the map usually in the upper left corner of the hex showing your friendly minefield. Mines have a chance to attack both enemy and to a lesser extent your own forces passing through the hex.

[sfbaytf]

thanks all for the info. I'll have to adjust the altitude to at least 6000. Does the altitude restriction also apply to B-25's and A-20's. By 1943 the allieds were using them in wave top skip bombing against ships with great effect.

[BraveHome]

I find the discussion of 6,000 versus 5,000 interesting, because the manual (section 7.2.2.10, Altitude Selection) states

"Level bombers attacking at below 5,000 feet will have their accuracy and effectiveness
reduced."

The same section also states

"Level bomber groups that have more damaged aircraft than ready aircraft near the end of the Resolution Phase and are ordered to attack at an altitude of below 6,000 feet will
have the possibility of having a 30 point Morale loss."

So I have always used 6,000 feet as 'minimum' for my LBs to be safe, though the game engine seems to target 5,000 for nondamaged LB minimum altitude/maximum effectiveness.

[ckk]

No set altitude for 100 ft. and more experience bombers IIRC 60 experience will skip bomb

[PeteG662]

I always use at least 6000 feet because of the morale and potential ops losses. If you want to skip bomb with B-25s et al, you will take face higher fatigue and ops losses. Fighter bombers (P39s) make good strafing runs against barges.

[sfbaytf]

Hey thanks for the reference to the 7.2.2.10, Altitude Selection section. It pretty much answered my question on skip bombing, although it does bring up some other questions. Could you use B-17's to skip bomb if their experience level was high enough? Does dropping B-17s to 100 feet allo them to strafe enemy ships with their 50 cals? Could you imagine if they did that in real life? The high altitude bomber barons would have a heart attack.

[PeteG662]

The 50 cals will shoot as well at 100 feet.

[rtrapasso]

Could you imagine if they did that in real life?

They did![:D]

The skip bombing was originally developed in B-17s. Later the medium bombers picked it up, and the B-17s went back to bombing at 6000 feet.

[PeteG662]

Anyone remember the movie the Dam Busters where the Brit Lancasters skip bombed the Ruhr dams? I am searching for it on DVD now.

[sfbaytf]

If you're talking about the one that was black and white then yes I do remember it. On a related note I bought "The Century of Warfare" on DVD and during the opening credits it shows the actual footage of the testing of the dam buster bombs. Pretty interesting...

[sfbaytf]

have you tried Amazon or Ebay?

[Nikademus]

ORIGINAL: wild_Willie2

On hard/very hard the Ai just gets more units and combat bonusses, the game does not get more difficult, just "slower" because instead of 1 LCU you have to kill 3 or 4 LCU's

The AI only gets combat bonuses on the Very Hard setting. Hard setting gives the AI logistical bonuses and allows it to "peek" at your dispositions.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Tallyman662

Anyone remember the movie the Dam Busters where the Brit Lancasters skip bombed the Ruhr dams? I am searching for it on DVD now.

Deep Discount DVD
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com
has it for $11.99. (Just did search). The also have another more recent thing about dambusters for $6.00.

[BraveHome]

ORIGINAL: sfbaytf

Hey thanks for the reference to the 7.2.2.10, Altitude Selection section. It pretty much answered my question on skip bombing, although it does bring up some other questions. Could you use B-17's to skip bomb if their experience level was high enough? Does dropping B-17s to 100 feet allo them to strafe enemy ships with their 50 cals? Could you imagine if they did that in real life? The high altitude bomber barons would have a heart attack.

NP! As mentioned in other posts since, yes you could. But I think the morale effect would still be there (i.e., be sure the target's AA is not significant or you're willing to sit your 17s for a while).

[SpitfireIX]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

Could you imagine if they did that in real life?

They did![:D]

The skip bombing was originally developed in B-17s. Later the medium bombers picked it up, and the B-17s went back to bombing at 6000 feet.

Uh-oh--is it the dreaded Four-Engine Skip-Bombing Argument thread clawing its way out of the ground? Just when you thought you'd driven the stake through its heart...

In any case, as I've mentioned in the UV thread a while back, my great uncle was a B-17 bombardier in the Pacific in 1942. I was quite surprised when he first told me that B-17s had been used for skip bombing; at the time (when I was in about 8th grade) I had read and re-read a book about the Battle of the Bismarck Sea; the book gave the me the impression that skip-bombing had been pioneered in B-25s and A-20s near the beginning of 1943. One notable fact; B-17 skip-bombing attacks were generally carried out at night, and against poorly defended targets; however, the big bombers still suffered lots of small-caliber AA hits.