[1.21d] Payload optimization have no effect on aircraft with only rockets
Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2023 1:44 am
Ground attack aircraft with rockets and MGs are good against tanks and fairly cheap to manufacture, but they currently lack any supporting linear tech that can increase their firepower.
The payload optimization tech only affect aircraft designs if they have air-air missiles, and have no effect on aircraft designs that use only rockets. This seems to be an oversight because some early to mid game aircraft can have rockets and payload optimization, but not yet have air-air missiles.
Payload optimization currently apply the full firepower bonus to the combined ground attack value from air-air missiles and any added bombhatch or precision bombs. This is probably not the intended behavior of payload optimization, because large bombers can then receive up to +50% ground attack firepower, simply by adding light air-air missiles. Payload optimization should only affact the attack value of air-air missiles and/or rockets.
I have also noticed that some of the large bombhatch and precision bomb sizes can gain a large increase in number of attacks from payload optimization, but only receive a small increase (or even a decrease) in their ground attack value. There are multiple bombhatch and precision bomb sizes that receive both an increased number of attacks and a fairly large increase in ground firepower from payload optimization. I don't think that any form of bomb should receive the firepower bonus from payload optimization, but if they are supposed to get the full bonus, at least it should be applied consistently on all bombs.
These observations comes from me testing multiple different aircraft designs in the blueprint screen, but I have also checked inside the design doc of many these aircraft to confirm that it is not only a display issue on the main blueprint screen.
The payload optimization tech only affect aircraft designs if they have air-air missiles, and have no effect on aircraft designs that use only rockets. This seems to be an oversight because some early to mid game aircraft can have rockets and payload optimization, but not yet have air-air missiles.
Payload optimization currently apply the full firepower bonus to the combined ground attack value from air-air missiles and any added bombhatch or precision bombs. This is probably not the intended behavior of payload optimization, because large bombers can then receive up to +50% ground attack firepower, simply by adding light air-air missiles. Payload optimization should only affact the attack value of air-air missiles and/or rockets.
I have also noticed that some of the large bombhatch and precision bomb sizes can gain a large increase in number of attacks from payload optimization, but only receive a small increase (or even a decrease) in their ground attack value. There are multiple bombhatch and precision bomb sizes that receive both an increased number of attacks and a fairly large increase in ground firepower from payload optimization. I don't think that any form of bomb should receive the firepower bonus from payload optimization, but if they are supposed to get the full bonus, at least it should be applied consistently on all bombs.
These observations comes from me testing multiple different aircraft designs in the blueprint screen, but I have also checked inside the design doc of many these aircraft to confirm that it is not only a display issue on the main blueprint screen.