AIR RAID!!

[Ruges]

How well have you guys modified the AI for WW2 warfare? and more specifically I am talking about WW2 tactics such as blanket bombing. Where you would have 1,800 bombers going on single raids. We are talking about 150 units going after a single hex here (multiple in some cases). And in many cases they are going there to destroy infrastructure and facilities.

And speaking of which how about hiding those airfields facilities. It was a common practices for the UK to hide there airfields from air raids. And even go as far as put in decoy airfields.

[George Geczy]

I've been working specific changes for certain WWII-related strategies, such as the strategic bombing of facility targets in large raids. Some of the undecided elements is whether we'll make it easier for player to automate this (a return of the "hotspot" feature of SR2020), or rely on the good old "number group and rubber band) method to let the player give the orders directly.

Regarding hidden and decoy airfields, I'm really not sure how effective those tactics really were. To some extent, it was more a fact of not knowing where planes were stationed exactly, as opposed to actual hidden airfields. And in all SR games you can certainly build extra air strips relatively cheaply and quickly, if you really wanted that "decoy" effect.

[dax1]

I've been working specific changes for certain WWII-related strategies, such as the strategic bombing of facility targets in large raids. Some of the undecided elements is whether we'll make it easier for player to automate this (a return of the "hotspot" feature of SR2020), or rely on the good old "number group and rubber band) method to let the player give the orders directly.

I wish "hotspot"!

[Ruges]

Hidden airfields proved very effective for the allies when Germany was bombing them.

Here's an entire factory being camoed.
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/12/ho ... rbank.html

Here's a bunch of them. But this one shows how they would hide the runways by painting the concrete. and then short distances away they would paint decoy runways and buildings.
http://aerial.rcahms.gov.uk/database/re ... -001-180-C

[vorius]

One thing they need to do in order to make bombing air fields a viable tactic in the first place is to deny the use of that air field to the opponent if it is damaged. It was a common tactic to cause cratering of enemy air fields so the planes could not operate. But in all SR games thus far you could damaged military facilities and it there is no penalty except for the cost of having to repair it over time (Which is pretty negligible especially more developed countries). They could still land planes, take off planes even if the airfield health is < 1%

[George Geczy]

While the decoy stories are cool to hear, they fall into the large category of "is it very significant?" Certainly decoys could cause some attackers to miss targets, but so do a hundred other things. So decoys themselves may not have a very definable effect overall.

As far as damaged airfields, while cratering was a very common tactic, it was also very quickly and easily repaired. Same with damage to railway tracks - very easy to fix. So the 'downtime' for such damage was generally minimal. Even factories that were directly hit in large bombing raids were rarely ever "offline" for very long ... their output would get reduced, but never to the extent that the allies expected or desired. One of the interesting things about German war materiel output in 1944 was that even though they were getting the crap beaten out of them from the air with those huge bombing raids, in most cases their output stayed constant (or even increased) (ie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_arm ... rld_War_II )

The only structures that were not so easy to repair were bridges and dams, which in SR are also a long-build time once fully destroyed.

[provolone]

, in most cases their output stayed constant (or even increased) (ie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_arm ... rld_War_II )

This ties into another thread about the German industrial base. There is a popular argument that this was a result of DE having an under utilized industrial base due to their centrally planned economy.