He111 Front Line Feedback

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

All right, gentlemen !!!

 

It is time to german He111 pilots write down their impressions about the best medium bomber ever and request some fixes and improvements.

 

 

STARTING ENGINES PROCEDURES: I think it is very well done. It works great with no issues using an axis for every throttle, propeller, etc or using one axis to both throttles, propellers, etc. Great job here. Maybe in future we can have access to magnetos, fuel cocks, etc. It would be great.

 

TAXI: He111 is very easy to taxi in BoS. No need to apply differential thrust, just steer around with brakes and pedals.

 

T/O: Just apply full power and propellers full forward. You will need little input to rudder and brakes to keep runway heading. She will lift off gently by herself. After take off, just level off to gain speed, retract flaps, turn off lights and adjust throttle, propellers and radiators. Great flight characteristics. You can do any mission with 30% fuel load.

 

CLIMB: Don't forget to switch engine kompressor to level 2.

 

CRUISE: Adjust throttle, propellers and radiators again. I would recommend 300 km/h as formation speed.

 

PAYLOAD: Bomb options are adequate for all kinds of missions so far. We could have more flexibility if we could remove or attach extra external hard points to have 32x50kg or 4x500kg bombs. Maybe it can be made available through a US$ 5 modification kit after game release.

 

DEFENSIVE ARMAMENT: MG15 is too small caliber to deal real damage. The 75 round drums does not help either. We need 13mm guns or belt fed MGs. Maybe a future US$ 5 kit can solve this. 

 

CREW AI: Cockpit gunner reaction time is too slow. He never fires at anyone. Maybe he should have a more aggressive AI. Belly gunner is OK when we have a YAK at six. Top gunner pivoting is OK but there is no negative elevation from six o'clock following aircraft fuselage. You are not able to shot in negative angles. There is some kind of detent that should be removed for a wider arc of fire. This detent leaves our six very vulnerable. 

 

PLANE SURVABILITY: So far we have two situations when bombers are intercepted by fighters. First, you really get trashed but can keep flying as long as one engine is ok and flight surfaces are in place as a sturdy bomber should be. Second, you catch in flames on the first hit. I think that the flamebility factor needs to be reduced. It is a He111 not a Betty  .

 

When you are targeted by heavy flak flying above light guns range, it seems very real. You can get hit by shrapnel and start to smoke, loose fuel or a flight surface but never catching fire.

 

DESCEND: Close your radiators and propellers full forward to keep engine temps within operational range. Don't forget to switch kompressor back to stage 1.  

 

 

INSTRUMENTS: Artificial horizon seems to be broken. 

 

 

BAIL OUT: It takes too long to all crew members to get out of a crippled bird. Maybe this escape time should be revised or more escape latches made available.

 

 

This plane is very fun to fly !!! I hope one of the servers can organize a bomber night like event soon. 

[Deltrex]

Is there a reason why one internal bomb bay is permanently closed up?

I'm not too familiar with the bombers, but I didn't think it was a permanent modification to all planes at this time?

[StickMan]

I sympathize with OP with his concerns. Here are some other problems with survivability of HE-111.

 

1. Bomber pilots fly too low. No 109 pilot wants to stick low and slow with bomber to get skull cracked by a YAK. Even circling above bomber at the low altitudes you guys fly sometimes is still to low. You need to be higher where 109 or 190 has the advantage.

 

2. Bomber pilots fly alone.

 

3. No real objectives for bombers yet. When we get some maybe this will help solve one and two above.

 

I don't think the DM of the HE-111 is that far off realistically, rather I believe the reason alot of you believe there is a problem with the survivability is that many of you are flying unrealistically. I don't ever remember reading anything about how comfortable a bomber pilot felt out there all alone with bandits all over the place.

I hope this sim will develop real missions for bombers. Causing bombers to fly high in formation with protection as in RL. Bombers should be the real reason all us fighter pilots are in the air. Either to protect them or destroy them. I hate the fact that in most sims they are some side show. I hope they really get brought to the forefront of action in this sim and this is from a person that flys fighters exclusively, for now. That being said I do see some optimistic signs in some of the servers.

Edited September 26, 2014 by GeneralZod

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

German bomber basic combat unit is a veec with 3 bombers. It could be effective online because usually you are intercepted by lone fighters. But to have a online veec we need some practicing, stardand procedures and people willing to fly the heavies.

 

Besides that fighter cover is very important. We dont need fighters all along the way but fighter sweeps over target area. All that heavy flak around a bomber can be seen for miles and attracts all nearby ruskies. I always radio my target grid, altitude and ETA every 5 minutes. Flying as high as possible to difficult enemy interception and avoid flak exposure. A nearby 109 wich decides to come in support will have an easy bounce on any russian fighter trailing a bomber.

 

I agree with you about bombers being let to a second plane. They are the main tactical and strategic weapon to win a war and in all simulators so far we have lots of fighters around and no bomber force present. We need to find a way to have bombers flying in numbers online. I have some ideas for a little project and maybe it can work in the future.

 

So far our best option is to join TS and try to find a wingman or coordinate some cover over target grid.

 

BOMBS EFFECT: I noticed that near misses do not damage targets like trucks. Even when they are inside bomb smoke radius and really close to bombs craters. You need direct hits to destroy soft targets. Does bomb blast effect is finished ??

Edited September 26, 2014 by JG62Gielow

[keeno]

Hey all,

 

i hadn't fired up BoS for 2 weeks but climbed aboard last night and gave the He-111 a whirl. I gotta say I'm loving the improvement. It's stopped catching fire at the first hit and I think the damage model is very good now. If it does catch fire it burns for a while before something explodes and it drops to pieces in burning chunks. I shot one down and hit the wing root, it folded slightly for a few seconds before completely doubling up on itself as in RoF, brilliant! The Ai pilots have stopped flying them like fighters and seem to try to stay in formation and take evasive turns. Finally, the sounds are incredible, the winding up of the engines when starting up sounds so good, it's worth starting in the parking area just to watch and listen to the engines start.

 

All in all, I think it is just excellent.

 

cheers

[VR-DriftaholiC]

My only problem with He111 is Prop Feathering is only one keybinding requiring you to mess with engine controls to only feather one prop. I would love it if the devs could at two optional bindings for each engine.

[StickMan]

I think to get bombers in any numbers in a server you may have to try an idea that some people will not like. I suggest that when choosing to fly a bomber a player spawns in with a certain number of ai bombers to form a flight. They would take off with and fly formation with the player. They would emulate the players moves e.g. when you drop bombs so do they. Of course there could only be so many bomber flights on a map at a given time to avoid the spamming of bombers. This with some strategic bombing objectives may help in getting good numbers of bombers flying realistically on a server. Once you get the bombers flying at altitude in numbers, heading for targets that will make or break an online match, the fighters will have no choice but to fly realistically by protecting or intercepting them.

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

We talked about this solution a long time ago. It seems to be a great idea but we need to ask if server owners and mission builders of it is possible right now having AI wingman for stukas and heinkels. If not, we can ask developer team to work on this subject.

Edited September 27, 2014 by JG62Gielow