Armour options

[HagarTheHorrible]

Do you think the armoured windscreen and head rest will make any appreciable difference in the general run of things ?

 

What are the down sides to the front armour and how do they balance out against being shot in the virtual face ?

 

Will the  advantages of an armoured head rest really offset the disadvantages of a restricted view when virtual lives aren't really that important ?

[DB605]

It depends how good the damage model will be. For example, i have been shot few times through windshield in current version but pilot is not injured or dead. In real life front armour would have save my life.

[HagarTheHorrible]

It depends how good the damage model will be. For example, i have been shot few times through windshield in current version but pilot is not injured or dead. In real life front armour would have save my life.

For some reason I just can't see the damage mode or A.l gunners being sophisticated enough to make the numbers add up, I don't know if there is any penalty for the front armour but the chances of not being shot because of the rear head armour, I would have thought, paled into insignificance compared to downside of restricted vision. As far as I know the numerous damaged cockpit and gunsight percentage hits are a bug.

Edited December 27, 2013 by HagarTheHorrible

[LukeFF]

I don't know if there is any penalty for the front armour

 

 

Yes, there is. Read the description that pops up when your mouse cursor is over the listing.

[=RvE=Windmills]

I'd imagine when you're getting hosed down by 2 Shkas the armour would come in handy.

[HagarTheHorrible]

Yes, there is. Read the description that pops up when your mouse cursor is over the listing.

 

So the weight of the front armoured windscreen is the equivalent of 13% of total internal fuel load, or there abouts.

 

 

I'd imagine when you're getting hosed down by 2 Shkas the armour would come in handy.

 

 

Only if the damage model is sophisticated enough that your plane doesn't fall apart, every time it's hit, and not forgetting it's actually only a relatively small part of the pilots rear armour.

[JG5_UnKle]

By making it an option (like the removable rear armour on a 109) you would assume that it will be represented in the damage model, otherwise it makes the option a bit pointless and as you say the trade-off for extra visibility will likely save your bacon more often than the armour plate would.

 

Personally I think this level of gamification is a bit odd in general. This isn't Battlefield - I wouldn't be expecting to 'unlock' historical options in a flight simulator, but I digress.

[Finkeren]

I like those little details a lot (not so much the "unlocking" but leave that be)

 

Generally speaking, there is a reason why the extra cockpit armour was added in first place (early Bf 109s had no headrest at all) and that reason is found in the Luftwaffes first encounters with British bombers and fighters equipped with a multitude of fast firing, low caliber machineguns. An unprotected pilot was indeed greatly exposed against that volume of fire, but a minor armour upgrade was all it took to stop most of those incoming .707 pellets.

 

The removeable armour will propably only really show its value against the insane firing rate of the ShKAS. I will propably dispense with the armoured headrest on the Bf 109 most of the time for added FOV, but I very much expect to keep the windshield armour, especially when we're going out hunting for ShKAS armed Pe-2s and IL-2s.

[Matt]

So the weight of the front armoured windscreen is the equivalent of 13% of total internal fuel load, or there abouts.

 

More like 6% of the fuel load weight. Shouldn't really matter. Not sure about the increase in drag. I think especially when attacking multi-seaters and ground targets (at least those that can shoot back..), it will more or less be essential.

 

I don't think the headrest will help that much, it should only protect against the Yaks and that only when he ran out of cannon ammo.

 

This is how the damaged armored glass looks like btw.

[Fifi]

So far, the 109 armoured frontal windshield is probably worst for me than nothing.

Was hitted, and as before my aiming sight was same broken, gauges too, but my frontal visibility was greatly reduced and worst than without this option!