What is the minimum amount of stations for a flyable medium and heavy bomber that have to be modelled upon initial release for you to buy it?

[Enceladus828]

For a flyable B-25 I would except as little as only the cockpit and the Top gunner position modelled upon initial release and for a heavy like the B-17, I would accept as little as just the cockpit modelled with the other necessary positions -- Top, Ball and Rear gunner -- added later. It's rather puzzling that we'll get 2 flyable heavys in the IL-2 Dover series within 2 years... and as somebody stated are being done in a shoestring. 

 

At this point the vast majority of the Community at the least is willing to accept compromises such as less planes or more than 10 planes at a slightly higher price than $80 US per installment in favour of flyable bombers, a flyable bomber in favour of 3 collector planes which are variants of aircraft already in the game, and only a few positions of the bomber modelled upon initial release.  

 

I excluded Waist Gunner(s) from the Poll as they are the least effective and the Ventral gunner for the B-25 is also excluded due to a lack of documentation on it.

Edited January 26, 2024 by Enceladus828

[Charon]

Missing option: Pilot + Bombardier. ?

 

No, I can't see myself buying a flyable medium or heavy bomber. The inability to delegate bomb aiming to a human player in multiplayer, the numerous shortcomings of the gunner stations as modeled, and the inability of the AI gunners to shoot adequately or to even call out contacts with any detail are all serious problems. I fool around with the bombers we have on occasion, and I'm always disappointed by what they lack.

[453=Whittle]

Just the pilot and bombardier for me. I have never been interested in the gunner stations, or having a person manning them, despite almost all my time being spent in MP. The woeful coding of the AI gunners aside, people would need a lot of practise before they'd come close to the standard that the AI gunners should be. Obviously AI gunners should call out observations and incoming attackers.

[Charon]

I'll also add that, in my experience, flying as a gunner is more fun in the two-seaters than in the bombers. In a Bf 110, you're really very, very unlikely to shoot anything down, and are really there more to give tactical advice and SA (this is why the Mosquito's observer seat should also be accessible). But a bomber flying in formation... it's a lot harder to give actionable tactical advice when you're going to stick to the formation regardless.

[kestrel79]

I want them all, only the waist gunners I view as not needed right away, or maybe AI only.

[jeanba]

Only the cockpit for me, I am not interested in manning gunners

[Avimimus]

I would prioritise the rear gunner over the mid-upper/top gunner. I also feel like having the bomb aimer/navigator station might be more important than having a gunner.

 

Note: Some Lancasters had only the rear gunner (and generally they had three gun stations at most).

[-332FG-BlackCatActual-]

One of the most fun things we have while doing bomber runs is the ability to hop into a buddy's plane as a gunner when we get shot down.

 

While my wife doesn't yet fly, she likes to sometimes join our sorties as a gunner.

 

It would be awesome to have the following stations:

Pilot

Bombardier

Tail Gunner

Top Gunner

Bottom Gunner

[spreckair]

@BlackCatActual Now there's something that I had not thought of.  Using gunners positions to get wives involved.  That's novel.

[Bremspropeller]

I've always found the gunner stations to be nice for 5 minutes, trying them out and after that never to be used agan. You might use them once or twice in your entire simming career, when flying with buddies in a coop, being killed by an a$$clown diving down on you from the stratosphere. It just doesn't work out that great in a game.

 

Gunner stations literally are a waste of space on the hard disk and a waste of time modelling. Just do the cockpit (both seats if applicable) and maybe the bombardier. If you're bored, the radio guy and the navigator might be cool, but there you're already stretching it.

Edited August 11, 2024 by Bremspropeller