Zat Earthshatter
Ghosts Of Ourselves
325
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Posted - 2013.07.07 02:23:00 -
[1] - Quote
To filter down OP, basically the OP wants aircraft similar to WWII's bombers (think a B17 Flying Fortress). A trademark of these aircraft is the extreme variability of bomb types - from simply changing bomb yields to adding exotic variants such as Bouncing Bombs and cluster munitions.
In the far future, I do envision heavy fixed wing ground-attack aircraft appearing for truly massive maps, as their role is difficult to fill in for even when EVE orbital munitions are used.
I specifically go to the B17, high-altitude style in my vision as it would enforce the usage of A2A fighter escorts for both Defenders and Attackers, as well as require effective piloting skill to be a worthwhile - and corp-employable - profession.
As for how they would function, I would see VTOL (Vertical TakeOff and Landing) as too maneuverable for such a large craft. Instead, I would opt for Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing - STO/VL.
The idea would be that, although the Heavy Bomber could move slowly in full-down thrust, it wouldn't have enough engine power to achieve forward flight from a hover, requiring either a relatively short runway or a dive from altitude to gain enough speed to lift into the air on its wings.
In forward flight, the Heavy Bomber would turn slowly, enough so that you wouldn't be able to escape a Redzone if you flew directly into it using current timers. You would need a full complement of gunners to fend off fighters when alone, but escort would be necessary for any real assault.
Gunners get a twin-pack of Small Turrets attached to the same reticule and trigger - selecting a Turret on the fitting screen will use two for that gunner seat. This would be enough to send one or three C-average pilots limping home, but would be threatened by a medium-sized squadron or an Ace-grade pilot.
Armament could be variable, but will likely be limited initially to the four main damage types - EM, Therm, Kin, Exp. Future types could include cluster, Bouncing (for waterlogged Installations and surface warships), and maybe even Bunker Busters for punching through walls to get at juicy clones.
Summary:
>B17-style Heavy Bomber. Niche is high-altitude bombardment of enemy Installations and thinning of large ground or ocean-surface forces.
>STO/VL flight pattern, similar to the real-world F35-B aircraft.
>Cumbersome full-forward flight.
>Gunners each get two Small Turret guns on their ball turret. At least three such seats total.
>Gunners are balanced because only one has a good firing angle on the enemy at a time.
>Goes hand-in-hand with the announced Fighter class, requiring escort in assault situations.
>Bomb types can be variable, and more can be added over time. |