bomber formations

The World war II bomber formations need to be improved. Here are some ideas.

First, we need to have all the slots available.

Next, we should have the flights assigned a slot automatically

we should be able to copy and paste multiple flights

The World war II bomber formations need to be improved. Here are some ideas.

First, we need to have all the slots available.

Next, we should have the flights assigned a slot automatically

we should be able to copy and paste multiple flights

ED haven't said hardly peep about anny WW2 related modules for weeks.

Aside from a few unofficail comments here and there on the forums, I don't trhink any of us WW2 customer have any real idea what is going on with the modules since about November last year.

There is a list 50-itmes long of things that would ebenfit DCS WW2, but most (if not all) of them appear to be little more than customer wants, as opposed to supplier priorities.

Not sure what you mean but needing to have all "slots" available or automatically assigned a slot. What are you referring too?

Copy and pasting of multiple flights is indeed possible right now, just not in the standard way. Hold SHIFT while left clicking on each group you wish to copy. It is a bit picky on where you click on the icon so yes, this part can be improved. Then, once you have all you want to copy selected, Cntl C to copy, then place your cursor where you want the new units, and press Cntl V to paste.

Using the Bigformation settings and adjusting the spacings yourself, you can make any bomber formation you want, real or otherwise and they will do a pretty good job of flying it. Just do not get spacing to tight, these are bombers and need their space.

Not sure what you mean but needing to have all "slots" available or automatically assigned a slot. What are you referring too?

When you build a World War II bomber formation, you have options for

position in squad/ box

position in group

positions in wing

If you set group and wing to lead- you can change the position in squad if you set the group to anything other than lead all you can do is assign it to the lead positions so there is no right group right flight for example. In order to do that you would need to assign a flight to the right group lead flight.

ED haven't said hardly peep about any WW2 related modules for weeks.

Except that they have. Not the things you might've wanted though, but there was a blurb about the A8/F8 just today, f.ex.

When you build a World War II bomber formation, you have options for

 

position in squad/ box

position in group

positions in wing

 

If you set group and wing to lead- you can change the position in squad if you set the group to anything other than lead all you can do is assign it to the lead positions so there is no right group right flight for example. In order to do that you would need to assign a flight to the right group lead flight.

You can do this by setting the Right wing up, then the right, left and back of that right wing group, set them to follow that RIGHT wing lead instead of the WING lead.

Not sure what you mean but needing to have all "slots" available or automatically assigned a slot. What are you referring too?

When you are building a formation you have three possible positions

positions in wing

positions in group

positions in box/squad

They have a pull-down menu with two or three options depending on the formation type you are building, for a combat box it is lead, right, left, rear.

Yes, I am quite familiar with the setup. What I am suggesting to you, to create what I THINK you are asking for is that you can set up a group to have a different lead aircraft then the main formation lead.

In other words, set up groups to follow an aircraft that is following the main lead. They will all still be in sync for the formation and bomb drops.

Utilizing that capability to have different group leads, while still following a main WING lead, you can create any formation of any size you wish.

I quickly did up a very large box formation consisting of 39 groups of 4.

There is a Lead that has followers in Box, Group AND Wing in the left, right and back positions.

Gaps in the formation were filled in by having other groups follow the WING left, right and back positions in the BOX and GROUP positions.

As you can see, there are still gaps, but those could be filled in as well by having new groups follow which ever other aircraft group it needs to. Also will probably need to adjust spacing a bit. It starts to get pretty dicey keeping enough separation with this many aircraft. Also, this is NOT suggested at all as it will bring practically any computer to a stand still when all of those bombs hit.

Here are a few shots from the mission:

From the front:

And side:

Attached is the mission (Using Normandy map) of this large formation heading in to bomb the city, Caen. When I created it, I set up just the main group and got it to do what I wanted. Then, selected that group and CTRL C to copy and then CTRL V to paste the new group onto the map. Then, just have to edit the BigFormation settings as needed.

Large Formation Test.miz

Yes, I am quite familiar with the setup. What I am suggesting to you, to create what I THINK you are asking for is that you can set up a group to have a different lead aircraft then the main formation lead.

 

In other words, set up groups to follow an aircraft that is following the main lead. They will all still be in sync for the formation and bomb drops.

 

 

Utilizing that capability to have different group leads, while still following a main WING lead, you can create any formation of any size you wish.

I have built some massive formations myself- and I know how it is done. I simply believe the process can be improved. The ideas I have tossed out-

auto populate the group- if you create a flight called B-17 lead and just have planes follow it. They would be added- right, left, back then start a new right group and follow the patern. With this approach as you copy and paste- you can get a massive formation built automatically

Another idea would be changing how the formations work when you copy them. Right now when I copy and paste 4 flights they are all assigned to the lead flight. If they created a new squadron following the new lead flight then I could assign them to the right, left or rear group.

First off, before anything else -- because you CAN build large bomber formations right now, with enough work and practice -- but before anything else, the bombers need to FLY like bombers and not try to do crazy fighter turns, which cause aircraft to break formation and smash into each other :helpsmilie:

Even if the bombers stop trying to bank like fighters, mission creators should have the ability to select the turns radius of a turn; maybe have them automatically limited, depending on the formation size.

THEN I'd like to have a nice, flexible, and easy to use Formation Tool. Basically you should be able to design first a flight formation, then a box formation, and then a group formation, and maybe a wing formation.

Flight formation would define the number of aircraft in the flight, and their relationships to the leader -- how far back, how far above or below.

Then the box. How many flights, and each flight's position in the box.

Then how additional boxes relate to the lead box in the same fashion.

You should be able to save these definitions as templates.

It should also be just as easy to assign call-signs, BORT numbers, and skins, without having to go to each individual aircraft to assign these (a major PITA right now.

All the work for putting a formation into a mission -- once you have a template -- should take not more than a few minutes.

As a bonus, it should be possible to define parts of a formation as starting from different airfields an rendezvousing to build the target formation, and also breaking up the formation to land at different airfields

Great idea, Captain, but I wouldn't hold your breath until the developers give it to us.

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