[Idea] "The Sky Decides" - An add-on/mod dedicated to boosting air power

[LiamRiordan]

After watching some Ace Combat videos, I keep contemplating in altering all the modifiers and and aeroplane models to have their stats buffed by a big margin, but making them it more costly to deploy. Why? Well, I love the concept that air power is such a deciding factor, even though it isn't true in real life but we love a little a-historical stuff right? I can recall playing a Czechoslovakia game where I said no to joining Germany and focused on air power and doctrines to compliment my land forces and their good defensive positions. You know what, it worked, I successfully held off the Germans all because I didn't give their fighters a chance to knock out my CAS units. :happy:

The problem with the current game to me is that the AI doesn't really 'cater' to my love for planes very much and the AI doesn't like to build too much unless its USA or UK in my experience. Or just uses them horribly.

This is an idea! Not a mod, but I hope not yet since I'm slowly gathering information about what to target and how to address it. Do I just buff mission efficiencies? Do I just buff the stats? Do I force the AI to build more aeroplanes? Or all? Or more?

Would a mod like this even be wanted?

Here are the basic 'goals' of the mod if I or others get together and start doing it.

• Make planes far more relevant, to the point of deciding wars
• Make planes survivability/toughness a lot lower, meaning its vital to keep up doctrines, level 10 air bases and plane models.
• Increase plane costs
• Find a good way for planes to take down dug in troops a bit easier, though its possible with 'jet' era planes, but its costly
• Make AA/SPAA brigades more deadly, troops need a good counter
• Make Radar and AA buildings more beneficial, great on the defensive
• Make CAG's brutal to land forces and naval forces, they only seem to be effective against ORG over STR.
• Make AA brigade on navy much more effective, even increasing positioning of the ship itself if possible.
• Make Radar brigade on navy increase positioning and night attack and defence stats for the ship, if possible the fleet.
• Another CAG unit (if 1.03 can support) that focuses on bombing, or radar equipped planes before it became standard on all planes (think early 40's) or dedicated to ASW missions. (Like a fleet carrier version of an escort/light carrier)
• New technologies
• New aeroplane models
• See if its possible to get more brigade types onto existing models e.g. AWACS/Electronic Warfare specific planes in support of fighters/interceptors.
• Try to make it compatible with other mods, make it an add-on as opposed to a stand-alone mod.

So yeah, those are the basic underlying points of the add-on/mod that's been rattling around my head.

 

[unmerged(444403)]

This is not a bad idea, If you are able to produce this in a balanced way without OPing air forces then go for it, but the thing to remember is the smallest units in DH are divisions (usually considered to be between 10,000-15,000 troops) so a squadron of tactical bombers wiping them out or ending their combat effectiveness is going to be unrealistic. In terms of naval improvements its possible to implement the AsW CAG without needing 1.3, there is already 2 unnecessary naval brigades.

First priority should be upping the stats for strategic bombardment, runway cratering, logistical strike and lowering the stats for naval bombing.

 

[T.j. Arnold]

I'm not too sure that I agree with the decision on buffing AA/SPAA brigades, as I find them to be quite powerful as they are now (though, I must admit, I never use them outside of HQ's).

 

[alekseevic]

Ok, all good. But since the AI acts so bad, any buff would be a huge benefit for human players, IMO.

 

[Lyrecryer]

I think that Bombers need to be more powerful, I don't want to use 15 Strat bombers just to grind down England industry.

 

[unmerged(444403)]

I think that Bombers need to be more powerful, I don't want to use 15 Strat bombers just to grind down England industry.

^ Agree! Playing as the UK you need 15-20 strategic bombers to reduce Germanys IC in any significant way, if you want them to have escort fighters then the furthest they can hit is the hannover area until 1943+ and if they are unescorted then a rogue German interceptor can destroy 3 squadrons in one battle and they take so long to rebuild.

Plus If you dont set infinite mission time then it basically does nothing as IC recovers so quickly.. Basically they need to be more effective all round to justify the expense

 

[T.j. Arnold]

Plus If you dont set infinite mission time then it basically does nothing as IC recovers so quickly.

One of the only things I'll give AoD over DH is that they addressed this issue by adding a Repair slider along with your Production, Consumer Goods, etc., ones. This meant that you had to redirect more and more of your IC toward fixing your industry as you were being bombarded, making the Air Game that much more important.

 

[Fernando Torres]

Plus If you dont set infinite mission time then it basically does nothing as IC recovers so quickly.. Basically they need to be more effective all round to justify the expense

There is a moddable misc parameter for this

 

[unmerged(444403)]

There is a moddable misc parameter for this

I'll have to have a look for it then!

 

[Haydn]

This sounds really interesting I must say.

 

[alekseevic]

Plus If you dont set infinite mission time then it basically does nothing as IC recovers so quickly..

Young Padawan , you have to zero their infra first. Once their infra is below 10%, industry needs months to recover.

Last game I played as USA I almost halved Germany IC with 8 strat bombers in 4 months and they took almost a whole year to recover. In general you need a lot of fighters but just a few bombers.

 

[moxs602]

^ Agree! Playing as the UK you need 15-20 strategic bombers to reduce Germanys IC in any significant way, if you want them to have escort fighters then the furthest they can hit is the hannover area until 1943+ and if they are unescorted then a rogue German interceptor can destroy 3 squadrons in one battle and they take so long to rebuild.

Plus If you dont set infinite mission time then it basically does nothing as IC recovers so quickly.. Basically they need to be more effective all round to justify the expense

I may be just me, but this sounds fine to me. In fact keeping in mind a Strategic Bomber Unit represents 100 aircraft, it sounds just about right and captures the problems facing the allies very nicely.

Moving on this project does have a good basic concept. Let me know if i can be of assistance.

Finally there is this file in Darkest Hour Modding Documentation folder you should take a look at - New Air AI Model.xls