Bomber defensive guns question ?

[sixstrings5859]

How can i lower the bomber defensive guns range? They seem to be able to hit at a great distance and even at rookie settings i'm never unscathed after i attack. I think it would be somewhere in the aircraft .XML but not sure where. Want them set them to a more reasonable range.Don't whan't to make it too easy just more realistic. Thanks for any help. Regards,Scott

[mongoose]

Various comments on this from SOH posts

"Open the folder of the aircraft, click open the xdp file which will open as a text file, near the top the guns are listed you will see may things Up, down, right and left limits and then the "rate Limit" This dictates how fast the gunner can move, lower the figure for the rear gunners as I am sure you have noticed it is only those boys that are NRA sniper grads.
I have reduced mine to 07, but since my planes in BoB are all ACE, they are still killing me so have went to 05 and still. I have opened up the German formation from .6 to .9 (1.0 is stock) and all those things make it possible. But, that only covers their ability to track you. If you stay in one place you will be hammered. So you must keep moving as they are not ducks at the county fair, they mean you bodily harm.
Remember afte clicking file and then save on your modified xdp file to delete the BDP file in the AC folder as that is the computer's version or translation of the xdp file. It will make a new one to read the info and allow the new change when you restart the game."

Various

"The sniper gunners are easily fixed. In the gunstations for the aircraft xdp, I tend to set the ratelimit for trainable guns at 12-15. IIRC that is the "rate" in degrees in which the gun pans in a second. It is not the rate at which the gun fires - that is set in the gun.xdp not the aircraft xdp. there is the occassional reference to "rate" in the gunstations of an aircraftxdp; AFAIK this is an error. For "wusses" that ratelimit number can be lower.

But also in the specific turret gun, the "timealive" in the gun xdp should closely match the range for the gun. Hence if the range is 700m and the gun's muzzle velocity is 750 m/s then a timealive of 1.0 seconds would be just about right.

Too long a timealive and the gunners open up too early/ or at least are effective too far out. The "Rate" for the machine gun is a bit more problematic, IIRC some are high to compensate for the CFS3 effect so I have no suggestions for that parameter.


Another trick to get rid of the sniper gunners is the "noise" parameter in the gun files. It has nothing to do with sound, it's the value for the bullet spread. Set it to something like 5 instead of the default 0.2 and the gunners will spray like always but they're not hitting anything except by pure luck.


Good catch Rene, I forgot to mention noise! If you look at the AvH gun xdps, the ones with _hand_held on them have a higher noise than the ones without. Eg. IIRC He-111 had the hand_held guns with a basic swivel. by the other token, I suspect the AvH guns in a _power_turret would have a lower noise. "


++++++++++++++++++

Basically lower the rate limit on trainable guns; won't work with fixed guns.

[sixstrings5859]

Thanks for the advise. Didn't know it was so complicated. Will give it a try on one B-17 and test it. Don't want it too easy but at least fair. Thanks,Scott

[Daiwilletti]

Hi Scott, in the ETO and other recent addons, you will find that gun xdps have been modified, for the "noise" parameter. Where AI versions of most planes are included, you will find that the panning rate (ratelimit) for onboard gunstations is decreased for the AI version of the aircraft. Then allowspawns is set for "N" for the main aircraft, and "Y" for the AI aircraft.

So in most cases an attempt has been made to address the "sniper effect". You certainly wouldn't want to be cruising around within range of a B-17, you should be going like a bat out of hell!

I recall some of the first AvH B17s were a big shock, because they had set the rate limit to 70!!! Those blast 50cals shredded everything that came within a (highly optimistic) range!

Getting the balance right depends on what you are expecting I guess. For me, attacking a bomber formation I would expect to get hit a bit, especially if I mess up my attacking run and make last minute adjustments which shed speed. I don't have the skill that the AI have, to pull off perfectly timed attacks from way out on the beam

[sixstrings5859]

You're right my friend ! The problem i'm having is with a custom install i have with FirePower and 1% aircraft. Those B-17's are a real pain in the a_ _ ! ETO is much better and at least i have have a chance. Will modify the AvHistory bombers to be more realistic and have a fighting chance. Regards,Scott

[swpierce]

How can i lower the bomber defensive guns range? They seem to be able to hit at a great distance and even at rookie settings i'm never unscathed after i attack. I think it would be somewhere in the aircraft .XML but not sure where. Want them set them to a more reasonable range.Don't whan't to make it too easy just more realistic. Thanks for any help. Regards,Scott

I was wondering about that myself but came to realize that perhaps that situation is the most realistic.
Over Germany Luftwaffe fighter losses almost equaled unescorted bomber losses.
Even the aces that racked up huge scores were also shot down multiple times themselves.

https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-W...erman-fighters

[sixstrings5859]

After modding bombers i shot down two and severely damaged two more B-17G's with a Fw-190. A great feeling to not get shot down. I was damaged, (said i had cables damaged but Fw-190's were electric operated),but made it back to base safely. Now to go up against larger formations and see. Much more realistic now.Thanks for the advise Mongoose !