Arcade bombing = Bomb selection and how to destroy ground targets, bases and airfields

[GTAUSTRALIA 442]

I really think its time that this information is put inside the game.

I mean seriously just look at it from a new players point of view, the info inside the game tells you absolutely nothing about bombing.

The typical question from a beginner would be, what bombs kill what targets and how many do i need to kill a base or airfield.

This is what every bomber wants to know and yet its nowhere to be seen in the game manual.

Some people may also get confused with the kg and lbs. This should be shown in both measuring units to help out everyone.

Check it out, look at what we have here. We have big bombs and little bombs, what are they all for?
 
What is the most effective way bomb? up high or down low?

Whats the difference between a GP(SAP) bomb, a ground bomb, a SAP bomb, A GPHE Bomb

 If you drop 2 x 250 kg will that have the same power as 1 x 500kg

 What is the ticket value for the different kinds of targets you will be hitting?

What is the destruction power and blast radius  for the different kinds bombs?

What bombs destroy what targets?

What do the different ground target icons mean at the bottom of the screen?

Is it indicating the type of ground target that you need to destroy?

These have pics of artillery and tanks and trucks etc?

There are times when your team may have icon counter / indicator with a pic of artillery inside it and the other team may have trucks or tanks inside their counter?

Does this mean both teams have completely different targets that they have to destroy?

Where exactly do you have to drop bombs on the airfield to register a hit?. Do you bomb the runway, do you bomb the buildings and hangars?

why do some ground targets flash yellow and others just flash now and then, and why do some targets just stay red.

How do you know when to drop a bomb when your high up in the clouds?.

How do you use the bomber scope and?

*How do you turn on and turn off the auto pilot when you need to level the plane (sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How do you change the color of the dive bomber cross hair guide thats projected to the ground ?.(sorry I couldnt help myself there)


*How do you turn the guide off so its not floating all over the place when you dont need to use it?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How do you identify the different ground targets that are displayed on the tiny little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*Where is the option to enlarge the little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*Where is the option to turn the transparency off for the little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How can I choose what bombs will be dropped first if its a mixture of small and large bomb load? (sorry I couldnt help myself there)

and finally what does bomb activation time = auto mean?


I know the answers to all this information but it took me a long time of asking people and searching online to find it.

 

and theres so many more things on my list that remain unanswered.

 

Thats not the kind of thing a new player should have to do. They need the cold hard facts, and the most up to date rules for the game.

 

They dont need to be finding stuff thats 2 years old that is not officially from gaijin its just someones opinion of what something does, and the info they do find that spread all over the forums and other 3rd party forums is probably not even relevant to the current game anymore.

New players deserve some respect. The info they need should not be a hide and seek adventure.

 

It should all be accessible in one place, and thats in the game = encylopedia (game manual)

 

 

The questions with *(sorry I couldnt help myself there) cant not be answered because the is no solution for that problem. :Os









 

Edited June 16, 2015 by GTAUSTRALIA

[Joren123 235]

There used to be a chart on what targets required what ordinance but that went obsolete a while back and hasn't been updated since. As for bombloads:

 

500kg to take out destroyers, regular pillboxes, heavy tanks(250kg might be enough on direct hits)

250kg to take out light pillboxes, medium tanks

Battleships require approx 6000lbs, or something like 4k kg, carriers might be the same. 

light cruisers require approx 1200lbs

127mm rockets can kill medium tanks for sure. I never personally succeeded in killing a heavy tank with them.

Typically the smaller bombs are mounted on the wings with the bigger bomb being mounted on the fuselage, the smaller bombs will be dropped as a pair first, then the middle bomb. 

Os are typically light targets such as AAA or armored cars. - are typically tanks, ^ are typically artillery,  _I_  are pillboxes. and ships are...wait, wtf? Just open your eyes and look once and remember them?!

 

The reason some of the stuff is not in online manual form is simply because you just need to play 1 match to figure some of the stuff out. Trial and error works wonders and is easier to remember because you experienced it firsthand. Idk the answers to your radar questions because it works and I never felt the need to fiddle with it.

Bomb sights are like default F7, or you hit V or something to cycle your views until it shows up. Or bind your own key to it. 

Honestly, come on, this isn't RL flight school where you have to learn everything before being allowed into the cockpit. Just jumping in and figuring it out has no repercussions and is probably faster.

[ThorinGR 415]

You took all that time to write this post, but you didn't write the answers or create a post in the wiki... So much for looking out for the new players

[dоt 3,457]

Just wanted to say that too... You complain that info is not available, but you know that info apparently, yet you don't create a page on the wiki so that others can benefit but instead push such responsibility away to gaijin(?) or other players(?).

Anyway, write a guide, I would suggest. Yet I'm not sure you will want to do that...

So don't blame others either :)

[Querulous1 3,276]

A guide would be nice indeed

[Gunnar123abc 1,124]

they keep changing bombs, there are bugs as well, splash damage is changed dramatically over past year, what point, they will not fix even the bugged bombs

[GTAUSTRALIA 442]

Just wanted to say that too... You complain that info is not available, but you know that info apparently, yet you don't create a page on the wiki so that others can benefit but instead push such responsibility away to gaijin(?) or other players(?).

Anyway, write a guide, I would suggest. Yet I'm not sure you will want to do that...

So don't blame others either :)

 

I respect your reply.........and Thorin's........but your comment where you say this ------- "dont blame others" -----I am not blaming others.

 

and this one -----"yet you don't create a page on the wiki so that others can benefit but instead push such responsibility away to gaijin(?)"

 

ummmm.....ok......let me just bang my head on the desk a few times............."pushing responsibilty away to Gaijin?"

 

The game is owned and designed by Gaijin, they are the ones that develope it, they are the ones that write the code, create the maps, create the damage model, create the landscapes, create the rules, they update it ...... I mean to put it real simple .........they own the game, they make money from the game.....................so i would say that yes its their responsibility to include all the relevant information about the game.

 

Its not my job to tell people how to play the game

 

Todays update is such a classic...........its another guessing game of how thinks work.............no information anyway about the "switch channel" button in radio messages. No info about the "attention to point" button.

[DellConagher 53]

Battleships require approx 6000lbs, or something like 4k kg, carriers might be the same. 

light cruisers require approx 1200lbs

Not sure on battleships as I haven't tested them, but 2 of the 800kg GP(SAP) (ground penetrating semi-armor piercing? idk) will kill a carrier. Was fooling around in test flight with the B5N2 and found that out. A single one of those 800kg GP(SAP)'s will kill a light cruiser but thats probably overkill if 1200lb of HE will kill one.

[Courtney337 1,400]

800kg GP(SAP) (ground penetrating semi-armor piercing?

 

General-Purpose (Semi-Armor-Piercing)

 

Edit: found a link with some extra info on bombs (very little specifically on SAP ordnance) in the PTO, enjoy.

 

 

I really think its time that this information is put inside the game.

 

I responded at length to your post about the radar display, so I'll just re-iterate here that you have a bunch of actually good questions mixed in with a bunch of really banal questions, and those banal questions are sincerely hurting your ability to communicate your ideas effectively. Some of the questions you ask up there have extremely simple answers, which a person could discover for themselves with less than five minutes of searching in the game's options menus, or elsewise less than five minutes of test flying.

 

You are absolutely right that newbies deserve respect and support, but the way I see it there needs to be a give and take in the long run; even if the information is incredibly accessible (such as a checkbox in the options menu), the individual must still take the step of accessing and using that information themselves. I am a massive supporter of expanding the information available to players in this game, but as a whole I'm interested in educating them, not coddling them.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Courtney337

[aspman 680]

Bombs  - just take the biggest one you can get. Unless that's a torpedo which should be avoided. Torpedoes are actually suicide pills in disguise.

 

Fly high to live a bit longer and hit large fixed targets.

Fly low to drop one bomb on smaller moving targets before being cut to shreds.

 

Have a padded rock or such-like to hit yourself in the face with frustration when your 1000Kg ordinance fails to destroy the light pillbox, light tank it lands within 5m of and your bombardier still shouts "Direct Hit".

[Stein_Grenadier 72]

500kg to take out destroyers, regular pillboxes, heavy tanks

 

I only needed 250kg loads for my Do 217's for destroyers and pillboxes. Heavies need a direct hit from a 250kg so I avoid trying to bomb them unless I can carpet bomb.

 

I find 500kg's in a weird area. On the upside, I can mix them with 250kg and 1000kg loads (For Russians), however, since 250kg bombs are enough for most ground targets and twice in number than 500kg loads, I stick with them. This allows my lovely Russian heavy bombers to bomb an entire base with one payload and still have enough bombs to attack an enemy destroyer, pillbox and/or tank for extra RP.

 

Added tidbit: 210mm rockets from the Fw 190 series of fighters can 1-shot destroyers and light cruisers, only on direct hits though. If the rocket hits just short of the hull and hits the water next to your target, damage will be nil.

[HILLBROW_SHANKSY 0]

9x1000lb bomb will destroy a base......great in lancasters (if u ever get there :lol: )....carry 15 of the buggers and u can efficively wipe out all 3 bases in 40+ seconds of dropping the 1st load

[Lt_PeteMitchell 920]

Two simple answers to every question...

 

- trial and error

- common sense

[RolandofSalem 280]

General-Purpose (Semi-Armor-Piercing)

 

Edit: found a link with some extra info on bombs (very little specifically on SAP ordnance) in the PTO, enjoy.

 

 

 

I responded at length to your post about the radar display, so I'll just re-iterate here that you have a bunch of actually good questions mixed in with a bunch of really banal questions, and those banal questions are sincerely hurting your ability to communicate your ideas effectively. Some of the questions you ask up there have extremely simple answers, which a person could discover for themselves with less than five minutes of searching in the game's options menus, or elsewise less than five minutes of test flying.

 

You are absolutely right that newbies deserve respect and support, but the way I see it there needs to be a give and take in the long run; even if the information is incredibly accessible (such as a checkbox in the options menu), the individual must still take the step of accessing and using that information themselves. I am a massive supporter of expanding the information available to players in this game, but as a whole I'm interested in educating them, not coddling them.

 

^This...

 

...never knew so many questions could be asked on bombing...when I flew the bombers/attackers I just lined up the crosshairs, hit the spacebar, and then got shot down like everyone else...pretty simple to me.

Edited June 18, 2015 by RolandofSalem

[PeachyKeenM8 1,226]

In a nutshell: 500kg master race.

[Stein_Grenadier 72]

Nein. Silly commoners have no idea that the true victors are 50kg load carpet bombing runs that net 15-20 Armored Car kills per run.

 

Superior stat padding, glorious medals.

 

Note: 1 direct hit on a medium tank can destroy it if it hits nose-first in the rear (Engine) compartment. Have fun aiming with the wonky bomb ballistics.

[dоt 3,457]

Strategic guides for other games (SC2, or whatever) are also made by the community. I never saw any developer writing strategic guides in good detail other than "You need AP ammo to penetrate armor" ... they will never tell you which AP ammo would be the most effective and which AP ammo won't work at all.

 

That's why I say -- a guide like this would be a community effort.

[DarthHoodie 373]

Copy my signature and you can use it to lead targets when bombing.

[GTAUSTRALIA 442]

Thanks for replying and providing that information, but i dont need to know all that, because i have already done the hard work of trolling the net and archives for info along time ago.

 

Trust me, i would not have played as much as i have if i didnt know what i was doing............I know alot about thunder, but theres so much more that i dont know and thats what i am trying to point out that the info is just so hard to squeeze out of Gaijin about the game....simple key instructions that just dont sem to be provided in the game.

 

I am only looking at this from a new players point of view...........a casual player that might only spend a few hour a week playing the game...........i dont thnk that they want to troll the net to find answers on a game they only spend a little time in playing............its the hard core fans like my self that really get into the game and want to know everything little thing there is about war thunder...........if i didnt love the game i would care about this kind of info.

 

A casual player just wants to get in game and get out.............i am sure that they all look in the game for info...........and when they cant find what they want, they just forget about it and move on...........they not going to log out and go looking online in lots of forums to find out info.........I have many friends like that....They just want to pick up the game and play it........they dont want to go searching all over the place to find answers.

[FrizFreleng 951]

I respect your reply.........and Thorin's........but your comment where you say this ------- "dont blame others" -----I am not blaming others.

 

and this one -----"yet you don't create a page on the wiki so that others can benefit but instead push such responsibility away to gaijin(?)"

 

ummmm.....ok......let me just bang my head on the desk a few times............."pushing responsibilty away to Gaijin?"

 

The game is owned and designed by Gaijin, they are the ones that develope it, they are the ones that write the code, create the maps, create the damage model, create the landscapes, create the rules, they update it ...... I mean to put it real simple .........they own the game, they make money from the game.....................so i would say that yes its their responsibility to include all the relevant information about the game.

 

Its not my job to tell people how to play the game

 

Todays update is such a classic...........its another guessing game of how thinks work.............no information anyway about the "switch channel" button in radio messages. No info about the "attention to point" button.

 

Exactly. (Sorry ... I know the thread is gathering dust at this point, but I wanted to weigh in). Don't get me wrong; I love how active and (usually) helpful the WT community is. And I'm also quick to give Gaijin credit. They created a game that has given me many hours of sheer, blissful, blow-'em-up pleasure. But the poor communication from Gaijin is like, the eighth wonder of the world. There are literally unanswered questions attendant to every special event, every announcement, every Battle Task. I remember I kept losing on one of the wagers until it was finally explained that while some merely required a T3 vehicle in one of your slots, others required you to be *in* that vehicle at the moment the mission is won. I actually don't mind having different benchmarks for different wagers, but could you FFS inform us of the differing standards? 

And as for bombing, yes, absolutely a guide is necessary. I admit I kind of enjoyed figuring stuff out on my own—scouring forums, testing stuff out, but not everyone has that kind of free time or sheer nerdy obsessed quality. 

At any rate, even at 100 level and hundreds of hours of gameplay, I learned some good stuff from this post, so mission accomplished thanks GT Australia and everyone else who chimed in with information!

[CarACarn 296]

I really think its time that this information is put inside the game.

I mean seriously just look at it from a new players point of view, the info inside the game tells you absolutely nothing about bombing.

The typical question from a beginner would be, what bombs kill what targets and how many do i need to kill a base or airfield.

This is what every bomber wants to know and yet its nowhere to be seen in the game manual.

Some people may also get confused with the kg and lbs. This should be shown in both measuring units to help out everyone.

Check it out, look at what we have here. We have big bombs and little bombs, what are they all for?
 
What is the most effective way bomb? up high or down low?

Whats the difference between a GP(SAP) bomb, a ground bomb, a SAP bomb, A GPHE Bomb

 If you drop 2 x 250 kg will that have the same power as 1 x 500kg

 What is the ticket value for the different kinds of targets you will be hitting?

What is the destruction power and blast radius  for the different kinds bombs?

What bombs destroy what targets?

What do the different ground target icons mean at the bottom of the screen?

Is it indicating the type of ground target that you need to destroy?

These have pics of artillery and tanks and trucks etc?

There are times when your team may have icon counter / indicator with a pic of artillery inside it and the other team may have trucks or tanks inside their counter?

Does this mean both teams have completely different targets that they have to destroy?

Where exactly do you have to drop bombs on the airfield to register a hit?. Do you bomb the runway, do you bomb the buildings and hangars?

why do some ground targets flash yellow and others just flash now and then, and why do some targets just stay red.

How do you know when to drop a bomb when your high up in the clouds?.

How do you use the bomber scope and?

*How do you turn on and turn off the auto pilot when you need to level the plane (sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How do you change the color of the dive bomber cross hair guide thats projected to the ground ?.(sorry I couldnt help myself there)


*How do you turn the guide off so its not floating all over the place when you dont need to use it?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How do you identify the different ground targets that are displayed on the tiny little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*Where is the option to enlarge the little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*Where is the option to turn the transparency off for the little radar?(sorry I couldnt help myself there)

*How can I choose what bombs will be dropped first if its a mixture of small and large bomb load? (sorry I couldnt help myself there)

and finally what does bomb activation time = auto mean?


I know the answers to all this information but it took me a long time of asking people and searching online to find it.

 

and theres so many more things on my list that remain unanswered.

 

Thats not the kind of thing a new player should have to do. They need the cold hard facts, and the most up to date rules for the game.

 

They dont need to be finding stuff thats 2 years old that is not officially from gaijin its just someones opinion of what something does, and the info they do find that spread all over the forums and other 3rd party forums is probably not even relevant to the current game anymore.

New players deserve some respect. The info they need should not be a hide and seek adventure.

 

It should all be accessible in one place, and thats in the game = encylopedia (game manual)

 

 

The questions with *(sorry I couldnt help myself there) cant not be answered because the is no solution for that problem. :Os

Very GOOD idea







 

[io_i_oi 1,016]

A quick rule to convert kg to lbs. Just double kg to get pounds. 50kg=110lbs. 250kg=551lbs. 1000kg=2205lbs.

[Movezig 68]

You can kill destroyers with 500lbs now, did it with the puny inital SB2C load.

 

I don't know if it's just those specific bombs or bigger bombs in general, but the Japanese 800kg ground bomb seems to count for 1.2 when hitting bases.

 

High-altitude bombing takes some getting used to but is quite manageable in AB. Press F7 to bring it up. Go into a slight climb and align the white line in the middle until it's directly over the pillbox. Release bombs just before and as the red icon passes the indented horizontal line (I pay no attention to the fidgeting circle). It's necessarily a more carpet-bombing affair than dive-bombing and even with perfect accuracy your bombs might miss due to bomb spread. Depends on the bombs, the target and altitude. Just gotta get the feel of it. But it's definitely worth doing when you want to stay in the clouds where you're much safer.

 

As for high or low-altitude, it varies depending where the fighters are and what they're doing. Typically, mid-altitude like 2-3km is far safer than the surface but if you're being chased it's worth it to drop altitude not only for speed but also to make the pursuer lose his altitude as well, making him an easy target. High altitude is almost always best because it at least buys you time, or even deters enemies who can't be bothered to climb that high. The exception is when there's plenty of clouds you can hide in, which can be even safer since it's rare for fighters to go searching at some edge of the map near the outer bases, above their spawn altitude and when they don't see any red names there.

[MollyMillion 0]

There's no difference between the HE and SAP bombs, it takes exactly the same amount of bombs to blow up a ship regardless (I didn't test ground targets). Tested with the Ki-49 and the two variants of the 250kg bombs.