[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Bombers/Fighters no longer obsolete (PR#1628)

[Per I Mathisen <per@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 29 Jun 2002, Raahul Kumar wrote:
> ;). You seem to remember the Afghanistan story where the Americans
> "accidentally" shot up the unlucky Canadians. Ah, but accuracy goes to hell
> when
> you drop unguided weapons from high altitude.

Carpet bombing doesn't need to be accurate. Enough bombs are going to hit
enough targets to obliterate the enemy anyway. As opposed to precision
bombing, where you waste your bomb if you miss or hit a decoy.

> In real life Stealth Bombers are an overly expensive unit that only make sense
> if they are armed with nukes. I don't want to model that in the game. As is,
> Stealth Bombers are pretty weak. They have to hit harder than the unit they
> replace.

Well, as I said, they are a first strike weapon meant to take out enemy
radar and C&C so that other aircraft can follow up with the heavy payload.

If we wanted to accurately model such precision bombing, we'd give them
the ability to sabotage, just like spies. Take out their SAMs with a
stealth bomber, whack them silly with normal bombers. Take out their
Coastals, whack them with battleships. Etc. Hmmm... maybe that isn't such
a bad idea...

> Also, the wonderfully custom built for stealth planes show up beautifully if
> you use look down radar. A satellite/AWACS plane that is overhead can target
> them very easily for any nearby SAM.

Indeed. "Stealth" is a moving definition, as new countermeasures are
invented. More important than the new bomber planes' ability to "stealth"
is probably their ability to strike accurately at targets.

> I don't know how to show the major advantages of UAV's in Freeciv. Ideas?
> We can remove the make people unhappy effect. No one cares if you lose a 
> cruise
> missile/UAV.

I don't think unhappy effect is only created by bodybags. It is also a war
weariness, men away from their families, insecurity, war economy, etc..

However, Fighters already cause no unhappiness. I am not exactly sure why.

> Maybe a pop cost of 1 for normal units? So that an UAV doesn't
> cost you any pop.

There is no need to do something that stupid. Just reduce its shield cost
to show that once you remove the pilot and all associated gear, a fighter
becomes a lot cheaper to build and maintain. And then you can build a lot
more of them.

Yours
Per

"If the Nuremberg laws were applied today, then every
Post-War American president would have to be hanged."
 - Noam Chomsky