PFF:WE CAN HAS RDP BOMBING BACK?
(30 votes, average 4.80 out of 5)
Written by DOC   
Tuesday, 01 March 2011 15:31

Over the years, CRS has reacted to concerns and requests from the players on many game features and mechanics. We've always attempted to try to implement changes that we feel would benefit as much of the player base as possible. One of the features recently being discussed has been a return to RDP bombing. We're proposing a change that we're hopeful will be met favorably by all players.


DOC: We have for a long time had calls to increase the effects of strategic bomber operations against a countries RDP factories. This hearkens back to a time when the damage you could do was so great we lost many customers over the repercussions of such bombing. Great for your emotional reward and satisfaction but very bad for the games continued survival.

When we altered the consequences of strategic bombing to affect the numbers of new equipment available after attrition rather than the actual existence of those units, we were cautious not to instigate an effect that would be too overpowering. On the downside, this creates the impression it isn't powerful enough. It's a tricky balance to find, enough that it seems worth the effort but not enough that the losing side decides not to play and the whole game disappears for even the winning side.

We have thought about this, and studied the consequences on both sides of the question, and the results of many campaigns where strategic bombing was a part of the general play and many others where it appeared not to be. Currently the maximum effect to the resupply of units lost through battle attrition is 50% of the server resupply timer, which is achieved by reducing the RDP factories of your enemy to 100% damage state.

We are suggesting that this be increased to 100%, ie: double the current effect. If your RDP factories are 100% destroyed you experience an additional 100% delay to your resupply timers instead of the current 50%. For example, with 0% damage on a factory, a tank is resupplied in about 7 hours. With 100% damage to a factory, this timer currently increases to around 10 hours. With the changes proposed, at 100% damage to the factory, that same tank would now take 14 hours to be put back in supply. This makes strategic bombing of greater worth compared to the huge effort required to mount and sustain such a campaign, but at the same time doesn't deny the players on the other end of it the complete use of equipment parity like the old system did. They just suffer the effects of a lost battle to a greater degree because the wait to be resupplied with replacement equipment is greater. We have other ideas, too, but this is one we can implement quickly and easily until such a time that a more favorable plan can be fleshed out.

Some would be opposed to this because it "makes losing unfair" but the counter to this is that losing is always unfair to the loser.

The facts of the matter are that if we didn't have a loser there wouldn't be a winner either. You can only win by beating your opponent not by removing your opponents ability to beat you. Otherwise, you only remove your ability to beat your opponent.

 

 

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Comments (46)
1 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 15:49
dooom
Bravo - good enough of a first step to keep me playing. Thanks Doc.
2 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 15:50
allibone
Woot!!!!! Will this be implemented for next campaign Doc?
3 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:06
praevus8
+1 to this!
RDP definately needs to come back in a way that makes it worthwhile, this I think is a good balance.
4 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:28
drdeath
very nice! thumbs up!
5 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:34
r24
How about a number in between, like 70%, and see how it goes.
6 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:45
Gladio
I'd love it
7 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 16:52
Reddog
Awesome 1st step, look forward to the "Fleshing Out"

S!
8 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 17:01
ffy
good plan.
9 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 17:05
Sniper62
w0000000t!!!!!

Great news and a very nice first step, hope there will be more!


S! DOC
10 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 17:17
aceman8
For a first step, sounds good. I hope some of the other things being discussed are more dynamic consequences, such as reduced ammo, fuel, increased movement times for roads/bridges/train depots bombed, etc., ad nauseum.
11 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 17:44
Tzulscha
Thank you very much Doc.
Now, let's play it out and see what happens shall we?
S!
12 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 18:45
Westy
Can you look at the function to assign specific units to specific factories? Even allowing the HC to select what is manufactured where at the start of each campaign so you never know where certain units are built until you do some recon flights

S!
13 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 18:50
Kizmet
Thanks DOC. This really is good news. Good numbers to start. Hope you all are able go continue to grow the Factory Bombing War in the game. It's what keeps me playing.

Kudo's to all!
14 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 19:47
nrwo
Evile and Dougywu are going to love this. Great news DOC!
15 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 20:02
Ghostrider
I'd like to see the factory rebuild times looked at as well. Right now they seem to rebuild way to quickly. I've seen them about 50% damaged and then I log in the next day and they are at 100% again. Longer rebuild would make the effort seem worth it
16 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 21:52
HaughtKarl
Ju-88
17 Tuesday, 01 March 2011 22:44
thorpug
I've had some of the best times while being on the losing end.We have to make sure our AF is fully engaged in this "war" unlike the poor navy.I play because of the realism and if you can't protect your supply well...what do you think should happen.
18 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 00:05
crossfir
Strategic bomber operations and Air Defence are kindly challenge, teamwork and fun. I am hoping to see new bombers to make the balance equally such as Wellington, Ju88, Flying Pencil Do17, Breguet 690, & LeO 45.
19 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 02:16
ramse888
doc is awesome, motormouth... mmmm your okay i guess :P


Great work guys!
Administrator's reply:
Wednesday, 02 March 2011 11:53
MOTORMOUTH
[Hmph.-MM]
20 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 05:47
Moxin
I love you DOC, if you know what I mean....
21 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 10:10
taxi
maybe bridges can be targeted without AO and AFs also runway hit
22 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 12:46
RodeKill
from a reenactor:the real life effects of strategic bombing disappointed the proponents and advocates until theadvent of the atomic bomb provided the capability to actually do what Douhet had predicted.
23 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 13:23
kj
Hopefully a tipping point to numerous missions entailing coordinated strategic air efforts; rekindling factory defense will be a wise thing. A blast from the past in recalling large raids as bomber/escort/intercept.

Great news! Stoked...
24 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 15:15
Behemoth
If players don't like their factories bombed then tell them to pay attention to AWS and get some air defense.. I've stopped a few RDP runs myself
25 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 16:16
Fxmkorp
I don't think this is a good thing, for those Players that don't have joysticks they have no way to defend or foil this raids.

CRS must implement a good flying only keyboard system following the already very successful seen on battlefield 1942 PC.
26 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 19:02
lilreb39
Will you beef up aaa ai for those low pop times when it would be easy to knock out factories with no or few pilots on?
27 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 19:09
SON of MAC
Great first step back! And now all you need is STO for bombs to get a Gold Builder from me. Ya might want to hurry because Ohio SB 5 is gonna kill me and my family.
28 Wednesday, 02 March 2011 21:28
Snappled
Strat bombing should have the effect, properly executed, of removing the enemies ability to sustain a fight. Just like it did in WWII, Iraq, Yugoslavia, etc .. It shouldn't be easy, or safe, or quick ... but the capability should nevertheless exist.
29 Thursday, 03 March 2011 01:49
trevor8
SURE! wait until im in Iraq to give my baby back!

**waves fist**

THANK yoU! PLEASE do this!

notice my sub is still active...Thats how much I love this game and now I must download it with 128K if im lucky sniperhill internet.
30 Thursday, 03 March 2011 02:40
decoy77
Fantastic compromise. I'm in!.
31 Thursday, 03 March 2011 16:36
palatine
Outstanding move! Why not try to transition the name to "supply bombing" since that's what it affects, not RDP per se. Then if more tactical options are someday added (trains!) it applies equally well.
32 Friday, 04 March 2011 10:57
Btimber
great idea, but note that completely destroying factories does nothing to the equipment already being transported (in supply chain) something less than 100% makes more sense...where are the visible trains?! :)
33 Friday, 04 March 2011 13:03
chesehed
Good step. factory rebuild time needs to be a little bit slower also. And have it affect RDP just a hair more. Make Strat bombing an integrel part of the war.
34 Monday, 07 March 2011 13:35
laphiel
Well maybe one day we will be able to like bomb railroads for reduced suply to specific regions/units, which could like reduce their recovery speed and maybe ammo.
35 Monday, 07 March 2011 17:49
Slayer
Or you could set it at 75% thats the in between of 50 and 100...Though i don't do RDP runs if thats what it is going to take then i say go for it!
36 Friday, 11 March 2011 10:57
Sniper62
DOC will we have to wait for a new map or will this be brought in with 1.33?
37 Saturday, 12 March 2011 15:16
Sockeye
Well, it's a start in the right direction I guess. But I personally think the factories repair way too fast making the raids seem like an up hill run and waste of time.
38 Saturday, 12 March 2011 21:17
Raptor341
Not nearly enough to really bring it back ( oversupply vs numbers will still hamper its battlefield effects ) but at least a step in the right direction
39 Monday, 14 March 2011 10:39
ch53guni
will be the numer of factory "boxes" different or have both sides the same number?i dont like the rdp war it just gives less supply for both sides. does overstock rule change too?
40 Monday, 14 March 2011 10:40
ch53guni
will be the numer of factory "boxes" different or have both sides the same number?i dont like the rdp war it just gives less supply for both sides. does overstock rule change too?
41 Monday, 14 March 2011 15:48
cuda440
I think Germans need to have factories in three more cities deeper behind the line due to the fact that allies have factories in six total cities.
42 Thursday, 17 March 2011 23:55
mdundee
it's pretty balanced atm, the French factories are easier to get to, and the French forces make up 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the active Divs on the ground. it all balances out
43 Friday, 18 March 2011 19:10
t9sniper
axis would never make it out of tier 1... we have so much trouible dealing with early allied armor. all that would happen is axis loses all its armor early in the day.. can't defend itself for the entire day basically.. axis loses campaign in 10 days
44 Monday, 21 March 2011 19:28
Poogie
The fighter jocks best be on their toes and ready to scramble.On both sides. it is not a secret when the bombers are in the air. RDP Is and always will be part of the battle.. S!
45 Wednesday, 23 March 2011 00:28
grunt768
Problem is, axis will have this slow resupply evenly spread across their front line, where as allies will have "weak spots" due to the 2 different countries.

If the allies could spread the damage across the both countries that would work better.
46 Wednesday, 30 March 2011 03:02
robb
Sorry guys - not keen on this. in reality each side moved production away from their main factories to minimise RPD effect Spitfire production was never badly effected despite Southampton being frequently flattened. Keep it at 50%.