Strategic Bombing: Calculating odds

If Britain purchases nothing but bombers, the Germans will gain more I.P. swing than the bombers can inflict.  If BRitain purchases tech, they are simply hoping on a wing and a prayer.  All the tech suck for Britain but heavy bombers and maybe longrange aircraft.  If someone purchases a whole bunch of bombers just run over them with land units.  Build an A.C. in the south to fill out your fleet once you have ramped up I.P. with Germany and then move it up north and land on them.  If BRitain does nothing but build bombers they become inconsequential.  Sure they take out more money that it cost them to build but they also have far less money than your mighty German empire.  If they invest allot of money in tech and get lucky they get lucky.  Full on bomber is a crap strategy.  The Axis is really hard to play.  Try to be more efficient on the eastern fornt and don’t lose tanks.  Lose infantry.  Very often you see people say that the everyone gang up on GErmany strategy works.  It doesn’t, a frugile and efficient Germany can hold out and do severe damage while an unchecked Japan will soar up to insane revenue.  Frugile, efficient, and conservative GErman play and strong Japanese play are required.  Don’t pay attention to the advice on sites to build a factory with Japan.  Build trnasports.  Always attack Pearl Harbor.  If the U.S. doesn’t engage the Japanese in the Pacific, Japan should crush Russia easily and the game will turn towards the axis as Russia is left staring at their 8 I.P. per turn without bombing runs.

@Linkon:

The main cases to use SBR:

You have Heavies.

Do you build anything EXCEPT bombers if you have heavy’s???

Let’s be honest, Heavy Bombers are so powerful that it is an almost assured game victory for whichever side gets them.  And I have never seen a game last long enough after one side gets heavy’s for the other side to also get them.

@Linkon:

Your opponent has (1) low income, but a (2) ton of defensive units holed up in the capital, and (3) your seige forces are not sufficient to win the capital battle.

Combining SBR and the trading of territories next to your opponents capital will allow the build-up of your seige forces to gain the eventual edge.  By then, your income should be several times higher than the opponent you are about to kill off.

I still like using SBR’s to PREVENT my target from building up massive defensive forces.  That is why as Japan I bomb Russia every chance I get… each run means less INF in Moscow upon my force’s arrival.

Of course it could also be that I just HATE siege warfare.  I’ll press a battle against a strong oponent just to weaken those forces if I feel I can re-build faster than he can; rather than wait for me to build to overwhelm.  That way, if one of my allies gets to a position to ALSO be able to strike, they face a weaker target.  And if my allies don;t get a chance to strike, my nation that made the original suicide run will still be outbuilding the target and can move more forces in and take it anyway.  Now, I have to be able to last long enough to do SOME damage… I won;t attack with a fighter and 3 INF against 30 INF.  But give me 7 INF, a couple of tanks, and several fighters on 30 INF, and I’ll blast in, inflict damage, and retreat; then do it all again as more cannon fodder arrives at the front.

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

besides odds charts are unsolicited so what’s wrong with them….?

as far as i’m concerned, a dedicated strategic bombing campaign by either side is a waste of money insofar as building bombers and then replacing any that happen to get hit. the only time i generally use bombers is when i can’t use them to support any other attacks i might be using. it is worthwhile if you can get in some free shots, e.g if an IC has no AA to protect it, but I don’t generally like to use my bombers like that.

See, this just proves the love in our community, even an over-the-hill geezer like Jefe can still have fun. :D I am going to have to put the drinking game to use, as soon as I teach my roommate how to play.

@MacArthurFan:

I’ve been playing A&A for quite awhile now. Has anyone else tried the strategy (while playing the Allies) of having Britian and America buy nothing but bombers, and sending them all to Germany (I’m not talking about heavy bombers, but just plain old bombers). I have tried this numerous times, and by the end of the 3rd round, Germany usually can’t buy anything. Even when Russia falls to Germany, and Japan gets really strong, if UK and US keep buying bombers, Germany and ultimately Japan simply can’t make enough money to buy anything. AA guns have proven to my satisfaction that they are not able to combat this strategy. I am very interested to know if anyone else has tried this.

amen to that brother but its stupid

No. On a SBR the only thing that can shoot at a BMR is an AA gun.
-BMR flies to SBR the IC.
-Any territory that has an AA gun which the BMR flies over on the way to the IC gets to roll one die per plane. 3 BMR = roll 3 dice, add the #s, the defender returns that # of IPCs to the bank. :)

If 1 BMR is hit only 2 get to SBR the IC. 2 BMR = 2 dice, add the #s, the defender returns that # of IPCs to the bank. :)

In one variation of the game the BMR can be shot at on the return route if it passes over an AA gun. But, for example, if the UK BMR flies from UK to Germany, is missed by the AA, bombs and flies to Russia there is no second chance for the BMR to be hit.
I do not like this variation. In the regular game, the limited bombing and limited retaliation give you a simple idea of a complex war. Why try to make the game more difficult? If you want that GET A HARDER GAME!

In a second variation friendly FTRs can escort and enemy FTRs can intercept the BMRs. But again, it just makes it more complex. And do you allow the FTRs to intercept and fly attack missions or not?

Don’t you love long answers to what you think is a simple ? :lol:

A few weeks ago I started to re-code my battle odds simulator from 1998. This time coding windows binaries as people still seem java iliterate today.

It’s not realy ready for release any time soon, but is in somewhat working order, still under development of course when I get the time after my exams.

http://www.highpoly3d.com/tda/