Hercules A2 Bomber - Bombing Quick Tips

[wmk]

1. Use radar to lock on target, if possible; this would help you to find it when designating point of impact from high altitude and/or long distance.
   
   
2. Toggle missile operator mode (middle mouse button /scroll button/ by default).
   
   
3. Select designated point of impact by placing the blue circle on the target and holding "T" key (default binding);
   The circle turns green and stays on designated point of impact until the missile operator mode is turned off.
   
   
4. Use Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP) HUD hotizontal solution cue to line up with the target;
   Horizontal solution cue is the small dot moving on the horizontal line.
   
   
5. Release bomb when Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP) HUD vertical solution cue enters designated point of impact;
   Vertical solution cue is the small dot placed in dashed circle, connected to the horizontal solution cue with dashed line;
   Once dashed circle turns into solid one, release the bomb;
   CCRP emits beeps that help you to prepare for the release; beeping increases while computed point of impact approaches designated point of impact.
   
   
6. Enjoy great balls of fire!

 

[Vavrik]

Enjoy great balls of fire!

I'm going to have to enjoy it vicariously through your video for a bit. So Thanks!

 

[Ayeteeone]

1. Use radar to lock on target, if possible; this would help you to find it when designating point of impact from high altitude and/or long distance.
   
   
2. Toggle missile operator mode (middle mouse button /scroll button/ by default).
   
   
3. Select designated point of impact by placing the blue circle on the target and holding "T" key (default binding);
   The circle turns green and stays on designated point of impact until the missile operator mode is turned off.
   
   
4. Use Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP) HUD hotizontal solution cue to line up with the target;
   Horizontal solution cue is the small dot moving on the horizontal line;.
   
   
5. Release bomb when Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP) HUD vertical solution cue enters designated point of impact;
   Vertical solution cue is the small dot placed in dashed circle, connected to the horizontal; solution cue with dashed line;
   Once dashed circle turns into solid one, drop the bomb;
   CCRP emits beeps that help you to prepare for the release; beeping increases while computed point of impact approaches designated point of impact.
   
   
6. Enjoy great balls of fire!

My name is Ayeteeone, and I endorse this message!! Using @wmk 's method I was able to turn Tram and Meyer's into a blistering fireball!

 

[Thalstan]

My name is Ayeteeone, and I endorse this message!! Using @wmk 's method I was able to turn Tram and Meyer's into a blistering fireball!

were you able to destroy the buildings/kill the NPCs inside, or just damage other ships…

 

[Doc Flanigan]

Thanks for putting this together. That reticle was driving me bonkers.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I'm looking forward to being able to replace the missiles on my 350R with a pair of eggs. Dive bombing or high speed pass bombardment is going to be ace.

Is there any word on target marking way-finding being a thing in future? So an M50 or Razer can fly by marking up the drop point for the following bomber radars to see and drop on rather than they themselves marking up then having to set up an approach?

 

[CosmicTrader]

Thanks for putting this together

Yes...Excellent info....Thanks for sharing.

 

[deradevil]

Thank you m8!!!!

 

[Ploeperpengel]

I'm worried this will kill outpostbuilding gameplay before it even started. There's no good defense against something like that unless you manage a medium defense fleet that's constantly online. Giving this into players hands has been a mistake. Griefers will have fun :(

 

[Ayeteeone]

I'm worried this will kill outpostbuilding gameplay before it even started. There's no good defense against something like that unless you manage a medium defense fleet that's constantly online. Giving this into players hands has been a mistake. Griefers will have fun :(

I am going to suggest that right now, bombing is not relevant. Players own no structures; that gameplay is a long way off, allowing for plenty of time for counters to be brought into the game.

As someone who has used the A2, it's not all that. To select a target on the ground with any accuracy requires you to be within visual range, which definitely puts that fat ship within range of SAM's and some turrets. In @wmk 's video, you can see that the distance where he releases the bomb is approximate 1km.

In Citcon gameplay demo, playthrough number 2 ended with the 400i popped by a SAM several km after takeoff. That ship has a S3 shield with 100,000 hp, and the hull shows over 80,000. That kind of ground defense should scare the crap out of an A2 pilot. There are also point defense turrets in this game. Once those are running, a bomb that size may become a very easy target.

All the Hercules are vulnerable from the top. In atmo they are large, slow targets with most of their guns on the bottom. An unescorted A2 is asking to be shot down.

Will there be some shenanigans? Yes, of course.. I suspect a few ROC miners will find themselves suddenly obliterated and wondering what the hell happened.

 

[Han Burgundy]

To select a target on the ground with any accuracy requires you to be within visual range

This leads to the very interesting possibility for assets on foot to approach and lase a target for extreme high-altitude bombing runs. Though, I agree with the sentiment that it would be an interesting feature to balance with player-owned housing. Perhaps there will be a deployable solution to detect people aproaching your base on foot. Seismic detection spikes or something similar...which introduces an opportunity for the attacking team to counter the counter by hacking one of the spikes to feed the network false data....Which would lead for a greater need for the base's owner to invest in a good set of anti-intrusion software for his central computer. And on and on and on. Risk -->Reward. And the cool part is we will get to play with the intermingling of these individually complex systems in a wholely unscripted way that games just haven't achieved before. Wait...what was I talking about? Oh yeah. Target designation. They should totally do that. Give us that BattleNET synergy!

 

[stockish]

I'm worried this will kill outpostbuilding gameplay before it even started. There's no good defense against something like that unless you manage a medium defense fleet that's constantly online. Giving this into players hands has been a mistake. Griefers will have fun :(

Bombs can be targeted and countered, so any PDT or well staffed turret can stop the bombs.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I'm worried this will kill outpostbuilding gameplay before it even started. There's no good defense against something like that unless you manage a medium defense fleet that's constantly online. Giving this into players hands has been a mistake. Griefers will have fun :(

That's where automated point-defense turrets will come in to play.

If you want to bomb an installation you'll have to hit the turrets first or they'll just pop the bombs before they reach the ground. Especially with beam lasers, it won't take much to set an egg off - what they gain in destructive power they lose in being able to be intercepted.

 

[Vavrik]

Think fleet, not single ships. The A2 is not meant to be alone in an attack. Send in a squadron of fighters, and a squadron of bombers - and don't forget the bombers can also drop off their own tanks, ballista's and ground troops. And don't forget the M2's are force multipliers. That would be a mess to deal with.

... and for what it's worth, miners are easy pray mostly because they don't look at the radar, and they mine alone. Easy prey for even a mosquito. Miners need to learn, and if they have to learn the hard way so be it.

 

[Thalstan]

I am going to suggest that right now, bombing is not relevant. Players own no structures; that gameplay is a long way off, allowing for plenty of time for counters to be brought into the game.

As someone who has used the A2, it's not all that. To select a target on the ground with any accuracy requires you to be within visual range, which definitely puts that fat ship within range of SAM's and some turrets. In @wmk 's video, you can see that the distance where he releases the bomb is approximate 1km.

In Citcon gameplay demo, playthrough number 2 ended with the 400i popped by a SAM several km after takeoff. That ship has a S3 shield with 100,000 hp, and the hull shows over 80,000. That kind of ground defense should scare the crap out of an A2 pilot. There are also point defense turrets in this game. Once those are running, a bomb that size may become a very easy target.

All the Hercules are vulnerable from the top. In atmo they are large, slow targets with most of their guns on the bottom. An unescorted A2 is asking to be shot down.

Will there be some shenanigans? Yes, of course.. I suspect a few ROC miners will find themselves suddenly obliterated and wondering what the hell happened.

Unfortunately, you forget to mention that you can’t fire defensively against people until they have fired at you. An A2 that is just flying along mining it’s own business until it drops a bomb that destroys your outpost, NPCs, and turrets isn’t going to be able to be legally attacked UNTIL it unloads the bombs. By then, it’s too late. Besides, there are probably a few ways you can improve your targeting range.

 

[vahadar]

@wmk have you tried at night?

 

[Ploeperpengel]

I hope countermeasures will be as effective as moabfans are saying here but I remain sceptical.

First off as Thaistan said in UEE space there' the additional Problem of legal fire but let's talk about lawless space to ignore that complication.

Assumptions:
-It seems clear that outpost will be destructible at some point
-Bulding them will require a lot of time and ressources
-destroying them will require a single bomb that explodes within the effective rage of the moab
-as that effective range is quite a huge blob point defense might actually kill the bomb but won't safe the outpost
-griefers might not care whether they die ruining your base

So far the math is against the builders.

Balancing this will require SAMs being effective far beyond the range of a bomber forcing a ground assault prior to the bombing run. But what's the point of the bomber then if you've already taken the base? Just set some charges...

My concern is those bombers will be a nuisance far beyond the release of basebuilding and PVP will center around who deploys his bomber first.

I hope I'm wrong but considering how effective CIG handles the nuisance of padramming I doubt it.

 

[Bambooza]

Unfortunately, you forget to mention that you can’t fire defensively against people until they have fired at you. An A2 that is just flying along mining it’s own business until it drops a bomb that destroys your outpost, NPCs, and turrets isn’t going to be able to be legally attacked UNTIL it unloads the bombs. By then, it’s too late. Besides, there are probably a few ways you can improve your targeting range.

Perhaps once. But once you become hostile your rep will allow others to engage you without consequences just like the NPC pirates can be engaged without losing reputation within the sector. They have also talked about trespassing and security zones, hiring NPC's to run outpost security etc. But it all comes back to reputation and while currently in-game it doesn't have much weight as it's easily changed they have repeatedly said that they fully intend for it to be malleable but not easily as it's your reputation in the game that you level and not a linear ship/UEC that is leveled. So yes a player can target your base and throw away all of their reputation in one act, but from that point forward it would be difficult and take a large time investment to recover the lost rep.

 

[Ayeteeone]

Unfortunately, you forget to mention that you can’t fire defensively against people until they have fired at you. An A2 that is just flying along mining it’s own business until it drops a bomb that destroys your outpost, NPCs, and turrets isn’t going to be able to be legally attacked UNTIL it unloads the bombs. By then, it’s too late. Besides, there are probably a few ways you can improve your targeting range.

You are not wrong, but those laws a) are in active development b) don't apply everywhere. And the entire reason for existence of a Point Defense turret is near-instantaneous response once a threat is identified. In 'lawful' monitored space, the act of releasing the bomb could easily be the same as firing a missile is now, whether that hits or not. if your outpost is NOT in lawful, monitored space, then no problem. Shoot first, salvage later.

One method of longer-range targeting is to have a party member on the ground near the desired target. Naturally this brings it's own issues, but not insurmountable.

Guys, the A2 is powerful, but it is *not* an I WIN button. Applying that power, and living to tell about it, are going to take some work.

 

[stockish]

Guys, the A2 is powerful, but it is *not* an I WIN button. Applying that power, and living to tell about it, are going to take some work.

Yep, take some time to learn how to counter it and you'll be surprised at how easy things might be. We already have the Idris shooting down torpedos in a rough running server, so a land based turret, be it manned or computer controlled can pop those bombs well before they make landfall.

The A2 is probably one of the bigger examples of risk vs reward currently, miss the target and now you are a massive target in the sky as you circle back to try again.