Ever since Falcon came out, we have the same behavior: When striking an airfield, just hitting the runways has an effect (as on/off triggers to shut down the entire base). Bombing all the other buildings has absolutely no impact (except EW radars).
As sometimes mentioned here, nowadays bombing runways is not so often the main goal in real life. Strikes adress the entire airbase because runways can be repaired fairly quick. Even if we bring the base to 0 percent only destroying buildings, the base is still able to launch fighters if the runways are active.
Having this in mind, we have in our extreme realistic Sim the most unrealistic airbase attacks since Ace Combat 7 or Iron Eagle.
To adress other assets than the runways makes absolutely no sense, it has no impact. I tested this to be sure: Got a MiG-29 in Hwangiu and hammered different assets there in several treacherous attacks (one after another, always loading the game, no other flights were fragged). Then I compared before / after in Mission Commander:
- Hangars: no impact on squadron aircraft (as we know)
- Munition storages: no impact on squadron munitions
- Fuel Tanks: no impact on squadron fuel
So we also have no motivation planning follow on strikes when the runways are out of order (except the runways are getting repaired).
I thought about it a bit but donât want to demand anything (I hear the Devs âSighâ) but just let this settle:
What if the campaign system could be enhanced just for the purpose of decreasing aircraft, stores and fuel on airbases if the other buildings are attacked? By no means the intention is to allocate single aircraft to hangars or such bullsh*t, itâs just for decreasing numbers to some extend but taking care not too much.
Here some pseudo-code for aircraft:
HANGAR_DESTROYED_EVENT
Every hangar type could get a store value (HAS a smaller, big hangars⌠you know)
If hangar destroyed (just damaged ones shouldnât be taken into account):
DestroyedAircraft = SingleNowDestroyedHangarStoreValue Ă AircraftNumberOfAllSquadronsOnBaseMinusThoseInFlights / AllCumulatedStoreValuesMinusBeforeDestroyedHangars
DestroyedAircraft = DestroyedAircraft Ă Randomize 20-80 percent
Here we need a maximum limit, letâs say 5 (so when theater builders just place 3 hangars and 5 squadrons on a base, not entire squadrons will be wiped out)
The losses should be spread over the existing squadrons⌠randomized, of course
Now we need a minimum limit: each squadron should not be depleted below 3 aircraft through this system (should be destroyed only when in-flight), so we have a motivation to still adress the runways later on
END
The same system with alterations can also be used for:
- Fuel of the squadrons and fuel tanks
- Munitions of the squadrons and storages (losses per squadron and then weapon type)
As said, this is not meant to permanently distribute aircraft, fuel and ammunition to certain hangars, tanks and storages. It should only deplete ressources somewhat. For example, if all hangars are destroyed, the airbase should still have aircraft, fuel and weapons (in lore they could be hidden).
It is independend from experimenting with lengthening spawn/despawn times for more traffic on the airfields (which will easily lead to jams).
There are concerns that this system could falter balance of the campaigns but I donât think so. It would almost only affect planning of player generated packages (HQ will still frag the runways).
But we would have a very immersive and encouraging mechanism to plan an attack to the most threatening installation in campaign. Because since all the years it is a bit frustrating to see the system we have now, well knowing it wasnât completed back in 1998.
Sorry for this lengthy text and my not native english.
EDIT: if (DestroyedAircraft > 0 and < 1) {randomize 0 or 1} else always round down
(for the case theater builders place 20 hangars with 200 cumulated store value and a campaign builder puts just one squadron with 10 fighters onto the base)
EDIT2: The AllCumulatedStoreValuesMinusBeforeDestroyedHangars is wrong. It should be just AllCumulatedStoreValues. Else the less hangars are intact, the more impact would the destruction of another one have.