Bombing Accurately.

[Flanker]

When you're in bombing mode in the plane, and you're about to drop a bomb on a target (lets say you're going level), then when do you release the bomb? When the "curvy thing" and the "line" (sort of like the bombing sights of the plane) cross over the target? A little sooner? A little later?

I've tried all of them and the "a little sooner" seems to work the best. But it might just be luck. Any suggestions?

[Flanker]

Bump?

[CKB]

A little before for both the fighters and bombers I find works well, but for different reasons.

For the fighters, the slick bombs don't decelerate much and are not easy to aim, and usually seem to overshoot if anything. For the bombers, since it is a long string of bombs, if you release before the target, the middle bombs should be right on target and this will also make it so that you should at least get one bomb right on if you over/undershoot.

To really gain control over your bombs, you should utilize some tactics such as using dives for precision accuracy and climbing or turning to throw your bombs, but these take a lot of practice.

A lot of dropping the bombs is just intuition gained from experience, you learn how the two types of bombs behave in general, and you can extend this knowledge to specific circumstances.

[Wranger4400]

Try a little before.

[Flanker]

Thanks guys, good info. Long and informative for CKB and short and sweet for Wranger

[oaKenfoLd]

I just put together a pretty comprehensive guide to flying in BF2. One of the subjects is a few suggestions for bombing.

http://krackhouse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6460

[Flanker]

Yes, I read that. I was still confused about the accuracy of bombing with the bombing sights though.

[oaKenfoLd]

I'll hook ya up with a how to. I'm assuming you're the pilot?

Any enemy vehicle will have a triangle, circle, or square around it without an X.
There is no auto-guidance.
You get the triangle, and you have a vertical line on your bombing sight.
If you are flying straight and level, and you put the line over the tank, your bombs will be aimed correctly as far as left and right.
However, you must manually aim for how far the bombs go.
You've now dropped it so that if you let them go at the right second, they WILL hit the tank. It's deciding when to drop them that is hard in your situation. Too soon, and they won't make it to the tank. Too late, and they'll sail over it. But as I said, if you're straight and level, and that vertical bombing line is lined up with the tank, all thats left is learning the timing.

To do that, follow the instructions in the guide I linked to a post or two up. You absolutely must assign a key on your stick to the view behind you(believe its chase front). Every time you drop a bomb, you immediately point your nose skyward and hit that rear view button. You'll see if you hit or missed, and you'll start to get the feel for the timing.

Once you get that down, practice bombing runs where you're not straight and level. Be turning over the base. Instead of judging because you can see the tank lined up with the vertical line, you'll start being able to judge just because you have the feel for it.

Good luck!

[Flanker]

To do that, follow the instructions in the guide I linked to a post or two up. You absolutely must assign a key on your stick to the view behind you(believe its chase front). Every time you drop a bomb, you immediately point your nose skyward and hit that rear view button. You'll see if you hit or missed, and you'll start to get the feel for the timing.

Found that part the most useful. Knew the other stuff

[oaKenfoLd]

Well, your question was:

then when do you release the bomb? When the "curvy thing" and the "line" (sort of like the bombing sights of the plane) cross over the target? A little sooner? A little later?

There is no indicator anywhere to tell you when you should drop your bombs. You need to get a feel for what that is. That's how people have learned to bomb. Fortunately, there is no "Fire Now" message. If there was, being skilled in bombing wouldn't be very noteworthy. As is, the triangles even help way more than I was used to.

[Wranger4400]

They should put an indicator on the crosshairs of the planes to make it a lttle easier to bomb targets.

[BigBadBob]

I'm not much of a bomber, but i just go by feel. I don't know how to line the crap up on there.

It's hard to explain, but once you've bombed some, you learn where they will go. Try switcing views after you drop them (make sure you are pointed syward though, VERY important) and see where they land. Then adjust your angle, release time or whatever.

It just takes practice.

[Eddy01741]

Oh yeah, Oakenfeld, how du you change back to dropping multiple bombs wit bombers, it gets annoyg sometimes when they are in single mode, i like dropping 5 at a time and decimating the enemy. I never use fighters, i only play 16 player maps, and the only map that has planes that i play on is Clean Sweep, i just jet whore and get tons of points for it by bombing apcs and tanks. And for flanker, it's kinda hard to explain, if you get used to it, you can just "feel" the right time to bomb, i always hit my target unless i accidentally go in to single bomb mode, then i got some trouble. It should be when you can just see the target, and you drop like 50 m behind the guy with bombers, with fighers, do what Oakenfeld said, caus single bombing is better if you only have 2 bombs.

[Wranger4400]

Do you guys know how to drop multiple bombs.

[oaKenfoLd]

Oh yeah, Oakenfeld, how du you change back to dropping multiple bombs wit bombers, it gets annoyg sometimes when they are in single mode

It is caused by flying over the runway and before your reload is 100% done(you load 1-4 bombs), you drop your bombs.

To switch back(it is annoying in the bomber), simply fly over the runway and only reload a couple bombs. Drop those before you reload again the rest of the way, and then from then on fill up your whole 5 before dropping any.