Allow Tanks to Capture Aircraft

[Lu Xun]

Aircraft are way too powerful, while tanks are way too weak. One fast and logical way to limit the effectiveness of aircraft would be to make it so that ground forces can attack airfields and capture airfields. The proposed "Attack Airfield" type attack, on moderate success and lower, would destroy a small portion of the victim's aircraft, as tanks advance to the target's airfield. On immense triumph, however, the attacker would be able to capture some number of the opponent's aircraft alongside destroyed aircraft.

 

This makes logical sense insofar as armored attacks can be very fast, and if aircraft are based close to the front to provide fast air support, the airfields can easily be overrun  before planes can be moved or take off. If the strike is fast enough, aircraft can be captured before their operators can destroy them.

 

The goal is to make ground more balanced versus aircraft; when you consider the three unit types, aircraft are clearly meant to counter navy (since ground can't attack them), while ground must therefore attack aircraft (since it can't attack navy).

Unlike a conventional ground attack, however, this would take 4 MAP since it'd require more time and planning to launch a sufficiently fast attack. As for actual numbers, let's leave them nebulous, but base them off tanks, not infantry count.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Inst

[Sir Scarfalot]

This is already modeled under the "ground control" mechanic IMO; adding a way to actually loot military forces doesn't sound like a good idea to me honestly.

[Lu Xun]

It depends on the degree; i.e, if, say, for 1250 tanks vs 90 aircraft, you loot 2 aircraft (2%), it's equivalent to 4 (4%) aircraft destroyed. A typical immense triumph ground attack goes up to 10% ground strength (primarily soldiers).

 

The point is that ground is supposed to counter air, air navy, navy ground. Despite Buorhann's implication that I don't actually play, I play enough to be able to identify 7 basic army compositions, and the problem is that you don't want a single army composition to be dominant. Hell, this game would actually be better off if alliances tried to squad their nations with each player specializing in a specific attack type, meaning that teamwork and organization becomes more paramount.

[Sir Scarfalot]

On 1/22/2019 at 5:38 PM, A Boy Named Crow said:

It depends on the degree; i.e, if, say, for 1250 tanks vs 90 aircraft, you loot 2 aircraft (2%), it's equivalent to 4 (4%) aircraft destroyed. A typical immense triumph ground attack goes up to 10% ground strength (primarily soldiers).

 

The point is that ground is supposed to counter air, air navy, navy ground. Despite Buorhann's implication that I don't actually play, I play enough to be able to identify 7 basic army compositions, and the problem is that you don't want a single army composition to be dominant. Hell, this game would actually be better off if alliances tried to squad their nations with each player specializing in a specific attack type, meaning that teamwork and organization becomes more paramount.

People can and do specialize sometimes, and their nations are invaluable for tactical raiding. Teamwork and organization are very well understood to be a hugely important force multiplier already, so I'm not really sure that there's a problem here to fix tbh.

[The Polish Reich]

On 1/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, Sir Scarfalot said:

People can and do specialize sometimes, and their nations are invaluable for tactical raiding. Teamwork and organization are very well understood to be a hugely important force multiplier already, so I'm not really sure that there's a problem here to fix tbh.

 

There definitely needs to be some balancing between tanks and aircraft not sure if this would fix it though maybe just adding an option for tanks to destroy a considerable amount of aircraft like how aircraft can destroy a considerable amount of tanks.

[Azaghul]

IMO the fact that tanks are expensive and vulnerable adds debth and creates more strategies.  It gives people more reason not to just max out everything.  Especially since they mix in with soldiers, a very cheap unit.