I’m new to SB and preparing to start. I have a joystick and head-tracker and want to unlock bombers like the Do17, Blenheim, Hampden, and Ki-21. I have some questions about flying low-tier bombers (EC1, BR 1-1.7).
Q1 What is the strategy for low-tier bombers in SIM? Should I climb to 3-4km, go to a base, drop bombs to partially destroy it, then return to the airfield?
Q2 Are bases the best bomber targets at low tier for a beginner?
I cannot speak from first hand experience as I dont play low tier sim (but do play quite a fair bit of high tier sim). But I shall do my best to answer some of this to the best of my knowledge.
Breaking this down into seperate parts:
Im not entirely sure whether its best to sit low or climb in early bombers. I think ultimately thats going to come down to the aircraft and its defences. There is something to be said for sitting low and terrain masking (hiding behind hills, etc) and sneaking past the enemy team but on the other hand, altitude, especially at that BR, may be just as effective defence, especially if you make full use of clouds.
Sim rewards work by activity time, and not specific actions. Performing actions such as bombing a base rewards you with actiivty time and then after 15 minutes you will get a pay out based upon your activity time. So the longer you can stay alive the better. Damaging bases rewards a decent amount of activity time but unlike in ARB, you can also bomb the enemy airfields, they will also reward activity time. Just watch out for the AA.
Once you’ve dropped your bombs, always try to return home and land. You get a bonus reward for succesfully landing and you wont waste SLs on a respawn. Its the best way to maximise rewards.
Which target is best for you, will ultimately be down to you. Locating the enemy airfield is a lot easier to do, especially if you are at altitude, but destroying bases will bleed tickets and help your team win.
I’d recommend going for bases if you can, but if you have a lot of strike aircraft on your team killing the bases long before you get there, or if you finding you just cant spot the bases, I’d suggest just going for the airfields.
Another bit of advice. Watch out for the convoys. They are deadly.
Thanks @Morvran for your advice, very helpful. Particularly the weighing up of potential targets (bases/airfields) and the broader context (team composition, what’s available, difficulty of visually finding a base etc).
Re convoys, are these trucks, trains, ships? I’m guessing the AI defences can be brutal?
Cheers.
Yeah, trucks, APCs, etc. the AA in the convoys are overtuned