I have flown a couple planes that carried bombs. When dropping bombs the bomb sight seemed to come up automatically. Just now, I took my factory fresh new attacker on a test flight and I couldn’t figure out how to get the bomb sight to come up. I scoured CONTROLS and OPTIONS and just couldn’t find anything. There were a couple things that looked like they might be it, but in flight/while closing in on a target they did nothing.
I figure this might be variable depending on the plane or plane type? It’s hard to believe that anything from WWII or later ought to have at least a primitive mechanical/optical sight of some sort, but anything is possible I suppose.
Bomber View (that is what it is called in controls) and is F7 by default (unless I changed it ages ago). Or you just cycle through the various views). That is the view where it’s look-down through a more proper bomb sight as seen from a bombardier position, not the pilot. Typically only on actual bombers.
But, if you mean the “bomb sight” which is the target reticle thing that follows the ground, then in arcade that is always there for attackers (and others). Well, as far as I remember as I haven’t played arcade for a very long time. But in realistic that doesn’t show. It’ll show on higher tier attackers (and other planes with bombs) such as the jet ones and is called CCIP (if the plane has it). That will show the target reticle that follows the ground contours in realistic.
If the above doesn’t answer your question it would help to know which mode and vehicle you were testing with in your example.
It was an attacker, IL-8, and it was in a test drive., though in typical gameplay I would be using it in Arcade (assuming there are situations where Arcade gives you your own planes by default, such as if it’s within 1 or 2 BR of my ground vehicle layout; I don’t know how that works). In any case, that recent incident where I recall getting an aimer for bombs was either in a test drive or in arcade. While I don’t remember which plane it was, it was for sure either a fighter or an attacker.
I’ve tried using the game defaults for different views, but I’m on a laptop and the function buttons do weird things in-game. I did assign a different key binding and it didn’t seem to do anything. Definitely didn’t give me any kind of aiming aid for bombs.
I don’t know if this is some sort of strange “blip” that I’m getting for whatever bizarre reason, but I’m also not getting the aiming aid for SPAA anymore in arcade since the Alpha Strike update (I looked through the changelog and didn’t see anything indicating such a basic change in SPAA gameplay).
Test Flight has it’s own setting for Arcade or Realistic. So if you haven’t explicitly set it, it may default to whatever game mode you were on for your lineup. So it may have changed to what you thought you were on. I’m not sure. But if you go in test flight there is this setting: (selects Arcade, Realistic and others)
Got it. I mst admit i hadn’t noticed that setting. I will have to check that out. The 411 is much appreciated.
WRT to the SPAA glitch I’m getting, do you have any suggestions on what might be causing it, or any insight into whether something has changed in the game mechanics? I’m using the same SPAAs as ever, but just don’t get the lead indicator anymore. It popped up for me in one or two battles today, but not for all planes and seemed to only come up after expending a couple clips/belts. I have always noticed that I often don’t get the indicator when the target is involved in a dogfight with a team member, or chasing a teammate in a bomber, but as I said I’m just not getting it at all (or so little as to be almost meaningless).
Anyway, I started a thread in the Community Technical Support > Gameplay Problems & Advice sub-forum but didn’t get any clear answers from anyone. I’d really like to understand what is going on and if there’s any way it can be corrected. If there was a better place to bring my inquiry, please direct me. Here is the thread link if you’re interested:
I’m not sure on the SPAA thing unfortunately – I’m pretty much an Air RB only person.
In Air Arcade the lead indicators only appear when you get within a 1km or something. I can’t recall back to arcade ground SPAA at what distance the lead indicator would show, but perhaps it’s changed?
Yeah, i don’t know if it’s changed. I typically have gotten lead indicator within 2 kilometers without fail, though sometimes more and sometimes maybe a bit less. Now, though, even with planes that are very close I will not get one. Is there anyone I can talk to who could help me understand this or fix it?
BTW I took another test ride in the IL-8 and the mode selector was set to Arcade, so if it somehow gave me Realistic mode the other day it’s not because I did anything. Unless, maybe it always defaults to Arcade mode whenever you start a new test ride, even if your last test ride was with the same vehicle? I’m speculating now. Will have to test that theory.
But anyway, it was set to arcade mode and when I took the plane out, it did give me the bomb targeting indicator. Though not in every attempt. It must be dependent on how you approach the target or how close you are or something.
I don’t know unfortunately – I would have suggested making a separate post about it… but you already did, and it got derailed by people not understanding the question and just wanting to write “… skill issue…” or other stupid answers to which there was no question for, sadly.
With the bomb indicator in Arcade, and for attackers, it will only show when you’re in a sort of diving bombing position / attitude… like doing an attack run. So if you pull up a bit, or just flying level, for example, it will disappear. Probably trying to emulate what the pilot could see rather than what a bombardier with a bomb sight would do in a proper big/strategic bomber.
I figured it was probably something like that. I’m glad I don’t have to toggle anything to get it, because as I was saying, trying the different camera views or whatever views didn’t seem to make any difference in what I was seeing (besides, in an attacker like the IL-8 I don’t think the second crew would have any role in executing ground attack anyway so that wouldn’t make any sense), and I’d really hate to think there was yet another ‘broken’ thing happening in addition to the SPAA.
On that note, it’s too bad I can’t get any answers about it. SPAA is almost a complete waste of time now. It’s certainly not as though CAS players needed it any easier.
