weather in 1.04

[Pete McCullagh]

I know weather in December in UK is bad but 13 consecutive days over 80% cloud cover??? Even sunny Italy is 70% plus! Don't think this is quite right. Never saw it in old talonsoft game. All my strategic bombing points are disappearing (from 2k to 143). Do I have a glitch?

[Pete McCullagh]

Now up to a full month of no flying. My pilots are all fat and drunk. Luftwaffe went home for Xmas. I think someone needs to look at weather model, makes game unplayable, don't object to difficult but don't like impossible.

[warshipbuilder]

In December 1943 BC only launched 6 large attacks.

Dec 2/3 Berlin 458 a/c
Dec 3/4 Leipzig 527 a/c
Dec 16/17 Berlin 483 a/c
Dec 20/21 Frankfurt 650 a/c
Dec 23/24 Berlin 379 a/c
Dec 29/30 Berlin 712 a/c

[Pete McCullagh]

I am at zero! Italy cloud cover always 6‎5-85% England over 90% from 11/28-12/25! No even marginal days', gave up at Xmas. One more week and the pubs will be out of beer and every girl in east anglia will be pregnant. Got all these nice new Mustangs and can't use them! I will try some more later, but this model is simply not accurate. I lived near colchester for 5 years never saw weather that bad. I would have been delighted with 5 bombing days. 

[Pete McCullagh]

Finally! 1/1/44 got barely usable day 50-60% over England 90% over Germany about 60% over Italy. 5 weeks of totally unflyable consecutive days. Everyone is England would have emigrated to Australia and told Adolf he was welcome to have blighty

[Johntxic]

Trust me - the weather can be that bad...

[simovitch]

We didn't change the weather model from the Matrix stock version. The Allies win this game too easily - enjoy the breaks!

Note that the time of year does indeed impact the weather in the game, and November-March are exceptionally bad. May-August is best. Oh, and Italy and Africa are better than NW Europe. Eastern Europe is the worst.

[warshipbuilder]

You may find this helpful. I do not know if it is compatible with 1.04.

tm.asp?m=2369695

[Pete McCullagh]

Did 2 bits of research! Worth looking at. #1) historic weather of dec43. There was a drought in England, was 30% less rainfall than average(less rainfall, less cloud). At no time was 8th af stood down for a month.
#2) ran an expiriment in the game ran thru December twice, best result was only two bombing days.
I have used this game by 3 developers. The original USAAF game for Apple ii, talonsoft and Matrix. The matrix game is best for historic accuracy but does have some playability issues. Talonsoft had good balance of accuracy v playability. Matrix team is awesome for working on issues, but from my observation there is definitely an issue with this weather model. Having lived in east anglia I never saw a continuous month of 90% cloud cover. Bad for a week or 10 days at a time, but never 30 days.
I hope someone can take a look at this, at least run some experiments.

[simovitch]

ORIGINAL: Pete McCullagh
Having lived in east anglia I never saw a continuous month of 90% cloud cover. Bad for a week or 10 days at a time, but never 30 days.
I hope someone can take a look at this, at least run some experiments.

I'll see about easing up the winter weather for the next patch, but I will have to find another historical means to smack-down the Allies victory conditions.

Any suggestions? more morale loss for losing pilots? more difficult land war results?

[Pete McCullagh]

Oil shortage. I was able to achieve axis oil shortage by destroying all avalanche oil storage and most synthetic fuel in rhur valley. Plus some oil refinery and chemical. No deep raids needed. Too easy. Results were axis were very weak on second consecutive day of raids. This is correct, but if threshold is raised the axis will be strengthened. I would be against morale loss. As it is sending units now with morale at35. Bad weather helps allies with that.

[simovitch]

Hmmm, I'll wager that the shortage disappears if you let up on your oil campaign.

[Pete McCullagh]

O yeah but the point is I have it by Nov 43 have not even hit ploesti yet! If you make a few deep raids needed gives axis a helping hand while more or less keeping historic accuracy.
Gave up my 43 campaign for now. Playing 44, found something else might help you. The large amount of allied escorts let me flood returning mission. I killed 88 interceptors for loss of only 9!!! Of 88 - 80 were two engine! Lack of maneuver against us fighters. The two engine fighters were most effective in large  ‎formations against bombers.  Cannon fodder when in small numbers against fighters. Don't know if you can modify orders, but suggest have these guys run if having adverse odds. I never saw a10-1 kill ratio before, but this tactic worked 2 days in a row.