~S~ all,

I've been working on providing my squad with multiplayer bombers using a technique that I think is known as 'Alpha bombs' (using combinations of cannon shells to act as bombs). Thanks again to kevib1 for sharing his B-17 .dp file with me and getting me started on this!

I've got this work to good effect with the AI-flyable single-engine dive bombers - coming down in a steep dive and releasing the bombs at between 1,000 and 2,000 ft gives excellent results.

However, I am having real trouble getting the same technique to work with the level-bombers.

I have set up the AI-flyable B-25 to drop an equivalent load of 12000lbs of bombs and using the bomb_trainer cheat and an adapted version of K. Malinowski's bombsight have been able to hit my targets with some accuracy at heights of 5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 ft.

However, despite clear visual confirmation of the hits being on target, no hits are registered and no damage caused. You can see the shells throwing up dust on the runway or splashing into the sea both before and after the target - but still no damage on the target itself.

Could it be that the cannon shells simply run out of energy or damage potential? I have set the dp entries to a 'trace' value of 240 - more than long enough for them to reach their target however high they might be dropped - and a muzzle velocity of 0 (this means they fall to all intents and purposes like real bombs). These values work for the dive-bombers - why not for the high altitude level bombers?

Any thoughts on this, anyone?

My multiplayer dive-bombers and the B-25 in its funtional but non-damage causing state - are available on the CAW-15 squad aircraft page http://www.caw15.com/aircraft.html - all are designated 'MP' for multiplayer.

All the best,

Pads