When it comes to roles and missions, even the original P-38 could pretty much do anything you could ask of a single seat (or double seat in later variations with a radar operator for night-fighting) heavy fighter, and that much doesn't change - being a transformable mecha just makes it better. Even with a total of 14 mictroturbines most of the work comes from heating up intake air so fuel endurance essentially becomes a nonissue compared to pilot endurance. Bomber crews loved the OTL Lightning because it had the legs to stay with them longer than Mustangs or Spits, this one can go all the way and back, and that's an order of magnitude higher when it runs on a whiff of hydrogen rather than gallons of avgas. For groun attack it can slow way down and skim along in C-mode like a helicopter, or a pilot with developed clairvoyance and TK can do the modern trick of "which window do you want the cruise missile to go in through?" from high speed and high altitude (bombs, probably not going to be involved, though modern physics engines make them easy to code, becasue I can't think of any way besides player skill (as opposed to character game mechanic skills) to control where they land. B is mostly about facing other mecha, because the best way to fight a mecha without massive area attacks (ie dropping a load of bombs on their depot or column) is to punch it with another mecha - kicking and stabbing with mecha-sized blades works too. There are things a regular human can do better - anything involving tight spaces or stealth, or just sentry duty - but mecha ranging from automobile size and up are kings of the ground war - their being on the ground in large numbers in Europe is why the aliens can't just curbstomp all opposition there like they did in most of the world and take over entirely. But, the situation can't be resolved without taking to the air, and that's just beginning at this point...
... which is all a fancy way of saying that it's a game about daring fighter jock mecha pilots, and the PC's actions matter, therefore the most important forces in the world are the variable fighters, plus a couple of variable bombers (the Ho229 & LPL, and my Raven variable bomber slightly recast to be fifty years younger, little of which changes the visual design at all)
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
... which is all a fancy way of saying that it's a game about daring fighter jock mecha pilots, and the PC's actions matter, therefore the most important forces in the world are the variable fighters, plus a couple of variable bombers (the Ho229 & LPL, and my Raven variable bomber slightly recast to be fifty years younger, little of which changes the visual design at all)
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows