Will the AI in SOW steal your kills??
 

This is one of the most aggravating things that happen in IL2, if you're heavily an offline player that is. I spent about an hour chasing a 109E-7 in my I-16-24
to about 9000 meters. Of course the AI in my flight were following him too since he was the last enemy. Well, the Messer did a fairly tight diving turn to turn into us like the AI often do. I turned too to get lined up on him as he dashed by. I made a splendid shot by lining up my nose and therefore sight to where I thought he was going to pass by. I got it right and gave him plenty of lead for the deflection. I got his engine smoking!! Of course then one of my AI squad mates magically turned on some kind of horsepower that I didn't have and blew by me as I chased down the now slowing bandit. And of course he fired and forced him to bail, stealing the kill I'd worked so hard for. And rightfully I then shot down my own flight mate!! This has happened to me hundreds of times over the years but it just doesn't get any easier. What we need is a key assignment for "I got him, he's mine!" or better yet, "Fly home, I don't need your help!!" I'd do anything for a key assignment like that!

That would be a great feature. Personally I don't have any complaints about AI kill stealing, but I understand why it would be annoying to many. Not getting credit for all kills is part of a fighter pilot's life in WWII. I actually feel bad when I get the "Kill" message after a smoking enemy makes it all the way back to his territory and ditches, because in WWII I wouldn't have gotten the kill without confirmation. This was especially true in the USSR air force. Also, I'm not above stealing the AI's smoking victim from time to time ;)

Although I agree it's annoying there is a certain historical quality to it too. All of the over claiming that went on where pilots would, in the heat of the battle, shoot at something already crippled but not down and then claim a kill. It happened... and it happens online where you have, in theory, rational human beings not limited by simplistic AI routines.

This is a toughie.

Yeah, I steal back kills from them too but it's a little hollow and not as satisfying as getting your own kill. Also there are times when I'm able to steal a kill back by putting a few bullets in the plane at the last second. But you sometimes have to trail that plane for a while to do it, while you otherwise could be getting on a new pursuit and new kill.

But I don't think it would hurt to get a key command to dissuade kill steals. People who don't mind having an occasional kills stolen would not have to use it. Or you folks who think it's kind of true to history would not have to use the command either. I'm just sayin'.....:cool:

Another great feature would be to eliminate AI having faster planes of the same kind. And I'm not just talking about them not overheating. In my scenario posted above that AI mate had some temporary testicles added to his plane's engine to blow by me like he did and it happens all the time. My plane was at full throttle and not overheating so he should not have been able to muster added speed and acceleration that I could not add myself. They are particularly ( and suspiciously ) able to get this added "mystery boost" when they try to steal a kill and that's rather unfortunate. I'm just sayin' again......

An I-16 shouldn't fly at 9000m anway... and by then, when it reaches this height, the Bf109 should be home already.

Why we always forget this...?
 

"An I-16 shouldn't fly at 9000m anway... and by then, when it reaches this height, the Bf109 should be home already."

+1

Why we always forget this ...?
I will never understand what is the point for these "historic" abnormalities.

Salutes.

You can tell them to return to base. :)

And they will... right after they steal the kills of you, and everyone you care about.

Maybe it shouldn't but it does in IL2.