Hi chaps, and congrats to all who are already flying Cliffs of Dover.
There's one question I've always wanted to have answered, as it is one of those things that would really make it a truly next-gen sim for me. It's about the multi crew aircraft and their function in the game.
In Il-2 and every other sim I can recall, AI crew members are really only there for decoration. Gunners sit with their hands clasped in prayer as the gun works on it's own. Navigators, flight engineers, wireless operators and bomb aimers are just wooden dummies that do nothing at all. Maybe if a sim goes really crazy they might swivel their heads a bit, but thats about all.
Is Cliffs of Dover any different?
What I'm hoping to find out is
Gunners: Will gunners call out distant aircraft, ships or vehicles. Will they cry out if wounded or report visible damage if it is taken. Oleg said AI was modelled to show fear etc. Is this visible in any way apart from gunnery accuracy? Do they tell you when to corkscrew, break or bitch about the cold.
Bomb Aimers: As well as the appropriate actions above. When flying a bombing mission and flying over the initial-point, does the bomb aimer take up position and give you the "left-left... steady" until the target is reached? Does he drop the bombs, call it when he does and close the bay doors?
Navigators Do navigators navigate in CoD? Can you hit the TAB key to open a menu to communicate with your navigator and AI crew? Do they give you a course to the next waypoint when you ask for it or remind you if you wander off course. Can you request they give you a fix on your current position or give you an ETA to target?
Flight Engineers Also wondering if flight engineers manage engines or offer advice on nursing a damaged one. Do they monitor fuel. Can you order one into a turret if the gunner is hit?
Wireless Operators These guys are pretty important too. Can they receive messages or send by wireless and morse. Will they engage electronic countermeasures or counter jamming?
If anyone can spare the time to share their experiences with crews in CoD so far it'd be much appreciated. Some manner of crew interraction would be fantastic in a proper next gen sim and would go along way to countering that feeling of being alone that one gets in multi crew aircraft. Who knows. Might even put the immersion factor through the roof.