So far during my little testing scenarios, I created a simple 1v1 scenario with both player aircraft and AI having to run through takeoff and converging paths.
In the first scenario, I set the AI to near total idiot level (all sliders at or just above minimum). I tested this three times.
1st Sortie - Met AI Bf109 at 3500 feet, head-on. Passed within 50 feet of him at a high rate of speed without him noticing whatsoever; continued to fly straight and level. Looped back and got on his six and stayed at convergence distance for about 10 sec. No response. Squeezed the trigger three times and witnessed a spectacular fireball followed by the AI bailing out. RTB
2nd Sortie - Met AI Bf109 at 3500 feet again, 12 o'clock low. No response. Turned around and climbed up to meet him. Got within convergence distance and lingered for a few short seconds with no response. Let my guns rip into him and once again watched the aircraft brilliantly burst into flames. Quite a show as a couple flaming pieces of wreckage fell from the stricken 109. Wish the track files would play such things back
(Another bug for another thread)
3rd Sortie - Same deal, head-on. Still no response. Flew side by side maybe 30 feet apart, and he was completely oblivious. No response until I rammed my Hurricane into him, removing his port wing.
So far, I've concluded that setting the AI on "borderline-retarded" results only in the AI following set waypoints at the predetermined speed and altitude. Will not engage fighters, will not free hunt, or anything of the sort. Apparently at this level, the AI can't see it's own hand in front of it's face.
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More testing to follow.. though right now, I've seen that bumping up the Awareness and Visual Distance (forget the actual name of that slider) up to below-average or average levels while leaving everything else alone will result in the AI 109 being able to fly and evade fairly well, despite having the Basic and Advanced Flight sliders (as well as the others) set to minimum. Watched as he did the usual "climb up to the stratosphere" trick and maneuver as though the pilot is wearing a G-suit, and does not black out. Not very conclusive so far... but I got frustrated and went to bed after that. lol
Perhaps as one fella above me said, that it's simply much of the old 1946 coding. I do see much of the same AI bag of tricks in play here in CoD.
Hopefully the devs have this on their list as a major issue to be fixed... I would like to see the vastly improved AI that they had mentioned in the past.