AI is on top of my list

[CrazySchmidt]

I have been reading this thread over the last couple of days at work, along with some other threads about the new beta patch and thinking to myself, it seems like it might be time to have another crack at this (after having shelved it for a couple months).

Tonight I got to have a crack at the new beta patch for the first time and while I can agree there is considerable improvement in over all graphics and sound I still couldn't find the hook I was hoping for (maybe too much forum hype, who knows). 109 sounds although, pretty much hit the bull's-eye! Nice work fellas!

smink1701's original post sums it up for me almost perfectly as I see it. The AI with CoD has always seemed absolutely mad to me and one of the great put offs, I mean absolutely spastic manoeuvres that make a chase an absolute joke. 109's with a roll rate that would shame the best 190 pilot, not only in passive flight, but also in steep dives to the point that I thought they were going in without hope only to find them pull up at the last minute and return to the fight LMFAO!!

I also read that some forum members believe that development focus does/should favour online play, well, from what I have read over the years to date, statistically off line play makes up the greater number of paying punters. I'm a 100% offline player as is everyone else I know that plays PC games. AI performance is not a trivial issue with gaming development, just ask the developers how important it is.

This is certainly a very significant patch for CoD, but after all it was either that or shut the doors and call in the cleaners right?

Well, for me it's off the shelf and now sitting on the desktop waiting for the next patch.

I have faith now at least it will get there eventually.

Cheers, CrazySchmidt.

[dflion]

Originally Posted by CrazySchmidt

I have been reading this thread over the last couple of days at work, along with some other threads about the new beta patch and thinking to myself, it seems like it might be time to have another crack at this (after having shelved it for a couple months).

Tonight I got to have a crack at the new beta patch for the first time and while I can agree there is considerable improvement in over all graphics and sound I still couldn't find the hook I was hoping for (maybe too much forum hype, who knows). 109 sounds although, pretty much hit the bull's-eye! Nice work fellas!

smink1701's original post sums it up for me almost perfectly as I see it. The AI with CoD has always seemed absolutely mad to me and one of the great put offs, I mean absolutely spastic manoeuvres that make a chase an absolute joke. 109's with a roll rate that would shame the best 190 pilot, not only in passive flight, but also in steep dives to the point that I thought they were going in without hope only to find them pull up at the last minute and return to the fight LMFAO!!

I also read that some forum members believe that development focus does/should favour online play, well, from what I have read over the years to date, statistically off line play makes up the greater number of paying punters. I'm a 100% offline player as is everyone else I know that plays PC games. AI performance is not a trivial issue with gaming development, just ask the developers how important it is.

This is certainly a very significant patch for CoD, but after all it was either that or shut the doors and call in the cleaners right?

Well, for me it's off the shelf and now sitting on the desktop waiting for the next patch.

I have faith now at least it will get there eventually.

Cheers, CrazySchmidt.

Thanks 'CrazyScmidt' I could not have said it better myself. I am just puting the finishing touches to a Ju88 'offline' campaign for the 'bomber boys' ( which will be posted shortly).
I have spent hours and hours historically researching this campaign and thats what 'offline' campaigns are all about - fully historical or semi-historical campaigns that really put you in the 'drivers seat' re-creating what our forefathers (on both sides) actually did! For me personally, the immersion is far better than an 'Online Campaign', although I do enjoy battling with my sons on 'Online campaigns' occasionally.

This flight sim has put the air war during WWII firmly on the map (around the world). Ilya and his team will eventually fix the AI situation (I really can't understand why they haven't followed the programming in IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 which got it fairly right! Hello Ilya?)

This is what Oleg really created in IL-2 Sturmovik, an awareness about what really happened in the air war during WWII. He will always be remembered for this (I hope you are still out there Oleg?)

Finally, the more and more I immerse myself in creating my 'Offline' campaigns in COD, the more and more I really like what the team has tryed to create - eventually (with the help of lots of very intelligent members input) this flight sim will be the leading flight sim. Ilya will then develop a 'Korean War' flight sim then onto 'Vietnam', my personal era.

DFLion
P.S. I was very sad to hear about the crash of the Yak42 with a Russian Ice Hockey team aboard. I was very glad to hear that the Russian President will be looking very closely at Russian Aviation following this crash. The 'Ruski's' have some of the best aircraft designers in the world, they just have to get their act together with Civil Aviation in Russia!

DFLion

[ChicoMick]

+1 Great thread.

I think improved AI would well increase the playability, appeal and longevity of the game (and sales!)

I'm sure there is a hell of a lot of purely SP action going on that doesn't ever make the headlines in forums.

[jimbop]

Does someone have a recent vid of the fast roll rate? I used to see this a lot in the quick missions but have lately been playing custom SP missions, mostly against veteran 109s and 110s, and the roll rate is fine.

[Mysticpuma]

For those who haven't seen this video I did, here is an example of BoBII in action.

Now the initial attack from behind on the bombers I'd never get away with in IL2, but if you watch the rest you will get an idea of how good the AI is when under attack.

Also if you watch the titles, you'll see Gun camera footage I made from the game and in it I am chasing a damaged 109 low on the deck. Just as it goes out of view I get into position and when I get onto him he is stalling and goes into the ground.

Now that is impressive AI to make it try a move and then stall...brilliant.

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lPmkkBFT8M

Cheers, MP

[Phazon]

I agree that the AI should be held at one of the highest priorities now. Its importance for single-player goes without saying, however I feel that it would benefit multiplayer as well.

Not sure if eveyone is aware, but you can actually spawn with AI wingmen in multiplayer. This is a key feature in regards to helping recreate the sheer number of aircraft that featured in the Battle of Britain - it is impractical to expect to get the same amount of humans to join the one server.

At the moment its not worth taking AI wingmen because they just can't fly properly, on the ground or in the air. Coupled with the fact you just don't have any real control over them and it just turns into a frustrating experience. For the amount of work they put into enabling AI to dynamically spawn with players regardless of the missiontype, it just seems wasted when they just didn't come through with the code for the actual AI itself.

I don't know what the full story is. Maybe they lost the team member who was working on the AI and someone else had to fill in his place. I would hope that now however that they have enough team members working on it to actually get it working within a reasonable timeframe. A significant chunk of enjoyment that someone can get out of this game is lost because of the broken AI.

[JokkerFX]

Originally Posted by Mysticpuma

For those who haven't seen this video I did, here is an example of BoBII in action.

Now the initial attack from behind on the bombers I'd never get away with in IL2, but if you watch the rest you will get an idea of how good the AI is when under attack.

Also if you watch the titles, you'll see Gun camera footage I made from the game and in it I am chasing a damaged 109 low on the deck. Just as it goes out of view I get into position and when I get onto him he is stalling and goes into the ground.

Now that is impressive AI to make it try a move and then stall...brilliant.

Here's the video:

Cheers, MP

This my comment is not directly related to the topic, but BoB II: Wings of Victory seems to be even more unique WW2 flying combat simulator where is the opportunity to be at the same time hundreds of AI planes without the game's FPS dramatically fall, visual displays, even now, sometimes pretty good, although quite an old sim is already the case.

- Excellent video.

[nearmiss]

The Battle of Britain II WOV AI performance should be the benchmark for any recently released WW2 air combat simulation. That is, if it is still true that as improvements are made as they are continuously improved thereon.

Like Microprocessors, hard disk drives, computer graphics... don't think I need to say more.

Buddye and the BOB WOV community, set a benchmark that is achieveable with AI performance. You can virtually fly the BOB II WOV, and experience the AI. It's not pie in the sky and the community made that happen. There should be no going back to old AI standards or non-standards. The kind of AI performance in the BOB II WOV should be the starting point for current developers at minimum.

Buddye and the BOB WOV community will be glad to share what they know and how to achieve the kind of AI performance they have achieved. You can't ask for more.