AI request

[RPS69]

Is it possible to make the AI to identify it's flight before reporting any event?

Something like "Hier is Red 2, bandits ahead, vector x, angels Y"?

Specially the first item, that identify the flight in particular.

Thanks.

[Untamo]

S!

Also, it would be nice if they would say where they are at the moment. Many times the friendlies spot enemies or scream for help, and I have no idea where they are... So, something like:
"Flight Blahblah here. Enemy fighters spotted in (map grid)XY, alt Z, hdg 123." .. would be nice.

[FC99]

Originally Posted by RPS69

Is it possible to make the AI to identify it's flight before reporting any event?

Something like "Hier is Red 2, bandits ahead, vector x, angels Y"?

Specially the first item, that identify the flight in particular.

Thanks.

Aren't they do that already, maybe not in all messages but I'm sure that I heard them ID themselves,anyway, it is not hard to check.

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by FC99

Aren't they do that already, maybe not in all messages but I'm sure that I heard them ID themselves,anyway, it is not hard to check.

No, they don't Id themselves, and they don't state bandits angels.

I mean... they say their flight relative number, but they don't say which flight their are in. They say number 1..4, but they don't say Number red1..4, or blue 1..4 or white 1..4.
Doing the voices to all that is the tricky part, but just the text as a start will be fine.

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by Untamo

S!

Also, it would be nice if they would say where they are at the moment. Many times the friendlies spot enemies or scream for help, and I have no idea where they are... So, something like:
"Flight Blahblah here. Enemy fighters spotted in (map grid)XY, alt Z, hdg 123." .. would be nice.

Well... I won't expect that much even from humans, so I won't dare to ask it!

Just by stating their flight is enough for me. Angels will be a boon BTW.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by RPS69

Well... I won't expect that much even from humans, so I won't dare to ask it!

Just by stating their flight is enough for me. Angels will be a boon BTW.

If you really wanted to do it right, the amount of info you get over the radio should be based on the pilot's quality. Ace AI will give you near perfect recon info (e.g., "This is Foxfire-2, 12 Bf-109 incoming, Angels 20, vector 230, grid square A-23") and then get off the radio so the channel isn't blocked.

Rookies will just scream something like, "bogies, help me!" (actually, that's a lot like the current AI communications) and then forget to turn off his radio so nobody can use that channel!

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Rookies will just scream something like, "bogies, help me!" (actually, that's a lot like the current AI communications) and then forget to turn off his radio so nobody can use that channel!

We were complaining about just that the other day, specially on landings. The dialog with the tower is impossible when there are many fly groups landing. I usually turn that WP off when building missions, but when using the dynamic campaign with autogenerated missions, that's not possible. It's an old issue, and to me much more annoying than all the other AI's bad habits. Probably delayed because all voices must be reworked, but with the audio packs available now, maybe the only thing needed, is to add the flight fonetic as a variable.
Curiously enough, when you choose different flights, they have a color asigned to it. So someone, at sometime, pretended this to be the idea. But by some god knows who-what, it was abandoned in the box of forgotten good ideas.

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by FC99

Aren't they do that already, maybe not in all messages but I'm sure that I heard them ID themselves,anyway, it is not hard to check.

Did you find the time to check it?

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by RPS69

Probably delayed because all voices must be reworked, but with the audio packs available now, maybe the only thing needed, is to add the flight fonetic as a variable.

+1 for adding the Phonetic Alphabet. But, remember there wasn't a standardized phonetic alphabet at the time, so you'd need lots of different alphabets for all the different nations (U.S., Great Britain/Commonwealth, Germany, Soviet Union, etc.)

Also, it would be nice to have the numbers from 0-9 (or possibly even 0-20, 10-90, 100 and 1,000) for each language so AI could call out numbers for number of bogies, altitudes, etc. Obviously, since not every language handles its numbers in the same way, you'd need some variations.

Additionally, it would be cool if voice packs included generic colors (e.g., red, blue, green, yellow, brown, purple, white, black) so you could identify flights, flare colors or plane numbers.

Reworking the actual voice packs would be pretty easy, since there are enough fans in different countries that you could get a variety of languages and accents.

And, if you're willing to rework voicepacks, it would be a great opportunity to add actual call signs for Air Forces that used them. Minimally, just for planes, but even better if you could have identifiers for ships and airbases.

[Fenrir]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

+1 for adding the Phonetic Alphabet. But, remember there wasn't a standardized phonetic alphabet at the time, so you'd need lots of different alphabets for all the different nations (U.S., Great Britain/Commonwealth, Germany, Soviet Union, etc.)

It goes even further than that - the British Phonetic Alphabet actually changed during course of the war with the arrival of the US Forces but even so was still markedly different and not until the NATO system was introduced post war did both English speaking Allies sing from the same hymn sheet as it were. Complicated!

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Also, it would be nice to have the numbers from 0-9 (or possibly even 0-20, 10-90, 100 and 1,000) for each language so AI could call out numbers for number of bogies, altitudes, etc. Obviously, since not every language handles its numbers in the same way, you'd need some variations.

Would be good, if possible. I would maybe simplify it to be just a generic call of 'bandits' for 4 and under, and maybe '10 plus', '20 plus' etc. or similar for the requisite flight sizes.

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Additionally, it would be cool if voice packs included generic colors (e.g., red, blue, green, yellow, brown, purple, white, black) so you could identify flights, flare colors or plane numbers.

British and American flights do this already; for example aircraft #6 in a British flight calls out 'Yellow 2' (thats yellow - 2nd - flight, no. 2 aircraft) prior to most messages telling you if he's in trouble, bailing or under attack.

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Reworking the actual voice packs would be pretty easy, since there are enough fans in different countries that you could get a variety of languages and accents.

The recording process is straightforward, especially with the proliferation of good quality Voice Comms available, however, the editing - that is normalizing, segmenting, trimming, equalizing and then overdubbing of background effects (don't want it too clean, this is WW2 VHF comms we're talking about!) given the diversity of samples, the number of actors plus the additions you would like to see would make this a VERY time consuming and not un-tedious process. Easy? I shall have to disagree.

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

And, if you're willing to rework voicepacks, it would be a great opportunity to add actual call signs for Air Forces that used them. Minimally, just for planes, but even better if you could have identifiers for ships and airbases.

British and American squadrons (and even wing leaders in the RAF) had individual codenames - for example 92 Squadron RAF was 'Gannic' during Battle of Britain - but these could change.

It would be great to have this feature to differentiate those calls from members of your squadron from those allied aircraft engaging halfway across the map. However, the first problem is can the game make that differntiation and secondly, who has the sheer determination to slog their way through the massive amount of audio editing - for free?