Suggestions for AI Improvements

[Pursuivant]

3) New Flight, Squadron and Wing Formation and Behavior Options:

There should be more options for standard squadron and wing formations as well as section and flight formations, which include standard AI behaviors for various sections or flights.

A) Ability to choose 3 plane sections as opposed to 2-plane sections.

B) Ability to choose 2, 3, 4 or 5 flight squadrons.

C) Option to allow planes to switch positions within a section, flight or squadron.

* Ability to regroup sections/flights. For example, if you have two sections which have each lost one plane, you should have the option of assigning one surviving plane as lead and the other surviving plane as wingman to form a new section.

Veteran or Ace pilots should automatically regroup in this way based on rank or initial flight position. For example, if if the lead from section 2 loses his wingman, and the wingman from section 3 loses his lead, then they should automatically reformate with section 2 leader as leader and section 3 wingman as wingman in a new section.

* Ability to reassign section, wing or squadron command, with planes changing position accordingly. This is important if a leader is injured or his plane is damaged.

D) More section, flight, etc. commands:

* Ability to make sections, flights or squadron gain or lose altitude while still holding formation, allowing formations which are "stepped" to the left, right, front or rear.

* Option for "formate on my target" allowing for very close escort of individual plane.

* Option for "follow my target" allowing for looser escort of a particular plane (or formation) or non-hostile pursuit of enemy.

E) New formations, either in FMB or as commands.

* Various USAAF Heavy Bomber "box" formations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_box
http://www.398th.org/Research/8th_AF...scription.html
http://www.airpower.at/news03/0813_l...ark/15USAF.htm
http://www.battle-fields.com/commsce...-17-Combat-Box
http://forum.worldofwarplanes.com/in...tacking-guide/

* 1944 USAAF Fighter Squadron Formation - 3 sections of 4 (2-plane sections) in line abreast and stepped down.

2 1 3 4    6 5 7 8    10 9 11 12

* Common Fighter Squadron Formation - 3 sections of 4 (2-plane sections) in "finger 4" formation with trailing flights stepped down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger-four

For squadrons of 12 planes, the formation is modified like this:

      1
     2  3
          4
 5            9
6  7        10  11    
     8            12

Alternately, this formation could be in line abreast:

  5 7       1 3       9  11
6     8   2     4   10      12

* Finger 4 could also be modified into "loose deuce" formation (could be achieved by using the existing "loosen formation" command).

         1

       2       3
                
                  4

or

      1        3


    2             4

* 1939-40 RAF squadron "Vic" formation with 4 "vics" of 3 planes. Each "Vic" maneuvers as a unit while maintaining overall squadron formation. The Soviets and Japanese also used this formation for a while, and it was a fairly common formation for light bombers and attack aircraft.

         1       4
       2   3    5  6
    7                 10 
  8   9             11   12

* 1939-40 RAF squadron "Line Astern" formation with 3 lines of 4 planes or 4 lines of 3 planes. Each line maneuvers as a unit while maintaining overall squadron formation.

   1   4   7  10     1  5  9
   2   5   8  11     2  6  10
   3   6   9  12     3  7  11
                        4  8  12

* "Gaggle" - by flight, squadron or wing. A loosely clustered group of aircraft with no formation.

       1
   11
4        6    5
   9  7  
3       12    
                  2
     8
           10

* Bomber Stream - essentially a very long "line astern" formation, but with each plane slightly offset in altitude (by 500-100 meters) from the plane ahead or behind.

F) Unless radio silence is being observed, flight leaders should call out speed changes (as well as course changes) when they reach a waypoint. This would make it possible to actually hold formation with the bombers you're escorting!

G) Waypoint information on map should include formation information.

H) Flight and Squadron formations should take off, formate, and make turns "by the book." Currently, formations turn very clumsily (at least in the QMB) such that they collide or lose formation.

http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/mshwpmn2.htm

http://www.quora.com/Operationally-s...run-in-Germany

* Command to "follow the leader" so that trailing planes in the formation attempt to follow the lead plane no matter what. Not historical in most cases.

I) Situational Awareness should be reduced for pilots who are attempting to hold close formation with their leader, or who are attempting to formate with other planes.

J) Option to set rally points. That is, a player designated "waypoint" on the map where planes which are isolated from the rest of the formation will travel to and loiter around. Similar to existing "Loiter Here" command, but can be set for a distant location.