4.11 - AI debugging

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Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz

In case it has not been reported yet.

In a mission I built in the FMB I have some late 1943 IL2 aircraft attacking some German tanks. The Ace IL2 aircraft hit the tanks with their cannons right on the mark, but when they fire rockets the rockets always hit the ground pretty far behind the tanks.

The firing of the rockets, machine guns and rockets is all done in one second at the most so it looks like when the aircraft's sight is on for the guns and cannons, it is low for the rockets.

I have tried altering the flight path and position of the waypoints in relation to the tanks, thinking that maybe the angle of attack was too shallow and that did not help at all.

This is a real problem...and since I make and test all of my own missions, I see it all the time. Without a doubt, the AI are aiming their rockets at a point too 'early' or 'below' their intended target. This applies to both moving and static targets.

If I remember correctly, this started a few patches back when rocket trajectories were given an overhaul to to act more 'realistically'. I have no problem with that, but it looks like the AI was not 'updated' to account for the new trajectories, and so appear to be aiming their rockets as if they were using the 'old' rocket trajectory.

As a result, the AI ends up 'walking' their rockets towards the target, with the hope of hitting the target with their last 2 rockets. Many times, none of the rockets come close to hitting the target.

I understand that in the early years of IL-2 the rocket trajectories were pretty much arcade-like in that they flew more like a laser beam. I like the way they behave now in a more realistic manner. However, I do think the AI needs to be reprogrammed to aim these rockets in a more efficient manner.

Check out the simple test mission I have uploaded. The AI is set to Ace.

*After viewing this test mission a number of times, I think I know why the AI is always initially hitting well 'below' the target.

First of all, you will notice that the AI is still firing it's guns and rockets at the same time. (I've never liked this but this has been present since day one.) Notice that the bullets are pretty much on target. This means that the AI is 'aiming' with his guns, not his rockets. (In the old days of IL-2, if you placed your gunsight on the target, you could hit the same spot with both your bullets and your rockets.

After the the rocket trajectory was adjusted, they now drop off in a more realistic manner. You have to aim 'above' the target if you want to hit it. Now back to the test mission. Since the AI is hitting the target with bullets, it is obviously placing it's gunsight on that spot. However, since it is also firing it's rockets at the same time, because of the new trajectories, the rockets are dropping off and hitting well below the target.

Here is my idea of how to resolve this issue. First of all, if the AI is attacking with rockets DO NOT program the AI to fire it's guns until all of it's rockets have been released. (Since the bullets and rockets now have drastically different trajectories, one of them will be off-target for sure...unless your target is a large one, like a ship.)

Secondly, the AI needs to be reprogrammed to 'aim' the rockets we have now (with the more realistic trajectory).


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