Suggestion for a future patch

[Music]

I would like to see Selecting a bomber on online dogfight servers, that the player can have the same formation of four (4) bombers that he can in QMB, and FMB. Is it possible. Two guys would be 8 bombers, and taking the time to get alt, invincible.

Gun Camera Tracers. 50cal are better now, but, at least on my computer, almost invisible, especially when the sun is anywhere in front of your plane.

I would like to be able to have icons on, with the ability to chose what distance when planes are close they disappear. It's the opposite* for online enemy planes now, I'd like to know who they are at the current allied distance, and not have the icon when they are close enough for a visual.

And a "map size" lock, So you can set up a server so that the players in game map will only show so much area. This would be another way of being able to see what side a plane is on, with no need for icons, and keeping the map limit to 10km, it would probably be historical-ish.

*Speaking of opposite, can you change all the default setting for NTRK playback to the opposite of what the currently are. it seems I have too every time I watch a track.

And of course, the ability to rewind NTRK's, even if it's just to skip it back a few seconds, or multiples of that.



I have really been enjoying 4.13, and no problems, still no p-40 tail wheel lock, (but the fine men at IRSS have still not added it to their dogfight server's available planes, nudge nudge wink wink, {can't navigate your site to make request IRSS}, and Skies of Valor, last I checked was still not updated), so it really does not matter. The P-40 handles well on the ground. I notice that it seems to pull to the right now when first spawning (air) and getting up to speed and leveled off, where as before it was to the left.
Great Job! Oleg, Great Job DT Many hours of captivating semi-historical frustrating, and euphoric diversion.

Happy Hunting

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Music

I would like to see Selecting a bomber on online dogfight servers, that the player can have the same formation of four (4) bombers that he can in QMB, and FMB. Is it possible. Two guys would be 8 bombers, and taking the time to get alt, invincible.

So, you're asking for the option to let players spawn a formation of aircraft in Co-op games, with the player flying the lead plane?

That's a potentially fun idea, since it allows for a "flight leader" or "squadron leader" perspective for human players. Not only do you have to fly and fight your own plane, but you also have to command the AI planes.

If you were penalize players for losing AI aircraft under their command, that would give players an incentive to treat their AI allies as something other than expendable pawns.

Originally Posted by Music

Gun Camera Tracers. 50cal are better now, but, at least on my computer, almost invisible, especially when the sun is anywhere in front of your plane.

The way that tracers look in real life vs. how they look on camera is a bit different. IL2 models the way that tracers really look.

Two simple options, which would be potentially unrealistic but fun, would be to give the player (or server admin, or mission builder) control of color and brightness of tracer bullets. In co-op play, each side could have its own tracer color. For historical missions, it allows the mission builder to make the decision as to whether a particular nation used red, green, or yellow tracers.

The player, or the server admin, could also have the option of choosing between realistic and cinematic tracer bullets.

Originally Posted by Music

I would like to be able to have icons on, with the ability to chose what distance when planes are close they disappear. It's the opposite* for online enemy planes now, I'd like to know who they are at the current allied distance, and not have the icon when they are close enough for a visual.

So, player or server controlled settings for a minimum and maximum distance where icons get turned on? That also seems simple and makes a nice compromise between "No icons" and "Icons on"

Originally Posted by Music

And a "map size" lock, So you can set up a server so that the players in game map will only show so much area. This would be another way of being able to see what side a plane is on, with no need for icons, and keeping the map limit to 10km, it would probably be historical-ish.

If I understand it right, this option would prevent the player from scrolling or zooming out in the map view, set by the mission builder in the FMB, or by the server admin.

This idea makes sense for pilots who are flying without maps, since the "map view" represents the pilot's understanding of the terrain he can actually see.

Another "realism" option would be to block map view entirely, to realistically simulate flying without a map.

[Music]

Yep, seems what I said made sense, I will add for the bombers in a flight, if the player could abandon a plane that is too damaged, that would be a good feature, keep him alive longer, (there is a mod that allows players to switch planes out now, so it is possible), and fighters would not know which plane player is in. (this would really be helpful, because believe it or not, players will ignore a whole formation of A.I. to go after a bomber with a player, seen it many times online

For the Icons, yes, and maybe have it so it's a ring, i.e. you can see icons between 200m and 1000m, (or what ever the server decides), that way those distant pixels are just as mysterious, and potentially dangerous.

Happy Hunting

[Ice_Eagle]

Badly damaged AI planes to immediately head for home, or in the case of japanese..
perhaps a 50/50 chance of a suicide attack, whether ground objects or ramming other
planes. Also, AI aircraft with very low fuel or damage receive priority when landing
would be nice.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Ice_Eagle

Badly damaged AI planes to immediately head for home, or in the case of japanese perhaps a 50/50 chance of a suicide attack, whether ground objects or ramming other planes. Also, AI aircraft with very low fuel or damage receive priority when landing would be nice.

AI has gotten much better, but its still got a ways to go.

One of the areas where its weak is how damaged planes react. In addition to the issues you mentioned (badly damaged planes still dogfighting, damaged planes not getting priority in the landing pattern), AI can still be stupid about decisions as to whether to bail out, or where to make emergency landings.

The decision tree needed to get damaged aircraft to behave realistically is pretty easy to figure out, but it would be time-consuming to implement.

Even so, given the huge improvement in AI behavior vs. bombers in the 4.13 patch, I'm hopeful that things will get even better in the next patch.

As for chance of suicide attacks, there should be a tiny chance that a pilot of any nation will make a suicide dive or ramming attack if he's badly wounded enough and his plane is badly damaged enough - especially for single-engined planes. Soviets and Japanese might be more prone to do so than pilots of other nations, but only Kamikazes should have a high chance of making a suicide attack.

[Spartan18a]

I think something like this would be great: Certificate's Ai Mod

http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.ph...g43.html#msg43

What does this do?

It changes the enemy pilot AI so that they perform defensive maneuvers besides the 360 degree roll.

- The AI should now scissor vertically and horizontally, zig zag from side to side, attempt negative G redouts to foul up your shot, perform an angled split S instead of constantly doing that 360 degree roll thing and all sorts of other stuff

- Made changes to the pilot settings to simulate overheat and reduce their unrealistic advantage of always being perfectly trimmed.

- AI Gunners are now toned down for AI aircraft only. AI Gunners on player controlled aircraft remain with default accuracy, even if co-op host is running AI mod. There's nothing that can currently be done about this.

- Changed landing light behavior. Will only use nav and landing lights at night, and should now use Nav lights in landing pattern, switch to landing lights on final.

- Random chance of enemy aircraft not reacting if you approach from behind with a large energy advantage. This is to simulate the AI getting "bounced". Chance decreases as skill level of enemy pilot increases, almost no chance of this happening vs. an Ace.

AI BEHAVIOR CHANGES ARE MOSTLY DONE TO VETERAN AND ACE LEVELS. TO FULLY UTIILIZE THIS MOD, TRY TO PLAY ON VETERAN OR ABOVE.

More detailed changes and notes available in the readme.txt in the AI_MOD install directory

[Ice_Eagle]

You like sugar pills too? Certs AI does nothing other the substitute one
maneuver for another. There is no critical thinking by AI. Its all a placebo.
Just look at the buggy buggy sas engine mod which uses CERTS AI. The AI
flew right past full retard and went straight to potato. When your player BF-109
can shoot down the AI controlled F4 or F-18.. somethings wrong son.

4.12/13 AI is the best to date. Albeit with some flaws, but so goes life.


That said, why the AI STILL eventually climbs to the verticle while in a dogfight
with enemy on its 6 is beyond me.. easy kill.

[Furio]

Originally Posted by Ice_Eagle

Badly damaged AI planes to immediately head for home.

In the meantime, it could be helpful to give more authority to player, regardless to his current rank.
Authority to: 1) order to any comrade of any rank to “Return to Base Immediately”. 2) To over ride control tower, giving priority to damaged planes.

I can’t see any collateral and undesirable effect on current gameplay, but I don’t know how much easy or difficult it would be.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Furio

In the meantime, it could be helpful to give more authority to player, regardless to his current rank.
Authority to: 1) order to any comrade of any rank to “Return to Base Immediately”. 2) To over ride control tower, giving priority to damaged planes.

+1.

This would be much simpler to implement than new AI programming.

The player should also be able to automatically give landing priority to any plane - not just damaged ones. This allows planes that are low on fuel or which have wounded crew aboard to land first.

Further useful commands for players:

1) Go to next waypoint - makes friendly planes stop flying towards their current waypoint and go to the next one. If used repeatedly, this command will eventually send the flight back to base.

This allows the player to skip stupidly placed or irrelevant waypoints. For example, no reason to follow a pre-programmed fighter sweep pattern if you've already met the enemy and shot him down.

2) Go to previous waypoint - makes friendly planes stop flying towards their current waypoint and go to the previous one. If used repeatedly, this command will eventually send the flight back to base.

This allows the player to prevent his flight from getting massacred by flying through flak or fighters when they don't have to. It also allows the player to establish "rally points" where planes in his flight can regroup after combat.

3) Divert to different airfield - Makes any plane in player's flight land at the nearest non-hostile airfield. Useful for making sure that damaged planes don't crash on the runway preventing other planes in the flight from landing.

4) Land here - Makes all planes in player's flight land at the nearest airfield. Basically, the group version of "Divert".

5) Don't land - makes any planes in player's flight break out of their landing pattern. If the enemy is nearby they engage in combat. Otherwise, they join formation.

Further tactical options that would be helpful are:

1) Climb + number = makes aircraft climb by n x 100 meters.

2) Descend + number = makes aircraft descend by n x 100 meters, down to a minimum of 100 m above ground level.

3) Loiter - makes planes circle over location set by player. Canceled by Rejoin Formation or Next Waypoint commands.

4) Fly this direction - makes planes fly in a particular direction unless attacked - 0 = N, 1 = NNE, etc. Countered by Loiter, Rejoin Formation, or Next Waypoint commands.

Good for avoiding obstacles or setting up ambushes.

[Ice_Eagle]

Set different altitudes for different flights in QMB. EG: Have flight 2 flying top
cover for flight 1 and such.