Suggestions for AI Improvements

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Marabekm

Does this help?

The existing method of specifying attack type aren't bad, and has the virtue of simplicity, but could be better.

Say you've got an aircraft which could attack in three different ways, like a solid-nosed B-25 armed with guns, bombs and rockets, or a TBF armed with guns, torpedoes and rockets. Say that the target is a small ship.

By default, the B-25 will glide or level bomb first, then use rockets, then use guns. The TBF will make a torpedo attack first, then use rockets, then maybe guns.

But, suppose that you wanted to create a patrol mission where you take out the small ship first, then attack a larger ship later. In that case, you'd want to keep your heavy ordinance for the bigger ship.

So, you'd want the option of making the planes make rocket or gun attacks first, and hold onto their bombs/torpedoes.

Or, say that you want the B-25 to use skip bombing rather than glide bombing. Currently, there's no way for the FMB to specify that attack preference.

Or, suppose you have a Ju-87 flying at 1,200 m. Currently, if set to bomb, it will make a level bombing attack rather than a glide bombing attack. Why couldn't it make a glide bombing attack instead, or just try to gain the 100 m needed to get sufficient altitude, and then make a dive bombing attack?

I can think of several ways the GAttack command could be made more useful.

First, give more attack options, and the option of different attack sequences, like I've described.

Second, have a flag in the FMB that reminds mission builders of the parameters required for planes to make certain attack types, and/or which automatically adjusts the planes' altitude to the minimum/maximum height required to make a particular attack.

For example, paratroop drops are always going to be at a minimum of ~200-300 m altitude, torpedo attacks are always going to be at 200 m or less, skip bombing attacks will always be at 100 m or less, dive bombing attacks will always start at 1,300 m or higher, and guided bomb attacks at 4,000 m or greater (plus whatever standoff distance is needed).

Originally Posted by Marabekm

You can't have a mix of say bombs and a torpedo, or regular bombs and 1 guided bomb on the same aircraft.

Why not? Is this a limitation of the game's AI, or just something that happened historically?

I can't find historical loadouts to make my case, but I could imagine that a big patrol bomber might carry a mix of torpedoes, bombs and/or rockets, or that if guided bombs were scarce that a bomber might carry a mix of guided and "dumb" bombs.

Originally Posted by Marabekm

There are no depth charges or mines currently in game, so I have no idea why this was even brought up?

These types of ordinance are available as mods, and would be highly appropriate to patrol bomber and bomber ops were they added to the official game. Since those weapons use slightly different attack techniques I included them [in brackets] as potential options should they ever appear.

[Pursuivant]

Further Attack Options

*"Kamikaze" if severely damaged or destroyed - If a plane meets the damage parameters, and the pilot is still alive and able to control the plane, he will will choose a suitable target (ground, air, ship, etc.) and dive at it rather than attempting to bail out.

* Opportunistic Kamikaze attacks - Planes will only kamikaze if a particular target, or type of target, presents itself. Otherwise, they don't suicide. For example, if you've got two waves of kamikazes and the first wave successfully destroys all the carriers and battleships in a task force, then the second wave might choose to not die to destroy second-line ships like destroyers or fleet auxiliaries.

* Optional Attack - Only attack using a certain method if a certain target, or type of target, is present. For example, only use torpedo attacks vs. large ships, only make rocket attacks vs. small ships, only use guns against soft vehicles or severely damaged small ships.

This option would be very handy to make sure that planes behave exactly as you want them to. No more strafing attacks vs. tanks or battleships.

* Maneuver to optimize attack. AI planes change formation, altitude and position as necessary to optimize their chances of destroying the target using the specified method of attack.

Admittedly, this option could be handled using proper waypoints in the FMB, but not all mission designers know the preferred historical tactics - like making torpedo runs in line abreast from a 45 degree angle abeam or astern to the target, or circling behind a Tiger tank and getting very close to it before making a rocket attack.