4.13 development update discussion and feedback

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Jami

This is just how human rookies behave when they start IL-2 combat flights.

Exactly why I proposed them! It's good to know that IL2 rookie pilots behave just like their historical predecessors. It certainly speaks to the sim's accuracy in terms of flight and gunnery models. Lucky for IL2 rookies that death, injury or capture is just a temporary inconvenience![/quote]

Originally Posted by Jami

This training hour information is interesting - many thanks for it. I think it can be used with human rookie IL-2 pilots, too. After 200-300 flight hours a human rookie may reach the limit of average - I think.

I disagree, a IL2 rookie gets much more time in combat and much more gunnery practice so their combat skills advance much more quickly. Remember, that for real pilots, most "combat flight hours" are spent traveling to and from the combat zone. Combat time is very short - perhaps as little as 2-3 minutes long. "Dogfights which last 10 minutes or more are very rare and generally only occur when you have a single combat between two highly skilled pilots.

By contrast, an IL2 novice who just sets up QMB mission after QMB mission and does nothing but practice combat techniques is going to have Average or even Veteran level gunnery and bombing skills after just a few hours of play. SA might still be crummy and landing, takeoff, navigation and formation flying skills will be shaky at best, but at least they will be able to fight!

Combat sim pilots who have been flying realistically in online settings for over a decade will have combat skills far better than most historical aces. If you could transport the best of this bunch back to 1915 or 1939, assuming they had the physical and emotional fitness to actually fly combat missions, they would quickly become leading aces.

As for mission building. Here is are rules of thumb that I've read for skill levels and which I use to design missions:

Rookie - Straight from training. Regardless of the number of flight hours they have, their Situational Awareness and ability to perform in combat are untested. They will be at the bottom level of statistical effectiveness with their weapons (1-2% hits by gunners, 10-25% accuracy for level bombing)

An experienced pilot just converting to a very different type of aircraft might also start at this level unless they have extensive combat experience. For example, a bomber pilot's SA isn't going to be nearly as good since has learned to rely on other crew to keep a lookout for enemy planes and he hasn't had to engage in dogfighting.

Average - 5 combat missions. Improved SA, demonstrated ability to cope with combat conditions. I'm not sure what the loss rates are from Rookie to Average, but a significant number of combat pilots don't make it. They're either found unfit for combat and are relegated to other duties, or they get killed, crippled or captured during one of their early missions. Combat veterans with experience in other types of planes (e.g., a fighter pilot converted to bombers or vice-versa) usually start at this level, although there are some gaps in skills.

Veteran - 25-50 combat missions, depending on intensity of combat. Further improvements in SA and combat skills. At this level, however, many combat aircrew will start to show psychological deterioration due to onset of PTSD, especially in units where there are heavy casualties. Historically, there was also significant attrition of aircrew (10%+) before the survivors attained this level of skill. Fighter pilots at this level will have shot down at least one plane. Attack pilots will have destroyed multiple ground targets. Gunners and bombardiers are at the maximum level of statistical effectiveness (5% hits for gunners, 50-90% bombing accuracy for level bombers). Most aircrew will top out at this level.

Ace - As for Veteran, but this level should be reserved for fighter and attack pilots who show an unusual level of aggression, skill and situational awareness that places them in the top 5% of combat pilots. Bombardiers, bomber pilots, navigators and gunners shouldn't advance to this level unless they are somehow "legendary." For argument, let's say this level applies to the top 5% for bombardiers and gunners.

Fighter pilots will have destroyed at least 3 planes (historically 5% of all fighter pilots claimed over 40% of enemy planes destroyed, but many potential aces were kept from getting 5+ planes by lack of targets. Viz. some late WW2 U.S. pilots who didn't make ace status during that war, but went on to become aces in Korea). Their gunnery, flying and bombing skills won't be any better than Veteran, but they have a higher level of Situational Awareness and tactical ability that sets them apart from the rest.