Wingmen ground attack

[LonnyEnds]

I am playing through the campaign alternating between the 109 F4 and Stuka. I am wondering why my wingmen in Stukas do not attack the objective/ground targets in general. I have tried not giving any orders, as well as every ground attack command for wingmen. They just continue to follow me around carrying their bombs without engaging either the objective or targets of opportunity. I have also tried loitering above target without attacking to see if they will attack and they don't. What am I doing wrong as the 109 wingmen seem to be engaging the enemy aggressively with the latest builds without any command inputs on my part. Thank for any help.  

[Y-29.Silky]

Tell me about it. Especially when there's only 1 enemy to intercept, your 109 wingman will take him out in one pass.. I noticed if I do the "do as I do" command for bombing, they will drop their bombs when you do... What's wrong with that? They drop their bombs when you do, and won't even be near the target.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Silky

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 AI stands for Advanced Idiot.

[mort]

I notice they seem to take out one and only one artillery piece on the "destroy four artillery or two tanks" missions, no matter how many wingmen there are.

 

In fighters they do make short work of the lone target. Efficient jerks.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 Or the Stukas tried to engage fighters with their BK37 guns under wings in a convoy attack. Needless to say they got all but one shot down.

[siipperi]

Noticed this too. And there MUST be radio menu... Not shortcut pre orders.. So easier when you can see orders you going to send like in old il2 and dcs.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 Actually in original IL-2 I usually sent the AI planes home after mission started. I could do much more by myself than have these Advanced Idiots ramming and shooting me, colliding with eachother and totally ignoring the enemy targets. So not much of an improvement in over 10 years

[A-E-Hartmann]

S!

 

 Actually in original IL-2 I usually sent the AI planes home after mission started. I could do much more by myself than have these Advanced Idiots ramming and shooting me, colliding with eachother and totally ignoring the enemy targets. So not much of an improvement in over 10 years

1+ IA are just good to attract AAA. While you carried the job .

[SCG_Neun]

Last mission I flew I didn't have any command options even working. Perhaps just a fluke.....

[Mikey]

Last mission I flew I didn't have any command options even working. Perhaps just a fluke.....

a lone patrol? is there campaign missions with only your plane and no wingmen?

[LonnyEnds]

Awesome looks like a hurry up and wait situation! (hopefully not another decade) I just think it would be great to see a proper flight of Stukas attacking targets with the same tenacity as my 109 friends. I would even accept the odd ramming in that situation, but when they just follow you around it is very frustrating. I am wondering if the devs will come across this thread or that us ground pounders need to become loud in the updates thread for this issue to be addressed. 

[StickMan]

Could we get coop multiplayer for campaign, as well as the fixes requested here?

Edited October 26, 2014 by GeneralZod

[wellenbrecher]

That would solve a lot of the issues, wouldn't it? :c

But they told us multiple times they want a SP focused product, so that's unlikely.

[Elbows]

I have found, of all the planes, the IL-2 and Stuka in AI mode to be utterly useless ---- the Stuka more so.

 

None of the Stukas I've seen in AI control will actually dive bomb anything.  They routinely crawl in at weird 15 degree angles of attack and then wave off when they can't drop bombs (one even dropped a bomb at 50-100 meter altitude and blew himself up).  There is definitely no system built in to make Stukas perform actual dive bombing runs.  The IL-2 are equally bad with bombs, and I normally drop them and use rockets/guns when possible.  I've seen an IL-2 shoot its buddy down when attacking a convoy (both lined up, but were shooting at inverse targets --- guy in back fired two rockets into the lead plane).

 

All in all, ground-attack behavior and flight modes are absolutely terrible in the AI controlled planes.

[wellenbrecher]

For added hilarity, do a convoy intercept with 109s and watch in amazement as your buddies blow themselves up, one and all, with their own bombs.

[Brano]

For added hilarity, do a convoy intercept with 109s and watch in amazement as your buddies blow themselves up, one and all, with their own bombs.

You were supposed to set up bomb timers for all before you took off.Very irresponsible,commander

[wellenbrecher]

I take gunpods (in the F4 at least) for ground attack in SP. Way easier to get more (soft) targets than with bombs and less vulnerable to my horrible aim. But since they were unlocked because of founder status, the AI still went with bombs apparently.

Bombs I wasn't able to put timers on, mind! 

[7.GShAP/Silas]

At least you guys get your AI stukas to make it to the target. I can't get them off the ground in one piece for more than 45 seconds before they fly into a tree and kill themselves. If I assign the heaviest bomb load to all my wingmen, it's a death sentence for them.

[Tyberan]

At least you guys get your AI stukas to make it to the target. I can't get them off the ground in one piece for more than 45 seconds before they fly into a tree and kill themselves. If I assign the heaviest bomb load to all my wingmen, it's a death sentence for them.

 

I had the same issue, I think it has something to do with the default formation settings. I've noticed if you do not take off perfectly and your wingman takes off ahead of you he will try and stay in formation by flying at a lower altitude and slower speed. 

 

In which they inevitably fly into trees or pancake into the ground.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Tyberan

[LonnyEnds]

Haha sounds like the situation is worse than I thought, I mean I wouldn't even mind seeing some of the ridiculous stuff mentioned just for a laugh vs just getting frustrated at them not doing anything. My hope for relatively quick fix for the situation has gone out the window.

 

Nevertheless I will take a deep breathe and play a mission or two a day until the campaign is complete. My hope still remains high for the devs, and to a greater extent the community to make this sim what it should be. I was praying for FB/PF like release rather than a CLOD but looks like we got the latter rather than the former, just with a different set of annoyances.

 

Everyone having such issues should begin to bring it up in the game version thread as so far it has been bombarded with eliminate unlocks/let me change my profile name (which I also would really like). These problems seem to be legitimate and a key part of the core game play for a SP focused game with the IL-2 as the centerpiece. A co-op or the ability of MP XP would negate this situation but they have made it pretty clear those are not going to happen any time soon, if at all.     

[Mainstay]

I agree the current AI situation needs work because most of the time they dont do what they suppose to do.

[III/JG2Gustav05]

I am curious that such AI ground attack issue especially for Ju87 dive bombing fixed in certain extend or not? It will be a joke for PWCG Stuka career if this issue is still there.

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Seems it's a mixed bag. On the Il-2 the wingman will do long circles but eventually dive onto the target like a hawk and destroy it with short burst. The Pe-2 is weird - level bombing is fine, ground attack against fixed targets is OK, but try attacking a convoy and you'll see the genius attacking by flying over the road and letting the gunners shoot up the trucks. The MiG-3 is either very efficient, destroying moving and fixed stuff with little effort, or crashes into the neighbouring forest making a huge fireball. Haven't flown enough I-16 ground attack missions so I can't compare.

[III/JG2Gustav05]

Just give a try in quick mission, my wingman Ju87 still cannot do the dive bombing appropriately. This is really annoying . I don't know how it behaves in campaign mode. but I guess there is no difference.

[Comes]

What order do I have to give my wingman, If I want them to perform a dive bombing attack?

If I say "do like me" the just try to follow me and drop their bombs anywhere but on the target. 

I want them to perform the dive attack (AI can do it, the do it often enogh in the hand crafted missions).

[Yogiflight]

"Attack nearest ground target" should do this. But they might first turn away before attacking the target to follow their fixed attack plan.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

Attack nearest ground target can be problematic if there are lots of different targets in the same area.

[Yogiflight]

Yep, and my experience with 110 is, that the wingmen all attack the same target. Even on Ground support missions, where you have 24 artillery guns, they always attack the same gun.

[seafireliv]

Damn you guys need to petition the Devs about this if it`s that bad or it will never be fixed.

 

I, myself, haven`t watched AI bombers attacking when escorting them. I usually assume they`ve done the job. The subtitles that appears (at least in my last IL2 escort) seemed to show they were hitting all their targets successfully. And they made it back home as well.

 

Maybe the new patch has improved this?

[Yogiflight]

Horizontal bombing was in my experience never a problem. It is only dive bombing and ground attacking.