I cant get my AI to drop the bombs

[6./ZG26_McKvack]

I command them to do like me and in the chat my guy says "Drop by my command" then i drop my bombs but nothing. Is there a separate command for the bombs? 

 

I am trying to enjoy the campaign but this is just killing it. I fly and drop my bombs with useless AI that does nothing. 

[6./ZG26_McKvack]

I did mention it in that thread but it sees like the developers did nothing. I would like a command: "Drop bombs". When you command it the AI will drop the bombs immediately. 

[6./ZG26_McKvack]

Does the AI drop bombs in the He-111 for anyone? I see them open the bomb doors but after that nothing. 

[Willy__]

Does the AI drop bombs in the He-111 for anyone? I see them open the bomb doors but after that nothing. 

 

Sometimes they drop, sometimes they dont, at least for me. I have a guess of what you could do to them drop off their bombs: you must line up for the bombing run and reduce throttle a little so the AI can catch-up with you, what I'm guessing is that when the bombers are in real close formation, they drop their bomb when you drop your bombs (you have to give them the command before hand), everytime I botch up the lining and have to make huge correction they usually dont drop their bombs. 

 

I also have the bug with the Stukas eating dirt after taking off, one work around I found is taking less bombs and the minimum amount of fuel, and even then its a gamble.

Edited December 28, 2014 by istruba

[6./ZG26_McKvack]

Sometimes they drop, sometimes they dont, at least for me. I have a guess of what you could do to them drop off their bombs: you must line up for the bombing run and reduce throttle a little so the AI can catch-up with you, what I'm guessing is that when the bombers are in real close formation, they drop their bomb when you drop your bombs (you have to give them the command before hand), everytime I botch up the lining and have to make huge correction they usually dont drop their bombs. 

 

I also have the bug with the Stukas eating dirt after taking off, one work around I found is taking less bombs and the minimum amount of fuel, and even then its a gamble.

Thank you. I will try that. 

[Comes]

You can order them to attack the nearest ground target. They won't release their bombs together with you, but they will make their own bomb run with their own approach etc... It may take them a few minutes, but in  case you missed the target, the ai hits it in most cases if you give them the "attack nearest ground target" order.

[FlatSpinMan]

Is this just for medium bombers, or for ground attack planes, too?

If it works like the medium/heavy AI in the old IL2, you'l need to give them a good few minutes flying straight and level before the target for it to work. Building mission in the past, I was always careful to schedule the initial point a  fair distance from the target so that everyone could sort themselves out. I don't know if that'll make a difference in this case, but it may be something to consider. 

[Comes]

I only tried it in the He-111 with the current version. Before that, sometimes it worked for ground attack planes, sometimes it did not...

Edited December 29, 2014 by Comes

[Oktusha]

While I am still new to the sim, I have noticed that the HE-111 and JU-87 never drop their bombs while I'm flight leader no matter what I do. I am just grateful at this point if they even get off the ground with me, and forget about them landing. Hell I was getting my last unlock for the HE-111 last night and there were 6-8 in my flight and not a single AI bomber landed. They all crashed way short of the runway, all of them...

 

I have yet to see a single HE-111 AI plane drop its bombs.

[33lima]

FWIW I asked Zak about getting Stukas in my flight to bomb - in the stock single mission I had ordered them to attack 'nearest ground target' in arrival at the 'Action point', without result. His answer was to the effect, give them no command, they do ok on their own. Haven't tried this yet!

 

What I HAVE tried is using the 'Attack nearest ground target' when flying ground attack missions in fighters. They took a while but did a good job, as described in my recent CombatAce mission report. The same tactics may work with other planes on that kind of mission anyway. Likely it should work for Sturmoviks and possibly Stukas, which did not always make traditional steep diving attacks  - this may be what Paul-Werner Hozzel is referring to when he describes making what he calls 'slant range attacks' against tanks and other targets, here:

 

http://www.allworldwars.com/Conversations-with-a-Stuka-Pilot-Paul-Werner-Hozzel.html

 

It's a bit concerning if there is no way to make level bombing attacks in formation, as in 'drop when I drop', for the He111 and the Pe-2. Maybe as FSM has indicated, there is a particular technique we must discover and apply. In CFS3 for example there was a particular drill you needed to follow to get a decent carpet bombing effect, which included gradual turns onto a bombing run with minimum course adjustments so the formation stayed intact and released when you did. If so, I wonder what it is for BoS.

Edited December 31, 2014 by 33lima

[Oktusha]

It would be nice to figure out what the AI is actually doing or not doing though.

 

I had checked out the IL-2 and PE-2 as I had not flown those yet. We hit the train or should I say I hit the train and was landing at home base. Even after telling them to return to base, ect, ect. I had to slam on the brakes because the other IL-2 AI that was in my flight came screaming across from the side of the the runway right in front of me... lol.... I didn't hit him but it was VERY close... hehe

Edited January 1, 2015 by Oktusha

[ShamrockOneFive]

Anyone having any luck in this area? I've switched to more ground attack mud moving stuff and I love flying the Pe-2 on dive bomb runs. The AI have no idea what to do there. The Stuka and IL-2 AI seem to be similarly useless most of the time sort of wallowing about getting shot at and generally not doing much. Would love to see them coordinate more.

 

Really need some bombing orders - "Drop when I drop" or "Drop at will" "Level bomb" "Dive bomb" etc.

[Oktusha]

I haven't had any luck with the IL-2s at all since I started trying to unlock items on it the other day. If they have dropped a bomb or fired a rocket I have yet to see it. They seem to only fly around the area getting shot up/shot down until I get through and start to head back to base. They break off as soon as we reach the action waypoint and that is about it... lol...

 

Hopefully this gets fixed "soon" since we do after all have to play the single player in order to unlock crap...

[33lima]

You guys are lucky. I wish I did have the problem of getting AI Stuka flight-mates to drop their bombs.

 

I don't have that problem, because I have this problem, instead:

 

 

 

 

 

As somebody said earlier, they crash; not on takeoff, but very soon after, within maybe a minute of leaving the ground. Happens even if I minimise bombload and fuel. Air starts appear to be the only workable solution for a Ju 87 mission at the moment. This is mostly but not all flying from Gumrak in the first SP campaign chapter,  in 'Normal' mode, but I'm gonna check that it is not airfield-specific. It's not me getting their way, because if I roll completly off the runway and let them complete their take-offs first, they still augur in. This badly needs a fix.

 

Best result I have got so far, is two out of four Stukas making it off, fortunately including me. Less happily, my two escorting 109s decided to have a mid-air collision en route. Heard a bang and on looking back, there were two chutes in the air and two 109s going down. First time I have seen that happen so c'est la guerre, on that one.

 

 

 

Flew that mission for the heck of it and we got some trucks in shallow dive attacks, but the Ivans got me.

 

 

Edited January 2, 2015 by 33lima

[Oktusha]

One thing I have noticed for sure in regard to the above is that if your flight gets off the ground before you do, they will crash about 99% of the time.

[ShamrockOneFive]

Well I'm glad it's not just me doing something silly. I was trying almost everything.

 

So far the best mission I've had I was a solo Ju87 with a SC1000 on a bridge strike. I didn't have to worry about the AI crashing behind me on the dive bomb run.

 

I guess this area of the AI needs more work.

[Kogru]

yep, been complaining about this for a while and the devs haven't done anything to fix it. Neither of the ground attack orders work, the AI will not do anything. It'd be cool if the developers could actually fix this because its somewhat game breaking.

[33lima]

I don't use CEM and have managed to take off ahead of the other Stukas - which still mostly crash. In the single mission that's included, me and two others (three out of three I think) got off in formation and made it to the target. Maybe that was just good luck or maybe there was some other factor at work; but on campaign, starting from Gumrak, whether I take off first or let the others go, about 3/4 seem to crash soon after their first turn.

 

My impression has always been that BoS AI-flown bombers, even when laden with bombs, throw themselves about the skies a bit too vigorously, which may be why their formations seem sometimes to lose cohesion on turns. Bomb-laden Stukas after takeoff seem to throw some very tight, low-level turns so I'm not surprised they come to grief. My money is on the AI's fighter-like (or WW1 two-seater-like?) handling of laden bombers, rather than the FMs, perhaps compounded by their efforts to get into formation after takeoff.

Edited January 3, 2015 by 33lima

[Willy__]

Got back from holidays and just played a few missions on campaign, so I update you folks with my findings:

 

For the Stuka (the plane I flown), I found out that my wingmen do attack targets, usually the artillery, if I dont give any command!!! I was leading as usual, when we got near the target there was the chat via radio saying about attacking the arty, I looked behind and saw they breaking off. Out of curiosity I followed they and kept formation, they did a big circle around and they started a shallow dive and dropped their bombs on the target. Unfortunately (for me), I forget to set the delays and got blown up in the bomb blast radius. 

 

But it was nice to see to that they indeed attacked the target, but once I gave one command everything went nuts and they do nothing.

 

-edit-

It would be nice to see them dive bombing and using the siren though. Maybe a fix for next patches ?

Edited January 4, 2015 by istruba

[33lima]

Thanks for the update, I haven't got that far very often because I keep trying ground starts and keep getting the Queen's Own McKamikaze Highlanders.

 

Yes that's what Zak advised, don't give the Stukas any command. If you lead your flight to the target area you seem to get a message - from a ground controller or forward observer, even if you are FAR into enemy territory and well out of sight - telling you to proceed to attack ground targets. It seems then that your Stuka wingmen - some of them anyway, some don't - respond to this. If you give them orders yourself, you will actually mess it up, which is daft. We're supposed to be the flight leader, who calls the shots. Not only do we need not need to do this, if we do, it goes awry.

 

And we still have the problem that they can't get airborne, most of the time.

[KoN_]

Same for me today while flying the il-2 the Ai did nothing , i flew back with two remaining il-2 and they still had there bombs and rockets on board . ??? not only that , every time i land it says emergency landing 50% points , whys is this,

if i landed ok at the given airfield . The unlocks are pain in the ass to be honest  . ... silly idea .....!!!

Also sound while getting hit is none , it just don't seem right , this game is pushing people away . the more i play the more frustrated it becomes .

[Mugwump]

I still haven't seen IL-2s, Pe-2s, or He-111s drop bombs ever.  I've seen the Sturmoviks strafe a few times, but never use bombs or rockets.

 

I posted about this several times in the AI tech support section during successive patches but it never seems to get addressed. 

[Willy__]

 

 

I still haven't seen IL-2s, Pe-2s, or He-111s drop bombs ever.  I've seen the Sturmoviks strafe a few times, but never use bombs or rockets.   I posted about this several times in the AI tech support section during successive patches but it never seems to get addressed. 

 

Did a couple of missions with the LaGG and my wingman did use his rockets, used the same tactid as said, didnt give any command, and he shot all his rockets on the arty. 

 

Really hope the dev fix this issue someday, as I really like doing offline campaign with the ai`s. 

[GridiroN]

I have never had a problem with dive bombers. I've actually won some missions after failing it myself because my flight mate takes out the last artillery piece or something. 

 

I have noticed HE111's don't ever drop their bombs for me though. I have just gotten really good at level bombing things myself. 

 

I've also noticed the issue with planes killing themselves is not only for bomber types. I'm levelling my FockeWulf right now and my friendly always kills himself. I fly every mission alone.

Edited January 5, 2015 by GridiroN