Impossible to play as an attack in PWCG?

[Lymark]

 I recently returned to the game, found out about PWCG and tried it out a bit,

 

For whatever reasons, it seems like the enemy AI would only chase me(Stuka) and ignore everything else. I was being chased by like 10 enemies despite my squad were only slightly above me as an easier target than me. And apparently my escorts are quite useless. 

 

 I'm not sure If I'm supposed to adjust some setting to fix this problem or not? It's just literally unplayable for me with the Stuka atm. Am I the only one?

Edited June 25, 2016 by Lymark

[Picchio]

You're not, and it doesn't look like it's an issue that is solvable through user options in PWCG. Maybe Pat can do something internally, but I doubt it.

It just happens. The AI think it's cool...

[Lymark]

You're not, and it doesn't look like it's an issue that is solvable through user options in PWCG. Maybe Pat can do something internally, but I doubt it.

It just happens. The AI think it's cool...

So, is this just happened recently due to newly update of some sort or it's been this way since the release of this mod? 

[Picchio]

I believe it's the way the AI works. PWCG isn't the issue. But wait for Pat to confirm.

[Lymark]

I believe it's the way the AI works. PWCG isn't the issue. But wait for Pat to confirm.

I'm very curious how do people even been playing PWCG with such game-breaking problem, If the issue's been here for a while?(Or in this case, how do you even play it, assuming you're still playing the mod)? At least, I could try playing with one's setting to see if it gets better.

 

No offence to the mod and Pat, but PWCG right now is totally and thoroughly unplayable. 

 

 Anyways, I just tried approaching the mission at 6km high, hoping to B&Z them one by one or lure them up here with their poor high ALT performance. But nope, they magically spawned at the same ALT as me(Further than the pic obviously). So, the problem isn't limited to attacker/bomber only.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Lymark

[PatrickAWlson]

I am having issues because that has not been my experience.  I really don't fly much, but I just ran a Stuka attack mission as a test.  The Russian fighters attacked, my escort engaged, and we continued on unmolested.  I am not denying that is your experience because you are definitely not the only person reporting it, but I have issues doing something about it because I cannot recreate it

 

Please post the mission in a zip file (.mission and .eng files),  If I can recreate the problem I can mess with the mission until it doesn't happen anymore.  Once I have identified the cause I can translate that into a code change.

 

Final note: please post machine specs if you are having this problem.  I know enough about the AI to understand that  they make their decisions inside of a processing loop (of sorts - it'a actually multi-threaded with decisions happening at different points).  I am wondering if it is lower - or maybe even higher - spec machines that see this issue.

Edited June 27, 2016 by PatrickAWlson

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

-snip-

 

 Anyways, I just tried approaching the mission at 6km high, hoping to B&Z them one by one or lure them up here with their poor high ALT performance. But nope, they magically spawned at the same ALT as me

 

-snip-

 

This is the one that occasionally gets me...

[PatrickAWlson]

Enemy planes do not magically spawn at the same altitude as the player.  I couldn't do that if I wanted to and I certainly don't want to.  Missions have an altitude band.  For fighters on patrol that band is 3K to 6.5K meters.  If planes spawned at 6K meters it is because that is where they were at in their patrol when they triggered the CZ and spawned.

 

One thing that I have thought of doing is designating fighter types as low/high altitude types and adjusting the band based on that information.  At the moment that is not the case and any type can spawn at any altitude within the mission band.

 

Back to the problem at hand.  Enemies chase only you all of the time?  Post a mission.  I'll look at it, try to recreate it, and then try to do something about it.

[Jade_Monkey]

I've had this as well. It's really frustrating because they ignore anyone else and it's practically impossible to escape them.

 

I assume it has to do with the game's AI.

[Yogiflight]

You have this also quite often in the normal campaign, so this is no PWCG- problem. It is just the AI. There is still a lot to do for the devs.

[Lymark]

Very strangely, I restarted my campaign, everything in default(low air density), and have yet seen any as said issues yet. I do still get focused a lot, but in a manageable number since I play in low density. 

 

 I'll keep playing and testing , and will definitely post you a mission file as soon as I run into the same issues.

 

 That being said, to those with the same problem, I recommend you guys go ahead and send Pat the mission file, see If we could help improving it!

[Lymark]

You have this also quite often in the normal campaign, so this is no PWCG- problem. It is just the AI. There is still a lot to do for the devs.

 I'm not sure what to say, but I've read some old posts and asked people around. It seemed like it used to be fine and dandy until some 'patches' ago.

 

 If we can't cure the problem completely, I guess we could at least somehow help lessening the problem. 

[PatrickAWlson]

I am wondering if too many planes in the air causes the AI to truncate its decision making loop, effectively producing "attack the player".  I know that the AI makes decisions in a loop, and that loop is performance intensive and latency sensitive.  If low air activity frees up cycles for better decision making then that is the way to go.  I recently upgraded my computer and I still play on low air because that produces plenty of contact.

 

I also know that I have looked at this issue before - flown a mission that another player complained about and posted - and I have not seen the same problem flying the posted mission.  Different computer, different results?

 

One thing that I can do is play with low/medium/high settings to reduce the activity generated by each.