Please working on fixing/improving AI

[Redwo1f]

Lots of interesting improvements done this past year and slated for the next update (just read through Han's Developer Diary), yet very little has been done nor seems to be planned to address quite a major issue with this sim, imho...the AI (and make no mistake, in its current condition it will certainly win no awards for its AI programming).

 

Please please please don't neglect this aspect of the game (it is pretty weak here (understatement) ). Spend time and effort on the AI improving it. It needs some monumental effort directed towards it, not the least of which is the AI's target fixation on the flight leader...and such basic things as being able to land!!!!!

 

Thank you for your read and consideration.

 

(and kudos to Patrick Wilson and his 3rd party campaign engine. Much is indebted to his work as the single player game is very lacking without and I believe lots of players would not be playing this without his efforts (I know I wouldn't)....don't neglect the single player offline game, developers, as effort is shifting to a new theater, please remember this important aspect of the game).

 

 

[seafireliv]

Absolutely support this. Need more thumbs up!

[Jade_Monkey]

I must say that recently the AI behavior has bothered me a bit.

 

Specifically, if you are in a quick mission, once you get behind an enemy plane they start feinting, like they are going to turn the other way but they don't. They end up flying in a wobbly way instead of smoother turns.

To me, it looks like the AI evaluating whether to change course, it decides to do so, and then a second after it takes it back. I wonder if this takes more CPU resources too.

 

It is also very easy to make the enemy stall, especially the P40 but it can be done with any plane.

 

I'm sure the team is working on refinements. They have proven that they are willing to improve every aspect of the sim.

[TP_Jacko]

Well for MP designed in the coop style there has been a significant improvement in the AI since the last patch . They attack now human pilots where before they often flew past.

[Juri_JS]

There are massive problems with the Fw-190 AI. Some mission editor commands don't work correctly with this plane and AI Fw-190 will lose altitude and sometimes crash when commands like cover or attack area are used. I had reported this problem month ago, but so far there has been no reaction by the devs. It's very announying, because I am working on a Fw-190 mission project on the Moscow map, that I had to put on hold because of these issues.

[Habu]

There are massive problems with the Fw-190 AI. Some mission editor commands don't work correctly with this plane and AI Fw-190 will lose altitude and sometimes crash when commands like cover or attack area are used. I had reported this problem month ago, but so far there has been no reaction by the devs. It's very announying, because I am working on a Fw-190 mission project on the Moscow map, that I had to put on hold because of these issues.

Juri, have you got a test mission showing that ?

 

If yes, provide me a link to download it.

[Juri_JS]

Yes, I had added a test mission when I made the bug report of the Command:AttackArea problem:

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/12258-autopilot-and-ai/page-3?do=findComment&comment=341628

 

The Command:Cover problem can be easily tested by playing a Fw-190 level bomber escort mission in the campaign. Here's my report of this problem:

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/12258-autopilot-and-ai/page-3?do=findComment&comment=370799

[Habu]

Ok Juri, thx, i'm going to have a look on it and run tests as soon as possible.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Habu

[BazzaLB]

I must say that recently the AI behavior has bothered me a bit.

 

Specifically, if you are in a quick mission, once you get behind an enemy plane they start feinting, like they are going to turn the other way but they don't. They end up flying in a wobbly way instead of smoother turns.

To me, it looks like the AI evaluating whether to change course, it decides to do so, and then a second after it takes it back. I wonder if this takes more CPU resources too.

 

It is also very easy to make the enemy stall, especially the P40 but it can be done with any plane.

 

I'm sure the team is working on refinements. They have proven that they are willing to improve every aspect of the sim.

This is my experience too. So many times during battle the AI have just fallen out of the sky or wobble around. I understand that there is some pride in the AI using the same sophisticated FM as player but I personally don't see the point if the AI can't handle the sophistication of the FM in a way that allows them to provide a nice single player challenge. After all, its the challenge I am after in SP, not any bragging rights of being a better pilot than the AI under identical FM conditions.

 

Personally, it wouldn't bother me if they used a much more simplistic FM but had believable AI fighting tactics. This might have the additional benefit of increasing number of opponents without excessive CPU loads and less AI wobbling and flat out falling out of the sky.

 

I only fly SP so its also an important aspect for my enjoyment of the game.

[Redwo1f]

yes, it is a major concern (SP Ai) because the AI is actually pretty poor relative to other sims (WOFF has fantastic AI, even original IL2 1946 is much better than the AI here)...my concern is that they don't seem to care because so little has been done over the last several patches to it even though it is  a MAJOR ISSUE (all focusing on other stuff and the MP). Anyway, I've shelved the game for a while because I just can't play single player the way it is anymore (and in all honesty, couldn't endorse it to any offline player in its current state).

Edited September 5, 2016 by Redwo1f

[Luft1942]

To be honest I'd much rather see improved frame rates and a well optimized game engine than improved AI... just my two cents.

[PatrickAWlson]

To be honest I'd much rather see improved frame rates and a well optimized game engine than improved AI... just my two cents.

 

In this case the tow very much go hand in hand, as it has been stated that AI is the prime CPU user.

[C6_lefuneste]

Please please please don't neglect this aspect of the game (it is pretty weak here (understatement) ). Spend time and effort on the AI improving it. It needs some monumental effort directed towards it, not the least of which is the AI's target fixation on the flight leader...and such basic things as being able to land!!!!!

 

 

I fully agree. The too bad AI keep me away from RoF/BoS/BoM. It is not compatible with autogen missions.

I went to DCS, where the AI is not good too, but there are good hand made campaign that hide this.

It's too bad, because Bos/Bom is a great sim. But simply too frustrating in SP because of the AI...

There should be big enhancement to do without too much efforts (seems to me) but there have been so few progress since RoF...

The only one I have noticed was to stop gunner to go sitting when an ennemy plane is near...

[PatrickAWlson]

Why not help the developers out by listing bugs - carefully, professionally, not whiny and cmplainy.  I get tremendous help from PWCG users who are willing to do this.  I am sure beta testers help in this manner but the community can too.

 

First - distinguish between bugs, new features, and pie in the sky ideals.  Second, let's start with bugs.  Then move to reasonable features.

 

1. AI will fly into the ground while flying waypoints.  It seems to prioritize some aspect of horizontal movement (get where its going) over vertical separation with the ground.

2. AI will all follow a single plane (usually the player) to the point of ignoring others - even when the others are obviously better targets or greater threats.

3. AI will get into this passive state with enemies around them.  More of a RoF thing but I have seen it in BoS too.  Seems to happen in conjunction with 2.

4. AI leaders will run away rather  than throttle back.  This happens regardless of WP cruise speed.

5. AI will stern chase forever.  

6. AI return to base ... is this working?  I have not seen it but maybe I need to pay more attention.

[Yogiflight]

I would like to add another point to Patrick´s list. AI bomber and ground attack aircraft flights don´t seem to have a priority for attacking their ground target. When I attack them, even when I am the only one attacking six IL2s, they will not attack their target, however I, of course, can only attack one aircraft at once, so the remaining would be able to do their bombrun.

What I also noticed, when they are not attacked, only one of them, I suppose the flightleader, drops his bombs, while the remaining aircrafts take their bombs back to their base. And I noticed it several times, that, when they attack my airfield, the bombs are aimed to the beginning of the runway instead of hangars, parked aircrafts, or AAA positions.

[C6_lefuneste]

I asked about IA improvment in the kuban announcement thead. Jason has answered some questions there. Maybe if everybody worried by the problem post there also we may have a return ?