Curious AI Formation skills

[busdriver]

My experience has been extremely positive (for the most part) with the latest AI update. The SP experience is very enjoyable. And thanks to the flight log and recorder I get to review AI behavior along with my terrible strafing . This post is NOT finger pointing, it's just something I noticed only after I reviewed a mission recording.

 

Enroute to the target all four of the Escort flight were weaving back and forth above my flight. A few km prior to the target both of my wingmen jettisoned their bombs and joined the escort in air-to-air against some MiGs. When I finished my attack runs and directed my wingman to RTB, the escorts departed with us. That was cool. I don't know if that was simply good timing by me (a coincidence) or a positive change with the AI update. The reason I don't know is previously I would have been running away like a scalded @ss ape with multiple bandits on my tail and too busy to notice what the escorts were doing.

 

Anyway back to our RTB. In the green oval is me and my surviving wingman (EDIT: the downed wingman simply flew into the trees while I was making a strafing pass). The curious thing is the formation our escort is flying. Using icons (not shown) the formation is stacked with Lead on the bottom, then #2, #3 and #4 on top. 

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by busdriver