AI Cover for Player Planes on Multiplayer

[SAS_Storebror]

Hi folks,

 

Today I've got a question for the mission editor specialists again.

I'd like to add AI fighter cover to player planes on a multiplayer dogfight mission.

So far I though this might work just out of the box:

I have the fake airfield, and the "OnPlaneSpawned" event of that airfield triggers the spawner for two AI fighters, which 100ms later get a "Cover" command addressed to cover - yeah what? - the fake airfield, in the hope that they'll cover the plane that just spawned.

That hope has not been fulfilled though, the AI fighter will cover the fake airfield (which has airspawn in this case, meaning that they'll circle around the spawn point).

I thought maybe a report would work better, but turns out that the Report "type" dropdown for fake airfields is empty.

 

So the question is: Is there any way to make AI planes cover player planes on multiplayer dogfight missions and if so: How?

 

Mike

[LLv34_Temuri]

This was discussed recently. I think the conclusion was no, it's not possible. You could try placing fake vehicles to presumed locations where players would go and link the cover command into the fake vehicles, then, using triggers, choose which fake block to cover. I just have no idea if it would work.

[SAS_Storebror]

Thanks for your reply.

I was afraid that it won't work.

In general the Mission Editor seems to lack the capability to deal with objects created at mission runtime.

All you deal with are the objects you put on the map yourself, but not those which get spawned at runtime.

 

Mike

[TP_Silk]

As far as I can see the only way this may be possible is with co-op missions rather than dogfight missions as with the co-op you could possibly still target the cover command to a specific aircraft.

 

I admit that this is not very practical in most cases and that I haven't actually tested it. It also doesn't solve OP's issues, but may provide an alternative.

[SAS_Storebror]

Yes coop missions of course will work as they have player aircraft you can point the cover command at.

Dogfight missions don't have this, they've got fake airfields only, that's the issue.

Too bad...

Another thing I've been dreaming of was to make player planes with ground start invulnerable until they took off.

Works with AI planes, but doesn't work with player planes in dogfight multiplayer mode for the very same reason.

 

Mike