Getting Wingmen to attack Ground Targets...Bridges specifically

[Napping-Man]

I've been flying as flight lead recently in the Career, and I was trying to get my Flight to engage a Bridge.  Is there a certain Radio command I need to use?  Because I missed the bridge (yeah, I know), and was trying to get them to take a shot.  I was flying a Yak-7B in the Kuban.  They'd go after other ground targets with the "Engage nearest Ground Target" command, but never the bridge.  Or is it totally up to me to destroy it?

[Gambit21]

The bridge would have to be set to "linked entity" in the mission file, and set to "German"

Or a "fake block" set on the bridge set to "German"

 

In other words, the mission logic might not be present to allow the AI to recognize the bridge as a target.

[pilotpierre]

2 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

The bridge would have to be set to "linked entity" in the mission file, and set to "German"

Or a "fake block" set on the bridge set to "German"

 

In other words, the mission logic might not be present to allow the AI to recognize the bridge as a target.

I really envy you bi-lingual Guys. Guess I just have to be content with being cunnilingual.

[Napping-Man]

Ah, I'm in the career mode, so I don't have access to the mission itself.  Anyone actually seen your wingies bomb something besides a vehicle/AAA?

[unreasonable]

1 hour ago, Napping-Man said:

Ah, I'm in the career mode, so I don't have access to the mission itself.  Anyone actually seen your wingies bomb something besides a vehicle/AAA?

 

Yes: I have seen the AI Bf109 bomb a bridge with his first pass. That was in a career mission where I was not flight leader, although I do not know if that should make a difference. The rest of the flight went on to attack ground units around the bridge. 

 

It may be the case that when attacking ground units the AI randomly select a unit to attack in a set zone: given that there are usually quite a few units in the vicinity of the bridge (8-12?) and a fighter bomber flight only has as many bomb attacks as it has aircraft, the bridge  usually does not get selected. In the subsequent passes the bridge is ignored as being an inappropriate target for MG/cannon fire.  Or they could be selecting the nearest unit in the zone and there usually just happens to be another unit before the bridge. 

 

This is all speculation; but the AI is certainly capable of bombing bridges under certain conditions:  I am just not sure what those conditions are.

1 hour ago, Napping-Man said:

Ah, I'm in the career mode, so I don't have access to the mission itself. 

 

You do if you look before going to the next day. In your data/missions folder there is a mission called _gen.mission   This is the last mission generated by either the QMB or the career.  So if something odd happens you can exit the career after ending the mission, but before doing anything else, and open _gen.mission in the mission editor.  You can also save it with a new name if you want to make a bug report with the mission file attached.

 

Whether you will be able to find out any useful information is another matter: the generated missions are very complex.

Edited January 13, 2019 by unreasonable

[Napping-Man]

Very interesting....thanks for the response.  Maybe the missions are setup so if the Player is leader, the Wingmen will attack other targets...assuming the Player Lead will successfully destroy it.  A poor assumption regarding my bombing skills.   

[RedeyeStorm]

In my experience the AI prioritise AAA-targets and only after those are gone attack other targets.

[Solmyr]

On 1/13/2019 at 10:15 AM, [Pb]RedeyeStorm said:

In my experience the AI prioritise AAA-targets and only after those are gone attack other targets.

 

In mine too, and I think it's a good thing.

When they're ok to attack ground targets, which never happens speaking about light fighters' standard weaponry, even if you as flight leader order them to. ? ?

[Gambit21]

AAA are set as priority in the default game logic unless a specific target is linked.

 

So you could easily set the target as a particular bridge, but the mission must be set up this way.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Gambit21

[-TBC-AeroAce]

I don't play SP much but in my limmited experience they don't seem to attack anything I want them to.

[Alfaunostebas11]

Apart from the difficulty of inducing a wingman to attack a bridge, more generally I find it very difficult, if not impossible - flying as a leader - to order a wingman to attack a certain ground unit.
In IL.2 46 you have many options and you can order to attack antiaircraft guns, vehicles, bridges, ships, tanks, etc. and in any case you have the ability to designate a target (padlocking it) and order the wingmen (or only one wingman...) to attack it, while you take care of other objectives or simply you are watching, reserving your attack if others have failed.
The new IL 2 Sturmovik, although it has a Mission Editor that - to know how to master ... - allows you to do almost everything, it seems to me that in this circumstance of the attack on the ground and in general in terms of giving orders, has several gaps.
The practical question is:
- being in command of a flight of Stuka and having as objective to destroy the largest number of tanks (obviously linked entities) in an array of enemy forces, including other types of units, what order can I give?
- and in particular can you use the "Do like me" while I attack a tank, to induce the wingmen to do the same ?

In any case, my suggestion to developers, for the next releases, is to enhance this section of the simulator, taking a bit for example the old IL-2 ...

 

Stebas.

Edited February 7, 2019 by Alfaunostebas11

[Tyberan]

On 1/13/2019 at 6:28 AM, pilotpierre said:

I really envy you bi-lingual Guys. Guess I just have to be content with being cunnilingual.

Thanks for making me spray my coffee, good one