AAA skill level adjustable for altitude

[HagarTheHorrible]

 

To encourage historical behavior of players AAA can have it's skill setting adjusted according to the height at which it is firing.  When engaging targets at lower altitude AAA might be set to Ace, to encourage players to climb to higher altitudes, above that altitude AAA could then drop a level, or more, in skill level, it could drop skill level, again, higher still.

 

Altitudes at which these changes occur would be adjustable and defined by the mission designer.  Players could be alerted to these levels in the mission brief.

 

Example:      AAA skill level modifier (minimum value xxx m)

 

                      Ace            (             - 3000m )

                      Veteran     (3001m -  5000m)

                      Rookie       (5001m -             )

 

This addition could be good for gameplay and mission making.  I come to this from flying FC, being able to adjust AAA effectivness for altitude could encourage players to fly at more realistic altitudes, or to avoid AAA concentrations at lower altitudes, while still being able to fly low, over enemy territory, when away from these concentrations. If multiplayer maps could have opposition targets "camouflaged" (invisable), including AAA, when a game starts, recon flights could be used to photograph the enemy areas, return to base, enemy targets, including AAA concentrations, could then be automatically revealed on the map.  It would make recon flights much more important for success and therfore enhance roleplay.

 

[Gambit21]

That unfortunately is not possible without a bunch of different guns, with different AI settings, each with an attack area MCU set to a different altitude - places strategically in each mission.

Plus "ACE" level AAA should basically just never be used, it's too accurate, let alone down low.

 

It's fine to suggest things like this, but it helps to know what the editor logic is actually capable of.

[HagarTheHorrible]

21 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

That unfortunately is not possible without a bunch of different guns, with different AI settings, each with an attack area MCU set to a different altitude - places strategically in each mission.

Plus "ACE" level AAA should basically just never be used, it's too accurate, let alone down low.

 

It's fine to suggest things like this, but it helps to know what the editor logic is actually capable of.

 

 

You're quite correct, when you say I don't know anything about the editor logic, that said !

 

I'm possibly/probably wrong, in my assumption, but I imagine that AAA works by placing an asset on the map and setting a skill level for that object.  AAA skill level is defined by the AAA shooting at the assumed future position of the aircraft, time in flight according to altitude being one of the two variables that might indicate a hit, or not, if the pilot takes no evasive action, the other being a random variable plus or minus value, within a given sphere from the calculated impact point, again lets just say, for arguments sake, 50m at Ace.  Lower AAA skill levels go through the exact same process, but the random value, around that impact point, will be within an increasingly larger sphere of possible values. A.I skill for the gun remains consistent regardless of whether it is shooting at 1000m or 20,000m, the only difference is the difference between the decision point for the A.I, firing a shell, and the future position of the aircraft and thus the time available for the targeted pilot to vary his flight path.

 

If the A.I logic adjusted the size of possible random co-ordinates around the calculated shell imact point, starting with a default base level of random values, depending on ability, and then getting larger with altitude (stepped rather than continuous, for simplicity) then one gun might give better service, rather than the all or nothing that we have now.  Mission designers would, I hope, be able to adjust the altitudes at which these changes might take place (as described in my OP) 

 

What default skill levels are included by mission makers is entirly upto them, I only suggested "Ace" as an example, if a skill level is too demanding for the mission design (everyone gets killed) then mission designers can adjust it to suit.

 

AAA has a job to do, it just isn't nessecarily to kill players. they should, within the sim, act much like minefields, encouraging players to behave in certain ways, without killing them, that's the job of other players, or A.I aircraft. Enter the minefields in the sky, certainly, but know the risks. Being able to adjust the skill level of each individual gun would provide more flexability for mission makers, without having to add more objects

 

Anyway it was just a thought, something for others, more knowledgable than myself (pretty much everyone then), to pick up the ball and run with. I just do the "blue sky" thinking bit ?.

[Gambit21]

It doesn't really work like you describe.

That's assuming I'm tracking your post correctly, which is far more confusing than the editor logic.

 

Basically we can already, and we do adjust the skill level of the guns...simple as that.

If anything we'd want to invert your Ace/rookie altitudes.

[unreasonable]

3 hours ago, HagarTheHorrible said:

 

 

If the A.I logic adjusted the size of possible random co-ordinates around the calculated shell imact point, starting with a default base level of random values, depending on ability, and then getting larger with altitude (stepped rather than continuous, for simplicity) then one gun might give better service, rather than the all or nothing that we have now.  Mission designers would, I hope, be able to adjust the altitudes at which these changes might take place (as described in my OP) 

 

 

If the BoX AA is anything like the RoF version, and I think it is, then the error from the designated aim point already takes range into account.  The files gave a max error at 1000m, in m, depending on AI setting.  So I think it logical to assume that the error output in a given case was the base error times range to burst point in '000s m

 

Should be easy enough to check that the area of effect of AA is greater at high altitude in BoX - once you learn to use the ME. A fairly trivial mission to set up.