Suggestion: make free hunt missions more diverse

[UFA_Bagel]

Based on my experience in BoM career, free hunt missions are always the same: 2-3 MiGs waiting for my pair exactly at the target waypoint at the flight altitude. Once I run into IL-2s heading to their target on my route back and it might be due to dense front activity setting. It would be great to see more scenarios: various fighter/bomber/transport/reconnaissance planes heading to the frontline/home, planes landing at their airfields or taking off for defending it from your attacks, mission routes alongside the frontline and not only on the enemy territory, some attacks on allied flights and you directed to cover them as the nearest fighter flight, etc.

 

Despite the dense front acrivty setting, airspace seems pretty empty in this type of missions while it should be opposite, at least sometimes, and that's what makes free hunt fun. Should I try higher diffuculty setting?

 

For comparison, I enjoy cover/intercept missions more as it's always different. A various number of planes, one or few waves, bombers with and without cover, fighters sent ahead of bombers or following them, IL-2 or Pe-2 or both. That's what I've noticed so far.

 

Great to know other's experience with free hunt missions in the career mode too.

Edited July 15, 2020 by elegz

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

There is a lot to improve about careers. 

 

A LOT.

 

Of course with many planes never spawning, it becomes redundant mighty fast. See my topic about planes never spawning in here and feel free to add to it. Maybe eventually a dev will answer to show that they still care.

 

Indeed the free hunt missions are always pretty basic. I also use the dense setting and its always the same, a couple of Migs. In BOS, a couple of Yaks. 

 

 

[UFA_Bagel]

Yes, more various planes is essential for the free hunt. Can not agree more.

 

Wondering how different this type of missions in the PWCG is.

Edited July 15, 2020 by elegz

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

I continued my 110 career in BOM tonight and it was a... free hunt.

 

I met 6x Il2s near the frontline, unescorted. Further away there was a fight between 109s and MiGs escorting Pe2s and I crossed another flight of MiGs on my way back home but avoided the fight because I had no cannon ammo left.

 

That was a pretty cool mission. I just wish there was more I-16s around. But thats pretty much the proof that free hunts arent always the same!

 

 

[Guest deleted@210880]

12 hours ago, elegz said:

Wondering how different this type of missions in the PWCG is.

 

I can only recommend giving PWCG a go, there's no harm in having both an in game career and a PWCG and using each on alternate days or something to see how you feel about each.

 

If giving PWCG a go, be sure to go through the settings and set the amounts of aircraft and things first; I find PWCG can easily over populate things for my CPU, but then it is a pretty crap one compared to most people's specs. So I'd suggest limiting ground objects a fair bit, and aircraft a little bit, then increase them if your system handles them ok. You can for example increase the number of enemy flights but have them smaller, I figure this may help in providing variety of aircraft (depending on squadrons in area of course).

 

Warning: Once you try PWCG it is unlikely you will go back to the game career!

 

 

[UFA_Bagel]

9 hours ago, I./JG52_Woutwocampe said:

I continued my 110 career in BOM tonight and it was a... free hunt.

 

I met 6x Il2s near the frontline, unescorted. Further away there was a fight between 109s and MiGs escorting Pe2s and I crossed another flight of MiGs on my way back home but avoided the fight because I had no cannon ammo left.

 

That was a pretty cool mission. I just wish there was more I-16s around. But thats pretty much the proof that free hunts arent always the same!

 

 

 

Hope to see something like that soon. That's what the free hunt should look like.

 

What chapter of BoM is it? Perhaps, it depends on the position of enemy airfileds and the frontline.

 

I also have another idea I want to try. If the player is the leader it's possible to adjust the mission route to some extend or to ignore the route and your wingmam will follow you. Maybe, we should try to guess the enemy routes and try to cross them totally ingonoring the suggested route. As I remember, the major mission goal is completed as soon as you start the mission so the player will not fail the mission by choosing another area for the hunt.

 

3 hours ago, John_Yossarian said:

 

I can only recommend giving PWCG a go, there's no harm in having both an in game career and a PWCG and using each on alternate days or something to see how you feel about each.

 

If giving PWCG a go, be sure to go through the settings and set the amounts of aircraft and things first; I find PWCG can easily over populate things for my CPU, but then it is a pretty crap one compared to most people's specs. So I'd suggest limiting ground objects a fair bit, and aircraft a little bit, then increase them if your system handles them ok. You can for example increase the number of enemy flights but have them smaller, I figure this may help in providing variety of aircraft (depending on squadrons in area of course).

 

Warning: Once you try PWCG it is unlikely you will go back to the game career!

 

 

 

Ye, I want to give it a try soon. Thanks for you suggestions. What you are saing means PWCG is higly configurable so it's a good chance to get the missions I like. Looks very promissing!

Edited July 16, 2020 by elegz

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

@elegz

 

The current date in this career is January 1st 1942.

[LukeFF]

8 hours ago, elegz said:

I also have another idea I want to try. If the player is the leader it's possible to adjust the mission route to some extend or to ignore the route and your wingmam will follow you. Maybe, we should try to guess the enemy routes and try to cross them totally ingonoring the suggested route. As I remember, the major mission goal is completed as soon as you start the mission so the player will not fail the mission by choosing another area for the hunt.

 

Yes, as it's a free hunt mission, you are - excuse the pun - free to choose whatever flight path you want. The generated flight path is just there as a suggestion.

Edited July 16, 2020 by LukeFF

[UFA_Bagel]

9 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

 

Yes, as it's a free hunt mission, you are - excuse the pun - free to choose whatever flight path you want. The generated flight path is just there as a suggestion.

 

Are you saying you have different experience with free exploration of the map in this type of missions? ?

[LukeFF]

3 hours ago, elegz said:

Are you saying you have different experience with free exploration of the map in this type of missions? ?

 

Yes