How do YOU play PWCG?

[Varibraun]

I just made a response post in General Discussion about how I play and it got me wondering how others are using Pat's great software:

 

1.  SP or COOP?

 

2.  For Coop:

-Do you only play with friends or do you have a way to invite others into the campaign?

-Do you only play on one side or play competitive?

-If competitive, do you ever open up initiations to "outsiders" to play as the opposing side?

-If inviting outsiders into the campaign, where do you post looking for players?

 

3.  For SP:

-Do you play Iron Man or keep the same pilot throughout?

-Do you play more than one pilot?  If so how many and do you alternate types (fighter, attack, bomber, transport)?

-If more than one, do you alternate sides?

-Do you play multiple campaigns at the same time?

 

Is there anything else you can tell us that might be unique or interesting about your campaigns?

 

To start - Here is how I play SP PWCG:

 

-Iron Man

Dead is dead, no exceptions, no replays, no matter what.  So, even if my computer crashes and my pilot dies, that is how the report goes into PWCG.  My view is this reflects IRL accidents, engine failures, etc.  Even if you question the ability of the AI to compete with your skill, surviving the war becomes its own challenge if you play unforgiving Iron Man.  However, PWCG ensures that the war and squadron pilots survive your pilot's death/capture/disability.  This adds another dimension in tracking your pilots throughout the war.  For me, it also illustrates the amazing skill, luck, survival and scoring of the Experten.  (Just try creating a German pilot in BoM and see how far you can take him following this rule).

-Multiple Pilots/Squadrons/Aircraft

I typically will create 4 pilots at the beginning of a campaign and alternate between them as the weeks go by.  I use my own naming scheme to keep track as they meet their fate:

First Name = Nationality (i.e. A = American, C = Canadian, E/B = English/British, G/D = German/Deutsche, R/U = Russian/USSR, etc.).  I keep the same first name throughout the campaign for that nationality.

Last Name = Alphabetical by each new pilot with that first name (A = 1st, B = 2nd, etc.). 

For example, in the aces screen below, "Eddie Allen" was my first British pilot and he somehow managed to survive the campaign/war (I am sure flying the Tempest helped).  "Abe Dickenson" was my 4th American pilot and was KIA after his 22nd victory.  (He was a P-38 jockey).  My 4th & 7th German pilot also made the top 10.

-Mission #s Per Flight

PWCG allows you to set how many missions you want to count for each actual player flight.  I have been setting this to "5" so that each time I fly, that pilot is credited with 5 missions.  Since most (but not all), PWCG missions have combat, increasing this setting lets you simulate "no contact" flights.  It also helps account for times you are off flying your other pilots.  This feature helps to keep the scoring within a somewhat historically accurate perspective.  I flew "Eddie Allen" on 18 actual missions resulting in the 90 reflected on the board, making his score of 33 at least closer to reasonable for a top ace. 

-Squadron Team Work Philosophy

 Since your squadrons AI pilots persist throughout the campaign, keeping them alive matters.  PWCG will allow you to forgo victory claims and then they will then typically be assigned to a squadron member flying with you.  Occasionally doing this, and also watching your AI mates' 6 during fights, builds the squadron's effectiveness as the AI pilot's levels advance.  I find it rewarding to work with the squadron AI to try to create a squadron of aces. 

-Transfer

You can also transfer to a struggling squadron if you want to see if you can help make a difference.  PWCG allows you to see the rosters of other squadrons, so when you see that a squadron is being led by a 1stLt, it might make sense to transfer your ace Captain to take command (especially if your current squadron is being led by historical ace Major George Preddy).

-Take Leave

I normally take a couple weeks leave for a pilot after an award or promotion.  Minor wounds will also put a pilot out of action for a few days, which will give you the choice switch pilots for a few days or to take leave until recovery.  Taking leave will help the campaign advance, much like the option to accelerate time in the Career mode. 

 

Sorry, copied this from the other post, it doesn't make complete sense without the Aces Screen Here:

 

Spoiler

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by Varibraun

[[808_BOB]_RlCK]

I normally play Co-op with friends.

I create a Campaign which normally goes "Map/Time period" (Stalingrad, Moscows, Bodeplatte) and "Allied/Axis". Then, I create 3 pilots for the chosen squadrons which normally go "Plane name" (Friedrich for the 109 F, Pony for P-51, etc) and "Pilot" + roman number (PWCG doesn't allow numbers in pilot names ).

 

Normally, I do not have the death option, since I don't actually follow kills or death of the pilots, and adding new ones is tiresome. We play as realistic as we can inside the simulator, but for PWCG these campaigns don't really matter. I just want to fly with friends and have a good time.

 

I do have 1 mission per day set. So that we can get as many missions per map as possible. 

[Vyllis]

1. Both SP & COOP.

 

2.  For Coop:

Friends, P40 campaign.

One side. Immersion, "roleplay". Dead is dead. (create a new pilot when one is dead).

 

3.  For SP:

No iron man because i want to experience the whole timeline.

IL2 attack plane atm, maybe bomber/fighter later when the AI get worthy.

Allies forever, never play Germans.

One compaign is played, then only coop (the coop campaign, P40 campaign).

[PatrickAWlson]

I do not play ironman but I do play heavily wounded counts (weeks to a few months out of action) to create a penalty for being killed.  I am an RPG fan and approach PWCG the same way.  I have a main character that I am playing.  I use that character from beginning to end.  I try hard to take care of my AI pilots and it actually bothers me to lose one. 

 

My Luftwaffe career arc generally goes from Me110 to 109 to 190.  I'm nowhere near the end of the war but I suspect that a stint in the 262 is in order.  On the American side I like the P38.  Have yet to try the P51.  British- so far I have only done test careers.  Need more time in the Spit.  Russian: I really like to start in the I16 and eventually end up in the P39.  Not as enthused with the plane set in between.

 

I also use the ability to have multiple pilots as supporting characters.  I really do like flying the Ju52 every so often so I have a pilot that does that.  I also have ground attackers because that is also fun to do.  Same with bombers but with the caveat that my proficiency is so poor I may as well not bother.

 

 

[RFG_Hisl]

15 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

 

To start - Here is how I play SP PWCG:

 

-Iron Man

Dead is dead, no exceptions, no replays, no matter what. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

In the original Game career mode 'iron man' is invulnerable. Is this reversed in PWCG?

[PatrickAWlson]

9 minutes ago, RFG_Hisl said:

 

In the original Game career mode 'iron man' is invulnerable. Is this reversed in PWCG?

In the 1C career mode iron man = dead is dead.  

 

Four settings in PWCG:

Invulnerable

Lightly wounded at worst (days to a couple of weeks lost)

Seriously wounded at worst (weeks to a couple of months lost)

Dead is dead (equivalent to career iron man)

 

Default is seriously wounded at worst, so by default PWCG will not kill a player persona.  However, you can set it any way you like.

 

 

[RFG_Hisl]

Thank you for the explanation of PWCG settings, but when you tick the option 'iron man' in career you are invulnerable.

[Varibraun]

11 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

I am an RPG fan and approach PWCG the same way.  I have a main character that I am playing.  I use that character from beginning to end.  I try hard to take care of my AI pilots and it actually bothers me to lose one. 

 

 

Me too, but unfortunately my RPG looks more like Game of Thrones with my main character ending up like Ned and Rob Stark.  Fortunately, you have given me the ability to have those pilots in supporting roles take over the lead.  I can't tell you how happy I was when my ace "Eddie Allen" made it through the Rhineland looking like Tyrion Lannister 

 

14 hours ago, Vyllis said:

3.  For SP:

No iron man because i want to experience the whole timeline.

 

Just making sure that you know that PWCG now allows you to create new pilots in SP that can carry on the entire timeline with the same (or different) squadrons if your main meets his fate along the way - just like Coop.

 

14 hours ago, [808_BOB]Dafak-man said:

I normally play Co-op with friends.

 

I would love to get my grown son interested for the same reason.  I am currently attempting to use Star Wars Squadrons as a gateway drug!

 

8 hours ago, RFG_Hisl said:

but when you tick the option 'iron man' in career you are invulnerable.

 

You had me wondering if this had changed, so I just tested this out to be 100% sure.  My poor new pilot as I drove his plane into deck leaving a smoking crater.  His tombstone is now inscribed "Dead is Dead" and the career won't advance.  So if you have been playing with the Iron Man option selected in Career and thinking you were invulnerable, you are a much better pilot than you give yourself credit for! 

[dburne]

10 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

Me too, but unfortunately my RPG looks more like Game of Thrones with my main character ending up like Ned and Rob Stark.  Fortunately, you have given me the ability to have those pilots in supporting roles take over the lead.  I can't tell you how happy I was when my ace "Eddie Allen" made it through the Rhineland looking like Tyrion Lannister 

 

 

Just making sure that you know that PWCG now allows you to create new pilots in SP that can carry on the entire timeline with the same (or different) squadrons if your main meets his fate along the way - just like Coop.

 

 

I would love to get my grown son interested for the same reason.  I am currently attempting to use Star Wars Squadrons as a gateway drug!

 

 

You had me wondering if this had changed, so I just tested this out to be 100% sure.  My poor new pilot as I drove his plane into deck leaving a smoking crater.  His tombstone is now inscribed "Dead is Dead" and the career won't advance.  So if you have been playing with the Iron Man option selected in Career and thinking you were invulnerable, you are a much better pilot than you give yourself credit for! 

 

This.

[vonGraf]

I have the pilot's vulnerability set to 4.

I've started to play two German SP campaigns simultaneously on the autumn Moscow map. One in a 109 fighter, the second in the 110 as destroyer.

But we ran almost out of 110's and I did a transfer to another squadron to give them a break.

Because there's no other destroyer formation in this area I play now as fighter too but set the odds for ground attacks higher in this campaign.

Since 11.4 all settings for number of flights, enemy and own planes, etc are back to standard. (They were a bit higher before)

I'm starting in the air but landing is 'mandatory'.

One of my pilots has no first name, don't know how I managed that.

Have about 65 missions each in every campaign and it's end of Dec.1941. Not many air kills (max. 10) but I've survived. Very few bail-outs.

 

 

[Varibraun]

On 10/29/2020 at 8:40 AM, PatrickAWlson said:

Have yet to try the P51.  British- so far I have only done test careers. 

 

Oh man...now I feel guilty for all the time you are spending solving riddles in the code.  You haven't lived a virtual life until you have a pilot in the Mustang and the Tempest!  Heck, even @dburne left his beloved Spitfires for a Mustang tour...

 

56 minutes ago, vonGraf said:

Have about 65 missions each in every campaign and it's end of Dec.1941. Not many air kills (max. 10) but I've survived. Very few bail-outs.

 

That's an impressive survival accomplishment with PWCG set to 4! 

[hebog5]

I play the heavy wound mode but if I get heavily wounded three times I delete my pilot.

I do this because plying dead is dead I would never get very far, but giving myself "three lives" means I have to be careful and not take "armchair pilot" [ which I am of course!] risks.

This makes my play in a more realistic way I suppose?

Anyway, I really do enjoy PWCG.

[Varibraun]

3 hours ago, hebog5 said:

I play the heavy wound mode but if I get heavily wounded three times I delete my pilot.

 

That is an interesting modified "Three strikes = Dead is Dead" playstyle.  When that happens, do you create a new pilot in the same squadron to continue the war, or do you end the campaign?

 

19 hours ago, vonGraf said:

I've started to play two German SP campaigns simultaneously on the autumn Moscow map. One in a 109 fighter, the second in the 110 as destroyer.

 

Question on this VonGraf - Are you creating separate campaigns (instead of just having those 2 pilots in the same campaign and alternating between them) to see how they track against each other?  Because Pat has created/modified PWCG in a way that allows so many different playstyles, even in just the posts so far, I think it is really interesting to see the different ways we all play and why.

 

One more question for anyone reading - Did the AI get noticeably better for you following the visibility patch?    I ask because I was grounded for several weeks and I just picked back up my Kuban Theater PWCG campaign (3 pilots, P-39, Yak-9 & BF-109).  Last night, it certainly seemed that the enemy AI P-39s, and even the Stukas, were flying more aggressively, evasively and properly (for a/c type) than I remember from the last time I flew that campaign in August.  I had to really work to get in firing position even when I was flying a superior a/c.  Maybe I am just rusty, but I don't think that was it...did you notice an improvement after that patch?  Thanks!

[hebog5]

Hi Varibraun. I usually create another pilot in the same squadron and see how far he gets me!

Also sometimes I start two campaigns over the same map, one German, one Russian for example, starting at about the same date and see who lasts longest.

A kind of competition I suppose, that again, helps to keep me involved and interested.

[grcurmudgeon]

1 hour ago, Varibraun said:

One more question for anyone reading - Did the AI get noticeably better for you following the visibility patch?    I ask because I was grounded for several weeks and I just picked back up my Kuban Theater PWCG campaign (3 pilots, P-39, Yak-9 & BF-109).  Last night, it certainly seemed that the enemy AI P-39s, and even the Stukas, were flying more aggressively, evasively and properly (for a/c type) than I remember from the last time I flew that campaign in August.  I had to really work to get in firing position even when I was flying a superior a/c.  Maybe I am just rusty, but I don't think that was it...did you notice an improvement after that patch?  Thanks!

There was a specific note in the last patch that the AI got more aggressive about shooting, which has made them more dangerous. And there are always ongoing improvements.

[Varibraun]

51 minutes ago, hebog5 said:

A kind of competition I suppose, that again, helps to keep me involved and interested.

 

Yes, I basically do the same thing for the same reason.  In fact, that was exactly the way I did it until Pat made the SP multi-pilot option.  Now, I just keep the competition between my pilots within the same campaign so they show up on the aces board together.  I now have my own "Race of Aces" - which is a great read BTW:

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Aces-Airmen-Battle-Become-ebook/dp/B07RGJPJXY

[vonGraf]

1 hour ago, Varibraun said:

Question on this VonGraf - Are you creating separate campaigns (instead of just having those 2 pilots in the same campaign and alternating between them) to see how they track against each other?  Because Pat has created/modified PWCG in a way that allows so many different playstyles, even in just the posts so far, I think it is really interesting to see the different ways we all play and why.

 

These are my first campaigns I've created and I let them this way now; every campaign has one pilot. Good idea though.

 

I didn't see the AI as more agressive after the patch. But I have a limited experience only.

 

(In general it's difficult for me to stay focused on this game at all, the missing Rotten or wingman system and lack of proper radio calls is a real mood killer for me.

Without PWCG I wouldn't play it anymore.)

Edited October 31, 2020 by vonGraf

[Retrofly]

I read that people fly more than 1 role in a campaign, how do you do that just run it as a sudo CooP campaign?

 

Edit, oops just saw the "Add pilot" button. Doh.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Retrofly

[PatrickAWlson]

36 minutes ago, Retrofly said:

I read that people fly more than 1 role in a campaign, how do you do that just run it as a sudo CooP campaign?

 

No need to do that.   Start a SP campaign.  Enter the campaign.  Look for the add pilot button on your campaign and add another pilot.  The new pilot can be anybody, any side. 

 

To switch to that pilot press "change reference pilot".  Now you will see the world according to his point of view.  Everything you do will be in terms of the currently selected reference pilot.  Be aware that other pilots will be sidelined while you fly as the new pilot.  You can only be one pilot in a given mission.  Transfers and leave will also cause time to pass for all pilots.

 

Uses: 

Change of pace.  A PWCG campaign is generally packed enough such that if you played one pilot all the way through you would end up with something approaching 1000 kills by wars end.  No need to fly every possible mission.  Take a break and fly a transport in a JU52 or anything else.

Fill in time while your "main" pilot is wounded.  Instead of taking leave to pass time you can switch to the other pilot and fly him for awhile.  Spend some time on the other side.  Do something different like fly a bomber.  Whatever you want.

Run competing pilots.  Alternate flying on on each side in a campaign. 

Run consecutive pilots.  Play dead is dead.  When one pilot is lost create another and continue the campaign.

 

Really, anything that you can think to do with multiple pilots is possible.  The only caveat is that when time passes for one it passes for all.

 

Coop, of course, is if you really want multiple humans flying at the same time.  PWCG SP assumes only one human pilot per mission.

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by PatrickAWlson

[stylo]

Thanks for this topic everyone. It's giving me some ideas on how to use PWCG.

 

Me, I'm just with the one MiG-3 pilot for now... starting on Moscow (Oct 1941) and plan to go as long as possible, wound level set to serious wounds. Not averse to switching to a Yak or La-5 at some point when they become available.

I am planning on setting "Missions credited" to 1:3 or so, to get realistic pacing for the number of kills in theater. Or maybe I should just create an IL-2 pilot in the same campaign, to alternate missions and get the pacing right?

I think I will fly this pilot until I crash her, then switch to an IL-2 pilot in the same theater while she recovers.

 

What do you all have your density set at? Air, Ground, AA, and CPU allowance. I have it set to Medium across the board but interested in what would be the most immersive settings.

 

And any thoughts on advanced config? Especially looking at odds of escort - default is 40 for bombers, 30 for dive bombers, 10 for ground attack. Is that realistic? Maybe it should be higher odds of escort.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by stylo

[Panzerlang]

We're flying a 2nd co-op campaign from day one, about eight weeks in from Oct '41, DiD setting. I'm on my second Ritterkreutzjager (the first one died at 54 kills in the first campaign when his wing fell off as he/I was coming in for a dead-stick landing after hitting wreckage). Pat's generator brought IL2 back to life for me, the best role-playing experience in a sim since RB2-3D. And I've had some of the most genuinely exhausting dogfights since starting simming in 1994. My brother had just lost his 23-kill ace in a head-on collision with an I-16 when I was set upon by three I-16 aces and a Lagg-3. Fifteen minutes in a gunboat F4, holed wing and shattered canopy, two of the I-16s and the Lagg flew into the ground (g-locked I guess) and the third I-16 shot down. I'd got hits on all of them so I was credited with four kills. I was actually sweating, hardest fight ever and a testament to the quality of the AI.

Currently at 42 kills. Best sortie, four IL2s with the one cannon. I've had them survive after expending all ammo from a gunboat, no wonder they called them concrete planes.

[Varibraun]

41 minutes ago, JG51-Hetzer said:

Pat's generator brought IL2 back to life for me, the best role-playing experience in a sim since RB2-3D. And I've had some of the most genuinely exhausting dogfights since starting simming in 1994.

 

AMEN!! 

 

3 hours ago, stylo said:

What do you all have your density set at? Air, Ground, AA, and CPU allowance. I have it set to Medium across the board but interested in what would be the most immersive settings.

 

Welcome aboard Stylo!  I am running a 9900K and have the CPU allowance set to High, but I have the other 3 all set to Low.  I fly mostly fighters, so I don't care too much about the ground action as long as I have a few targets when assigned those missions.  Even on low air density, I find plenty of action in the air on most missions.

 

2 hours ago, stylo said:

And any thoughts on advanced config? Especially looking at odds of escort - default is 40 for bombers, 30 for dive bombers, 10 for ground attack. Is that realistic? Maybe it should be higher odds of escort.

 

Yes...this was a pleasant surprise that with the Simple settings above, I can increase these escorts without any performance issues and it is more realistic for the bombers to have cover. It is not unusual to have 10-15 a/c engaged once the escorts get involved.  Here is what I am currently running for those settings (I believe the last setting "Max Virtual Escorts: 1000" was recommended by @PatrickAWlson to be sure the other % settings will always apply):

 

 

 

[Panzerlang]

One of the best features of this generator is even if the game/VR crashes (only SteamVR crashes so far, very occasionally) nothing is lost, the AAR still does its thing.

[stylo]

2 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

AMEN!! 

 

 

Welcome aboard Stylo!  I am running a 9900K and have the CPU allowance set to High, but I have the other 3 all set to Low.  I fly mostly fighters, so I don't care too much about the ground action as long as I have a few targets when assigned those missions.  Even on low air density, I find plenty of action in the air on most missions.

 

 

Yes...this was a pleasant surprise that with the Simple settings above, I can increase these escorts without any performance issues and it is more realistic for the bombers to have cover. It is not unusual to have 10-15 a/c engaged once the escorts get involved.  Here is what I am currently running for those settings (I believe the last setting "Max Virtual Escorts: 1000" was recommended by @PatrickAWlson to be sure the other % settings will always apply):

 

 

 

Thanks for these... I have a lowly i7-4710HQ and GTX 850M... So needless to say I will be running quite a bit lower hardware than you. I'll just change the Odds and the Max Virtual Escorts and see what happens.

Edited January 21, 2021 by stylo

[Dutch2]

6 hours ago, stylo said:

Thanks for these... I have a lowly i7-4710HQ and GTX 850M... So needless to say I will be running quite a bit lower hardware than you. I'll just change the Odds and the Max Virtual Escorts and see what happens.

 

For avoiding GPU performance problems,  set:

The smoke both to 0/0 or to something low if still wanting to see them. 

Campaign ->Configuration -> Advanced Config -> Weather to  0

 

 

[PatrickAWlson]

@stylo Airplanes take up the most CPU.  Max allied and max axis flights, along with reducing escorts, will give you the best performance increase.  Might want to set air activity to low and ground to medium.  Even on those setting there should be plenty going on.

[stylo]

9 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

@stylo Airplanes take up the most CPU.  Max allied and max axis flights, along with reducing escorts, will give you the best performance increase.  Might want to set air activity to low and ground to medium.  Even on those setting there should be plenty going on.

Thanks for this info, I'll try that. My CPU isn't terribly far behind modern spec, but my GPU gets outclassed by far.