Observed AI Behaviors (GOOD!)

[BlitzPig_EL]

So, today I made a new Co-op mission with SYN_Vander's mission generator tool.  Have not run any missions of that type in a long while.  6 AI B25s attack rail yard at Bonn, escorted by 6 P51Bs, all flying out of B-90.  Only ran it by myself so no one on the Luftwaffe side but AIs.   

 

The first shocker was as we were on our inbound leg, three He-111s showed up at an altitude between the Mustangs and the lower flying Mitchells. We (the Ponies) were at 16,000ft. +/- with our bombers probably around 10k ft.  I was all prepared for my flight to tear off after the bombers, but I went to the order commands and had them do as I do.  And they did!!!  I was shocked.  We flew by the He111s and stayed on course for the objective.  My next surprise was the B25s actually doing their level bombing job, and doing it well.  Three of them made the initial attack, and pasted the railyard, then the last three moved in and finished the job, Objective Completed!  Amazing.

 

So we turned for home, and that's when the real "fun" began.  We were intercepted by a flight of G6 Lates, and another of K4s.

I ordered my flight to engage, which they dutifully did, and we tied up the enemy fighters and allowed the B25s to escape.  One of the 109s broke off in chase of the 25s, but I ran him down and punched his ticket, I took a couple hits in the fight that followed as the rest of the pack caught up to me.  All the 25s made it home, we lost 2 Mustangs out of six, and we got 4 109s, 3 being shot down by yours truly.  I was getting oil on the screen but made it home.

 

The best thing about this action was that it really matched up with what I have read about real operations.  You know, the old saying "Hours of boredom broken up by minutes of terror".

 

Thanks to the team for getting us to a place where outcomes like this are possible.

 

I'm very impressed.

Edited December 29, 2021 by BlitzPig_EL

[Rjel]

The AI keeps getting better. It really doesn't seem so limited or predictable.

 

Excellent mission recap. I found a webpage with actual USAAF mission report forms. We need to do more of these I think as they add more immersion. I enjoy reading what other pilots see in their missions to compare and contrast with my own experiences.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Just played it again with two more of the Pigs.  Interesting that the enemy we encountered were at different places and also types of aircraft.  That's really cool as it gives repeatability to the mission.

 

 

And here we are after the mission, with one of the B25s rolling out after landing.  Myself in the foreground, BlitzPig_Lizard to my left and BlitzPig_WingN behind us.  

[RyanR]

Did the AI get some adjustment this last update? I thought I saw some new behaviors.

 

-Ryan

[oc2209]

I don't know about new behavior, but it did just take this unnerving snap shot at me a few minutes ago:

 

 

With a little more luck, he'd have killed my pilot. I'm talking about 10-12 inches away from a headshot, tops.

 

Here it is from another angle:

 

 

Creepy thing is, since he was coming at me inverted, the firing time was very brief. He didn't just hose out ammo like the AI often does. It was a legitimate snap shot. Little ammo wasted. All shots were either hits or very near misses.

[Guster]

6 hours ago, RyanR said:

Did the AI get some adjustment this last update? I thought I saw some new behaviors.

 

-Ryan

 

I dunno, but I could swear there's a noticeable difference for the better. It could be down to loads of other factors though, like small adjustments to the FMs or even the weather. Even average AI pilots make some sensible moves and take the fight into the vertical when it's to their advantage.

 

Had some 4v4s in the QMB last night (P-51D against G-14s) and I found myself genuinely in trouble on more than one occasion. My wingies are pretty good at chasing the enemy around but still can't seem to actually land some hits, so you sort of have to settle the match yourself.

[timothy55]

Yes I feel the same, noticed it more in Flying Circus.

[Halon]

Something I noticed for the first time a little while ago during an escort mission for some bombers, the flight leader seemingly dispatched two aircraft to intercept some enemies coming towards us. Naturally I didn't clock this until I'd already steamed off into the blue yonder, but basically the flight seemed to split, with the majority staying to protect the bombers who went on to successfully paste the target while the other two (and me doing my own thing) 'ran interference'.

[RedeyeStorm]

I am currently flying a Lightning career. I am the squadron commander at the moment. A couple times we got jumped by Fw190-A8’s. They massacred my escorts (one flight P51D’s and one flight spitfires XIV’s) so I had to order my flight to engage. My wingmen however kept their bombs while dogfighting. I think you can imagine how well that worked.

[l_commando]

From some of the quick 4v4 and 8v8 battles I've done over the last couple of days (1v1 battles still lack challenge much of the time), I've also noticed some promising improvements. Enemy aircraft are pretty decent at defensive maneuvers such as power dives and climbs and I've even seen them try to force overshoots from time to time. The biggest changes are needed in the friendly aircraft realm imo. While they are much more effective at engaging bombers and transports and have better trigger discipline than in the past, a lot of them still fire wild bursts into the atmosphere nowhere near or just off of their intended targets. They also seem to be much worse at deflection shooting than enemy aircraft.