What you up to?

[tattywelshie]

I thought it would be fun to see what everyone is currently doing in the career mode right now, both vanilla and PW. I’m 6 missions into an Ironman LAGG-3 career on PWCG. What a challenge!!! I’ve scored 10 kills and bailed out once, my squadron is getting smashed every mission! The challenge the LAGG provides is great, very limited ammo so you’ve gotta make the shots count, I’ve found the 23mm canon helps a lot on it. She’s not the most manoeuvrable and loves to drop a wing, and your buggered pretty much if you end up with a 109 behind you. This is what I love about the game, flying an inferior aircraft and really working hard to survive is so rewarding. What’s everyone else up to then? Any good careers on the go?

Edited July 6, 2022 by tattywelshie

[RedeyeStorm]

Male?

[76IAP-Black]

Human! But Gerry is a dog ...

[tattywelshie]

Just now, 76IAP-Black said:

Human! But Gerry is a dog ...

Hahahahahah sorry I posted before I’d finished ?

[Hoss]

Whatchudoin?

Edited July 6, 2022 by Hoss

[Varibraun]

2 hours ago, tattywelshie said:

What’s everyone else up to then? Any good careers on the go?

 

Currently in my Great War PWCG Ironman campaign.  Been flying there since Jan 1917 and am currently in May 1918.  Flying both sides and have lost 10 player pilots along the way.  Best pilot so far was a Brit flying the Camel with 48 victories in No. 46 RFC.  Current primary living pilot is flying the Dr.1 with 13 victories in Jasta 11 (Led by Ernst Udet).  I also have a living rookie Frenchman flying Spads with Rene Fonck in Esc 103.

 

It has been a nice way to experience the variety of aircraft in FC by flying in many different squadrons and nationalities as the war progresses since the PWCG campaign continues along with dynamic and persistent squadrons regardless of the loss of your Ironman pilot.

[Majpalmer]

Moscow, Pat Wilson, not Ironman. It's October 22 1941. German.  I'm doing fine, for me--20 sorties, 12 kills.

 

Unfortunately, every pilot who began the campaign with me on 1 October is KIA, MIA, or wounded and gone. We're talking 100% casualty rate in three weeks!

 

For the Germans in 1941? Even in the final months of the war the attrition rate was about 30% a month. I know the Germans took heavy losses in the first phase of Barbarossa. We're talking 15% a month. For a 12-plane squadron that would be between 1 and 2 aircraft per month. I'm losing almost one aircraft per day. 

[Varibraun]

1 hour ago, Majpalmer said:

Unfortunately, every pilot who began the campaign with me on 1 October is KIA, MIA, or wounded and gone. We're talking 100% casualty rate in three weeks!

 

It is a challenge to keep your guys alive, but it can be done if you can help and protect a couple of your wingmen to ace status.  Once they hit 5 kills leave them out of the "live" flights and pick the next guy you are going to protect until he gets 5 (you can even throw them a few kills if you don't claim all of yours).  Rinse and repeat and you can eventually develop a squadron of cold eyed killers, especially flying LW early war.  See below...Gerhardt Abel is my Ironman player pilot, and he has been working hard to keep the boys alive and scoring, now with only one non-ace in the bunch.  (Regarding the mission #s, I have it set to 3:1).  

 

 

[spreckair]

I am playing through the Battle of Moscow with both a Luftwaffe pilot and a Russian pilot, just to see how it goes on each side.  I have about ten days left in the campaign, and then they will both move on to Stalingrad.  Since I am a beginner, I am not playing ironman, but after about three months of combat, I am able to avoid dying.  

[tattywelshie]

9 hours ago, Varibraun said:

It has been a nice way to experience the variety of aircraft in FC by flying in many different squadrons and nationalities as the war progresses since the PWCG campaign continues along with dynamic and persistent squadrons regardless of the loss of your Ironman pilot.

Yeah this is what I love as well, I tend to stick a type for a good chunk of time and then when I feel I’m up to speed with it, swap to something else.

[Asgar]

I‘m gonna start a Me 410 campaign as soon as I can ?

[tattywelshie]

2 hours ago, Asgar said:

I‘m gonna start a Me 410 campaign as soon as I can ?

Ah yes, I was thinking of starting a 110 career and then moving onto the 410 come Normandy time, wonder what squadrons would have had both. 

[Majpalmer]

16 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

It is a challenge to keep your guys alive, but it can be done if you can help and protect a couple of your wingmen to ace status.  Once they hit 5 kills leave them out of the "live" flights and pick the next guy you are going to protect until he gets 5 (you can even throw them a few kills if you don't claim all of yours).  Rinse and repeat and you can eventually develop a squadron of cold eyed killers, especially flying LW early war.  See below...Gerhardt Abel is my Ironman player pilot, and he has been working hard to keep the boys alive and scoring, now with only one non-ace in the bunch.  (Regarding the mission #s, I have it set to 3:1).  

 

 

Why 3/1? Just wondering what the rationale is. 

 

Playing Flying Circus/Pat Wilson I set it above 1 because missions flown seems to determine (I could be wrong) promotions. I had a guy with 50 kills in 25 sorties and he'd had one promotion. I changed it to 100 for the next hop as an experiment, and he was suddenly an Oberleutnant or something. 

 

As for my Moscow campaign, both my named aces--Barkhorn and Graf-- were dead the first fortnight. My stafel commander, who had more victories than either of them, also died. 

 

And here's another question you might know how to answer. There is a setting in advanced configuration that allows you to modifiy the AI to any number from -4 to +4. If you do modify the number for fighters, eg, does that change all fighters or only enemy fighters? 

[PatrickAWlson]

23 minutes ago, Majpalmer said:

Why 3/1? Just wondering what the rationale is. 

 

Playing Flying Circus/Pat Wilson I set it above 1 because missions flown seems to determine (I could be wrong) promotions. I had a guy with 50 kills in 25 sorties and he'd had one promotion. I changed it to 100 for the next hop as an experiment, and he was suddenly an Oberleutnant or something. 

 

As for my Moscow campaign, both my named aces--Barkhorn and Graf-- were dead the first fortnight. My stafel commander, who had more victories than either of them, also died. 

 

And here's another question you might know how to answer. There is a setting in advanced configuration that allows you to modifiy the AI to any number from -4 to +4. If you do modify the number for fighters, eg, does that change all fighters or only enemy fighters? 

 

Promotions are definitely tied to experience.  By default, PWCG gives you 3 missions credited for every 1 actually flown.  it takes awhile to reach higher ranks.

 

The Germans, in particular, did not necessarily promote high scoring pilots all that rapidly.  Hartmann's highest rank was Hauptmann.  Many WWI aces only made it to Oblt. or sometimes even Lt.  It was also the case that the Germans had no problem with a Lt commanding a squadron, where the British and Americans (not sure about he French or Russians) would tend to promote their squadron commanders to whatever command rank was.

[Varibraun]

14 minutes ago, Majpalmer said:

Why 3/1? Just wondering what the rationale is. 

 

For me, it is just trying to simulate "no contact" missions.  You are correct that it will also help with the promotions since I believe Pat uses a historically based formula that includes missions flown in the equation regarding promotions.  Edit - I see that Pat just came in above with the official answer.

 

20 minutes ago, Majpalmer said:

As for my Moscow campaign, both my named aces--Barkhorn and Graf-- were dead the first fortnight. My stafel commander, who had more victories than either of them, also died. 

 

Yeah, they typically won't die in the background simulation part of PWCG, but when they are actually flying in mission they don't get any special treatment, so they are just another Ace level AI that may take one in face like the rest of us (unless @PatrickAWlson says something different).  Probably just bad luck for your guys in such a short period of time, but I find in most of my campaigns the IRL aces eventually get hit and don't survive the war.  When you have them in your own squadron, you can remove them from some flights to give them a longer life. 

 

Bottom line on this for me is that I don't worry too much about it.  It is great to see the historical aces included, but honestly even for the best of them, luck was an important factor in the ones who actually survived the war.  If their luck runs out in my PWCG campaign before it did IRL...C’EST LA GUERRE

 

31 minutes ago, Majpalmer said:

There is a setting in advanced configuration that allows you to modifiy the AI to any number from -4 to +4. If you do modify the number for fighters, eg, does that change all fighters or only enemy fighters? 

 

I leave mine alone, so I don't improve or degrade the AI.  I really like Pat's system that tries to reflect some historical AI pilot skill level based on nationality and the point in the war.  So early Soviet pilots are mostly flying at novice level and the LW squadrons degrade in skill level as you move toward later war.  I enjoy watching & helping their AI level improve with their kills.  (I don't think there is any greater challenge in PWCG than trying to shepherd an early war Soviet squadron AI along to build a few aces with you in the roster and late 1944 LW on the Western Front AI survival is almost as hard).   

 

I "think" the modifier applies to all AI, both friend and foe, but someone else who uses it is probably a better source for confirmation.

[Fafnir_6]

12 hours ago, tattywelshie said:

Ah yes, I was thinking of starting a 110 career and then moving onto the 410 come Normandy time, wonder what squadrons would have had both. 

If you read the unit card for II/ZG26 flying Bf110E-2's in BoM, I believe it states that they eventually re-equip with the Me410 in 43 or early 44 before ending the war with Fw190s.

 

Cheers and happy hunting,

 

Fafnir_6

[Majpalmer]

4 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

 

Promotions are definitely tied to experience.  By default, PWCG gives you 3 missions credited for every 1 actually flown.  it takes awhile to reach higher ranks.

 

The Germans, in particular, did not necessarily promote high scoring pilots all that rapidly.  Hartmann's highest rank was Hauptmann.  Many WWI aces only made it to Oblt. or sometimes even Lt.  It was also the case that the Germans had no problem with a Lt commanding a squadron, where the British and Americans (not sure about he French or Russians) would tend to promote their squadron commanders to whatever command rank was.

Makes sense. 

 

And Pat, the next time you do update, possibly after the Normandy map gets released, the delay before takeoff doesn't work. I've tried it at 60 and 90 and ... bam! off you go. I like a bit more time to get my TRack IR set up, check out the wind and stuff, and get oriented. But it's not worth the effort to issue a new version just for that. 

 

I've been using in flight starts of late and I noticed that as soon as you pop into the mission you get radio messages about aircraft somewhere close. There are never any aircraft there and nothing happens, so it's not a problem. The AI pilots remain on course. But something is going on. 

[tattywelshie]

5 hours ago, Fafnir_6 said:

If you read the unit card for II/ZG26 flying Bf110E-2's in BoM, I believe it states that they eventually re-equip with the Me410 in 43 or early 44 before ending the war with Fw190s.

 

Cheers and happy hunting,

 

Fafnir_6

That’s interesting, I’m dreaming if I think I can get anywhere near 44 with a 110 career, I’m lucky to last more than 2 missions ?