Tips for running single player campaign alongside AI

[Skinny_Huesudo]

If anyone here has more experience running single player campaigns, could you share some tips for working with AI wingmen?

 

I have experience playing with AI wingmen on Falcon BMS, DCS and ArmA among others, and each has their particular quirks. But player/NPC interoperation is probably IL-2 BoX's Achilles' heel.

[PatrickAWlson]

You can't really work with them.  Sometimes they follow orders and sometimes not.  One thing that I do is avoid being the first into the middle of a furball.  I let my AI mates go first and then I follow.  This prevents the enemy AI from fixating on me.  Then I can focus on helping them and maybe keeping them alive a little better.  But that's probably not what you're after.

 

I find that commands like cover me are optional at best to the AI.  Return to base is usually obeyed.  Other, more specific commands I have not had much luck with.  My best guess is that the AI gets the command and then changes its mind one AI cycle later.  

 

[Skinny_Huesudo]

23 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

My best guess is that the AI gets the command and then changes its mind one AI cycle later. 

I strongly suspect waypoints can alter the AI wingmen's behavior. After all, on ground attack missions, my pilot orders them to attack ground units automatically without me pushing any puttons when I reach the attack waypoint.

[Leon_Portier]

14 minutes ago, Skinny_Huesudo said:

I strongly suspect waypoints can alter the AI wingmen's behavior. After all, on ground attack missions, my pilot orders them to attack ground units automatically without me pushing any puttons when I reach the attack waypoint.

Thats correct!

 

I made a reference, what the commands roughly do. Man thats like 2 years ago now, how time flies!

 

[PatrickAWlson]

1 hour ago, Skinny_Huesudo said:

I strongly suspect waypoints can alter the AI wingmen's behavior. After all, on ground attack missions, my pilot orders them to attack ground units automatically without me pushing any puttons when I reach the attack waypoint.

 

That is definitely true and is very much under the control of the mission designer.  There are three WP settings:
LOW: Be very aggressive

MED: Do your job and get aggressive only in self defense

HIGH: Ignore everything, including the guy shooting you to pieces, and just keep flying straight and level.

 

LOW is a must for any aggressive fighter mission.

MED is best for everything else.  If you are in a fighter on a ground attack mission, this is where problems can arise.  The AI has been told defend yourself and you might be trying to get them to attack a juicy target of opportunity.  Best suggest is do your job and go home.

HIGH is useless.  I would like to use it for level bombers but it actually shuts down the gunners!  About the only high priority WP that I use is "the ground" when an observation balloon is being winched down.

 

The problem comes in when the WP is LOW but the AI still acts ignorantly.  Or the WP is MED and bomber AI decides to start flying like a fighter.  Great fun to see a B-25 doing barrel rolls.  At that point it is not a mission design error.

 

 

[Skinny_Huesudo]

21 hours ago, [N.O.G.F]Leon_Portier said:

Thats correct!

 

I made a reference, what the commands roughly do. Man thats like 2 years ago now, how time flies!

 

That's a beautiful chart!
There's a list of orders on the game manual with descriptions... except the descriptions don't match to what actually happens in game when you use the orders ?‍♂️

Edited April 12, 2023 by Skinny_Huesudo

[kaizerhund4]

yep thats why i always play flight leader no matter what rank i am so that at least i have a chance that my crew will attack and score some points. the other day a squadron of pe bombers literally flew over our squad, i was not the leader this time, and the Major van shuehorn did not call break and attack. i was paralyzed by this audacious decision and was screaming and utilizing hand gestures through my cockpit, which btw i just cleaned so i know they could see me clearly, wth? never again!!!

Edited May 2, 2023 by kaizerhund4