New Career Difficulty Options

[Majpalmer]

I've returned to IL2 after almost two years. When I last played, the career options were Easy, Medium, and Difficult, I think. That seems to have been replaced by Air and AA Strength, Air AI Density, and Frontline Forces, all of which have 3 levels plus a 4th for RANDOM. I'm certain somewhere along the way these changes were explained. Could anyone please bring me up to date? 

 

I set them at the lowest levels on the first mission. The numbers were about even. So I cranked them up, but I think I have them too high. I'm playing FC and joined Jasta 14. I'm alive and scoring. But in the 3 days since my adjustments up, 8 of my 13 comrades are dead! 

 

Thanks.

[LukeFF]

The individual settings still control the same features as before but have been renamed so players can better understand them. The Random setting means the mission generator will randomly choose a setting, so there is less predictability about what sort of opposition you will encounter.

[No105_Swoose]

16 hours ago, LukeFF said:

The individual settings still control the same features as before but have been renamed so players can better understand them. The Random setting means the mission generator will randomly choose a setting, so there is less predictability about what sort of opposition you will encounter.

@LukeFF Thanks for the explanation.  I had not flown a stock career mission for two years, preferring Pat Wilson's Campaign Generator for my single player play.  But after reading this thread I decided to give Career another try.  I have to say it's very good and makes for interesting, challenging missions.  I like the Random setting option and the variety of new types of missions for Career play.  Keep up the good work!  Swoose

[Majpalmer]

Thanks, Luke!

 

Did some more searching and found this. 

 

Official
•
24 days ago

Air and AAA Strength determines how skilled enemy and friendly AI flights are, plus it determines how much AAA cover there is over a target you are assigned to attack. Random means the game will choose a setting at random for every mission.

 

Air AI Groups Density controls how many flights are generated on a given mission. Random again makes this a random choice.

 

Front Line Forces controls how dense ground units are on the front lines (and many of these ground units are covered by AA guns, too). Random makes it a random selection every time.

[Varibraun]

On 1/14/2024 at 12:54 AM, LukeFF said:

The Random setting means the mission generator will randomly choose a setting, so there is less predictability about what sort of opposition you will encounter.

 

Luke, you may have answered this elsewhere, but do you know if the new random setting applies the same AI setting to ALL aircraft in that mission or randomly among the different aircraft in that mission (i.e. you could have novice and ace opponents mixed together)?  Thank you!

Edited January 15, 2024 by Varibraun

[LukeFF]

3 hours ago, Varibraun said:

Luke, you may have answered this elsewhere, but do you know if the new random setting applies the same AI setting to ALL aircraft in that mission or randomly among the different aircraft in that mission (i.e. you could have novice and ace opponents mixed together)?  Thank you!

 

It's the former - the same AI setting is applied to all planes. I asked about this a while ago and it has something to do with the way things were coded, similar to how AI formations are always just one plane type.

[Panzerlang]

16 hours ago, LukeFF said:

It's the former - the same AI setting is applied to all planes. I asked about this a while ago and it has something to do with the way things were coded, similar to how AI formations are always just one plane type.

Well that's pretty naff and disappointing. All or nothing? The Red Baron might randomly fly like a rookie in a given mission?

Obvious next question...does Pat Wilson's generator do the same thing? I was just starting to get into the game's own WW1 career mode but after reading this I'm going to quit.

[Varibraun]

12 hours ago, LukeFF said:

It's the former - the same AI setting is applied to all planes. I asked about this a while ago and it has something to do with the way things were coded, similar to how AI formations are always just one plane type.

 

Thank you Luke - Yes, it sounds like they mainly changed the UI with a new random assignment option of the previous "easy, medium, hard" setting.  Also, if I recall correctly there was previously no "ace" level AI in the career with it capping out at "veteran" AI on the hard mode, so I would assume that is still the case.  Regardless, it is still an improvement not knowing what you will face.

 

12 hours ago, Hetzer-JG52 said:

Obvious next question...does Pat Wilson's generator do the same thing? I was just starting to get into the game's own WW1 career mode but after reading this I'm going to quit.

 

No, @PatrickAWlson has a full persistent background simulation running with the AI (both friendly and enemy) with all levels of AI based on missions flown and kills.  As the AI gains experience/kills it will progress and once it gets 5 kills (if it survives) it will go to Ace level.  This applies to EVERY pilot in EVERY squadron and the tracking continues throughout the campaign (even on the death of the player pilot, when you can add a new pilot and pickup the story).  Plus, he includes several of the historical aces who will always be flying at Ace level.

 

Pat will correct me if I have misspoken.  But this is just one reason why PWCG is preferred by many, and is IMHO by far the best career (and squadron simulator) in any of the modern combat flight sims. 

[Panzerlang]

10 hours ago, Varibraun said:

No, @PatrickAWlson has a full persistent background simulation running with the AI (both friendly and enemy) with all levels of AI based on missions flown and kills.  As the AI gains experience/kills it will progress and once it gets 5 kills (if it survives) it will go to Ace level.  This applies to EVERY pilot in EVERY squadron and the tracking continues throughout the campaign (even on the death of the player pilot, when you can add a new pilot and pickup the story).  Plus, he includes several of the historical aces who will always be flying at Ace level.

 

Pat will correct me if I have misspoken.  But this is just one reason why PWCG is preferred by many, and is IMHO by far the best career (and squadron simulator) in any of the modern combat flight sims. 

I knew there was a fundamental reason I've always used Pat's incredible creation. I'll stop being lazy and get his FC installed on the sim-rig.

[Russkly]

21 hours ago, Hetzer-JG52 said:

I knew there was a fundamental reason I've always used Pat's incredible creation. I'll stop being lazy and get his FC installed on the sim-rig.

 

Indeed.

 

Having played both modes extensively in both FC and GB, PWCG outstrips the Career mode in almost every aspect, apart from perhaps the UI.

 

If you set the AI to +4 in the PWCG advanced config, the enemy provides you with a better greater challenge than in the Career Mode in my experience.

 

Moreover not every flight contains 6 aircraft as it seems to in Career Mode, and, in FC at least, the PWCG mission balance seems more historical, i.e. patrol based, and less obsessed with balloons.