AI Fuel Problems

[Gantoo]

I am playing the 3rd mission and am having a great time doing it. I have played this mission a few times and my wingmen keep bailing out of their planes for no apparent reason. No battle damage, they are just ejecting. These planes are very expensive so this behavior does break the immersion a little.

 

I have noticed that since I have to fly so far to the operation fuel conservation is much more of an issue than it was in DCS 1/1.5. My wingmen do not seem to be considering this and are using their afterburners all the time. I think what is happening is that they are running out of fuel and bailing.

 

Am I doing something wrong?

[Steve Davies]

Gantoo

 

This coming Friday's update should fix this, Gantoo. Wingmen will be prevented from using afterburner during the administrative portions of the sortie (i.e. flying to and from the area).

[Steve Davies]

See this post for more help on the matter (this will all still apply, even after the update on Friday).

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2648341&postcount=9

[Wags]

Some other advice:

 

1- Put your formation into close setting. This will require your wingmen to have to maneuver less when you are turning the formation and use AB less as a consequence.

 

2- Generally fly at 94-95 on the tach / .85 M when cruising.

[Gantoo]

Thanks Steve and Wags, I will try your advice. Really not a big deal, but I appreciate you getting back to me. I would rather AI planes run out of fuel and bail then having the AI cheat with unlimited fuel. I am a programmer myself and I imagine it would be very difficult to program the AI to keep formation and conserve fuel.

 

I have been a big fan of this series since the Lock On days. Have only really had time to learn to fly the F15 and P51 with proficiency, but still buy the other aircraft to help support the franchise and have a little fun.

 

Looking forward to the Friday update:pilotfly:

[Wags]

I'm also working with our engineers to improve how the flights maneuver in a formation and use AB to help address this issue.

[anirothan]

Flying smoothly once AI wingmen are in formation - without any violent (high G) directional changes - helps a lot with AI fuel consumption in my experience.

 

However, I believe there is an additional factor that must be taken into consideration in mission design, as well as future AI programming. It is the time required to get into formation.

This becomes a factor in two ways:

a). Getting into formation after takeoff.

b). Getting into formation after breaking-off/ending an engagement.

 

Consider case a:

If after takeoff the player immediately follows the flight-plan and accelerates and/or gains altitude in doing so, wingman no.1 will have to spend a lot more fuel to reach the player. Wingman no.2 will have to spend even more fuel and so forth. In this scenario the third wingman goes bingo first, followed by the second and so forth.

This is especially evident in this campaign where you frequently fly four-ship.

In other campaigns, what I always do (even in a 2-ship flight) is establish a smooth and slow pattern around the airfield and wait for all wingmen to take-off, get in formation and only then I proceed to the flight plan. This helped me a lot in the Eye for An Eye F15 campaign in terms of AI fuel preservation. In this RF campaign there are specific push time targets I have to meet where you really do not have any time to hang around the airfield waiting for AI to get in line.

 

Case b:

This can be a problem if the wingmen stray too far from the player. Personally, I have found that establishing a slow orbit and waiting for everyone to get back to formation first, and only then re-establishing CAP or flight plan helps AI conserve fuel. Basically it's all about helping AI travel less distance for less fuel to get back to you.

 

Suggestions:

I don't think there is much that mission designers and AI programmers can do for case b. Except perhaps allowing AB only in engagement scenarios.

I think case a is more amenable to improvements:

1). Design missions so that the player's flight has time to establish formation first, and then go meet its other time sensitive objectives. For example, incorporate that in the flight plan: SP1 being something like "Orbit waiting for flight to get into formation". I believe this can be done easily without any AI engine modifications.

2). Implement formation takeoffs when starting from ramp. This will require modifying AI taxi/takeoff behavior in the game engine. However, formation takeoff is implemented when starting on runway, so it is possible.

[Chipwich]

Anyone tried hitting a tanker on the way home?

[Dakota.N]

something

[gnouze]

Air refuelling is still much too hard for me (some pitch oscillations happen), and too risky after having succeeded in the combat mission

 

 

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