reported [REPORTED] WW2 Flak/ AA not engaging aircraft after sunset

[philstyle]

This perennial issue with the Flak not firing after/before sunset is back.

Is it supposed to be this way? - if so I will stop submitting bug reports . .

 

Here is a link to a trk file. At 2005 hours in cockpit (8:05 on the spitfire cockpit clock) there is combat over Bayeux. Bayeux has 2 bofors guns which should have been in range of the combat, but neither fired a round. Had the track not broken soon after, there would be more examples of aircraft flying directly over hostile AA guns which do not react.

 

Is there an additional unit we need to add to make the guns fire after the sun has gone?

Note that the Kommandogerat is only a German unit, and we cannot have flak working for one side and not the other.

 

Link to the TRK recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XZaqJaLQOgT_EtmU7Qu43hBlvgVuLn6N/view?usp=sharing

[philstyle]

Further to the OP I have now tested the flak under four scenarios in the OPEN BETA to see if unit configuration OR time of day is the determinant. I'm convinced that it is time of day.

 

Under the following 4 scenarios:

4x88mm guns after 8pm

4x88mm guns + Kommandogerat after 8pm

4x88mm guns + Kommandogerat + searchlights + maschinensatz after 8pm

4x88mm guns early afternoon

 

The only time the guns fired on me in a hostile aircraft was scenario 4, with just the guns in daytime

 

TRK files for all four scenarios are in the zip at this location - the trk files are all small:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kih5l-pPnf6GmoBdJ_yo8v4KbXf7wX1Q/view?usp=sharing

[philstyle]

I've done loads of further testing on this. Some conclusions:

 

1. The AI will fire during low light hours, HOWEVER

2. They will only engage aircraft which is extremely close in, and not usually before the aircraft has passed over head

 

The visibility limits are just too close to be realistic.

 

I would propose an alternative approach - that as a the sky gets darker, the skill level of the AI flak drops. This way it should just become less accurate.

I would also re-work the conditions under which the AI thinks it is in low-light. Currently, the restricted AI visibility seems to kick in way to early, as though the AI is playing with its gamma setting on too low, or as though the AI is operating on winter lighting conditions (i.e. dark by 1800 hours).

[twistking]

this is really a major problem also with modern AAA (zsu guns), but i don't want to hijack this thread with it.

 

please ED take a look at this problem and tune the AI.

also consider changing the AI into bedtime mode not by time of day (as it seems to be atm) but by light level. i am sure that the graphics engine can provide an absolute value for brightness at a given position, so when light level drops below a certain threshold, there is a negative multiplier to accuracy and aiming speed which depend on the light level.

i think it would be good enough if the light level would be sampled at one point in the middle of the map. no need to sample it at every AI location.

 

 

[NineLine]

Thanks guys we are looking at all aspects of FLAK right now.

[heylookabigmac]

On 11/28/2020 at 1:36 AM, philstyle said:

I've done loads of further testing on this. Some conclusions:

 

1. The AI will fire during low light hours, HOWEVER

2. They will only engage aircraft which is extremely close in, and not usually before the aircraft has passed over head

 

The visibility limits are just too close to be realistic.

 

I would propose an alternative approach - that as a the sky gets darker, the skill level of the AI flak drops. This way it should just become less accurate.

I would also re-work the conditions under which the AI thinks it is in low-light. Currently, the restricted AI visibility seems to kick in way to early, as though the AI is playing with its gamma setting on too low, or as though the AI is operating on winter lighting conditions (i.e. dark by 1800 hours).

I encountered the same problem while tooling around in the editor hitherto discovering when I got an AI A-20 to strafe a Flak 41 and destroy it - the rest of the battery of three AAA's began to engage the A-20. Even after it's egression, they were still engaging at 5000ft (plus some)

There was no Kdo assisting them or anything to help them track target's. 

 

I did another test to see if they would engage an A-20 flight after a ground attack mission using bomb's but didn't get the same effect. 

[JG13Wulf]

Don't know if it's 2.7 or my way to design mission. But I got it working.
Start a mission at 6.15.
Got to target at 6.30 => no shoot
Turn over the area until 7.00 (heavy flak start to shoot and light AAA wake up if I turn up light / attack near them / pass extremely close to them).
Fly until 7.30 and have the AAA almost completely woke up.

 

I design the mission to have the AAA put to sleep when I'm out of area (AI off). Then AI on when I enter the area.

So don't know if this make it work or if 2.7 have make some eddit on it.

Still, it seems AAA wake up a bit late as the light is already quite good at 6.30/6.45. But it seems to have improved !

[NineLine]

Good to hear, my feelings as well that they are a little late to fire after the lights spotting a target.