VIMANAMAN

OK give me 24hrs and will post a raw vid and will try and stick a TRK file up as well, but not done this before.... EDIT: Forgot to say - Nice flying, nice kill Yo-Yo!!

I don't think anyone's finding the AI 'easy', just possible every once in a while - hence not too many tracks for a while I guess - All I've done is smoke him a couple or three times since returning to dogfighting & using 1.2.2 (but it's only a matter of practise). Yo-Yo's track is an excellent example of what I (personally) find is key - i.e. 'The Lift Line' (the yellow cross is pretty much showing this). Judicious positioning of the lift line - & using lead / true / trail pursuit principles whilst turning is what gets me on its ass, (assuming we understand the need of preserving energy of course). Don't just restrict these pursuit principles to when he's in the HUD!! I'm no hot shot (by a long way!) but am getting fairly quickly back up to speed with dogfighting after some previous success with AI dogfighting and its all possible, believe me. As soon as I got on his 6 last Saturday, I was happy because then it's just a matter of gunnery! You can defeat the AI with some homework and lots of practise! If no one else posts a kill, I'll post 'a getting on his 6' track anyway.

Ah Ha! So there is! Cheers Echo

I still can't remember how to quote with the posters name..... :doh: Thanks Yo-Yo - I tried that in 1.1.2 - and this is where most of the '4v4 AI only' testing was done if I'm honest - it seemed to be lots of private wars :) But I'll try what you suggest. And I'll try some more '4v4 AI only' testing in 1.2.2 - will post how I get on. The 2V4 testing is however done in 1.2.2 - where the wingmen wait for a un-engaged EA before they engage it. Which would be cool, so long as they flew wing or top cover, but they don't at the mo. But like I said earlier maybe I need to spend more time at the mission design stage? Cheers Echo38 - I guess I just had a strange run of luck last weekend, as in two separate half hour sessions the AI dove straight in, twice, after a snap shot, and this was the first time I've 1v1'd for a while. My shooting has improved, but only marginally - as this afternoon demonstrated - no repeat occurances of this today. Weird! Altho I did get behind him for prolonged periods a few times :thumbup: But did I mention my shootings not great! Smoked him! But NO kills!! :mad:

Well there's some passionate views on this subject. That's no bad thing :) Some of us are unaware of this still I think - but the last word I heard from the Mod Team was that the Skill level only changes the range at which the AI can detect you. And not it's flying / shooting abilities. I assume this is still the case ED? It most certainly would be good if we could have lower 'true flying / shooting skill settings' available for variety and for more progressive training. In a furball, I totally agree the AI's behaviour is currently not very convincing. I've done a lot of testing in previous versions and a reasonable bit in 1.2.2, and the AI does need some considerable improvement if we are to have convincing SP multi aircraft scraps. I've noticed as well that in a 4V4 mission the AI break into 4 separate, single minded duels with no exceptions i.e. not engaging easier targets if they present themselves during the furball - these duels take a good while to play out, and do occasionally end in collisions, but usually there is a winner. When there is a winner however they don't support any team mates although do stay 'local'. In 2V4 this is more exaggerated - the 'spare' aircraft do not attempt to engage the enemy, until their already engaged 'wingman' is shot down - only then do they engage normally. They also don't fly as a wingman would, but maybe this is the mission designers job? Things are getting better though in 1.1.2 after any successful engagement the AI almost always committed suicide a few mins - this was corrected in 1.2.1. So hopefully this is still a work in progress. However in 1V1 the AI is awesome! Hard, yes! 'The least convincing', no! Not by a fat margin. It makes you a better virtual pilot. Yeah it is hard and frustrating and the AI is uber good and has a simplified FM to some degree it seems - but I wouldn't learn much (and I'd get very bored) if I got a kill every fight, or every 10 fights for that matter. Which brings me to my original Q - has it got easier to kill the AI pilot himself or otherwise completely disable the EA? Anyone else noticed an increase in the frequency of AI going into a terminal dive after a brief burst but with no trailing smoke etc.? Anyway peace on Earth, shoot to kill:v:

...the LEAST convincing ?? I think it fights like it wants to win! Like I'd fight if it really was a fight to the death, almost certainly. I've not met as challenging an AI opponent before but if you are practised, patient and efficient then you can put yourself in a dominating position - so long as there are no significant mistakes - if there are then the tables turn - but they can be turned again, but this is very hard. I only get the feeling it's like a robot after about 15-20 mins of mixing it - when I'm out of ideas and knackered and we're both dodging the ground - but there are limits to what's pos I guess. I've managed to get some separation but this must be done when the situation allows and is suicide if it's not the right time. Even then the max separation you can get is no greater than about double fighting separation. But yes full disengagement is normally impossible. I flew IL2 1946 loads but a long time ago - it was great! (i haven't played the later evolutions, unless you count COD which didn't do it for me). The AI is hard, but rewards you with lessons on managing E and the importance of lots practise.

Nice! I'm going to have to give this a go!

Stick at it nuNce! Yes the AI carries too much E in my estimation, and shoots like a radar guided gun battery, but... As you've probably experienced it can be done, but it isn't at all easy! When this first came out I spent a week of spare time trying to defeat the AI, at times wanting to throw my stick through my screen, convinced it wasn't possible! Then it was all about E - now it's the same, only complex engine management comes into it! But... There is a AI 'loss of is sight zone', where you'd expect it to be, I've witnessed this I believe. But... yes the AI doesn't lose control very often and when it does it's very quick to recover! In previous versions you needed to be fairly hard up behind him for him / it (whatever), to stall out, but it does stall! - not easy! I understand from Viper (several versions back at least) that the skill level only denotes the range the AI will 'see' you from, but doesn't change it's 'motivation level' to see you dead. BUT... It can be done! That's a lot of 'buts'. BUT it's all the more rewarding when you do get the Bustard!

Hi (504)smudge, Sorry I assumed you had tanks on - I guessed you were having the same problems I was having! If you can fast forward through this in HD you should be able to read the numbers that work for me. But they are not optimal to the best of my knowledge - And, I wasn't trying to go high, (but long), but it'll get you through the 15-30k ft range and then it sounds like Yo-Yo's advice should be applied (if not a bit before 30K ft). That's good advice as ever Yo-Yo - I didn't know that. This Vid is more of a record for me - it's like watching paint dry :music_whistling: - Hope it helps a bit anyway.

Hi FZG_Immel, Yeah the AI sure does hold it's E - I'm not quite on top of my dogfighting game again yet, but hoping to stay with him / it (whatever) more once I get back up to speed. At the moment I'm usually ending up looping slower & inside his loop and having to go below his lowest point to get my shooting opportunities - not very sustainable! Hi SimFreak - Mmmm, radar guided guns do you think :) It'd be good if some greater error factor could be built in! But that's easy for me to say:D Hi Darkwolf, I hear those new jet planes with their fancy new powerplants that suck the aircraft forward are tremendously fast, (but I knew they would never work in combat :D) Bad luck mate:) Yeah the AI 51 is a bit feisty isn't it:thumbup: Regarding this 'new kill category' that I've never noticed before - i.e. where the AI goes terminally vertical after a quick burst, which if I'm honest I'd call a lucky shot from distance (in my limited experience of 1.2.2) - where I have just a brief period of tracking, or it's a 'longish snap shot' - I like it alot: it's realistic seemingly! but wondered if anyone thinks it is new? There's a 'good' (from a realism point of view), and yet 'slightly scary' animation the AI pilot does as well in this circumstance, as he goes in.

I've been doing a bit of dogfighting in between stuff since 1.2.2 and I've had a couple of good sessions, but am a bit rusty. I'm liking the seemingly more varied AI reactions (don't tell me you haven't changed a thing!?!:)) I've made a couple of kills, both have been a new 'category' of kill (for me), which you might call a 'Pilot Killed', where the AI go vertical into the ground shortly after a burst. (but in the replay don't actually seem to be dead?) Hows you guys finding the AI in 1.2.2

Doh! Sorry Kwiatek! Just re-read your post and see you clearly said wing tanks, not drop tanks - sorry for the stupid Q. Glad you didn't drop your wings at any point! Anyone managing to get over 20K with drop tanks? I've been trying to find WWII details of flight profiles for long range escort missions but the best I can find is passing remarks in documentaries - highest reference I've seen was 20K ft (which I can't match). I guess like us they did a very protracted climb up to <20K until they'd used and then ditched they're tanks?

Nice going! I haven't tried for ceiling yet, but have been going for long range and checking my understanding of how to keep the fan going for the duration:) So's we don't confuse anyone still learning this beast (myself very much included) and to check I'm using the right settings... you needed to drop them there tanks around the 15-20K feet mark right? Gotta try going all the way upstairs - highest I've done was about 32K feet on a long range job.

Smudge - Sounds like you're still carrying your drop tanks? If max height is the aim you need a clean machine:)

I'd be happy with any adversary right now - please give us a believable unflyable opponent - it would be great to work against a foe with different strengths and weakness's! An unflyable axis opponent would make ALL the difference right now - even if it wasn't exactly perfect on first release - Like everything else, we'd all help move it in the right direction - yeah there'd be some detractors but I for one could live with a development stage with this quite happily. And am sure you'd (edit: immediately) win customers with such a move!

Good going Ratfink!! The AI is a merciless & relentless machine as Leafer says! But it's not impossible! F'Kin good going mate!!

Fair point Ratfink, I don't experience / haven't noticed a FPS drop when firing the guns, but I've got a reasonably good rig. Sorry dude.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=95947 Echo doesn't need me to speak for him but we've been here before...! Echo said in above thread... No dis-respect intended at all Al Capwn, but these 50cal effects are over exaggerated at the moment by too great a factor.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=91495 Hi lil' Reb, I've not tried to post a link to another thread before so if the above doesn't work check out page 8 of this P51 forum, about 5th from the bottom (at the mo). This should give you a good starting point. EDIT: Python, I'd love to help but don't use curvatures - so can't begin to help - this 51 is worth persevering with - needs LOTS of practise tho - good luck dude.

My thoughts / attitude exactly, both are very rewarding, but in very different ways. Plus this is what the 51 was used for! Planning a long range mission, with a furball in the middle at some point - but need to work out the motor a bit more first, not to mention finding the flippin' time :)

Yes write down the legs, headings, timings if you're serious about the exercise and want to be as sure as pos about it. I do something in between - making sure I know the wind - and working out the difficult legs before hand - usually I plan a route that doesn't have too many very difficult legs. I don't stay low - I just use big landmarks - lakes, rivers, coast lines, islands, cities, airfields, etc.

Yeah pick a route that has good visual landmarks at the waypoints - know what the wind's doing at all heights you're operating at. Fly on a heading always, Follow you're progress very closely. I can't navigate in this bird without ground references / visibility for any considerable length of time - I guess no one can? It's VERY rewarding flying like this (when you get it right). Ages ago in MS 2009 I flew a lanc from UK, RAF Scampton, to Kiel and back, at night, with mod weather, simply 'using compass' and a modern European road map - took a while mind! but very rewarding when you get it right. Needless to say there were many corrections needed along the way. It's great fun crossing water!

Hi Ophiuchus, I've not got lots of experience on 1.2.1 but I've only had difficult to quantify problems with 'over-boosting' - i.e too much MP and too little RPM. I think Yo-yo said there's a little fix coming for this? In due course. Overheating seems to me to be reasonably well metered and manageable - you probably know the radiator switches need to be held for the duration of operation (10+ seconds from closed to open). I've been totally manual on the radiators so far. As a result of over-boost problems, I've been being over cautious probably - am doing long range practise flights lately which seem like the best way to get to know the motor and find the limits of over heating, radiator 'authority', over-boost limits, etc. I've done 3 longish flights (1 overboost engine seizure so far only). Have just completed a long flt without incident which took me to 30000+ followed by a smart but not hasty descent. I don't use max continuous settings for the climb - I've been going for c.40'MP and 2700RPM for the initial climb - Like I said I have only done 3 long range test flights so far in 1.2.1. Once above say 15000ft I reduce the RPM by 500, then again at 20000ft, and so on - BUT reducing the MP a bit everytime - I cruised happily at 30000+ at 26-27'MP and 2500RPM with about 240IAS - probably cautious but... I descended on about 15'MP and only notched the RPM forward 500 at a time starting at about 18000-15000ft, I repeated this until RPM was set at 2700 at about 5000ft . I think I started closing the radiators manually to not over cool the motor as well (and vaguely remember closing ram air and adding heat at one point - this flt was last weekend). An over-long reply and probably over-cautious approach but it works for me. Hope this helps some:thumbup: EDIT: Have edited this loads for clarity, over a few hours - sorry have Manflu :(

Yes Blaze! :megalol: You don't leave much room for people to manoeuvre do you! I know that if you don't take the view control off of the 'pilots view' all the minutia of the head movements are reproduced at hi fidelity - Freaking good feature - thanks ED. But I'm not talking about that! Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. What I mean is for the head to be animated from any and all track view point replays: It would be super cool to see the pilots head following head-tracker / snap view command - say from the tarmac at start up for instance. Again sorry if i wasn't clear. Cheers Dude V

Sounds bloody interesting - I've never noticed that before - although when I'm KIA in the pit i'm usually checking I haven't fried my GPU (for the first few seconds anyways:)) Is it possible to post a screenshot of PK'd pilot? It would be so cool if more / multiple head positions could be produced and somehow assigned to headtracker / view control!! Newoldnewfoundland is yours sir!