Me against this AI, Pony vs Pony

This has been a challenge, and frusterating. First off, getting the curves set for the flight controls helped somewhat. In a turn fight this plane starts to depart a wing i.e flick out, at around 170mph. The AI is questionable. The AI energy flying is tough to match. As an experiment, I've tried to match the AI movements without trying to actually engage, but my P-51 just won't do it. (Prop Hi RPM and throttle is max same configuration) I was pissed when I got the AI in a matched speed canopy to canopy rolling scissor down low. I was just starting to think I may get the upper hand, then all of a sudden the AI goes right into a friggin extended ZOOM Climb. REALLY? I had his exact speed and tried to follow. My plane departed at least 500ft below his.

The longest single fight I've had against this AI so far was a 50min knuckel draggin' turn-n-burn. The track is actually purdy kewel to watch. My logbook shows 7 kills and 12 deaths. Not what my ego is use to.

How is everyone else fairing against this AI fighter model?

S!

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Blacksheep 1

Not so well. 1 kill, 15 deaths. I just can't match his moves. Obviously WIP, but still, bah. I've learned you can't fight him horizontally. Best luck is vertically, and even then, he outperforms your best day.

That AI has god-like shooting skills. When you can get hit on a head on pass after enemy aircraft fires one tracer....something is a bit odd. Also it likes to crash into ground.....

Yo-Yo thanks for tips!

AI is cheating....lol

...r attack, I would always fly with some right or left rudder input so I was always skidding or sliding, making it difficult for the enemy to judge where I was going".

'A hundred feet over hell'. It's a book about a FAC in Vietnam who used the very same technique to fool the N Vietnamese over the DMZ. Flying a Cessna Birddog made him an even easier target not having the advantage of speed. Highly recommended reading!

Thnx for the input Yo-Yo. I guess that's why my fights are streatching out passed a half hour, or longer. I only let my speed drop below 200 IAS when I actually get the AI manipulated into a rolling scissor. I've found I can get the AI into a turn fight after a series of horizonatal scissors and tuck-under breaks.

With a knotch or 2 of flap, the plane handels really well. I have no problem out manuevering the AI. It's only the AI's ability to zoom climb from from low-speed parameters that I find questionable. I'm able to defeat the majority of the AI's attemps to pop off a few rounds. There are very few opportunities to get a clean shot on him however. But then again, if it were easy, I'ld get board real quick! LOL What supprised me even more is a squadron-mate discovered that the AI is not even set to Ace settings. LOL - Humble Pie.

I'll give'em a full bag of gas, and drop mine a tad and let you know how it goes.

S!

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Can you copy me the AI climb you consider as phantastic in the table:

 

Time TAS Altitude

 

It's better to get the time in seconds with 2 decimals from the debug info (LShift+LCtrl+PauseBrake).

TAS and Altitude - from the F2 status bar.

Time step approximately 0.5 s.

Remember http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1435814&postcount=45

Nate

With Yo-Yo's tip to add ammo loads weight worth of extra fuel I was able match the AI's turns and climbs as long as I kept my speed above 200 and only went slower in vertical turns just like the AI does. One thing to note is that the engine RPM setting in default is 2500 which is cruise setting and will make you underpowered in a dogfight. I didn't realize this until today and this might be one thing giving people problems keeping up with the AI in energy fight. Once my video upload has finished I will post a video of my first successful fight with excellent skilled AI in the dogfight video thread.

I noticed the initial power setting right off. Before hitting the "Pause key" to start, I back off the throttle AND the Prop pitch axis just a tad. Once I start the fight, I immediatly push both full forward to get the full indicated RPM needed.

Yo-Yo, I'm not sure how to measure what you're asking for via the game sir. Does the sim have such a measuring tool within it? Hopefully someone who goes beyond just flying sims like this knows how to do that in the game can help you out. I don't even get into building missions like some folks do. I just fly.

I am a pilot in real life, so reading other aircraft's energy state visually I can do. It seems your suggestion to add weight to the bogie sounds like a semi-solution for now. I haven't tried it yet. Let's hope that popping into a zoom-climb from a low speed rolling scissior will be vastly reduced.

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For the record, in the track file I posted in the "show me your dogfighting skills" thread, I was able to outmaneuver the AI after starting from a lower energy state (only 200 mph at the merge) due to engine cut out at mission start, by forcing a dive to low altitude and horizontal turns to equalize energy. After some messing around in the horizontal for a while, the AI eventually took it back into the vertical, and he had a slight advantage, but I was able to neutralize it by carefully controlling my G loading at the bottom and at the top of the loop. Namely, relax G as you come around the initial 45 degree pull-up from the dive, allowing speed to build by wing unloading, which the AI does not seem to know how to do. Do the same over the top, rather than trying to yank the nose down on him. The effect is basically flying lag pursuit on the bandit while carrying a little more speed. You eventually win enough energy for your guns to cover him from time to time.

This is from Wags' 1v1 mission, with the AI set on High. I haven't checked the fuel states. The point is, it is possible to beat them, although I do agree they have an incredible ability to hold energy. If their ammo weight isn't modeled correctly, that definitely explains it, but you don't need equal conditions to win. Fly to conserve energy, and gain it whenever and however you can. If you are losing or have already lost position, don't be afraid to make a drastic change to re-equalize the situation.

Also, locking your prop lever at 3000 rpm isn't always the best thing to do. If your IAS is high, you'll get better acceleration and efficiency in a fast dive by reducing prop speed. Go to 3000 as you start to climb, reduce to 2700 (or whatever is appropriate) as you come well into a dive.

There are other techniques to help you in the vertical as well, especially going out of plane. You can't tip back towards the horizontal because then you're just giving the AI free energy, but you CAN go out of plane in a different way. Imagine the AI's turn circle from a top-down view, and then imagine yours overlapping his. Out of plane in this case, is just rotating your turn circle around the vertical axis (clockwise or counter-clockwise from the top-down view). Once you're out of plane, you can vary your pull-ups and pull-downs to change the timing of your arrival at the top of the loop relative to the AI's, and you can eventually make him fly through your guns.

There's lots of fun things you can do with careful examination of the geometry of the fight.

Cheers!