Wingman fuel issues... (MIS1 and MIS2 at least)

I've played through MIS1 and MIS2 and in both missions my wingman called BINGO and then ejected a little later. In MIS 2 I ordered him to RTB immediately after the BINGO call but he didn't even get close.

Is there a bug in the open alpha where the AI F15 won't use it's external fuel tanks? I made it home just fine and seemed to have plenty of fuel. I checked the mission briefing and it all looked good. Wingman was loaded with two external tanks.

I'm getting the same issues, though no worse that FC3 campaign missions on 1.x . AI wingmen cycle between afterburners and airbrakes to try to stay in formation. They also drop tanks at the first sign of trouble.

Same here and with a buddy, mission 2 as soon as he said bingo fuel I told him to RTB.. next I heard from him the silly sod was ejecting. :/

I just finished the 3rd mission and have not had a wingman go bingo once, maybe I am just used to how the AI fly and I fly accordingly.

Are you guys using burner alot and separating from your wingmem?

On mission 1 I anchored him in the CAP pattern as the requested speeds pretty much require afterburner use and RTBed him once we reached the corridor - I think he made it.

You can end mission two at the CAP spot and he hadn't called BINGO yet, so I think if you'd anchor him there as well he'll probably make it. At mission start I also immediately requested startup and taxi as I read somewhere around here that this makes the wingmen get to takeoff faster. He joined pretty quickly after that and I refrained from using afterburners en route by cutting the corners a bit to close up on Ford4.

Yeah I was cutting some corners and trying to use trail formation as well as trying to stick to about 400.

On Mis3 wingman 2 and 4 made it home but 3 had to bail... Told the entire flight to RTB just as 3 reported bingo.

I have issues of wingmen ejecting nearly every mission, even though I try to save their fuel (going slow after take-off so they can catch up, etc.).

It seems that when we change directions they take forever to react (even when the turn is their way), use the airbrake and then catch-up with afterburner.

So far that is the main issue I have with the campaign, too bad because apart from that it is truly immersive.

You don't need afterburner at all to make the time restrictions, I just completed the 4th mission, Afterburner on takeoff then off not long after I am in the air, my wingmen are formed up about 6-8 miles from the northeastern turn into the sally corridor and I begin a roughly 2 degree climb through the corridor, made it to the marshaling point with about 2 minutes to spare.

The next time I touch burner is when we pushed west over the FEBA and into combat, after we downed everything in the area and all the strike aircraft did what they had to do it was mission success but I chose to fly home, all 3 wingmen made it home and joined the landing pattern not once did they call BINGO.

Eagle drivers

The missions are designed so that you don't need AB to make the timings. The key is to know your taxi, take off, push times and ToT, and to fly smoothly and at 350 knots during the non-tactical portions of the sortie.

So, when you take off and head up the Sally Corridor, that first right hand turn to the north towards Sally Elbow has to be smooth and steady. If you took off late or want to cut the corner to make the timings more comfortable, then start your turn toward the elbow a little early - just make sure you use your eyes and your sensors to deconflict with other traffic. By contrast, if you wrench into a 4g or 5g turn directly over the golf course, your wingmen are going to lag and will then have to use AB.

On the matter of airspeeds, as a flight lead that is up to you. The NTTR has no limits, so if you have to accelerate to 450 knots in dry power in order to close the gap and get the right spacing with another element (say, for mission 2), then do so. Just remember to stay out of AB and to give your wingman a little power advantage wherever possible.

When you get to the marshall point, it's your responsibility to measure your DME from the push point, establish when you're going to push, and to make sure that your orbit is set up so that your western leg is established as the push time nears, and that your wingmen are stabilised in formation. If you don't get this right, they'll have to use AB. Personally, on the final western leg to the push point, I send them to line abreast, wide formation, and that sets up the Eagle Wall as we sweep ahead of the strikers. However, if you yank from the eastern leg into the western leg and then immediately push, your WAI are going to be all over the place and your 'wall' of Eagles is going to look more like an IFR trail recovery!

The WAI is not that great, I know, so they are not the best formation keepers, and they won't use cutoff or lag that well. However, if you fly considerately during the administrative portions of the flight, you will be able to complete the missions.

Matt and I are working to improve the campaign based on your feedback, and Matt has put an option to prevent your WAI from using AB into the next version of the campaign. I expect that will help.

Stay fast and check six!

Thanks for the tips Steve :).

So far it looks like what's happening is that the wings are dropping external tanks for combat, then I set up my CAP after initial push, they use AB too liberally to keep up and shortly thereafter they bingo. They bingo WAY too late too. I've repeatedly told them to RTB immediately on Bingo but they don't make it.

Seems an AI technique issue to me. If they'd stop dropping stores or at least tell me immediately when they do I could have them RTB as soon as the combat that made them drop stores was over.

Awesome campaign so far though. I like it :). Very new to the F15 (I usually drive the KA50) but I'm having tons of fun so far.