[REPORTED] AI fuel consumption

[Reflected]

I created a mission where I took off from Tangmere. Climbed at 2700 RPM +4 boost, and after reaching 25,000 feet, I throttled back to 2,000 RPM -1 boost. When I reached Le Havre I still had plenty of fuel but my wingmen were calling "Bingo", and therefore they wouldn't engage the enemy. SP is messed up on so many levels, can we please at least have this one fixed?

[Reflected]

bump?

[razo+r]

did you fly straight or did some maneuvers?

 

did you let them change the formation?

[FlightControl]

I agree. Fuel consumption is out of proportion.

How long can an Su-27 be airborne in real life?

[Reflected]

did you fly straight or did some maneuvers?

 

did you let them change the formation?

 

We took off from Tangmere. I ordered them to rejoin. I climbed straight South to 23000 feet, then throttled back. Looking at the F2 view the AI always uses 90%+ prop pitch.

[philstyle]

I created a mission where I took off from Tangmere. Climbed at 2700 RPM +4 boost, and after reaching 25,000 feet, I throttled back to 2,000 RPM -1 boost. When I reached Le Havre I still had plenty of fuel but my wingmen were calling "Bingo", and therefore they wouldn't engage the enemy. SP is messed up on so many levels, can we please at least have this one fixed?

 

 

 

The AI guzzle fuel. Any time they are not in position they will go full throttle to catch up/ rejoin. I noticed this in the Epsom campaign. You can hear their engines going absolutely mad every time they get slightly out of position.

I'D say they spend around 50% of any flight at full throttle... so their fuel lasts about 30 minutes.

[Reflected]

The AI guzzle fuel. Any time they are not in position they will go full throttle to catch up/ rejoin. I noticed this in the Epsom campaign. You can hear their engines going absolutely mad every time they get slightly out of position.

I'D say they spend around 50% of any flight at full throttle... so their fuel lasts about 30 minutes.

 

and that makes historical missions absolutely impossible. What an immersion killer :(

[DD_Fenrir]

Bump

 

This is noticeable in the Epsom campaign - one can rarely make it round all waypoints without AI calling "Bingo" long before I'm even on the reserve tank.

 

I'm going to research this later given an opportunity but I suspect it'll be that the AI don't adopt anything like prototypical RPM settings, combined as Phil alludes to, their penchant for making formation adjustments at something akin to WEP boost settings...!

 

If so, it will likely also affect the P-51, 190 and 109, though the lack of missions that truly stretch the Mustangs legs and a dearth of single player campaigns for the Jagdwaffe types has probably hidden this undesirable AI trait until now.

[NineLine]

Yeah, this goes along with their drop tank usages as well, I noticed that about the time I run my drop tank out, they call BINGO, so perhaps they are not using their tanks correctly, and for sure, when they are trying to fly with you, they seem to be not as efficient.

[71st_AH Rob]

So, more on this and drop tanks that may make the issue more complicated or narrow down the problem. We did get a chance to fly a mission with AI flights escorting us as well.

 

The AI in our flight bailed out over the channel on the way home. The other flights, all AI, flew the entire mission and landed with no problem.

 

So, the issue might be that only AI in your flight are having issues with fuel usage or maybe AI in your flight are the only ones not using the drop tanks.

Out of town until Sunday but when I get home, I am going to try the same mission with no one having a drop tank and note when they all bailed out.

[NineLine]

So, more on this and drop tanks that may make the issue more complicated or narrow down the problem. We did get a chance to fly a mission with AI flights escorting us as well.

 

The AI in our flight bailed out over the channel on the way home. The other flights, all AI, flew the entire mission and landed with no problem.

 

So, the issue might be that only AI in your flight are having issues with fuel usage or maybe AI in your flight are the only ones not using the drop tanks.

Out of town until Sunday but when I get home, I am going to try the same mission with no one having a drop tank and note when they all bailed out.

 

Thanks, that is good info. To me it seemed like in my case that the AI went Bingo when the drop tanks ran low, and perhaps they dont know how to, or need to be commanded to switch tanks.

[Art-J]

It reminds me flying one of the last, long missions of P-51 Challenge campaign back in '14, when AI wingman was always running out of fuel and bailing out during the mission. Maybe the AI in DCS has problems with managing engine settings and fuel economy correctly when they're supposed to follow human player, while doing a better job when they fly alone?

[philstyle]

Maybe the AI in DCS has problems with managing engine settings and fuel economy correctly when they're supposed to follow human player, while doing a better job when they fly alone?

 

Back when the sound-radar was at its worst, I flew a few times with AI wingam, with my canopy open. Everytime they got out of formation by even a tiny amount, it sounded like they were just going full-throttle to catch up as fast as possible. . . . I expect their fuel consumption rate was more than double what mine was.

[Reflected]

If it's hard to fix, I'd be happy even with a ME option to give the AI unlimited fuel, but only to specific flights ,and only to the AI.

 

The AI is not very good at keeping formation either. The Spit AI is good, but Mustang wingmen lag well behind when you fly above 20k feet, even if at economic power settings.