Anyone beat the instant action mission ACM 4v4?

[Nascar]

This mission is kicking my butt. Any tips on how to win?

[RRino]

Make sure you set your wingman and use good bvr and acm tactics. You can do it.

[Sickdog]

Wow, crazy you posted this today, I was about to ask the same thing just now. I’ve wasted hours today trying different techniques, can never kill more than one or two before I get smoked. Would love to see a track of someone beating this mission.

[falcon_120]

i will give it a go today, never tried it before

[Oldfox]

Order wingmen to engage and spam some AIM7 helps, but still losing lock too often when cranking left/right after shoot....

 

Guess I'll have to understand the radar use a bit better....

 

BTW: don't forget to drop the fuel tank ;)

[Svend_Dellepude]

Just wait until the radar is finished, and things will probably be easier.

[maxTRX]

Just wait until the radar is finished, and things will probably be easier.

 

I hope fixing the radar issues is somewhere close to the top of the list. At least the major ones like radar antenna being "caged". Lock the straight and level flying target in STT, slightly off the nose then bank your jet toward the target and you'll see TDC box in your HUD drift below horizon lined up with your wings cord line. (antenna did not rotate?)

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

Tell your wingmen to engage while you stay defensive, and pick off what's left.

[wilbur81]

Tell your wingmen to engage while you stay defensive, and pick off what's left.

 

Have you actually tried this? If not, I have. Here's what happens, all three of your wingmen get shot down and then you go 1 v 4 against the Migs, and then you get shot down. The Hornet is worthless right now in air to air with the current radar/sparrow.

[falcon_120]

Tell your wingmen to engage while you stay defensive, and pick off what's left.

This is what i did to pass it. Though right now aim7 bvr combat is impossible, constant radar drops with any minor crank. Everything will be fine with future patches.

 

Enviado desde mi SM-G950F mediante Tapatalk

[Nascar]

Have you actually tried this? If not, I have. Here's what happens, all three of your wingmen get shot down and then you go 1 v 4 against the Migs, and then you get shot down. The Hornet is worthless right now in air to air with the current radar/sparrow.

 

Yeah, normally when you tell AI to engage they go full burner and launch missiles like mad. In this mission Redfor launches first and they all go defensive. When I launch the Aim-7's they just ignore them. Sometimes I lock them up to the merge and never get a shoot cue at all. I usually hit the deck to mask in the mountains and work my way to the bombers. I think the AI can see through mountains though. This would be a fun multiplayer mission. I would like it if ED could make a server where you choose these quick missions and wait for people to join with built in comms.

[Sickdog]

I’ve now beat it a few times (granted I die and my wingmen live to tell the stories) in Caucus map, and once beat it as sole survivor all banged up in NTTR map (similar mission but with SU-27’s). Here’s what was working better for me:

 

For caucus IA mission: Tell flight or element to Pincer right immediately, go full burner and swing left, lock them up if you want but firing off a shot early doesn’t do squat with the MiG-29 radar missiles that will nail you first. Around 16-17NM they will have fired at you, notch left. Dunno if it’s a bug or what but almost everytime you go 90° bank as your put them on your beam, the missile lock/fire warning drops. Re-engage. Rinse and repeat a few times and you’ll get in close enough for an AIM9 shot. Watch out, usually one Mig focus on you and hard find him with the clouds but you might merge and get into knife fight. Pray your wingmen hang in for awhile, but they usually get blasted. If you’re lucky, you might get a couple AIM9 off quickly as you close initially on the furball and at least make the score in your advantage by downing one or two quickly. I’m gonna keep at it and see if any other methods help out. Definitely hard with current radar and AIM7 limitations. But fun! I’m sure someone will say I’m way off with my tactics, I’m just trying anything that works, I’m open to suggestions!

[Sickdog]

Ok, a little update- just tried the Caucus IA 4v4 about 10 times in a row, always getting at least one kill before getting smoked, and then my worthless wingmen get slaughtered one by one. Using the same techniques I listed above but flying about 360° heading keeping an eye on the bandits when their contrail becomes visible, one usually turns to engage me and then I turn in at last second after a few notches to defeat his Radar AA-10 Alamo, then when head to head around 6-7NM I’ll fire off an AIM 7 when he’s locked and then an AIM9 just in case. Splash 1. Then immediately look for next guy (I think the 3 others usually chug along engaging dash 2,3,&4, But one usually peels off and turns to go after me and i usually die). Try to immediately lock and kill any contrail you see heading south (listen to wingmen call missile launch, easy to spot the smoke and know the guy firing missile is bandit, so use the boresight locking method <I think> and sometimes I’ll uncage AIM9 if I’m getting impatient for lock and he’s right on my nose), I then fired off 3 missiles at next guy (over kill but this is where I keep dying, gotta make sure #2 dies fast), then spotted next bandit thanks to wingman calling missile launch, lined him up, fire, splash 3. I got lucky spotting bandit 4 next from his Smokey Russian engines, and lit him up. My wingmen all survived but basically were fodder to distract bogeys for me. I got “mission complete” message but knew there were two more bombers that are miles in trail of the Migs just waiting to get smoked with no more protection. So this is where I’m a little embarrassed to admit but while out of Radars, I moved in nose hot with AIM9, locked up and fired. I forgot they have their own heaters for protection and the bastard shot me too. Oh well, I still felt good downing all 4 migs finally after like 50+ tries! I can post a track if anyone is interested. Good luck and good hunting!

Edited July 2, 2018 by Sickdog
Typos

[SonofEil]

Have you actually tried this? If not, I have. Here's what happens, all three of your wingmen get shot down and then you go 1 v 4 against the Migs, and then you get shot down. The Hornet is worthless right now in air to air with the current radar/sparrow.

 

Haha, also tried this many a time. Usually my wingmen respond with "unable" or "negative". Then we all die. Right now this mission acts solely to highlight bugs, both Radar and AI. We'll get there though.

[Onni]

Took me couple of attemps. I killed all 4 solo and only one of those kills was a sparrow

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

Have you actually tried this?

I have, yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have made that post.

 

This works for me every time. Usually only 1 wingman survives, though. Sometimes 2.

 

 

I killed all 4 solo and only one of those kills was a sparrow

Yup, most of my A/A kills happen with the gun.

Edited July 2, 2018 by Elysian Angel
Added a quote

[Ironhand]

Haha, also tried this many a time. Usually my wingmen respond with "unable" or "negative". Then we all die. Right now this mission acts solely to highlight bugs, both Radar and AI. We'll get there though.

Haven’t flown this myself but are you ( and the others) telling your wingnuts to turn on their radars prior to telling them to engage? I ask because those responses are what you normally get from them when their radars are off. The wingnuts leave a lot to be desired but, in my experience, they are not usually completely helpless.

[Nascar]

Haven’t flown this myself but are you ( and the others) telling your wingnuts to turn on their radars prior to telling them to engage? I ask because those responses are what you normally get from them when their radars are off. The wingnuts leave a lot to be desired but, in my experience, they are not usually completely helpless.

 

I haven't done that because they give you the bandits positions so I figured they have the radar on and they do fire eventually.

[Nascar]

I’ve now beat it a few times

 

When are you dropping your centerline tank? Weird that they call mission complete with the bombers not dead. Gotta go gun those guys for all your trouble.

[Sickdog]

I’m not- I’m sure someone will disagree with me but i don’t think it makes much difference, you don’t start off with that much fuel and I’m full burner nearly the whole mission except when I see a heater coming my way. I suppose just as you merge would be a good time if you want that little bit of maneuvering edge. Maybe I’ll give it a try, have it all ready to jettison so just a push of the hashed button.

[SonofEil]

Haven’t flown this myself but are you ( and the others) telling your wingnuts to turn on their radars prior to telling them to engage? I ask because those responses are what you normally get from them when their radars are off. The wingnuts leave a lot to be desired but, in my experience, they are not usually completely helpless.

 

I'm sitting in front of the computer right now and there's no sub menu for 'radar on' that I can see. In any of my home-grown missions my wingman follows the orders and engages bandits (...usually). It's only in these instant action missions that they rudely decline every time. I'm certainly open to suggestions.

[Ironhand]

I'm sitting in front of the computer right now and there's no sub menu for 'radar on' that I can see. In any of my home-grown missions my wingman follows the orders and engages bandits (...usually). It's only in these instant action missions that they rudely decline every time. I'm certainly open to suggestions.

So much for that thought...

 

I should fly it when I get a chance. Sounds like fun.

[David OC]

I'm sitting in front of the computer right now and there's no sub menu for 'radar on' that I can see. In any of my home-grown missions my wingman follows the orders and engages bandits (...usually). It's only in these instant action missions that they rudely decline every time. I'm certainly open to suggestions.

 

Try the quick commands or map the two radio buttons 1st radio is Ralt + \

 

They worked for me trying one of these mission. Check the menu options for them, something like LWin + R, LWin +W, LWin +B etc.

[SonofEil]

Lazy wingmen aside, here’s something that’s given me a lot more success in the last 24 hours:

Active Pause.

Use it. The BCM/ACM missions start with the Hornet in a less than ideal combat configuration. Radar in default config, countermeasures not programmed (or even on for that matter), and there just isn’t enough time to set it all up properly before being engaged. At mission start go Active Pause, set everything up like you would have after wheels-up (primarily countermeasures), then join the fight. I haven’t gotten all four bandits in the last mission yet but it’s helped me get three of them a few times.

[Nascar]

Haha, also tried this many a time. Usually my wingmen respond with "unable" or "negative". Then we all die. Right now this mission acts solely to highlight bugs, both Radar and AI. We'll get there though.

 

I think you have to tell the wingmen to engage bandits before they launch missiles against you. When they have already launched that is the response I get. I think the Aim-7's are bugged right now because after the mission looking at the breakdown of what happened the wingmen are only getting kills with Aim-9's.