Really Really Good AI Wingmen.

[FlankerKiller]

I've been playing with the helicopters we have alot lately, and some things are sticking out to me. The AI Wingmen aren't calling out contacts. They're tactics suck, in the Mi-24P at least. I can creep up on a healy defended target. But as soon as I try to have my wingmen do there thing they climb up into Sam hell and get annihilated. I have no idea if they have the targets because they don't call it out. They won't attack form the hover even against heavily defended targets. And they have had a few mid air just trying to creep in. We need all the options with them in the Hind. We should be able to have them scout forward. To assign them targets and tell them what wepons to use. They should at least mimic the flight leads behavior. Aka if we are low and hovering, or running in to attack on the move. All the helicopters should have the same options as the A-10 honestly. And they should work. There are alot of single players out there. And having a good set of AI Wingmen that can both assist your mission goles, and allow the player to sharpen his skills as a flight lead is kinda a must to truly get the most enjoyment out of DCS. 

One thing I would like to suggest is having an option to have the AI engage while remaining in formation with the flight lead. As well as the option to send them out on their own.  

[Rudel_chw]

Why create two identical threads? 

[BIGNEWY]

Hi, 

I have hidden the other two posts as they are duplicates. 

Regarding the questions about wingmen, Wags and I have been testing with wingmen and the team have been tweaking helicopter AI.

It is much better than before and hopefully you will see that when the updates reach public versions. With that said if you are a bad flight lead things wont go well for you anyway, so a good situational awareness is required, and smooth flight for the wingmen to be able to keep position is important. 

thanks

 

[Dragon1-1]

That's good, because right now the wingmen are dumber than a sack of hammers. Which some will say is realistic, but I'm pretty sure not all of them are that bad.  

[FlankerKiller]

On 2/10/2022 at 7:13 PM, BIGNEWY said:

Hi, 

I have hidden the other two posts as they are duplicates. 

Regarding the questions about wingmen, Wags and I have been testing with wingmen and the team have been tweaking helicopter AI.

It is much better than before and hopefully you will see that when the updates reach public versions. With that said if you are a bad flight lead things wont go well for you anyway, so a good situational awareness is required, and smooth flight for the wingmen to be able to keep position is important. 

thanks

 

I mean that's all good, but can't really be a good flight lead if we can't designat the direction they attack and egress from, the weapons they use. Whether or not they attack from the hover, or even what they should attack. So unless the whole Ai is getting overhauled, I think it's a valid wish. Plus who says we can't fly smoothly. I see no reason at all to believe that Ai wingman will improve with the A-64. You've had since 2009 to get helicopter wingman right. 

[FlankerKiller]

On 2/10/2022 at 6:58 PM, Rudel_chw said:

Why create two identical threads? 

It was a glitch. My internet here isn't really  good. Thank daddy Elon for Star Link. But it was a glitch. 

[FlankerKiller]

On 2/10/2022 at 7:13 PM, BIGNEWY said:

Hi, 

I have hidden the other two posts as they are duplicates. 

Regarding the questions about wingmen, Wags and I have been testing with wingmen and the team have been tweaking helicopter AI.

It is much better than before and hopefully you will see that when the updates reach public versions. With that said if you are a bad flight lead things wont go well for you anyway, so a good situational awareness is required, and smooth flight for the wingmen to be able to keep position is important. 

thanks

 

So question, since you brought it up. The A-10C has by far the best wingman interaction. I tested it today and it's actually working. But the helos are terrible. You can only give the AI proper instructions. Will this ever be incorporated into the helicopters.  Honestly it needs to be an option for all aircraft with an air to ground mission. It works in the A-10C and it's pretty good. That would be the best example I can give of the kind of interaction that we need at minimum. Also will these improvements you mention be only for the Apache. Or will all the helicopter gunships get them? 

[BIGNEWY]

AI wingmen for helicopters have been tweaked ready for the AH-64D launch, but they do need more work. In testing they are much better than before, but you do have to be a good flight lead, if you force them into bad situations it won't end well. We will see more tweaks in the future, and hopefully some more helo specific commands will be added. Voice over work for wingmen #2,#3,#4 have also been redone and will be added during early access.