F/A-18C Aggressors Campaign - I wasn't expecting live ammo on mission 3 (1v1 guns only)

[key_stroked]

I've used the SIM setting for guns before, so I figured that this campaign would be utilizing that training feature, even though I didn't see it mentioned in the briefings or any of the promo material in the store.

During the 2nd mission, the FAM flight, the voiceovers talked about how SHOWTIME would be calling out who was alive and who was killed based on the data supplied from the TACTS pod. I figured that if I managed to bracket a target in my gun reticle and pull the trigger in SIM mode, SHOWTIME would tell me I had scored a kill.

For the F-5 and F-16 engagements, I got behind them but couldn't get close enough before they dove for the ground and broke the hard deck, terminating the engagement. Each time my wingman told me I had won the engagement.

During the F-15 engagement, the first thing he did was cut across my line of sight (which I thought no one was supposed to do as per the safety rules briefing) and forced me to avoid him, and during a high G angled pass he did a snap shot that blew my wing off. This was at 6,000 ft ASL, which in Nevada is REALLY close to the ground.

I ejected with barely any time for the chute to open. I just wasn't expecting that. For a super realistic campaign that had 25 pages of real looking procedures and safety protocols and ingress/egress routes and arrival/departure procedures and charts for Nellis, I was extremely shocked that I actually got shot down in a training exercise.

I failed the mission, and I was kind of ticked off because it took a while to get to that point in the mission, and no one told me I was going to get shot at by live ammo. I'm enjoying the campaign so far, but that bit of extremely important info really ought to be included in at least the text briefing, with some type of DCS-ism explanation as to why live ammo is being used in this version of a simulated training mission.

[bonesvf103]

Somethings may have broken with the last few patches.  I've flown almost all the mission before the patch and although I had live ammo and live ammo killed the opponents, it was no harm no foul because they just respawn for the next rounds.  Willing suspension of belief thing.  I don't think I've taken a hit yet.  But the behavior of the F-15 has to do with the new AI that was added in October.  They are more aggressive now and follow some logic to determine their tactics.  So since this campaign was made before the patch, the F-15s--or any bandit veteran and above--now have no regard for the safety rules.

This happens in the instant action missions too.  ROE says gentleman's rules, no shooting at the merge but they do it anyway.

v6,

boNes