Creating Mixed Rotor/Fixed-Wing Missions

[durka-durka]

Hello all. I'm considering reconstituting my wing's Rotor Ops squadron, but want to seek some advice first.  Originally, we decided to put it on reserve because our mission creators were having a tough time coming up with mission scenarios that catered to both Fixed-Wing and Rotor missions.  

Just looking for some advice on how you guys do it.  Are you able to integrate the two well, or do you have separate nights where you do rotor op missions and fixed-wing missions?

[cfrag]

On 4/27/2024 at 9:24 PM, durka-durka said:

Just looking for some advice on how you guys do it.

In general, my experience as mission creator is that fixed- and rotor wings don't mix well, especially not well for fixed-purpose missions. These rely on exact timing, and due to the great speed differential between helos and wings there is very little that they can be tasked to do together - even if only Hogs are in the mix. I think that you'll have more success with sandbox-like missions a la "Foothold" that allow players to get together to work on tasks within the box - like capping a FARP: fast movers fly cover, while hogs and gunships wear down the defenses, then a transport helo brings in the boots that capture the FARP. Takes some co-ordination, not all that difficult, and can be fun.

Other than that, IMHO there's going to be little interaction between helicopters and fast movers except the occasional radio cry for 'help, get this bogey off my... forget it I'm dead!' 

[TEMPEST.114]

53 minutes ago, cfrag said:

In general, my experience as mission creator is that fixed- and rotor wings don't mix well, especially not well for fixed-purpose missions. These rely on exact timing, and due to the great speed differential between helos and wings there is very little that they can be tasked to do together - even if only Hogs are in the mix. I think that you'll have more success with sandbox-like missions a la "Foothold" that allow players to get together to work on tasks within the box - like capping a FARP: fast movers fly cover, while hogs and gunships wear down the defenses, then a transport helo brings in the boots that capture the FARP. Takes some co-ordination, not all that difficult, and can be fun.

Other than that, IMHO there's going to be little interaction between helicopters and fast movers except the occasional radio cry for 'help, get this bogey off my... forget it I'm dead!' 

Sorry to disagree, but having been part of a large (20+) MP event of a series of missions we had CAP, SEAD, Strike and HELOs all in the mission, each having their own roles but working as a whole and supporting each other and it was amazing and worked really well. 

I think it's more an understanding of how and when to use what units and why than just saying they don't mix well. 

Just my 2p.

[cfrag]

23 minutes ago, TEMPEST.114 said:

Sorry to disagree,

You shouldn't be sorry  - that's happy news, I'm always looking for good missions that integrate helos and fixed wings well. If you remember the name, can you point me to that mission?

Edited April 30, 2024 by cfrag

[TEMPEST.114]

1 minute ago, cfrag said:

You shouldn't be sorry  - that's happy news, I'm always looking for good missions that integrate helos and fixed wings well. If you remember the name, can you point me to that mission?

 

I'd love to but it was a squadron created set of 12 missions for our squadron - it was never public.  

[durka-durka]

10 hours ago, cfrag said:

In general, my experience as mission creator is that fixed- and rotor wings don't mix well, especially not well for fixed-purpose missions. These rely on exact timing, and due to the great speed differential between helos and wings there is very little that they can be tasked to do together - even if only Hogs are in the mix. I think that you'll have more success with sandbox-like missions a la "Foothold" that allow players to get together to work on tasks within the box - like capping a FARP: fast movers fly cover, while hogs and gunships wear down the defenses, then a transport helo brings in the boots that capture the FARP. Takes some co-ordination, not all that difficult, and can be fun.

Other than that, IMHO there's going to be little interaction between helicopters and fast movers except the occasional radio cry for 'help, get this bogey off my... forget it I'm dead!' 

That's the big issue. The best I've seen so far is where Rotor Ops have their own separate mission that does little interaction with the fixed-wing.  I'm all open for ideas.

[Exorcet]

10 minutes ago, durka-durka said:

That's the big issue. The best I've seen so far is where Rotor Ops have their own separate mission that does little interaction with the fixed-wing.  I'm all open for ideas.

One way to utilize the speed difference between the two is to have the fixed wing perform passes over an area while helicopters loiter around the perimeter. The idea being that fixed wing comes in higher and faster to avoid being in the sights of air defenses while helicopters sit waiting for the defenders to shoot or be spotted by fixed wing and pounce on them when they do. The two can communicate with each other to coordinate as well so it doesn't have to come down to hoping that they end up at the same place in the same time. The idea can be expanded to armed reconnaissance where fixed wing cover more ground and search larger areas by flying higher and faster and then point out targets for helicopters to strike. Fixed wing can make attacks too and then revert to recon when out of ammo if fuel allows.

Something else that might apply that I've tried in single player missions, but not MP as I don't have a server, is to create dynamic objectives. A pilot is briefed for one mission, but an emergency happens while enroute and they are retasked, or an objective of opportunity is detected and the pilot is given the option to engage with it. These can be designed to call whoever happens to be around and then let them figure out how they will cooperate, or they can be designed to call one asset to another, like calling fixed wing to an area where helicopters are fighting but don't have the tools to overcome an unexpected obstacle like a moderately armed ship or a medium range SAM.