Request - Ability to direct AI to attack targets off radar.

[Exorcet]

This is related to this:

 

In short some way to tell wingmen to attack a specific aircraft/target without the player having a lock is needed.

 

While flying a recent mission, the need for this request specifically asserted itself. I was flying with 3 wingmen. I ordered 3 and 4 to hang back while I went to intercept four opposing fighters with 2. We killed three of the four, but one survived. My plan was to attack with 2 and then extend to let 3/4 clean up. This will almost never goes smoothly since the AI always prefers to fight to the death, but I accepted that. I was extending away when I ordered 3/4 to attack while also mashing rejoin on 2's menu since I had to press it about twenty times to get a response. 3 began to attack. 4 did nothing because we don't have second element commands. However instead of going after the single fighter twenty miles ahead, 3 engaged full burner and went after a plane one hundred miles away. I didn't notice at first since both enemies were in the same general direction and I was mashing rejoin over and over. It was only when I noticed 3 going past the only obvious threat that I realized what was happening. I ordered 2 to engage but by now he was finally rejoining and got shot down. I couldn't order 4 because no second element or 4 commands, and 3 would not respond to engage bandits because already engaging. I had to swing around and lock the enemy plane heading for me and then order 3 to engage. I could not point out the specific target to attack without locking on to it, which should not be necessary.

"Engage my Enemy" could have been used, but if multiple planes were coming at me, who knows where my wingman would have went, and even then it would have been preferable to simply point 3 at the correct target from the start. There is also the issue that before this entire engagement began I wouldn't have been able to sort enemies to engage because while I could see them on datalink, I couldn't lock them to tell my wingmen what to do.

 

Edited May 30, 2024 by Exorcet

[draconus]

Should've used "cover me" cmd.

[Exorcet]

7 hours ago, draconus said:

Should've used "cover me" cmd.

This may have helped after I realized what 3 was doing, but I would have still been limited in the first place because I wasn't able to properly organize my wingmen in the initial engagement. The enemies were visible from well beyond missile range (around 80 miles) on DL but I couldn't give specific orders until around 40 miles because of the need to lock on. Cover me also has the problem of the AI choosing targets itself, so it comes with some risk.

While there may have been some better ways to handle the situation the best solution to this problem is allowing the player to give specific orders that aren't tied sensor lock on (and of course also give us second element commands). With that I could have organized my plan well before shooting started. That would prevent a lot of bad situations like the one I encountered from happening.