Second fighter of AI 2-ship always disengages and runs away

[fargo007]

Is anyone else seeing this since the last update?  At BVR distance (70nm), the pair splits up after activating. Often with several miles between them. The enemy group is expressly given a task to attack you in this case. The option in the group to override AI disengage decision is set.

Once the -1 element is shot down, the -2 turns toward the nearest airfield and disengages.

 

Sometimes but not always, both of them will disengage if they are near enough to a neutral airfield. 

 

Anyone else seeing this?

 

 

[Rhayvn]

Occasionally.  Also, probably related, if there is a 2v2 and it becomes a 2v1, the extra AI aircraft will just orbit and watch the other 1v1.  It will not attempt to attack the remaining single ship unless its wingman dies, at which point it actually engages.  This seems to be mostly a WVR issue but is hard to decipher in BVR/Fox3 tests.

It appears the AI logic will split groups into 1v1s if they start with even counts, but is blocked from ganging up if the odds are not even.  It's highly frustrating to watch a free wingman that could easily get a shot on the hostile in the other 1v1 just orbit until/unless his buddy dies.  I just watched 10 different runs of 2v1 Mig21s or Mig19s against a single F4.  Not once did the wingman take a single shot at the F4 in any of those runs despite several times being in perfect position to do so.

DCS AI is not good at handling multi aircraft groups which is probably why the scripted features in MOOSE almost always use single aircraft groups by default.

[fargo007]

1 hour ago, Rhayvn said:

Occasionally.  Also, probably related, if there is a 2v2 and it becomes a 2v1, the extra AI aircraft will just orbit and watch the other 1v1.  It will not attempt to attack the remaining single ship unless its wingman dies, at which point it actually engages.  This seems to be mostly a WVR issue but is hard to decipher in BVR/Fox3 tests.

It appears the AI logic will split groups into 1v1s if they start with even counts, but is blocked from ganging up if the odds are not even.  It's highly frustrating to watch a free wingman that could easily get a shot on the hostile in the other 1v1 just orbit until/unless his buddy dies.  I just watched 10 different runs of 2v1 Mig21s or Mig19s against a single F4.  Not once did the wingman take a single shot at the F4 in any of those runs despite several times being in perfect position to do so.

DCS AI is not good at handling multi aircraft groups which is probably why the scripted features in MOOSE almost always use single aircraft groups by default.

Thanks for the reply. I'm using MOOSE for this actually, and it's a two ship group.  I wonder if I'd have better luck spawning two singles. Perhaps it would bypass this behavior?

[Rhayvn]

6 minutes ago, fargo007 said:

Thanks for the reply. I'm using MOOSE for this actually, and it's a two ship group.  I wonder if I'd have better luck spawning two singles. Perhaps it would bypass this behavior?

Definitely worth a test.  MOOSE apps tend to spawn single ships by default and when I have asked about 2 ship behavior, they have suggested I make it two single ships.  If you are just using MOOSE Spawn function, then it uses the DCS AI behavior.  MOOSE features like AI dispatcher, use different/additional logic.

The main issue I tend to see with the single ship groups is that they can all focus on one target and exclude all others if they triggered their engagement on one unit.  Usually if a second or third unit is far enough away that they all focus on one.  Target fixation vs. target ignoring.  Slightly better issue, but still one.