1.1 Puzzling difference between AI transport and combat aircraft

[Andrew_McP]

All aircraft behave unpredictably if you place them too too low over the ground (something to do with collision detection, though what triggers evasive action is hard to see or predict). However if you place a combat AI pilot flying level at 60m over a runway, it flies along quite happily. Change that plane for something like a C-130 or AN-26B, and after a second or two over the runway it heads for the sky, peaking at about 185m before coming down again to look for the next waypoint.

 

Pushing altitude up to 80m doesn't help, so it's not something to do with these aircraft occupying more space in the Y-plane. I'm wondering if anyone out there has any hints to overcome this.

 

(FWIW the reason this is "important" to me is that I'm trying to simulate aircraft taking off from an airbase. I can't have them actually take off because if you add AI aircraft to take off from the runway, the player only spawns after they've lifted off. Given that the whole point is to give the player something to look at while taxiing, it's a bit of a puzzle. At the moment all you get to watch is a plane heading like a startled sheep for the sky, which kind of ruins the moment... though I suppose it *would* be useful for an "emergency-takeoff in a threatened airbase" mission).

 

Andrew McP

[Andrew_McP]

After some more experimenting I'm not much wiser. All AI aircraft want to climb as quickly as physically possible at takeoff (rather than trying to chase the next waypoint as I'd prefer) so this may be an interaction with some general "how to behave over airbases" code. That leads to rather unrealistically steep takeoffs, but I guess it helps overcome any tendency the AI might have to crash soon after takeoff without this behaviour.

 

I should stick to A2A combat over deep water. Life is so much simpler out there. The scenery's not much to look at though. :-)

 

Andrew McP

[ZoomBoy27]

I think it has to do with minimum aircraft avoidance distance.

My takeoff height 90m for the Su-25T at Krasnodoyoe

With 12:00 mission start, I set up 3 waypoints for my transport(An-26B).

WP0) 11:59:55 Ht:110m Speed 300

WP1) 12:00:00 Ht:105m Speed 300

WP2) 12:03:00 Ht:110m Speed 300

 

When I put WP0 just above the Su-25T(runway start NOT icon), it climbs and then sinks back to the required level. That's your avoidance.

When I place WP0 further down the runway, it glides smoothly the way you want it to.

Also remember that the different Transports have different minimum heights

An-26B 105m

IL-76 150m

 

After testing

for the AN-26B - .30km is enough horizontal distance between WP0 and the SU-25T exact takeoff position to have a normal looking "takeoff" - vert difference of 15m

for the IL-76 - that minimum height of 150m was sooo overpowering, it made no horizontal distance safe enough - vert difference of 60m. It all looks weird because it.

[Andrew_McP]

I think it has to do with minimum aircraft avoidance distance.

 

Well, the tests I did were with no other aircraft in the mission. But thanks for an interesting reply. I'll have a play again tomorrow if I get time.

 

Andrew McP

[ZoomBoy27]

Then you'd have to look at minimum height

60m for IL76

15m for An-26