What to do when you complete a mission in a campaign

[Turtle47]

OK, I'm into my 23rd mission in my first campaign. I have noticed different things are happening in some of the missions.

 

Sometimes I see a text message appear near the upper right portion of the screen that tells me mission objectives have been achieved and RTB. Most of the time I'm too wrapped up in what's going on and I miss this message until I review the mission in replay mode.

 

If I have 2 elements of armor moving to a new objective, even though when I went RTB after killing everything visible near the elements, I hear a radio message or see a text message telling me one of the elements has failed and therefore the mission has failed, and when I click next mission, I have to fly same mission again. Sometimes, I do the same thing and everything is fine, and I get a new mission?????

 

Whenever I have caught the "Mission objectives achieved text", I RTB and land. But that's when I'm not sure what I'm really supposed to be doing. After I see the text, should I RTB or call for additional tasking? Should I land and rearm/refuel/repair? If I have no damage, do I really need to shut down engines or just idle and wait for rearm/refuel, then request takeoff and call for tasking and return to the battle?

 

Here is what I THINK I'm supposed to do. Follow the waypoints and kill just the items in my target area, then fence out and call for additional tasking depending on ammo and fuel left. Then do whatever I'm told. If and when I RTB, after landing, get refueled and rearmed, then shut down engines and open canopy and get out or just end the mission.

 

I have in some missions asked for additional tasking and have been told to RTB at times, and have also been given tasks at times. But sometimes I have just RTB'd and ended mission. Sometimes when I go to next mission, I get same mission to do over, sometimes I get a new mission. Never seems to be any rhyme or reason why either way. I'm CONFUSED!!! :doh:

[1cleanshot]

same here !!

[EtherealN]

Depending on the mission design, this might be normal in the sense that mission success ratio is defined NOT by you killing specific items, it is defined by things you are meant to protect and support suriving.

 

In this case, if they die, no matter what or who killed it, your mission to ensure they got wherever they were going safely has failed.

And RTBing just because you don't see anything is not a good idea: RTB when mission goals are met, not before that. There may be hidden threats that you don't see (yet).

[Turtle47]

Depending on the mission design, this might be normal in the sense that mission success ratio is defined NOT by you killing specific items, it is defined by things you are meant to protect and support suriving.

 

In this case, if they die, no matter what or who killed it, your mission to ensure they got wherever they were going safely has failed.

And RTBing just because you don't see anything is not a good idea: RTB when mission goals are met, not before that. There may be hidden threats that you don't see (yet).

 

Yes, I understand that if my mission calls for me to provide support to 2 armor platoons, that if one of them gets killed, my mission was not successful. What I don't understand is really 2 questions. If, I killed everything on the screen that was a threat, how can one or both of the elements not survive to make it to the objective? Second question is, what do I do once I RTB? Just hit esc and end the mission, or rearm/refuel/repair, then esc and quit?

 

My original question turned into a broader question than I had intended. I sort of got on a roll/rant. :cry:

[Jona33]

1. You may have missed units, or they may have got hit by longer range artillery, or reinforcements arrived.

 

2. Just quit.

[WildBillKelsoe]

Read my guide for the hammer

[Yurgon]

If, I killed everything on the screen that was a threat, how can one or both of the elements not survive to make it to the objective?

 

The obvious counter question is: How can you be sure that you really destroyed all threats? :)

 

But even if you did, as EtherealN has already hinted: New units may appear out of thin air when a certain condition is met (like: Friendly units entered a trigger zone). Whether or not that happens totally depends on the mission, so there is no universal answer to your question.

 

If the mission is to protect ground assets, you should simply stay with them and protect them until they're officially safe. Good missions should indicate that by issuing a radio call/playing a success sound or something like that.

 

Second question is, what do I do once I RTB? Just hit esc and end the mission, or rearm/refuel/repair, then esc and quit?

 

If you've completed the mission goals, there is little value in returning to the battlefield. It costs a lot of time, but you don't gain anything in terms of campaign progress.

 

It does add to your flight hours and destroyed units in the logbook. If that is of importance to you, feel free to destroy every last enemy unit on the entire map. :)

 

But AFAIK in most campaigns, this will not affect the setup of the following campaign mission, so there is no military value in it.

 

Besides, in most missions you're tasked with a very specific objective. Once that objective is completed, your job is to get the bird back on the ground so it can readied for the next mission.

 

To sum things up, there's usually no punishment if you destroy more enemy units, but there's no gain either, so do as you like. :)

[Turtle47]

Thanks for all the answers. I guess everyone gets out of it what yhey individually want to get out of it.

[schkorpio]

yeah sometimes i miss the text prompt saying to RTB or whatever too, and when I land i'm not sure if all is complete.

 

what we need is a big banner and George Dubya to tell us that we've finished the mission like this lol :

 

 

edit: I guess you get a debrief after you exit though :)

[Katalepsis]

If you have units to protect "until they reach a certain objective" then open the map when safe to do so, and highlight one of them (Elm and/or Razor for example). You will see a "flag" icon for where they must end up safely to succeed and the path [with waypoints] that they'll be taking to get there. Since like you, most of us are busy flying/fighting we often miss the blue font "mission objectives complete" notification. Protect them against any threats (indeed some may present themselves only AFTER they activate an embedded trigger, even though you waxed every last red font threat on-screen beforehand) so be careful and use due diligence before egress.

[Turtle47]

Thanks Mr. Eastwood. ;)

[sparkie66]

i think that if the friendlies start to move to the objective a bunch of new enemy armor spawns, what i do is first kill everything, RTB, rearm, go back, then tell the platoons to move while i circle the area around the objectives.

 

When the new targets spawn i go in and killemallmuhahaha! Then wait for the mission succes message and rtb.

[Sense]

Why don't you try the score window: ' (apostrophe)

[Spectre_USA]

i think that if the friendlies start to move to the objective a bunch of new enemy armor spawns, what i do is first kill everything, RTB, rearm, go back, then tell the platoons to move while i circle the area around the objectives.

 

When the new targets spawn i go in and killemallmuhahaha! Then wait for the mission succes message and rtb.

 

This right here usually works well for me, but you have to watch a few of the missions, as nasty stuff can, as previously mentioned, just appear out of thin air.

 

I recall one of the end missions where a warning beep sounded, and I caught sight of something,

right off my nose at about 2,000 ft AGL.

 

Banged a U-ey as I fumbled around for the countermeasures panel. Evaded one, the, bang, bam,

I was a flaming wreck.

 

That one woke me up!

[Marklar]

Why don't you try the score window: ' (apostrophe)

 

Exactly! When your score is 100 it means mission is completed and you can RTB.