Lifelike AI crew members

[Talisman]

For multicrew aircraft I would like to see a new standard set for lifelike AI crew members to interact with the human pilot similar to the DCS Tomcat 'Jester' AI.

Hope the dev team can consider this.

Thankyou.

Happy landings,

Talisman

 

[Trooper117]

Here's some lifelike crew members...

 

[JFM]

Regarding this, I’d like to see animated AI on carriers. At the very least, an on-deck LSO that sees your plane, recognizes your elevation/speed/alignment/etc, reacts to same and animates corrections, and this continues until either he gives you a cut or wave off. 

[Trooper117]

6 minutes ago, JFM said:

 At the very least, an on-deck LSO that sees your plane, recognizes your elevation/speed/alignment/etc, reacts to same and animates corrections, and this continues until either he gives you a cut or wave off. 

That would be great...

[Mysticpuma]

I certainly agree. 

I know the IL2:1946 models were very basic but with modern day graphics (BoX Pilots are very impressive but the animation cycles are frustrating :

 

The actual human models are impressive and I think multi crew aircraft would look excellent in a new engine for CP. 

To see nicely animated deck crew with a variety of animations as well as animated personnel around bases just to bring them alive, would be the fine detail to bring this Sim above the rest. 

The small details make a huge difference! 

[Calos_01]

6 hours ago, JFM said:

Regarding this, I’d like to see animated AI on carriers. At the very least, an on-deck LSO that sees your plane, recognizes your elevation/speed/alignment/etc, reacts to same and animates corrections, and this continues until either he gives you a cut or wave off. 

While I think we could live without it, It´s a much needed feature for a new modern sim, real immersion booster. 

[DBFlyguy]

Yeah, I liked the extra love that went into getting the pilot gear era appropriate in GB while Jason was there.  But the canned repeating animations kinda ruined them... I like how DCS handles the pilot models definitely more life like, hopefully we get a good middle ground in CP

[Sea Serpent]

On 6/26/2023 at 7:32 AM, 56RAF_Talisman said:

For multicrew aircraft I would like to see a new standard set for lifelike AI crew members to interact with the human pilot similar to the DCS Tomcat 'Jester' AI.

Hope the dev team can consider this.

Thankyou.

Happy landings,

Talisman

 

At the risk of splitting hairs, I think the standard to strive for should be more like “Petrovitch” (in the Hind F) rather than “Jester” in the Tomcat.  Jester One-Point-Oh is both amazing and frustrating, because it seems the very complex tasks he is supposed to be doing really does require a very human level of brains and communication skills, and of course he can’t do that.  Been a long while since I flew the Tomcat, but back when I did, I found having to deal with Jester eventually started to break the immersion more than enhance it (being the flight sim malcontent that I am).  Considering he’s a bot though, he does a damned good job.  Amateur computer gamer human RIO dabblers typically did much worse, especially myself.  Unfortunately never got a chance to have an expert Ward Carroll type guy in the back of my humble little virtual Tomcat, lol!  It will be interesting to see what Jester 2.0 brings.

 Petrovitch, on the other hand, in the non-flying role mainly just has to spot a target and guide a missile to it, while the pilot smoothly follows his telegraphed sight reticle. From a user standpoint he is very manageable, and I don’t have to listen to him make dick jokes while I’m trying to concentrate.  I think this level of AI could easily work a Norden bombsight, as a bombardier, or manage cowl flaps and stuff as a WW2 bomber copilot, without having to micromanage too much.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Sea Serpent

[ZachariasX]

On 6/26/2023 at 3:32 PM, 56RAF_Talisman said:

For multicrew aircraft I would like to see a new standard set for lifelike AI crew members to interact with the human pilot similar to the DCS Tomcat 'Jester' AI.

Hope the dev team can consider this.

Thankyou.

Happy landings,

Talisman

 

I think A2A has a great implementation of tasking multi crew copilots. On one side, he does the basic systems setup to have the aircraft ready for you „just to fly it“, on the other hand you can set his designated power settings that he will try to maintain.

PMDG have an automated autopilot as well, but it lacks the ability to set your copilot besides standard flight regimes. Thus, he will absolutely try to kill you as soon as any occurring issue requires special care of a certain system, making the concept moot in case of a high prevalence of system issues (like gun damage).

Ideally, I would envision a notepad, where I can assign both standard tasks as well as specific settings.

For a B-17 for instance, there should be a basic selection of flight regimes that I can assign to my copilot, like startup, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent and in range approach/landing. For a B-29, this would be vital unless you make it a WT kind of B-29.

In addition to that, the pilot needs an overriding authority on the power settings the copilot sets with respective phases of the flight. (Click point cockpit is great for that.) As opposed to the PMDG copilot, the player needs to set exact power variations required for things like formation flight or milking the last mile from your aircraft.

Navigation (given the often horrible environment) is the main task to be performed right in order to survive. Aircraft that have a single cockpit, but also a navigator in the back, should have two kinds of autopilots beyond the in-aircraft systems: a level flight assist as well as what corresponds a HDG mode with ALT hold.

The Wildcat for instance has a pull out kneeboard with a map on it, such that the pilot can navigate by dead reckoning but with the aid of the map. If this kneepad is pulled out, it is clear that a wing level assist woukd be needed to use that chart in any useful way. As a cheat, you could even use the GPS position on that map. A multi crew aircraft shoukd have a HDG autopilot, as you should absolutely be able to tell your copilot to fly given course maintaining current altitude.

Also, it would be cool if you could draw point and click style on that map and you get your course and distances. It should be obvious that this map is the ideal interface for anything MSFS aircraft use the „ipad“ for.

In a bomber, such a navigation chart should be on the navigators station by switching positions in the aircraft.

The bomber aircrafts Sperry AP (where available) should be able to be hooked to the Norden sight such that the bombardier can actually direct the aircraft, as he did it back then.

It would also be nice that as soon as the crew is tasked with manning guns, those positions are not available otherwise. This means the player needs a practical interface for crew communication. Like a page on the ipad to assign stations and tasks, individually or clollectively. The „chat“ is cumbersome for such, although it would be nice to hear the respective commands, we all know hiw irritating unmutable radios can become. During normal phases of flight, they should be where the manual tells them to be (because you, the pilot announces that), as in case of manning guns they cannot do what they could do otherwise. For instance lowering gears manually in a B-17 is a task for the crew, the pilot (PIC) cannot do that. The „ipad“ would be an interface to get a report in detected damage as well as a place where crew could be instructed to do things, like winding down a gear. Or throw everything overboard to save weight when power gets an issue.

 

It is obvious that one four engine aircraft alone merits its own expansion of the game, but it certainly would be worth it. Two or three crew aircraft would be simpler. In order to switch to a navigator station in the Beaufighter, you really need an AP that can fly where you want it, in order to deal with the map, drawing your course, estimating distances and flight time.

Anyone familiar with a sextant? The navigator has one and it would be so cool if the sky would actually be the way it should be. Also here, one could make an interface to use a sextant (like the bombsight we have in GB, where you see what you need to see next to an ituitive interface using the controls). Easy mode could be implemented that selecting the sextant (if stars are visible) directly plots your position on the navigator chat.

Given this way there would be a flight plan, „jumping forward to waypoint“ as it exists in MSFS could be a way to deal with excessive single player mission times. It also would enable to exit the skipping prematurely, once the flightpath leads over enemy action or when there‘s other issues, like any kind of systems deviation (engine hot, no more fuel, etc.)

 

Quite seriously, if I had to fly such a mission back then, the Zeroes would have been the least of my worries and I doubt they were anwhere near responsible for most crew death. Anyone has numbers of how many died in the 4 years of war in the PTO vs. total number of dead aircrew there?

[Mysticpuma]

I also suppose, that something like this, but more updated and obviously with WW2 assets, would be a minimum expectation?

 

[Mysticpuma]

 

and this?

 

[spreckair]

Speaking of life-like crew members, I would like to look down and see my own feet for a change.  Nothing kills immersion in VR like seeing nobody in my own cockpit.