Flight Leader Communication/Flight School

[GrungyMonkey]

I've been playing through Midway as an A6M2 pilot in IL-2 1946, I was given instructions to attack the Island and set out. Once I got there, I realized I didn't know which island or what targets to attack. Once I'd dropped my bomb, I didn't know whether to break for base or continue strafing through thick AA. No matter where I was, pressing autopilot would have me loiter above the island till I died. Every other Zero continued strafing until they were blown out of the sky. After several fruitless attempts to satisfy the mission parameters, I began manually returning to base after dropping my payload. I was always the only pilot to survive. This trial amd error was very tedious, and not in a grit-your-teeth-soldier way, but in a wtf-am-i-even-supposed-to-be-doing way.

What I found myself wanting was a flight leader who would lay out our priorities, give us orders through our flight, and not cruise for 30 minutes while a battleship shoots all guns at you from less than a kilometer's range.

Obviously "Good AI" is always easier said than done, but a flight leader that communicates and plans both before and during the mission would be welcome to experienced flyers, and a godsend to new players.

Also, in game tutorials are often requested for flight sims, but I wonder if maybe a mode that replicates period accurate flight school would be possible. It would be perfect for beginners, and if accurate would be a great addition to the experience (If available in Japanese it would also let me catch up on all the technical terms lol). I realize this is probably over ambitious, but on the other hand, I'm confident that this community could do a lot of the research/work if the game had the scenery and rigging (Some people here kind of scare me with how much they know).

[Chief_Mouser]

 

9 minutes ago, GrungyMonkey said:

(Some people here kind of scare me with how much they know).

Some people here are ancient and have had a lifetime to learn it! 😁

As for a flight school it would definitely be fun, but I think that the best we can hope for - at least to start with - will be some basic practice missions. Especially with aircraft carriers and all of the complexity that we hope is going to be modelled.

🍻

[wheelsup_cavu]

1 hour ago, GrungyMonkey said:

Every other Zero continued strafing until they were blown out of the sky

When it comes to completing an objective the AI in 1946 has always been suicidal.

 

I am guessing that you are using the stock DGen campaign generator. From what I remember it only uses Hidden objectives for the missions which makes it difficult if not next to impossible to know what you are supposed to be attacking. One thing you can do is open the mission in the FMB and see what triggers the mission success and alter it some to make the mission objectives more achievable. Most likely DGen has set it at 100% which if it is a Ground Attack objective is nigh on impossible if the Target circle is set at 3000 meters.

 

Wheels