[Pirate]

I just posted this at the DCG website - thought i would also post it here in the hope someone other than me might be having the same problem (or hopefully a fix) 8)

Basically the 2 flights don't fly in formation together - they both follow the waypoints as if seperate squadrons, the 'return to formation' command has no effect at all. The only way i have to keep the flights together is to either fly as leader and have the 2nd flight 'cover me' and they will fly top cover. Or to fly as leader of the 2nd flight and keep formation myself (this is all the same if i fly as anyone's wingman also). This is different from using dgen where the 3nd flight will hold at 4 o'clock or so and follow the leader from this position.

This becomes a problem when entering combat and having 1/2 the squadron several km away (sometimes they won't engage the enemy at all) and after combat when we have seperated they will either carry on their way along the waypoints, or head home.

I realise this is not an AI issue because in singe missions this is not the case - and as i said above nor in dgen so i can only imagine it is related to the way that the missions are generated by dcg. But i would think that if this were the case then many more people would have posted about it. Is this how they behave for you? anyone? any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time

[Widowmaker]

Could you be more specific of the problem?
what two flights?

is one a bomber flight and one a fighter?
did you use the right aircraft?
some 'fighter' aircraft in DCG are not always set as fighters....

Aircraft designated in a mission as escorts in DCG do usually fly a zig zag pattern with the flight they are escorting.

[Scharnhorst1943]

I am with Widowmaker, I need more info.

-What type of plane were you flying?
-What type of mission is it?
-Have you tinkered with any DCG aircraft class settings?
-What version of DCG are you running?

[Pirate]

thanks for the reply guys

Sorry I should have been more specific.

I am refering to fighter squadrons - and by flight i am refering to sections within a squadron not as escorts and bombers. 109s to be precise but i have the same issues with other aircraft such as spits and zeroes. The version is 3.38 - i have not altered any settings in dcg - class etc, just squadron balance options but i have checked and the 109s are classed as fighters. This applies to all mission types specific to fighters (i haven't used bombers in a campaign) - patrols, interceptions and escorts - but the mission type is not the issue as far as i can tell, but the way a players squadron follows its waypoints in general. Does this make sense? essentially the squadron will do the same tasks, which will coincide with each other for the most part -as they took off together, and follow the same waypoints - but the 2nd section follows the waypoints - not the leader. while slowly falling behind until out of sight. Does that explain it well enough? i could upload a video?


Pirate

[Scharnhorst1943]

I think I know what you are talking about now, and it actually is an AI problem.

You have to remember DCG is a third party program. About half of the stuff that it can do is things that people like you and me, or modders here have been able to squeeze more out of offline campaigns.

There are alot of things that DCG can do that is kind of at the limit of the AI, so sometimes you see some weird stuff, but it depends on your point of view. Do you like the extra stuff that DCG can do and can you live with AI hickups?

With that said, in your offline campaigns it is ALWAYS best to make yourself the leader of the squadron starting out. I think it even says this in the DCG readme or in the box where you choose your rank. If you are in command of the entire squad, you will do away with alot of these AI goof-ups. The only downside is you cant work your way up from the bottom.

Sorry I could not be more helpful, but your choice is to kind of live with it, or always be squadron commander to solve it. Hope I helped.

[Pirate]

Thanks Scharnhorst. That explains it pretty well, although that it still seems strange to me that dcg would cause the ai to act differently in this respect - as this is governed by the programming of IL2. unless it is related to the way dcg creates dynamic missions (some kind automated FMB at a guess?) which i would assume might leave some chance of a fix? (obviously i'm no programmer)
I had a reply from paul lowengrin - its brilliant that he seems to reply to every issue people bring up personally. sounds like alot of work for a 1 man show! he suggested that this is something they are aware of and might be looking into.
So far I have actually found it preferable to lead the 2nd section, to work around this problem. Then being able to keep the squadron together instead of relying on the ai to keep up with me. The reason this bothers me the most is the casualty rate it leads to i do try above all else to keep my pilots alive (as it should be) in my current campaign my section of 4 have suffered no casualties whilst the other section has lost 6 pilots...

[Scharnhorst1943]

Oh I definitely hear you. And your guess is correct. They way DCG works is kind of like QMB. DCG gives it all the paramaters and generates a mission based on those parameters. Basically, if you change waypts around or change something small, the AI can react totally different.

A great example is level bombing with DCG in IL2. You HAVE to be the lead plane for level bombers, period. And what you have to do is right as you release your bombs, turn on the auto pilot. Most of the time, your flight will not drop their bombs. Somehow, the only way to get the rest of your flight of heavies to drop their bombs with you is to turn on the auto pilot as you are dropping yours.

There are little things like this that you just have to work around. I don't mind the quircks, because my missions are ten times better than DGen, quirks and all.

This does not mean that DCG could use another update though ... :wink: