AI gunners revisited (thread # what on this?)

[Arlo]

Having code where every gun has an AI gunner and bomber guns shoot at the closest enemy to that gunner, within that gunners arc of fire, would make for divvying up the formation fire around it (more realistic, actually). 

[Warmongo]

I am old enough to tell you that in Air Warrior you could fill all gunner positions with real players. Now, that was fun! I don't remember having any formations, just one plane.

[Arlo]

Aye, we could. And 'Blood Dragons' were born.

But ... it would take a lot of players to man formation guns in an event. Not to mention pilots if the formations didn't exist anymore. What AI gunners would add (or subtract, depending on your view) would be no more 3 plane formations of all gunners on all three planes fixated on one fighter (though the ones out of arc won't fire). Or ... rather ... each individual gunner aiming at the biggest threat in it's arc. You would see formations shooting in multiple directions if attacked by multiple threats around them. It's a pro and con thing whit defensive arcs more active against multiple attackers but reduced overall guns on a single fighter (unless just a single fighter attacks). Allow a player to still be a (single) gunner for a buff pilot and the dynamic lends to more realism.