Some AA Ideas

[Greg 'wmutt' Cook]

First off this isn't a whine.  I know the AA is a bit overzelious but we seem to be learning to live with that.  I just had some ideas and that is a rare enough ocurrence that I thought I'ld fly them by others.
I don't know about how powerful AA should be on a bullet by bullet basis, but I would think that to be hard fact already.  What I would like to see is a more "human" AA AI.  The way things are now, the computer defenses spot you comming at a very long range, without fail, regaurdless of your altitude (or so it seems at least).  In period, the standard approach was conducted at high speed, and as low as you could get without making an unscheduled landing, followed by a popup just before the target.  It was this way for two very good reasons. It preserved the element of suprise for as long as possible, and it minimalizes the time the AA had you in their sights.  As it stands, I don't think we can 'suprise' the AA in the game with things the way they are now.
I would like to see an AA AI that takes into account the fact that is they don't know you are comming, it takes time for the little virtual dudes to run out and man their guns, find a target, start putting rounds downrange, zero in on it, and then be effective.  
Of course we would need some things like trees, and low ridges to mask the approach of attackers. I don't know the new terrain editor will work, but it would be nice to have even some blocks of solid forest and other such obstructons.
Also, once he is up and running, little Virtual Stan, the AA man, should have a period of time when he remains alert and ready to hammer the next enemy that comes in range.  He should wait a while before standing down again.
Most importantly, the sim should reward the well planned, and well executed attack.  I've read in other threads that some people would like to see AA get confused and fire up their own side once in a while.  I have to disagree with that, Yes it did happen, but there is such a thing as too real.  I remember from the old Air Warrior days, a bug that would make airfields fire at their team, and I can tell you personaly that nothing sucks more than comming home after a well fought victory or two with a baddly damaged plane, only to be put out of your misery by a well meaning, but confused ditital dude with a hair trigger.
Well, Just some thoughts, run with them.
Like I said, I'm not whinning, I just had some ideas.  

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Greg 'wmutt' Cook
332nd Flying Mongrels

[This message has been edited by Greg 'wmutt' Cook (edited 04-04-2000).]

[nonoht]

i agree...
i don't like the AAA now..
it's very hard to make a proper dive bombing... diving going well but after it you are surely dead, even if you try turn while you dive... in real AAA gunner didn't know about the plane direction if the plane make a dive turn ( humm dive bombing on ship in WB...)
so maybe we'll have another AAA engine.

i agree too for the solid obstacle on land...
maybe one or two river with bridge to cancel tanks attacks in every directions.

   

GC III/2 "Alsace"

[This message has been edited by nonoht (edited 04-04-2000).]

[bloom25]

Good ideas.  FYI Pyro posted quite a while ago that the acks will be reworked.  There will be different types at each base as well. (i.e. 88mm , 40 mm, 50 cal, etc.)  I think I'll wait and see what 1.02 is like before I say anything else.
(On the plus side though, the acks we now have aren't nearly as deadly as the ones we had around .36.  Those things absolutely impossible to evade if you got below 8k over a base.)


bloom25
THUNDERBIRDS

[Fury]

I think it would be neat to have 15 C47s go to an empty fighter base (two acks) that has not been attacked, and try to drop at the same time from 500 feet.  Having all 15 come from different directions and each dropping 10 grunts (hopefully before death) would mean up to 150 troops (targets) and 15 planes for two AA guns to shoot at.  Would be interesting to see what survived and how long it takes for two acks to get everything.
I wonder if the AI would go for the planes first or the grunts first?

Fury

[daddog]

Good post wmutt. I like your ideas. I had some along the same lines and posted them a few days ago.

 

How about these solutions:

1. Make all the ack human just like HTC did with our gunners.

or

2. Dial down the ack to a more realistic accuracy and then once an ack is down a little trooper comes running out of the barracks to set up another ack. Those flying low can choose between strafing the little troopers running to set up another ack, or strafing planes taking off. If several ack are down there will be several men running to make more.

Keeping the ack as is will keep Aces High from developing all types of air combat. One of which is the ground attack.

Just my nickels worth.  

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daddog C.O.
332nd Flying Mongrels
Where men become friends and friends become brothers.

[This message has been edited by daddog (edited 04-04-2000).]

[Fatty]

 

Originally posted by Fury:
I think it would be neat to have 15 C47s go to an empty fighter base (two acks) that has not been attacked, and try to drop at the same time from 500 feet.  Having all 15 come from different directions and each dropping 10 grunts (hopefully before death) would mean up to 150 troops (targets) and 15 planes for two AA guns to shoot at.  Would be interesting to see what survived and how long it takes for two acks to get everything.
I wonder if the AI would go for the planes first or the grunts first?

Fury

The buccaneers did this to us not too long ago, brought 13 or so 47s unescorted and mass dropped at 15k over a 4 ack base.  They took it, even with us there shooting the troopers and all acks firing, there were just too many to shoot down.

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Fatty
FAT DRUNK BASTARDS

[Camel]

hehe

I was as shocked as anybody else!  


Camel
A proud Buc

[Jekyll]

Wmutt, I've been a firm advocate of an ack delay ever since AH debutted in beta (and even longer before that in Brand W)

It doesn't even have to be a long delay to be effective, say 15 seconds after aircraft first come into ack range, or after they are first detected on field radar.  Once alerted, ack remains in 'active' mode for 15 minutes, and immediately blasts anything coming back within its range.  Once the 15 minutes has passed with no aircraft either within ack range or on radar, ack reverts back to 'standby' mode.

It would still be practically impossible for a single aircraft to completely close a field, since there is little chance a single aircraft could hit 2, 3 or 4 acks on a single strafing run.

But it would reward a co-ordinated squad mission, where you might have a number of low-level jabos assigned to field supression.

I've never heard a single person criticise the idea of an ack delay, but for the life of me I can't work out why HTC would not at least trial such a concept.

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C.O. Phoenix Squadron
http://www.users.bigpond.com/afinlayson/index.htm
'feel the heat .......'

[snafu]

Hi All,
 Just a question. HTC mentioned that the "gravity affect routine" had been added into the balistics model twice and this would be put right for the next version. Did this apply to acks as well? (Will they be even more accurate in the next version).

(Very worried)

snafu