Quote:
Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz
I noticed that Ace AI fighters will keep chasing after and shooting enemy fighters when the enemy fighter is in flames and/or the engine is stopped. Just thought it was a waste of resources and ammo for them.
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Fires can go out, engines can be restarted. Also, realistically, a pilot might not notice that an opponent's engine has stopped when he opens fire, or he might be trying to kill the crew before they can bail out.
In terms of the game, it's also possible that the game engine is doing its old trick of not always recognizing a kill as a kill until well after the fact, even if the plane is on fire, has a dead pilot, or has ditched or crash landed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz
On the other hand, I have seen a number of times when Ace AI are themselves in disabled fighters or bombers, either on fire or with stopped engines or missing controls and they continue to fly the aircraft instead of bail.
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The decision to bail out or stay with the airplane is heavily dependent on the situation. It would be tough for AI to model all the possible situations.
Examples:
Stuck controls.
Normally: Bail out.
Except: You're over enemy territory on a straight and level course back to friendly territory. Then you stay with the plane and bail out over friendly territory.
Except: You're flying straight and level over water. You stay with the plane and bail out over the nearest friendly territory. If that's not possible, you bail out over land.
Except: You're in a plane where you have access to tools, cable runs, etc. and you're flying straight and level. You try to fix the problem.
Except: You're in an airplane which has wounded crew aboard who are too badly injured to bail out. Then, you have everyone except the pilot bail out over friendly territory and then the pilot attempts to make a crash landing.
Fire or Dead Engine.
Normally: Bail out.
Except: You're too low to bail out. Then you ride the plane down and try to crash land.
Except: You're over a friendly populated area or too low to bail out. Then you point the plane towards an open area and ride it down as long as it's possible to do so, then bail out at minimum safe altitude.
Except: You're over water. Then you try to ride the plane down and ditch, since there is survival equipment in the plane that you'd have to leave behind if you jumped.
Except: You're over water near a friendly ship. You turn the plane so you're near the ship and then bail out or ditch, depending on altitude, hoping for rescue.
Except: You're over water near a friendly coast. You turn the plane towards land so you can bail out over land.
Except: You're over hostile coast, but there are friendly ships off the coast. You turn the plane and try to get near a friendly ship.
Except: You're right over your target with a load of bombs. You hold course and bomb your target, then bail or crash. (Or, for the occasional hero, you suicide dive into your target.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz
Sure, sometimes the AI will fly into the ground, but I am sure a lot of aircraft in WWII hit the ground or water while fighting at low altitude.
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Lots of planes came back with bits of trees imbedded in the wings. In one notable instance, a U.S. jabo actually flew low enough to decapitate a German soldier! And, one U.S. ace who should have known better (Lt. Col. Francis Gabrelski) flew so low to the ground that he messed up his propeller and had to crash land.