Tuesday 3-31

[WWDriftwood]

This is the updated info for Tuesdays mission.  

With the mountains making navigation a bit more difficult - Nav icons and exterior views will be on. 

Technically we can start from either Adler and attack Sochi, or Mailkop and attack mountain targets, we just don't want to do both at the same time.  Those battles need to be fought separately. Each can take a minimum of 45m or up to 1 hour. 

Bomber Escort, Jabo, CAP

First half of the mission - Red and Blue escort Gold to the first target. Blue stay close to Gold, Red fly as support, you can fly CAP or Jabo your choice. All flights use the route on the map to start the mission.

Second half of the mission - attack Sochi airfield. Map shows boxes outlining the battle areas.

All German planes are available - look at the air target menu below. Choose your plane wisely.

Winds SW 225, Cloud Level 1750, thickness 1900

Mission Objective Details:

1. Escort bombers to first target – 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, 30 45 min. – Gold, Red, and Blue takeoff from Mailkop, follow route on the map. Gold - destroy Industrial Buildings and AAA. Continue South to Adler or RTB to Maikop. Once we have taken off from Maikop, you are free to take off from Adler or Maikop to continue our mountain patrol.

2. Attack Sochi Airfield – 4:15 PM to 5:00 PM, 30-45 min. Finish attacking the mountain targets first, attack Sochi as a group! – Gold - destroy enemy ships, tanks, fuel depots and AAA. Agoy airfield is also available.

3. CAP – Main patrol areas are outlined on the map in blue.  Red and Blue support Gold as needed, destroy enemy fighters and bombers. - Defend allied train near any airfields if possible. Destroy bombers before they reach axis airfields if possible.

Tanks – Tanks available near coastal targets for cleanup.

Planes - No RRR available – take new planes from Maikop, Adler, or Agoy.

Mission intel: 62 fighters, 6 bombers, ships, AAA, and tanks.

What’s on the enemy air target menu?

A20, I16, IL 2m41, IL 2m43, La5fns2, La58, Lagg3, Mig3, P38, P40e, P47, P51, Pe2s35, Pe2s87, Spit MkIX, Spit MkV, Tempest, Yak69, Yak7b. 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by WWDriftwood
UPDATED MISSION INFO

[WWZed]

First half of the mission - Red and Blue escort Gold to the first target. Blue stay close to Gold, Red fly as support, CAP or Jabo. Use the route on the map.

 

[WWDriftwood]

just what it says; Red and Blue escort Gold, but Red as support can choose to take bombs or not take bombs to support Gold and Blue as needed. That's up to Red, Red may get pulled away, may not, but Blue's priority is stick with Gold to get them to the first target.

We all escort gold, red has options...... 

Everyone follows the route to first target.

[WWDriftwood]

Updated mission info - see first post. 

[WWICYtheDEAD]

We have are meeting tonight as well.

[WWCraven]

Don’t think we have a meeting tonight unless I missed it, meeting is next Tuesday.

[WWICYtheDEAD]

Yes, my bad, was thinking today was next Tuesday...DOH...

This quarantine is driving me crazy!

[WWDriftwood]

Warm up for tonight, if no one was planning on any pre mission tests or has any objections... 

Mr. Rivers Death Race 2020

• Air starts, tanks, etc are available, all allied/axis planes available for both sides. 
• I was going to start this at 5:20 pm - mission ends in 40 min

Main mission will start at 6 pm. 

@WWSittingduck If I run this, should I put it on WingWalkers 2 so it doesn't create stats for mayhem? Or is better performance running it from WingWalkers 1? 

~S~

[WWSittingduck]

believe the night is all your's wood......am sure we are in good hands.

[WWSittingduck]

ops...just saw part 2...any server you want is fine with me

[WWDriftwood]

My folks dogs, Ben and Lucy; always fly in formation when making all decisions... LOL

[WWZed]

Blue flight protecting Gold

[WWGriphos]

What kind of dogs are those?  German Shepherds?  They are good looking animals!

Edited April 1, 2020 by WWGriphos

[WWDriftwood]

German Shepherds, really smart dogs, not very disciplined...  

[WWDriftwood]

Thanks for trying out my mission tonight, wish we had about 4-5 more  pilots, I'll be making a few changes, not too much and next time will start from Adler and attack Sochi first so the bombers get a nice clean initial run at there bombing target and start the mission off on a high note.

Then finish out the mission in the mountains. I'll set mission end for 2.5 hours or check when the last ai's fuel runs out. 

Quite the workout. 

Now you know there was going to be a video right!  Come mr tally man, tally me bananas, no nav lights and me wanna shoot-ya down... sorry about that!

Checking out the scenery... 

 

[WWPlague]

Thanks Driftwood, I thought the number of enemy planes over the factory was about right, but needed more over the ship. I never got to engage any enemy fighters over the ship, too many humans who shot down an enemy plane and quicky moved  to another. Thats the way it should be, impressed with the skills of pilots in our squad, just need more opportunities for everyone. I thought the clouds and mountains over the factory were a factor in making it possible to lose the enemy ai for 7-8 seconds and find him again without seeing someone else on him and having to go find another. Overall, was fun and I had a good time. 

[WWChunk]

11 hours ago, WWDriftwood said:

German Shepherds, really smart dogs, not very disciplined...  

This...100%
 

Jäger the wonder dog is one of the sweetest dogs around (when he’s not going after Craven’s furry friend), but he should’ve been a police K-9. There’s no better breed for that type of work. 

[WWSandMan]

Just want to add my two cents in to say how much I enjoyed the mission last night. While the cloud cover in the mountains provided some interesting and scary flying at times,it was still pretty fun to get there and realize that the target was not in a valley but on top of a mountain, quite a place to put a factory!

[WWFawlty]

Thanks again Driftwood, great intro for me into WW2 Great Battles. Sorry we couldn't stay with you last night Zed. After getting jumped the whole idea of covering you went straight south or maybe that was downward into the ground.

Robby up front and I briefly in formation heading south into battle.

[WWGriphos]

I thought it was great fun.   My only suggestion would be to perhaps consolidate the enemy AI a bit more, with only enemy aircraft that would make sense in that particular place for some imagined time frame.  But that's just me, maybe, and my urge for "realism." 

[WWSandMan]

I can agree with what Griph says. I like my simulated combat arenas to be specific to a given time frame, and/or a given piece of terrain.

Example: The Crimea area would be wonderful for a summer of '42 battlefield. Germans using 109 F4's and 109 G2's, Ju-87's and Bf-110s. Sprinkle in some Ju-52's and it's good. Russian side: I-16's, LaGG-3's, MiG-3's, a couple Yak-1's. Add some early single-seat IL-2's and a few early Pe-2's for the Russian offensive team. Set all the Russian AI to novice, and have them out-number the Germans 3 or 4 to 1. If flying Russian, set German AI to Veteran, and pray you don't find Graf and the rest of the Karaya Staffel on your six. Now you have an interesting, period and landscape specific battle that can be won by either side, but is heavily weighted (as in real life) to the Germans.

Move the timing forward a year to the spring of '43. Introduce for the Germans: 109 G6's, some Italian MC-202's, late model 110's, Stukas with 37mm canons, Ju-88's, 190 A3's, a couple of those weird two-engine attack planes. For the Russians: La-5's, La-5FN's, and a good number of each Yak-1, Yak-7, Spitfire MkV, P-40M, P-39D. Bombers will be A-20's, later Il-2's with rear gunners and later Pe-2's. Keep the same 3 or 4 to 1 ratio, but make Russian AI average, and German AI average. The German Experten may still score big, but the German losses will be even bigger. Again, very closely historic ... but in simulation, things can turn out differently than in real life.

[WWDriftwood]

Sorry for the slow response, having a little family emergency... 

Thanks for the feedback, copied for my notes. I'll comment more later. ~S~

[WWSoarfeat]

Late in adding that this was quite a fun mission. Very good balance of events and nice smooth gameplay as well.

Thanks Driftwood  !!  

 

[WWDriftwood]

Thanks again for the feedback, that helps.

I’d like to fly the mission a couple more times without changing the planes to help me finalize the setup for default groups. Then I can quickly make up groups based on model/year, etc.

Next mission – (12 willing pilots) We can start with Adler to Sochi, then go to Maikop. This way Bombers get a clean crack at bombing the targets before major enemy resistance. Start the mission off with a big bada boom. Will be easier to cover Zed, Zeus and company. Then finish up with the mountain mayhem.

I can raise and thin out the clouds a bit, put the Dr. Evil mountain top target in the valley. Then shoot for 12 pilots, 3-4 bombers minimum and see what happens. I’ll try to remember to add a note for target altitude, but the icons on the map are over the target, white areas are “mountain peaks.”

This will help me settle on how I want the base vanilla groups setup after a couple tests, then rinse and repeat to crank out groups for the different plane models and group by WWII timeline, etc. Then it will be easier to experiment setting up a mission as Sandy/Griphos described.

As far as stuff like AI low in the canyons as opposed to seeing them at higher altitudes or number of fighters around the ships, targets, etc. That’s random and depends a lot on human behavior and what the AI see. If humans are spread out, the ai will be more spread out, if humans circle a target, AI will pool as they get to that spot in there route. Humans leave, ai go back to the routes.

I’ll raise the clouds high enough to increase visibility flying CAP above the mountains and see how the AI respond. At least when bombers aren’t around…

~S~

[WWCraven]

Why don't we add this mission into the April rotation, just let me know which Tuesday you'd like and I'll add to the calendar.