negative altitude

[joey]

I saw something odd today while playing BTR. I got a negative altitude for one of my interceptors. I had not seen that before.
I saved a screen shot of it and tried to upload it. I had it in .png format, so I changed it to the old fashioned format of .jpg. Then it said the file was too large. It was only 600k which is a small file. Nevertheless, I cropped it down to 250k, but this system could not handle that tiny size either. So you are going to have to take my word for seeing a negative altitude. The altitude reported for my flight was -32536. All of my other interceptions typically have a positive altitude.
Has anyone else seen this?

[mark dolby]

Joey, you are not going mad...
I see this all the time when my interceptors are generally above 30K.
I press I for intercept and the formation I wish to attack.
The next screen displays those units I can choose and if my flights are below 30k it generally reports correctly. However if I am at 35k then it often reads -30586 or similar. For every unit at this height. It's one of the things I have been meaning to get round to reporting.
The aircraft are at their designated height so intercepts are made normally.
No detriment to game play except mild bewilderment!
I am playing as Axis. Yourself?

[simovitch]

This is a result of the original programmers defining the altitude variable as a signed short integer type, which causes havoc when the altitude exceeds the type limit which is 32,767. The variable needs to be the unsigned type which has a limit of 65,535. I though we/they caught all of them but actually saw one last night in the code. I'll see if I can squash this one once and for all.

[simovitch]

This is a result of the original programmers defining the altitude variable as a signed short integer type, which causes havoc when the altitude exceeds the type limit which is 32,767. The variable needs to be the unsigned type which has a limit of 65,535. I though we/they caught all of them but actually saw one last night in the code. I'll see if I can squash this one once and for all.

[joey]

ORIGINAL: mark dolby

Joey, you are not going mad...
I see this all the time when my interceptors are generally above 30K.
I press I for intercept and the formation I wish to attack.
The next screen displays those units I can choose and if my flights are below 30k it generally reports correctly. However if I am at 35k then it often reads -30586 or similar. For every unit at this height. It's one of the things I have been meaning to get round to reporting.
The aircraft are at their designated height so intercepts are made normally.
No detriment to game play except mild bewilderment!
I am playing as Axis. Yourself?

For many years, I played as the USAAF. Now I play exclusively as the Germans. I find it much more challenging. It is so difficult holding off the onslaught. However, the computer Allies is too over aggressive in the early days of the 43 campaign. If I am willing to accept high losses, I can really damage its morale. What do you think?

[joey]

ORIGINAL: simovitch

This is a result of the original programmers defining the altitude variable as a signed short integer type, which causes havoc when the altitude exceeds the type limit which is 32,767. The variable needs to be the unsigned type which has a limit of 65,535. I though we/they caught all of them but actually saw one last night in the code. I'll see if I can squash this one once and for all.

Very good. I thank you. j

[mark dolby]

For many years, I played as the USAAF. Now I play exclusively as the Germans. I find it much more challenging. It is so difficult holding off the onslaught. However, the computer Allies is too over aggressive in the early days of the 43 campaign. If I am willing to accept high losses, I can really damage its morale. What do you think?
[/quote]


I agree totally with the AI being too aggressive. I have just finished 29 turns in a new '43 campaign and the Allies have lost 1403 USAAF heavy bombers. That's more than were operationally available at the start of the game. The whole of the 'Mighty 8th' wiped out in a month. And yet they still keep coming.
I'm not sure what you consider heavy losses but I have lost 590 to 2569 by the Allies.

[joey]

Day 27:

Allied losses: 2913

Axis losses: 1735

B17 losses: 861

And, yes they just keep coming. My losses are high, but about 65% are WIA, so I will get most of my pilots back. Nevertheless the mighty Eight is not so mighty anymore. I wish there was a way to tone this down, so that the Eight can be more competitive in the long term. The issue, as I see it, is that the computer does a lot of long range missions in which fighters cannot support the raids. These raids allow the Germans to decimate the raids. Once long range fighters come along, this phenomenon reduces. However, by then the Eight is crushed.

When I play the Allies, I wait until I can adequately support such raids. This prevents the Germans from seriously hurting me.

How do you keep your losses so low?

[simovitch]

My analysis shows that if the Axis don't win by the July-August 1944 sudden death they can't win the campaign games. That's why I added the condition if the Axis can keep the AS below 3 they can at least get a draw. I'm thinking now that it should be changed to below 4...

What do you axis players think about this?

[mark dolby]

My last win on 22/6/44 I still only had an AS of 2 so my data says keep it at 3.

[mark dolby]

ORIGINAL: joey

Day 27:

Allied losses: 2913

Axis losses: 1735

B17 losses: 861

And, yes they just keep coming. My losses are high, but about 65% are WIA, so I will get most of my pilots back. Nevertheless the mighty Eight is not so mighty anymore. I wish there was a way to tone this down, so that the Eight can be more competitive in the long term. The issue, as I see it, is that the computer does a lot of long range missions in which fighters cannot support the raids. These raids allow the Germans to decimate the raids. Once long range fighters come along, this phenomenon reduces. However, by then the Eight is crushed.

When I play the Allies, I wait until I can adequately support such raids. This prevents the Germans from seriously hurting me.

How do you keep your losses so low?

I almost exclusively concentrate on the heavy bombers. You get a feel for which radar plots are them. Send up a schwarm to make visual contact. I keep my main airfields quite far back as I am not afraid to meet the USAAF fighters in the air but ground losses are a real negative. Schwarm and staffel units are closer to the coast and their airfields are packed with AA. Plenty of AA and balloons at radar as well. Ignore medium bomber raids unless the escorts go home. Equip every gruppe with rockets, damaged bombers are downed by schwarms from the staffel units that DO NOT take off to engage the main stream. Don't be afraid to move units, it throws the hunter off the scent. Use G55 to attack the recons, it's the only thing with excellent altitude at the start.
My pilot losses are statistically higher though - 225 kia to 268 wia. I have 30 destroyed on the ground and 29 damaged.

[simovitch]

ORIGINAL: mark dolby

My last win on 22/6/44 I still only had an AS of 2 so my data says keep it at 3.

The AS<3 only applies if the game runs to the end in 1945.

[mark dolby]

Then I concur with raising it. Its going to be hard at game end to have enough aircraft on operational bases to pose a threat.

[joey]

ORIGINAL: simovitch

My analysis shows that if the Axis don't win by the July-August 1944 sudden death they can't win the campaign games. That's why I added the condition if the Axis can keep the AS below 3 they can at least get a draw. I'm thinking now that it should be changed to below 4...

What do you axis players think about this?

I have not gotten to the end of a game with the latest patch. But with earlier patches, the Allies get so many bombers and fighters that a German victory of any sort is nearly impossible. The Allies have so many ways to systematically destroy the Luftwaffe; the Germans have no plausible way to stop them other than to slow them down. Perhaps modifying the AS triggers would make the game a bit more fair.