Thank you for such great write-ups! I really appreciate that you explain your thinking behind your actions. It helps me program the AI behavior when I know how people approach a situation.
ORIGINAL: AndrewJ
Assorted observations:
The NATO SAMs seem to be all set to fire at maximum range, which means that when they engage fighters the fighters can often just turn aside and fly out of range before the SAM can get there. This is particularly true of the long-range Patriots with their longer flight time. I'd recommend using their WRA to turn down the engagement range against fighters, so the SAM engagements happen within the no-escape zone. This sacrifices some range, but also means that shots will always have a chance to hit, instead of being easily outrun.
This is good advice, and something I should be doing with all my scenarios...
The Pilica sub hunters (as mentioned in an earlier post) have an extremely small amount of fuel in the database, and will run out in just over half a day or so. Some other unit would be needed to provide escort.
Yes, I should do that. <Laziness levels rising...>
I'd suggest the high-altitude visitor be set to have active emissions only on station. I have to admit I didn't even notice the Rygge airbase, but the moment that airplane took off with its radar turned on my ESM assets picked it up and I had plenty of warning to deal with it. I might not have noticed it until much too late if it had remained silent until it arrived on station.
This is a good idea.
I don't know if you'd want to consider making Vaerlose a multi-unit airbase? It's the closest airbase to the objective, and the most likely to be attacked by the player. I was actually in a position to make a useful attack on it a few times, and multi-unit airfields are more realistic in those circumstances. I think an attack would be less likely on the other fields (although I was over them too).
After my own playthrough I thought the same thing. However, I found that by the time I was ready to attack it all the fighters there were dead. So it does give the player something to do, but it doesn't really impact the outcome. Then I started thinking about deleting the existing base, importing the multi-unit base, adding the aircraft, adding the munitions to the various weapon shelters... <WARNING! Laziness levels have exceeded safe limits!>
I liked the AWACS patrolling with a strong escort and jammer, safely behind the heavy SAM belt. Very realistic, and a real all-seeing pain in the posterior, until I could devote enough resources to defeat the Baltic CAP, make a hole in the SAMs, and send an entire squadron to deal with the escorts. Once that was done, however, the next two flew to their doom. Is there any way to prevent the next ones launching while there are enemy fighters in the area?
I'm glad you liked it, because I almost didn't add it... [:D]
I was sorta hoping that people would see the line of SAMs and fighters and just think "not worth it". I'm glad someone tried going after them and being successful. There is probably a really complicated way of keeping the AWACS and jammers from launching, but it would be really difficult to program, and it would likely be really "fragile" and quick to fail to work properly.
Thanks again for another great scenario!
I'll keep creating them if you keep writing these AARs!
Yokes
