Matrix Games Forums

Regarding patrol missions: Is there a way to make sure there is always a flight actually IN the patrol zone?
All I've found is that once a flight goes bingo it returns to base, but the follow-up flight to replace them on station only takes off at that exact same time, thus leaving the patrol zone un-patrolled for perhaps an extensive period of time, depending how far away from base it is. For a CAP around the home base that's fine, but if the patrol is any significant distance away it's not ideal.
So ideally the next patrol flight would take off BEFORE the flight already on patrol reaches bingo, so that they arrive in/at the patrol zone when the preceding flight goes bingo and heads home.
Is that possible without micro?
EDIT: I will have to double check to make sure this DOES happen when "Try to keep N units on station." is NOT set to 0. D'OH!
But IIRC, particularly from playing The Bedford Incident, that there's a gap in coverage even with N set properly.
EDIT EDIT: Yes, this is still the case with it set to keep 1 unit on station. The next unit doesn't take off until the one on station sets RTB.

If not: Feature request. I imagine this would be a fairly complex equation to determine appropriate take-off times for the replacement unit(s).

artao5 wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 6:58 pm So ideally the next patrol flight would take off BEFORE the flight already on patrol reaches bingo, so that they arrive in/at the patrol zone when the preceding flight goes bingo and heads home.
Is that possible without micro?

Don't think you can do this using the automation settings available (would love to be proved wrong as it would save having to do this manually every time).

The only way I can see to do this, and it wont work for all occasions, is to manually adust the Air Tasking Order so that you set up a 'flow' as would happen IRL. The problem with any automated method is that it would require a 'fixed' off station time, the only way to acheive this is to do it by the clock, which is how real air taskers would do it. Excessive fuel use, weapons use and AAR availability will all have an effect which may still require manual management.

I used to do it with events and mission activations with overlapping missions, but needs to be done when playing from the scenario editor. I have wanted to figure it out with the new ops and multi-mission capability, but haven't yet. With the new mission planned, you could do it through triggers or overlapping missions.

thewood1 wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:53 pm I used to do it with events and mission activations with overlapping missions, but needs to be done when playing from the scenario editor. I have wanted to figure it out with the new ops and multi-mission capability, but haven't yet. With the new mission planned, you could do it through triggers or overlapping missions.

Like you, I had to play some scenarios in the editor mode to make things work out, but your idea about triggers (for combat aircraft?) and overlapping missions (for support aircraft?) seems to be a better and more elegant solution.