[FIXED] [1307.18] AI Air Intercept mission launches all aircrft ignoring flight limit
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2023 1:49 am
I came back to this game recently after taking a protracted break, and I decided to revisit a scenario I previously created and published over a year ago. To skip a lot of unnecessary exposition, basically there are several air intercept missions for the AI red faction which use multiple aircraft types operating from separate bases. The missions are set up to have a flight size of 2 and a maximum of 2 flights active at a time. However, sometimes, due to reasons that I still do not fully understand, the AI will launch all of the aircraft assigned at once, ignoring the flight limit. If the enforce flight size box is left unchecked, then it will immediately launch all aircraft no matter what as far as I can tell, as soon as the box is unchecked. Even if it is checked, it will still launch all aircraft in some situations. This appears to be triggered when a single aircraft returns alone after having had its wingman destroyed, but I am uncertain if that is the only cause, and I am also uncertain if this phenomenon follows every time that occurs. I was able to reproduce it multiple times using that trigger within this scenario using different air intercept missions.
I have included 2 saves from the same scenario demonstrating this, but I have observed it in other scenarios too. The first save (Operation Big Stick new test run 6 second line debug 2) is shortly before a single J-20 (it's wingman having been shot down) assigned to the "Intercept Stealth" mission is about to return to base. When it lands, all of the J-20s at that base, as well as the J-31s assigned elsewhere, will immediately begin to take off in pairs and pursue the mission as a swarm. In the second save (Operation Big Stick new test run 6 second line debug 3), the same phenomenon is about to play out for the "Intercept LRAAM" mission, while the swarm of stealth fighters that resulted from the first instance can be seen attacking the player forces to the north.
If some setting exists within the game that would cause this behavior, I haven't been able to find it (and it certainly isn't for lack of trying). It seems like a bug, but if so it's a severe one. Nearly all air intercept missions that use no defined targets and have more aircraft assigned than are supposed to be airborne at any one time have the potential to be affected, and some are affected universally if the enforce flight size box is unchecked (this can be easily tested in the provided saves by unchecking the box for either of the above mentioned missions and then watching as all of the assigned aircraft take off immediately). Many scenarios, especially community created ones, make use of such air intercept missions, and some of these scenarios become broken entirely if this bug affects a few key missions for the AI opposing faction.
I have included 2 saves from the same scenario demonstrating this, but I have observed it in other scenarios too. The first save (Operation Big Stick new test run 6 second line debug 2) is shortly before a single J-20 (it's wingman having been shot down) assigned to the "Intercept Stealth" mission is about to return to base. When it lands, all of the J-20s at that base, as well as the J-31s assigned elsewhere, will immediately begin to take off in pairs and pursue the mission as a swarm. In the second save (Operation Big Stick new test run 6 second line debug 3), the same phenomenon is about to play out for the "Intercept LRAAM" mission, while the swarm of stealth fighters that resulted from the first instance can be seen attacking the player forces to the north.
If some setting exists within the game that would cause this behavior, I haven't been able to find it (and it certainly isn't for lack of trying). It seems like a bug, but if so it's a severe one. Nearly all air intercept missions that use no defined targets and have more aircraft assigned than are supposed to be airborne at any one time have the potential to be affected, and some are affected universally if the enforce flight size box is unchecked (this can be easily tested in the provided saves by unchecking the box for either of the above mentioned missions and then watching as all of the assigned aircraft take off immediately). Many scenarios, especially community created ones, make use of such air intercept missions, and some of these scenarios become broken entirely if this bug affects a few key missions for the AI opposing faction.