How to set AI torpedo run ?

[Aussie Pilot]

So I have a He111 doing a torpedo run on a ship. At the last waypoint I have "Attack ground target" set with the green circle/line on the ship and it shows as the target selected. But in game when I follow it, it does all the waypoints etc but does not release. I can't find a editor manual to help me. Last waypoint is at 100m, but it seems to go lower for it's torpedo run after that and then climbs back up without releasing as it moves to it's next waypoint to return home.

What am I missing please?

[ATAG_Ezzie]

Hi AP,

How far is the attack waypoint set from the actual ship?

I did the Welly/H6 torpedo flashcard procedures/graphics which involved a lot of trial and error and initially i couldn't get the aircraft to drop torps and this sounds like what you are experiencing But eventually i got it working by adjusting the distance the waypoint was from the ship.

From memory i had the way point too far away from the ship and for some reason that caused it to not drop. When i moved it closer it worked OK. Or maybe it was the other way around - i was too close and had to move it further away. I cant recall exactly - i spent a lot of hours on the torpedo procedure and its a big blur now - but i got it working by moving the distance of the waypoint from the ship until it worked.

If i get the chance I'll see if i can find the .mis file i used when making the torp graphics and see what the distance was that enabled it to work. From memory it was maybe less than 2 - 5 km but i could be wrong.

Good luck - hope u get it working.

Ezzie

[Bonditaria]

You probably have your Attack waypoint much too close to the target. This is an error in mission-building based on a thought that you control the AI by the wayponts...

In the FMB you do not dictate what the AI aircraft does! Rather, you give the AI aircraft tasks to do and the AI-engine works out how to fulfill them if it can. At any waypoint, the AI-engine looks ahead to the next waypoint and decides how the AI-controlled aircraft will act to complete the task set by the next waypoint. It does not let the AI aircraft arrive at a waypoint and then decide how to do the task set at that waypoint.

shot_20200912_142340.jpg shot_20200912_142427.jpg

Spoiler: 

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[BoB_LW_KuFlGr_706.01]
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  Class tobruk:Aircraft.He-111H-6
  Formation VIC3
  CallSign 26
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[BoB_LW_KuFlGr_706.01_Way]
  NORMFLY 8694.36 15895.12 100.00 310.00
  GATTACK_TARG 9802.71 18869.40 100.00 310.00 0_Chief 0
  NORMFLY 26596.56 7259.93 100.00 310.00
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  Scramble 1
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  Skill 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
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[BoB_RAF_F_FatCat_Early.01_Way]
  TAKEOFF 13159.56 16087.94 0 0
[CustomChiefs]
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  0_Chief Ship.tobruk:Merchant nn /sleep 3/skill 1/slowfire 5
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  10090.73 21919.23 38.40  0 2 3.06
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  15672.08 16079.10 38.40  0 2 2.92
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  14866.25 14050.62 38.40  0 2 2.92
  14199.35 13717.17 38.40  0 2 2.92
  14014.11 13281.84 38.40
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  Static0 ShipUnit.Boat_Fishing_Medium1 nn 9693.14 18878.57 0.00 /sleep 0/skill 2/slowfire 1
[Buildings]
[BuildingsLinks]

[MicroWave]

There is also the issue of height in the last waypoint.
AI aborts the attack if it drops too low which is related to its diving speed before getting to its firing position.
Possible solution is to lower the height of the waypoint(s) to guide the AI.

[Aussie Pilot]

Thanks guys, all very helpful. Turns out I almost had it right, but by doing what you all suggested, fine tuning it, it worked. My attack waypoint wasn't quite close enough and my lead up waypoints may have been to high. My attack waypoint was set at 100m so I dropped all the waypoints to 100m instead of 500m. The ship manoeuvred a little and the torpedo's just missed but I'll play with it a little more and see how it goes. I may need to move the attack waypoint a fraction closer.

Thanks for the help.

[ATAG_Ezzie]

Thanks guys, all very helpful. Turns out I almost had it right, but by doing what you all suggested, fine tuning it, it worked. My attack waypoint wasn't quite close enough and my lead up waypoints may have been to high. My attack waypoint was set at 100m so I dropped all the waypoints to 100m instead of 500m. The ship manoeuvred a little and the torpedo's just missed but I'll play with it a little more and see how it goes. I may need to move the attack waypoint a fraction closer.

Thanks for the help.

re missing - what speed is your ship set to?

I found that above a certain speed - cant recall off the top of my head - there was an increased chance of the torps missing. So if you want to guarantee a hit drop the ship speed perhaps.

Historically less than 3 in 10 torps dropped by the Wellies up to the end of 1942 hit the tgt so missing is historically accurate. But not fun to watch...

Ezzie

[Aussie Pilot]

Just did some more fine tuning. Moved the attack way point closer and it made the difference, hit every time.

The ship speeds are set at 20. I moved my start waypoint for the He111 back to a more realistic start time of 14 minutes away from the target and they still came in a torpedoed the ships. That gives us time to start up at Tobruk, Hurricane MKIIb, fly north to supply top cover for the ships trying to make port at Tobruk harbour. Just need to do a test flight and see how that all merges together. I now know if we don't cover the ships properly they will get torpedoed. Won't know until flying the mission if the He111's will act differently when we are in the area, the escort Destroyer didn't seem to bother them.