When placing fighters to escort bombers, i.e. F4Fs to escort SBDs, do the waypoint speeds need to be the same or do the fighters stay with the bombers as best they can on their own?

Also, is the 'set' reticle needed to be used from the fighter waypoints to the bombers waypoints for the entire distance you want the escort?

I've gone through Nutcase's videos and tutorials. Very good I might add. Trying to nail down this escort thing.

Thanks in advance.


Woodrow

Hey.

Waypoint speeds ain't need to be the same. Fighters using any speed they need to, to stay/follow/circle over the bombers. Samething with the altitude, fighters want to be higher.

With "set" to escort, one waypoint seems to be enough as long as anybody ain't distract the fighters (ie. enemy ac).
Also you should remember, that fighters really seem to stay with the bombers, if you have "set" them together. So if you want them to stay over the target area, after attack or anywhere else and when bombers heading back to the base, they ain't - they stay with the bombers as long as they get to the landing waypoint or fighters own landing waypoint. Even one "escort" waypoint could do this. Only way to separate them, in that case, is to give for the fighters something else to do.

Ofcourse there are some exceptions, like always.
If bombers speed is fast enough, fighters can't circle around (especially early ones with slower top speed), they have hard time even to follow the bombers. Although this ain't so good thing to do.

Also you can set the bombers together, so they stay together and waypoints ain't need so much fine tuning. (you should test which kind speed they need to, so they ain't starting to circle.)
You can do to same with the fighters, but they starting easier to circle around. Sometime it seems to depend of fighters (and them speeds too), what you are using.

But if you are finding good set of ac and speed, you get them easier together after takeoff, just using "set" waypoint.

Oh and I have test these lately with my own campaing, like "setting" stukas together with one "set" waypoint and they stay together as long as they came to the attack waypoint, after that they fly their own.
Another one was with Hurricane Mk.I, result was the same. Although one time it ain't working with Mk.II, they starting to circle. And I've done this couple other times with Mk.II and it work, although those times there was only 1+1 ac and speed was about the same (+-10km/h). Another differeces was that those "working" times they have bombs, so they been as like as bombers. (well now I get it, why it works !?)

Hope this helps.

quote:

Also, is the 'set' reticle needed to be used from the fighter waypoints to the bombers waypoints for the entire distance you want the escort?

Yes. It's best to have several Escort waypoints. One just won't do it.

Also, the fighters will stop escorting one waypoint BEFORE the final Escort waypoint. So, it's a good idea to add an extra Escort waypoint at the end of the route.

Escort waypoints can be tricky. One good way to test them is to disable all enemy flights and run the mission in accelerated mode. You can then get a good idea of how the fighters are escorting.

Aviar

Thanks for the responses. Have added them to the notes section on the FMB I keep.

I waver between whether all the AI's behavoir should have been put in the manual, and maybe its better to not know and be surprised.

Thanks again, much appreciated.


Woodrow

You know you can save time by using the 'set target' function to make bomber flights follow their leader? Just give the follower flights a couple of WPs and at the second one 'set' them to the lead flight. Unlike fighter escorts - which behave as Aviar has said - bombers will 'escort' (ie stay in formation with the leader) all the way to the target and then on to landing.

Thanks Kernow, I tried that and it works well. As I build more complex missions shortcuts are the name of the game!


Woodrow

quote:

You know you can save time by using the 'set target' function to make bomber flights follow their leader? Just give the follower flights a couple of WPs and at the second one 'set' them to the lead flight. Unlike fighter escorts - which behave as Aviar has said - bombers will 'escort' (ie stay in formation with the leader) all the way to the target and then on to landing.

Hmm...how do you mix that in with the ground attack waypoints with targets set to the ground target?