Does my bum look big in this?

[Check Six 2]

I just can't seem to catch my flight leader on many occasions. After take-off, I back off to about 60-75% throttle to cruise, enter warp. Invariably, as I exit warp, I pass by my flight leader, so I back off a little, pull the nose up a little, watch as he starts to overtake me, then put throttle back on...up to 100%...and he's still pulling away. I do a little dive to gain a bit of speed, but he keeps pulling away. I can't keep up in close formation. The only time I catch up to him is when he changes direction when we reach a waypoint.

 

What gives? Should I do a few laps of the 'drome in full flight gear? Am I really getting that fat? I would, of course, blame it on my observer/gunner (currently flying a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter) but this also happens to me in a single seat scout.

 

Does the flight leader get the best machine? If so, WHY DOESN'T HE WAIT FOR ME? :cray:

 

Could it be that I have chosen a heavier fuel load? Ammunition? (NAH! who in their right mind goes up with anything less than 100% ammunition?) How about mixture? Is it because I'm on automixture, and he has chosen a leaner mixture and can get more out of the old crate? I notice my wingman doesn't seem to have trouble keeping up speed or altitude-wise (and why doesn't HE wait for me too??).

 

I know I'm a lousy pilot, and have trouble maintaining best climb rate, but I can achieve acceptable results usually. I know it must be dangerous to be in my immediate vicinity (but I do keep a respectable distance away).

 

Any ideas chaps?

[+Polovski 414]

Yep flight leader gets the best machine :)

He will usually slow down later on the leg and you can catch him. New AI code has to handle an awful lot of situations, and we had to make many changes to CFS3 AI to get them to cope with WW1 craft/patrols etc. Currently that's the way it is. AI is not affected by wind yet, so often you are flying into a head wind, and they aren't. Many things may change for a future version and we have some exciting stuff coming I know :)

 

I remember in IL2 I could never ever catch the AI taking off and only ever caught them about 2 miles from the target, at least in OFF you get some chances at various points :)

 

You can usually preempt his moves, and also .. try some other craft they vary somewhat in differences.

 

edit: oh and make sure you set the mixture on your craft correctly to get the max performance !

[Olham 164]

Don't know, if it helps and works here too, but:

when I met a Russian craft in IL2, that was slower than me, but climbed much better than my Bf 109 G6,

then I did the "staircase" - flying straight forward, I caught up with him, then the first "stair step"; then

gain speed and catch up again, then the second "stair step" and so on. I always got them in the end.

 

You could try it the other way round - do a slight descend, to gain more speed than him. When you reached him,

pull her up short, to get to his level, then repeat that procedure.

[Check Six 2]

It's quite disturbing if you're "tail-end Charlie" when being pursued by a bunch of fokkers (flying Albatrosses). You KNOW that as soon as they start shooting, you can call for help, but that most of the time is sadly too late. I have considered diving and gaining speed and ending up in front of the two other flight members and they could guard my tail, but it seems to me that it could be at the expense of their own lives, and a cowardly act. The proven best defence for this is a combined defence...pulling in as close as you dare to each other, and letting all three gunners protect your tail.

 

I actually thought it was my fuel load, but I do remember reading that the AI craft are unaffected by wind, and it's pretty windy and wet (silly me joined up in Winter).

 

OK, I suppose there is nothing to do but grin and bear it.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Tick off the "always leads" box in workshop maybe. Now they are trying to keep up to you instead.

[Olham 164]

Right, Rickity - and if you are fed up with winter: you can enlist more than 10 pilots.

Why not have another in summer?

[Hasse Wind 46]

When you use warp, it always brings you closely together with your wingmen. But I've always had the "follow me" option selected in the settings, so that I won't have to follow the silly decisions of the AI leader. Though I'm more than capable of leading my flight into trouble all by myself...

[Check Six 2]

Rickitycrate,

 

As Hasse Wind mentioned, I think I should follow for some time before I become capable of leading a flight. Sure I accept ALL missions - rain, hail, snow, lone wolf, scramble, balloon attack. Most of the balloon attack missions seem to make you the flight leader, and I don't mind that...usually means I get a crack at the gasbag, but for a while, I will select the "lead by rank".

 

Olham,

 

I am trying to get through the entire war. Whilst I think there's no chance I'll ever do it with one pilot, I'm adopting the following procedure. As I am particularly fond of RNAS (researching Australians who fought with RNAS at the moment), I join RNAS 8 at their earliest point (which is unfortunately winter), and fly Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters until he dies or until we get new aircraft etc. If my pilot dies, I enlist someone at the same period to take off where he left off. I always join at the lowest rank (Flight Sub-Lieutenant) and make my way through the ranks. As it is, I have only three pilots going. My RNAS Sub-Lieutenant in the detatched Squadron, a Test Pilot (that's his name) flying SE5a for quick combat (which I really don't play much...thought I'd gain more experience in Campaign before I test my skills in QC), and a German pilot late in the war flying an Albatross DVII (because I just HAD to fly one of those great machines).

 

uncleal,

 

I have no desire to be subject to a court martial, and hence will not fire anywhere near my flight leader. The mere suggestion is tantamount to TREASON!

[Rickitycrate 10]

Steve, I understand where you are coming from and do much the same from the early years forward, but I do lead. I have only flown the "older" crates in QC so far. And to answer your query:

 

No honey, you don't look fat. You always look good. The others are jealous, that's all.

Edited July 4, 2009 by Rickitycrate

[Olham 164]

Steve: ...researching Australians who fought with RNAS at the moment...

 

Best go to "The Aerodrome" site, click on "aces by nation", and look at the Aussies - there are several.

 

Your late war German pilot would be flying an interesting chimera, as there was no official Albatros DVII.

Either you fly an Albatros DVa, or a Fokker DVII ?

 

Wish you much luck for fighting your way through the whole war - I would NEVER make it....