Autopilot and Lower/Raise Lewis Gun Interaction

[mandrews_2]

While testing the mapping of lower/raise lewis gun to my joystick buttons, I made an interesting discovery.  If you have full autopilot on (Ctrl-Shift-A), the lower, raise, and reload of the lewis gun is deactivated.  Certainly, realism wise it might make some sense, after all there were no auto-pilots in these planes; but if you're that much of a stickler for realism, you won't be using auto-pilot anyway.

So I ask: Is this intentional?  If so, why are you allowed to unjam your guns in full autopilot?

[77Scout]

If you're on full autopilot then, to my way of thinking, everything is deactivated. You cant operate the throttle, ailerons, or shoot the gun on autopilot because you have given over control to the computer. Seems similarly obvious that you can't reload either (but perhaps I am missing something in the question?) 

[+Polovski]

This is correct, either fly and control the aircraft or don't ;)

In autopilot you do not fire the guns,  so unjamming isn't normally needed as AI are good at avoiding jams.  But just because it works - just ignore it?

Edited April 20, 2021 by Polovski

[mandrews_2]

But you CAN fire your forward facing guns when in full autopilot (Ctrl-Shft-A).  That's why I asked if raise/lower/reload was turned off intentionally -- it seemed inconsistent.  It would be quite reasonable if the rule was "if you're in full autopilot, then then autopilot controls the airplane and any pilot controlled guns".  Anyway, it's not a big deal and isn't terribly relevant in practice.

[+Polovski]

Agreed it's not really relevant, so I don't think it needs explaining really.  Just take it from me that the sim is designed so you either fly and fight yourself, or let the AI do it.

Yes you can shoot, in AI control, but you don't normally want to, that would be rather an arcade video game. It's not intentional that you can use the guns, just happens to be so.  We handle the new stuff like lewis reloads as we coded it specially. Shooting was always in there already.
 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Polovski