ACG Dogfight Mission for Public Server

[Guido]

The Berloga dogfight server has proved to be a popular and very useful location for squadron training, so looking at the possibility of setting up a mission version for ACG that is more suited to our needs. These sessions have not been the 'free for alls' typical of a dogfight set up, but a controlled process of historical (if desired) set ups and load outs, coordinated spawns, everyone on the same TS channel, permanent kill removal (ie everyone resets at the same time) etc.

First question to ask is would this be of interest and get used?

Secondly, what refinements or features would be useful - a few ideas below:

Use the Moscow winter map to reflect current campaign conditions.

Discrete separate areas to keep fights deconflicted.

A readily identifiable geographic feature or mission item, such as a ground fire, at the mid-point between spawn points.

A choice of spawn height, aircraft type, load outs, fuel etc.

Air to ground range areas to practice in.

Weather: default should be clear, but sub-variations of the mission, if it proves popular, could provide more varied conditions.

Anything else you can think of. The aim would be to provide a specific vehicle for training, but does not have to be limited to that. How / when the mission would be loaded into the server also needs to be considered.

Thoughts?

Guido

[Woop]

Would be nice to have an area where squadrons can duke it out 1 on 1. Say 4th in F2s against 615 in MiG-3s for instance.

[Guido]

That's pretty much what we had last night, 34 IAP v 4/JG52 (plus Nax & Blackdog), starting out as a 5 v 5 I think. All on the same TS channel so we could spawn at the same time, exchange pleasantries during the fights and debrief together afterwards before resetting for another. Nothing to stop people having separate TS channels with a Whisper link to do the co-ord if preferred. We also played no head on shots on the first pass, but people can make whatever rules they prefer.

It's great value for training, sharing experience and you get to chat to guys you don't often meet during the normal run of events.

[Crane]

Great idea, would enjoy that.

[Jaydog]

I think yesterdays scrap on Eviction Notice map was fun. I know timing wasnt ideal for US timezone, but fun none the less

[BlackDog]

I have discussed a Public Map mission with Berethor and plan to make one in the coming weeks on the Luki Map... it is perfect for ACG public, good scale, focal fight point mid map... plan to insert ground targets all over the map to be used for training.


BD

[Django]

Excellent idea Guido

[Stribers]

As an inexperienced pilot in the dog fight situation, now need to learn this art and hope my input can be useful.
Sunday night test was good experience for me.
listening to the comms I was not the only one having difficulty identifying enemy aircraft.
All sorts of planes flying around with similar paint schemes and new silhouettes of opposite sides. We would be better off using our mission aircraft and skins for the sake of training for missions.
I didn't fire till I was almost swapping paint samples with enemy aircraft, what great experience knocking lumps off the enemy aircraft especially in the G4, having power to get close and be tactical in the attack.
I left the server as the light faded, believing I would have even more difficulty with who was friend or foe.
Great fun, I flew around a lot got shot down, lost my plane into ground at low level, G4 doesn't work like the E7 when low.
I would learn a lot if Sunday test was the basis of our training.
Berloga....I hate it, just an arcade experience, doesn't relate to what we do on ACG, just doesn't fit the historical experience of air battles.
I can see its appeal to experienced pilots by knotching up lots of kills in quick succession.

[Jaydog]

As an inexperienced pilot in the dog fight situation, now need to learn this art and hope my input can be useful.
Sunday night test was good experience for me.
listening to the comms I was not the only one having difficulty identifying enemy aircraft.
All sorts of planes flying around with similar paint schemes and new silhouettes of opposite sides. We would be better off using our mission aircraft and skins for the sake of training for missions.
I didn't fire till I was almost swapping paint samples with enemy aircraft, what great experience knocking lumps off the enemy aircraft especially in the G4, having power to get close and be tactical in the attack.
I left the server as the light faded, believing I would have even more difficulty with who was friend or foe.
Great fun, I flew around a lot got shot down, lost my plane into ground at low level, G4 doesn't work like the E7 when low.
I would learn a lot if Sunday test was the basis of our training.
Berloga....I hate it, just an arcade experience, doesn't relate to what we do on ACG, just doesn't fit the historical experience of air battles.
I can see its appeal to experienced pilots by knotching up lots of kills in quick succession.

Agree, it was quite difficult with lighting to identify for sure on the Sunday Funday scraps. Skins would not have made that much difference, as truly the best way to identify friend from foe is the silhouette. I can usually spot enemy purely from the wings, as Luftwaffe fighter planes are skinny with skinny wings mostly, while VVS have shorter and fatter wings. Where I sometimes have problems is distinguishing the type of Russian aircraft. I get Yak and Lagg mixed up all the time because they look alike.

Berloga is good for getting used to being in a hot situation, target ID, gunnery and getting used to the handling of your aircraft and pushing it to the limit. Practice makes perfect.

[Guido]

The initial thought was to have any ACG 'dogfight' server mission password protected. If ACG members want to set up a 'free for all' within this, they can do so. Equally, if units or individuals want specific practice for pairs / sections / squadron procedures, they can set that up too - the mission will just provide the airborne spawn points to allow quick resets. Within that, individual fights can agree and use whatever rules they choose - aircraft sets, load outs, no head on shots on the first merge, rolling re-spawns, calling shots rather than taking them, kill removal etc etc.

It would seem to sit best after the Thursday re-run of the last mission. For example, units can start their training on the previous mission from 1900, then have the dogfight mission to follow on directly - but that's just a thought, better ideas are welcome.

Guido