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AIRBOSS update 4 uploaded

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Ettico

Charter Member
When a formation of ships is completely destroyed, DCG will continue to order strikes on the destroyed formation, not knowing it's been destroyed. When this happens, you end up flying around staring at the empty ocean, wondering where the ships went.

To prevent this from happening, I programmed AIRBOSS to delete destroyed ship formations from the "ships" and "taskforces" files so that DCG would not continue to think they still exist. However, a syntax error somehow got into the code and was preventing AIRBOSS from performing this task correctly. This version eliminates the bug.

Until now, when I've uploaded a bug fix, I've always added some new improvement besides eliminating the bug. But in this case, I decided getting rid of the taskforce route renumbering bug was more important. So this version is the same as the previous one except the taskforce renumbering bug is eliminated. It's the only remaining AIRBOSS bug I've been able to find. The possibility for an occasional DCG snafu still exists, but I haven't run into any of those lately. I have to actually see one to have any idea how to have AIRBOSS fix it.

NOTE: There is another version of AIRBOSS I originally intended to upload which eliminates the bug and has the capabability to manage what I call "multi-phased" campaigns. I decided not to upload the multi-phase version because I decided multi-phase campaigns are too complicated to build. The multi-phase version of AIRBOSS can manage a multi-phase campaign if all the necessary files are present, but creating all the necessary files is troublesome. I doubt if anyone except me would want to go to all that trouble. However, the multi-phase version exists, and if I ever get around to building a multi-phase campaign that's more fun than a barrel of monkeys, I'll upload it.
 
How to get DCG long range escorts in the ETO

Getting DCG long range escorts in the ETO is not as simple as I originally imagined. Here are the rules:

DCG will assign bombers to long range strikes. DCG will only assign fighters to strikes within a 200 nm radius.

DCG will not assign AI escorts. DCG will assign the player squad to escort duty, but only if there are bombers at the player airfield, and then DCG will only assign the player flight to escort bomber strikes within a 200 nm radius.

AIRBOSS will assign AI escorts, but only if DCG originally assigned them as CAP's. AIRBOSS will reassign the player flight to long range escort duty, but only if there are strikes emanating from the player airfield and only if DCG has assigned the player flight a CAP or armed recon mission. AIRBOSS may reassign the player flight to escort any strike emanating from the player airfield, whether the strike is a bomber strike or a fighter strike.

If DCG has assigned the player flight to a strike mission and if there are DCG-generated CAP's emanating from the player airfield, then AIRBOSS is likely to reassign one of the CAP's to escort the player flight, depending of availability of CAP's for reassignment, tempered by the AIRBOSS desire to have some CAP coverage.

All these if's, and's and buts, taken together, mean that the player flight will not get a long range escort except when a certain confluence of DCG-generated events occurs. This is a problem I meant to fix, but it kind of slipped my mind because i've been fooling around in the PTO.

As it stands, the stumbling block to DCG long range escorts is the
existence of enemy airfields and other targets within the DCG 200 nm fighter strike radius. These targets draw strike-capable fighters like magnets, and AIRBOSS is not currently programmed to override strike missions. If there are many targets within the 200 nm strike range, DCG is likely to throw all or most strike-capable fighters at these targets, leaving them unavailable for escort duty. So many short range targets in a campaign can leave the bombers feeling lonely.

The most straightforward way to get long range escort missions when you want them is to have a special fighter for the purpose, stripped of it's strike loadouts. If there are bombers at your airfield, you are assured of getting plenty of escort missions, both long and short range. In fact, that's all you'll get when a strictly air superiority fighter is your mount. BTW, you can easily change the player aircraft between missions with the DCG Squadrons Editor.

If you're a bomber jock and you want AI escorts, put some air superiority fighters with no strike loadouts at your airfield. Since the AS fighters will have nothing better to do, AIRBOSS will assign them as escorts, exept for the ones it holds back for CAP's.

The other way is to simply not have any enemy airfields and targets within 200 nm of the player airfield.

Anyhow, the upshot of all this is that there is likely to be an AIRBOSS version 5, which will deal with the problem in a straightforward way.
 
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