Airpower and helicopter question
 

I was wondering why, when I create a "generated" campaign [where I get to chose the countries, year, number of battles, etc] or a simple battle between countries of my choosing, the computer never purchases any helicopters or aircraft. Is there a setting I need to change? I'm wondering if I am purchasing SAM batteries for nothing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

Perhaps you've put the number of airstrikes available for the enemy ot 0? (Check the preference screen).
Or perhaps the visibility is very low? That may result in less airpower too.

Narwan

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

I've been heliborne-assaulted by soviet paras, supported by Hinds, in a generated camp. Not that it helped them any, rappeling into a patch of clear land in the sights of my Royal Artillery FO with GSR http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

Of course it does. On low points or when visibility is low, it will tend to not buy air as much though.

Set up a battle with computer buy for both sides, and HUMAN deploy with air set on XXX for both sides. Examine the forces the computer routines purchase for both sides. Exit without playing, and repeat 10-15 times. You will see air buys, and sometimes helicopter transport buys for air desant. The computer wil use the same buy routines in the campaign games.


Cheers
Andy

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

I changed the visibility to 70 and have the air settings to XXX on both sides, but the other side in a generated campaign has yet to provide any aircraft, be them helicopters or airplanes.

I also noticed that the UAV's that I purchased do not appear in my aircraft list at all.

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

They will show up if you swith to spotters in the bombardment menue.

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

I'm pretty sure I did cycle throught the different items [eg. spotters, aircraft, etc] but will try again. I still don't know why I can't get the other side to purchase any type of aircraft.

I am playing Israel, and they are a combination of Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf States in a generated campaign.

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

If you are NOT on the first artillery screen/page when you switch to airborne or spotters then nothing will appear, unless of course you have more than one page of airborne/spotters (a rare occurance). In regards to computer air purchases you will have to set the computer air to more than xxx to consistantly see enemy aircraft. Xxx is simply a random setting and will drastically reduce the presence of enemy air, as the visibility, points, and random number of air power have to all match up. Random means 0 through 50 not 1 through 50. I was once attack during a campaign by 22 soviet aircraft! I had a solid layer of air-defense so they lost 14 of them, tsk tsk. Hope this helps

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

In the old Steel Panthers, the ammount of air sorties each side got was determined by an "air superiority" calculation. Certain countries, like Israel, had high air superiority ratings, and so almost always owned the skies versus low-air-superiority countries like Iraq and the Middle East armies. The side that owns the sky gets ALL air sorties; the other side gets nothing; there is no situation where one side gets aircraft and the other side gets aircraft too.

I don't know if WinSPMBT does this also, but it seems to make more sense than allowing both sides to have aircraft in the same battle. If it bothers you, then don't set the AI air sorties at "XXX". Set them to any other number, and they will have that number of aircraft in each game.

So the reason the AI isn't buying aircraft is because it can't- Israel is trumping them in terms of air superiority. If you play as an arab country versus israel instead, then you probably won't get any sorties and the enemy will.

Re: Airpower and helicopter question
 

One thing I noticed is that when I changed the settings, the computer did purchase aircraft for its side, but never used them. I wonder if it is buying the planes but setting an airstrike.

I still don't understand why the opposition never has helicopters too........