Question: The AI and Airstrikes - Tanks vs. Points

[Miketee10022]

Hi - if this question is answsered in another thread, and someone can point me to it, please feel free. Anyway, here goes...

Where does the AI place its prefernces when plotting air strikes - tanks or unit cost? If a truck hypothetically cost 300 points, but a tank only cost 150, does the AI automatically go after the tank? Or is point value its main priority?

Thanks!

[Suhiir]

Air strikes are semi-random.

Air strikes come in two "flavors".
"Air Strikes" that tend to favor vehicle targets.
"COIN Strikes" that tend to favor infantry targets.

If the plotting unit (player or AI) has a clear line-of-sight to the target hex and there is an enemy unit in that hex there is a fairly good chance it will be attacked.
If there is no clear line-of-sight (for instance an airstrike is plotted on a "smoke puff" you know is enemy artillery/mortars) the aircraft will use it's "vision" rating as it approaches the target hex and attack the first unit it spots.

Airstrikes treat AA units as priority targets (but they may still decide to attack another nearby unit instead).
Airstrikes tend to treat Fortifications as priority targets second to AA units.

Does this answer your question?

[shahadi]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

Air strikes are semi-random.

Air strikes come in two "flavors".
"Air Strikes" that tend to favor vehicle targets.
"COIN Strikes" that tend to favor infantry targets.

Suhiir is correct as usual, his description of the two flavors of strike aircraft is spot on. I would add SEAD, level bombers, and attack helicopters too.

Searching, visibility, and plotting are important elements to consider, but do not forget to check your load outs before assigning a strike. If you send a fighter bomber to attack tanks, but his stores of Mavericks is zero, he may not strike the tanks but opt to attack a nearby truck or dismounted infantry, or fly off without attacking anything.

I sent a section of AV-8B's on a strike with stores of cluster munitions and a 20mm cannon. The Harriers attacked with the 20mm cannon, no effect on the infantry. So, on the next sortie, I disabled the cannon and the Harriers dropped their cluster munitions. Lesson, check the primary weapon against the target.

Download the game manual pdf version here and search "air strike."

Have fun

[Imp]

Suhiir is correct as usual, his description of the two flavors of strike aircraft is spot on. I would add SEAD, level bombers, and attack helicopters too

Ohh you like to live dangerously, I think you have just given her a sex change.

[shahadi]

Originally Posted by Imp

Ohh you like to live dangerously, I think you have just given her a sex change.

"Maverick: That's right! Iceman. I am dangerous." Top Gun, 1986.

Oh my, and coming on the heels of San Francisco's Pride Day parade too.

[Suhiir]

Not like I'm not use to it.
It's "only" been happening most of my life.

SEAD Strikes will seek out and attack AA units by preference and near exclusively (note the word "near).
Bombers are ENTIRELY a waste of time and points. They are included in the game as a scenario design element and not even remotely worth buying.

[Miketee10022]

Thanks Suhir. This was somewhat helpful. But the essence of my question is: if the AI is faced with two vehicles - not AA, but rather a lower value tank, and a higher value transport (a heli or fancy truck ) - both of which are in the open - will it automatically choose the tank. Is the AI pre-programmed to prefer tanks over other (non-AA) vehicles, regardless of point values. I did not see anything in the rules specifically addressing this.

Again, my thanks!

Originally Posted by Suhiir

Air strikes are semi-random.

Air strikes come in two "flavors".
"Air Strikes" that tend to favor vehicle targets.
"COIN Strikes" that tend to favor infantry targets.

If the plotting unit (player or AI) has a clear line-of-sight to the target hex and there is an enemy unit in that hex there is a fairly good chance it will be attacked.
If there is no clear line-of-sight (for instance an airstrike is plotted on a "smoke puff" you know is enemy artillery/mortars) the aircraft will use it's "vision" rating as it approaches the target hex and attack the first unit it spots.

Airstrikes treat AA units as priority targets (but they may still decide to attack another nearby unit instead).
Airstrikes tend to treat Fortifications as priority targets second to AA units.

Does this answer your question?

[Mobhack]

It'll chose what the pilot (ie the AI software) chooses, planes belong to Crab Air and not you the player. Points values have nothing to do with target selection - closeness to its flight path and how the random dice fall if there is a target array to select from is all there is. The important thing is the x,y hex it eventually selects to search around - which is not necessarily the same one that you plotted. It is under pilot control remember - not army control. So its a roulette wheel sort of thing as to what the Jock in the cockpit decides to hit. And if he sees nothing he will sometimes just area fire at the ground.

Regular planes tend to prefer vehicles, the coin type likes soft stuff a little better. Both like ammo trucks and AAA assets a lot if there is one in the zone. Both types are Air Farce so are quite happy to do Blue on Blue as well, so keep air strikes more than 20 hexes from your toys, and try not to fly in overhead of your toys, as Crab Air don't care.

Circling gunships basically Z-fire at the target hex. Only useful against enemy with nil AAA, and at night against those with even a few Duskas. They are extremely vulnerable.

Bombers go to the X,Y and offload ordnance. All that class was ever intended for was for the Normandy breakout type scenario. However - a B52 arclight mission is still rather satisfying against opponents with no air defences.

If you want to take out a specific enemy item, and not kill your own side then use an attack copter. Plus these can use your resupply elements.

Spotter planes and drones can be useful or not - like the circling gunship class, best when the AA threat is negligible. If there is any AAA threat, then a scout helo (used wisely, not in Gung Ho mode) is probably a better points spend.

Helos can pop behind blocking terrain if they discover AAA threats (and survive the shots!) where they can hide until your arty deals with them by dropping a shed load of HE on the firing area. Helicopters are very useful provided that you don't use them like the AI and charge straight for the guns in full "Charge of the Light Brigade" mode.

Fixed wing does have a place, but not in small numbers - you need volume. Very useful as 'armed recce' in an assault or similar situation. More useful if you have a very significant EW advantage over any SAM or radar AAA opposition, and especially if you have access to stand-off missiles.

(Of course if your PBEM opponent totally forgets to buy any AA whatsoever, and uses only T-62s that didn't have any AAMG fitted then you can run riot, as my 4 Hunters did in a "Cuban Missile Crisis went hot" type scenario. Once I figured there was no defence I could plot runs in from his side of the map and shoot them up the kilt.)

cheers
Andy

[Suhiir]

The air AI routines do a good job of representing typical Air Farce "close air support". A ground commander on calls in aircraft, they eventually arrive and strafe/rocket/bomb something in the vicinity of the area they are asked to attack.

For AI and other reasons dedicated ground support aircraft that will drop a bomb on a specific bunker 500m in front of your ground formations that's REALLY pissing you off aren't represented in the game.

You can use the editor to make the pilots and their "armor attack" skill 100+, in which case they become less of a hazard to your side and, if you have a clear line-of-sight to that pesky bunker and the aircraft has appropriate armament it has a fair chance of dropping something on it.

[Miketee10022]

Thanks Suhir - please scroll down for a separate answer to your comment.

Many thanks Andy. This was most helpful, not only in plotting attacks, but also strategizing defense in air-heavy scenarios. I try never to plot an air mission too close to friendly forces. Half the time, they end up as the targets . Again, my thanks!