The first question is, any reccomended links for instructions on building LOMAC missions? I am Googled out and have found nothing helpful.

Second question. If there is no good answer for question 1, how do I force the AI to stop bogarting all the targets? I make a mission (anti radar), drop in some S-300 assets (search radar and launchers) assign a flight of F-18's to anti radar, tell them to use only missiles in the targeting dialogue. They take out the radar and then go guns on the remaining launchers. I have tried to set the attack waypoint at a standoff range but they still directly overfly the target area and engauge all remaining assets on the ground. If I drop in mutiple radar sites, even after expending all remaining HARM ordinance, they continue to loiter and go guns. If I drop in strelas to make it interesting, the just all get shot down eventually.

I just want them to do their job (anti radar) and go home.

1) You might want to check the docs folder in the Lockon folder for pdfs - there is a Quick Start guide that also includes a mission editing section(page 40 or so)

2) For the Strelas you can set a certain activation time for them when the F-18s are buzzing around.
If the mission start is 9:00, the Strelas' waypoint #0 can be set at 9:08
You'd have to re-play the mission a number of times(using the Speed-up keys) to get the timing right. Also remember to "Show enemies" on the F10 map when testing and switch it off on the Final product.

You can also just fake the destruction. Set up the S-300 assets as you want them.
Start the F-18s winging their way back to your base(with strike or nothing as their task) or landing at your base - as if the job is "completed".
That also gives you a busy base.
Delete the assets you want that have been "destroyed" by the F-18's.

For another layer of verisimilitude, you can set up one or two of the assets right below your flying F-18s and allow the F-18's to bomb them - maybe have the assets activate much later.
It'll show up on the mission debriefing. Also don't give them the SEAD task/mission tyope. Use pin-point - SEAD makes them go nuts on the target. You might need to make a new payload but that should be interesting and easy. Or you could have 2 S-300 groups mixed at the same site - one target by the F-18s and the other by your flight so that it appears that you have targeted the same group.

Another un-related tip to make a more difficult Air Defence. Have a Strela or Shilka circle the target area at high speed with 10 to 20 waypoints. That gives a bit of variability in defence when the Player arrives on the target area because his travel time usually varies each mission.

Good luck and enjoy.

Maybe its the /A in F/A-18C that is causing me fits. F16's tasked with antiradar do that and leave... mostly. F/A-18C's tend to stay and fight.

Still would like to know if there is a good written tutorial anywhere.

If you have set an ATTACK waypoint and then used the TARGETING button to designate the SAM's to be the target, then in the targeting submenu at bottom right, you will see a pull down called WEAPN. This will show the weapons that the aircraft has loaded. A typical list for the pulldown might be
Any
Missile
Bomb
Cannon

It defaults to "Any" so your AI jets will use all the weapons at their disposal including cannon. If you wish them to fire missiles and nothing else, then set WEAPN to be "Missile" and they should fire nothing else.

I just tested this in a tiny mission. Had an AI MiG-27K. It's TASK was set to anti-radar, PAYLOAD set to 2*Kh-25MP's. Target was a group of 3 Dog Ear radars. It fired the missiles to kill 2 of the 3 radars, then turned for home and ignored the 3rd one. Didn't fire a single cannon shell.

helpful UBI forum thread

Link above is to some ME related stuff I posted to someone a while ago. It might help you out. The link jumps into the middle of the thread for some reason so scroll up too!!

Here are a couple of other links I know about


Intro level to the ME

More complex missions

Try this Tutorial
http://home.hccnet.nl/hmms.janssen/Tutorial_complex_mission.html

and these videos
http://flankertraining.com/ironhand/flightbasics.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBflfapLTYY


And this excellent thread
http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=12608

I got it from this UBI thread
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/99610606/m/1361044384

As for the PDF in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Eagle Dynamics\Lock On\Doc Folder, it is called
LO FC Quick Start Manual 1.1.pdf and the Mission Editor starts at Page 48

Brit Radar Dude - oh you quick poster you

Been setting the weapon type to missile all along.

Hornets are a waste of time and Falcons seem to do their job most of the time.

Don't have Flaming Cliffs so that PDF is unavailable to me.

It's not so much the making that is an issue, it is behaviour of AI that is nutty.

Somebody please 'splain to me why aircraft tasked with anti radar will drop stores and go evasive as soon as they are getting shot at. Why not put those HARMS to use?

Not that the AI was all that stellar in Falcon 4.0 Allied Force, but maybe I am used to their behaviours and it's just going to be this way.

Thanks for the links. Had already hit all but the videos. Maybe I'll look at those.

Yep, the AI in Lockon can be a bit of a trial. If you need them to behave differently in your mission, you have to ensure your AI jet's anti-radar missile has more range than the SAM it is attacking. So that means don't choose S300 as it owns the battlefield in Lockon. Pick something less lethal. As for the defensive behaviour, that is how they are programmed, they will try to do their best to stay alive.

To be honest if it was my real skinny @ss in a real cockpit and a SAM was coming my way, I'd dump everything to ensure I was more nimble to increase my chances of dodging it. Better to live to fight another day.