The Rise and Statistically Likely Fall of Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2

Several years ago we ran a series of challenges for Wings Over Flanders Fields where a bunch of us would all join the same squadron on the same date and report on our luck over 20-30 missions or so. Now that Wings Over the Reich has matured a bit, we decided to do another one for that game. We are flying for the Germans in JG 54. My character is the son of one of the characters I had who was unceremoniously killed in an earlier challenge. The son is named Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2. His father was the fourth son of the famous Lowenbraus of Munich. So if you are looking for something to read over your morning coffee (or beer), here we go...




Final letter of Steinhoff Lowenbrau to Horst Biermann, photomimeographic copy


Portrait of Steinhoff Lownebrau, photomimeographic copy

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2 Mission 1 (and almost mission last!)

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2 Mission 2

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2 Mission 3

lol

Hello Austrailia! Hopefully we'll get some more excitement soon!

Lowenbrau can get exciting!

Steinhoff Lownenbrau 2 Mission 4

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2 Mission 5

Love it!

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2 Mission 6

Not much in the way of evasive maneuvering from that Hurricane ... just sat there and soaked up the punishment. Is that an AI thing from the CFS engine? Even the dire CloD AI would try to avoid being shot in that situation unless it was in 'go home' state.... unless, pilot kill? Hence no bail out?

Just looked at the video before this one too - not much reaction from that Hurricane to being shot either, pretty much sitting ducks. At least they do attack!

Perhaps. Being wounded and being a novice that froze under fire might also account for it. There are definitely gradations of skill from the AI. Some videos back of mine show some particularly feisty 110s(!) before they toned down the flight model for that craft. It's all a work in progress!

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2
Mission 07
September 15, 1940

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2
Mission 8

Steinhoff Lowenbrau 2
Mission 9






This is the shot that says it all:

Usually, I'm the guy in the British plane doing the ramming, so a nice bit of symmetry there!


Interestingly, he died just like his father!



Called it in the title!

No there is NO AI at all from CFS3 left. It is all our code. There many reasons as you suggest too, why he could not react he could be battle damaged (or damaged from a random failure), wounded, dead, fleeing, didn't see until too late then controlls hit, a total novice, we also have dynamic morale and likely is panicked etc.

For bombers - they will often try not not evade much in formation, so the combined formation guns can help each other, but if caught with only 1 or 2 they will throw the arcraft around more. Note this can stop the AI gunners from firing due to G forces being applied, this is modelled in WOTR (and WOFF).

The AI in WOTR and WOFF is some of the best there is, but like humans we made sure they will also make errors and do the wrong thing. For example we have hugely updated collsion avoidance and it's more intelligent now, but even so there are circumstances where they will still collide, which is correct as it did happen obviously. AI in each aircraft is operating independently so could chose to pull up for example just as his controls are shot out, or just as the enemy also pulls up, whatever .

The AI alone is a large topic but some info is here
http://www.wingsoverthereich.com/details.htm
see under ": AI in more detail: "