Disappearing disembarked helo. Any ideas why?

[Castout]

I just played the gulf breakout stock scenario whereby the player control the OHP FFG in a choke point hunting for 4 Iranian Kilos attempting to breakout from the Iranian gulf to attack a CVBG to the south.

I managed to sink 3 Kilos and still trying to find the fourth. My first disembarked helo has been recovered and in the process of reloading.

My second disembarked helo are deploying sonobuoys at the ordered points on the map. It was to the east of me about 10-15 nautical miles distance. when the last ordered sonobuoy had been launched I clicked on the 2nd helo from the FFG station to give it a new waypoint and at that exact moment the helo just disappeared fom the map. It just vanished.

I have no idea why it just vanished from the map . My status didn't indicate that my helo was destroyed or shot down.

If this is a bug it is a major one.

I didn't dare to set the show truth on for fear of ruining the game. But I did clicked on the show dead platform and the 3 sunk Kilo were there but not my missing helo.

I play with LWAMI 3.08 installed. Damn it was a good game that I enjoyed very much until my 2nd helo went missing :rotfl:. I don't like surprises.

Has anyone experienced what I experienced? That the disembarked helo suddenly gone missing? Just vanished from the map?

[Molon Labe]

The AI running the chopper tends to fly it into the surface a lot. I never figured out a way to prevent it.

[Castout]

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

The AI running the chopper tends to fly it into the surface a lot. I never figured out a way to prevent it.

Oh no suicidal helo pilot.

I reloaded the nearest save and this time the 2nd helo didn't vanish and proceeded to drop 3 consecutive torpedoes at the last(4th) detected Kilo but only this time none of the each torpedo dropped hit the intended Kilo. The skipper was so slippery ha ha.

A Viking ASW plane or perhaps one of the Ticon from the CVBG seemed to notice that my helo had run out of torpedo and launched a subroc at the link helo contact that eventually sank it. There goes the last of the Iranian Kilo.

Hell of a scenario
Now if only we could play the Iranian side and try controlling the Kilos instead

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

The AI running the chopper tends to fly it into the surface a lot. I never figured out a way to prevent it.

I'm allways carefull about it's altitude. If it's at dipping altitude and has to make a turn for the next waypoint you can count on him going to try skinny dipping. If you let it climb a few hundred feet before making large turns it has some room to maneuver. Never do two kind of maneuvers (speed up and turn) at once at low altitude. But you probably meant with regard to doctrine language.

[Castout]

Originally Posted by Pisces

I'm allways carefull about it's altitude. If it's at dipping altitude and has to make a turn for the next waypoint you can count on him going to try skinny dipping. If you let it climb a few hundred feet before making large turns it has some room to maneuver. Never do two kind of maneuvers (speed up and turn) at once at low altitude. But you probably meant with regard to doctrine language.

So before issuing new waypoint I should wait for the AI to adjust its helo position/altitude to a more favorable one before ordering it to turn and follow the next waypoint?

Be in mind that the helo was controlled by the AI since the playing platform in this case was the FFG.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by Castout

So before issuing new waypoint I should wait for the AI to adjust its helo position/altitude to a more favorable one before ordering it to turn and follow the next waypoint?

Be in mind that the helo was controlled by the AI since the playing platform in this case was the FFG.

Sorry, I wasn't thinking about AI helo's, but player commanded helo. My fault. But I tested it just now. The AI helo has a mind of it's own how it get's to the waypoint. It's not possible to give it speed and climb commands. And I tried my best to drive it into the wet stuff by placing waypoints with big course and range changes, or really close ones. No go. The pilot was capable of maintaining safe altitude in my game with minimal altitude deviation. But maybe it works for you if you place the next waypoint in front of him first while he's low and slow. Then reposition the waypoint while he's at safe altitudes with speed. It requires a more turning room but would be less taxing on his torque requirement as he doesn't have to do turns right away. So yeah, if I think that's what you meant.

It used to crash into the sea often while I played it on a slower computer. But not now, on a 2.6GHz P4. As if the 'collective control' algorithm doesn't get enough control computations or something. I don't know. Do you have a slow pc by any chance? Just a wild guess really.

[Castout]

My PC is just a little over 1 year old. Core 2 duo 2Ghz I think.

But the vanishing AI helo is a pretty rare occasion I think.

You're right it might help to put a waypoint in front of the helo before ordering it to turn to other direction.

But I don't think it's quite practical as I have quite a hard way finding out which direction the helo is pointing especially when it's already hovering.

Well at least do not put a 180 degree bearing waypoint when you know the current course of the AI helo.

[To be]

It is a combo of dipping (LWAMI only) or doing something else at low alt, bouys or torp dropping, but mostly dipping. If the helo is at low alt, and it decides to accelerate and climb, it accelerates so fast that it can't climb out and crashes, or even worse, if it tries to climb AND turn AND accelerate, it can crash.

[Pisces]

Select the helo's icon in either Astac or navmap and the speed and course should be shown in the data window. It's altitude is only shown in navmap.