I know the series- M. Night Shalamalawahatever should be brought up on War Crimes charges for what he did to it - but I meant the whole thread this afternoon in general.
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It’s either that or we complain about not having more toys to drop from the bug.
Or, well, we could throw in some hentai references. Rule 34 applies to the F-18, too.
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Two weeks?
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Anyone got some tips on how to beat the instant action 4 vs 4 MiG-29 in the current iteration? So far it’s proving to be the hardest mission for me to do, with abysmal hit rates of 7s and 9s, with the AI practically no-miss-um R73s. They shoot out R27s early on and my wingmen go stupid when that happens, so I’ve been trying to force at least one to delay engagement by sending a 7 out at max, then hoping my remainder will be able to hit the closest ones that aren’t focused on me. Ending up in a furball usually results in death because my 9s go stupid easy and I can’t dodge the R73s long enough to get a gun kill.
Also, every time I get hit, insta pilot kill. Sucks! 
Save your missiles for higher PK shots, or failing that, don’t fly with AI wingmen because they’re hella broken right now.
So three strategies I’ve tried for that particular mission:
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Turn around and run. One bandit usually wants you dead, so this causes him to fly high as a kite and try to pursue you. Once the remainder are engaging one another, turn around and engage this dude, sacrificing at least one 7 to get him to break R27 lock. Forces him into a 1 on 1 and keeps the others from shooting at you (too) soon. Eff your wingmen on this mission, I think they snort crayons!
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Dive down, full burners. They won’t lose lock below horizon like the bug does, but closing the distance and get them to waste R27s. Iffy, because comes down to how lucky you are with the RNG missiles. Once R73 distance, all bets are off.
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Get high, engage the one sent to pick you off ASAP. As soon as he goes defensive, engage one of the others distracted by your wingmen. Not foolproof, but so far seems to work out the best.
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AIM-7s are cheap. Life is expensive!
Open the file in the mission editor, change to spamraam missile truck loadout and chainsaw em to death.
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You just Captain Kirked the Kobayashi Maru.
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Watched “Growling Sidewinder” do just that in a YouTube video of that very mission. He fired off a bunch if 120s before dipping below a ridge and then popped up to deal with the disorganized chaos that resulted. Some of his first salvo found victims so there were less after. But he admitted that even then, it took him multiple tries.
Wish I could find the link to the video but search that username.
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Yes…well…I would recommend you get new wingmen. If the AI goes stupid you are pretty much in a 1 v 4 fight.
So in a 4 v 4 fight you are flying 2 sections of 2. Each section has a pre-planned response to the initial setup…same side, pincer, etc. They execute as sections - a lead and a wingman covering the lead.
Two fighters are a threat; a single fighter is a target.
They need to “program in some Michael Ironside - Jester”
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That’s why the best strategy seems to sacrifice them! 
I turn tail and run, leading one bandit away, then after they merge I swing around and take care of my one bandit, leaving me in an excellent position to take on the remaining three MiGs (they’ve expended their Alamos and I can force them on the defensive with the Sparrow).
Well, yes if they are going to go stupid. Is it me or did the AI in LOMAC seem better?
Since this is instant action all you have is the radio commands which, for some reason, wings do’t feel obligated to follow…perhaps they should be called wingman radio “suggestions”…“Two; if your aren’t too busy at the moment could I impose on you to get this @#$%ing Fulcrum off my tail?”
If you set this up in a mission I think you could use advance waypoint commands and options to keep your wingmen doing what wingmen are supposed to do.
In each DCS module, the radio wingmen commands are a bit different to better match the capabilities of each aircraft instead of the generic one size fits all the FC3 birds have.
However it usually takes a while for them to get hammered out (I imagine it’s a low priority), and in the mean time there seems to be a template, at least with the ED/BST. The F/A-18 is using that template. You can’t command them to use their sensors, which means they can’t “see” the enemy, which means you can’t order them to target specific enemies until those enemies have already locked your wingmen who are thus aware they exist via the RWR.
It’s hella borked, and there’s a reason I’m suggesting not to get too invested in multi-ship engagements with the AI.
Can’t speak for LOMAC as I entered the scene with BS, but as far as i can remember, the aircraft AI was never particularly good at not dying.
Well…I’m not that good at not dying either…so I guess its a good match. 
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Hmmm…there has got to be some way to give the AI more “SA” as it were, at least in missions…what about the EPLR thing that always gets added to an applicable aircraft group?
Advance Waypoint or scripting commands to turn on their radar? I know there is a “don’t react to a threat” option…
The crux is giving the AI a set of tools that enables them to objectively judge the danger of a situation and whether it is advantageous to press an attack or relocate/use a different weapon/younameit.
With apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson:
“Forward, the AI Hornets!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the AI pilot knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the AI Hornets.
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Half a league,
Half a league,
Half a league onward.
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