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[Wing Walker]

Thanks, I will have to check those things out.

Right now I'm building a mission of the first mission of the USN Birdcage Corsair and its taking a while to get everything coordinated from engine start to landing.

There seems to be extra variables sometimes that cause the A/C to not always be at the same point mission run to mission run, and I'm not sure I can keep them all together the whole way.

I've never tried this "connect thing" everyone mentions on here, I assume this is the "target set" option under the waypoint?

Thanks,
WW

[tomoose]

Wing Walker;
yes, it's the 'Set' button in the waypoints panel.  Click on that then click on the flight you want to follow.  You will see a yellow line from the unit to the unit being followed if it is set correctly.
It is essentially the same concept behind setting a flight to take off from a carrier using the 'Set' button.

[Wing Walker]

How did you get the bombers to stay together?

[tomoose]

If you are talking about my bombers as in the pic I posted, it's the 'Set' command as mentioned previously.

[Vampire_pilot]

and if you ask about mine, nothing aside from little altitude difference and careful waypoint placement.

If you have too much drift because of different altitudes (remember, you set IAS in FMB!), test the mission and set slightly different speeds of a few kph (higher > slower), test again. Basically, testing testing testing.

[Wing Walker]

My last mission I tried this on was 13 B-24s and a escort of a flight of P-40s, one of P-38s, and one of F4Us.

I tried the SET thing, but it didn't seem to change anything when I play it out.

Either way I get all of them flying together, right where I want them, but they slowly reorganize themselves in a long line spreading out, and for some reason the P-40s always spread way out to side, or north, of the way point line they are all fallowing.

[tomoose]

Wing Walker;
Here's a screenshot of my initial B17 mission.
Just above the cursor you can see where I am linking my B flight to my A flight using the SET option.  The yellow line is covering up the red waypoint line in this shot.  These two flights took off from the same airfield.
Just under Felixstowe (AO-22) is where the other B-17 flights (taking off from other airfields) converge and I use the SET command to link these flights as they turn to go across the Channel.
At mid-Channel (AP-20) you can see where I use the SET command to link the escorting P-47s to the bombers.  The P-47s took off from their own airfield.  They link up with the bombers and begin their escorting staying near the bombers.  NOTE: All waypoints have to be adjusted so that the various flights arrive at a geographic point at approximately the same time (i.e. within a minute or so of each other).
Hope this helps.

[Wing Walker]

Do you have one long leg after they are all linked up as they fly across the channel, or do you keep placing way points all along the route?

I just retested and with the aircraft linked by the SET to the lead bomber flight they still reorganize them selves into a long line of flights about 10mins or so into it.  They start off in perfect formation.

I think I might give up on this one, there is something with the AI keeping them from wanting to stay together.  Even though nothing changes between the waypoints, they all speed up and slow down on their own until they are all spread out, then they hold their position, but spread out in a long line with about 1km between the flights, and the P-40s always go way to the north of the way point line.  Even though the 40's are SET to a bomber flight also

 

[tomoose]

WW;
It does take a while for them to close up...10-15mins.  I have my waypoints heading north then east then back south in order to a) climb and b) to let the 2nd flight catch up.   NOTE:  I reduced the speed of the lead flight for the first couple of waypoints to let the 2nd flight catch up.
My last SET command is just before they cross the Channel then it's just a matter of 'bundling' the waypoints on top of each other (i.e. place the waypoints literally on top of each other).  For the bomb run I zoom in and separate the Ground Attack icons just a bit so there's a good spread over the target but after that the waypoint icons are placed on top of each other again until they get back over the UK.
It is indeed a bit tedious but the majority of the work should be in that first 'template' mission.  Once you get them in close formation leaving the home base then it's just a matter of changing the target destination.
It sounds like you are almost there and it may be just a matter of tweaking the subsequent waypoints.  As to the P-40s, they should take off and be at the same height and same location of your lead bomber formation.  Forgive me for stating the obvious but note the time at the waypoint, it's very important that the time on the waypoint for the fighters be the same as the bomber flight (this also applies to your bomber flights...they need to reach the same waypoint at the same time) then use the SET command.  Make the fighter altitude approx 1000ft above the bombers.  You'll know it's worked when you see the fighters staying overhead and generally circling the bombers as they proceed on course.

[Alien_12]

There's one small thing you seem to be missing - the bombers flew in vics, their 12-ship formation should consist of 4 3-plane flights, not 3 4-plane ones.

[tomoose]

Alien
good point but that is an easy fix in FMB by simply decreasing each flight by 1.  That being said, it is still a challenge to keep the bomber formation closed up as in real life.  It is trial and error unfortunately even with the SET command.