Autopilot and AI

[LukeFF]

Please post any issues about the autopilot and AI here. Please note this topic is strictly for bug reports. Any off-topic banter will be removed at our discretion. Thank you! 

[MDzmitry]

If I had to ask for just one thing to do with AI, that would be getting rid of their, pardon, throttle masturbation. 

It looks plain bad, and in certain cases (*cough* Spitfire *cough*) results in the most idiotic losses of both aircraft and pilots (if the engine ceases above enemy lines).

If that's impossible, just please force them to stop at 50% for 0,5-1 second each time they go from 100 to 0 or the other way.

UPD: here's another track of recon interception when 2/3 bots ruined their engines due to excessive throttle manipulation. The time mark is around 0:40 for both, they achieved it almost simultaneously.

Edited December 8, 2025 by MDzmitry

[cmbishop]

Hello,
While completing a mission in career mode, I noticed that in the British fighter career missions ‘Free Hunt’, the behaviour of my wingmen was particularly strange. It seems that the allied AI seeks to attack anti-aircraft positions at the foot of observation balloons by not following the planned flight path. During this mission, in which I was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, my wingmen landed behind enemy lines without being damaged?!
I am attaching the mission files.
When will we see at least some improvement in the AI in Flying Circus?...

Mission FC British Fighter.zip

[DunkzG]

When playing as Squadron Commander and returning to base, the mechanics for your AI wingmen to land at the end of a career mode mission need looking at

Firstly, often they follow you around as you circle the airfield rather than breaking off to land individually, the only way to seemingly trigger them to break off and land individually is either:
(i) make a fake pass low over the threshold of the runway at speed (so that the AI doesnt crash for going too slow) to trigger the control tower to give you permission to land, then when you don't actually land it seems to trick your AI wingmen to think you have landed so they do then break off and land individually - seems to be the safest route, albeit not very realistic

(ii) order the wingmen to return to base (using commander orders via the tilda key) - this makes them break off from you and prepare to enter circuit over the airfield for landing - BUT they have a habit of crashing into each other! Have noticed this a couple of times recently playing Bodenplatte career, first with P38s then with ME 410s.  Super Frustrating and immersion breaking!

Wondering if this issue can be looked at and patched properly?  I know its been around a long time.  When control tower gives you permission to land and game chat says "break off and land individually" they should do just that and not collide!

Attaching files from the Me410 example, it happens right at the end of the track.  At 02:30 aircraft MM pulls up and wipes itself out and 2 others!

Link to mission files for Me410 example: AI landing crash