In Air Simulator Battles featuring the Enduring Confrontation mission type, one of the available objectives tasks players with either destroying or defending an AI-controlled ground convoy. These convoys typically consist of tanks, trucks, and self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles (SPAA).
At present, the SPAA units along with some of the other vehicles found within these convoys display unrealistically high performance characteristics. The problem stems from how the AI SPAA vehicles engage player aircraft. They respond to threats with instantaneous precision and consistently accurate fire, regardless of the target’s speed, altitude, or maneuvering. Their damage output and engagement range are disproportionately high for AI units of their class or battle rating
As a result, aircraft attempting to attack the convoy whether through bombing, rocketing, or strafing do not survive long enough to complete a strike run.
This removes the intended tactical element from the mission and renders the convoy destruction feature largely inaccessible to players.
The gameplay problems
First of all, the engagement behaviour is unrealistic, AI SPAA units react and fire with inhuman precision.
Secondly, Aircraft are destroyed within seconds, making it nearly impossible to destroy the convoy. This results in the loss of player agency. Essentially the defending team automatically succeeds at “protecting the convoy” since AI alone guarantees its safety, removing the need for player involvement.
Convoy SPAA performance differs greatly from AI anti-aircraft vehicles found in other objective types, such as frontline battles, which is inconsistent.
Convoys cannot be attacked by aircraft without guided muntitions as it results in an almost guaranteed instant death.
Expected Behavior
Engage with accuracy and range appropriate to their type and BR.
Allow skilled players to approach successfully using tactical methods (e.g., altitude, angle, or speed).
Require active defense from the opposing team, rather than guaranteeing convoy survival automatically.
My proposal
Reduce the AI SPAA’s accuracy, reaction speed, and range to reasonable levels appropriate for their type and BR. Ensure that player tactics (altitude, speed, approach angle) influence survivability during attacks.
Yeah I find it hard to believe that a ZA-35 can consistently shoot a pimple inside my pilots crack from 3km away whilst I’m going mach 1. They absolutely need adjusting. +1
Yeah, those mobile spheres of death really need fixing. Unless you have stand off weapons, you arent getting close. Tried to do a CCRP carpet bomb run on one before, just for the fun of it, got shot down before a single bomb had actually been released.
We need more PvE gameplay, and a core part of that should be involving SEAD in some way, either directly as an objective to take out air defences, or indirectly taking out a target that is protected (I kinda miss bases having SPAAGs) but im terrified that they’ll just end up like the Convoy SPAAGs.
I also want Gaijin to explore the possiblity of engagement range varying based upon aircraft alt. That way flying low “under the radar” would actually become a semi-viable tactic
damn so I’m no the only one, thank God, everytime I say something in chat about how insane they are everyone is like JuSt DoNt GeT cLoSe To ThE aI tArGeTs
absolute +1 from me
Yeah, I would include that as part of OPs suggestion of adjusted reaction speed, but I do like the idea of SPAAGs, especially non-radar SPAAGs, having a limited FoV at any one time.
To add some nuance to the request further for my simulator friends, I think we still want a bit of a challenge fighting these convoys, but there is a concern with the lack of feedback from the game when engaging them.
I think what we want to see more than anything is a more clear communication from in-game systems that these vehicles are targeting your aircraft. Instead of making them aim using War Thunder’s AI targeting lock, force them to radar lock before firing and that chaff could be useful in a notch against the guns.
Also, these convoys feel too small for the defenses that accompany them. Some more supply trucks or light armor to offset the light and medium tanks could help exponentially at higher tiers.
As of now, the convoys feel simultaneously too small, too unreliable to target, and far too dangerous for the lack of feedback they give to players. The challenge would be understandable if AAA across the board had more of a radar signature on the RWR before firing and at least could be foiled by low enough flying.
“Ground battles” refers to the objective in air sim, not the game mode.
On sim maps, you often see “arrows” pointing towards a “push.” These represent a line of tanks, SPAA and howitzers assaulting another line of tanks, SPAA and howitzers. Left undisturbed, the attacker claims the gridsquare (and potentially disabled airfields if they belong to the enemy side, if any (pretty rare on most ASB maps)).
These represent significant ticket drain.
These “pushes” are usually generated by a convoy that arrives after spawning near an airfield/edge of map or after an A point was captured.
This thread is talking about the convoy that arrives at such front lines.
These convoys often have vehicles using what’s essentially .50 cals to snipe dive bombing fighter-bombers or level bombers when there is no historical or realistic precedent for such accuracy. While moving.
Without any stabilizers or radar.
They also seem to track very quickly (or probably they start tracking very early making it seem like they track quickly). Ergo - you can’t play it smart and initiate your attack run from the enemy side of the map to minimize time you’re in their sights.
Afaik, the stationary SPAA are indentical to the convoy SPAA, just having a shorter firing range and sometimes different vehicles. I’m not sure why he would say the stationary SPAA is less accurate unless he’s comparing 35mm Oerlikon platforms with Shilkas, and mistaking the lower velocity, easier to dodge shells for being inaccurate.
Convoys and ground battles behave very, very, very differently in AIR SIMULATOR BATTLES.
At least at WW2 BRs. I don’t fly jets.
At WW2, you can safely perform strafing runs and bombing runs on SPAA with minimal risk. They will be shooting at you AND will keep shooting at you for a pretty prolonged period. If you fly straight and slow: they will hit (I have seen even Pz IVs kill people. Somehow) but if you maneuver a little and stay fast you’re usually safe.
Convoys, as stated, snipe you at insane speeds and ranges.
Here, have this old recording I made to show score earned by killing a single SPAA at a ground battle to demonstrate how much more benign stationary SPAA guns are. Unfortunately I don’t have a comparison with the convoys.
They use to be the same, but they are definetly different these days.
Battlefield SPAAs usually wont snipe you the moment you get close. I will quite happily pass by a battlefield with A2G and never get hit. Even gotten a few gunstrafe kills against battlefields, despite SPAA still being active.
Convoys, I avoid, at all cost. Taking an unnecessarily wide arc as to avoid accidently getting too close. I have tried once or twice to attack a convoy with shorter ranged weapons, I have never been succesful
I can confirm they are very different at jet BRs too
