|
michaelm75au -> RE: Pilot limit issue? (9/27/2005 4:20:19 PM)
|
From what I can see, the pilot details (like name, group, missions, kills, expericence, etc) are stored in the 30K pilot array.
So in order to show up in the Top Pilot list with those details, the pilot needs to stay in the 30K array.
Now, pilots definitely do come and go from this array. I have done comparision between turns and have seen slots start out assigned to one pilot/group and end up the next turn with a different name/group. And yes the previous pilot was one of the casualties from the air combat that turn. So it does work.
However, in one of the saves I have examined where the 30K pilots were all allocated, I have noticed the following.
(1) Pilots who had a delay of 9999 but assigned to some group were included. Thus wastes a usable slot. This sort of problem can be aleviated by the scenario designer removing pilots with a delay of 9999.
(2) Pilots have been assigned to group numbers that either don't exist or never enter play. Again it wastes usables slots. This sort of problem can be aleviated by the scenario designer.
(3) Some groups have way too many pilots assigned to them. One example; 380th BG which has a max planes of 48 but has 166 pilots assigned to it. But not all the the pilots appear in the group's roster. A method of trickling back excess pilots to the pool would help keep the pilots available.
(1) and (2) I have mentioned before. And I think in most of the recent modded scenarios, the pilot database usually has been left blank. The AI is allowed to create and use up all the available slots, so these points are not of major concern. Some of the early modded scenarios, I think, have experienced this problem before we knew the ramifications of changing/inserting/deleting slots in the database files.[:D]
For point (3), there are a couple of code changes I think would be simple to introduce:[;)]
(a) One method would be to move the most inexperienced pilots back to the pool, just by adding to the pool number available. It would mean that the pilot would get the "pool" expericence of the pilot pool at that time. I think this was done for UV in last patch.
(b) Another method could be to "free" up the inexperienced pilots by transferring them to a similar group(s) which was under staffed. This would not draw down on replacement pilots but would spread out existing pilots, if needed, and maintain their current experience level.
Michael
|
|
|
|
