Following orders, warning long post

Rickitycrate · February 23rd, 2009, 20:44

So I've been wondering, what is the purpose of your flight orders and instuctions and the way points? What effect does completing the mission as mapped out have? Do you have a better claim confirm result if you stick to your orders? So you are sent to the front to do some recon and you become aware of some E/A and go after them. You down 2 but get shot up and head for home and make it safely, but you got no where near to completing the mission. My point being-follow orders or be a self serving death dealer? Seems you would get a lot of grief for doing your own thing all the time. And Lone Wolf missions, you got no wingman to witness any claims. So if your wingman as witness is the main thing toward a confirmation you got no shot it seems to me. But if you have followed orders your claims may be treated more favourably? I thought Pol had indicated some time ago that you could make up names to enter for witness. I thought Pol and Winders names might get a confirmation every time you entered them. I haven't tried that yet. Just wondering.... oh,by the way, I flew 6 missions with no claims made but I did follow orders to the letter and received a promotion.

Mk2 · February 23rd, 2009, 21:03

Originally Posted by Rickitycrate

Do you have a better claim confirm result if you stick to your orders? .

That's a good question.

I just had a mission where I expended all my ammo within site of the home airfield (the original mission was attack enemy airfield I think).

I shot down a plane and my wingman got another.

I thought it prudent to land , end mission and not go prancing around in enemy territory wihtout bullets. I hope that did not affect my claim resolution.

77Scout · February 23rd, 2009, 21:51

Originally Posted by Rickitycrate

My point being-follow orders or be a self serving death dealer?

Makes no difference to the game. Your choice. Treat as a role playing thing if you like...are you a duty bound patriot or a glory seeking egotist?

Rick Rawlings · February 23rd, 2009, 22:04

I think it is pretty realistic to head for home once you have done what you can do. There are a lot of WWI stories where pilots would get seperated from their flight in combat and with no fancy 21st century navigational aids, they would having nothing better to do than to pack it in. It seems like in many cases survival was the mission, or became so pretty quickly once things got hairy. Now, if your job is to escort recon and you go wandering all over the front looking for clueless noobs to pad your score, well, you do your country nor your squadmates any service...

**Olham54** · February 24th, 2009, 02:06

Hi, RICKITYCRATE. I could imagine it being this way: when you collect kills, you become an ace earlier. When you follow you orders correctly, you will be upranked earlier. Guesswork, but would make sense.
Anyway - when you get attacked, you have no other choice really but to defend yourself and flight. And when you are supposed to do reconaissance at the front, but get air raided instead - what else could you do, but fight the raiders? And after that, land, cause your ammo's out. No other way.

Bullethead · February 24th, 2009, 07:38

No plan survives contact with the enemy, if it even lasts that long

. Most of my missions get aborted by chance encounters en route, or are cut short by things getting out of hand at the objective. And whenever I get a suicide mission, I just gaff it off and go somewhere else on roving patrol. I figure I can always tell my boss I got separated/lost/whatever

.