The great leaps of v1.11: Winchester, Shotgun, Bingo, Joker and Chicken

March 4, 2016 · Posted in Command

The v1.10 update for CMANO was released on Feb 26 to widespread acclaim. The dev team is already hard at work preparing the next upcoming major release, version v1.11. After the panoply of new features in past updates, what new tricks do the CMANO devs have up their sleeves? Let’s find out.

Winchester, Shotgun, Bingo, Joker and Chicken

Winchester and Bingo are well-known brevity calls for “no ordnance remaining” and “low fuel state” respectively. However, in many situations it would make sense for aircraft to begin separation well before they are completely out of weapons or flying on fumes. Command v1.11 adds player-customizable “Shotgun” weapon state and “Joker” fuel state, and even includes the “Chicken” fuel state for emergencies. A quick intro to these terms can be found in the Multiservice tactical brevity code article on Wikipedia and in the Command Mega-FAQ.

Click on image for full view

All aircraft loadouts now have their own pre-defined Winchester or Shotgun weapon states. The default states depend on loadout role and weapon types, which vary from all-Sidewinder F-16 air superiority loadouts to MiG-31 long-range one-pass intercept loadouts.

In some cases the player may not want to use the pre-defined Winchester or Shotgun settings stored in the database. For instance, a loadout may allow an aircraft to bore in on and engage hostiles with guns. However that may not be desirable in many situations. Therefore, the player can decide to override the default settings through the Doctrine window. Weapon states are inherited like all other Doctrine settings, and can therefore be configured per unit, per group, per mission and/or per side.

Click on image for full view

There are approximately twenty different Winchester and Shotgun settings to choose from. The first two are normal Winchester weapon states while the remainder are Shotgun setups that allow aircraft to disengage when it is most advantageous to do so. It should be noted that Shotgun states are split into two main categories: those where aircraft will start separation when certain types or quantities of ordnance has been expended, and those that will make aircraft disengage after the engagement is over. The latter is usually preferred, as the aircraft will continue fighting until the enemy has been defeated or the weapon state has been reached, whatever comes first. This means aircraft may go home with weapons left onboard, and will not hang around after an engagement is over, low on fuel and ordnance, and risk getting ambushed by flights of ‘fresh’ bogies. Past experience shows that the latter settings significantly reduces losses to own forces and has also made the AI a tougher opponent.

The user-selectable Winchester and Shotgun doctrine settings are:

Use loadout setting – Uses default weapon state settings from the database, tailored to each loadout’s role and ordnance.
Winchester: Mission-specific weapons have been expended. Disengage immediately – The traditional pain vanilla Winchester weapon state.
Winchester: Mission-specific weapons have been expended. Allow targets of opportunity with air-to-air guns – Same as above, but engage nearby bogies with guns after we’re out of missiles. Applies to air-to-air missile loadouts only. For guns-only air-to-air loadouts and all air-to-ground loadouts the behaviour is the same as above.
Shotgun: All BVR or Stand-Off weapons have been expended. Disengage immediately – Disengage after firing all Beyond Visual Range (BVR, air-to-air) or Stand-Off (SO, air-to-ground) weapons. This is a risky option as your fighter aircraft may only have one medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM) left and then decide to engage ‘fresh’ flights of bandits. Use with caution!
Shotgun: All BVR or Stand-Off weapons have been expended. Allow easy targets of opportunity with WVR or Strike weapons. No air-to-air guns – Same as above, but if easy targets or threats are nearby then shoot at them with remaining Within Visual Range (WVR, air-to-air) or SR (Short-Range, air-to-ground) weapons before disengaging. A target has to be within 120% of the WVR/SR weapons’ range to be engaged. Otherwise, the aircraft will turn, go to afterburner, and try to leave the area at max speed.
Shotgun: All BVR or Stand-Off weapons have been expended. Allow easy targets of opportunity with WVR or Strike weapons, and air-to-air guns – Same as above, but also engage bogies with guns if given an easy chance. Typically, a target has to be within 5nm and closing to be of any interest. Applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only. For air-to-ground (A/G) loadouts the behaviour is the same as above.
Shotgun: One engagement with BVR or Stand-Off weapons. Disengage immediately – Attempt one engagement with BVR or SO weapons. Continue fighting for as long as there are targets within easy reach and then disengage. This is a safe option as it ensures aircraft do not ‘hang around’ after they have expended their most potent weapons, and thus avoid becoming easy targets if engaged by ‘fresh’ enemy units.
Shotgun: One engagement with BVR or Stand-Off weapons. Allow easy targets of opportunity with WVR or Strike weapons. No air-to-air guns – Same as above, but if easy targets or threats are nearby, shoot at them with remaining WVR or Short-Range weapons before disengaging. A target is considered ‘easy’ when within 120% of the remaining WVR or Strike weapon’s maximum range (minimum 5nm). In other words, the fighter won’t spend much energy chasing down a bogey after the Shotgun weapon state has been reached, and will leave the target area as quickly as possible.
Shotgun: One engagement with BVR or Stand-Off weapons. Allow easy targets of opportunity with WVR or Strike weapon, and air-to-air guns – Same as above, but also engage bogies with guns. Applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only. For air-to-ground (A/G) loadouts the behaviour is the same as above.
Shotgun: One engagement with both BVR and WVR or Stand-Off and Strike weapons. No air-to-air guns – Make one engagement with BVR and WVR, or SO and Strike Weapons. Do not disengage when out of BVR or SO weapons, but continue the engagement with WVR weapons.
Shotgun: One engagement with both BVR and WVR or Stand-Off and Strike weapons. Allow easy targets of opportunity with air-to-air guns – Follows the above logics.
Shotgun: One engagement with WVR or Strike weapons. Disengage immediately – Make one engagement with WVR or SR weapons. Continue fighting for as long as there are targets within easy reach and then disengage.
Shotgun: One engagement with WVR or Strike weapons. Allow targets of opportunity with air-to-air guns – Same as above but also engage bogies with guns. Applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only. For air-to-ground (A/G) loadouts, the behaviour is the same as above.
Shotgun: One engagement with guns – Make one engagement with guns. Continue fighting for as long as there are targets nearby and then disengage.
Shotgun: 25% of relevant weapons have been expended. Disengage immediately – Disengage after 1/4 of mission-specific weapons have been expended.
Shotgun: 25% of relevant weapons have been expended. Allow targets of opportunity, including air-to-air guns – Same as above, but if easy targets or threats are nearby then shoot at those too. Also engage bogies with guns (applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only).
Shotgun: 50% of relevant weapons have been expended. Disengage immediately – Disengage after half of mission-specific weapons have been expended.
Shotgun: 50% of relevant weapons have been expended. Allow targets of opportunity, including air-to-air guns – Same as above, but if easy targets or threats are nearby then shoot at those too. Also engage bogies with guns (applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only).
Shotgun: 75% of relevant weapons have been expended. Disengage immediately – Disengage after 3/4 of mission-specific weapons have been expended.
Shotgun: 75% of relevant weapons have been expended. Allow targets of opportunity, including air-to-air guns – Same as above, but if easy targets or threats are nearby then shoot at those too. Also engage bogies with guns (applies to air-to-air (A/A) loadouts only).

The Joker fuel state can be set as a percentage of mission fuel, which is max fuel minus reserves. If an aircraft carries 10 000kg of fuel, reserves is typically 10%, which means mission fuel is 9000kg. If the player wants an aircraft to land with 40% mission fuel remaining (3600kg + 1000kg reserve), simply select ‘Joker: 40% above Bingo’.

In addition to setting the weapon and fuel state conditions, the player may also choose what shall happen when said state is reached. Shall a flight of fighters Return To Base (RTB) when the first aircraft reaches the fuel/weapon state? Last aircraft? Or shall the aircraft disengage and leave their wingmen behind as they run out of weapons and fuel? Or should they not RTB at all? The player now has full control – and responsibility.