About This File
Add on gunsight for FE
As mentioned in a recent post, I’m somewhat “uneasy” about using aimangles to adjust the gunsight/bullet path convergence
The issue (thanks B Bandy RFC) is that the AI becomes very inaccurate when using significant amounts of this parameter (empirical testing seems to confirm this)
The AI would seem to use the aircraft’s fore/aft axis for aiming fixed guns and aimangles shifts the bullet path away from this axis
This is fine for vertical adjustments because the AI can be “told” to compensate with the GunBoresightAngle in the [FlightControl] section of the FM (as with the Lewis gun in the stock SE5a)
SE5A_DATA.INI
[FlightControl]
GunBoresightAngle=5.0
[internalGun2]
AimAngles=0.0,5.0,0.0
However there seems to be no GunBoresightAngle equivalent for left/right adjustments
So heres a replacement gunsight that can be moved around instead of the bullet path
Its somewhat of a pain to use I’m afraid
The steps
You will have to extract the WEAPONDATA.INI and the WEAPONDATA.DAT from the ObjectData.CAT if you haven’t already and place them in a folder called “Weapons” in the “objects” folder (you may have to make the “Weapons” folder)
Place the GunSight.bmp and gunsight01.LOD in the “Weapons” folder has well
Add this to the bottom of your extracted weapondata.ini
----------------------------------------
[WeaponData027]
TypeName=Gunsight01
FullName=Gunsight01
ModelName=Gunsight01
Mass=0.010000
Diameter=0.100000
Length=0.010000
SubsonicDragCoeff=0.000100
SupersonicDragCoeff=0.000100
AttachmentType=
SpecificStationCode=
NationName=
StartYear=0
EndYear=0
Availability=0
BaseQuantity=0
Exported=FALSE
ExportStartYear=0
ExportEndYear=0
ExportAvailability=0
WeaponDataType=5
MaxFuelAmount=0.001000
Asymmetrical=FALSE
---------------------------------------------
Note [WeaponData0XX] should be sequential with any thing you already have there
After you have saved that, Open the extracted WEAPONDATA.INI in the NEW weapons editor and hit save
Now change your “victim” aircraft FM thusly (SPAD7_180 used here as an example)
Add TWO new systems to the component that the gunsight will sit on (often [Nose])
SPAD7_180_DATA.INI
------------------------------
[Nose]
ParentComponentName=Fuselage
---snip----------
SystemName[001]=Engine
SystemName[002]=Gunsight01/////New
SystemName[003]=Gunsight/////////New
---------------------------------------
Add two new weapon stations’ to match in the weapon station section of th FM
-----------------------------------------
[Gunsight01]
SystemType=WEAPON_STATION
StationID=11//note these are sequential with StationID’s above
StationGroupID=4//note these are sequential with StaionGroup’s above
StationType=EXTERNAL
AttachmentPosition=0.0,0.75,0.642 //where the gunsight will appear on the aircraft, you will have to test
AttachmentAngles=0.0,0.0,0.0
LoadLimit=5
AllowedWeaponClass=FT
AttachmentType=NATO
ModelNodeName=
PylonMass=0.0001
PylonDragArea=0.00
NoJettisionTank=TRUE
FuelTankName=Gunsight01//name of the weapon lod
--------------------------------------------
The next one’s parameters are largely irrelevant, its to hide the existing gunsight
The most important bit is the ModelNodeName=sight,
“sight” being the mesh name of the original gunsight
You will have to deduce that with an OUT file or use a hex editor on the main models LOD to find it (not as hard as it sounds) or ask the original modder to tell you
-------------------------------------------
[Gunsight]
SystemType=WEAPON_STATION
StationID=12//note these are sequential with StationID’s above
StationGroupID=5//note these are sequential with StaionGroup’s above
StationType=EXTERNAL
AttachmentPosition=0.000,0.5000,0.0000
AttachmentAngles=0.000,0.0000,0.0000
LoadLimit=1
AllowedWeaponClass=FT
AttachmentType=NATO,WP
NumWeapons=1
ModelNodeName=sight// name of the original gunsight mesh
PylonMass=0.0001
PylonDragArea=0
FuelTankName=
--------------------------------------------------------
Finally modify or create a loadout file for the aircraft so the gunsight01 is loaded in all configurations
SPAD7_180_LOADOUT.INI example
------------------------------------
[Default]
DefaultFor=SWEEP,CAP,INTERCEPT,BALLOON_DEFENSE,CAS,RECON,ARMED_RECON,ESCORT
Loadout[11].WeaponType=Gunsight01
Loadout[11].Quantity=1
[Le Prieur]
DefaultFor=BALLOON_BUSTING
Loadout[01].WeaponType=LePrieurTube
Loadout[01].Quantity=1
Loadout[02].WeaponType=LePrieurTube
Loadout[02].Quantity=1
Loadout[03].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[03].Quantity=1
Loadout[04].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[04].Quantity=1
Loadout[05].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[05].Quantity=1
Loadout[06].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[06].Quantity=1
Loadout[07].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[07].Quantity=1
Loadout[08].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[08].Quantity=1
Loadout[09].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[09].Quantity=1
Loadout[10].WeaponType=LePrieurRocket
Loadout[10].Quantity=1
Loadout[11].WeaponType=Gunsight01
Loadout[11].Quantity=1
------------------------------------------
Phew
I usually mod the main guns tracer size with the gun editor to make testing easier (bigger, temporarily)
AttachmentPosition=0.0,0.75,0.642 equals Left(-x.x) or Right(x.x), Down(-x.x) or Up(x.x), Backward(-x.x) or Forward(x.x) from the aircrafts CG (units are metres)
Keep adjusting it till you have it right, the above is good for MY spad7_180 with the cockpit setting that I use
I will include my SPAD7_180_LOADOUT.INI and my SPAD7_180_DATA.INI in the download (they go in your SPAD7_180 folder)
Please backup your old ini's first
My SPAD7_180 ini's are modded for LePrieur's as well as the cockpit settings here http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=5924
so YMMV
Enjoy and feel free to use it for other aircraft (and re-release it for the community if you wish)