gunsight

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)