bigikie 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Can't help but notice when I get the chance to look but there seem to be a lack of parked aircraft as ground objects on the airfields. As some of the missions relate to bombing the AI seems to equate success in a bombing run to making a crater in the airfield when the destruction of aircraft would have been the priority. Is there any way to create aircraft targets on the airfields? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IndioBlack Posted January 16, 2007 Can't help but notice when I get the chance to look but there seem to be a lack of parked aircraft as ground objects on the airfields. As some of the missions relate to bombing the AI seems to equate success in a bombing run to making a crater in the airfield when the destruction of aircraft would have been the priority. Is there any way to create aircraft targets on the airfields? Yes there is. In single missions. I noticed what Paul Taylor had been doing with static aircraft in the SF series, and he kindly helped me with the information to pull this off in FE. I intend to post a small set of missions here soon with static aircraft at your aerodrome, and static aircraft at the enemy airfield for you to bomb and strafe. Paul's trick to turn a standard aircraft into a static one is deceptively simple. I'm sure anyone could adapt it to work for any add-on aircraft too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigikie 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Thanks for that. It's the only part of the game that looks odd. If I can just get the hang of this bomb-aiming thing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IndioBlack Posted January 17, 2007 Thanks for that. It's the only part of the game that looks odd. If I can just get the hang of this bomb-aiming thing... Well thanks for prompting me to get off my butt and post the stuff, instead of fiddling around with it forever. It's been accepted, and is up there in the missions section. Enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Firecage 1 Posted January 17, 2007 Yes there is. In single missions.I noticed what Paul Taylor had been doing with static aircraft in the SF series, and he kindly helped me with the information to pull this off in FE. I intend to post a small set of missions here soon with static aircraft at your aerodrome, and static aircraft at the enemy airfield for you to bomb and strafe. Paul's trick to turn a standard aircraft into a static one is deceptively simple. I'm sure anyone could adapt it to work for any add-on aircraft too. Man I saw this and was like ... man Indio is teasing us again ..... hold back the info.... (just pulling ya leg) Now thanks for the post of the missions so we can take a look as well 8) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edward 11 Posted January 17, 2007 (edited) BigIckie There is an easy way to add parked static aircraft to strafe. Capun and the A-Team made low poly static aircraft that populate the WWII terrains I did and they are great strafing targets. This sim is so new they haven't gotten around to doing them so I can add them to the terrain airfields yet, but I'm sure they will. Indio There is a lot easier way to add parked static aircraft to the airfields rather that adding them each as separate ground objects and doing a separate mission for them You can make a low poly model of the aircraft and then add it to the terrain so it sits on the airfield like any other terrain object. My WWII airfields are full of static aircraft Capun and the A-Team did. Then they are available in random single missions and campaign missions also. You should contact Capun and maybe he'll do some low poly models you can just add to the terrain. I'm about 60% finished with a new Flanders Terrain, and I'll ask Capun if he can whip some static Aircraft up for the new Terrain also. Edward Edited January 17, 2007 by Edward Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigikie 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Well thanks for prompting me to get off my butt and post the stuff, instead of fiddling around with it forever. It's been accepted, and is up there in the missions section. Enjoy! Just downloaded the missions. Cracking bit of work. You got anything else up yer sleeve? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IndioBlack Posted January 17, 2007 BigIckie Indio There is a lot easier way to add parked static aircraft to the airfields rather that adding them each as separate ground objects and doing a separate mission for them You can make a low poly model of the aircraft and then add it to the terrain so it sits on the airfield like any other terrain object. My WWII airfields are full of static aircraft Capun and the A-Team did. Then they are available in random single missions and campaign missions also. You should contact Capun and maybe he'll do some low poly models you can just add to the terrain. I'm about 60% finished with a new Flanders Terrain, and I'll ask Capun if he can whip some static Aircraft up for the new Terrain also. Edward Well the method that Paul Taylor showed me is very easy anyway, so I'm happy with it and the way it works. I only started doing this because there were certain types of missions that I wanted to fly, and one of them was strafing parked aircraft. I only got around to making it generally available because bigikie asked about it. Capunt refused me access to the A-Team site, so there won't be any communication of ideas between me and him, thank you. I have nothing else up my sleeve, bigikie, other than that I may make more missions of this type as the mood takes me. I'm glad you like the mission pack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigikie 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Only had a brief shot at Indio's missions as I needed to kip. Had a better look today and it's really good stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bandy 3 Posted January 17, 2007 The question RE: which method to use to create static AC should involve whether they add a ground target that can be credited on the debrief, or whether they are just eye-candy. Do both methods add the AC as a true target??? I can strafe that bell tower in the village till the cows come home (I really don't though...), but it doesn't add anything but some target practice... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Von Hammer 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Nice work Indio :) Salute! RvH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kentcol 1 Posted January 17, 2007 Is there anyway to add these static objects to the stock campaign? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+TexMurphy 0 Posted January 17, 2007 yes... adding them to the targets.ini file. Tex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest capun Posted January 17, 2007 yes... adding them to the targets.ini file. Tex I don't think so since they are still airplanes grounded, you can use them in custom missions, but they are still declared as aircraft not as groundobjective To add them to the campaign you need to make them into a ground object to the terrain and you can't do them with stock planes since their condition at animation frame 0 is a clean flying condition. You need to get hold of the sources and make them look like they are on the ground at frame 0. For example on planes with retractable gear you have to have the gears down, the plane tires touching the ground which in 3DS Max it means Z=0 and rotated a bit to have the tail skid also touch Z=0. You also need to get rid of some extra meshes not needed like the slow and fast prop meshes/textures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IndioBlack Posted January 17, 2007 If you were to add the static aircraft to a stock campaign, then presumably, they'd have to show up at any airfields you might fly over, so you'd have a lot of stuff having to be created in the game that you'd never actually see. I don't know whether that would slow down the game engine. Besides, in a campaign, nobody ever asks me to go strafe an airfield. The beauty of single-missions is that you can create specific moments, like the trucks trundling towards the little village and parking in the main street, the truck that circles the airfield as you take-off, and the flight of Fokkers that just takes-off as you start your attack-run on the airfield (I hope you see the last one, because it's timed-out beautifully for me each time). In the airfield attack, I just made one of the German trucks the Primary target, but if you let fly at the aircraft and the tents, you still get points, and in any case, I thought it was fun just blowing things up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+TexMurphy 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Ahhh ok so they are in fact planes... I thought they where ground objects.... But then couldnt one do something like this in the _data.ini file for the campaing.... [AirUnit014] AircraftType=SE5A Squadron=29RAF ForceID=1 Nation=RAF DefaultTexture=RAFBrown1 StartNumber=1 BaseArea=Sainte-Menehould Aerodrome RandomChance=100 BaseMoveChance=10 MaxAircraft=16 StartAircraft=16 MaxPilots=16 StartPilots=16 Experience=70 Morale=100 Supply=50 MissionChance[SWEEP]=90 MissionChance[CAP]=90 MissionChance[INTERCEPT]=80 MissionChance[ESCORT]=40 MissionChance[STRIKE]=10 MissionChance[CAS]=15 MissionChance[SEAD]=0 MissionChance[ARMED_RECON]=25 MissionChance[ANTI_SHIP]=0 MissionChance[RECON]=50 MissionChance[BALLOON_BUSTING]=15 MissionChance[BALLOON_DEFENSE]=10 [AirUnit015] AircraftType=SE5A_STATIC Squadron=29RAF (static) ForceID=1 Nation=RAF DefaultTexture=RAFBrown1 StartNumber=1 BaseArea=Sainte-Menehould Aerodrome RandomChance=100 BaseMoveChance=10 MaxAircraft=16 StartAircraft=16 MaxPilots=16 StartPilots=16 Experience=70 Morale=100 Supply=50 MissionChance[SWEEP]=0 MissionChance[CAP]=0 MissionChance[INTERCEPT]=0 MissionChance[ESCORT]=0 MissionChance[STRIKE]=100 MissionChance[CAS]=0 MissionChance[SEAD]=0 MissionChance[ARMED_RECON]=0 MissionChance[ANTI_SHIP]=0 MissionChance[RECON]=0 MissionChance[BALLOON_BUSTING]=0 MissionChance[BALLOON_DEFENSE]=0 Making one "shade" squad for each real squad.. this squad having its planes set to the static version of the real squad.. mission type set to well which ever mission suites best.. Id something that you get an intercept mission against... you go to the field and pick them off there... Im just thinkin out loud here... tex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+TexMurphy 0 Posted January 17, 2007 I'm about 60% finished with a new Flanders Terrain, and I'll ask Capun if he can whip some static Aircraft up for the new Terrain also. Edward Does this mean you have actually managed to get the game to load any other terrain then Verdun??? How did you do it??? Tex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest capun Posted January 17, 2007 Tex You can try it, I vaguely recall trying it quite a while back in SFP1 and it wouldn't work. But that was a couple of patches back. AFIK, You can import the "terrain" from the SFP1 family, the problem is that the terrain may be using some of the ground objects not in FE. Look at the terrain types and data ini files from any of the SFP1/WoE/WoV terrains and compare it to FE's Verdun terrain to give you ideas of how they are different. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+TexMurphy 0 Posted January 18, 2007 Tex You can try it, I vaguely recall trying it quite a while back in SFP1 and it wouldn't work. But that was a couple of patches back. AFIK, You can import the "terrain" from the SFP1 family, the problem is that the terrain may be using some of the ground objects not in FE. Look at the terrain types and data ini files from any of the SFP1/WoE/WoV terrains and compare it to FE's Verdun terrain to give you ideas of how they are different. reason Im asking is that I thought one could get the verdun winter skin package to work by just creating a new folder verdunWinter and pointing out the cat file in the ini file... didnt work at all... I really dont get any of the terrain stuff... that frustrates me... Tex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edward 11 Posted January 18, 2007 Tex I made a new one from scratch using the Terrain Editor, to the same scale as the Verdun map. I haven't tried to get SFP1 maps into First Eagles yet, but Mr. Jelly has done it. Of course the objects would have to be altered to fit the wwiVerdun.cat file. Here is the layout of the Flanders Map, with a screenshot. I still have to add the roads, more villages and more airfields, but it looks and works fine now: Edward Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest capun Posted January 18, 2007 (edited) reason Im asking is that I thought one could get the verdun winter skin package to work by just creating a new folder verdunWinter and pointing out the cat file in the ini file... didnt work at all... I really dont get any of the terrain stuff... that frustrates me... Tex I don't know why it is not working, it should. This example below is for the Falklands terrain in SFP1 in a separate install, it uses the Desert.cat file with the objects in the stock installation. [Terrain] TerrainFullName=Falklands CatFile=C:\Program Files\Strategy First\Strike Fighters\Terrain\Desert\Desert.cat DataFile=Falklands_data.INI TargetFile=Falklands_targets.INI TargetTypeFile=Falklands_types.INI Edited January 18, 2007 by capun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thumper41 0 Posted January 18, 2007 I had the same thought, Capun, but no matter what I have tried I cannot get the other terrains to work as a drop-down menu item when you set up a single mission. The terrains are available in the drop-down, but when you try to fly them FE CTDs about 50% through the loading screen. Not sure how to fix this one. Thumper Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edward 11 Posted January 18, 2007 Look at what I found. Static Aircraft placed on airfields as ground objects to strafe. These will appear in all random generated missions, campaign missions and single missions you've created as they are ground objects. I will get these placed on all the airfields as soon as I get some more of them: Edward Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Tailspin 3 Posted January 18, 2007 Thanks Edward. Since this type of ground object placement of A/C always worked so well in your WWII mods I wondered if it would work in FE too. Since they are at the aerodromes, could they be used in the stock terrain too...or have you changed the aerodrome layout? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edward 11 Posted January 19, 2007 Tailspin No, I haven't changed the stock airfields. There's one for the Allies and one for Germany. Placing the static aircraft objects will work for both the stock Verdun and upcoming Flanders terrains. Gepard is also working on a Somme terrain, so we're in good shape. I just wish I had more time to finish this stuff faster But the real world intrudes sometimes. Edward Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
