Desert Storm & general terrain ?

[Wrench 9,846]

Seeing the little byplay about the DS terrain, got me to thinking and fiddling with it.

 

Adding target areas in no real big deal (by use the HUD debug and QMD). It's a simple copy/paste job.

So...

 

I've got about 5-8 new target areas (by using the old standards of the Factory Center and Vehicle depot), Polak's Oil Field as seen at simhq -- which looks really cool outside Kuwait City. Still have a few HQ centers to add; both from the Factory center and one that someone put together a long time ago.

 

Added about 10 truck routes, 2 shipping routes (they may have the 'ship that sails over land and sea...might have to add another port or 3)

 

Now, my basic questions are:

 

Dogfight ini -- there aint one. How are the corrdinates figured? ie, do they center over airbases?, with the x/y like truck routes?

 

movement ini -- building a new one, but don't understand the routing for GROUND_ATTACK. Truck and ship routes aint' nothing to do. Is the GA set simililary, and is this used for CAS missions??

 

and what does this all mean:

 

[FrontLine]

FriendlyBase=King Khalid AB

EnemyBase=As Salmon North

Position[001]=710000,256000

Position[002]=490000,450000

Position[003]=

Position[004]=

Position[005]=

Position[006]=

Position[007]=

 

StartShow=1

EndShow=7

 

I'm assuming the "FrontLine" creates the red line on the map, showing the border between the Good Guys and Evil Minions? Using this one above, kinda creates an inverted V shape, so I'm thinking of adding other coords that represent other target locations, ie Kuwait City at the eastern end and however far west I can find or place something (maybe a depot or Coalation listening post) just to anchor the western edge.

 

so..

do they have to be airfields, or will any target center do?

 

When this gets figured out, maybe add this to the knowledge base!

 

I'll post some screenies tommorrow with some of the 'rebuilt' target areas and such like.

 

TIA!

Wrench

Kevin Stein

[+Dave 2,322]

Like I said Kevin I threw it together. JSF Aggie and I have plans to make it into a campaign and very usable terrain. So would you like in on it? You got it started and we could use the help.

[Guest Saganuay82]

That would be great if you figured out the route and dogfight part Kev. I'm getting tired of STRIKES on my Eastern Canada terrain. Need shipping figured out too. can't be that hard. BLT does it . :)

[Wrench 9,846]

Well, based on what I 'figgured out' on the ww2 range for truck routes, it seem like they only need a start and end point with the coordinates (here's where the QMD come in handy!!)

 

[Route001]

RouteType=TRUCK

StartArea=Baghdad

EndArea=Karbala

RoutePosition[001]=403699,635860

RoutePosition[002]=396691,534810

 

one of the shipping routes goes like this:

 

[Route008]

RouteType=SHIPPING

StartArea=Basra Oil Fields

EndArea=Kuwait City

RoutePosition[001]=709312,421917

RoutePosition[002]=662487,366013

 

which I'm sure the game engine will take a straight line right across the desert.

btw, got the water effect working too.

 

I'm up to about 50 total target areas, some within others. Oh, and I added flags to the Iragi bases, and a few to the Coalition too, (Saudi, US, UK). And just for fun, my shipwreck off Kuwait City. (I hate to waste a perfecly good object...hmmm...might do a little CE3K with that too...)

 

Front line is all weirded out though. Once a get a few more target areas placed, I'm gonna try something with the GROUND_ATTACK sections. Just to test an idea.

 

Just placing the damn things, even though it's simple copy/paste is a damn nightmare! Gotta be a way to totally automate this process (man, do I miss the mission builder in FA!!!!)

 

I'll to get some screenies posted later.

 

Wrench

Kevin Stein

[+Dave 2,322]

Well using lowergrins campaign editor, it has a function to make strategic points. To make front lines is soemthing I haven't figured out either, I have guessed and it never turned out quite right. However Major Lee and JSF Aggie know how to do it.

[195th_Moses 0]

I wouldnt mind helping in this either since im playing with it myself and havent a clue at all

[jtin 0]

Just placing the damn things, even though it's simple copy/paste is a damn nightmare! Gotta be a way to totally automate this process (man, do I miss the mission builder in FA!!!!)

Have you tried FSSC?

 

http://www.fssc.avsim.net/index.html

 

It is for MSFS, but Polak has a .scn to .ini converter. I'm fiddling around with it now, it's a lot easier. Details here:

 

http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?...e=1#Post2039428

 

(LOL, I sound like a commercial!)

 

I was wondering about the front line myself.

[Tannethal 2]

Yeah Polaks tool comes in quite handy for creating a target zone.

 

Not sure if this is still apliquable:

 

 

FSSC will not save a heading of 0° correctly and so the converter won't save a heading information to the targetarea.ini

Polak has done a libary of the stock objets for SFP1 and i sent him sometime ago the one with the additional WoV objets.

From what i conclude from the WoE Targettypes. ini you will have all Woe objects too as there seem to be no new ones in Woe.

 

Additionally you can create new parking makros for objects that came with a custom terrain, like some factoryplace objects that you then can use too. Just have to figure out correct meassurements for nonstock objects to get a exact footprint.

 

S!

[Wrench 9,846]

Ok, as promised Ive uploaded a few screen shots to the Gallery of some of the 'upgraded' targets. Actually, there's nothing really new, just throwing the old one (factroy and truck park) out into newly created target areas.

 

I also got the 'floating' building out of the Gulf and dropped them on that island off Kuwait city. 2 are from a test CAS mission, supported Bradley's attacking Al Grabass AB, another overflight of the Kuwait oil fields, factroy center at somewhere, the generic truck park, and 2 of the flags I've added. Somehow, I forgot to take a shot of the Iragi flag; it's the one used pre-invasion, and should be correct for the time frame up to then.

Fixed the untextured buildings (the white ones), got the water effect working. Like Dave said before, it really needs a complete overhaul; need the Tigris and Euphrates cutting through Bagdhad and out to the sea...would look really cool!

 

Still have one 'experiment for KKMC, and then USAFMTL and JSF_Aggie can have their shots at it. Of course, once TK or someone over on the 3rd Wire boards answer the dogfights ini question.

 

Enjoy!

Wrench

Kevin Stein

[+allenjb42 4,234]

An updated DS terrain would be great, and a campaign even better. It'll give me something to do with my DS install.

 

Feel free to use or edit the DS breifing ini I uploaded in my briefing pack.

 

Also Dave, I've got table giving the Air Order of Battle for Desert Shield/Storm in one of my books. I can scan and send it you if you want. I used it to populate my Aircraft folder, and we have a fair few skins that would be appropriate too that I can highlight on the table.

[+Dave 2,322]

Sure allen, that would be great.

[Wrench 9,846]

My experiment at KKMC came out slightly better than I'd hoped for. With judicious editing, and simple replacments, you can change just about anything (structure wise)

The screenies below show KKMC, with the airbase (original) plus the addition of the vehicle depot and barracks complex (edited from the factory place - which got edited again into the Al Basra Republician Guard barracks)

 

I know this is NOT historically accurate, I remember seeing lots of pics of the tent city. The Citybuliding2 kinda reminds me of Kohbar Towers....

 

Aerial view

 

 

Close up of the barracks complex

 

Target areas are pretty much done. Just awaiting, still a reply at the 3rdW forums about the dogfights ini.

 

Wrench

Kevin Stein

 

ps: wish me luck -- I've a job interview in about 30 minutes...my first job interview in like 25 years!

Edited March 13, 2007 by Wrench

[+NeverEnough 78]

Hey Wrench:

 

Hope the interview went well! Thanks for all the great new material you've been churning out during your "employment challenged" time. Best of luck with your job search.

[+JSF_Aggie 1,291]

Kevin,

 

Sorry, I've missed this thread somehow. If you still have some questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

[Wrench 9,846]

Got lots of question, Brian! Don't forget to check out the screenies in the gallery

 

mostly dealing with the front line and the dogfights ini.

 

I know the front line is based off target areas, but for this map I don't think it's all that critical.

 

Have no real idea what the dogfight ini does, by the little voices I keep hearing tell me it might be only for online play.

New movement ini has been created, and it works pretty damn good!!

 

I'm just guessing at a lot of this stuff, so if things work, I'm really pleased (could use a few successes in my life right now!)

 

Let me put a package together and PM you and Dave, so you can have a look see at what I've done (that sounds baaaad!)

 

You'll need the factory place and truck park in you DS terrain folder; all other objects are pretty much stock in game, includng Polaks oil feilds -- those look really cool, and blow up just fine!! I"ll include my shipwreck, as I dropped that around a few places. I just hate to waste a good object!!

 

TIA!

Wrench

Kevin Stein

[+JSF_Aggie 1,291]

Have no real idea what the dogfight ini does, by the little voices I keep hearing tell me it might be only for online play.

 

I believe that is the case. A year or so ago, when the Mirage Factory released a large pack for use in online play, I believe they included some modified dogfight.ini's for a couple terrains. I think it's used as XY locations to spawn the different players.

[+Dave 2,322]

Your edits looks great Wrench. Here is a few shots....now if we can get JSF Aggie to add even more targets to it, I think we can whip up a pretty good campaign for it.

[Wrench 9,846]

Did you find the flags??? Not sure if got one at each Iraqi base. Weird thing is, they can't be added by themselves, but if used to replace something, JBD or that little shack near the hangars, they always work. Might be because of them being set as a 'windsock'. No real idea, though.

 

Also, there's a little easter egg of sorts at the KKMC Barracks complex. Since I was too lazy to renumber everything, I changed one of the faccory objects into something reallllly small, and stuck it under the eaves of the warehouse. It actually looks like it belongs there

(use the free camera view, and get down to ground level and scroll around)

 

Reminds me of my old FA mission building days....always had something 'hidden in plain sight' just for fun.

 

I got a beta of Polaks' new ground object library, was thinking adding some Worfs for a port facility near Abluaziiz. But I'm gonna check the maps, to see if something like that was actually in the area. Be nice to have some Coalition ships parked somewhere. Al Basra could use a port facility too (well, near the oil field at the coast anyway)

 

Wrench

Kevin Stein

[+baffmeister 1,205]

I'm up to about 50 total target areas, some within others.

 

Wrench

Kevin Stein

 

You might want to be careful doing that, Kevin. I ran into some issues with targets becoming invulnerable when overlapping target areas. Never figured out the exact problem, it was a bit intermittant,and it didn't affect vehicle type objects, just the static ones. May be worth doing some target practice. Regards.

[+EricJ 4,244]

Hey USAFMTL, you doing any OV-10Ds any time soon?