Ground unit spawning

[Helmut_AUT]

Hi all. Has anyone ever had the time to figure out how tank battles are spawned in the game when flying CAS? I have the impression the two opposing tank groups only appear when player flight closes in. Seemed to me yesterday that the enemy mobile AAA appeared right below me. What trigger or distance make them appear?

 

Thanks for any pointers

 

Helmut

[+Wrench]

The positions (and routes) are pre-plotted definations in the terrain's _Movements.ini, which also covers truck routes for Armed_Recon, shipping routes for anti-ship missions, and the front line -that red line you see in the planning map screen.

 

If you're seeing AAA, it probably means someone routed them near some target area that HAS air defenses. Unless someone has changed the GroundObjectRole= for as Zeus to "tank", and added AIR_AND_GROUND for the weapons system (yes, it's been done)

 

GroundObjects have an 'average' spawning distange of approx 50 km from the player aircraft (example: vehicles parked on airfields, ships in port) when they "pop" in or out of reality.. CAS missions are probably much smaller, 10-15km radius, as you start hearing messages from the (nonfunctional) FAC or ground units as they're "moving out". That's about the time they spawn

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Spectre_USA]

I have always been under the assumption it is a time thing.

 

If you look at the brief, it shows a speed at each leg, extrapolating a time on target.

 

At a certain time, you hear a moving out warning, and they still don't appear, at least the enemy. The friendlies are on the

map. Once they call contact, and shortly afterward, assistance, then the enemy armor appears, and becomes selectable.

 

Now that the campaign missions are save-able, I may have to check one out and see if I can find the trigger...

[ndicki]

Come to that, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be somehow possible to have mixed units spawning - at the moment, you get 20 say T-55s. That's fine, but sometimes you get 20 jeeps or 20 school buses... Maybe there is a way to stop some spawning (so they can still be used in scripted missions) and to make others appear only in mixed groups - say a load of lorries with a couple of jeeps and an AA vehicle.

 

If TK gives any interest to my idea of maximum group size (he hasn't shown any so far though) it might solve one of the problems!

[Helmut_AUT]

Wrench, my experience in the stock 1979 campaign is that CAS armor has AAA or SAM attached. They are not there for other target protection but always in the rear of an armor column.

 

If someone saves and interprets a CAS mission file it would certainly tell smething. My main interest is if its time- or distance-based.

[+Gr.Viper]

Tank groups in campaign have attached mobile AAA/SAM.

Tank groups in single missions have an extra tank occupying the rear AAA/SAM slot in formation.

 

Enemy cargo ships, tanks groups and truck columns appear on timer. If you hurry without warping you can reach the target area too early and will be waiting there for a few minutes for the targets to spawn right under you.

[+Spectre_USA]

It is time;

 

[GroundMission001]

GroundObjectType=T-72A

Nation=Soviet

RandomChance=100

ObjectiveID=2

RatingForSuccess=50

Size=23

FormationType=SovietTank

MobileObject=TRUE

NavalObject=FALSE

Position=470999.399781,731048.995815,0.000000

Heading=268.596222

Speed=8.330000

StartTime=643.661011

Alignment=ENEMY

PilotTrainingStandard=EXCELLENT

Waypoint[01].Position=469000.000000,731000.000000,0.000000

Waypoint[01].Size=500.000000

Waypoint[01].Objective=TRUE

Waypoint[01].Command=ATTACK_POSITION

Waypoint[01].Speed=0.000000

Waypoint[02].Position=469000.000000,731000.000000,0.000000

Waypoint[02].Size=500.000000

Waypoint[02].Objective=TRUE

Waypoint[02].Command=ATTACK_POSITION

Waypoint[02].Speed=0.000000

Texture=Green

 

[GroundMission002]

GroundObjectType=Leopard2A4

Nation=WGermany

RandomChance=100

ObjectiveID=0

RatingForSuccess=50

Size=12

FormationType=USTank

MobileObject=TRUE

NavalObject=FALSE

Position=469000.000000,731000.000000,0.000000

Heading=88.596222

Speed=0.000000

StartTime=583.661011

Alignment=FRIENDLY

PilotTrainingStandard=EXCELLENT

Texture=Green

 

[GroundMission003]

GroundObjectType=SA-8B

Nation=Soviet

RandomChance=100

ObjectiveID=1

RatingForSuccess=50

Size=2

FormationType=SovietAD

MobileObject=FALSE

NavalObject=FALSE

Position=471024.392278,731049.608263,0.000000

Heading=268.596222

Speed=0.000000

StartTime=643.661011

Alignment=ENEMY

PilotTrainingStandard=EXCELLENT

Texture=Green

 

[GroundMission004]

GroundObjectType=ADATS

Nation=WGermany

RandomChance=100

ObjectiveID=1

RatingForSuccess=50

Size=2

FormationType=USAD

MobileObject=FALSE

NavalObject=FALSE

Position=468975.007503,730999.387547,0.000000

Heading=88.596222

Speed=0.000000

StartTime=583.661011

Alignment=FRIENDLY

PilotTrainingStandard=EXCELLENT

Texture=

 

Note the 4 bolded areas, all at exactly the same milli-second.

 

That looks to be just under ten minutes before they spawn. If you are overhead when group 3 pops in, you are gonna wanna

pop a few flares...

[Helmut_AUT]

Thanks. Interesting enough, this was the slowest approach i ever flew for CAS. Maybe i really didnt see them...