Add Anything To a Ship

[+Old Diego 66]

This is a very basic instructional - not a tutorial, on how to add things to a ship. I will assume that you have a basic understanding on where to place files, make changes to data inis and if you don't know where your mod folder is located - move on because this is over your head. This will not be the place to explain any of that and you're better off reading up before you tackle this mod.

 

Now, you will need a few things -

• a ship - in this case a carrier but any ship or sampan will work if you mod it correctly.
• a plug - in this case its a plane that can't take off. The plug should be as simple as possible. By this I mean paper airplane with wheels and very ultra low poly. You don't need to make it pretty because you won't see it at all. You must have the 3d model for this plug.
• a data ini for the ship - latest one is always best.
• an object to place on the deck - a crew, a plane or whatever you want.
• an image editor - Photoshop or whatever
• a 3D modeling program - Max if you got it or anything else and a friend who has Max and the latest exporter.
• ability to UV map

Lets prepare our ship first. What I do first is start a mission with the ship, clear skys and noon settings. Launch the plane and wait for the cats to retract. What you ant to do is take a screenshot of the deck from straight above. I hit pause and Ctl+F12 or Shift+F12 - I forget which one gets me in roaming camera mode. Anyway, line you shot up so that you get the deck to fill up the screen without cropping the edges of it. Take the shot and save it - use BMP for this because JPGs look ugly...you want a clean crisp shot without any major distortion. Create a folder with the back up copy of your ships data ini, the screenshot of the deck and the plug model. Take that image and open it up in Photoshop or whatever image editor you use. What you want to do is make it a bit sharper and crop all the unneeded ocean out.

Look at this image of the KittyHawk as an example of what you want...I reduced the size for forum purposes BTW.

 

 

 

Now open Max up and create a rectangle that has the same dimensions as your cropped deck image. Make sure that rectangle is set to XYZ 0,0,0 and facing Z or UP for those who don't understand modeling lingo. Now would be a good time to UVmap that rectangle to the deck image. While Max is open, go ahead and import/merge your plug model and whatever object you want to SEE on the deck. Ensure you link the deck object to the plug model so that the hierarchy is linked to the fuselage. What I do is make a simple box and name it LINKER and link all my deck objects to it - things get messy when you have a full deck of planes, crew, vehicles and clutter. Place that linker at XYZ 0,0,0. Now link the linker to your plug and you can keep things nice and neat in Max. Ok, go ahead and place the objects wherever you'd like but stay within the bounds of the deck image below you...don't need to have objects blocking #3 and #4 catapults.Save the model and close up Max.

 

Open up the ships data ini and add another catapult. How you ask? Like this -

 

Add this line to the HULL section

 

 

[Hull]

ModelNodeName=Hull

EffectSize=1.0

MaxExtentPosition= 28.98, 181.63,19.58

MinExtentPosition=-28.98,-120.50,-3.98

StructuralFactor=10000.0

HasArmor=TRUE

ArmorMaterial=STEEL

Armor[FRONT].Thickness=100

Armor

.Thickness=100

Armor

.Thickness=100

Armor[REAR].Thickness=100

Armor[TOP].Thickness=100

Armor[bOTTOM].Thickness=100

SystemName[001]=Engine

SystemName[002]=Deck

SystemName[003]=Cat1

SystemName[004]=Cat2

SystemName[005]=Cat3

SystemName[006]=Cat4

SystemName[007]=Cable1

SystemName[008]=Cable2

SystemName[009]=Cable3

SystemName[010]=Cable4

SystemName[011]=Plug01 <========== add the entry here...notice that 011 comes after 010?

 

...and after the last catapult section add your plug data block

 

[Plug01]

SystemType=CATAPULT

CatapultID=5 <---------this number should be the next one in line. If you have 4 cats, make this 5. If you have 2 make it a 3 etc

StartPosition=0,0,123456789 <------XYZ of where you want to place the catapult to start.

EndPosition=0.0,0.10.0,123456789 <-----XYZ of where you want the end of the catapult to be.

LaunchTime=999.0 <------VERY important number - this tells the game how long to wait for the launch - make it 999.0

LaunchEffect=

CatapultEffect=

ReadyAnimationID=5 <---should be same number as catapult ID number

ReadyAnimationTime=999.0 <------VERY important number - this tells the game how long to wait for the launch - make it 999.0

 

Whats with that 999.0????? That was the missing key to using fake catapults. They would always launch and form up on your wing. BTW, make sure you drop a copy of your edited and BACKED UP data ini into your mods ground objects folder. While you're at it, make a folder with you plug name and drop a copy of everything you will need to make it "fly" - that means all ini , you texture folder and the LOD.

 

 

Ok, you have the basic plan set and now all you need is to do is make sure your objects are where they should be. This is where things get tricky and a knowledge of decal placement comes in handy. Firstly, know that this is tough but not impossible. If you have the ship model, this makes things much easier.

Start a mission that has the same amount of cats + one more. If you have 4 the make it 5. In the loadout section your first 4 planes are whatever you want but the fifth MUST be your plug. I name mine something obvious like F4plug. Make sure that your plug is the last one in the mission because its basically going to be married to that cat forever. Launch the mission and hit F7 so you can find the linker model. Its not always where you think it is. Now, if you're lucky it will be ON the deck without sinking or floating. If its close just adjust the height of the plugs catapult until it sits right on it. If its floating way up there or sunk way down there, check your Z coordinates in Max - it should be set to 0,0,0 Once the deck elevation is set. Don't mess with it. I usually move the deck rectangle in Max until the objects are just resting upon it. Now comes the part where you move deck objects around the X and Y coordinates. If your deck rectangle is off, move it around the X and Y until it closely matches. Takes some time but in the end it pays off. Once all the axis are set, feel free to move the deck objects around by using the deck rectangle with the image as your guide.

 

BTW, you are not limited to just objects. Remember that this is a fake plane, a fake catapult and plane can take any shape - like an entire squadron of A-4s ready for some action. What else do planes have? Lights, props and sounds. All these things can be added with a bit of imagination and thinking...err...hacking outside the box.

 

 

 

Ask questions here so that I know if I left anything out or just need more clarification. Do you have a better way to do something or explain it better? Please do it here so that all the info gets compiled in one spot and people don't go looking all over for it.

[FastCargo 412]

Diego,

 

Some questions:

 

1. I'm assuming that this can only be used for scripted single missions?

2. I'm also assuming that the max number of aircraft you can have takeoff is 4, because number 5 is your plug.

3. Finally, if you Alt-N, number 5 in your flight (ie the plug) will try to show up at your next waypoint?

 

FC

[+Old Diego 66]

Diego,

 

Some questions:

 

1. I'm assuming that this can only be used for scripted single missions?

2. I'm also assuming that the max number of aircraft you can have takeoff is 4, because number 5 is your plug.

3. Finally, if you Alt-N, number 5 in your flight (ie the plug) will try to show up at your next waypoint?

 

FC

 

1. As far as I know, yes. The campaign engine has no way of knowing what cat to place the plane on.

 

2. In the above example, yes. BUT you can have as many cats as you need. So say you have a ship with 100 cats on it, you will place the plug on #100. You can also place as many plugs as you want. You could skip a cat by placing a plug with no objects linked to it...just an invisible place holder. I don't think placing your player on #1 and your wingie on #2 but skipping #3 with a plug and placing a live AI plane on #4 would work. I think #3 has to launch before #4 could launch....hmmm, will have to check that.

 

3. I tried to make it - FORCE it to show up but I couldn't get it to. I heard it give the correct response that it was rejoining but it was still on the cat. I waited about 30 min and nothing.

[FastCargo 412]

Diego,

 

Thanks for the answers. If the plug doesn't try to rejoin with Alt-N, that's good.

 

The main reason I was wondering about the max number is that in normal cat ops in the sim, say you have 4 cats (normal), after everyone launches, the number 5 guy in formation shows up at cat 1, then 6 at cat 2, etc, and cycle off again in a repeat.

 

I'm wondering what happens with the plug at #5 (or wherever). Will anyone else in your flight past #4 be 'stuck' waiting for the #5 cat to clear?

 

Also, I remember at one point experimenting with adding objects to a carrier as a weapon sitting on a rail that never fires. I did get it to work, but obviously it would only work for a ship that was unarmed (since ships can't have multiple types of missiles...ie all the same missile would be needed)...

 

FC

[+Old Diego 66]

Diego,

 

The main reason I was wondering about the max number is that in normal cat ops in the sim, say you have 4 cats (normal), after everyone launches, the number 5 guy in formation shows up at cat 1, then 6 at cat 2, etc, and cycle off again in a repeat.

 

I'm wondering what happens with the plug at #5 (or wherever). Will anyone else in your flight past #4 be 'stuck' waiting for the #5 cat to clear?

 

FC

 

Yep, sounds like a dilemma. I'll test it out to see if they eventually join or just hang on the cat. From what I remember, I've been left behind on the cat while my flight took off.

 

POST test results.....

 

The AI will "jump" the plug = GOOD

 

The plug attempts to rejoin after Alt+N. I say attempts because it can't fly and the cat default launch animation forces it off the cat = SO-SO but definitely not BAD.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Old Diego

[FastCargo 412]

Yep, sounds like a dilemma. I'll test it out to see if they eventually join or just hang on the cat. From what I remember, I've been left behind on the cat while my flight took off.

 

POST test results.....

 

The AI will "jump" the plug = GOOD

 

The plug attempts to rejoin after Alt+N. I say attempts because it can't fly and the cat default launch animation forces it off the cat = SO-SO but definitely not BAD.

 

Cool!

 

Hmmm...if this works, EricJ, I think there might be a carrier full of Super Hornets in our future...

 

FC

[+EricJ 4,245]

I was going to pitch that idea to you but yeah... that's cool with me...

[FastCargo 412]

Start thinking about which carrier you want to use and the typical arrangement you want...

 

FC

[+EricJ 4,245]

Easy peezy, CVN_71 Static with this configuration:

 

http://combatace.com/topic/61332-mig-killer-project/page__view__findpost__p__461593

 

Half E and F models though.

Edited December 23, 2010 by EricJ

[+Julhelm 266]

What about creating the entire airgroup with crew etc as a single weapon and add that to a launcher situated at the origin of the carrier?

[+Old Diego 66]

What about creating the entire airgroup with crew etc as a single weapon and add that to a launcher situated at the origin of the carrier?

 

You can do that but how will you add light materials, game code lighting, normal mapping, sounds etc? Look, any way you add the stuff is fine by me since they're both hacks anyway and are susceptible to random code changes...and more than likely will be changed because its not the developers idea of fun. This is one way to do it on ALL ships. The best reason for ME to not go the weapon route, is because you can't have more than one type of visible missile, like FastCargo just mentioned. I'm assuming you meant missile since you said weapon.

[FastCargo 412]

Okay, I've been playing with this a bit using the weapon method:

 

 

The disadvantage is that you basically disarm the ship, you can't apply decals,lights (but can have lighted materials) or sounds.

 

The advantage is that it's basically a permanent install in that you can prevent the 'missile' from ever firing, plus it can be used in campaigns (if you set up the arrangement right for concurrent launch and recovery ops).

 

Ya take your your pick and takes your chances...

 

FC

[+malibu43 142]

Okay, I've been playing with this a bit using the weapon method:

 

 

The disadvantage is that you basically disarm the ship, you can't apply decals,lights (but can have lighted materials) or sounds.

 

The advantage is that it's basically a permanent install in that you can prevent the 'missile' from ever firing, plus it can be used in campaigns (if you set up the arrangement right for concurrent launch and recovery ops).

 

Ya take your your pick and takes your chances...

 

FC

 

Just curious, could the same method be used to add other ships in formation with the carrier? I didn't initially think going that route made sense, since adding the initial method utilized a phantom aircraft and only worked in single missions, and you can already add ships in single missions. But, if this weapon method works in campaigns, it would be nice to see some other ships sailing with the carrier...

Edited January 4, 2011 by malibu43

[+EricJ 4,245]

And could you use different skins or is it one skin?

[FastCargo 412]

Just curious, could the same method be used to add other ships in formation with the carrier? I didn't initially think going that route made sense, since adding the initial method utilized a phantom aircraft and only worked in single missions, and you can already add ships in single missions. But, if this weapon method works in campaigns, it would be nice to see some other ships sailing with the carrier...

 

Yes, this method would work in adding ships....but the ships, aircraft, deck crew, etc, would have to be one massive LOD file. In addition, you would have to add wake effects in the carrier's data.ini for the other 'ships'.

 

FC

[FastCargo 412]

And could you use different skins or is it one skin?

 

The prototype you see here is one skin for all the models. However, making different skins wouldn't be that big a deal. My plan was to have one skin for the E and F models, and another skin for the G models. The problem, as with anything else, is that the more different skins you make, the more textures you have to load into memory.

 

Obviously, I could remap the models to try to compress the amount of texture usage, but that starts getting into the 'more work than I want to do' phase...

 

FC

[+EricJ 4,245]

Fair enough but it could be just resizing it as the mod by Spectre8750 reduced down to something like 1536 x 1536 and it was still looking good off of the base setup so it can be approached by the end user that way.

[FastCargo 412]

Sure enough. What I really need right now is someone (a squid type) to give me a probable deck arrangement for concurrent ops. Then Eric, you can tell me how you would like the mix of aircraft and where (and as an aside, if you want any thing like different arrangements of pods, drop tanks, canopies, etc). Then someone with deck crew and vehicle MAX files (and maybe pilot/ejection seat MAX files to boot).

 

I can then create a 'weapon' that will fit on any Nimitz sized carrier and can be used in campaigns. Of course, it would only have Super Hornets on the deck...

 

FC

[+Dave 2,322]

Hrntfixr would be your man for that.

[+EricJ 4,245]

Yeah sounds like a plan as I have quite a few photos of deck configurations and not too sure at the moment.

[+Old Diego 66]

If I follow, you do have to create a completely new weapon (texture, lod etc) if you wanted different textures for a new squadron, right? Anyway, its good to see the other option fleshed out, The situation sucks because if you want a campaign with a cluttered deck, you must go the weapon route but if you want to keep the ability to fire back at the bad guys, you lose that ability. Two steps forward, one step back.

 

I figured more people would jump on this and create some cool mods but its just us two?

[FastCargo 412]

If I follow, you do have to create a completely new weapon (texture, lod etc) if you wanted different textures for a new squadron, right? Anyway, its good to see the other option fleshed out, The situation sucks because if you want a campaign with a cluttered deck, you must go the weapon route but if you want to keep the ability to fire back at the bad guys, you lose that ability. Two steps forward, one step back.

 

I figured more people would jump on this and create some cool mods but its just us two?

 

Well, in theory you could make different weapons with the same LOD, just different skins.

 

Then you have different carriers for different squadrons.

 

An example would be say VF-11 on CVN-69 with CarrierAddon1 or VF-12 on CVN-70 with CarrierAddon2. The carrier and CarrierAddon LODs are the same, just different data.ini entries (for the carrier) and different bitmaps (for the 'weapon').

 

FC

[FastCargo 412]

I thought there would be more interest as well, the problem of course is unless you've got several aircraft models lying around from other projects, you still have to build the aircraft (which would be your main population).

 

And like you said, you have to disarm the ship...but ship combat really hasn't been a strong suite of the series, especially because the aircraft carriers are hard to kill due to the flight deck requirements.

 

FC

[+EricJ 4,245]

If I follow, you do have to create a completely new weapon (texture, lod etc) if you wanted different textures for a new squadron, right? Anyway, its good to see the other option fleshed out, The situation sucks because if you want a campaign with a cluttered deck, you must go the weapon route but if you want to keep the ability to fire back at the bad guys, you lose that ability. Two steps forward, one step back.

 

I figured more people would jump on this and create some cool mods but its just us two?

 

I think really (from my perspective) it wasn't known it was even doable. Even after years of being with this game (on and off I will admit) I still learn something every once in awhile. I figure had we known about it the community would have a plethora of mods available. Besides it depends on how much weapons it takes to fill it out for the aircraft (FC obviously knows but could be a grouping of models as opposed to one). And quite frankly the AIM-7E-2 isn't something I feel very confident in defending the ship anyways. Give it AMRAAMs and it can actually shoot down a threat for at least more modern installs.

Edited January 4, 2011 by EricJ

[+Old Diego 66]

Let me back up here a bit...I was wanting to see the pros and cons of each method because it seems that one works for single missions only and the other for both campaigns/single missions. Saying that, they both come with handicaps, they are both "involved" and they are both hacks susceptible to being "fixed by TK" at a moments notice.

 

Weapon method -

• always on and it never needs to be added to mission
• works in campaigns and single missions
• non-modder friendly
• capable of light material
• no capability for sound, decals or game lighting
• requires duplication of complete weapon for texture change
• lose all other weapons on ship
• susceptible to developer changes - hack
• must make two separate ships for launch and recovery unless generic layout is made

Plug (fake catapult) method -

• not non-modder friendly
• susceptible to developer changes - hack
• capable of game lighting, light material, sound, limited animation and decals
• requires only an ini change and new texture folder for new texture
• works only in single missions - no campaigns
• keeps ship weaponry system intact
• system allows for launch and recovery during same mission

Please add to this so that these ideas can both be fleshed out. Sure wish other modders could join in and explore and give us their findings. It helps to get other points of view when you're trying to hack outside of the box.