Any ideas on how to...

[malibu43]

There are a couple weapons out there (JP 233, CBU-14, CBU-25) for SF2 that simulate cluster bomb dispensers. They do this by defining the dispenser as a rocket pod and the sub-munition as a rocket with 0 (or nearly 0) booster. This works fine for player aircraft. However, AI aircraft get confused because the weapon is technically a rocket. When the AI goes to use these weapons, they start climbing over the target and appear to try to point the @$$ end of the plane at the target. The result is that they stall over and over again on run after run and never take a shot. I'm sure this has something to do with the AI trying to use the weapon like a normal rocket pod. Bottom line is that it doesn't work.

 

I would REALLY like to use the CBU-25 as part of the default loadout for USAF skyraiders in the SF2V AGXP. But if I do this, AI flights or AI wingmen become totally useless.

 

I'm trying to think of other work-arounds for the issue that the AI wouldn't have issues with. One scenario I'm thinking of is to define the sub-munition(s) as cluster bombs and simply load those on the aircraft. This would allow the AI to use them correctly. But, the dispenser (SUU-14, in this case) won't show up. Is it possible to:

 

1. Change the dispenser to a rack via .ini edits (probably a MER)?
2. Create new weapon stations that use "Stationspecificcode=" so that only the sub-munition (BLU-3A in this case) can be loaded there. Also add the "stationspecificcode=" to the BLU-3A so it doesn't get loaded anywhere else.
3. For the new weapon stations created in #2, specify that the new SUU14 rack is the racktype used when that station is used in the loadout? Similar to the way certain aircraft only load rails when IR missiles are loaded.

This would allow the SUU14 dispenser to only show up when the sub-munition is loaded. And it wouldn't disappear when the BLU-3A is released. #2 I think I can figure out. #1 I probably can too. #3 is what I'm really not sure about. Is that possible? Can anyone point me to any other mods that are doing something simlar?

 

Thanks!

 

PS - the strategy I laid out above is ideal, in that it allows the weapon to be loaded (or unloaded) via the loadout screen without any issues. Another option would be to create new weapon stations as I described. But define the dispenser as an ECM pod or something like that (so it cant' be dropped). The weapon station for the ECM pod/dispenser would be in the same location as the hardpoint for the submunition so it looks like the sub-munition is coming out of the dispenser. This would probably work, but it is less than ideal since it can only be made to work via _loadout.ini. Trying to loadout the aircraft like this from the loadout screen would be confusing and could result in weirdness. So again, I'd prefer to try and find a way to get the first strategy I listed to work.

 

Any thoughts? Brainstorming is welcom!

Edited November 8, 2011 by malibu43

[Wrench]

what about just moving the 'drop out' hole in the dispenser to center of the SUU's lod, and let the AI treat it as multiple bombs? (ie: trick it) might have to change the dispenser from rocketpod to MER or something

[malibu43]

what about just moving the 'drop out' hole in the dispenser to center of the SUU's lod, and let the AI treat it as multiple bombs? (ie: trick it) might have to change the dispenser from rocketpod to MER or something

 

Actually, Wrench, that's exactly what I did last night! I changed the dispenser to a MER (which is perfect since the SUU14 has 6 dispenser tubes) and changed the BLU-3 to a regular cluster bomb. I added "SpecificStationCode=CBU25" to both the rack and the bomb. I also added "SpecificStationCode=CBU25" and "RackSpecificStationCode=CBU25" to the new weapon station on the A-1. I haven't done a lot of testing so far, but it looks like it will work exactly how I want it to!

 

There was one negative (although minor) side affect of using this approach. When I go to the dropdown menu in the loadout screen for a weapon station with the SpecificStationCode added, I have the option of loading 1 BLU-3 or 6 BLU-3's with the SUU14 as a rack. If i select 1 BLU-3 and start a mission, the one submunition is just sitting there below the weapons pylon. It looks pretty silly. Like I said, this is a minor issue and will only come up if someone doesn't know what they're doing at the loadout screen. But, is there any way to prevent this? Is there any way to force a specific weapon or specific weapon station to always use a rack?

[malibu43]

Man, I thought I had it for a second. I set the SUU14 as a BFT with zero fuel and set the weapon station as jettison not allowed. The only attachment type allowed at the station was BFT.

 

I was using "rackspecificstationcode=CBU25" to only allow the SUU14 and "specificstationcode=CBU25" to only allow the SUU14. However, it looks like if you use "specificstationcode=" on a weapon station with a BFT, the BFT can't be loaded. You can limit what BFT is loaded with "rackspecifcstationcode=", but if "specificstationcode=" is present at the same weapon station, it disallows the BFT. In other words, it looks like you can't limit a single weapon station to a specific BFT and a specific bomb with the (rack)specificstationcode= entries.

 

So unless anyone has any ideas, it looks like the MER method works the best. I'll just have to deal with still having the ability to load the sub-munition without the dispenser.

Edited November 9, 2011 by malibu43

[Wrench]

clone or duplicate the station? have it just mount that specific, and edit the loadout ini for a nation specific lodout (you know all about that!)

[Serbiansaber1]

Yea, but I have a different problem in the KMGU-2 Russian bomblet dispenser. The funny thing is that aldo it is registered as a rocket pod - AI flying the Su-24 do a great bombing run with it, perfect, low level, just like they are carying a regular bomb load, but an AI flying a  Su-30 has an issue at going all above and try to dive-bomb and usualy slams into the ground with no bomblets droped at all. So now I am puzzeld as I can't just use a "MER tweak" to the KMGU-2 as it has 32 bomblets in it (in reality can have even more than that - some 90+), and am even more puzzled by the duality of the AI compared to what system if flies on. So maybe it is down to the AI tweaking after all.

[CowboyTodd41]

Check the aircraft data ini, it might be related to the [ROCKET ATTACK] entry