Vietnam Community Project Idea: Gulf of Tonkin Incident - Redux

[+Gepard]

To say it with the words from the movie "Good Morning Vietnam!"

Da Da Da Nang!!

[+Gepard]

Some days ago Wrench send me the files for Udorn RTAFB. I had to simplify it a little bit, because my old computer had the tendency to make a slide show, when i tried a final landing approach. But now it works as it should. And i hope the differences to the original is not to big.

It is a very big base. In the background you see the old Udorn RTAB, which was simply a stock airfield. The differences are enormous.

 

[+EricJ]

Definitely a big difference, that looks cool.

[+Wrench]

using the layout of the original, plus some old maps I found, and not a little guesswork, and Gepard's skills , I think it came out pretty damn good.

I have to send you the static EC-121 (camo) and the target ini's locations for their parking spots.

If I may make a suggestion, include an alternative _targets.ini, with the full set of items, for those with higher end machines.

[+Gepard]

7 hours ago, Wrench said:

If I may make a suggestion, include an alternative _targets.ini, with the full set of items, for those with higher end machines.

I have deleted all parked aircrafts and helicopters. Perhaps they were the reason for the slideshow experience, which i had on my old computer.

I think it would be a good idea, if you would make some addons for DRV terrain with more detailed airfields. Let me first finish the terrain and then you may start with improvements.

At the moment i rework the last target areas and check for mistakes, like Flak hidden in houses. And i'm still looking for the "potholes" in the heightfield and fill them up to terrain level. (Needs more time as expected.)

Finally i will rework the DRV-movements.ini. And perhaps i get it working that the stock Sampans will act as moving ships on shipping routes. Maybe.

I hope that i can finish my work on DRV 2.0 terrain in the third week of August.

[+Wrench]

I remember filling LOTS of holes on the WW2 New Guinea terrain. I just called them "impact features" from asteroid strikes. But, yeah, it's time consuming and nerve racking!!!

[+Gepard]

I sunk a Sampan!

I made the stock vSampan2 to an groundobject. Gave it NVietnam as nation and it worked properly. More or less.

The only small problem is, that the Sampan is moving sidewards on the sea.

 

[+Gepard]

Here an other airbase made by Wrench: Nakhon Phanom RTAFB

I have simplyfied it a little bit because of my old computers performance. If Wrench makes an add on to DRV 2.1 he will surely include the original base.

In the last days i was working on truck routes. I have located all of them in the Vinh area and placed some Flak in that area. So Armoured Recon missions are not as boring as usual anymore.

[+Wrench]

Actually, I just adapted them from a SF1 mod by Tannenthal. He gets all the original credit. 

Looking good on DRV!!!

========

re: sideways sampan. Pretty sure the 'world center' is probably off. I have a cargo ship that does the same thing. Maybe try moving the 'thrust angle' 90 degrees to the direction of motion? Or remove the ship wake effect? (tell folks as it's under sail, it tacking with the winds?)

[+Gepard]

I'm working now on the traffic lines for Armed Recon missions.

Armed Recon is, in my eyes, one of the most boring missions. You have to find a line of 16 trucks which are driving slowly in a straight way. The only challenge is to adjust the course of your plane with the course of the trucks and then dive down and strafe them with guns, unguided rockets or drop some clusters about them. Thats all.

Maybe, that it becomes a little bit more challenging, when MiG's appear. But mostly it is a boring job.

I thought i should make it a little bit more challenging.

So i have concentrated all truck traffic in the Vinh area of DRV terrain. And then i added SAM and Flak cover to this area. This is more or less realistic, since each village in North Vietnam had a militia, which was armed with guns, machine guns, sometimes assault rifles or 20 mm Flak. They shot on all, what was flying and had had some success. the biggest prey was a F-111, which was downed by concentrated fire from old german 98k carabines.

So if you fly a Armed Recon mission in the next update, then you can enjoy a certain amount of ground fire. And by the way, while test flying the Flak downed me a couple of times, something, that never had happen before in Armed Recon.

 

[+Gepard]

As in real life during Vietnam War the USAF has in DRV 2.1 to attack very high value targets, like some oil barrels, which are hidden in towns or woodland.

And sometimes you get the task to attack the command post of Hilton Hanoi POW Camp. If you are not carefull you will not only bomb the Vietnamese, but also kill american colleges, which are POW in Hilton Hanoi. That's not so good for the missions score!

[+Stratos]

Then is when the Pave Spike equipped birds enter the fray.

[+Gepard]

Da Nang East Airfield alias Marble Mountain Airfield. A bigger USMC base east of Da Nang Airbase.

It is a beginning. There are still a lot of barracks to be placed on this target area.

Da Nang AB in the foreground, in the background you see the USMC base.

[Wilches]

If my memory serves me, Da Nang had arresting cables just like aircraft carriers and the Phantoms used it quite often.

[+Gepard]

1 hour ago, Wilches said:

If my memory serves me, Da Nang had arresting cables just like aircraft carriers and the Phantoms used it quite often.

Do you mean the NATO style emergency arresting cables at the end of the runway to prevent planes to overrun the runway?

[+Gepard]

A small attempt to make stock airfield2 to look more like the real Gia Lam Airfield.

As a next step i wanted to use for the stock taxiways the same texture which i use for the new taxiways. But unfortunately with the new texture the stock taxiways started to flickering in game. Weird!

 

[+Wrench]

I've noticed that flickering a few times, too. What about retexturing that Runway 2 to match the "new" concrete sections? I have both R2 and R3s redone in concrete, if you want them.

[+Gepard]

The taxiways are not stock. They already have a dark "concrete" texture. The texture file has a size of 64x64 pixels. I replaced them with a 256x256 pixel texture and i got the strange flickering.

So it looks in game:

The texture of the taxiways and the additional parts are basically the same. The only difference is that the first are tga, the later jpg. Could it be, that the tga cause the flickering?

 

Edited August 22 by Gepard

[+Wrench]

Like this. Fully repaved in concrete, and I've never noticed any flickering. I know that may not be fully correct for SEA, but it works much better. I'd be happy to send all the bits and pieces, if you want

Also, all the textures are still in their 'stock' style (bmp, tga)

[+Gepard]

Update 2.1 hasn't been forgotten. I currently have tendonitis in my elbow, which makes working with the mouse less than enjoyable.

[+Gepard]

No matter that the elbow hurts. I started to rework Gia Lam Airfield.

So it looks at the moment:

The main runway for fighters is the dark grey one. The bigger one was used for transport aviation.

[+Gepard]

Scenery shot of Gia Lam Airfield

I dont know, why the Fueltruck has desert camo. In the DRV.ini i set: GroundObjectTexture=TAN, so it should be green.  Who knows?!

[+yakarov79]

20 minutes ago, Gepard said:

GroundObjectTexture=TAN, so it should be green

Oi, Oi.

Quite on the contrary. GroundObjectTexture=TAN and you have tan/desert/yellow however you call it...

GroundObjectTexture=Green will make it green?

[+Wrench]

Yes. In the terrain's main ini, you can set this:

[Terrain]
TerrainFullName=Iberian Peninsula
DataFile=Espana_data.INI
TargetFile=Espana_targets.INI
TargetTypeFile=Espana_types.INI
MovementFile=Espana_movement.ini
NationsFile=Espana_nations.INI
BriefingText=Espana_briefing.INI
DogfightFile=Espana_dogfight.INI
DogfightOnly=FALSE
//CatFile=..\Desert\Desert.cat
CatFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE.cat
//CatFile=..\VietnamSEA\VietnamSEA.cat
LimitedNations=TRUE
GroundObjectTexture=green             <----------------
Longitude=3.75
Latitude=40.0
 

[+Gepard]

I will test: GroundObjectTexture=green