Author Topic: CM Toolbox: what do we want?  (Read 387 times)

Offline Dinger

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CM Toolbox: what do we want?
« on: February 28, 2000, 07:39:00 AM »
Ok, I know this is unsolicited, and HTC probly has their own plans in the works, especially for their "one-time charge" events.  Still, we might be able to give them an idea or two.
Some things are obvious: restricting flights/take offs after death, time control, weather (bring in some more clouds, let us set them.  and valley fog, dammit! and  and and)
Some other ideas:
Have a CM-modifiable "Briefing" page that loads on the clipboard on entry into the arena, giving the basic rules of the scenario.
If you want to get tricky, you could have a CO "Briefing" page as well, communicated at an appropriate time (like after the frame's begun), that would contain orders.
(Initial orders: Fields, AC avail, FL and radio channels.  After all have selected these details, mission orders are issued)
Commands to appoint COs and FLs; a player command to "Join" a FL, giving that person the same loadout as the leader, and making them all go otr with the leader.  CM and CO commands to clear a FL for action.

Some neato tricks for balancing sides.

Wolverine

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CM Toolbox: what do we want?
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2000, 01:24:00 PM »
Some things from Air Warrior scenarios that I've noted.

- The inability to lock all fields for no takeoff and then turn them back on, instantaniously.  Needed for keeping people from taking off way too early.  Maybe be able to turn one side on/off at seperate times.

- Accurate damage assesment at scenario close.  Never happens right.  You need to be able to calculate this REALLY well.  It also needs to be reported back to the COs FAST so they can get on the next frame's planning.

- Flight organization.  Air Warrior took a step in the right direction with it's briefing rooms.  They really could have been great if they'd fixed the bugs.  Briefing rooms allowed flight leaders to create a separate chat room for their flights where they had admin control.  They also could upload a map that had target information, flight path, alt, etc on it that THEY as flight leads could make offline and upload either before people arrived or update and reupload while they were all in the BR.

It REALLY made preflight planning easier as it answered questions that those newcomers and walkons would usually ask.  It made for a much more organized Scenario.

Some things I've always thought would be really nice to have:

The Scenario Master would have the ability to float around in this super fast "invisable ball".  He had all his commands available in it and it could hover around and stuff.  From his ball, he could view a map of the entire arena that was (or so it seemed) very high resolution.  The map showed EVERY aircraft that was in the air in realtime as dots on the map.  One side one color, the other another.

He was recording the whole event also.  What he was able to do was "playback" the map view after the event.  You'd see all the groups taking off, forming up and heading to target on the map.  On the other end, you'd see the intercepters scramble, look for targets and then attack (actually, this was done in Warbirds, i think the CM took screens of the map or something, it was really cool ... after the event, he posted the maps movie on the scenario webpage .. it was VERY useful).

He would also have the ability to click on the map or on an aircraft and instantly be there.  Click on an aircraft and you could kill it (good for those rogue idiots taking off before start time).

Click on a target building, get target info (bombs on targ, damage info, etc) for after scenario damage calculations.



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Wolverine [wlvrn]
 www.wlvrn.com

33rd Strike Group
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"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."