Offline Mission Startup & Initialization

[bbosen]

When starting an offline mission, I think it would be useful if all of the naval task forces were ALWAYS reset to the beginning of their assigned routes. Since the Mission Editor is always blissfully unaware of naval task force routes, there is no way for us to write offline missions that interact with them unless we ASSUME that they always start and behave in exactly the same manner under which we wrote the mission with the Mission Editor. With this small change, it will be possible (still difficult, but possible) to bring some bombing missions versus carrier task forces forward without having to fight through as many compromises as are now required.

Further information on this subject can be found here:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,295719.msg3959058.html#msg3959058

 

[Chilli]

When this tool first came out, I was very excited and jumped right in to make my own.  The glitchy AI flight characteristics probably curved my enthusiasm some.  Then USRanger and others began to put together fun missions.  It was just recently Bosen, that I took a look at your project, and I think your use of the tool is probably the most immersive.

Like you I put together an offline mission inspired by a historical event.  In mine I wanted to offer it as a practice run for an Axis versus Allies challenge that I was promoting.  I find that your use of audio editing as well as mission editing to recreate the event from the pilot's perspective is possibly the best example of a scripted film for practical use.

I applaud HTC for releasing this tool after their investment of time and resources to Combat Tour with AI, did not fit into their immediate vision for Aces High.  I hope that along with other new ventures like the WWI arena, they will continue to devote time to upgrading these areas. 

If I understand your request properly, you want to be 1) able to control the time at which a task force "spawns" at the beginning of its course.  This timing will allow dive bombers to interact with fleets.

In the linked posts, you have more in depth explanations and films involving bombing a moving target (fleet task force).  In that AI seem to be coded to respond to proximity of other aircraft and target them with guns, I would question is it possible for 2) bombers to respond proximity of moving fleets.   Once we are able to go there, the next AI question that should arise.  Should 3) fleets be given some evasive maneuvers when under attack?  This also should be prompted by proximity, and maybe a certain small radius, for level bombers. (although you were not asking for evasive fleet movements, I added it here as a "close to reality" element).

[bbosen]

Chilli:

As you observed, naval fleets already respond to nearby aircraft: they SHOOT at them. This means that a lot of the required, underlying logic is already in place (proximity detection, directional awareness, hostility interpretation, etc.).

While it would be WONDERFUL to enhance this logic so that fleets respond with course changes or evasive maneuvers, I didn't want to urge HTC to divert their scarce resources too far off of the track that generates $$$ for them (after all, the free enterprise system and commercial expediency have brought us what we have thus far, for which I'm grateful). Furthermore, if the fleets maneuver at all in response to the approach of hostile planes, then it will be impossible to hit them with scripted "bot" planes unless the Mission Editor is significantly enhanced to target a moving target. Changes of that magnitude would be expensive in terms of HTC's resources.

My request, I believe, will be quite easy for them to put into place: Just "Reset" the naval task forces back to the beginnings of their current courses at the beginning of every offline mission. That will allow us mission designers to accurately anticipate their position thenceforth throughout the mission, with a minimum of fuss.

I DO hope for more, however. Your ideas are great, if the cost is not too high.