Caucasus Pendulum

Hi Leonardo, I'm starting to get into your missions and I liked it very much so far. Thanks a lot.

I have some questions:

1. I'm only flying SP so I would like to add an AI wingmen to my hornet flight from stennis. The Problems are only with MP - right?

Can I open your Mission with the Mission Editor and add the AI-plane?

2. Can I start hot from the catapult by editing it in the Mission Editor?

3. Could you make a Slot for CAP for F/A18 too? That would be great?

Thanks!

Hi Leonardo, I'm starting to get into your missions and I liked it very much so far. Thanks a lot.

I have some questions:

1. I'm only flying SP so I would like to add an AI wingmen to my hornet flight from stennis. The Problems are only with MP - right?

Can I open your Mission with the Mission Editor and add the AI-plane?

2. Can I start hot from the catapult by editing it in the Mission Editor?

3. Could you make a Slot for CAP for F/A18 too? That would be great?

Thanks!

Thanks for the nice feedback :)

As for your questions:

1. The problem with AI is mostly in MP yes, in SP there are no problems if you edit the mission and add a wingman, player slots/flights don't influence the mission script so feel free to play. Any flight you see with RED PLAYER or BLUE PLAYER are free to edit.

2. As above, feel free to edit.

3. Again as above :), you are free to add player slots and remove client slots as you like.

Just keep in mind that AI slots should not be touched, those are part of the mission script and any modification to AI slots will generate problems.

Hi Leonardo,

Flown v1.5 yesterday for about 1,5 hour and again, what had a blast :thumbup:

Some additional feedback as a SP user:

I especially like ground pounding with the Harrier, Hornet and Warthog, but after approximately 20-30 minutes this became next to impossible as my assisting CAP flight was winchester and RTB. Although the cooldown timer of CAP support is 30mins, I wasn't able to request new CAP, because the previous ones were still active. This kinda forced me to work on my A/A skills (doesn't hurt of course :P), while I rather focused on some more A/G.

Could we have an option to cancel current CAP assist and request for new (fresh) ones?

Also, I'm still having performance issues in VR in this mission, which I don't have in similar DCE kind of missions. Maybe it's related to all the moving ground units (which the other DCE missions lack), I don't know, but I thought I'd mention it.

Edit- By the way, have you considered creating a similar kind of mission for the PG map? Would certainly love to see that. Maybe with some more space between the target areas (the current area of operations is slightly small for faster jets like the Hornet or the Tomcat)

3. Again as above :), you are free to add player slots and remove client slots as you like.

Just keep in mind that AI slots should not be touched, those are part of the mission script and any modification to AI slots will generate problems.

Great. How do I add Player Slots with F18 Stennis CAP-mission? I see this on the starting-screen and I was thinking, it was somehow programed by you.

Great. How do I add Player Slots with F18 Stennis CAP-mission? I see this on the starting-screen and I was thinking, it was somehow programed by you.

actually it is not programmed.

you simply need to add them as you would do in any normal mission, the only difference is that instead of selecting "Player" as the unit type you need to select "Client".

Hi Leonardo,

 

Flown v1.5 yesterday for about 1,5 hour and again, what had a blast :thumbup:

glad to hear it.

I especially like ground pounding with the Harrier, Hornet and Warthog, but after approximately 20-30 minutes this became next to impossible as my assisting CAP flight was winchester and RTB. Although the cooldown timer of CAP support is 30mins, I wasn't able to request new CAP, because the previous ones were still active. This kinda forced me to work on my A/A skills (doesn't hurt of course :P), while I rather focused on some more A/G.

Could we have an option to cancel current CAP assist and request for new (fresh) ones?

It could be doable, I have to investigate a bit how to implement it but I think it can be done. In general CAP cover is a problem because there is not a "predicting engine". I mean, CAP units are not directed to threats, as they would in real world, because "we predict they want to do nasty thing", in DCS CAP reacts because one unit "is inside a zone where they shouldn't be" so the reaction time is a bit slower.

probably there could be some fine tuning to do with the CAP zones (which is the area where CAP is loitering) and the actual Engange Zone (which is the zone to which they react) but, again, we would need a bigger map.

Also, I'm still having performance issues in VR in this mission, which I don't have in similar DCE kind of missions. Maybe it's related to all the moving ground units (which the other DCE missions lack), I don't know, but I thought I'd mention it.

The moving units actually hit a bit the CPU because DCS needs to calculate the route to move them.

The mission script itself uses in average 5% of the CPU so my best guess is that the hit is due to the AI units (both air and ground ones), on top of the VR of course. It is strange though because in 1.5 there are no more AI wingmen and in general AI flights are a single unit instead of two units.

As a test, you could try with a "clean static weather", could be the clouds but I'm just guessing.

 

have you considered creating a similar kind of mission for the PG map? Would certainly love to see that. Maybe with some more space between the target areas (the current area of operations is slightly small for faster jets like the Hornet or the Tomcat)

yes, it is already in a very early development stage, but it is something I want to do ;)

In general CAP cover is a problem because there is not a "predicting engine". I mean, CAP units are not directed to threats, as they would in real world, because "we predict they want to do nasty thing", in DCS CAP reacts because one unit "is inside a zone where they shouldn't be" so the reaction time is a bit slower.

Just an idea for the AI CAP assistance. Maybe you could ask Surrexen if you can use the system/script he used for his Snowfox mission.

There you first request/activate the AI CAP flight and then have to give another F10 radio command to actually let them start their CAP route. This way you can make the AI CAP flight move further in enemy territory (to let's say Sukhumi) to provide air cover for a deep strike flight.

Lots of changes and new toys :)

This release has been a lot of work, hope you enjoy it.

** 1.6

- DONE: fix CAP request script and Bomber request scripts to work with coalitions rather than groups!

- removed CSAR due to downed pilots/infantry spawning in CZ area and messing up the capture states

- removed Gali HELO mission due to interference with CAS AI

- moved AI aircraft from Kobuleti to Kutaisi

- AI CAP/CAS aircraft are removed after landing (no taxiing anymore)

- add airboss sound files bundled in miz file (see above)

- fix bug in BLUE CAS requests

- fix bug in BLUE/RED CAP requests (follow up CAPs would never be available)

- repositioned BLUE Command Outpost to make it less difficult to attack and balance with RED Barracks

- RED AI CAS spawns only if BLUE captures Gali CZ

- BLUE AI GALI CAS spawns only if RED captures Gali CZ (has no effect on CAS on request to Sukhumi)

- moved shorter ranged RED units to Gudauta (L-39ZA, Mig-19, Mig-21, Mig-29, Su-25, Su-25T)

- added Gudauta AAA defences

- RED AI STRIKE Su-24 is now a Su-34

- RED CAP on request is now a Su-30

- BLUE CAS Sukhumi is now an A-10A

- BLUE CAS Gali is now a Su-25

- replaced BLUE CAS with a more dynamic CAS on request over Sukhumi

- replaced BLUE CAP with a more dynamic TARCAP on request over Sukhumi

Hi, great work on that mission!

Now that I can finally post on the forums (had some trouble activating the account) could I ask you for a favor?

Could you please add an array in your script with the capture zone names? That way, stuff like my map script can go through and collect the data about the capture zones without the need to hardcode them. Thanks!

Could you please add an array in your script with the capture zone names? That way, stuff like my map script can go through and collect the data about the capture zones without the need to hardcode them. Thanks!

is something like this useful?

CAPTURE_ZONE_NAMES = {"GALI_ZONE", "SUKHUMI_ZONE", "GUDAUTA_ZONE"}

Yes that would be perfect.

Yes that would be perfect.

perfect, I will add to the main mission script in 1.7 ;)

btw, had a run on the server yesterday, everything running fine.

I noticed the BLUE awacs landing at kobuleti for refueling and after that, no more BLUE awacs.

I'll be patching this in 1.7 to auto respawn after landing.

** 1.7

- added RED air cover on request over Sukhumi

- added RED CAS on request to Sukhumi

- set A-10C waypoint altitude to 0ft

- added Kutaisi SA-2 and SA-3

- fixed regression with RED air cover

- replaced RED AI CAP Mig-29A with Mig-29S

- replaced BLUE Gali CAS Su-25 with Su-25T and reduced AI CAS frequency

- moved BULLS for both coalitions to Sukhumi Airbase

- updated tail numbers, where applicable

- re-organised all client groups in flight of 2 units and related callsign

- AWACS BLUE/RED respawn after landing for fuel

- removed predefined weapon loadout from most client aircraft

Nice! Server updated.

Hmmm am I blind or are player deaths not part of the scoring yet? I'm looking to get certain events like how many planes you trash to have an influence on the player score. Or did I just miss this?

Nice! Server updated.

 

Hmmm am I blind or are player deaths not part of the scoring yet? I'm looking to get certain events like how many planes you trash to have an influence on the player score. Or did I just miss this?

I did not implement any penalty for deaths, yet.

there is an event handler in Moose though.

Oh I know, I can modify the mission to get that. But it's good to know this is on your roadmap!

Oh I know, I can modify the mission to get that. But it's good to know this is on your roadmap!

If you implement a solution let me know, I'll have less time in the coming weeks to script big changes.

ps: had a lot of fun on your server, thanks for putting it up!

Ok so some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that apparently there's a bug in DCS that causes the player destruction hook to not work properly. There's some mention of that in MOOSE and I haven't been able to get this to work.

The good news is that I added four playable F16C (f16cm) to our server. They work great except for I'm a noob with that mission editor so the radio doesn't seem to work properly. And of course I'm also a noob with the F16 as my Falcon 4 days are many years past :)

But it's a lot of fun. The F16 is a joy to fly in this campaign.

The good news is that I added four playable F16C (f16cm) to our server. They work great except for I'm a noob with that mission editor so the radio doesn't seem to work properly. And of course I'm also a noob with the F16 as my Falcon 4 days are many years past :)

 

But it's a lot of fun. The F16 is a joy to fly in this campaign.

And that's not all the good news.

I had prepared the coalitions with the F-16 in mind and it will be flyable in BLUEFOR and REDFOR ;)

Just waiting for the right liveries and countries to come be released.

Uploaded 1.8, enjoy.

** 1.8

- fixed slow CAS AI airspeeds

- respawn JTACs and AWACs after landing/crash

- removed 15/30 minute cooldown for CAP/CAS/Strike requests

- removed LHA Tarawa (DCS bug with "Flight is Delayed")

- removed BLUE Gudauta FAC (FAC SIGHT)

- removed JTAC smoke

- removed CZ smoke

- replaced OH-58 FACs with MQ-9 Reapers JTACs and made them no longer invisible/immortal

- replaced RED SUPPLY SHIPS with a static Ammunition Depot in Gudauta

- reduced CAP flights per coalition for balance

- added SAM reload trucks

- added Strike Target coordinates radio menu option to get LL and MGRS coordinates

- added RED Gali unit map mark

- added F-16C

Thank you Leonardo, I'll probably give it a try soon with my tribe. Hopefully when release and beta versions are the same, so you can join us.

By the way, how will we know where to strike the FAC assigned target without the smoke? Will the FAC send coordinates or something?

By the way, how will we know where to strike the FAC assigned target without the smoke? Will the FAC send coordinates or something?

The JTAC menu on F10 does indeed give coordinates in LL DMS and MGRS.

Roger that, thank you. :)

Great idea! This looks like a lot of fun.

Thank you for your work!