Autonomous CAP and GCI AI fighter script

Just wanted to ask everyone who is using the 9/8 versions - is everything working ok? Silk reported he had some issues but I haven't heard back as to whether it was at his end or something wrong with the script. I have a feeling there may be an issue with the GCI interceptors but haven't been able to confirm it so far and have been too caught up trying to get the next version working. Anyway if people are having problems that seem related to bugs I've introduced please post up what's happening or not and the errors if any you are seeing.

Thanks

I tried your script last night Stonehouse using MIST 3.5 but did not get it to work. I did not test extensively as I had to update another mission. The old CAP script and MIST 3.3 works fine but I wanted to upgrade to get your extensions. Any possibility of you adding the new version to a mission with MIST 3.5 and the updated CAP script as an example?

EDIT: I'm only interested in the MIST3_4_GCI-CAP20140809.lua

GCI-CAP mission that works with MIST 3.2 and script MIST3_2_GCI-CAP_b6.lua. Updating to MIST 3.5 and it stop working.

Demo_GCI-CAP_b6_Mist32.miz

Added version 3.4 and 3.5 to the same mission to test. Mist 3.4 seems to work OK but Mist 3.5 does not spawn red flights.

Demo_GCI-CAP_b6_Mist34.miz

Demo_GCI-CAP_b6_Mist35.miz

Yeah definitely, I'm having to rewrite a lot of the script to get it working with being able to define the CAP and interceptors outside the script so it can go back to a single version and got v3.5 a couple of days back (I see that there was a hot fix for something today so redownload) and will be working with that version of Mist now. However it's giving me a lot of headaches getting things working which is why I've gone quiet. For instance I've discovered that even with the earlier versions by SNAFU if you manually placed aircraft into the mission (even late activation ones and player planes) if has a big effect on whether an interceptor will spawn. Size of CAP zones and whether the CAP planes base is in a CAP zone too has a effect - not necessarily negative but just it works differently according to different setups of bases and zones. At some point I will have to write up some more doco to help people build missions.

Not sure when the new version will be done as it has to fit in around work and home and I do actually like to fly DCS occasionally lol rather than script things. Still haven't got the FW190 start up down pat and I noticed I'm forgetting how to use the A10s weapon systems too :(

If getting the new version ready goes on for too long I will go back to the last version and try to figure out why Mist 3.5 doesn't work.

Cheers,

Stonehouse

Added version 3.4 and 3.5 to the same mission to test. Mist 3.4 seems to work OK but Mist 3.5 does not spawn red flights.

 

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In the last update from Grimes (Mist 3.5.35) the GCI-CAP flights spawn for both sides again :)

Added demo mission:

Demo_GCI-CAP_b6_Mist35.35.miz

That's good HiJack.

I've made a lot of progress in the last 24 hours and below is the result. I have done some testing letting a mission run unattended with me as an observer without issues but obviously there still may be bugs. I have revamped the doco in the script header so hopefully it's easy to set up and will try to get an example mission uploaded in the next day or so but am pretty tired of looking at it right now so decided to post up the new version without waiting for the example mission. Note this version now covers all eras and amongst other improvements you set the aircraft types, skins and skills outside the script via the mission editor.

Here you go......

GCICAP20140907.lua

I can try to make the demo mission work with your script Stonehouse! :D

That's ok but thanks for the offer. Final burst of energy for the day, thought I was being slack leaving everyone to figure it out for themselves. Very quick example attached.

GCICAP example.miz

That's amazing Stonehouse. Will give it a go when I get some DCS time.

Thanks Rivvern. There are some ugly bits in the new code that I hope to fix up in the next few weeks but hopefully what I've published works ok for everyone. If it does work as advertised - which I believe it does lol - it's a big step forward getting back to a single version of the script. I've a couple of other ideas floating around my head like adding a simple logistic limit so eventually if all a sides planes are shot down or crash they run out as well as integrating a very simple recon script I've built so that bandits spotted by the recon flights become intercept targets as well as trying to generate CAS flights if they spot ground units but I figure that is a very long way off at present.

Great work Stonehouse. I can confirm that I have your script running on one of my larger missions and It seems to work fine with Grimes last MIST update also (mist 3.5.35). :thumbup:

Thanks HiJack that's great news to hear, much appreciated.

Hi folks,

After 123 days at sea, I am back ashore.

I am happy you picked up the mess I left, Stonehouse, and I hope I get around to some scripting again in the near future and take a look at what is happening here, trying to catch up.

Just wanted to let you know, that I really appreciate you continue and that I am back to help, if I can. After such a long break I have to start all over again, but that is how things are.

It seems the GCI-CAP script stops deploying red CAP flights after the 2 first. I will investigate further but if you know if there are some different settings for red/blue somewher? The blue CAP flights keep on spawning.

JHey HiJack, are you referring to the miz.file you posted in #181 ?

I will take a look this week, trying to find out, what I did and what Stonehouse added.

If this is the miz.file I can start from there.

Ah good to see you back Snafu! No, it's not the mission in post 181. I will do a more through test before posting a test-mission. It may be the fact that I have updated a larger mission, I may have overlooked something.

At work so can't do much until later but it may depend on how many bandits are being picked up. If you are using my example mission remember that the borders are gone and it's purely the radars that populate the table of intruders. That plus the size of the cap zones and whether the bases are in the zones too as that effects whether the cap flight is on station or enroute immediately after they get airborne. My understanding is that cap flights only get spawned if the on station cap flight needs to be replaced because it's RTB or off station on an intercept. So if you are seeing lots of red GCI launches and not many CAPs it may be that as in my example the red bases are pretty close to the zones whereas the blue guys have to fly a fair way to get on station. The logic is essentially if the available airborne forces for intercept tasking is 0 and intruders > 0 spawn a GCI interceptor.

<edit> guess what I'm trying to say is that the mission itself affects how the script responds so while it may be a bug it may be a side effect of the mission setup....which may mean a script improvement is needed too lol

Ok on my lunch break so took a quick look at the script and believe I can see a possibly related bug to your issue HiJack. It appears the changes I made might be double adding the CAP flights to the table of available airborne flights. Plus I saw a couple of other things that while not bugs would needlessly add a performance burden to the script. Things like a few calls to mist.tableShow for debugging that should have been commented out. Pretty much just things I missed because I was tired. Will endeavour to put up an updated version this evening - about 6 hrs from now if I can sneak it in before dinner.

Updated version, only done a very quick test using a similar mission layout to the example one (but not the same one). Please plug it into your missions and see how it goes.

I think it's possible that the red cap's may not be spawning in the example mission because the script uses 1.2 times the radius of a zone to decide whether the flight is on station and because the red zones are along the border and close to their airbases the red cap flights are probably on station a lot of the time and if a GCI interceptor already has been tasked against the intruder the CAP won't be ie it will remain on CAP. As long as the flight is on station a new cap flight will not spawn.

I can't be sure of whether my guess is ok so it will need some testing with different mission setups to determine if there is a problem or not.

GCICAP20140908.lua

Thanks, testing tonight :D Is it fine to adjust the spawn time down to 30 minutes in stead of 300? Have you done tests with that? Well at least thats what I will try for tonight ;)

That is actually the time between resetting the tasking if it's what I think you mean. You need to be careful to not make it too low or else your interceptors will be retasked during an intercept.

Ok thank you. I can keep it at default as my server can run this for weeks if needed :D

Yes, your demo mission works fine Stonehouse so it's something in the mission I try to update. It has run Snafu's GCI-CAP script for long but I wanted to get your updates :) I'll keep on working on it. :thumbup:

I did a testrun during the night (total of 6 hours) and it now shows that 18 RED CAP flights and 30 GCI flights have battled it out with my blue bombers and escorts so it's working great :thumbup: In the troubled mission I was missing one of the set airport zones and that makes the script stop deploying flights to that side it seems. To be clear, the airport was set in the script but the zone on the map was missing. Can't say I saw any "SCRIPT" warning in the logfile about it.