My Pacific Theater of Operations

[xpelekis]

Under development with nice progress... so much fsx material that may be used
and so many possibilities in mission system...
I'm quite fascinated of flying my new JF Corsair in DX10 mode over photorealistic
FSX Pacific scenery, so...
Having flown IL2-Pacific Fighters since it's release until 4 years ago that I engaged
in FSX, I'll seak how far I can stretch the limits with this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpV66O9kagc

[Flyboy208]

Outstanding !!! Mike :applause:

[xpelekis]

Thank you Mike ! Some more info about this project :

Pacific Environment : freeware Photorealistic Cook islands. Chodo island & Solomons libraries (by "Roger-Wilco") will be of need also.

User's Plane : Any F-4U or P-38

Map of this theater -> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AilBvvxA1YbfYj1QrMALNyv2XnE&usp=sharing

Scenario situation : Japs have landed at western North Cook islands while US Forces have established bases at eastern North islands. 400Km distance between the main Bases in conflict.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyzQYeQois8

Basic concept : You'll be flying as No2 in formation with No1. Leader No1 is in charge of leading you to battle and bring you back home, while at the action area you'll have to do the dirty job while No1 will be covering from above informing and instructing as needed.

Type of Missions : Attacks to IJN Battleships. Attacks to IJN resupply Ships. Interception of IJN light Bombers (flying in "AI Playback"). Attacks to IJN Bases.

IJN AI Fighting Units : IJN Battleships, Ground Flak - AAA and Rear gunner of light Bombers, are all capable of damaging and shooting user down until destroyed.

Features : Randomly chosen No1 Leader Routes, "AI Playbacks", Scenery & AI units at IJN Bases, each time you refly each mission. Voice overs from IL-2.
Choice ability of "jumping in space" (for reduced flight times) or go the full distance.

Main IJN Base at Anchorage island (targets position due to change with each visit) :

Flak at the end of runway
http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag200/xpelekis/PF4_zpsvt5ra9ll.jpg

http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag200/xpelekis/PF3_zpsocgwctbm.jpg

Targets are the Planes and Ships
http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag200/xpelekis/PF2_zpsm4aqw25n.jpg

http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag200/xpelekis/PF1_zpsterkpakq.jpg

[xpelekis]

This is an off topic reply to Bjoern.

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It looks like all that's needed is FSX Mission Editor and its SimVars client. Will the free version of FSXME do?
Your experiences sound interesting enough to play with a simple, commandable, wingman AI (with dogfighting capability). With some synthetic speech to acknowledge commands or announce kills, it could make military flying in FSX a lot more attractive to me. :)
Is it also possible to trigger an action when the AI aircraft is within a certain cone in front of your aircraft as to simulate gun kills? What about tracking events, e.g. for a tally? And more than one wingman?
Do you have a simple example mission using AI wingmen that I could analyze?

Answer to all of your questions is, Yes.

Free FSXME just have a limited number of actions and nodes that you may
use for making a mission, but enough for what you're asking.
I use "Instant Mission Maker" though, since UI is selfexplanatory while
I'm building a mission and I'm changing mission.xml by hand to add
functions that IMM doesn't support (like custom actions that use Jim's Simvar,
amongst others - Few certain actions or complex statements of the type "If A and/or B then.."
is only hand made, based in MS mission SDK, anyway... ).

Maybe try and fly the "BGV" missions to test and see this in practise.
(BGV can be flown with any plane and any AI wingman and hostile AIs
from user's inventory) :
http://simworksstudios.com/forum/index.php?topic=329.0

Just have a look at features list at that post, that answers your questions, as also in this
video, you may see most of the scripted mission features of BGV mission in action
(and with human made voice overs, not synthesized - or even used by other sims):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVhidMEgWa8

But BGV to work, needs some work - input by the user. A much simpler "theater" is
the WWI Verdun I released here in SOH, that is just install and fly it.
You'll be dogfighting against 2 AIs that can damage you and shoot you down.

Now, for a simple mission to analyze, I'll make one for you when I'll have the time,
currently engaged with too many stuff for my v-squadron and JoinFS MP.

[Bjoern]

Thanks for the extensive reply. The BGV mission includes most of what I want to do.

No pressure regarding the example mission. I'm going to try to get to grips with FSXME and wingman AI step by step anyway. Add a wingman menu, get the AI to spawn, get it to taxi, etc, etc... Your mission would just be a reference document in case I run into roadblocks.

The custom voice samples are a good point. Creating some fairly naturally sounding samples with Ivona and then adding effects with Audacity is easy enough (did it for the DC-9 first officer). Or ready-made samples sourced from other sims (for private use) like Strike Fighters or USNF (RIO samples!).

By the way: Are AI aircraft following FSX taxiways and park at parking spots on the ground or do you need to set specific waypoints for them? And I assume that control surface and flap/landing gear/speed brake movement is mirrored from your aircraft?



I wonder if I can add weapons like guns or unguided missiles and impact effects without having to resort to commercial add-ons for some range practice.
But that's just daydreaming now...

[xpelekis]

I wonder if I can add weapons like guns or unguided missiles and impact effects without having to resort to commercial add-ons for some range practice.
But that's just daydreaming now...
No, it's not. At least for bombs. Mission Logic : "Attach droppable payload" action (a bomb from weapon pack 4), prox trigger that check's if bomb
enters the targets boxed area (shift + D for release bomb/s), then explosion effects and scenery alteration (it's how I started with this...).

Alternatively in Free Flight, you edit the FLT file for droppable bomb that comes with FSX@War pack and can destroy FSX@War simobjects the exact same
way Tacpack does (FSXatWarPack1_1000lb_TestAI it's the title of the bomb).

[Bjoern]

Noted for later. I need to get the basics done first anway.

[Bjoern]

Hooo boy, this is more complicated than I thought. FSXME only supports SimVar's custom actions (including AI "follow" commands) in the full version.
I've also taken a peek at the mission file for your WW1 dogfight. Looks simple in terms of objects used, but I need to figure out the interactions between the elements before being able to do anything on my own.

[xpelekis]

Not "piece of cake" but easier than it seems when you know how...
Check your PMs.