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Thread: New Package For ETO BoB Campaign

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by 33lima View Post
    Thanks for all the info.

    I suppose I was just wondering aloud how close CFS3's particular campaign system could be adapted to meet what I (FWIW) would see as the most desirable characteristics for a BoB campaign, and at what sort of effort. Somewhat bigger formations coming in at 10-15,000 feet, often if not always with escorts or sweeps, would go an awful long way compared to what I saw before in ETO (small formations, mostly unescorted and at well under 10,000 feet). And if this mod does that, then it's a big step forward in my book. Its not a big deal to change the campaign spawn sets (intercept.spawns, sweep.spawns and cap.spawns and escort.spawns and recon.spawns) to do a lot of what you want. I just like the wider variability possible by haveing unecpaected formations appearing using the air.spawns file with extensive use of modifiers. I have only modified existing MJ BoB ETO spawn set a bit beyond what Rince33 has done so far.

    A set of scripted missions would likely be a good alternative, especially if missions can incorporate variable elements, so giving at least some re-playability. As for the dynamic campaign, it would be a shame to abandon entirely what CFS3 does offer ie the invasion/counter-invasion thing, as that's what you get instead of the 'conventional' pilot career as in WotR, where it's about surviving the history amongst your mates, not trying to influence it amidst an evolving battlefront. I love the dynamic campaign, scripted mission sets tire quickly for me, but most people haven't done what I do routinely to campaigns - increase pilot skills, increase spawning diversity, modify facilities to trigger spawns, etc etc to make every mission unique.


    I'll have another look at the Hurricane - what changes did your files make to it? And if I wanted to have clones of the current BoB campaign so that I could fly a Spit, a Defiant(!) or a Blenheim fighter (!!) from the outset, instead of a Hurricane, how is that done? I can see nothing in any campaign file which controls allocation of starting aircraft, even in those in the mossie combat add on, which does just that. I used to know stuff like this - I think! Very few changes to the hurricane xdp - merely add Recon to the MissionTypes to support the recon campaign mission that is available. Hence the effects you are observing (lack of pilot etc) lead me to suspect it is an installation thing. For different aircraft - why not fly Britain_FAA stuff for a bit - a warning the Sea Hurricane burns like a torch with very few hits. You could add a Blenheim 1F to the techtree (Brit and FAA both available). The first fighter or bomber that is available to fly is usually the one with the earliest entered service date - although if there are too many choices in the techtree you may get a more recent one assigned first up. You can always just choose the one you want to fly, providing it doesn't cost any points (older ones are free), or you have built up enough points.

    And is there an easy way to increase mission frequency, beyond the one a day I'm seeing now, which is ok for stock CFS3 but not so good for the Battle? Yes there is! One of the easiest things to do in a campaign. But you will have to watch for the adverse effects of pilot fatigue which will climb faster. Under CampaignParams in the xml, are variables RoundLength="60" RoundsPerDay="60" RoundsToJump="300". This says there are 5 days between stock campaign missions. The BoB campaign Rounds to Jump (between missions) is shorter. I would guess you need you need Rounds to jump="30" to get two missions per day, if you have roundsperday="60"

    Sorry about all the questions!!!
    See the answers in blue above

  2. #27
    Thanks again for the tips. As you reckoned, the Hurricane problem was an installation error - I omitted to include the regenerated .bdp file.

    Those parameters in the stock campaign being 60-60-300, 60-60-60 in the unmodified BoB campaign (giving me 1 mission a day) and 60-60-180 in yours, I dropped the last one to 30 and added the Spit Ia and Blenheim If to the techtree with start dates in June, ahead of the Hurricane 2a, so will see what happens!
    Last edited by 33lima; May 16th, 2020 at 06:11.

  3. #28
    Well, that worked! The Hurricane is working properly, and after starting a fresh campaign with the tweaks mentioned, I was allocated a Spitfire this time. And after an exciting and busy early morning mission, we got a second call in the afternoon, instead of skipping to the next day!

    I'll start a fresh mission report thread and post some pics of the action, shortly!


  4. #29
    Some feedback based on the latest mission...we intercepted what turned out to be two flights of maybe six Stukas each, flying roughly north near Ipswich. One group was at about 15,000, the other at about 7,000. I'm fairly sure neither group was carrying any bombs, despite flying into our territory.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by 33lima View Post
    Some feedback based on the latest mission...we intercepted what turned out to be two flights of maybe six Stukas each, flying roughly north near Ipswich. One group was at about 15,000, the other at about 7,000. I'm fairly sure neither group was carrying any bombs, despite flying into our territory.
    I'm finding it difficult to make a diagnosis, I keep wanting to "look under the hood"! I think what is going on is that in ETO the ju87 is called a "fighter_bomber". So it shows up in the wrong spawns. I went through my install of ETO many years ago, and tidied up so many anomalies that I've forgotten about them. Hence its hard to get what works for me, to work for other people.

    I recommend changing the Ju87 type to "tactical_bomber". Hope that helps!

  6. #31
    Both the ETO and BoB Alpha Luftwaffe Ju87Bs are already set as tactical bombers and the .bdps appear to be up-to-date with the xdps.

    It's vaguely possible both groups of those Stukas had bombed before I ran into them, but I think that's highly unlikely.

    I was thinking then maybe the loadout options are at fault, and anyway what's the point of a 'clean' loadout for a bomber, for anything other than an unarmed test flight. Better to zap and live without it, than to have bombless bombers of any sort stooging about on a combat mission. I guess the stock CFS3 campaign supported recce missions but even so.

    Most of the Ju87B loadouts aren't associated with any mission types (including the ahistorical 3.7cm A/T guns), so I'm thinking the mission types associated with a clean loadout are worth tweaking.


    <Loadouts>
    <Loadout Name="Clean" MissionType="Recon,Nothing"/>
    <Loadout Name="(1)500kg Bomb" MissionType="Anti_Ship">
    <Hardpoint ID="0" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sd_500_stabo" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    </Loadout>
    <Loadout Name="(1)500kg Bomb 4 50kg Bombs">
    <Hardpoint ID="0" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc_500" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="1" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_right" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="2" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_left" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="3" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_right" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="4" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_left" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    </Loadout>
    <Loadout Name="(1)500kg Bomb+(2)50KG Bombs+(2)Parachute Flares">
    <Hardpoint ID="0" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc_500" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="1" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_right" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="2" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_left" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc__50" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="3" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_right" PayloadType="paraflare" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="4" PylonType="pylon_gc_etc50_left" PayloadType="paraflare" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    </Loadout>
    <Loadout Name="(1)500kg +(2)300lt Drop tanks" MissionType="Strike,CAS">
    <Hardpoint ID="0" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_bomb_sc_500" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="3" PylonType="dr_pylon_bf109_300l_Rack" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_droptank_300L" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    <Hardpoint ID="4" PylonType="dr_pylon_bf109_300l_Rack" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_droptank_300L" Quantity="1"></Hardpoint>
    </Loadout>
    <Loadout Name="(2)BK37mm cannon anti tank" MissionType="Search_Destroy">
    <Hardpoint ID="1" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadElement="AvHistory_gr_gondola_Ju87_BK37_1" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_round_Bk3_7-flak18" Quantity="1" Fill="1.0"/>
    <Hardpoint ID="2" PylonType="pylon_null" PayloadElement="AvHistory_gr_gondola_Ju87_BK37_2" PayloadType="AvHistory_gr_round_Bk3_7-flak18" Quantity="1" Fill="1.0"/>
    </Loadout>
    </Loadouts>

    I figure that either:
    1. spawns need to be set not to give Stukas a nothing or a recce mission (maybe impossible to single out the Stuka there); or
    2. those mission types need removed from the clean loadout option; or
    3. the line with the clean loadout needs zapped from the .xdp and the .bdp then regenerated.

    I don't really want clean Stukas so I'm going to go for 3. I would also be tempted to remove all the loadouts, except for the 1xSC500 and 1xSC500+4xSC50 as the rest are ahistorical for a Bertha - it was the JU87R that was fitted for long range underwing tanks, the Ju86G for the A/T cannon, and the SD bomb with the probe designed to set it off above ground level was more of a Russian Front thing, more suitable for a Ju87D - likewise parachute flares which are more for the later night ground attack role taken on by the Dora.

  7. #32
    PS Diawilletti I think your inclination to transfer this effort to the BoB mod is spot on. And a certain amount will probably be transferable or adaptable to the ETO mod. For example, whatever's needed to stop Stukas (apparently) flying offensive missions with a clean loadout might be needed there too, since an improved campaign experience will be an important part of the package - I hope!

  8. #33
    Update on the Stuka - I left the ETO Rudel Ostfront bird alone, but removed all the loadouts from the 1940 StG 77 aircraft, except 1xSC500, 1xSC500+4xSC50, and so that it can masquerade as a Ju87R, 1xSC500+2x300l drop tanks. The latter would probably be better done as a cloned, separate A/C. Anyway no more clean loadout, no Dinort daisycutter, no para flares and no 3.7cm cannon.




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