airplane on the Aircraft Carrier Deck

**John Pirnie** · March 11th, 2015, 18:03

Can someone explain to me how to put an airplane on the deck of the carrier in the right position for takeoff?

John

**Blood_Hawk23** · March 11th, 2015, 19:13

Originally Posted by John Pirnie

Can someone explain to me how to put an airplane on the deck of the carrier in the right position for takeoff?

John

its easy enough...

this is for the stock Essex so adjust your Numbers for which ever one you want to change.

In the SHIPS folder , find the SHA_ESSEX_CV9. Then Look in the ship.cfg for this...

[flight_deck_section]
; this section defines the control points the
; AI (and LSO) use to steer toward the flight deck
width=32
length=241
takeoff_start=0,21,-50
takeoff_stop=0,21,120
landing_start=0,500,-5000
landing_touch_down=1.279999,19.456001,-95.135239
landing_stop=1.279999,19.456001,0

***Please note that all measurements are METRIC and are in METERS. Not in feet.***

Here are what the numbers mean...

takeoff_start=0,21,-50

Blue- Left and right, Zero is center, - is left.
Green- High and Low or up and down. 0 is ground/sea level.
Red- Front and back, Zero is center, - is back.

So this put you in the center of the ship, at 21m and 50m back from center.

Now depending how far back you want to start from, you will change this number

takeoff_start=0,21,-50

So if you want it farther back change it to -100.

takeoff_start=0,21,-100

If its for a catapult launch on a ship like the Bunker Hill then use this setup...

[flight_deck_section]
; this section defines the control points the
; AI (and LSO) use to steer toward the flight deck
width=32
length=241
takeoff_start=-16.0,21,56.00
takeoff_stop=0,21,120
landing_start=0,500,-5000
landing_touch_down=1.279999,19.456001,-95.135239
landing_stop=1.279999,19.456001,0

This will put you on the nose, ready for catapult launch.

I hope this helps.

**Blood_Hawk23** · March 11th, 2015, 19:20

If anyone is interested, I have a whole new setup for the FoxFour Bunker Hill missions. It will give you the Catapult Launch setup for all the Missions that had you take off from the ship. I also have one for the Ocean Fury.

I can not upload it but if anyone would like it just PM me.

**John Pirnie** · March 12th, 2015, 03:21

Originally Posted by Blood_Hawk23

its easy enough...

this is for the stock Essex so adjust your Numbers for which ever one you want to change.

In the SHIPS folder , find the SHA_ESSEX_CV9. Then Look in the ship.cfg for this...

[flight_deck_section]
; this section defines the control points the
; AI (and LSO) use to steer toward the flight deck
width=32
length=241
takeoff_start=0,21,-50
takeoff_stop=0,21,120
landing_start=0,500,-5000
landing_touch_down=1.279999,19.456001,-95.135239
landing_stop=1.279999,19.456001,0

***Please note that all measurements are METRIC and are in METERS. Not in feet.***

Here are what the numbers mean...

takeoff_start=0,21,-50

Blue- Left and right, Zero is center, - is left.
Green- High and Low or up and down. 0 is ground/sea level.
Red- Front and back, Zero is center, - is back.

So this put you in the center of the ship, at 21m and 50m back from center.

Now depending how far back you want to start from, you will change this number

takeoff_start=0,21,-50

So if you want it farther back change it to -100.

takeoff_start=0,21,-100

If its for a catapult launch on a ship like the Bunker Hill then use this setup...

[flight_deck_section]
; this section defines the control points the
; AI (and LSO) use to steer toward the flight deck
width=32
length=241
takeoff_start=-16.0,21,56.00
takeoff_stop=0,21,120
landing_start=0,500,-5000
landing_touch_down=1.279999,19.456001,-95.135239
landing_stop=1.279999,19.456001,0

This will put you on the nose, ready for catapult launch.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, John

**Shadow Wolf 07** · March 12th, 2015, 05:18

Keep this attachment FYI. I usually use Blood Hawk 23's figure of 100 or sometimes a little more for big ships and heavily loaded aircraft. Notice the position at 100 on one of Collin's "jeep" carriers in the video. (I added extra pitch and roll by adjusting the [Dynamics] at the bottom of the ships' .cfg file.) http://s81.photobucket.com/user/Pech...l?sort=2&o=437

**codeseven** · March 22nd, 2015, 10:52

Hi Blood Hawk.

Will those settings allow the AI to return, land and stop back onto the carrier?

**Shadow Wolf 07** · March 22nd, 2015, 12:39

codeseven: The AI in cfs2 will return but not land on the carrier. The game will tell you to hit X to end the game after you have landed. The AI will just continue to fly around...

**Ian Astill** · March 22nd, 2015, 14:13

There was one mission I created where I've actually seen AI approach the carrier as if going to land but then land on the water through the carrier, or around it as if it were an airfield. Very weird, and unfortunately I've lost the mission. I'll try and replicate it. If I remember the AI aircraft were Fairey Barracudas.....

**codeseven** · March 22nd, 2015, 21:57

Originally Posted by Shadow Wolf 07

codeseven: The AI in cfs2 will return but not land on the carrier. The game will tell you to hit X to end the game after you have landed. The AI will just continue to fly around...

Thanks Shadow.

Years ago, I spent countless hours, month after month, just figuring out Ai behavior and carrier ops. They will indeed land on a carrier, even moving carriers! I managed to get them to consistently take off and land back on deck, even take off from a land base and land on a deck (I could kick myself for not recording any of it!) but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get them to stop before rolling off the deck. I put so much time into trying and came so close to figuring out that last piece of the puzzle but gave up in absolute frustration.

Here's a previous (now old) post I had made about it.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...nd-Carrier-Ops

I still check back into this forum every so often to see if someone had 'cracked the code' yet.

Anyhow, nice to see this place is still here. Lotta nice folks in this forum and a lot of good memories playing CFS2 when it first came out (has it really been almost 15yrs?!)

**Blood_Hawk23** · March 23rd, 2015, 04:23

your not the first one to try to get the AI to land. The AIs use of brakes and such seems to be hard coded. I don't think they use the tailhooks at all. the distance they travel off the deck seems to be fixed. the get to the same point and drop off. too bad realy.

***Rami*** · March 23rd, 2015, 05:34

Good morning,

Several of the Tirpitz missions I uploaded utilize this technique I learned from Talon and Shadow Wolf 07 about moving the takeoff point back on the deck. I also had to utilize building in wind over the deck to get some of the aircraft airborne without splashing.

**codeseven** · March 23rd, 2015, 07:47

Hi Rami.

Getting the AI to successfully take off from the carrier deck never seemed to be a problem, or even the landing for that matter. It was after landing, during that very last 50ft. or so when the AI would slow down, appear to want to stop but continue on, usually to the right (starboard), and roll off the deck.

I think this last bit of behavior, which they also do on land, is hard coded into the game and can't be changed. At one point I even tried speeding up and turning the carrier using way points to try to keep the AI on deck

. but it didn't work. I always hoped someone could develop a gauge that would allow for an AI tail hook to actually work. It wouldn't have to be visible, just functional. The AI can be 'aimed' at landing anywhere on deck, including the arresting wires.

That stock Wildcat in AI mode that I referred to in the link looked like it came to almost an abrupt stop right at the end of the deck had to be just by chance. I had a static carrier set up to test out different settings while having AI land on deck one after the other. The Wildcat was the only one who's cfg./air. values I had not messed around with. But, when run again it would not repeat the same behavior.