Custom ingame menus introduced

[ATAG_Doc]

Very interesting! +1

[Strike]

maybe this is the secret new feature?

Battlefield commanding?

Would be awesome! Have 1 comm on each side launch waves of attackers etc

[Blackdog_kt]

Absolutely fantastic. That's exactly the "under the hood" features i was referring to.

Up till now the map had to populated via the FMB and depending on MP mode (coop or DF), the missions were either completely free form ad hoc sorties to some predefined targets in DF mode or completely predetermined sorties also made in the FMB in the case of coop mode.

Currently we see that it's possible for the map to be populated by scripts that spawn AI ground units in a dynamic sandbox environment.

Within a year of this game's release (and it's not that far away, we're 6 months in already) we might very well be able to plan our own sorties from within the server lobby to fly in such an environment.

You return from a fighter sweep sortie and spot enemy movement on the ground? Mark the location on your map and upload it to your team. Another player sees that and throws down some waypoints to fly a photo reccon sortie. Assuming he returns home safely, a script with a time delay function produces a black and white screenshot that can be annotated via a custom menu. The player marks targets and compass points on the photo, attaches it as a slide to a map marked with the last known location of the enemy ground units and uploads it to his team again.

Another player decides to fly an attack on that target, he draws up his waypoints, selects a loadout and spawns an aircraft group inviting other players to fly with him, if nobody does then the AI will fly with him. Of course aircraft are not unlimited, each base has a supply of total aircraft, usable aircraft, aircraft in the maintenance hangar, as well as ammo stores and fuel supplies, all replenished via AI ground columns, trains, transport planes, etc...if the supplies get attacked and destroyed on the way to the airfield you might not be able to use everything.

But let's assume there is enough aircraft and supplies and enough players. So, they get invited to fly that raid, they spawn inside the previously AI aircraft and go fly. Then, the results of the sortie are tracked server side and this also influences supplies or frontline movement for the defending team. And so on...

Fantasy? It was and still is, but i'm not sure it will be for much longer

That's exactly the kind of stuff that can make this sim great in the long run and why it was worth it weathering through the initial storm of a rocky release and bugs.

[fearlessfrog]

Thanks Ataros, I'll have a play around.

One initial idea is that it would be great to be able to land in MP and then request a re-fuel and re-arm.

I might try something simple in a SP mission first though.

Edit: Here's one I did very quickly - all seems to work. Good job devs!

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...s/3385237.html

[Ataros]

Originally Posted by fearlessfrog

Thanks Ataros, I'll have a play around.

One initial idea is that it would be great to be able to land in MP and then request a re-fuel and re-arm.

I might try something simple in a SP mission first though.

Edit: Here's one I did very quickly - all seems to work. Good job devs!

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...s/3385237.html

Thanks! Great example!

Could you please make a menu for MP to spot targets and request help which will just print messages in chat for the player's side?

E.g.

Menu
1. Request
1.1. Fighter support
1.2. Bomber strike

2. Spot
2.1. Fighters
2.2. Bombers
2.3. Armor
2.4. Vehicles
2.5. Shipping

3. Squad/wingman
3.1. Fighters, regroup at pos.
3.2. Bombers, regroup at pos.

The script is to check in which map grid a player is located and print a message in side chat, e.g. "Enemy fighters are spotted at map grid ...", etc.

This script will be useful in any online mission.

ps. I do not know C# myself good enough to write scripts, I can only read them and understand something sometimes

[adonys]

Just have a look in here

[Ataros]

Just have seen the menus working on III./JG27 Server http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=25064
Well done!

I have an idea to motivate teamwork on an online server using these menus (similar to what PR mod makes to ArmA2):
- players are allowed to create a temporary squad via the menu
- other players can join existing squads
A squad can generate AI missions as follows:
- squad pilots spawn at an airfield
- then a squad leader selects e.g. "Spawn bombers" from menu
- number of AI bombers is spawn equal to number of squad members present at the airfield (the more players in a squad, the more AI is spawned)
- the leader selects a target for bombers from a list of available ones
- the opposing side receives intel about the incoming raid with probability of say 60% and only if they have 2+ recon missions up in the area
- other incentives can be added, e.g. 2 players can generate only a recon mission, 4 players - ground attack mission, 6+ players - strategic bombing mission, etc.

This would not replace existing squads of cause but would motivate to get on teamspeak and fly in wings and more important would motivate existing players talk their old squad members into upgrading PCs and getting into CloD to kick some arse