1st Multisquad Campaign Battle of Britain

[5./JG27.Farber]

Originally Posted by klem

Is last night's mission to be run again?

Nope were going to stick to the script and run the last mission for next week. These are all lesson for next time.
I think we will have to wait for the next campaign until this CTD to be fixed or at least if someone can find a solution...

Hopefully next time, we will have an online section where people can log into to get briefings, a seperate TS3 for RED/BLUE and stats. We also aim to run double the number of missions. Also have some red attacks!



About the one spawn thing, we are considering different options but really I think there is only 3:

1.Use the same system (No respawns after X amount of time)
2.Use SNAFU's server script 1 life/multiple aircraft - but does this account for being captured?
3.Dont use any restrictions but shorten down the mission so a respawn is a waste of time...

Now I can hear some of you thinking, why have one at all why not fly as much as we want?! The answer is simple, with no consequnce people fly wrecklessly and unrealistically. So if you only get one life or one chance to fight you will bring your best flying skills! It also seperates it from being like a public server and makes it allot more exciting (or frustrating).

[klem]

Originally Posted by 5./JG27.Farber

Nope were going to stick to the script and run the last mission for next week. These are all lesson for next time.
I think we will have to wait for the next campaign until this CTD to be fixed or at least if someone can find a solution...

Hopefully next time, we will have an online section where people can log into to get briefings, a seperate TS3 for RED/BLUE and stats. We also aim to run double the number of missions. Also have some red attacks!



About the one spawn thing, we are considering different options but really I think there is only 3:

1.Use the same system (No respawns after X amount of time)
2.Use SNAFU's server script 1 life/multiple aircraft - but does this account for being captured?
3.Dont use any restructions but shotern down the mission so a respawn is a waste of time...

Now I can hear some of you thinking, why have one at all why not fly as much as we want?! The answer is simple, with no consequnce people fly wrecklessly and unrealistically. So if you only get one life or one chance to fight you will bring your best flying skills! It also seperates it from being like a public server and makes it allot more exciting (or frustrating).

Sounds great Farber.

I'd go for options 1 and 2. Allow a window for spawn problems, even takeoff-crashes and collisions among guys just not used to doing this. Then if you can script in 1 life and respawns that would be great.

You could also perhaps script in a takeoff delay for bailed pilots. If it were possible to identify which side of the channel they were on you could delay their takeoff for say 15 minutes if over friendly territory or 30 mins if over the channel or enemy territory. Or just a global delay. Just a thought

Here's a couple more ideas from what we've done before, probably for way in the future.

Have everyone pre-register for this and assign them to their (preferred?) unit in advance. Also allow this to be done by CoD Squadron with expected numbers (well, we do this now).
Walk-ons would be reduced and easily handled on the night.

Have a Command structure (by direct request or volunteered during registration?). Axis/Allied Commanders could even discuss the campaign, settings (not specific targets of course) but most important be made aware of their order of battle and the amount of 'intelligence' available to them. The main advantage would be a focal point for each side.

Commanders decide tactics and issue briefings to their unit leaders in advance. Spreads the load and gives some structure instead of trying to work it out on the night and perhaps not knowing who is doing what. We haven't really cracked that yet.

Only issue the server password to unit commanders via the appointed Teamspeak server on the night so that everyone is encouraged to actively co-operate and prevents gate crashing (we're partly there with passwording). Also allows a clear and definitive 'GO' to be issued to the Commanders when the server is started.

Just a nicety really, everyone could turn up 'in uniform', i.e. if they are assigned to 74 Sqdn they turn up re-badged as say 74RAF_klem or JG52/3_Farber.

Looking forward to Sunday.... and the next one

[bw_wolverine]

Originally Posted by 5./JG27.Farber

Nope were going to stick to the script and run the last mission for next week. These are all lesson for next time.
I think we will have to wait for the next campaign until this CTD to be fixed or at least if someone can find a solution...

Well, regardless of the frustrations and the problems I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in this and I think that would be the same to say for the majority of us.

It's been great talking to folks on the teamspeak servers and getting to know the other squads. Just speaking for myself as a 'lone wolf' pilot this has been a great opportunity to get acquainted with some squadrons that I might want to join up with.

I'm confident that the crashing issues will be resolved at some point in the future and at that time there's a lot of things that will open up to us in terms of running events like this.

That said, I don't think we should stop putting events of a similar nature on, but maybe scale them back a bit to find the sweet spot where crashes aren't so much an issue. Maybe running with a player limit will help, or altering the structure so that respawning/restarting is figured into the mission. Perhaps limiting the participating numbers to 24 pilots will allow the mission to run with fewer people suffering crashes.

I would love to run events like this, but I lack the dedicated server to do it. I have plenty of ideas of how to create a campaign structure though. I won't post them here, but if anyone is interested, I'll create a thread for those kinds of thoughts.

Anyway, thanks again for all the hard work and planning required to put this thing on guys!

Salute!

[56RAF_Witch]

Gent's,

Last night several of us flew around without meeting the enemy, this didn't happen the week before, mainly, I imagine, because the previous week we were given the flight path of the Buff's.

Can we do this again for the repeat of mission 3 next Sunday? It certainly makes for a good simulation of the information provided by the RAF Radar controllers, much better than the in-game radar reports, which are a bit pointless. But, most importantly, the previous method ensured we all got together for a big fight

Along with this, coud we have less German Bomber formations BUT Bigger German Bomber formations? so instead of three groups of 9 or 12 planes, could we have 1 formation of 40 planes? it would certainly make it easier to find, for both sides, and be more Battle of Britain'ish. It would be interesting to see how far the server can stretch with AI bomber formations... will we ever get to formations in the hundreds?

Just a suggestion.

56RAF_Witch
CO No. 56 Squadron RAF

[SEE]

Very large Bomber formations with players around caused me severe lag and severe fps performance issues on the ATAG server when it was tried.

I couldn't make last night but will be good for all the next ones.

[phoenix1963]

Cheesehawk - there were also some ghosts around on the server last night.
I hope it was because all your scripts didn't run.
56RAF_phoenix

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by cheesehawk

Blues complained about Reds getting info, so others decided not to give them briefings. Remember, there were days that there were holes in the radar coverage, so we can write it up as the Home Chain was under repair!

TBH this I find rather annoying. Given that the facts of history are that the RAF did have location info in the form of radar and that the only losses to radar were only ever minor and immediately post an attack on a radar station so it was never down EVER prior to a German raid. Only Ventnor was put out of action for any significant period and that was after about 30 Ju88's attacked it on 12th August. You have a stark choice really, it's historical within gaming possibilities or it's not. Personally I am not interested in the latter at all. You had may as well have us all line up on the runway for those ultra talented 109 pilots who like things to be all their way and cannot understand how Germany lost given the obvious superiority of the 109, we know it was better because Goering said so. Sorry it's a rant, I get fed up with those wanting it all their way.

As for mission 3: I would like a re-run, seems a waste of mapping not to, but it's up to the organisers. And as for those options you mention, I would go for option 2 but modify the code so that it includes damaged aeroplanes too? ie, land with damage and you're done because the aircraft needs to be taken away to be repaired. The ban on spawn is a nightmare because it's not takeoff that has taken out most of my team but CTD, then you have to refly, but that is often too late.

I'd like to see the code for the deathkick so will have a look around here.

~S~

[Sven]

It was a countermeasure to balance out another missing historical accuracy, the 'few' in this campaign are not the British, it turned out to be the Luftwaffe. Given the large formations of bombers heading to England this last mission it would have been almost impossible to miss them, unfortunately 75% didn't spawn due to an error. We also got the recon flights working who reported enemy formations for you.

We will give you your 'radars' back next mission, seeing as it had such an impact on Red's capabilities. This campaign is also a trial and error for future campaigns for us, keep that in mind.

[JG52Uther]

For all the problems, I have enjoyed this campaign, and would quite happily fly it again if the next patch fixes these crashes.
I have been lucky and only had a crash in mission 2, but some people have not managed to complete one mission yet, and that does not do the campaign justice, with the amount of work you guys have put into it.
As an online war flyer, it will be hard to go back to dogfight servers again after this.

[bw_wolverine]

Originally Posted by JG52Uther

As an online war flyer, it will be hard to go back to dogfight servers again after this.

We could always repurpose the dog fight servers to our wants as long as everyone kept to a few rules enforced by the honour system.

For example: The ATAG server has constant bomber flights taking off and attacking targets on both sides of the channel. The radar works well there too (at least it seems to).

A mission run time is given of 3:00EST to 5:00EST or whenever and we organize squadrons of 6 planes each like so:

RAF Squadron 1....RAF Squadron 2
1._____________ 1._____________
2._____________ 2._____________
3._____________ 3._____________
4._____________ 4._____________
5._____________ 5._____________
6._____________ 6._____________

LW Squadron 1.....LW Squadron 2
1._____________ 1._____________
2._____________ 2._____________
3._____________ 3._____________
4._____________ 4._____________
5._____________ 5._____________
6._____________ 6._____________


People sign up for a slot and each Squadron is assigned a tag that they attach to their steam name for the duration of the mission. Then, everyone joins the server at the 3:00 time or thereabouts. Mission goals are determined by the squadron leaders. IE: If a flight of bombers takes off from France heading to attack Lympne, one of the LW squadrons might be assigned to escort it. The other squadron might fly a fighter sweep or recon or whatever. RAF squadrons might wait on the ground until an enemy bomber group has been identified and then scramble. Whatever the squadron leaders want to do. This might not mean you always see the enemy but then that's sometimes what happens.

Rules for rearm/refuel:
If you bring your plane back to base, you can respawn when/if the rest of your squadron has returned to base.

Rules for death/crashes/etc.:

Launcher Crash = You can respawn and regroup with your flight.
Safe bail out over friendly territory = You can respawn when/if your entire flight has RTB'd or safely bailed out over friendly territory
Pilot death/bail out over water/enemy territory = your day is done

So, for example, a 6 plane squadron goes out. One pilot is shot down over home territory and bails out safely. In combat, two more pilots are shot down. One is killed in the cockpit and the other bails out safely over water. Three remaining planes return to base and all three land safely. At this point, the first pilot and the three who returned home may spawn new aircraft.

Obviously this wouldn't exactly be historic in nature, but it might be at least a half way point between the launcher crash friendly environment of the dog fight server and the restrictions of the historic campaign server.

The biggest flaw in this idea is flying on a public server and all the hazards that entails with people who aren't actually participating. The ATAG missions being run would be great for this (with their constant bomber streams), but perhaps it could be run on a private passworded server for this semi-campaign style game?