AH-64D Apache Longbow for ArmA3 by Nodunit and Franze

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

17 hours ago, shomu1 said:

So a little usage question with 1.42.  When firing AGM-114L, which indicator do I follow?  The IHADSS cue box, or the game's native cue box?  Because I'm at like 2 for 8 with AGM-114L hits.  It's kinda sad.

 

Follow the IHADSS. There is no issue at all with the 114L on radar acquired targets. Also, take some time to deeply read the manual. There are some useful "hidden functions" as the waypoint cycle function (that we use to setup BP/IP, Contact Point and Echo Point (TA) for BOT/BOC CAS. Also, the C.Scope function is really a situational awareness enhancer. 

[franze 196]

Apologies, but I haven't kept up on a lot of my documentation, especially since it was designed for ArmA2 and we had the training missions there for it. Since we can't eliminate/turn off the base BI HUD functionality, only augment it, the IHADSS symbology is the 'king' of all functions when it comes to weapons use. The only weapons that always use the BI target are SAL missiles and Stingers, otherwise the IHADSS target is what the targeting systems are bound to. One can fire a 114L at a TADS/HMD target, so as long as the FCR is on for LOBL mode or if launching in LOAL mode.

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

I created a GitHub which should allow everyone who wants to, to join and work on the project in a single dedicated place. The "master branch" cannot be edited however the "dev branch" should be open to everyone. The files in the "master branch" already include my changes from the v1.42 (please refer to the previous changelog) as in the "dev branch".

 

AH-64D (v1.42+) GitHub

[Guest]

The Armaholic mirror has been updated:

 

AH-64D Apache Longbow v1.42

 

 

** The source files are available on our downloadpage seperatly!

[pulstar 55]

Thanks for reviving this project, eventually it will make up for the dead Combat Helo project. I have an issue with the gunner's overlay now showing when switching optics. Is this a known issue/conflict with other mods (RHS?)

[ShiftyFR 14]

Cannot load material file fza_ah64_us\tex\in\prime.rvmat.

 Have to launch the mission a second time

[ineptaphid 6413]

To anyone who has yet to try Sachs's changes to this mod- I highly recommend you do so. 

 

The few small tweaks made have really enhanced the experience in a big way. The powerful zoom on the Tad's being particularly fun :)

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

Aaaaaaaaand v1.42+ improvements still going on as I just got home...

 

Changes have been pushed from the "dev" branch to "master" on GitHub.

 

 

[yasotay 198]

That is really impressive work.

[M-Rapp 1]

Hello Gents, what a fantastic mod.  Your work is exceptional and it adds such a great element to our missions.  I wanted to ask you a few questions about issues we are having with certain aspects of the airframe.  They aren't game breaking at all, but I would like to perfect everything with the bird.  I am sorry for the many questions.

 

First off, I can't see any reason to use the L variant hellfires over the K.  They don't seem to have much of a different locking methodology than those laser guided variants.  I might be missing something here, like guidance to a moving target, but they really seem like a different version of the K.  What am I missing here?

 

I believed that if you set a K/M/N variant to LOAL, you would be able to fire and then it would seek to a coded laser that was shining AFTER it was launched.  The thought was you could launch past a hill you are masked at at the proper angle, and then it would acquire and seek a laser as it grabbed line of sight.  The problem is that we can't seem to get this to work.  It never locks on, and we can't lock the laser without LOS to begin with (and the box never shows as being a lock).  Is this possible to be done?  In fact, what is the in-game difference with an LOBL versus LOAL launch excepting the angle of attack for K variants?

 

That being said, what is the difference in using these modes other than the trajectory?  It seems like there is no real reason to do anything but LOBL for them, now.

 

When switching to HMD acquisition on anything other than guns, the view goes nuts.  You have to switch back to guns and then use the action key to switch off this.  The hotkey for this only switches between FCR-G/A and TADS.  Is there any reason to switch off TADS since it is pulling info from all the sensors?

 

Speaking of the FCR, trying to target things with it seems hit or miss. We are supposed to use the standard BI targeting keys (t for me now) to move our target (ignoring the BI ring, of course).  I guess again it just relates to what the benefit is for using the FCR - is it for acquisition of targets at distance?

 

What setting needs to be on for the pylons to track up and down with the gunner?  We managed to have that work once, but now I'm not sure what settings allow the gunner to move up and down with the targeting marker.

 

Terminology breakdown for me:  Acquisition is what puts the item in the sensor database or provides info to the weapon system, correct?  Sight is what is providing......info to the gunner view system?   

 

Thank you very much, folks!  I wish the documentation would get updated, but I understand just how much time this takes as is, which I am very appreciative of.  

[ineptaphid 6413]

Is anyone still on DEV branch? Does the crash to desktop issue persist? I am thinking of switching back to DEV as I am so sick of the 3fps bug, but i dont want to lose the apache!

 

EDIT: To answer my own question..No-the Apache is still unusable on Dev branch. It freezes your whole pc forcing a restart. 

This is going to be a major problem when the Dev branch changes come to the stable branch in the upcoming game update.

[franze 196]

10 hours ago, M-Rapp said:

Hello Gents, what a fantastic mod.  Your work is exceptional and it adds such a great element to our missions.  I wanted to ask you a few questions about issues we are having with certain aspects of the airframe.  They aren't game breaking at all, but I would like to perfect everything with the bird.  I am sorry for the many questions.

 

First off, I can't see any reason to use the L variant hellfires over the K.  They don't seem to have much of a different locking methodology than those laser guided variants.  I might be missing something here, like guidance to a moving target, but they really seem like a different version of the K.  What am I missing here?

 

I believed that if you set a K/M/N variant to LOAL, you would be able to fire and then it would seek to a coded laser that was shining AFTER it was launched.  The thought was you could launch past a hill you are masked at at the proper angle, and then it would acquire and seek a laser as it grabbed line of sight.  The problem is that we can't seem to get this to work.  It never locks on, and we can't lock the laser without LOS to begin with (and the box never shows as being a lock).  Is this possible to be done?  In fact, what is the in-game difference with an LOBL versus LOAL launch excepting the angle of attack for K variants?

 

That being said, what is the difference in using these modes other than the trajectory?  It seems like there is no real reason to do anything but LOBL for them, now.

 

When switching to HMD acquisition on anything other than guns, the view goes nuts.  You have to switch back to guns and then use the action key to switch off this.  The hotkey for this only switches between FCR-G/A and TADS.  Is there any reason to switch off TADS since it is pulling info from all the sensors?

 

Speaking of the FCR, trying to target things with it seems hit or miss. We are supposed to use the standard BI targeting keys (t for me now) to move our target (ignoring the BI ring, of course).  I guess again it just relates to what the benefit is for using the FCR - is it for acquisition of targets at distance?

 

What setting needs to be on for the pylons to track up and down with the gunner?  We managed to have that work once, but now I'm not sure what settings allow the gunner to move up and down with the targeting marker.

 

Terminology breakdown for me:  Acquisition is what puts the item in the sensor database or provides info to the weapon system, correct?  Sight is what is providing......info to the gunner view system?   

 

Thank you very much, folks!  I wish the documentation would get updated, but I understand just how much time this takes as is, which I am very appreciative of.  

 

The K is SAL while the L is ARH. Basically, the K has to have the target continuously lased while the L is fire and forget. If you switch to a different target while using Ks, then if you have multiple missiles in flight, they will all go for your current target.

Technically, all SAL modes are LOAL, but the inner workings is such that LOAL modes change the climbing altitude - except on the 114L, which always climbs to the same altitude regardless of launch mode. You can use remote designation, but it requires some scripting to employ and I'm not sure if it still works in ArmA3. I will see if the mechanics still works here in a bit. Also, you should be able to launch in an LOAL mode, then acquire a target for the missile - it should turn to engage it, if it's close enough.

 

Need more information on the HMD bug - there was a bug with HMD acquisition and the gun in heads out, but I thought I fixed that. How are you using it? Pilot/CPG? Don't really understand what's going on here.

 

The FCR can filter targets based upon whether they're AAA, tracked, wheeled, air, or in a PFZ, allowing you to more selectively engage targets when used in conjunction with the 114L missile.

 

The primary/default mode for the pylons is linked to the gunner's view, so if he aims up or down, the pylons will attempt to follow that. HMD mode will do an automatic elevation for the area on the ground that the crew is looking at, while automatic mode will plot an solution for the current target based upon the selected sensor.

 

Acquisition represents the current source for a target - e.g., a map grid, another aircraft, etc. I don't recall if we implemented this functionality or not. Sight is, of course, the currently selected sight (TADS, FCR, HMD - naturally, we've combined TADS and HMD).

 

9 hours ago, ineptaphid said:

Is anyone still on DEV branch? Does the crash to desktop issue persist? I am thinking of switching back to DEV as I am so sick of the 3fps bug, but i dont want to lose the apache!

 

EDIT: To answer my own question..No-the Apache is still unusable on Dev branch. It freezes your whole pc forcing a restart. 

This is going to be a major problem when the Dev branch changes come to the stable branch in the upcoming game update.

 

Is there a RPT file of this? I don't use dev branch so until it goes stable, I'm in the dark as to what may/may not be causing this freeze. The only way for me to get some idea would be to see a RPT file, if any. It could be anything from a model/texture issue to an outdated script command - or even a bug unrelated to the addon that dev branch hasn't fixed yet. Best way I could think of to try and track it down is start a mission, then use the switch fza_ah64_noinit = true, then spawn a AH-64 to see if turning off scripts fixes the problem.

[ineptaphid 6413]

27 minutes ago, franze said:

 

 

 

 

Is there a RPT file of this? I don't use dev branch so until it goes stable, I'm in the dark as to what may/may not be causing this freeze. The only way for me to get some idea would be to see a RPT file, if any. It could be anything from a model/texture issue to an outdated script command - or even a bug unrelated to the addon that dev branch hasn't fixed yet. Best way I could think of to try and track it down is start a mission, then use the switch fza_ah64_noinit = true, then spawn a AH-64 to see if turning off scripts fixes the problem.

I'll post a RPT file tomorrow for you. And I will try turning off scripting also. It literally freezes my whole pc-have to do a hard restart .my previous post had some of the error copied in it:

Throws up 2 errors :

 

if(-unit==player)then

{

if(I#I fza_ah64_cem)then

{

fza_ah64_pl_mpd="'

Error undefined variable in expression: fza_ah64_cem

File fza_ah64_controls\scripting\getin.sqf, line 17

 

Then a separate error box that said

 

Cannot load material file fza_ah64us\tex\in\prime.rvmat.

[nodunit 397]

It appears the prime rvmat error is due to a no longer existant file being referenced from DPLT in the proxy folder.
Also just wanted to say thank you to Jeza for the kind tribute of one of the apache's most historical moments, and to Sacha for carrying on our legacy.

[franze 196]

I had Nodunit try and look into this crash/freeze issue with the A3 dev build, tried a few simple things and still no dice. I don't know what's going on because his RPT file doesn't have anything in it, but I'm fairly certain it has to do with the config somehow.

[ShiftyFR 14]

6 hours ago, nodunit said:

It appears the prime rvmat error is due to a no longer existant file being referenced from DPLT in the proxy folder.

 

Would be great if someone fix it !

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

Good evening everyone,

 

Here are my latest changes. These changes are not yet pushed to the GitHub but those will be soon. I reworked on the AH-64D in order to integrate some JSRS 4 features. Also, I don't know if there is a way to add internal & external sounds on the weaponry. The AH-64D was coded using one sound per weapon category with no distinction between internal & external sounds for the weapons whatsoever, so I had to rework on those as my previous version was okay in the pit, but for the guys on the ground it was an immersion breaker as the sounds weren't top quality. Lord Jarheads'JSRS 4 fixed the immersion factor.

 

Here is the changelog (v1.42+) :

• Added realistic external flyby sound.
• Modified AGM-114 sound.
• Modified M230 sound.
• Modified M261 launcher sound.

Rise your volume up and enjoy !

 

 

EDIT: It appears the "B_30mm_AP" wich was officially coded in the AH-64D didn't produce any explosions and so sounds were missing aswell so I changed it for "B_30mm_MP" which are multipurpose ammunitions. This last minute changes is not shown in the video as it was already uploaded and as I do have a peasant bandwith. From now on the impact of the rounds produce some more loud sounds as the rounds hit the ground (the rendering is absolutely spot on). I think I can't improve the audio part even more than that regarding weaponry sounds so I consider this as fixed for the v1.42+.

Edited February 20, 2017 by Sacha Oropeza

[snowingjimbob 34]

Really loving those sounds Sacha. So would we have to have JSRS installed and running to get those sounds or will this be stand alone included with the Apache mod?

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

1 minute ago, snowingjimbob said:

Really loving those sounds Sacha. So would we have to have JSRS installed and running to get those sounds or will this be stand alone included with the Apache mod?

 

These sounds are now part of the AH-64D on the v1.42+. There's no need to have JSRS installed to enjoy Franze & Nodunit AH-64D, but I do advise you to have it as Lord Jarhead made a wonderful work on this latest version.

[ShiftyFR 14]

Working on this error

Not a big deal and don't affect the game, but it's just to have something clear of all errors.

 

But by looking at it, I don't see any error

 

Spoiler

if(!(isNil "fza_ah64_noturrets")) exitwith {};
_heli = _this select 0;
while {alive _heli} do
{
waituntil{local _heli && (local gunner _heli || isnull gunner _heli || !(alive gunner _heli)) && (!(player == driver _heli) || !(player == gunner _heli))};
	if(local _heli && (local gunner _heli || isnull gunner _heli || !(alive gunner _heli)) && (!(player == driver _heli) || !(player == gunner _heli))) then
	{
			_curcontrol = (_heli animationphase "tads_tur");
			_curguncontrol = (_heli animationphase "tads");
			if(_curcontrol > 1.5) then {_curcontrol = 1.5;};
			if(_curcontrol < -1.5) then {_curcontrol = -1.5;};
			if(_curguncontrol > 0.28777) then {_curguncontrol = 0.28777;};
			if(!(isengineon _heli)) then {_curcontrol = 0; _curguncontrol = 0.17;};
			if(currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps14 || currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps23 || currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps1 || currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps2 || currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps3 || currentweapon _heli in fza_ah64_rocketweps4) then
			{
				//0.28777//
				_fza_ah64_pylonelev = _curguncontrol;
				if("fza_ah64_rwp_fail" in (_heli magazinesturret [-1]) && "fza_ah64_lwp_fail" in (_heli magazinesturret [-1])) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev = 5.07;};
				if(_curguncontrol > 0) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev = _curguncontrol * 3;};
				if(_curguncontrol < 0) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev = _curguncontrol * 6;};
				if(_fza_ah64_pylonelev > 1) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev = 1;};
				if(_fza_ah64_pylonelev < -1) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev = -1;};
				_fza_ah64_pylonelev1 = _fza_ah64_pylonelev;
				_fza_ah64_pylonelev2 = _fza_ah64_pylonelev;
				_fza_ah64_pylonelev3 = _fza_ah64_pylonelev;
				_fza_ah64_pylonelev4 = _fza_ah64_pylonelev;
				if("fza_auxtank_230_1" in magazines _heli) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev1 = 0.507;};
				if("fza_auxtank_230_2" in magazines _heli) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev2 = 0.507;};
				if("fza_auxtank_230_3" in magazines _heli) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev3 = 0.507;};
				if("fza_auxtank_230_4" in magazines _heli) then {_fza_ah64_pylonelev4 = 0.507;};
				_heli animate ["pylon1",(_fza_ah64_pylonelev1)];
				_heli animate ["pylon2",(_fza_ah64_pylonelev2)];
				_heli animate ["pylon3",(_fza_ah64_pylonelev3)];
				_heli animate ["pylon4",(_fza_ah64_pylonelev4)];
			} else {
				_heli animate ["pylon1",0.507];
				_heli animate ["pylon2",0.507];
				_heli animate ["pylon3",0.507];
				_heli animate ["pylon4",0.507];
			};
			if("fza_ah64_gun_fail" in (_heli magazinesturret [-1]) || ("fza_ah64_rwp_fail" in (_heli magazinesturret [-1]) && "fza_ah64_lwp_fail" in (_heli magazinesturret [-1]))) then {_curcontrol = 0; _curguncontrol = 0.17;};
			_heli animate ["mainTurret",_curcontrol];
			_heli animate ["mainGun",_curguncontrol];
	};
sleep 0.03;
};

 

 

If someone has an idea ...

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

It appears Shifty.FR fixed the prime.rvmat error.

 

Master branch is now up-to-date with latest changes; changelog is available on the AH-64D (v1.42+) GitHub page.

[ineptaphid 6413]

1 hour ago, Sacha Oropeza said:

It appears Shifty.FR fixed the prime.rvmat error.

 

 

So will it now work on Dev? Is that what that means

[ShiftyFR 14]

It was working on stable branch before, but we had to launch the mission a second time to get it work, did you try to launch your mission just after the error apear ?

2 minutes ago, ineptaphid said:

So will it now work on Dev? Is that what that means

 

[p_siddy 58]

Am I being silly? I cant see any .pbo's in the GitHub linked and really want to have a play with this.

[Sacha 'Voodoo' Oropeza 230]

14 hours ago, p_siddy said:

Am I being silly? I cant see any .pbo's in the GitHub linked and really want to have a play with this.

 

You do have to pack the files yourself using BIS Tools as there's no .pbo on the GitHub as it is made for development.

 

Also, I talked about reworking the external lights aspect. I'd like to provide the AH-64D roughly the same external lights effects as those are bugged for now.

 

 

Finally, Nodunit, I was wondering about these... Any ETA ?...