Fa18 horealistic aircraft carrier lauching mission

[havocsquad 0]

I have recently created VERY realistic Aircraft launch script used in the mission I made that will realistically launch up to 3 human AND AI aircraft on the carrier.

You can pick it up at http://nebula.spaceports.com/~falcon3/OFP/HFC/hfcmissions/

I am posting it here instead of the scripting area because this is a full working mission with all the work added to make it a tutorial type process.

Make sure to read the readme.txt file first, its not vital that you read it but it does help understand how the mission works somewhat.

Instead of multiplying the speed of the aircraft like the script included with the Hermes Carrier.  Mine will actually hold a CPU AND a human aircraft still and facing the correct position with FULL thrust being applied for a few seconds, then shove them off the deck at a realistic speed and the aircraft perform rather well with it.  The AI also can't crash themselves by falling off the deck during launch, the scripts used insures that doesn't happen.

I use the F/A-18 1.0 addon or higher version by FA18 Hornet 1.0 by Hudson and Pennywise, it works very well with the script.

The CarrierOps mission folder with all the scripts and stuff is ready for anyone to make a real combat mission with it.  All you have to do is add enemy units, some objectives, some triggers, and a way to end the mission.

Addons required:

FA18 Hornet 1.0 by Hudson and Pennywise at http://www.aggression.org/karr.html

Falklands War Mod Hermes CV

www.ironfoot.net/~cbfasi/downloads/FLK-Hermes.zip

That's all for addons.

I prefer this topic not be moved to the scripts section if you can moderators of the missions section, but if it is necessary then I will welcome you moving it.

Later all and enjoy.

Havoc.

[havocsquad 0]

Oh yes, I forgot to ask that people please include your opinion about the mission and the way the CAT launch scripts worked.

That would help me greatly in making it more improved and kick butt in proving that Carrier operations belong in a game like Operation Flashpoint.  It would also promote some Carrier Based missions for OFP that are long overdue.

Later.

Havoc.

[havocsquad 0]

.......

[SGTKOPP 0]

holy shit this great i made my landing at 700kph it justed stop nice work

[havocsquad 0]

What about the CAT Launch script in the Carrier Ops mission?  I want to hear your opinion about its effectiveness.  I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just antzy and eager to hear some feedback about it.

Get back to me on that SGTKOPP for me plz.

Later.

Havoc.

[SGTKOPP 0]

i might of done something wrong but the plane is flying at the start of the mission not on a carrier

[havocsquad 0]

You used the wrong mission in the zip file, you need to use the CarrierOps mission, not the CarrierTrap mission. CarrierOps.Intro or CarrierOps.Intro.pbo is the one you want to run, not CarrierTrap.Intro or CarrierTrap.Intro.pbo

That's what is the problem bro, you played the wrong mission for starting on the carrier.

Later.

Havoc.

[miles teg 1]

Great script Havoc. Although one problem is that it only works with the RAD-F-18's. I tried it with the F14 tomcat and A6 intruder addons and both of those fold up their landing gear and blow up when launched. I found a solution however using a empty aircraft and then with a delayed trigger using the "getindriver" command to put a pilot in it. However after I got the first Ai launched aircraft to work, when it came to the second it froze up and crashed to desktop (CTD). I'm not sure if it was just a rare bug, the scripts, or something in my system that caused it to crash but I'll see if I can get it to work again. You might try messing with this also to see if you can make a mission just using empty A10s in the manner I described above and see if you run into this problem. If it works it would allow a mission maker to just use it as a template and put in what ever aircraft they want to replace the empty A10's with without having to download the F18 addon.

Edit- Ok... I just got back from messing around with the mission and I got the F14's to work. But the A6'skeep raising their gear as soon as the pilot gets into the plane either perhaps because their initial "setpos" script isn't at the right height or the position in the catapault script doesn't set it at the right height. With the A-10 it doesn't raise its gear when the pilot gets in, but it gets destroyed when it is launched. I'm going to keep messing around with it to see if I can find out what the problem is. I just tested the E2 hawkeye addon also... same deal as the A10... it blows up when launched although the land gear stays down which is good.

Edit again (sigh)... I tired different heights for the empty aircraft the E2, A6, and A10 all blow up when launched even if when their gear stays down... hmm.. maybe I'll change the angle that they launch at in the script?

Hmm.... I got another crash...

It says:

Out of reserved memory [98304kb]

Code change required [Current limit 524288kb]

Total Free 195377kb

Free Blocks 527, Max free size 69195kb

Hmm... wierd. I'm using a mod folder with only Navy planes and the aircraft carrier so I shouldn't be running out of memory. Although I guess with each "preview" of the mission crap keeps accumulating or something which then causes the crash perhaps. So I'm not sure if it's the scripts, the mission, the game, or my computer causing that CTD.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[havocsquad 0]

I wanted to post my reply at another topic relating to my launching script, just in any monitoring this topic didn't see it.

I have played and played with the addons but to no avail to get it to launch them without the gear going up.  I believe for Carrier aircraft, there must be a SYNICATED effort to standardize ALL carrier launched aircraft addons.  That includes, and A-6's, F/A-18's , F-14's, and the E-2.

That will mean that the addons will have to be REDESIGNED or modified to work like the F/A-18C by Hudson and Pennywise Landing Gear on the aircraft.

There might be a way to impliment an addon designed landing system if all carrier aircraft use the same arrestor hook name and system.

Anyways, I am asking all Carrier based aircraft addon makers that intend to launch AI aircraft off their decks that they conform to the F/A-18C Gear design by Hudson and Pennywise.

Anyways, try to see if any of you can come up with some answers for this.

I'd appreciate it.

Later.

Havoc.

[havocsquad 0]

Oh, and when the stupid gear would stay down on the F-14 and the E-2, I was able to launch both very succesfully off the carrier.  I had to change the velocity launch of the E-2, but it takes off rather well.  The F-14 does OKAY with the regular script but it needs a little more power behind the cat, so that means cranking up the launch speed up a couple of km/h.

The key to understanding my script is understanding the relationship between speed per second, not speed per minute or per hour.

When you can gauge the amount of speed needed per second at the right time period between cat launch and going airborne, it is almost a no brainer to launch even the most sensitive OFP aircraft off a carrier.

Anyways, I SHOULD have the improved version of the CAT launch script available next week.  The improved version requires the user only to have to put variables in the brackets for running the script instead of having to change the name and such all the time.  

While I'm away, I'm gonna need about 2 Cases of soda this week, I'm gonna be coding and tinkering along with making my Fighter Campaign.

Anyways, later all.

Havoc.

[havocsquad 0]

Hey all, the Realistic Carrier Launch script has been updated to allow the user of the script to launch the aircraft by using the brackets to put the name assigned to the aircraft, then putting in the bearing of the carrier.  The carrier can only be placed at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degress.

If you put the carrier in any other direction, you risk voiding your Life Insurance policy.  

Anyways, the link to the carrier launch mission has been changed in the topic, so you can use that or just use this link here:  http://nebula.spaceports.com/~falcon3/OFP/HFC/hfcmissions/

I have a small version for those with 56k, however I also have a larger version of the mission with the "Alive" track by Godsmack to add to the atmosphere.

Anyways, enjoy.

[DRa1N 0]

For steam

I suggest using cloudlets and just making them really small. placing only a few at the end of the catapault. Very good script tho.

[havocsquad 0]

Just a reminder, if you have any problems using this mission and/or the scripts, feel free to post whatever is the problem in this topic about.

I urge more people to try it out and get the Realistic feel of Catapulting off a Carrier. This script used in the mission is excellent for anyone thinking about creating a Carrier aircraft based mission for OFP & R.

Anyways, thanks for all for their feedback and if any new developments about the script or the mission, I'll get it posted here soon as possible.

Later.

Havoc.

[Yoshiro 0]

Havoc I know it wasn't ment for the Corsair but I couldn't resist myself and I replaced the F-18's with the Corsairs and some crazy things started happening. Mainly The corsairs where dragged backwards across the deck during the cat launch.

[havocsquad 0]

I've mentioned this before in this topic and in the readme that not every aircraft will work well with the Carrier Aircraft launch scripts.  You have to experiment and figure out what is going on.

If there is favorite carrier based aircraft that will cooperate on the Carrier deck during launch, I will custom script a CAT launch for that addon.

I have a question, did you just change the type of the aircraft or create a whole different unit?  If you changed ANY of the script settings, or the addon might not be designed right is the most logical assumption on why it did a backwards cat launch.

Can you give me a link to the A-4 aircraft addon used so I can test it myself for why it would do that?

Let me know about that link as soon as you can.

Later.

Havoc.

[Pennywise 0]

Hey that was pretty impressive.  I like that concept alot.  I had no problem running through the steps to launch either; it's pretty straight foward.  Good Job!

It would be nice if the script ran continuously.  I landed using the new F18 arrestor system and could not take off again using the CAT system.  Probably just need another loop in there.  It would be nice to have the scripts work in all directions instead of 0, 90, 180, and 270.  That way non-experienced scriptors could implement your system without having to opening the scripts, but its not that big of a deal.

There are also a few things that could be changed to fix the issues for the planes that dont launch.  I did test a few other planes and came across some of the same problems including the A10, the gear going up.  I have seen this before in other situations as well.  However, I dont think its a problem with the launch script.  Many of the addons out there use different logic to determine when to raise and lower the gear for AI and Player.  If an addon maker leaves it up to the game engine to decide, AI will put the gear up when above sea level and the engine on.  Because the aircraft carrier sits above sea level, alot of the addons that use the game engine's default functionality will raise the gear when placed on the aircraft carrier.  This is most likely what others are experiencing with the BIS addons and other addons as well.  

I find the best concept is to manually have the player put the gear up and use some logic for the AI to put the gear up.  However, in order to do things manually, you have to set 'gearRetracting = false;' in the config.cpp and then give the plane a rediculous speed to overcome the gear friction coeficient built into the game engine.

We implemented this for the F18 so the player manually has to put the gear up and AI puts the gear up when the speed is greater than 200 and height is greater than 70.  And evidently, this leaves alot of flexibility to the mission makers out there.  

Currently, I see alot of planes out there that try to do everything automagically and leave it up to height detection only scripts or the game engine.  Others dont set 'gearRetracting = false;' and will experience the AI moving the gear up when above sea level.  There is nothing wrong with that, it just a drawback in this situation.  Plus the CAT system and the F18 both are pushing the limitations of the game engine.  I hope BIS will change the way the gear event is handled in the future and make the gearCoeficient configurable.

This is by far one of the coolest simulators out there.  Hopefully, and Im sure, BIS is going to expand our options in the next release.  Until then, the addon and mission makers will have to keep pushing the limitations of the game engine.  I like your CAT system havoc.  May need a few tweeks here and there, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.  Please continue to keep us posted.  

[havocsquad 0]

Just updating that some tweaks will be made to the demo missions so player's aircraft can land and takeoff more than once.

I might have to make some very slight and probably unnoticable changes to the Carrier launch script, mainly to make sure the repeated use works correctly.

Another updated version of the Carrier launch script demo missions should be finished by mid-September or earilier.

If anything else develops, I'll keep you all posted.

Later.

Havoc.

[Commando84 0]

A exellent script!

This one is going to be in all m carrier based mp missions.

This will stun my friends pretty good

No more "water jumping"!

[r1c0cH3T 0]

Great script! The missions were put together quite nicely too

[havocsquad 0]

I have Very good news, I have updated the CAT launch script with demo missions to version 2.5.  

Not much has changed with the CAT launch system except I've changed some variables used for simplification reasons, thus you'll need to get this new version.  This newer version has the ability to launch and trap more than once.  Only certain missions will allow it, because not all missions require multiple launches and traps.

There are three missions available in the zip file in Editor format:

Carrier Ops, this one allows you to practice launching and trapping as much as you want to in the mission.

Carrier Trap, this one is best for practicing your Carrier landings.   This one does not allow for multiple launches or successful traps.

Carrier Qualifying, this one requires you to launch and land once in crappy weather, then the mission will end.  This one will also NOT allow multiple launches or multiple successful traps.

Go to http://nebula.spaceports.com/~falcon3/OFP/HFC/hfcmissions to download it, or for info about the newer version of this.

If there are any new bugs in this newer version, please post about it here in this topic.

Later.

Havoc.

[havocsquad 0]

Realistic CAT launch script update to 3.0 will be released very soon, this one will work at ANY angle and requires only the aircraft unit name.  This script is excellent since it allows the AI to easily be launched off the carrier without getting to complicated with it.

I'll keep you informed...

Later,

Havoc.