Project to unify airplane addons

[hardrock 1]

Vektorboson and I had the idea to start a project (like JAM) to unify aircraft addons

This project would be a single addon, which contains e.g. a script to recognize the current map

This script sets a global variable to the short name of the island (e.g. CURRENT_ISLAND="eden"). It also fills a global array ILS (Instrument Landing System) with the values of the recognized island

The addon should also contain small maps of every island (for use in the cockpit like in DKMs choppers)

Now every aircraft addon which uses ILS and/or map indicators could use the above script and set their maps as follows:

plane setObjectTexture [0,format ["%1.pac",CURRENT_ISLAND]]

So this addon could be improved when new islands are released without changing and redownloading of all the aircraft addons!

You guys like Footmunch, are you interested?

(At the moment only Vektorboson and me would be using this)

And to show what could be done with ILS:

ILS on the HUD

Landing on Falkland's HMS Hermes with fog set to full

cheers

hardrock

[Dauragon 0]

Now this is interesting

how will we define an aircraft carrier ?

[waffendennis 0]

Now this is interesting

how will we define an aircraft carrier ?

maybe: Find the Name of the Carrier in .cpp and put it in the script.

And this is an verry good idea I hope evry plane will use this.

[hellfish6 7]

This actually is a great idea. How does the ILS work on the carrier? Will it give you proper speed/altitude/heading information? How far out do you line up with the deck? Can you make a movie demonstrating it? Landing on the Hermes is, for me, incredibly difficult. I made myself a rudimentary ILS system to help out, based on triggers and waypoints, but it's not perfect.

[silent_64 0]

Great idea.. I say go for it. I would also like a video.

[Schoeler 0]

Would it only standardize navigation features or weapons as well?

I mean a sidewinder missile is a sidewinder missile and there isn't much difference between 500, 1000, and 2000 lb bombs in N.A.T.O inventories. Either way, its a great idea. I think standards and efforts to unify the community to a common high quality level are a sign of the community maturing and making the game even more excellent.

[hardrock 1]

@waffendennis & Dauragon:

The carriers have not to be defined by ourselves, only the islands

If now somebody makes a carrier and wants to make it compatible with this system, he only has to add these few lines into his addon's init.sqs:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">; [name,relative direction of the runway,relative position of the begin of the runway,carrier object]

ILS = ILS+[["HMS Hermes",-10,[0,0,12],_mycarrier]]

unfortunately I can't make any video demonstration

@hellfish6:

the information given from the ILS depends on your script. In my version, like you can see in the picture above, direction of runway (top, below the compass), distance to runway, altitude over runway (both right) and the two typical ILS cursors are showed

I didn't try it without, but with a joystick landing on the Hermes is now a quite easy thing (with some practice)

@Schoeler:

You're right, also weapons should be added, configurations (cpp) as well as missile models, maybe also different types of chaff/flares? And maybe we should define a value for OFP to convert "real kmh" in "OFP kmh"?

With these facts fights between different airplane addons would be much fairer

Someone else interested?

[Acecombat 0]

Wow very nice idea and an even better to share it with others.

I hope Hudson and deadmarine(or who was making that new mig?) are listening to this

[Trenchfeet 0]

Wow!! excellent work that is an massive step forward in ofp aviation.

Could the same sort of principals be used on a ww2 style aircraf carrier? but using lights instead of the bars?

[bonko the sane 2]

Brilliant idea!

[hardrock 1]

@Trenchfeet:

Sure, how the Indicators are animated depends on the scripter

[Trenchfeet 0]

Well i'll try and help you out i'm not the best at decent scripting, I'm sure bratty may also be interested in helping as he may want to use this on his kaga AC

[waffendennis 0]

@waffendennis & Dauragon:

The carriers have not to be defined by ourselves, only the islands

If now somebody makes a carrier and wants to make it compatible with this system, he only has to add these few lines into his addon's init.sqs:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">; [name,relative direction of the runway,relative position of the begin of the runway,carrier object]

ILS = ILS+[["HMS Hermes",-10,[0,0,12],_mycarrier]]

Ok Thnxs for the info.

[hardrock 1]

Could maybe some addon makers who currently work on an aircraft answer to this topic if they were interested to use this project? If only two people would use it I don't think it made much sense...

Edit:

And please mention also which weapons and islands you would recommend to add (each one only once please)

[FW200 0]

I'm a plane builder and I am very much interested in this project...

I would certainly use it if it fits into my aircraft (Depends on the time period of the planes I'm making).. so I ask you to continue this most interesting development

[<>Crippler<> 0]

Could maybe some addon makers who currently work on an aircraft answer to this topic if they were interested to use this project? If only two people would use it I don't think it made much sense...

Edit:

And please mention also which weapons and islands you would recommend to add (each one only once please)

I'm working on a hawk retexture and I think it'd be a great idea for the ILS though if you do release it could you put in a simple set of instructions for how to integrate it into and addon? There arent any weapons on my Hawk , but for the islands, I suppose I would recommend the default 4 and maybe the Ia Trang one (for use with vietnam aircraft).

This looks absolutely fantastic guys

Crippler

[Wonder 0]

Could the ILS script be executed when the gear is lowered, as to minimize action menu clutter?

I've also been thinking about the possibilities of adding a working AOA indicator to my F-16C to help with the landing.

[vektorboson 8]

Could the ILS script be executed when the gear is lowered, as to minimize action menu clutter?

This is how it is done in my F-117.

I'm overthinking some possibilities, how you could choose another Airport/Carrier though without the action menu

[cam0flage 0]

Would this make it possible for AI to use both of the airports on Nogova, for example?

A great idea otherwise. I'll be definitely keeping my eye on this project ...

[hardrock 1]

which second airport ?

[bonko the sane 2]

which second airport ?

the small island up north\northeast

[DaSquade 0]

Excellent project....

And please mention also which weapons and islands you would recommend to add (each one only once please)

Didn't see any island suggestions? Maybee all finished once?

My favorite Islands: Trinity 2.0, Jelalhabat, STT Desert Malden, Wake Island,...

Anyway, good luck...

[AirwolfPL 0]

Very good idea.

But don't you think it would be good idea to include flaming, downwash and dammage scripts for the choppers as well? Maybe also jammer script and flare script?

Of course all those scripts should be packed in the "external" PBO file not included inside the addon (only then this idea makes any sense).

[<>Crippler<> 0]

Very good idea.

But don't you think it would be good idea to include flaming, downwash and dammage scripts for the choppers as well? Maybe also jammer script and flare script?

Of course all those scripts should be packed in the "external" PBO file not included inside the addon (only then this idea makes any sense).

I dont know about that external PBO- I think it'd be much easier to have them inside individual addon PBOs- scripts arent generally very large anyway, and if you've got them in your own addon, you can tweak them to how you want them to work for your individual aircraft.

[AirwolfPL 0]

I dont know about that external PBO- I think it'd be much easier to have them inside individual addon PBOs- scripts arent generally very large anyway, and if you've got them in your own addon, you can tweak them to how you want them to work for your individual aircraft.

Indeed, but then whole idea of the standarized scripts is that you have one, the same script for all of the addons not several versions of the script customized in some way by the addonmaker :/

And you can customize scripts in other way - calling them with parameters (you know, all this [_this select 0, 3] etc.) so you can set the radius of the downwash effect, or the place of the fire in the burn script).

Another good thing about the separate PBO file is that when the maintainer will update the scripts inside this PBO file - you don't have to release/download whole new addon with the scripts inside - you just downloading new small PBO, and voila - all the addons using this script are updated immediatelly.