ARMA Airfields

[frederf 0]

My point was that we're talking about how to get airstrikes to take off, navigate, bomb, land, taxi, rearm, ect in ArmA... with some kind of assumption that's what BIS did to get the airstrike feature into ArmA.

Quote[/b] ]Judging from the airstrike video, making the ai or players land and taxing to re-arm refuel is a must. It'll help make the use of aircraft more realistic and hopefully a full and powerful part of largescale combat without being too overpowering like BF2 where flying over a base is enough to rearm and refuel

That assumption is just that, an assumption. I'm not saying the "lazy" way is how it is or how it should be done or how it should have been done. Just that is the easiest to code and therefore might be how it is. Balance could just as easily be accomplished with timers and other abstracted limitations, instead of modeling out all the real-life balancing factors in gritty detail.

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]Frederf's point is obviously valid, there is no need to go to all that trouble, if nobody is ever going to be around to see it.

Well I´m one of this geeks who ends up in singleplayer missions, taking vehicles from dead ones and checking out the origin of planes. I´m always ending with a sad face when I see that planes were spawned and the airport is lifeless.

Apart from that I think that if you have an option to use landing autopilot, it should work. If not, it should be either fixed or removed.

[UNN 0]

Quote[/b] ]My point was that we're talking about how to get airstrikes to take off, navigate, bomb, land, taxi, rearm, ect in ArmA... with some kind of assumption that's what BIS did to get the airstrike feature into ArmA.

I see, I was talking about runways in general. Rather than the built in AI support option that’s integrated into Arma's AI. I assumed they were going to do something along the same lines as the Rearm, Refuel and Medic units and vehicles. They use the Support Waypoint, so the engine knows what is available during a mission.

Quote[/b] ]Well I´m one of this geeks who ends up in singleplayer missions

Well I'm an even bigger geek Seen as I spent eight months writing my own AI take off and landing routines for OFP. Does the BIS ARMA campaign allow you to call in air support during any of the missions?

Quote[/b] ]Apart from that I think that if you have an option to use landing autopilot, it should work. If not, it should be either fixed or removed.

I have to agree, it does worry me that some of the basic functionality in OFP does not appear to work in ARMA. To be honest, it would be better for me, if they did remove the AI pilot routines.

[wipman 1]

Hi, to me as player or a FNG missions maker, will be better and almost a need... that the AI planes could land by 'emselves, also that the helicopters had some kind of autopilot system; if this is a war simulator... i think that that kind of things should be reflected by somehow in the game.

Was very sad to see some addon planes or choppers fall down because they depleeted they're fuel afther fly by 45mins over an AO without ammo. So... i think that make the AI be able of land and refuel and rearm by themselves is something required; but we can spend other 5 years without those features. Let's C ya

*Edit: Also the two airports abailable to the AI's, so then you'll not need to have a real airport and a spawn point for the OPFOR AF's.

[frederf 0]

"Hi, to me as player or a FNG missions maker, will be better and almost a need... that the AI planes could land by 'emselves"

Unless the community can create an E-Z "pack" or have it work out of the box fully, then the average workload for the ArmA mission designer is going to go up up up up just like OFP.

I don't know exactly the runway lengths for both airfields in Sahrani, but they seem on the short side (naturally). I wonder how these runway lengths compare to real life requirements for jet take offs for various planes.

2,500m for Pariso seems like it should be ample for anything but the really really big stuff (C-17?) but the 900m alternate field isn't going to be taking off F-15s anytime soon. Or is it?

[UNN 0]

Quote[/b] ]Unless the community can create an E-Z "pack" or have it work out of the box fully, then the average workload for the ArmA mission designer is going to go up up up up just like OFP.

Without being able to turn Arma's AI pilot routines off. It's always going to be script heavy, as you have to constantly fight against the AI's desire, to turn towards the default runway. The default runway position is required by the island config (at least it was in OFP) so you cant just remove it.

Anyone with Arma could try using the DisableAI commands on an AI pilot, then see if he still turns towards the runway. But unless BIS went out of their way to include the pilot AI as part of the functionality of the DisableAI commands, then it I can't see it working.

There were also problems controlling landing gear without influencing the flight model. It can be tested in Arma using the Land Gear parameter with the Action command. In OFP, if you try to lower the landing gear during flight. The AI would automaticaly raise it again, unless you were almost ontop of the runway.

Quote[/b] ]Unless the community can create an E-Z "pack" or have it work out of the box fully

Making it easier to use is possible. At least for single Runways per airbase, multiple runways will require more than just Waypoints.

[frederf 0]

It would require a logical selector. Actually, all the info you REALLY need to land is. XYZ position of landing point, and heading to land on. If you could have the AI just run a preprogrammed landing sequence programmed by X Y Z H, then you could script an AI to land nearly anywhere. *sigh*

[Vectum 0]

Hmm , I got the czech version yesterday and this was one of the first few things I tested.

Didn't test landing though, just take-off.

I put a Camel plane at the Pita airstrip and it made a straight circle and drove through 2 hangars to get stuck in another building!

Sucks , but I'm happy with the game as it is , just a few small bugs that will be fixed

[frederf 0]

Did you give it a takeoff waypoint?

[UNN 0]

Quote[/b] ]Actually, all the info you REALLY need to land is. XYZ position of landing point, and heading to land on.

Well that’s not the entire picture. Assuming just one runway you also need to know:

What obstacles (hills & buildings e.t.c) lie in the approach path, relative to the runways height above sea level,

The flight characteristics of the aircraft your controlling, turn rate, max speed, height above sea level. Pilot or objects vertical, model offset (depending on roadway LOD) from ground level.

If it's the first time for a landing.

Landing gear scripts.

If it's within the vicinity of the default runway or some remote location.

If it's aligned with the default runway.

The maximum speed the aircraft can taxi, before it starts to gravitate towards the default runway position.

And some other stuff that helps with eye candy.

Any of the above could be subject to change, post Arma.

Quote[/b] ]I put a Camel plane at the Pita airstrip and it made a straight circle and drove through 2 hangars to get stuck in another building!

Thats what happens in OFP. It does confirm Arma, only supports one runway. Well, kind of. As someone else had the same problem Balschoiw did, when trying to use Autoland.

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ] As someone else had the same problem Balschoiw did, when trying to use Autoland.

Yes my autopilot got distracted

Anyway, for your test Vectum:

Do NOT put the plane on runway, but put it on taxiway. At least that´s how it worked in OFP.

[frederf 0]

Quote[/b] ]Actually, all the info you REALLY need to land is. XYZ position of landing point, and heading to land on.

Well that’s not the entire picture. Assuming just one runway you also need to know:

What obstacles (hills & buildings e.t.c) lie in the approach path, relative to the runways height above sea level,

The flight characteristics of the aircraft your controlling, turn rate, max speed, height above sea level. Pilot or objects vertical, model offset (depending on roadway LOD) from ground level.

If it's the first time for a landing.

Landing gear scripts.

If it's within the vicinity of the default runway or some remote location.

If it's aligned with the default runway.

The maximum speed the aircraft can taxi, before it starts to gravitate towards the default runway position.

And some other stuff that helps with eye candy.

Any of the above could be subject to change, post Arma.

Quote[/b] ]I put a Camel plane at the Pita airstrip and it made a straight circle and drove through 2 hangars to get stuck in another building!

Thats what happens in OFP. It does confirm Arma, only supports one runway. Well, kind of. As someone else had the same problem Balschoiw did, when trying to use Autoland.

I was talking about the free variables of landing. I thought of (and decided to leave out) landing glidescope. The pilot's disposition (low on fuel, first landing, over enemy terr., ect) would all be very advanced features. I assumed the simplest case.

The proceedure, timing of actions, ect would all be calculated based on the free variables of the landing attempt. If you gave the AI/script a necessary basic set of info you could expect it to calculate all those other things based on hardcoded timings, the AI detecting what set of scripts to use based on what aircraft it was in, ect.

The taxi/refit routine would be a seperate case handled similarly but similar to truck/car motion.

[-ZG-BUZZARD 0]

Talking about airfields, can anybody tell me if all infrastructures are working now? I mean in OFP, the repair "building" was just eye-candy, whereas all fuel station really DID refuel your vehicle... can anybody tell me if that's been fixed?

[iguanapl 0]

I read all topic and do not find it so...

Do the airstrips got working night-time lighting ?

I can't see any lamp on the pic

If there aren't any the island is detailed in wrong direction...

[Heatseeker 0]

I read all topic and do not find it so...

Do the airstrips got working night-time lighting ?

I can't see any lamp on the pic

If there aren't any the island is detailed in wrong direction...

I know i have seen what looked to be lights around the runway in some pics, but they were all day pics. If anyone could confirm runway lights at night i would also apretiate .

[pwablo 0]

Quote[/b] ]I know i have seen what looked to be lights around the runway in some pics, but they were all day pics. If anyone could confirm runway lights at night i would also apretiate .

At night, there is dozen yellow approach lights just before the threshold on runway 270 at main airport, and four, glide slope lights, that change to white from red when your on the "ball" during finals.

[Heatseeker 0]

Quote[/b] ]I know i have seen what looked to be lights around the runway in some pics, but they were all day pics. If anyone could confirm runway lights at night i would also apretiate .

At night, there is dozen yellow approach lights just before the threshold on runway 270 at main airport, and four, glide slope lights, that change to white from red when your on the "ball" during finals.

thank you, thank you .

[EvEnLeaSe44 0]

I taken a couple screen shots of an armed assault airstrip, If u need screenshots of any thing or have questions ask away!

Armed Assault Screenshot download!

[MidShip 0]

There is still only one ils and taxi-path system, so only one runway for automatic landings is usable.

[-ZG-BUZZARD 0]

Can anybody tell me if the repair garage is working now on par with the fuel station or is it still eye-candy?

[H00t74 0]

The airfield lights do work but they are hardly visable on approach. The lighthouses work though LOL. No Luck w/ repair hanger

[UNN 0]

Quote[/b] ]The airfield lights do work but they are hardly visable on approach.

Yeah, they don't show up until you’re almost on top of the runway.

I managed to get the Autoland function working for player controlled aircraft, you just have to give the Harrier plenty of room to manoeuvre into position.

However, getting the AI to land with:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">Aircraft Action [“Landâ€,Aircraft]

Is going to be that bit harder.