franze

When it comes to controls we've co-opted a few that aren't used in helicopters (binocular, salute, change handgun, sight mode) for some functions and used the Custom User actions for a whole bunch of others. Critical/common actions will be useable through keys and only less critical/common ones will be through the action menu. We may have enough spare keys for all actions but that has yet to be determined. DCS is a good simulation but I feel it is a poor game; it doesn't capture the spirit of the 90s simulations like Longbow, Comanche, Apache, or Hind. I wouldn't mind taking a whack at it as a DCS module, but my knowledge of DCS is virtually nil and to build it up would take several years. ArmA may not be the best place for it, but I think what we've managed to do so far has allowed us to get some of that 90s spirit into our sails. I won't say that everyone will be happy with it or enjoy it as much as we do but I think we have a fair chance of making our Apache more than just a filler unit for infantry scenarios.

We really wish it was done now so you could all enjoy some tank-spanking-fun but it'd be just wrong to release it as a buggy alpha with no documentation. Rest assured we are getting there, slowly but surely. We plan to bring it to A3, you can be sure of that.

+4 to -15 degrees up or down; primarily useful for the rockets but adds some benefits for the HELLFIRE too. If you're performing a rocket run and you need to bank, the rockets are easier to aim at your target due to the elevation capability. Hope everything goes well and things get back to normal up there quick. Stay safe in any case. :)

They probably figure if you have to shoot, you're probably going to be shooting at a rowboat with an AK in it - might as well save some money then. :D So not a lot of news this weekend as it's a short weekend for me, but we have the ASE page implemented now: The ASE is the central page for determining air defense threats, their status toward you, and whether or not they are firing at you. The page can be set to automatically show in event that an ADA unit is either tracking or firing at you. In addition it provides selected countermeasure quantity and salvo, plus IR and RF jammer control. If that isn't what you really want, here's a few pics - AH-64D NR 1 AH-64D NR 2 AH-64D NR 3 AH-64D NR 4 AH-64D Group

The Navy took over the program after the Army dumped it. They were probably thinking further ahead than the Army guys were.

Which isn't part of the Hydra rocket system. ;) Way back in time we had the APKWS system but then it got dropped, so this time around we're erring on the side of caution. APKWS II would be the easier system to implement in any case.

There's currently a schism whether to get DAGR or APKWS II. DAGR is the more expensive program and isn't exactly plug and play with the existing Hydra rocket system, but the active US Army favors it. The Guard and Reserve components favor getting the APKWS II since it is a more versatile system. If we do one of them we're more likely to do the APKWS II as that's easier to implement than DAGR. Currently neither system is implemented. Other Apache variations are on the to-do list; however the base aircraft must be complete first. Nodunit has some old mock up pictures which may or may not still be a few hundred pages back.

76 rockets are possible along with 16 HELLFIREs, see the pics posted earlier (some are 16xAGM-114K, some are 38xM255 with 8xAGM-114L + 4xFIM-92). Loadout can be changed on the fly. Any particular mod like ACE is too far in the future at the moment; our primary goal is to get this done and working with vanilla, then work on any compatibility later on. No offense to a lot of the mods out there, they do some awesome work, but we've had our hands full getting the basics we want to do in place first. Hidden selections will be the method, likely tied to an array.

A custom pilot was planned but priority on that is low until the aircraft is finished. We decided for the default texture to be a mostly new/unused aircraft; a custom skin system will allow different variations if desired.

So the weekend isn't a total bust for you guys: Linked to the remainder so I won't kill the forum. :p AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 1 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 2 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 3 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 4 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 6 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 7 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 8 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 9 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 10 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 11 AH-64D ALPHA 10/28 12

Merging & moving to Editing.

I'll have you know I went out to the range today despite the cold! :p Sorry, nothing new and exciting to report; just finishing up implementation of the FCR pages in air and ground modes. Will be moving on to ASE next and finalize things with TADS page.

Well when you add in the $300 hammer and $500 toilet plunger...

Sahrani was something to the tune of 20x20km so it will fit within the default parameters well. 2048 image size seems to work decently for maximum zoom on the display but we haven't tried anything larger yet. Also, quick word on map images: the lower left hand corner of the image must be the map's [0,0,0] coordinates as that's where our zero point is on the object.

a 20480 or 40960 image on the display might be brutal for your video card on the display; so far we've worked with 2048x2048 images (Chernarus and Takistan) and 1024x1024 (Utes). Well IRL the pilot can't use TADS as a targeting sensor - he can view the information from TADS and use it as a NVS but only the CPG can control the sight for targeting purposes. Pilot can only use HMD and FCR as an acquisition source. We also don't have picture in picture for ArmA2 so we won't be able to view TADS imagery the classic way, although we will likely be able to view the 'data' in a different format (more on this in the future).

So as long as the image is squared, it will work with anything from 1x1 to 4096x4096 and beyond. The limit is primarily on the zoom scale, in which we can only get a 1km zoom on maps up to 40x40km in size.

See: Addon Request Thread

Ah, nice to know. Just put together images from the editor, short term solution. That will make it easier for folks working with custom maps. Anyways, a demo video as promised - sorry for the length and difficulty in getting full focus on the display, was flying as I usually do - no script and occasionally glance down!

Not aware of any topography command, right now we're simply working by putting together images in the editor or via other means. yurapetrov's excellent UH-60s were a subject I was going to bring up, although I admit to not really investigating them that much. At this point in time anything is on the table, the H-60 series is just one of many.

Map images can be mission based or pbo file based, there's an array that can be defined to allow a range of map images for a particular mission; all up to the mission maker how far they want to go at this point.

The grid system used doesn't affect anything, it works on the size of the map. For Utes this is 5120x5120m, for Chernarus this is 15360x15360m, and so on. If you know the map size in meters then it will work for it. Yes, but naturally we can't make map images for every map out there. Expect a short video demonstration soon.

It's a possibility; the black is there because the map can be turned on/off.

Has to do with scaling of the map image. Utes is only 5x5km in size so at 10km the whole map is visible. :)

Short and fast progress update of the past couple days; been experimenting with moving map for the TSD page and here are the preliminary results: The map is 'glued' to the ownship icon and pans with it along with moving under it, giving you a better idea of the terrain and your position on the map. It's scalable so it can go through scales of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50km.

No harm done, my father flew the UH-60A for a few years so I was sure there was more to it than that. I think you've clarified the basics here. :) Yup, I know what you mean with firewalls. Don't post anything that might get you in trouble, OPSEC being what it is; there's some details that we don't need to know. ;) I don't want to say that a H-60 type is on the list or will be done, but a lot of aircraft are on the table after this. Most of them aren't nearly as complex as the Apache is which helps aid with implementation of them and we can borrow a lot of scripting from the Apache to get them done, but the Apache isn't done yet either. :o