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[Whiskey_Sierra_972]

C&C is the only reason of my 412 dislike....if you'll fix it I'll be in heaven!

[sputnikshock]

Just wanted to give you a status update.
I have a C&C 4.12 version running in beta now. Needs some more testing (slipper will help me with testing the nightfighting units, if someone profoundly familiar with things like AFAC, RESCAP, SAR etc - stuff that I never use and don't know the look and feel of - wants to volunteer for some systematic beta testing that would be great.

The problem is burried deep in a new - and admittedly fantastic - feature of 4.12. The game now checks (for the AI), when it determines enemies close, whether or not the AI could actually physically see these. That is, if there is a clear line of sight with no obstructions like clouds, or terrain, or a tailfin, or darkness.
Some C&C objects employ routines which in the 4.12 context are now subjected to these visibility checks. And that is of course a big problem for say a radar - where the whole point is about being able to see beyond the limitations of a human eye.

I think I have found a solution, but there might still be more to it...

In all the bugreporting and discussion about C&C in 4.12, please understand that there were bugs and issues with it before, and that these need to be addressed separately. All that's happening now, is making C&C work in 4.12 as it did in previous versions. Not more, and not less.

cheers
sputnik

[Whiskey_Sierra_972]

You're my hero!

Can't wait for this!

I'm out of my skin!

[SAS~Monty27]

Just wanted to give you a status update.
I have a C&C 4.12 version running in beta now. Needs some more testing (slipper will help me with testing the nightfighting units, if someone profoundly familiar with things like AFAC, RESCAP, SAR etc - stuff that I never use and don't know the look and feel of - wants to volunteer for some systematic beta testing that would be great.

The problem is burried deep in a new - and admittedly fantastic - feature of 4.12. The game now checks (for the AI), when it determines enemies close, whether or not the AI could actually physically see these. That is, if there is a clear line of sight with no obstructions like clouds, or terrain, or a tailfin, or darkness.
Some C&C objects employ routines which in the 4.12 context are now subjected to these visibility checks. And that is of course a big problem for say a radar - where the whole point is about being able to see beyond the limitations of a human eye.

I think I have found a solution, but there might still be more to it...

In all the bugreporting and discussion about C&C in 4.12, please understand that there were bugs and issues with it before, and that these need to be addressed separately. All that's happening now, is making C&C work in 4.12 as it did in previous versions. Not more, and not less.

cheers
sputnik

Fanbloodytastic news!  Sent a PM... 

[benson]

Thanks sputnikshock. Great news.

[Koty]

~drooooooooooooooooooool~

Can't wait!

[sputnikshock]

Quick status update: C&C for 4.12 is progressing, slipper and Monty have started testing and the bugs keep coming
Seriously, it is a bit more complicated than I thought, but we will manage to fix it. Two weeks...we are on it...

Merry x-mas SAS'ers

[benson]

Thank you!

[Whiskey_Sierra_972]

G R E A T ! ! ! !

[FL2070]

What does this mod do?

[SAS~Gerax]

go here and read the first post of the C&C v 1.11 thread:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,13289.msg139488.html#msg139488

This mod will add new objects to your game to simulate various ground and air control and warning systems, like GCI, FACs, airborne radar operators, ground spotters, etc.

For example, the Ground Control Intercept Radar will provide the bearing, range, altitude, and heading of enemy aircraft within 100km, while the FAC will provide the direction and distance of enemy ground units.

and this is the readme from this version v 3.031 in this thread:

Code: [Select]

Command & Control (v 3.031)
by Checkyersix

Installation
================================================================

Unzip to your MODS folder (#UP# folder in UP 3.0). Add the lines from the "add to stationary.ini" file to your stationary.ini file.

This mod combines the "Command and Control" and "Mission Randomizer" Mods. Please delete older version of both of these mods before installing.

This mod has been updated for 4.10. Some objects will no longer work in 4.09.

Instructions
================================================================

To use these objects in a mission, they must be placed on the map in the mission. For some, the placement is crucial for them to function properly. For others, they have general effects and can be placed anywhere.

Mission designers can tweak the parameters of certain mods. In all cases, this is done by adding a line to the [Mods] section at the end of the .mis file. Some installs of the game do not have a [Mods] section.

If your missions do not have a [Mods] section, simply add a [Mods] section at the end of the file. You may have to add this every time you make a change to the mission file, as the game may delete it each time you re-save. None of the objects require these variables to be present in a mission to work, they will simply use default values.

Example:
 
[Mods]
  FACDelay 15
  GCIRange 150
  GCIVarAlt 1

I will note the appropriate commands for each object in blue.
Commands marked in red can also be applied in the conf.ini, allowing you to change the default values. Just use "=" instead of a space, ie RefuelAll=1.
Ground Control

The objects represent ground-based control systems, from radar guidance to forward air controllers. They will provide important information to the player on the whereabouts of enemy targets. Some objects will change the behaviour of AI controlled planes.

Placement: These objects are location-dependant, with limited ranges. FAC's should be placed in the middle of ground battles, for instance, while GCI objects should be set up like a radar network.

Forward Air Controller (FAC)

The FAC represents a soldier on the ground with a radio calling out targets for aircraft overhead.

- How it works: The FAC will be triggered when enemy ground units (armor, artillery, vehicles) are within 500m. It will give its location as a standard grid reference in the HUD. When the player is within 5km of the FAC, it will mark its position and start to call out specific units, giving their type, distance, and direction (N,E,S,W) with regards to the FAC unit. The FAC will warn the player if friendly troops are within 300m of the enemy and whether there is AAA in the area. The FAC will then mark the target with white smoke.

- When the player leaves the area, the FAC will provide a Bomb Damage Assessment, detailing enemy units destroyed within sight of the FAC.

* New Feature *

- The FAC will now guide AI planes to attack the targets it talks about. AI planes within 30km which are not actively attacking will proceed to attack targets, make 1 or 2 passes, then return to their next waypoint. By setting planes to orbit the target (without GATTACK waypoints) you can determine the basic direction and heading of AI attack runs. I have found that the AI has a higher survival rate when under FAC control than when following GATTACK waypoints, because they can "reset" between runs.

FACDelay (time in minutes before FAC begins broadcasting)
FACNoSmoke (1 = on, FAC will not mark targets with smoke)
FACNoGuide (1 = on, FAC will not guide AI planes to target)

Airborne Forward Air Controller (AFAC)

The AFAC object is designed to work in concert with the Stinson L-5 or AT6 FAC planes. It simulates a forward air controller in an aircraft, ubiquitous in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

- How it works: Place as you would an FAC object, near the battle. Unlike the FAC, the AFAC has a range of 1000m, so you can have a wider battle area. The AFAC works just like a FAC with two major exceptions:

1) The AFAC will only report contacts when an L-5 or AT6 is within 5km of the object. If the FAC plane is shot down or moves out of range, the player will not receive broadcasts.

2) When the player approaches to within 10km of the object, the L-5 or AT6 will attack a target with smoke rockets (make sure they are armed with smoke rockets at mission start). It will then use that smoke marker as a reference to direct the player on further strikes.

The FACDelay parameter also applies to this object.

Ground Control Intercept (GCI(m) + GCI(ft))

The GCI simulates a radar tracking center that will alert the player to enemy aicraft and guide them to interception.

- How it works: The GCI has two modes:

Target Only: If the player aircraft is more than 100km (default) from the tracking radar object, the GCI will provide updates on enemy a/c within range of the radar using standard map grid references, including altitude and heading information. This is to simulate that the radar cannot guide the player's aircraft if it cannot track it.

Guided Intercept: If the player is within the radar's radius of coverage, the GCI will call out the range and bearing to the target with reference to the player, as well as altitude and speed. The player can follow these headings to an intercept. When the player is within 4km of the target, the GCI will stop giving updates (the returns are assumed to be overlapping. Also, it's annoying to get updates in a dogfight). If you're using Benitomusso's radar guipad mod, you should be able to
pick up the target at this range. Airborne radar objects should also take over here.

- The GCI will direct the player to the nearest target relative to his plane.

- The GCI may not report targets or guide players flying low to the ground. The actual minimum height is randomly determined, but will be between 10 and 150m.

- As the name implies, GCI(m) will report in meters, km, and kph, while GCI(ft) reports in feet, miles, and mph.

GCIRange (GCI max range in km. Effects all GCI's on map)
GCIVarAlt (1 = on, GCI minimum detection height will increase with range, to a maximum of 8000m. Aircraft below 150m will never be detected. This will lead to generally shorter detection radii for a given maximum range.)

Running Commentary GCI (RCGCI)

The use of jamming, chaff, and diversionary raids took a great toll on the German radar defence network. A workaround solution was the Zahme Sau (Tame Boar) control scheme, which provided "free-roaming" night fighters with a running commentary of the whereabouts of enemy formations.

Placement: The RCGCI has a range of 200km. Place somewhere that all your "spoof" and "mainforce" raids will pass within range. I recommend using only one RCGCI per map. Although the RCGCI can be used with regular GCI, It is designed to be used alone, preferably with vector objects (see below). It can be combined with airborne radars, etc.

- How it works: The Running Commentary GCI will track all enemy bomber formations within 200km of the player. It determines which planes are "mainforce" and which planes are "spoof" by their skill level.

- "ACE" bombers will be treated as "spoofs", dropping chaff to confuse the radar picture. When a "spoof" plane drops its bombs, it will be discovered as such and its position will no longer be reported.

- "VETERAN" bombers will be treated as "mainforce" planes, ie the bomber stream. They should be placed inside the bomber stream. Once a "mainforce" bomber has dropped its load, the bomber stream will be discovered. From that point, only mainforce planes will be reported.

- I recommend having only a few "spoof" and "mainforce" planes per mission. Do not make all your bomber stream planes VETERAN, or the sheer number of reports will tip off the player.

- Once the controller has identified the bomber stream, all other raids will be ignored and the player will be vectored to the main force.
- Empty mainforce bombers will trigger a "confirmed" report. Therefore, all VETERAN bombers should start the mission with bombloads.

- Non-ACE or VETERAN bombers will be ignored by the RCGCI. If all "mainforce" planes are shot down during a mission, the RCGCI will no longer report on the mainforce, even if the bomber stream is mostly intact. To reduce the chances of this happening, you should spread out your "mainforce" planes within the stream.

RCGCIRange (maximum range in km)

Ground Observer (OBS)

The OBS is designed to simulate everything from a radio operator on the ground to trained observer teams like those used in the Battle of Britain.

- How it works: When enemy aircraft are within 15,000m the OBS will call out the sighting as a standard grid reference, along with a basic description of the plane (bombers / fighters / aircraft) and an altitude. When the player is within 10km of the OBS, they will stop reporting.

- When the weather is cloudy or worse, the OBS will not be able to identify the type of aircraft overhead, their heading or speed. It will simply report the grid reference.

Coast Watcher (CW)

The coastwatcher simulates men trained to watch for enemy shipping. You can even place them on the water or near stationary ships or U-boats to simulate lookouts.

- How it works: Like the Observer, the coast watcher will call out enemy ships within 5km, and will stop when the player is in the vicinity.

Vector

The Vector object is a potentially powerful tool for mission designers. Essentially, it works like a GCI for AI fighters. When an enemy plane comes within range (default 100km) of the object, any friendly fighters within range will be sent to attack the enemy flight.

The object will vector whole flights, not just individual fighters. The vectored flights must contain fighters following a waypoint (or orbiting a final waypoint). They must be in flight and cannot be in the process of landing.

The minimum height for detecting a/c is randomly determined every cycle, between 10 and 150m.

Mission designers can simply send a flight to orbit a waypoint, and the flight will be automatically vectored to incoming targets. Flights will always be vectored to the nearest enemy contact relative to the Vector object. All available fighter flights within range will be vectored to the same enemy flight. Vectored flights are susceptible to jamming (see below)

VectorMode (1 for on. If on, the object will only send fighters against "bomber" type aircraft.)

The Vector object uses the same variables as the GCI(ft) and GCI(m) objects. If GCIVarAlt is switched on, the Vector object will not be able to send fighters after planes below its detection height.
Airborne Radars

Airborne Radars have been reworked in C&C 3.0 by Sputnikshock. For details on his new, more realistic and detailed radars please check out the AIRPCC_readme.pdf file included in this pack.

Surface Search

Surface Search radars simulate aircraft mounted radar used to detect ships, submarine periscopes, etc. Some radars only track surface targets, while others track aircraft as well.

- How it works: Surface Search radars will track enemy ships. Only the largest ships (freighters, destroyers, etc) can be picked up at maximum range. Smaller ships (surfaced subs, landing craft) will be picked up at closer ranges. Surface Search radars can even pick up submarine periscopes, albeit at very close range.

- Like airborne radars, Surface Search radars scan in a "cone" ahead of the aircraft. To be fully effective, the plane should be straight and level. Also, the minimum range will decrease the lower the plane is to the water, due to the angle of the beam.

Max rng. | Azimuth | Year
Allied:

ASG 64km 60 deg. 1942
ASD    40km 60 deg. 1943
ASVmkIII 80km 60 deg. 1943
AN/APS4*  55km 70 deg. 1944

Japanese:

Taki 60km 40deg. 1943

*Can detect aircraft at up to 9km.

Electronic Warfare

These objects represent various homing and jamming devices. Some will interfere with the player and AI's ability to track targets, while others will allow the player to home in on enemy aircraft under certain circumstances.

Naxos

Naxos was a homing device designed to allow German night fighters to home in on H2S ground mapping radar emissions from British heavy bombers.

- How it works: When the player is within 50km of an enemy bomber, it will receive a bearing to the target. No range information is available.

- Because H2S is pointed downwards, Naxos will only pick up signals from bombers flying higher than the player's aircraft.

NaxosLate (1 = on. Simulates late war conditions in which British bombers only switched on their H2S devices infrequently to avoid homing signals) * thanks to Sputnikshock for the idea.

Flensburg

Flensburg was a homing device tuned to track Monica tail warning radars on RAF fighters and bombers.

- How it works: Flensburg only works when the player is within a 60 deg. arc behind an enemy aircraft (horizontal and vertical), to a range of 100km. It displays bearing to target only.

Serrate

Serrate was a homing device intended to let British night fighters track German airborne radar emissions.

- How it works: Serrate will provide a bearing to enemy nightfighters. Since it picks up radar emissions, it works much better when the enemy plane is facing the player. When within the radar cone of an enemy fighter, it has a range of 80km. Outside the cone, the range is reduced to 16km.

Window

Window (or Duppel as the Germans called it) was the codename for aluminum chaff dropped behind night bombers. It interfered with German radar and made interception much more difficult. This is a somewhat abstract representation of its affects.

- How it works: When the Window object is on the map, AI fighters will have a % chance to break off their attack when within 4km of the rear of a bomber. They will turn, trying to re-acquire the target, and may latch on again. Players flying fighters near bombers will receive frequent messages from their radar operator that they are being jammed, which will make tracking a target more difficult. GCI reports will be unaffected (operators learned to track the bomber stream by the presence of chaff itself).
WindowEffect (Any integer under 100, default 0. Will be added to the % chance to jam / distract player and AI flights.)

Jamming

The Jamming object is meant to represent a number of allied airborne electronic countermeasures, notably "Airborne Cigar". The object will turn B-17 bombers (of any model) into airborne jamming aircraft. When an enemy fighter is within 200km of the jammer, it has a chance to receive false signals meant to confound the radar operator and pilot. Historically these ranged from engine noise to false GCI reports or even music.

The object has two effects in game. If jammed, an AI fighter will lose track of its target. This is most effective when combined with the vector object. If the player is flying a jammed plane, he will receive false GCI reports with bogus headings and flight information. Canny players may be able to discern the real GCI headings from false ones, but in a confused fighting situation, at night, with no map, it will make tracking enemy bombers that much harder.

*New in version 3.03*

This object now works with B-24 bombers as well. B-24's will act as wide-spectrum jammers, blanking out helpful messages from GCI rather than providing false information.

JammerMode (1 = on. If active, the Jammer will mimic an RCGCI object rather than a GCI)
Navigation / Blind Bombing Aids

Navigator (NAV)

The NAV object represents a navigator on board your aircraft, or a ground station feeding you information on your current position (like LORAN or GEE).

- How it works: Place anywhere. Every few minutes, the navigator will report your map grid position.

- The NAV object is affected by weather. In clear weather, the navigator is fairly reliable. In bad weather, he may only be counted on to within 20 km or so.

NavError (1 = on. If activated, the navigator's margin of error will increase with time. After two or three hours, his position fixes may be off by as much as 50km.)

OBOE

OBOE roughly replicates the British blind bombing system of WWII, though it can be used as a stand in for SHORAN, Knickebein, or even Vietnam-era inertial navigation bombing systems.

- How it works: Place the OBOE object on the place you want to be bombed. OBOE will broadcast a continuous feed to the player while he is airborne and above 500m. The OBOE object will not work if the player has no bombs aboard.

- The OBOE object will continuously compute the ideal drop point based on the player's speed and altitude relative to the target. It will give the player a straight-line course to the target, including an ETA to the drop point.

- Since OBOE will be on-screen almost continuously, it is designed to be unobtrusive and uses symbols rather than words:

">>>" means "turn right".
"<<<" means "turn left".
"|5|" means "On course. 5 minutes to drop point"
"[30]" means "On course. 30 seconds to drop point"
"Drop!" means pickle your bombs.

- With a little practice, OBOE can be very accurate (+/- 100m @ 3000m). For best results, try to maintain level flight and constant speed on the final run over the target. It is also better to release slightly early (ie at "[0]") to ensure hits.

- Only one OBOE target should be used per mission.
OBOERange (Maximum range from which Oboe will guide the player to the target. Default is 500km)

OBOE(F-4)                        vehicles.stationary.CandCJET$OBOE_F4Unit 2
OBOE(A-7)                        vehicles.stationary.CandCJET$OBOE_A7Unit 2

Simulate an inertial bombing system, it guide you to target and tell you when drop bombs in level flight, put it over the target that you want to bomb.....OBOE for A7 is a bit better and can work at lower altitudes than F-4

H2S

The H2S object represents the radar mapping system used by British bombers. Less accurate than OBOE, H2S was intended to get the bomber into the general area of the target.

- How it works: Place the H2S object on the place you want to be bombed. When the player comes within 25km of the H2S object, the Navigator will begin to look for recognizable landmarks below. He will then feed the player headings towards the target. When the player is within 5km of the object, the navigator will report "Over target area", and the player should drop his bombs. The object will deactivate once all bombs are dropped.

*New in version 3.03*

Flying over cities or coastlines will give the H2S operator a high-contrast picture, triggering a navigation update.

Aimpoint

The Aimpoint object has two functions. It can represent either:

1) A level drop-point for fighter bombers.

2) A "target marking" point for level bombers.

- How it works: Place over the target you wish to bomb, and make sure the friendly a/c you wish to drop over the target will pass over it. Do NOT set a GATTACK waypoint, just a NORMFLY waypoint, preferably somewhere past the object, so that the plane will simply overfly it.

- When the bombers overfly the target, they will automatically drop their bombs. Altitude and speed will be adjusted for to get the bombs on-target.

- Fighter-bombers will release all ordnance and continue on their way. This is a good way to simulate "one pass, haul ass" type strikes.

- When using the Aimpoint object, player aircraft are assumed to be "pathfinders". When the player drops a bombload, the Aimpoint will be adjusted and an "error" displayed based on how far off the mark the player is. This error will then be added to the AI's chance of dropping off-target. In other words, the more accurate the player is, the more accurate following bombers will be.

AimpointMode (1 = on. If active, bombers will always be as accurate as possible. Players will still get an error report when they drop, but it will not affect following aircraft)

AimpointError (Default 300. Radius from the object in which the AI bombers may drop. Can be used to increase / reduce overall accuracy of a bomber stream)

AimpointNoMark (1 = on. If active, the player will no longer change the aimpoint when dropping bombs)

Error

The Error object functions just like the Aimpoint object, but does not cause AI aircraft to drop bombs. It merely reports the aiming error distance of the players' bombs.
Airborne Spotters

These objects replicate crewmen or wingmen who call out enemy contacts to the player.

Placement: Wherever you like, same side as player.

Gunner (GNR)

- To use: The GNR simulates bomber gunners calling out enemy fighters.

- How it works: Just like in the movies, when enemy fighters come within 6000m of your plane and +/- 2000m altitude, you'll get a "Fighters at X o'clock high!" message.

- Gunners will distinguish between bombers, fighters, and other aircraft.

- Gunners have a much reduced spotting radius at night (~1km). Also, there is a chance they will not see a target at all.

Spotter (SPR)

The SPR simulates gunners or wingmen calling out sightings of enemy ground units and ships. Designed for armed recon type missions, to get your wingmen or gunners to pull their weight. Can be combined with the Gunner object.

- How it works: You will get a message about enemy armor, vehicles, ships, or guns and given a "o'clock" bearing to the target. The range is a function of the player's altitude; the higher you fly, the farther your wingmen / gunners see, to a maximum range of 6km @ 3000m.

- At night, the spotter has a much reduced range, and the player must fly close to the ground for his wingmen / crew to see anything below. They will see very little above 500m.

*Note for GNR and SPR objects: These objects are meant to simulate calls from bomber crews or wingmen. They will not function if you are flying alone in a single seat aircraft.

Radio Operator (RO)(originally by Sputnikshock)

The Radio Operator simulates a crewman watching the rear quarter for enemy night fighters.

- How it works: When an enemy fighter approaches to within 650m of the rear of your aircraft, the Radio Operator will call out a contact and a direction to break. There is a chance that he will not see the enemy fighter, so remain alert.

- This object differs from the GNR object in that it cycles more quickly, representing a crewman watching only the rear quarter for fighters, rather than scanning the whole sky for any enemy aircraft.

Corkscrew

The Corkscrew Manoeuvre was used by British night bombers to avoid German nightfighters by dodging out of their radar cone.

- Assign the same color as your bombers.

- How it works: This object will cause all AI bombers on the map to randomly initiate evasive manoeuvres when an enemy fighter comes within ~500m of their rear quarter. If you are flying a bomber with this object on the map, your rear gunner will act as a lookout, telling you to "Corkscrew [left or right] now!" when danger is near.

*Note - Testing has revealed that bombers may not react to fighters specifically set to target them in the FMB. I recommend setting fights to choose their own targets.





















Rescue

These objects represent downed crewmen in need of rescue, either by the player or AI aircraft.

Placement: They should be placed in accessible areas, wherever the rescue it to take place.

RESCAP

The RESCAP object simulates a downed pilot behind enemy lines. He will communicate with the player and await helicopter pickup.

- How it works: The 'Survivor' will broadcast his map-grid coordinates to the player. Once in the area, he will call out when he has the player in sight, and which direction he is relative to the player's aircraft.

- When a friendly AI aircraft moves to within 300m of the survivor and slows to under 27m / second, it will announce the pickup and the survivor will disappear, ending the rescue operation. Player-flown aircraft will have to get within 30m of the survivor. The survivor will "pop smoke" during the day as the helicopter approaches. At night he will light a flare to pinpoint his position.

- Survivors may now be captured if enemy ground units approach to within 10m. The player will receive warnings that enemy units are approaching before this happens.

RESCAPDelay (time in minutes before RESCAP object begins broadcasting)

SAR

The waterborne version of RESCAP, the SAR object represents a downed pilot at sea, complete with lookouts. Intended for seaplane operations.

- How it works: The player will get a message giving the map-grid position of the downed airman, until the player is within 10km. When within ~2000m of the airman, the player's "crew" will call out sightings in "o'clock" directions. When the player gets within range, the airman will "pop smoke" during the day, or light a flare at night.

- The player should then land and taxi to within 200m of the dinghy, at which point the crew will announce a pickup and the dinghy will disappear. Any plane or helicopter can be used to perform the pickup, but the player must be travelling slowly.

SARDelay (time in minutes before SAR begins broadcasting)

*Note. As of version 3.02, rescued SAR and RESCAP objects are worth 100 points.

Recon

*New in 3.02*

Recon Objects simulate reconnaissance objectives for the player. Unlike the in-game observation targets, these objects require more from the player than just flying near the target.

The player's objective is to get a good "run" by overflying the target and getting a clear picture.

Recon objects must be set to the same color as the player's aircraft.

Placement: Place the object in the area you want to be reconnoitered. They can be placed inside buildings or other units as well.

LowRecon

The LowRecon object simulates a low-level recon run.

- How it works: The player must fly straight and level towards the target at an altitude above 50m and below 500m.

- When the player is about 2000m from the target, a "Rolling" message will appear, along with the % amount of coverage remaining to be taken. Rolling or pitching more than a few degrees will spoil the 'run' and force the player to start over.

- Players should keep their speed below 600kph to avoid overshooting the target before enough footage has been exposed.

- Completing a photo run will remove the object and net the player 100 points.

HighRecon

The LowRecon object simulates a high-level recon run.

- How it works: The player must fly straight and level towards the target at an altitude above 1000m and below 8000m.

- As above, a "Rolling" message will appear when over the target area.

- Unlike the LowRecon object, the target may be obscured in bad weather. You can get a clearer picture by dropping below the clouds.

- Completing a photo run will remove the object and net the player 100 points.
Artillery

These objects simulate artillery spotting, as provided by either ground based or naval batteries.

Placement: Place anywhere.

How it works: Artillery strikes will be called in on any ground unit the player padlocks (default F5 key). The firing cycle takes about 70 seconds before a new target can be selected, so choose your target carefully.

- Once selected, the player will receive messages from the Fire Control Center. When the rounds are about to hit, the player will receive a "Splash!" warning. Each artillery strike is about 20 rounds.

- Once a target is selected, the player does not need to keep padlocking it. If a player is still padlocking a target when a strike ends, a new strike will be called in on the target.

- There are two types of artillery objects available: Ground: "Arty(g)" and Naval: "Arty(n)". Ground artillery is less powerful (~75-105mm), but more accurate (+/- 100m). Naval artillery is more powerful (up to 300mm), but less accurate (+/- 200m).

- There is no need to place real friendly artillery or ships on the map, the artillery strike is spawned independently. Shell flight times are abstracted, and assume "Time on Target" fire co-ordination is in effect.

- Multiple Artillery objects can be placed in a mission. Each one will add another "battery" to the barrages called in by the player. This is a good way to scale artillery effects. A rough scale might look like this:


Arty(g)/(n) Batteries Ships

1 Battalion Destroyer
2 Regiment Cruiser
3 Division Battleship
4+ Corps Task Force









Mission Builder Tools

DZ (Dead Zone)

This object is intended to help mission designers "clean up" missions by removing aircraft from a mission when they are no longer needed.

Placement: Somewhere out of the way, preferably in the corner of a map. An airfield where you intend planes to land and disappear will also work. Give it the same color as the planes you want to remove.

- How it works: When planes of the same color as the object get within 1000m, they will pop out of existence at the rate of one every 5 seconds, regardless of altitude. If you want to remove large groups of planes, you should have them orbit the object at low level, or make repeated passes to make sure they disappear. Multiple objects can be used to widen the "Dead Zone".

- This object is intended to solve an old mission-builders' problem on maps like Berlin, where there is nowhere for bomber-streams, fighters, etc to go when they have completed their mission and are no longer needed. Rather than have them orbit in the corner or fly off the edge of the map, the mission builder can now simply remove them, thus saving FPS.

* The player's plane cannot be removed by the DZ object, though his AI wingmen can.

Ground_Attack

The Ground_Attack object is designed to address problems with AI planes, particularly jets, during ground attack missions. Simply put, the Ground_Attack object will change the behavior of ground attacking AI planes so that they will (hopefully) seldom crash into the ground or fly off into the stratosphere while selecting new targets.

When the Ground_Attack object is present anywhere in a mission, ground attacking AI planes will have a "ceiling" of 1500m AGL above which they cannot fly, and a "floor" of 300m (when dropping bombs) or 100m (when using rockets).

AI planes can still be shot down and catastrophic damage will still cause them to crash, but not matter how much they twist and turn they will not collide with terrain during strafing runs. Mountains or other sudden shifts in terrain height can still do them in, however, so use caution when setting up ground attack missions.

The Ground_Attack object also restricts the AI to bomb or rocket attacks. Once all bombs and rockets have been used up, the AI will proceed to the next waypoint. This is to prevent endless and unrealistic machine-gun or cannon runs. The AI will also jettison drop tanks when starting attack runs.


Landing

The Landing object is designed to help AI-flown jet fighter make safe carrier landings. Place it anywhere in a mission to use. It will apply to both sides.

Just before carrier touchdown, landing fighters will be slowed to a safe landing speed regardless of their approach speed.
Randomizers

These objects introduce an element of randomization into missions. They activate as the mission begins, and if placed correctly can have a large effect on certain mission elements. A mission set up using these objects may play out quite differently each time it is run.

RandomPlanes and RandomPlanes2

These objects will randomly reduce the number of planes in a flight starting within 1km of the object (at any altitude). RandomPlanes has a 50% chance of removing each plane, while RandomPlanes2 has a 50% chance of removing ALL planes within 1km. Times out after one minute. Will only affect planes of the same side as the object.

RADelay (time in minutes before the object begins working. Allows Mission Designers to coordinate late aircraft starts.)

RandomGround and RandomGround2

These objects work just like RandomPlanes, but affect tanks, cars, and artillery.

RandomTrains

This object has a 50% chance of removing all train cars within 1km.

RandomShips and RandomShips2

As above, but limited to a 500m radius. Useful for randomizing single ships in a carrier group without risking the carrier itself.

RandomTime

Resets the time of day to within +/- 3 hours of the set start time.

RandomSkill

Resets the skill of all AI "Average" fighter planes of the same color as the object. It will create a mix of Ace, Veteran, Rookie, and Average pilots. Aces and Rookies will be relatively rare, while Average and Veteran will be more common.

Spawn

This object will randomly redistribute ground vehicles and ships from a "pool" to various points on the map. To use, surround the object with the ground vehicles you wish to "deploy", no farther than 100m from the object.  Set up motorcycle units to act as markers around the map in the places you want the objects distributed.

At the top of a mission, the objects from the pool will be randomly placed around the motorcycle objects. The motorcycles will then be deleted. This allows you to set up ground targets in different places every time you run a mission. You can have two "pools" and two sets of "markers", one for each side.

The Spawn object will also deploy ships if motorcycle markers are set up on water. It will not deploy vehicles or tanks to water markers, but they can all come from the same pool.

Each Spawn object can deploy up to 100 ground units. There is no limit to the number of Spawn objects you can use in a mission.

Ambush

Works like the Spawn object, but only triggers when enemy ground units come near, to simulate ambushes and hidden units.
Dynamic Mission Objects

Dynamic Mission objects are a new class of object in C&C 3.03. They are designed to create certain types of missions from basic templates created by the player, or to create new objectives during active missions.

They can be placed anywhere in a mission.

Dynamic Rescue

This object allows for dynamic CSAR missions to be generated from bailed-out aircrew.

Place the object anywhere on the map and set it to the same side as the player.

-How it works: When a friendly airman bails out during a mission, he will call for rescue upon reaching the ground. The object functions just like the RESCAP object, and the player will be able to pick up the downed airman (and net 100 points).

-If the 'survivor' lands on water, he will get into a dingy, but the object will function like a RESCAP object, not a SAR object.

-The object is designed work with the AI-flyable HRS3 helicopter. The helicopter should be placed within 200km of the most likely area for combat to occur, preferably with only two waypoints close together. When activated, the helicopter will be assigned new waypoints to come and rescue the downed pilot.

-The object cannot tell the difference between a bailed out crewman and a paratrooper, so using this object on missions with para-drops is not advised.

-To avoid confusion for the player, only the first friendly airman to touch the ground will call for help. Later bailouts will be ignored.

Dynamic Bomber Stream

This object will create a randomized bomber-stream mission for night-fighter and night-bomber enthusiasts. It is designed to work with the RCGCI object.

Place the object anywhere on the map and set it to the same side as the bomber stream.

-How it works: Set up any number of bombers relatively close together over a reasonable starting area (ie, over the English Channel), preferably with only two waypoints. They can also take off from land bases (they will land at mission end) Place stationary train wagon8 objects (the fuel car) at potential targets for the bomber stream. If you want to play as a bomber, you can place H2S, OBOE, Aimpoint, and Error objects at these sites as well. Make sure that they are no further than 1km from the wagon8 objects.

If you intend to add night intruder flights to your mission, set up OPEL BLITZ Fuel trucks at opposing airfields.

At mission start, bombers of skill "Veteran" or lower will be assigned to attack one of the targets, while "Ace" bombers will be assigned to random targets as decoys. The planes will return to their starting location after they have dropped their bombs. If they took off from a land base at mission start, they will land at the same base. If they started in the air, they will orbit their starting points.

Intruder fighters will be randomly assigned either to follow the main bomber stream or to orbit enemy airfields (as designated by the fuel trucks).

H2S, OBOE, Aimpoint, and Error objects further than 1km from the main target location will be deleted, allowing players flying bombers to home in on the correct objects.

Dynamic Strike

This object will create tactical strike missions for fighter-bombers and dive bombers, as well as defense missions for fighters.

Place the object anywhere on the map, set to the side of the strike aircraft.

-How it works: Set your strike and fighter aircraft to have no more than two waypoints (including the starting waypoint). You can have them take off from an airfield or carrier, they will land at the same point when they return.

Stormovik, Dive Bomber, and Fighter aircraft carrying bombs will be assigned to attack stationary tanks, trains, and vehicles of the opposing side at random. Fighters without bombs will be assigned to either orbit enemy targets to provide TARCAP, or friendly stationary targets to provide defence. This object should work with the Vector object as well. I also recommend using the Ground Attack object to best results.

You can ensure that friendly fighters fly only defensive (or offensive) missions by removing the stationary Tanks, Vehicles, or Trains from one or the other side. For instance, in a Battle of Britain type scenario, making sure that there are no stationary objects on the German side of the channel would ensure that all German fighters will cross the channel while all British fighters will defend English targets.
Weather

These objects allow mission designers to change the weather during a mission, either randomly or by creating their own storm systems.

RandomWeather

The RandomWeather object will randomly alter the weather at mission start. This weather will remain for the rest of the mission.

DynamicWeather

This object will shift the weather in linear increments during a mission. Weather will start at whatever the mission setting is, but then has a chance to either improve, worsen, or stay the same. Changing weather will affect clouds, but not wind.

BestClouds (0 - 7, indicates the best possible weather. Default is 0)
WorstClouds (0 - 7, indicates the worst possible weather. Default is 7)
DWInterval (time in minutes between weather shifts. Default is 20)

StormFront

The StormFront object allows mission designers to create a static "storm" over a particular part of the map. The weather will worsen as the player gets closer to the object, in approximately 50km "bands". I do not recommend using more than one of these objects per mission, or mixing it with other weather mods.

StormFrontDelay (delay in minutes until stormy weather comes into effect)
WorstClouds (0 - 7, indicates the worst possible weather. Default is 7)
Special Effects

These object simulate miscellaneous effects, without necessarily being 100% realistic. They are intended more for fun than accuracy, though some can and will cause damage to aircraft or ground objects.

Barrage

This object will create a series of explosions over a 1km x 1km area centered on the object, randomly timed and spaced to create the impression of an artillery barrage. The barrage will only occur when the player is within 10km of the object. It is intended more to create immersion then as a weapon, though it will damage buildings and units.

Soldiers (SLD and SLD2)

These objects spawn running soldiers (like the ones who run from trucks) when the player is within 10km of the object. The SLD object will spawn soldiers from the object itself. SLD2 will spawn soldiers from "prone infantry" units within 5000m of the object (designed to give infantry battles more life on the ground). Intended to create a sense of activity and panic during ground attacks, airfield strafing, etc.

Box

Simulates a box barrage. Enemy planes flying over this object will trigger a series of flak bursts at the height of the aircraft, filling a 1km x 1km x 500m space centered on the object. Multiple objects can be combined for a larger barrage.

Refuel

The refuel object allows for aerial refuelling of AI aircraft. To use, simply place it on the map and assign it the same side as the tanker aircraft (KB-29 or A-1 Tanker). By default, only planes already capable of refuelling can use this object (ie the F-84G-3 and FJ-Fury).

AI planes flying to the rear of the tanker aircraft will automatically take on fuel. Simply flying in formation with the tanker will usually get them close enough. Planes flying formation with a refuelling player should also refuel.

RefuelAll (1 = on. If active, all planes can refuel at tankers)

RefuelPlayer (1 = on. If active, the player can refuel at tankers without docking. Player must fly behind, below, and at roughly the same speed as the tanker to refuel)



Fire

The Fire object simulates a large-scale bombing raid on a city, designed to be used for night-bombing missions.

How it works: Place one or more fire objects in the area to be "bombed". When enemy planes fly over the object, it will begin to spawn fires in random locations, which will spread over time and eventually burn themselves out.

- As an experimental feature, this object will increase the maximum view distance, allowing the fires to be visible from 30-50 km away. This may have unintended effects on fps on some systems, especially if other smokes or fires are in use.

City Lights

Placing this object on City terrain will generate up to one hundred lights when the player's plane comes within sight of the city. The objects will not make lights on non-city terrain. This allows you to make missions with well lit cities without long loading times.

Bomb

The bomb object allows mission builders to simulate large-scale bombing raids by minimal numbers of aircraft. When a friendly bomber comes within 10km of the object, multiple clusters of bomb-strikes will erupt around the object, as if dozens of bombers were dropping their loads on the terrain below. For obvious reasons, this object is best used at night.
Multiplayer Issues

Please note that none of these objects has been tested by me in multiplayer. Some users report good results while using these objects online, and some (like Dynamic Weather) have proven problematic. I do not intend to spend time optimizing these objects for online use, since I do not play online and testing them would be a laborious and time consuming process.

If you do use them online, I recommend taking the following measures:

1) Use only one of each type of object (RESCAP, SAR, etc). Two or more may send conflicting messages, or cancel each other out. Objects that do not need to know where objects are relative to the player, like the FAC or AFAC objects should be relatively safe. Special Effects objects should also work online, in theory.

2) Play in co-op mode. The objects are not designed to broadcast to one player and not another, and may provide information to enemy players.

3) Do not use the DynamicWeather, RandomWeather, RandomTime, or StormFront Mods. Users have reported that weather changes for one user are different for others, leading to unbalanced missions.

Closing Notes

This mod is designed to be immersive and fun. It is a rough estimate of how these systems worked, and not designed to be 100% historical.

My main goal was to provide mission makers with a way to 'surprise' players with new objectives and make the game world feel more fluid and alive.

Thanks to Beo for help testing and for conceptual help and advice.

Thanks to 11th~Frog for the map-grid code borrowed from the Formation Mod, and kind permission to use it.

Thanks to Slipper for helping with research and ideas, and extensive beta testing.

Thanks to Sputnikshock for the original Radio Operator object and ideas, and for reworking the Air Intercept Radars. Also check out his additional standalone C&C objects.

Have fun!

Checkyersix.



[slipper]

Quick update everyone.

I haven't heard from Sputnik since Christmas time, i don't believe Monty has either. We were working on an update to make this compatible with 4.12, as far as i am concerned this is no longer happening.

No one could me more disappointed than me, but Sputnik was the brains behind the update. I do have a little java knowledge but not of the level required to tackle this on my own.

sorry all.

regards

slipper