Big Update Here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,72347.msg787650.html#msg787650(As a bonus, you can download the mission to play right now.)
This has to do with the large clone formations, or the algorithm that UQMG uses to quickly create copies of aircraft flights for large formations, or waves of planes.
Since then there have been some updates, and lots of good things going on:
* Created a good system for managing Spawn Points and Taxiing (more details later)
* Added more flexibility on Ground attack options (more details later)
* Added a feature from the old UQMG, for convenience: The ability to start Il-2/BAT from UQMG 1946 Max, or to switch from UQMG to Il-2/BAT
Spawn/Taxi Management
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Not unsurprisingly, coding can be a challenge and when you introduce a feature, you break 5 other things. Through persistence I think I created a good solution. So the templates have the basic information that is used for mission generation. To allow Spawn points, there needs to be a pre-designated set of Generic Spawn point static plane objects, as well as the taxiing waypoint information for each one of the Flight Groups (FG) in UQMG Max. So, there are 24 total FGs, for up to 96 objects. I created a way to manage the use of the Spawn points so that the ones that are not used are removed from the mission. This saves a bit of memory and helps performance. Also, although they are invisible and have no collision model, moving aircraft get confused by them if they are in the way and they stop taxiing.
As I explained a few times, Spawn points cannot be reused by multiple planes. This means I had to change the coding to allow only the first set of planes in a given FG to use the Spawn points... subsequent waves use a pre-determined spawn waypoint and the other planes line up to the Right of the lead plane. Some experimentation is necessary at times. You can also choose to not use the spawn points at all and just go for the Line-to-the-right option. Remember to use the separation feature. Most fighters are OK with 20 meter separation but for large planes like the He-111Z, you need at least 75 meters, if they fit!
UQMG uses Start/Action/End logic, a fancy term for the ability to mix and match behavior. For example, you could have Red FG1 consist of bombers taking off from their default base. Say Red FG2's default base is somewhere else... perhaps a carrier... (yeah, those are there too...), you can have them take off or start in FG1's base... then you can escort the bombers, and then you can return to a different base... say, their original default, or perhaps a different base altogether... like FG5's...
For Special Operations, you can have the planes land or takeoff from an enemy location... perhaps a defection...
Ground Attack Management:
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Typically Ground attack will take place at the Action area... and that shifts per FG depending on the team and the perspective of the mission... that is... whether the mission was created for the Red or Blue team.
I design the templates to have multiple targets on purpose but that creates a conumdrum... I hated that area bombing may take the first atarget area instead of another... and maybe I want the mission to concentrate on a particular area or target type... now you can have a degree of choice:
* Default (No target at all if you are not doing ground attack, or go for everything... results may vary)
* First target. Ground attack will be at first GATTACK waypoint in the section, or action area
* Middle target. Ground attack will pick a waypoint somewhereish in teh middle... So if you have 3 GATTACK waypoints for that FG in that map template, the second one would be picked... depending on the number of GATTACK waypoints the results will vary... if it is two, it is the second, or last one. If it is 6... it will pick the 4th one... etc.
* Last target... if it is one GATTACK waypoint, none of this will matter, but if there are multiple ones... it will pick the last one as expected.
I also finished the Kamikaze logic... and you can select the targets as above as well.
Be warned that if you manually change things with the Waypoint editor, you may get varying results... I actually find that interesting.
Below is a picture...
SWITCHING APPS
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Very simple, although programmatically I had to do a bit of research because VB.NET is quite different from VB6.0, this allows you to launch IL-2 or switch focus to IL-2 from UQMG... just a convenience. See below. You may recall this feature from UQMG Classic if you ever used the updates that started coming around 2020 or so.
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Topic: UQMG 1946 Max - Development Log & Updates (7 Apr 2024 - Update 2) (Read 10173 times)
