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[-=MaD=-]

The same 2 weeks, day or minutes I'm waiting for the VPC T-50 Throttle since december 2017? Or for Clod 5.x? Or ...?
Well, we are all used to wait in the flightsim world...
Take your time!

[whistler]

v3.0 has been superseded by v3.1 (bug-fix release) but everything below is still valid...

Next Generation HUD (NG-HUD) Mod v3.1

NG-HUD v3.1 marks the end of the runway. My work on the field is complete. You are airborne now and on your own. Several aspects of the mod have been refined/improved/enhanced and functionality is now consolidated in its final, definitive, intended form.

The first post has been revised and it contains the most relevant information. Refer to the Readme included in the download for in-depth descriptions.

Special thanks to greybeard, my wingman, for tireless testing sessions, constant feedback and support. NG-HUD is what it is thanks to his observations, comments and inputs. THANKS!


Little things here and there

There are no ngHUD* conf.ini settings available this time around. Desired functionality should be achieved through in-game settings and controls. I put a lot of thought on every possible scenario to please all kind of players and I hope there is no controversy around my decissions.

• ngHUDicons removed: The speedbar images can be edited directly if needed.
• ngHUDsector removed: The sector indicator works now well in every map and situation and it has become an integral part of the mod.
• ngHUDtrainer removed: NG-HUD is designed in a way that no cockpit indicators (other than trim tabs) should be visible when engaged in combat.

There is only one (optional) conf.ini setting now that allows you to move the bottom-right log to its historical middle-right position:

------------------------
[game]
lowInfoHud=1
------------------------

Set lowInfoHud=1 (default) to have the log at the bottom-right.
Set lowInfoHud=0 to move the log to the middle-right.

If you are in 4.13 you can change this setting in-game by enabling:
Setup > Mis Settings > HUD > 'Show Info HUD at Bottom of Screen'
(you have to restart the game for this change to apply)


**************************************************************************************

A few new (really missed) entries have been added to the log:



And a bonus log functionality has been implemented: let's say you want to take a screenshot, you pause the game right where you want it but up until now when you hide the HUD the log remained visible (in example you could have 'Power: 76%' and 'Flaps: Combat'). You either unpaused the game until the log clears up or you had to edit the image. NG-HUD will now 'clear' the log when you hide the HUD so that you can take and post gorgeous images.

Aileron, elevator and rudder trim indicators have been converted to keystrokes (or 'wheel clicks' if you prefer). The previous percentage format didn't make much sense and the implementation was revisited. Update your aircraft notes and adjust to the new format!

Oh and the Tailwheel (locked) indicator is now there too. Raise your gear or get airborne and it will hide.


Log brightness will progressively decrease/increase at sunset/dawn and there's a new Orders Menu night-background. NG-HUD night-mode is now fully realized for the bravest of the brave




**************************************************************************************

Not only other elements of the HUD get the drop-shadows treatment in this release, but Morse text has been repositioned to the middle-left and it no longer gets obscured by the orders menu. Thanks blackshark for the report!




**************************************************************************************

Aircraft info changes a little. You will have from now on your Flight number and the role assigned to you. You will see why this matters later on. Keep reading.

The engine monitor is now called 'Powerplant Monitor' and engines info has been improved.

• Engine status: Off / Starting / Inoperable / Output power
• Magnetos will not be displayed when 1+2 are selected. Mags don't do much anyway and the indicator takes precious space when C.E.M. is enabled
• For the sake of completeness oil temperature has been added to the Powerplant monitor. It comes in a 'percentage format': When an engine overheats the most common cause is the oil temperature, make sure the oil indicator stays below 100%.

There are more improvements that don't need to be explained. You can check the changelog at the bottom. Let's get down to business now

**************************************************************************************

I mentioned earlier the sector indicator is now fixed (stock bug, NG-HUD now mimics this bug) and should work fine in every map and scenario, this allows us to push NG-HUD a little further...

Let me introduce your new virtual helper:

THE NAVIGATOR

WARNING
The EngineMod causes waypoints to be 'skipped' for no apparent reason. You may notice it when flying as Flight Leader. Any custom install or mod-pack that includes the EngineMod as of this release can be impacted, in example B.A.T. Linebacker (all modules) (Fixed in B.A.T. v3.5 Musketter) and VP-Modpack (JETWAR addon only). Find a temporal fix in Reply #149


Flying with an icon-less map is a thrilling but daunting task. Unless you spend a good deal of time studying the briefing and taking copious notes you just don't know where to go next. Because flying without map icons is so immersive, NG-HUD gets new navigational skills! You no longer have to focus on an icon, dot or line but on your surroundings and actual geographical features of the map. A map without icons is a new world ready to be explored...

Review 'THE CHECKLIST' section in the first post and optionally enable/disable map icons/path at will. Bring up the mini-map to get detailed information of your current goal.


:: FLIGHT MEMBERS ::

There can be up to four members in your Flight: Flight Leader / Flight Wingman / Element Leader / Element Wingman

External views info has been enhanced should you need to identify who's who in your Squadron...




:: BEING A LEADER ::

When you are the (real or virtual) Flight Leader, bring up the mini-map and you will get:

• Next / Single / Final waypoint + distance + ETA
• Waypoint type + Altitude
• Heading to the next Waypoint + waypoint sector location

As the Flight Leader you must 'check' each and every waypoint for the navigator to switch to the next one. Remember that you can optionally change to the next/prev waypoint via Orders Menu anytime when being a (real) Flight Leader (Flight No. > Navigation)

You should be able to follow the predetermined route without much trouble with the navigation helper. Mission Abort!? Don't panic: forget about the waypoints and request a vector to home base.


Needless to say that your Flight must have the required payload to carry out an Air Strike, otherwise the "Ground Attack" waypoint will be ignored...




:: FOLLOWING A LEADER ::

When you are not the (real or virtual) Leader, make sure not only to follow your appointed Leader but to also follow orders! You will have on-screen:

• Orders from your Leader
• Leader to follow + Altitude
• Heading to your Leader + Leader sector location

Real vs Virtual Leader scenarios:

• When you are the real or virtual Flight Leader you are in charge of your Flight.
  -Flight members will follow you. Make sure to 'check' all your waypoints.
  
  
• When you start as Flight Wingman the navigator points to the Flight Leader.
  -The Flight Leader dies, you become the virtual Flight Leader (go to 1).
  
  
• When you start as Element Leader the navigator points to the Flight Leader.
  -The Flight Leader dies, the navigator points to the Flight Wingman.
  -The Flight Wingman dies or is dead, you become the virtual Flight Leader (go to 1).
  
  
• When you start as Element Wingman the navigator points to the Element Leader.
  -The Element Leader dies, the navigator points to the Flight Leader.
  -The Flight Leader dies or is dead, the navigator points to the Flight Wingman.
  -The Flight Wingman dies or is dead, you become the Flight Leader (go to 1).

Some notes:

• Death refers to the aircraft not being in a flyable condition: critical damage, no fuel...
• When you are a 'virtual' leader your wingmen might follow but you cannot give orders. This is a game limitation.
• 4.13's Javelin Formation has been obviated to guarantee compatibility between game versions. Only a handful of 4.13 missions will be impacted.

And a couple of clarifications:

• The Navigator is limited to your Flight of up to four aircraft. Remember that you may be part of a Squadron and the Squadron Leader can have top-secret orders or different goals...
• When you engage the Autopilot your current waypoint can 'reset', or the landing waypoints can change dramatically. NG-HUD does not alter the game functionality in any way. When you enable the Autopilot your aircraft becomes an AI drone... My advise? Try not to use the Autopilot. Use the Level Stabilizer instead.

**************************************************************************************

Here's the full changelog:

Code: [Select]

v3.1 - 04/09/2018
-----------------------
- Fixed a (Navigator) bug where certain takeoff/landing waypoints would not be displayed
- Lifted the restriction to have 'Realistic Navigation' enabled to use the Navigator


v3.0 Gold - 01/09/2018
-----------------------

ORDERS MENU:

- New night background
- New Flight number and Flight/Element Leader/Wingman information
- Aircraft type, Weight and Fuel (plus Nitro if available) merged into one line to save some space
- Hidden Fuel and Engine info from glider types
- New engine status: Off / Starting / Inoperable
- Magnetos indicator will not be displayed when the 1+2 are selected (magnetos don't do much anyway
  and the indicator takes precious space when C.E.M. is enabled)
- For the sake of completeness Oil temperature (percentage) has been added to the engine monitor.

SPEEDBAR & COCKPIT INDICATORS:

- Again, for the sake of completeness I added the Tailwheel (locked) indicator: it will only be
  displayed when the gear is lowered and the aircraft is near ground (or sea).
- Aileron, elevator and rudder trim indicators converted to keystrokes.
- Recalculated the moment the speed indicator turns yellow. Instead of using VmaxH, the formula
  now is (VmaxAllowed - ((VmaxAllowed - VmaxH) / 2)). It should change to yellow less often.
- Fixed wrong sector Y reading (stock bug: NG-HUD now mimics this bug). The sector indicator works
  now well in every map and situation. Since the grid coordinates are ok now the sector indicator
  has become an integral part of the HUD and it cannot longer be disabled (ngHUDsector conf.ini
  setting has been removed)
- ngHUDicons conf.ini option is no longer available either: The speedbar images and icon files can
  be edited directly if needed.
- G-warning code revisited to be triggered only when the aircraft is airborne
- NG-HUD gets new navigational skills! Check "The Navigator" section in the Readme.

MISCELLANEOUS:

- 'No Speed Bar' (or hardcore mode) now also includes station names (bombardier, gunner...)
- Pause menu visible in Wonder Woman view
- New external views actor identifiers (members of your flight, other flights in your squadron...)
- Morse text repositioned to the middle-left (below the orders menu) and color changed to bright
  yellow (thanks blackshark for the report!)
- Drop-shadows applied to other elements of the HUD (Mission Complete, etc)
- New log entries: HUD units / HUD icons / Taxiing guide line
- HUD icons have now a bold typeface for better readability
- Log color brightness will progressively decrease/increase at sunset/dawn
- Bottom-right Log can be moved to the middle-right by adding lowInfoHud=0 to the [game] section of
  your conf.ini. If you are in 4.13 you can change this setting in-game by enabling:
  Setup > Mis Settings > HUD > Show Info HUD at Bottom of Screen
  (you have to restart the game for this change to apply)

Downloads

Just like with previous updates, disable and delete any previous versions! NG-HUD v3.1 download link can be found in the first post.

Have fun!

[SpongeBob]

Hi Whistler,

I like very much your HUD new concepts. I've just seen and downloaded the new version. Not tried yet, but the new features about navigation seem to be really useful and will permit to hide map icons without feeling lost now and there.

Thank you very much!!!

[KingTiger503]

Nice, looks Perfect.

[tartenmuche]

Dear Whistler,
splendid work!!!
Best regards and thank you.
Tart

[Paulo Hirth]

THANK YOU AGAIN!!

[DaVa]

Thank YOU!!! 

[SpongeBob]

Hi Whistler,
I've been playing with the new navigation feature, and I've found a small problem. In your last post you say "When you engage the Autopilot some waypoints get sometimes ignored (the game jumps for no apparent reason to two or more waypoints ahead) and waypoints can 'reset', or the original mission waypoints can change dramatically. NG-HUD does not alter the game functionality in any way. When you enable the Autopilot your aircraft becomes an AI drone... My advise? Try not to use the Autopilot. Use the Level Stabilizer instead."

However, in my install (BAT Linebacker, with no extra mods except NG-HUD), it turns to be just the opposite as you describe: I've created a simple mission with four planes (player being the flight leader), and a zig-zag pattern flight (8 waypoints) starting midair. When flying manually, Navigator skips one waypoint of every two (that is, when reaching waypoint two, it skips waypoint three and points towards number four, there it skips waypoint five and points towards number six...). However, when using Autopilot, the plane follows exactly the flight plan and Navigator works as it should, heading to every single waypoint.

I've tested this with different planes in different maps and the result is always the same.
Has anyone experienced this? Thank you

[whistler]

Thank you guys. It is a relief no bugs have been reported.

Hi SpongeBob,

Thanks for having taking the time to play with it and for having shared your findings. Let's first refer to this sentence in that paragraph:

When you engage the Autopilot some waypoints get sometimes ignored (the game jumps for no apparent reason to two or more waypoints ahead) and waypoints can 'reset', or the original mission waypoints can change dramatically. NG-HUD does not alter the game functionality in any way. When you enable the Autopilot your aircraft becomes an AI drone... My advise? Try not to use the Autopilot. Use the Level Stabilizer instead.

The 'Navigator' does not change or alter waypoints. It just displays core information in a (hopefully) comprehensible format. Everything you notice is the '46 AI engine at work. Game behavior is the same with or without NG-HUD. 100% guaranteed.

There is a reason Realistic Navigation must be enabled: when you disable it you can see in the map a line linking your aircraft to the next expected waypoint. I force you to enable Realistic Navigation to hide that line and avoid visual misunderstandings (plus you get all the Realistic Navigation goodies but that's a different topic). Now that you documented your experiment, run the same test with Realistic Navigation disabled, remove NG-HUD if you like. Compare the results. Not only the results will be exactly the same, but you will probably see the line jumping from waypoint to waypoint for no apparent reason (ie set a Ground Attack waypoint and fly as wingman). The game can take 'weird' decisions that can only be understood if you examine the source code.

As player, the only way to enjoy the Navigator is to forget about everything and do just what it says. It will take you 'there and back'. You may miss a waypoint here and there but you won't encounter that enemy and you will live to fight another day

I am more than happy to comment further, either here or privately. You can send PMs with your test missions and I can (try to) explain what happens and why but from this point and on anything related to this subject is "genuine IL-2 engine behavior". My advise to mission builders is to test their missions with Realistic Navigation OFF to understand where the game expects players to go next. That way you can detect if waypoints are being skipped by the engine and determine if the missed waypoint is relevant for the mission...

Best regards,

[whistler]

Folks,

I was just playing a DOF mission where the mission builder created a custom airfield without 'TestRunway' objects. Terrain was a little bumpy but all was good until it was time to get back to the aerodrome and then *blip* the navigator disappeared! No waypoint home no nothing!

I focused so much on built-in map airfields and carriers that I completely forgot you can takeoff and land from virtually anywhere! Fool of me! This deserves a new v3.1 (fix already in place) but let's wait a few days to see if anything else pops up.

Please report any issues you may find.
Your collaboration is key to improve the navigator.



Thanks for your patience and understanding.

[SpongeBob]

Ok, Whistler, thanks for your quick and detailed answer. I did as you propose (turning off realistic navigation) and observed the game behaviour. Now I see that NG-HUD Navigation just tells you with numbers the heading proposed by the line that connect your plane with the next waypoint (I haven't used realistic navigation-OFF for such a long time that I forgot that feature). As your predicted, the game skips one waypoint every two in my test mission. Surprisingly, when using autopilot, the game follows exactly the flight plan without skipping any waipoint.
It is good to know that using realistic navigation-OFF I can easily predict which waypoints will be ignored and avoid them if I need to lead the action towards a specific location.

Definitely, your mod is a great addition. I have tried many times to start a campaign without map icons, but there was often a mission were I got completely lost. Now I feel confident to start campaigns with map icons OFF without fear of losing most of the action.

Best regards.

[barber]

Thank you Whistler!

Cheers
Barber