Dogs Of War Vu
Sim/Strategy/War => Flight Simulation => FSX/P3D/X-Plane => Topic started by: Asid on August 15, 2019, 01:04:09 PM
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FSCAI: Flight Simulator Combat Artificial Intelligence FSX/P3D
Compatibility: FSX, Prepar3D
Forum (http://fscaptain.proboards.com/board/29/fscai)
Download (http://fscaptain.proboards.com/thread/3218/)
The A.I fire back!
What is FSCAI?
Dutch Owen
FSCAI stands for Flight Simulator Combat Artificial Intelligence. It's a separate program that adds "intelligence" to regular AI SimObjects in the simulated world so that they can function as combat units. You can think of it as an offshoot of the more benign "living world" simulation... but with a more hostile intent. :) In particular, the configuration of the FSCAI program gives weapons to objects, which they can then use to shoot at each other - or at you, the pilot.
Right now FSCAI is in development. It's far from complete. But even in its state now its first application is to support the Assignments/Missions environment of FSCaptain. There, it provides intelligent opposition to the pilot/player in a hostile scenario. It's even used in the "Special Mission" scenario available in two stages from KOLM in the sample set of assignments. (I won't tell you how it's used, but if you get too curious about the shady activities going in the the remote location you're assigned to fly to, you just might find out!)
We realize that some simulator pilots would like to use FSCAI for purposes outside of FSCaptain, and ultimately, when finished, it's intended for that purpose. But right now during development we are making a separate stand-alone version available that can be installed on any FSX, FSX-SE, or Prepar3d system (including Prepar3D version 4).
We hope you enjoy the "game changing" nature of FSCAI, and that you'll report back to us here with bugs or suggestions as the program develops.
This board here (http://fscaptain.proboards.com/board/29/fscai) is the place to do that, and to communicate with us - the developers of FSCAI.
Dutch
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A few thoughts: why bother?
Dutch Owen 01/08/19
Although I've seldom heard it spoken or seen it written, I know a question prople who know what this project is about have to be asking: why bother?
Why work to create a combat simulation environment inside a flight sim that wasn't designed to support it? There are several highly detailed and realistic combat flight simulators out there already and have been for many years under constant development and improvement. They have great graphics and detailed aircraft with realistic flight models. They were designed from the ground up to be combat flight sims, and therefore can do things we can never do in the FSX/Prepar3d world (for just one example damage modelling for aircraft and buildings.)
What is the "market"? Anyone interested in shooting and being shot at already has at least one of these installed and play them. Why does one want to have such a thing in the civilian world?
I can only answer from my personal perspective.
All the alternatives available (and I've tried most of them) are missing two elements I think are essential to realistic military flight operations: Global scope and realistic weather. They also are quite narrowly focused on an era and a location. They offer content only as it applies to that narrow focus. They have a revenue model that requires constant selling of new content, so they have no incentive to expand to a global scale, only to continue to sell (often for a premium price) more aircraft and maps and scenarios.
With the ESP/FSX/P3D world of flight simulation (hereafter just "FS") there's only one map and you get it with the base package: the entire world. And there is the unlimited capacity to alter scenery to suit any particular local requirements - and with a huge base of products and utilities to help you do just that.
As for weather, it's usually at best an afterthought in commercial combat simulators. I think the reason is that so many are dedicated to multiplayer aerial dueling, and people who are into that just don't want the weather to get in the way. It's true you can design missions that include adverse weather, but it's not dynamic or realistic. Real weather has always been a huge factor in military planning. The ability of FS (with a good weather add-on) to replicate real weather is a game changer. If you fly in "real weather" like I do it adds another enemy to the game.
With FS, we get a huge selection of pre-built aircraft, with the potential for more to be added all the time; both payware and freeware. You get a wide choice.
And the final area I will mention is free flight. Outside of multiplayer servers, none of the commercial combat simulators I know offer a true free flight mode. All rely on canned pre-built mission scripts. The missions are fine, but somehow limited. You have an objective and if you do the right things at the right time, you win. And move on. But seldom is there is feeling of flying towards a general objective but not knowing what will happen along the way or when you get there. Each time should be different, not because the mission designer went to a lot of trouble to "randomize" his mission, but because of the inherent nature of the way things are simulated.
Of course there are drawbacks to FS to balance these benefits. The flight models are optimized for civilian flight and this can only partially be overcome with great effort. Most combat aircraft sold or provided for free have no weapons and usually even the weapon switches are not animated (the exception being the small number that have been designed for Tacpack). While it's possible to design a combat airplane with a damage model in FS no one has because there's been no standard to adhere to and no program to supply the information to implement it.
Combat in FS has never really "gotten there", despite efforts, because of the limited interest - and the limited interest is mainly because combat in FS has never really "gotten there".
FSCAI is an experiment to see if we, together, can break out of that loop of futility and see what can be done.
Thanks for supporting this project.
Dutch
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A Deeper Look at the New Features of Version 3
Dutch Owen 15/08/19
Greetings Captains,
The new FSCAI release is still cooking. Documentation and packaging, plus more debugging to try and reduce the number of stupid things AI pilots do is ongoing and picking up pace. While we wait, here's much more detailed information on the new features:
A PDF describing New Features: here (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/Version_3_Features.pdf)
Regards,
Dutch
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"The only thing remaining to make FSCAI a comprehensive combat simulation is ground targets engaging one another, and that will be coming in a later release."
Dutch Owen 15/08/19
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This is quite impressive and a good indication of this sim engine's flexibility. I'm just wondering if the devs are slightly concerned about FS 2020 announcement. It seems to be a completely different engine so all these add-ons may not work in the new but at the same time a very impressive environment.
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None of the addons will work I bet, you'll have to by a new version. It'll take a while for the addon market to get going. By the looks of the graphics engine, most will want to get all their favorites in the new sim.
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Status and some Observations, Aug 17.
Dutch Owen 17/08/19
"Captains,
Right now, this weekend, I'm working on flaws in the ground attack multi-pass logic. Once that's done, and some touchup work is done on the vehicle and weapon editors in the IU, I think at least a "preview" version will be ready for release; so that all of you that are interested can try out and offer your comments and bug reports.
Remember, this is really a co-development effort. We're counting on your feedback. We are all going here where no FSX-P3D simmer has ever gone before - into the realms of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat for AI opponents. These early alpha releases are to find the flaws and add capabilities to the small initial set that's already implemented.
A short list of major things still to be designed and implemented:
• Radar. The only radar we have now is the special-purpose radar on some AAA objects and all that does is allow them to detect and track you BVR and to shoot at you even if they can't see you. The whole concept of ground based early warning and intercept radar and airborne detection and missile guidance radar is not yet implemented. We need to think about how to do this in the FSCAI environment without making it too complex - yet realistic in effect and capabilities.
• Installable RWR (radar warning receiver) gauges in user aircraft. This is tied in with the Radar problem. It's not fair to give radar guided missiles to your opponents without you being able to get warning, like in the real world.
• Defensive ACM. Right now this is only very basic. AI units don't have countermeasures (chaff, flares, jamming) and don't try very hard to get away from you.
• Offensive ACM. AI has only a few basic maneuvers to get on your six. We need more. But it's hard to get civilian-trained AI pilots to execute vertical ACM for example. (If they have all-aspect missiles it's a different story - they are very good at getting the first shot the instant you are within range.)
• An easy-to-use Missions builder. This is crucial. We won't start to build up a big base of good missions until it's easy to do for users. Right now it's hard because the only editor is Notepad!
In regards to the ACM issues I really need some help from professionals or knowledgeable amateurs. I understand air-to-ground combat pretty well, but I can't dogfight worth a damn and never have been able to. I theoretically understand basic ACM but when I try to take on AI pilots in other combat games I get destroyed quickly. And I can't program what I can't really do.
So far I'm the only one to try this in FS, you will be one of the first very soon. We face some serious flaws in the FSX/P3D environment that probably mean that no matter what we do we'll never really get to a top-notch air-to-air combat sim. At least it will be a hell of a challenge. I see two big roadblocks so far:
Problem #1: getting the FS AI to fly combat type maneuvers is very difficult. Right now they are just too slow and leisurely about it - which they are programmed to be in FSX/P3D because it's a civilian sim. I have programmed what I call "assists" which are using SimConnect to force unusual bank and pitch angles on the AI as they turn, climb, and descend. It's even possible to get them to go inverted using those tricks, but they fight against it; always trying to re-establish the safe parameters of "normal flight". This is because of my initial decision to use the Sim's AI. There's another option called "Slew Mode" which lets us completely take over all flight dynamics. That might be the solution but it's also a big challenge in and of itself: being fully responsible for all AI flight dynamics is a very tall order.
Problem #2: the developers of typical AI combat aircraft in FSX/P3D rarely put much effort into accurate realistic flight dynamics in the aircraft.cfg and .air files. They don't have to; it's enough to get them to take off, and fly from point to point at a reasonable speed on a flight plan and land. Of course no one considers the possibily of combat, it has never existed before. Typically, AI for combat aircraft are just copies of generic flight dynamics from already existing airplanes. What this means is that they all basically fly the same except for speed and mass. For just one example; an AI spitfire is no different from an AI ME109 even though in real life they are quite different, each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages which the knowledgeable pilot will try to exploit in his enemy and avoid in his own airplane. A dedicated combat sim will implement these differences but with FSX/P3D all this goes away - they are basically all alike. The only way to fix this is to carefully pay attention to the flight dynamics of AI aircraft and that would be a massive project. (Keep in mind that using "slew mode" to solve problem #1 would make this everything-is-the same problem even worse. We'd then have to have completely new and separate flight dynamics definitions for each AI aircraft.)
Even with these problems having potential single-player AI opponents in the air is a game-changer for FSX/P3D. No longer can you count on perfect safety in enemy airspace until you get near your ground targets. Fighter sweeps and CAPs take on real meaning now. Even if we don't rival dedicated combat sims in the end, it's still worth the effort to try.
Anyway, on to some debugging. I really need to get this out I have other major projects to attend to.
Dutch"
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I hope Dutch sorts the annoying P3d 64 bit installer bug !
I had to install FSX steam edition purely to trick it to install for P3D .
Unfortunately Dutch seems to go missing alot and I can imagine alot of people had problems getting FSCAI to work in P3D 64 bit . I had to work it out on my own , alot of people would give up .
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I hope Dutch sorts the annoying P3d 64 bit installer bug !
I had to install FSX steam edition purely to trick it to install for P3D .
Unfortunately Dutch seems to go missing alot and I can imagine alot of people had problems getting FSCAI to work in P3D 64 bit . I had to work it out on my own , alot of people would give up .
I had no problems installing and running it in P3DV4.5 :thumbsup
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Status and some Observations, Aug 17.
Dutch Owen 20/08/19
Using the C++ that FSCAI is written in I have access to SimConnect which gives the ability to detach any AI from ATC control and to give it one or more waypoints (LLA) to fly to - and I can specify the speed for each waypoint. This is how I control the AI maneuvers - for example a basic turn fight is constantly issuing waypoints to fly to a point in space about 1 KM directly behind the user aircraft. Vary the altitude and location and you can manage the basics of any basic combat maneuver.
The problem is making the AI pilot do it right now and not after he reads his checklists and gets all ready. For that I use the functions to force pitch, roll and yaw on the AI airplane as it executes the flight to the programmed waypoint.
"Slew mode" is something different. Placing an AI in slew mode means you give up all sim control of it, you have to program pitch, roll, thrust and yaw at all times - you're 100% responsible for where it goes and how it gets there 100% of the time until you take it out of slew mode. You are the pilot, not the AI inside the sim. Much more power and freedom, along with much more responsibility.
After things settle a bit the first experiments with Slew mode will be to use it just while they are in formation, and copy the user airplane's parameters to the wingmen. IF that works well we can try and replace the "fly to waypoint" sim function with one we write in Slew mode.
Thanks for your offer I'm sure you can be a big help!
Dutch
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Air-to-Air demonstration video - FSCAI
Dutch Owen 27/08/19
Captains,
Here is a short video showing two air-to-air engagements with the F-5 Freedom Fighter jet by Tim Conrad.
I know it's been quiet here for a couple of weeks but FSCAI ALPHA version 3 (0.9.1) is about ready to post - in the next few days.
I'll post this and some more videos to help you get ready as we wait.
Instructional Demonstration: FSCAI Air to Air Combat
https://youtu.be/d-kcnIMTTRk
More to come shortly, showing wingmen, air-to-ground. and user interface basics.
1. FSCAI will give weapons to and enable combat for any aircraft in the sky that is listed in its database with weapons attached. It doesn't have to be spawned from FSCAI it can be on a regular MSFS flight plan or spawned by anything else such as a mission script. When it detects an enemy (based on the team setup in FSCAI) it will attack. (I have to say I haven't tested this with FS mission scripts, so I can't say that for sure yet - but it should work.)
2. Yes, FSCAI weapons can be used in multiplayer by users or AI. They work the same either way.
Dutch
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FSCAI Demo video Number 2 (with bonus)
Dutch Owen 27/08/19
Captains,
This video shows off more of the capabilities of FSCAI - including a wingman, ground strikes, and 2 on 2 air combat.
FSCAI A-10A Airfield Strike Demo
https://youtu.be/2d2hDoU6mBA
At the end of that video I talk about another run of the same mission with a different outcome. This video is the record of that event:
The same Mission with a different result - and an FSX crash at the end.
https://youtu.be/rHyy1c7uNe4
(The last one includes bonus footage of me fumbling and failing to arm the missiles before engaging and somehow surviving anyway.)
Best,
Dutch
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Q/A
Dutch Owen 27/08/19
Question/Idea #1: FSCAI keeps a log of your flights with lots of details but the standalone version doesn't extend that into a career. However, an interface to FSCaptain will update the standard FSCaptain career log with your FSCAI flights, so that your career is built there. No plans to simulate beyond a personal log at this time.
Question/Idea #2: The ground targets are based on a "generic symbolic name" concept. For example a mission places a ground object named "RED_SAM" for an enemy SAM site. There is a directory of generic/symbolic names in two files named "SimObjects_STD.cfg" and SimObjects_USER.cfg. These are used to translate that generic name to an actual object in priority order. In this case it first looks for an FSX@War SAM SimObject and if found it uses that one, if not, then it looks for a Prepar3d SAM model, and failing that the last selection is one of the standard FSX/P3D vehicles like a pickup truck. No matter what visual model is finally selected, it will be weaponized the same - a surface to air missile like an SA-13.
Visually the different models look different but functionally they are all the same. They live to blast you out of the sky!
Aircraft are treated differently. They are weaponized based on the atc_model defined in the aircraft.cfg file. FSCAI looks for a match between that an air aircraft-type vehicle to determine what weapons to attach to a flying SimObject.
Hope that helps,
Dutch
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Q/A
Dutch Owen 28/08/19
Yep, it is true that FSCAI does nothing to try and restrain its users from wild ideas. You can define weapons with crazy unrealistic numbers, and you can attach virtually any weapon (up to eight of them!) to any SimObject in the game regardless of whether that's realistic or not. You can, if you want, just by tweaking a few numbers in the database, make a baggage cart into a Buk anti-aircraft missile site able to shoot down airliners at 35,000 feet!
It's your simulated world - have fun with it however you want!
Dutch
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA.
Dutch Owen 30/08/19
Captains,
Are you ready to take the plunge?
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.2 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.8MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190829.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.2 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.7MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190829.zip)
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
FSCAI is being released in this early state for those interested to download and explore. We ask for feedback both in bug reports and as suggestions for improvement. Please read the list of known issues before reporting bugs.
We have no problem if you choose to announce this on other forums in other corners of the Internet where people may be interested. Please if you do this, link back to this announcement rather than directly to the downloads. This forum is open to reading without a login. Thank you.
Major New Features:
• New Missions System built-in from the FSCaptain Assignment System.
• Air to Air Combat: Enemy Aircraft can be assigned weapons.
• "Instant Action" Feature by creating a dogfight opponent easily.
• Air to Ground: AI aircraft can attack ground targets.
• Ability to Summon AI aircraft and pilots as wingmen.
• Ability to use the new AI Weapons in any User Aircraft.
• A Virtual Bombardier to guide you in dropping bombs.
• Revamped effects and sounds throughout.
• Dozens of Missions to support FSX@War Pack 1 and Southeast Asia.
• New Team Configuration System.
• Completely New User Interface.
List of Known Issues:
• Radar Guided Missiles are not implemented.
• AI Aircraft won't use rockets when attacking ground targets.
• Wingmen do not maintain formation very well.
• Air Combat Maneuvers by AI pilots are limited in this edition.
• AI Pilots are rookies and not proficient at air-to-air combat yet.
• The Mission Editor is still under development.
• The "Weapons" key combinations can't be changed from the UI.
Please read the manual, at least page 2 (the Quick Start page) before you try and engage in air combat using the opponent creation feature. Reading the manual is a very good idea anyway. It's in a preliminary state but should give you all the info you need to get started. The manual is located in the Manuals folder inside the FSCAI folder in the root folder of your sim. Questions can always be asked here in the forum.
While this is ALPHA software and is made available for testing it is neither illegal, immoral, or unethical to have fun while testing it. I certainly do!
Thank you for helping develop this program and sticking with us while we go where no one has gone before in Flight Simulator.
Dutch
Original announcement. (http://fscaptain.proboards.com/thread/3950/announcement-release-fscai-third-edition)
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v190830
Dutch Owen 30/08/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.3 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190830.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.3 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.9MB (http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=71fe2139a887ad501313cd8cce3053c5&subId=2798716&u=http%3A//fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190830.zip)
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Changelog
• Makerwys.exe added
I updated the installers to version 0.9.3 with the inclusion of Makerwys.exe and it will be automatically run if needed to create R5.csv. Glad you spotted that. Makerwys.exe is a free utility from Pete Dowson that many other programs use, including FSCaptain.
Dutch
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Thinking clearly about Radar in FSCAI
28 Aug 2019
Dutch Owen
Captains interested in FSCAI Combat,
As I've said a couple of times here and there one of the major features of modern air combat that's missing in FSCAI at the present time is a through simulation of radar. Right now, targeting is done entirely visually - if an A.I. can't see you it won't target you. If you get out of visual range before you are engaged the AI will drop you as a target (you can duck into a cloud to get away for instance).
Obviously, this has to be remedied so we need to put radar into the simulation. But radar makes things quite complicated and has serious implications outside of just the FSCAI program itself.
One concept we should keep in mind is balance. Generally as far as possible we don't want to give the AI pilots any capability that the user can't have (if he has the right aircraft and equipment) and also we don't want to give the user an unfair potential advantage over any AI adversary no matter what his FSCAI equipment can do.
Right now, without radar for the AI, that advantage of user over AI exists - many airplanes the user can fly have some form of radar, and Tacpack has radar-guided missiles like the AIM-120 that can strike well beyond visual range.
So let's think about how to give the AI pilots some useful radar capabilities.
Right now ground-based guns (only guns, not missiles) can be tagged as 'radar guided'. What this does in practical terms is that the gunners can target an aircraft regardless of visibility if the aircraft is within their radar range, and they can shoot at the aircraft so long as it remains painted on their gun radar even if they can't see it. The 'gun radar' isn't explicitly defined, it's assumed to have a visibility cone of 360 degrees and the range as being the same as the weapon range.
I see us giving the advantages of radar to AI aircraft in stages, starting with the easiest and going on to the more difficult areas later.
Step 1. Extend targeting capability of aircraft equipped with radar.
The important attributes of a radar set are its range and visibility cone. Since airborne radar capability varies widely its obvious we have to define radar sets as "weapons" to FSCAI, but weapons that don't shoot they just have special targeting capabilities. We already allow a weapon type of "RADAR" and there are couple of experimental sets already in the database (the RP-21 and RP-22 radars typically found on the MiG-21). It should be a simple matter to do an additional check in the targeting functions to see if the aircraft has a radar set attached to it, and if it does, can that radar detect an enemy aircraft within its range and visibility cone? If so, treat the target as visible to the AI pilot whether we can see it or not.
Step 2. Extend targeting capability to ground based radars.
It is possible to define a radar set with a range and visibility cone and attach it to a ground unit. (Bear in mind ground units already can have radar-guided guns.) But here we are talking about giving long-range detection capability to certain ground units. What would they do with that capability? What they do in the real world is pass on that information to friendly interceptors who can then approach the target deemed "best" by the ground radar. Once close the aircraft's own targeting capabilities would take over (whether that's an eyeball or a radar in the airplane).
Here's our basic problem with that. How do we define an "friendly interceptor?" My first idea is to use the "role code" placed on the aircraft's vehicle definition in FSCAI. Role codes are A=Attack, F=Fighter, FB=Fighter/Bomber, LB=Level Bomber, DB=Dive Bomber, T=Transport. I would say that only type "F" qualifies as an interceptor. The ground radar, on seeing an enemy aircraft within range and within its cone, could then look for friendly "F"-role aircraft airborne within intercept range of the enemy, and if any were found they would be vectored towards the enemy aircraft by the ground radar station. Think of this as a "pre-targeting" function. It's really GCI - Ground Controlled Intercept - for AI.
So now the problem of balance rears its head. User aircraft don't have GCI. They might have an unrealistic 360-degree radar set but that's about it. How important is this balance issue? Ultimately it would be solved by including GCI as a capability of FSCAI, but that's a major effort and not going to happen tomorrow.
Step 3. Allow AI-controlled units (ground or air or sea) to launch radar-guided missiles.
As far as coding goes this capability already exists. From a pure simulation point of view the code that guides a heat-seeking missile to a flying target is not different from code that guides a "radar-guided" missile. And that problem is already solved, as the many times I've gone down in flames to a missile attests. The only real difference in how FSCAI would handle an incoming radar-guided missile as opposed to a heat-seeking one is that 1) chaff, not flare, is used to spoof it, 2) another avialable countermeasure is a radar jammer and 3) Radar guided missiles can be detected where heat-seekers generally can't.
So now you see the balance problems. Radar-guided missiles are long-ranged and deadly over heat-seekers - but because they are guided by radar signals they can be detected by radar warning receivers in aircraft that can warn the pilot when he is being painted by a radar, roughly its direction and signal strength, when he's locked on by it, and when a missile is launched. This information is critical to survival in modern air combat!
Although a few user aircraft have a radar warning receiver it is either a non-functioning dummy device or tied in with Tacpack to show warnings about Tacpack-only radar sites and missiles. Most don't have anything at all. Nothing of course supports FSCAI missiles because we haven't even established an interface they could use. One thing we could do right now without much effort would be to play an audio tone to give some form of warning - a slow beep when a radar is painting you, a faster one when you are locked on, and a fast and loud one when a missile is launched. That wouldn't be hard to program at all.
So, is it fair to give AI the capability to launch radar-guided missiles at user aircraft that, while the user can detect them in a primitive way (using audio tones from FSCAI) can't see the direction and distance of the threat?
Or do you think we should wait on radar-guided missiles in FSCAI until we develop an interface and a 2D popup gauge that can be installed in a user aircraft to give it accurate, realistic radar warning capabilities?
Step 4. Stealth capabilities of aircraft.
Once we have all the first three steps the last is to implement a "radar resistance" factor into aircraft definitions by some means (perhaps another "device"?) Since the late 1980s some aircraft have been carefully designed to reduce their detectability by enemy radars. The most modern generation of fighters increasingly depend on this feature for their advantage over the enemy. Modern air combat is a radar war with long-range kills. Stealth aircraft like the F-35 and others have a distinct advantage in this radar and computer based air combat. But while it's not techically difficult to implement stealth in FSCAI we have to get the first three stages done before it has much meaning.
Thanks for your input, all ideas and thoughts on this are welcome,
Dutch
Original Radar discussion (http://fscaptain.proboards.com/thread/3949/clearly-radar-fscai)
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Thinking clearly about Radar in FSCAI
30 Aug 2019
Dutch Owen
Step 1 of this plan is implemented in the just-released Third edition. AI aircraft can be assigned a "RADAR" type weapon, and the AI pilot will use it to detect and target enemies at whatever range the radar set is capable of. A set of representative US and Soviet radars are included in the database, and several of the aircraft in the database are equipped including the F-4, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and F-35. Also the MiG-21 and MiG-25 have radar. Also several ground-based Early Warning radars are defined - but the code to support GCI for AI is not in the program, yet. It will be coming in an update soon.
Dutch
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.4
Dutch Owen 31/08/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.4 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190831.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.4 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.7MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190831.zip)
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Changelog
Version 0.9.4 corrects the following bugs in 0.9.3 - the major feature is a more aggressive AI pilot.
• The missile delay timer to prevent your opponent from spamming missiles at you was set too high, so he doesn't fire a second missile for far too long.
Status: This is fixed in version 0.9.4.
• Speeds flown by the AI pilot are too high resulting in poor turn performance.
Status: Speeds are adjusted downward in 0.9.4.
• A report of crashes when releasing AI missiles from the user aircraft.
Status: Unable to Reproduce at this time.
• When flying post-merge if the AI pilot crosses the 180 degree magnetic heading during the turn he will zig-zag on a generally southern heading for a while.
Status: Fixed in 0.9.4.
Changelog
- The 64-bit installer is now properly in it's 64-bit ZIP file.
- The AI pilots are now much more aggressive about firing their weapons.
- Speeds flown during ACM are lower to faciliate better turn rates.
- Several bugs that caused AI pilots to become confused have been fixed.
- Timeout for contacting the DLL is doubled to allow for longer P3D load times.
- Missions will now advance to "Inbound" when you kill an enemy object.
Dutch
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.5
Dutch Owen 02/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.5 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190902.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.5 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190902.zip)
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Version 0.9.5 Dated 02-SEP-19. Known Bug List.
- AI pilots fixate on their target and fail to check their six at appropriate intervals.
Status: Fixed in 0.9.6, interval is indexed by skill.
- Several errors involving confusion between magnetic and true heading result in some targeting errors.
Status: Fixed in 0.9.6, all headings in FSCAI, except advisories to the pilot, are now true headings.
- Gun cone for the BF-109 in the database is too restrictive
Status: Fixed in 0.9.6
- Installation errors in the 64-bit version thinking it is installing in a 32 bit environment.
Status: Under investigation, not reproducible yet.
Changelog Version 0.9.5
- AI Pilots in ground attack aircraft will now attack any ground target they see
if they are free to engage targets.
- Groups of AI pilots are now splitting up to take on multiple targets when
they are available.
- Several missing effects and textures have been restored to their proper folder.
- When an AI fighter-type is attacking a non-fighter-type and is itself targeted
by an enemy fighter it will switch targets to the more dangerous enemy.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.6
Dutch Owen 04/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.6 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190904.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.6 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190904.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Beware, that if you have modified the configuration files they will be replaced by a re-install!
Changelog Version 0.9.6
- AI pilots will no longer fixate on their target and fail to check their six at appropriate intervals.
If they find someone on their six they will switch targets to the attacker.
- Several serious errors involving confusion between magnetic and true heading have been fixed.
These could have had far-ranging effects. Now dogfight opponents will ne straight in front.
- Changes made to correct installation errors in the 64-bit version plus new better logging.
- Gun accuracy now scales up scaled up for decreasing distance to the target so that at 100 meters
it is 100% regardless of the starting accuracy at maxium range defined in the database.
- Gun cones, accuracy, and potency have been adjusted for changes in the accuracy calculations.
As a result of these two changes AI opponents using guns are now far more deadly than before.
Dutch
-
General Tips on Adding Weapons and Vehicles to the Database.
Dutch Owen Sep 4, 2019
Captains,
Some of you are getting deep enough into FSCAI to start to try and add weapons and vehicles. Here are some general tips on how to do that. The UI should be easy enough to use so there's no need to cover that here. Instead we talk about general topics.
First you'll notice that to create a new weapon or vehicle you must first select another one into the edit dialog. This is deliberate. It makes no sense to start "from scratch" with a blank slate. When creating a new weapon or vehicle find one that's already in the database that's close to what you want or at least the same basic type, double-click on that, then modify the name to the new name you want to give it and change whatever else you need to change then click on "Add New Weapon" or "Add New Vehicle" as the case may be. If you're adding a new air-to-air missile, pick an existing air-to-air missile and so on.
Second, always remember that whatever you create is for the use of AI pilots. The numbers you give not only give the weapons operating parameters but they are also used by the AI pilots to make decisions. You'll need to research each new weapon to get its specifications, but please resist the urge to put the quoted "maximum limit" numbers in as the numbers to use for FSCAI. This is because the numbers you find on the Internet are often right out of the sales brochure and we all know how truthful they are. Often a Wikipedia article will mention the practical maximums versus the sales claims. Always go with the practical not the theory. Otherwise you risk defining weapons with unrealistic capabilities. I never use sales brochure numbers - I always reduce them to a reasonable practical limit. This is especially true of missiles, where the manufacturer (or the using Air Force) often claim performance and range that's seldom seen in the real world.
Third, always consider balance. Try not to define weapons that are so powerful that they give the user of that weapon an overwhelming advantage. Also be wary of setting numbers like accuracy and potency too low or too high, you can easily gimp a weapon to the point of uselessness or make it into science fiction rather than realistic.
Weapons Details
Each weapon name obviously needs to be unique, and keep it short. You'll be using it often when you attach it to vehicles.
Every weapon has a type. For those that do damage the codes are GUN, ROCKET, BOMB, or MISSILE. There is one special code here: RADAR. This defines a radar device that will be used by the AI pilot to detect enemy aircraft based on the range, altitude, and visibility cone values define below.
Regarding the maximum and minimum ranges and altitudes - remember the paragraph above about not putting in unrealistic numbers either too high or too low. AI pilots look at these numbers to decide what weapon to use when and also they greatly influence the calculations for maneuvers since the whole point of air combat is to get within weapons range.
Visibility Cone is quite important. Specifically this is the degrees left or right of the aircraft's current heading in which the weapon can be used. For example, if this cone is defined as 20, then if the aircraft's heading is 200 then the weapon can be used on any enemy (otherwise within range) from a bearing of 220 to a bearing of 180 from the airplane's nose. Typically for ground weapons this cone is 180, which is the maximum number here, representing 360 total degrees. For aircraft this is rarely the case because aircraft weapons are restricted - the only exception usually being the rotating turrets on many vintage level bombers. Aircraft guns have narrow cone of 5 to 10 degrees. For missiles this is particularly important as it limits the firing azimuth - older air-to-air missiles have narrow numbers and newer ones have higher numbers but no missile will have a cone greater than about 50. An AIM-9B or a Shrike will have a very narrow cone of 5 to 10. You can make this number negative, in which case the cone line is behind not ahead of the aircraft. This can be useful for some aircraft that have rear-facing guns.
The Burst, Rounds and Reload data items have a profound effect on what happens when the weapon is fired. FSCAI vehicles (air or ground) take "shots", and roughly at a rate of one "shot" per second. "Burst" is the number of rounds expended per shot, and "Rounds" is the number of rounds in a "magazine." Be aware this applies not only to guns but all weapons. Once the rounds are expended then for a ground vehicle they will have to pause to reload (this gives the targets a short respite) and the "Reloads" data item gives the number of times the magazine can be reloaded until the vehicle is "out of ammo" and has to be re-supplied, which is a lengthy amount of downtime. Aircraft do not get any reloads, when their "Rounds" are used up they are out of ammo even if you give a "Reloads" number for a weapon (remember the same weapon can be attached to an aircraft or a ground vehicle.)
There are some special rules around "Burst" and "Rounds" when talking about bombs to reproduce the way they are dropped in the real world. The "Rounds" is always simply the number of bombs the aircraft is carrying. But "Burst" has some special meaning and this depends on the "Role code" of the aircraft doing the bombing. In short, Attack (A) and Dive Bombers (DB) work differently from Level Bombers (LB). For A and DB types, a "Burst" of 1 means one bomb will be dropped from the centerline store on each attack pass. A "Burst" of 2 means a pair will be dropped from the wings. And any "Burst" above 2 means that number will be dropped per pass from the centerline store. For LB (Level Bomber) roles a "Burst" of 1 means to drop all the bombs in the magazine from the center on the first pass over the target. Any "Burst" above one means to drop that many bombs from the center on each pass.
Accuracy and Potency: These two define how effective the weapon really is. Accuracy is roughly the percentage of the time any shot at the weapon's maximum range will score a direct hit. It is rough because anything can miss. But an accuracy of 100 is extreme - it means the weapon would almost never miss even at maximum range. For guns this accuracy will scale up based on distance such that at a range of 100 meters it will be 100% for for them a low initial maximum range number here would be appropriate. For rockets and bombs this is not relevant - they will either hit or miss based on ballistics. For a missile this is the success rate, in the sense that success means no malfunction will occur. For example a missile with an "accuracy" of 75% would experience guidance or other failures on 25% of shots taken with it. This doesn't mean they will always miss when they fail but the odds of a hit are significantly reduced depending on when in the flight path to the target the failure occurs. It doesn't mean they will always hit when there is no malfunction either - evasive maneuvers and/or countermeasures can still foil them.
Potency is the amount of damage inflicted by a direct hit expressed as a percentage, from 1 to 200. Why over 100? because of the "mitigation" factor on vehicles (see below) that simulates armor. A weapon with a potency of 100 scoring a direct hit on a vehicle with a mitigation of 40 means a 60% hit not a 100% hit. Therefore the maximum is 200, which is a number that will destroy any vehicle in one shot regardless of its mitigation. Any number over 100 is extreme but justified in the case of big bombs like 2000LB and above. This is because of blast radius.
Blast Radius is the diameter of a circle around the impact point of a round in which any SimObject will take damage. The damage is calculated realistically based on distance and the way this is done is to scale the potency. This is why the potency number is for a direct hit. The damage scale is not linear - an object at a distance 50% of the blast radius will take less than 50% of the damage, but it will take some. We should note here the effect of secondary explosions. Any time a truck type vehicle is destroyed there is a random chance that the truck contained ammo, and that ammo may cook off and detonate some time after the initial explosion. This creates another blast radius equivalent to a 500LB bomb. Which in turn can affect other nearby objects and cause more damage which could result in more secondaries and so on. This is why trucks shouldn't be parked close together, ever. But in real life they are sometimes. Further, any time a fuel truck is damaged more than 10% it too will explode in a fireball which again causes secondary damage. The fire will burn for a long time. This is also true for aircraft on the ground which can randomly be loaded with bombs and also have lots of fuel on board. When a bunch are parked together a single bomb hit can cause massive havoc.
SimObject Title is the name of an actual object in the game that will be spawned to visually represent a round from the weapon. Be cautious in the use of this field! Every spawned object costs time and too many can make your sim stutter or even crash. When too many effects are onscreen odd graphic effects sometimes happen. As designers we want to keep performance up so don't put a title on a weapon unless you really need to. A title of "*" means the weapon shoots "invisible bullets" and this is good - no objects are spawned, the program instead calculates the probability of hit or miss based on many factors and inflicts damage based on the results but the amount of time for these calculations is a tiny fraction of the performance hit of having an object flying through the air - because for the sim, every object even tiny nearly invisible ones is an airplane and is treated like an AI airplane piloted by a pilot.
Use the title for missiles, rockets or bombs. In the case of a gun carefully consider whether we need to see tracers coming from it. If it's defined as a "Flak" gun in the special flag code FSCAI will provide the flak explosions as well as calculate the hit percentage based on the accuracy data item. If it's not "Flak" then if you use the "*" FSCAI will not spawn any object so you won't see tracers. If you provide a title to a non-Flak gun then the "Burst" number of tracers will be released each shot. When this happens the program doesn't use its hit probability calculations at all, instead it tracks the tracer and if it hits damage is done (based on Potency) and if it misses, it misses. The "Accuracy" number in this case is used to introduce aiming errors. This is why sometimes "accuracy" is a very rough guide.
Vehicles Details
A vehicle is anything that can move. It can be a truck, tank, ship, or airplane or anything that has an engine.
For any SimObject in the sim world to shoot it must be listed in the FSCAI Vehicle database. What it shoots and how it shoots it depends on the weapon or weapons attached to it, selected from the weapons database. FSCAI does not try to enforce realism. You can define ridiculous weapons and attach them to inappropriate vehicles, the program doesn't care. It's entirely up to you to provide realistic or at least plausible vehicle and weapon definitions.
Vehicle definitions are simple. There aren't too many data items. This causes you to think generically instead of getting lost in details, which is so easy to do in the complex and arcane world of military hardware. Remember what we said at the beginning: KISS: keep it Simple. This database is to serve the purposes of a plausible and realistic AI, not to document the details of real-world weapons. I will repeat that. This database is to serve the purposes of a plausible and realistic AI, not to document the details of real-world weapons.
Resist any urge to get too specific or detailed. It will just make life more complicated for everyone.
The most vital concept to understand is how FSCAI links up a SimObject to a vehicle definition. Every SimObject in the sim world has a data item called Title. The title for each aircraft is defined in the aircraft.cfg file, and for a non-aircraft it's defined in the sim.cfg file. For non aircraft FSCAI uses this title to link to a vehicle. For an aircraft the rule is different (there are good reasons for this.) Every aircraft in the sim world also has an "atc_model" code assigned to it in the aircraft.cfg. As far as the sim goes this "atc_modeL' is used to help the built-in ATC system call the airplane by it's right model. For example a model code of "B737" would allow the ATC controllers to say "seven thirty seven" when they refer to the aircraft. Because this model code is the closest thing to a type of aircraft we have available to us, FSCAI uses it to link to aircraft vehicle types in the database.
If we used the "Title" then every single livery or paint would have to be defined in the database. But by using the model we get around this: a "P51" is a "P51" regardless of how it's painted. Why not use the model code for ground vehicles then? Because the sim.cfg fiel they are defined with typically does not allow an "atc_model" to be defined for them. We have to use Title, but this is not a major problem because there are rarely multiple paints for ground vehicles in practice.
Therefore because of this, aircraft and non-aircraft are defined a little differently. Let's talk about aircraft first.
Every vehicle has an official name and it must be unique but you can use anything you want in this field. I recommend keeping it short.
After the official name you must list the atc_model for this aircraft definition. It should be unique too -- there is no point in defining the same model twice, only the first would ever be used. This is used to match to the atc_model defined in the aircraft.cfg as mentioned above. No match, no weapons. You will need to look in the aircraft.cfg for "atc_model=" for new airplanes and use the code there, or change it in that file to match.
For an aircraft the vehicle type must be aircraft - obviously.
Damage Mitigation is rarely used for aircraft, they are all pretty fragile. For some that have a reputation of being tough I put a small number here like 5. This will prevent a weapon with a potency of 100 (for example a missile) from outright destroying it with one hit. It will be almost destroyed at 95% but still can be flown. Beware putting higher numbers in here - even "tough" aircraft will fall to a direct hit from most missiles.
Normal cruising speed isn't really used - we use the design cruising speed defined in the aircraft.cfg instead. But you need to put something reasonable here, because it will be used if the speed in the aircraft.cfg is missing or unreasonable (which some actually are).
Visibility Cone is quite important. Specifically this is the degrees left or right of the aircraft's current heading in which the pilot can normally see another aircraft. This is a major factor in finding enemies and avoiding disaster. Remember this is the degrees to the left and to the right, not both! The maximum value is 180, which would be a 360 degree circle with no blockage. This is not realistic! Almost every airplane has some blockage to the rear vision, even with mirrors - and mirrors distort and aren't effective unless the enemy is close behind you. Some aircraft have more than others - for instance the famous MiG-21 has very poor rear visibility. Thus is is defined with a restrictive cone of 110, whereas a more modern bubble cockpit has a typical cone of about 160. This is not an absolute block! All pilots can "check six" periodically (rate determined by their skill rating) but if an enemy is within this cone he will be picked up much quicker.
The Role Code is used to generically define the aircraft's combat role. Since aircraft don't use a Title to match up we have taken over this data item for the Role Code. The purpose of this code is so the AI pilot can understand the typical combat role his aircraft plays. This affects many of his decisions and defining an appropriate role code is vital. The codes are:
- A - Attack Aircraft. This is an aircraft designed to strike ground targets. Although it may have some defensive air-to-air capabilities that's not its purpose and not what it's good at. Examples would be most US aircraft whose model starts with "A" like the A-1 Skyraider, A-4 Skyhawk, or A-10 warthog. Or the Russian Su-25 is another good example. It will always have a primary air-to-ground weapon defined and usually many more.
- F - Fighter Aircraft. This is designed to shoot down other aircraft in an air superiority role. It will always have a primary air-to-air weapon defined and often more on modern airplanes.
- FB - Fighter/Bomber. One that swings both ways. Typically a jack of both trades but master of neither. It can be difficult to decide between F and FB for some aircraft, like the P-51 which served both roles. It's not a huge deal which you pick actually.
- DB - Dive Bomber. An Attack aircraft that uses a steep dive as its primary method of bomb release. A Stuka or Douglas Dauntless or many other examples.
- LB - Level Bomber. An Attack aircraft that's designed to release typically large bomb loads in level flight.
- T - Transport. A typically unarmed transport aircraft, usually large. It may have defensive weapons which is why we allow it to be defined here. An AWACS aircraft would be defined as a T type, but would be equipped with a radar device for detection of enemy aircraft.
Vehicle Weapons - this is where you list the weapons attached to the vehicle. There are 8 "slots". Slot #1 should be reserved for the primary air-to-air weapon, and slot #2 should be reserved for the primary air-to-ground weapon. Either can be used for any weapon however. Weapons are selected by the AI pilot in a primary order defined by the slot position. Lower slots are selected over higher numbered ones. Only when a lower numbered slot is out of ammo or out of range will an AI pilot select a higher numbered one.
Now we'll talk about ground vehicles - which includes ships.
These vehicles don't use the atc_model code to match up, so that data item can be used for a "Short name".
The "Vehicle Type" can be a wide select; anything but "Aircraft". This isn't used much in the present release, but when we start to have ground vehicles engaging one another it's going to matter a great deal.
Damage Mitigation is very important for ground vehicles - it's how we distinguish between soft and hard targets. A truck has zero mitigation, whereas a tank could have up to 50 or more. Be wary of extreme numbers here. Remember this is matched against weapon potency to determine damage in a direct hit. For example let's say an AGM-65 Maverick has a potency of 100. Let's also say a tank that it targets has a mitigation of 50. That means a direct hit by the Maverick would reduce the tank by 50%, barely disabling it but it would survive. That's not totally unrealistic, although a mitigation for 30 or 40 would be better. A mitigation of 80 would allow a vehicle to not only survive a direct AGM-65 hit but not even be disabled - NOT realistic.
Cruising speed is important for surface vehicles, as we have no other source for this number.
Visibility Cone works just like it does for aircraft, but typically it is 180 for ground vehicles specially anti-aircraft weapons.
The "Role Code" data item for aircraft is the SimObject Title for ground vehicles. This is used to weaponize a particular ground vehicle or ground of vehicles with the same title in the same world. No match, no shooting. This title can be found in the sim.cfg in the vehicle's folder, or sometimes a ground vehicle is defined as an aircraft - in this case look in the aircraft.cfg. In both cases what you are searching for is "Title=" - case doesn't matter.
I hope this has been useful.
Dutch
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.7
Dutch Owen 06/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.7 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190906.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.7 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.9MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190906.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Beware, that if you have modified the configuration files they will be replaced by a re-install!
Changelog Version 0.9.7
- AI pilots when using guns will no longer score hits when not pointing at the target.
- Rear-aspect missiles will no longer home to target if not fired from the target's rear.
- ground objects are now properly assigne to teams based on proxminty to an airport.
- Large aircraft will no longer roll adn pitch unrealistically when attacked by fighters.
- AI pilots will no longer panic and target friends when the friends are on their six.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.8
Dutch Owen 07/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.8 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 19.2MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190907.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.8 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 18.8MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190907.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Beware, that if you have modified the configuration files they will be replaced by a re-install!
Changelog Version 0.9.8
- You can now access the FAC/JTAC (if one's in the mission) with the CTRL-F9 keys.
- Ground vehicles with weapons will now target the user and other AI aircraft.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.8
Dutch Owen 08/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.9 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.4MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190908.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.9 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190908.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Beware, that if you have modified the configuration files they will be replaced by a re-install!
Changelog Version 0.9.9
Version 0.9.9
- Configurations are now stored in Config_STD and Config_USER and files in
the USER folder will override or update the files in the STD folder when
FSCAI is run. Changes made through the UI will auotmatically be stored
in Config_USER. Changes made manually to any file can be placed in
Config_USER and the file will be safe from being overwritten by a new
release installer.
- Several UI Weapons and Vehicles editing errors were corrected.
- Additional logging now tracks database loading and Team assignments.
Dutch
IMPORTANT NOTICE for those updating to release 0.9.9!
Captains,
FSCAI Release 0.9.9 is now live. This release contains an important change to the way the configurations are stored and processed.
This change should not affect anyone unless you have modified the standard configuration files included in the FSCAI Installer.
If you haven't made any changes to the database through the UI, or manually to any of the Options, Teams, Eras or any other configuration files you can ignore this message but I recommend reading it to understand the new changes.
There is no longer a 'Config' folder included in the installer. Instead there are two: "Config_STD" and "Config_USER". Config_STD contains all the files the previous 'Config' folder had. Config_USER is empty except for a README.txt file. The purpose of Config_USER is to hold your local versions of files. From now on, when you update anything via the UI the updates will be written to Config_USER. Nothing should ever modify Config_STD except an install of an updated version!
After installing 0.9.9 you will have the two new folders and the old Config folder still there. If you haven't modified anything just delete the old Config folder if you want - or you can leave it it will be ignored.
If you have modified anything, copy the modified files to the new Config_USER folder. From here on out, you won't have to worry about it getting smashed by a new install. When FSCAI loads, it will update the contents of the STD version of weapons, vehicles, or simobject definitions with the files in USER. Any other files in USER will override the same file in STD, this includes Options.cfg, Eras.cfg, Externals,cfg, Formations.cfg, Combat.cfg, and any Team definition files referred to by Eras.cfg.
This will make your life much easier in the future when you modify FSCAI for your local purposes.
Dutch
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Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.10
Dutch Owen 11/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.10 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.4MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190910.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.10 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190910.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Beware, that if you have modified the configuration files they will be replaced by a re-install!
Version 0.9.10 Notes:
This release is live. It represents dozens of bugs and flaws in the ground attack handling fixed. Plus a new feature - a new configuration file "Wings.cfg".
This new files allows you to easily configure substitute aircraft that will be spawned as wing men or opponents, by model type you are flying.
This solves the problem that arises when a clone of your aircraft wouldn't be a good AI airplane, either wing man or opponent.
You can specify the opponent to spawn and all three wing men, and all three can be different aircraft titles. Thus you can define mixed groups of aircraft.
If you use this, or modify any configuration file manually, be sure to copy it to the Config_USER folder to preserve it from updates.
Changelog Version 0.9.10
- All ground attack code extensively reworked with many bugs fixed.
- New 'Wings.cfg' file in Config_STD allows the user to specify
substitute aircraft for Wingmen and/or Opponent spawns. If you
use this be sure to copy Wings.cfg to Config_USER and modify it
there.
- FIXED AI aircraft dropping to the ground after they acquire a ground target.
Status: Reproduced, working on a fix.
IMPORTANT NOTICE for those updating to release 0.9.9+
Captains,
FSCAI Release 0.9.9 is now live. This release contains an important change to the way the configurations are stored and processed.
This change should not affect anyone unless you have modified the standard configuration files included in the FSCAI Installer.
If you haven't made any changes to the database through the UI, or manually to any of the Options, Teams, Eras or any other configuration files you can ignore this message but I recommend reading it to understand the new changes.
There is no longer a 'Config' folder included in the installer. Instead there are two: "Config_STD" and "Config_USER". Config_STD contains all the files the previous 'Config' folder had. Config_USER is empty except for a README.txt file. The purpose of Config_USER is to hold your local versions of files. From now on, when you update anything via the UI the updates will be written to Config_USER. Nothing should ever modify Config_STD except an install of an updated version!
After installing 0.9.9 you will have the two new folders and the old Config folder still there. If you haven't modified anything just delete the old Config folder if you want - or you can leave it it will be ignored.
If you have modified anything, copy the modified files to the new Config_USER folder. From here on out, you won't have to worry about it getting smashed by a new install. When FSCAI loads, it will update the contents of the STD version of weapons, vehicles, or simobject definitions with the files in USER. Any other files in USER will override the same file in STD, this includes Options.cfg, Eras.cfg, Externals,cfg, Formations.cfg, Combat.cfg, and any Team definition files referred to by Eras.cfg.
This will make your life much easier in the future when you modify FSCAI for your local purposes.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.11
Dutch Owen 11/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.11 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.4MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190911.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.11 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190911.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Version 0.9.11 Notes:
This release is exactly the same as 0.9.10 except for the addition of the ability to configure speed scalars that apply both globally and to a specific aircraft model.
Unless these scalars are changed the speeds are derived unchanged from the speed sources in the sim. Those are:
VS1 - Clean Stall Speed. This plus 10 knots we consider the minimum speed for any operation.
VC - Cruise Speed. We use this as a basic starting point for all speed settings. We later adjust this depending on the operation being performed.
VNE - Never Exceed. We use this as the maximum speed allowed for any operation.
There are two options in the 'Options.cfg' file - SPEEDSCALAR and PURSUITSCALAR. These are by default 1.00. They are both scalars. .85 is 85% of the base speed, 1.10 is 110% of it. SPEEDSCALER affects all speeds set for any reason except speeds set in the PURSUIT dogfight function. PURSUITSPEED is the scalar for those.
Speeds will be adjusted by these scalars but not below the minimum or above the maximum for an aircraft according to the speeds provided to FSCAI by the sim engine.
In addition to these two global scalars, you may edit the Combat.cfg file to place these same two scalars after the model code. For example for a P-38:
atc_model=P38,.95,1.05
This will override the global scalars for any 'P38' AI aircraft (coded as 'P38' in the atc_model) in this case all speeds except pursuit are reduced by 5% and pursuit speeds are increased by 5%.
This is included for experimentation purposes. In normal operations, don't change these. Avoid extreme changes like .50 or 1.50 - you will hit the min/max caps. And likely cause very odd behavior.
Version 0.9.10 and several earlier ones reduced speeds roughly 15% by an internal scalar. That internal one is replaced by these that you can change and the speeds are set back to 1.00. Therefore, AI will move about 15% faster in 0.9.11 than 0.9.10 by default.
Dutch
Changelog Version 0.9.11
- Global and local scalars for speed are now available for experimentation.
The global ones are in Options.cfg and the local in Combat.cfg per model.
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.12
Dutch Owen 24/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.12 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190924.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.12 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190924.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.9.12
- Several issues causing AI pilots to lose focus in ground attack corrected.
- Several major corrections to team assignment logic results in better team assignment.
- Wingmen in formation will not get below 1000FT AGL when the user is on the ground.
- Mission Campaign File is now being updated with persistent object damage.
- Incorrect bomb release heading and release logic errors corrected.
- Visibility cone is no longer losing the last digit when changed from the UI.
Ability to configure speed scalars
Unless these scalars are changed the speeds are derived unchanged from the speed sources in the sim. Those are:
VS1 - Clean Stall Speed. This plus 10 knots we consider the minimum speed for any operation.
VC - Cruise Speed. We use this as a basic starting point for all speed settings. We later adjust this depending on the operation being performed.
VNE - Never Exceed. We use this as the maximum speed allowed for any operation.
There are two options in the 'Options.cfg' file - SPEEDSCALAR and PURSUITSCALAR. These are by default 1.00. They are both scalars. .85 is 85% of the base speed, 1.10 is 110% of it. SPEEDSCALER affects all speeds set for any reason except speeds set in the PURSUIT dogfight function. PURSUITSPEED is the scalar for those.
Speeds will be adjusted by these scalars but not below the minimum or above the maximum for an aircraft according to the speeds provided to FSCAI by the sim engine.
In addition to these two global scalars, you may edit the Combat.cfg file to place these same two scalars after the model code. For example for a P-38:
atc_model=P38,.95,1.05
This will override the global scalars for any 'P38' AI aircraft (coded as 'P38' in the atc_model) in this case all speeds except pursuit are reduced by 5% and pursuit speeds are increased by 5%.
This is included for experimentation purposes. In normal operations, don't change these. Avoid extreme changes like .50 or 1.50 - you will hit the min/max caps. And likely cause very odd behavior.
Version 0.9.10 and several earlier ones reduced speeds roughly 15% by an internal scalar. That internal one is replaced by these that you can change and the speeds are set back to 1.00. Therefore, AI will move about 15% faster in 0.9.11 than 0.9.10 by default.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.13
Dutch Owen 30/09/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.13 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_190930.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.13 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_190930.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.9.13
- The cause of the soundclass error messages has been found and fixed.
- Explosions and other effects on water now show splashes not ground effects.
- The "VEHICLE=" statement in the team file to assign by title now works.
- A new option "SUPPRESSLOG" in options.cfg allows the user to suppress
some or all logging. The default is zero for all logging. A 1 in this
new option means to suppress the DLL logs only, a 2 means all logs are
not written.
Ability to configure speed scalars
Unless these scalars are changed the speeds are derived unchanged from the speed sources in the sim. Those are:
VS1 - Clean Stall Speed. This plus 10 knots we consider the minimum speed for any operation.
VC - Cruise Speed. We use this as a basic starting point for all speed settings. We later adjust this depending on the operation being performed.
VNE - Never Exceed. We use this as the maximum speed allowed for any operation.
There are two options in the 'Options.cfg' file - SPEEDSCALAR and PURSUITSCALAR. These are by default 1.00. They are both scalars. .85 is 85% of the base speed, 1.10 is 110% of it. SPEEDSCALER affects all speeds set for any reason except speeds set in the PURSUIT dogfight function. PURSUITSPEED is the scalar for those.
Speeds will be adjusted by these scalars but not below the minimum or above the maximum for an aircraft according to the speeds provided to FSCAI by the sim engine.
In addition to these two global scalars, you may edit the Combat.cfg file to place these same two scalars after the model code. For example for a P-38:
atc_model=P38,.95,1.05
This will override the global scalars for any 'P38' AI aircraft (coded as 'P38' in the atc_model) in this case all speeds except pursuit are reduced by 5% and pursuit speeds are increased by 5%.
This is included for experimentation purposes. In normal operations, don't change these. Avoid extreme changes like .50 or 1.50 - you will hit the min/max caps. And likely cause very odd behavior.
Version 0.9.10 and several earlier ones reduced speeds roughly 15% by an internal scalar. That internal one is replaced by these that you can change and the speeds are set back to 1.00. Therefore, AI will move about 15% faster in 0.9.11 than 0.9.10 by default.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.9.15
Dutch Owen 08/10/19
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.15 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_191008.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.9.15 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.0MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_191008.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.9.15
- Bad data in preferences.cfg is now detected and corrected.
After a crash the preferences data can be corrupted resulting in the UI failing to appear (it is actually hidden off-screen.)
Status: Fixed
- A failure to detect Prepar3D V4 causing user aircraft shoot-downs and failure to installed the FSCAID DLL is fixed.
On some Prepar3D systems version 4 is not detected resulting in failed installation of the DLL and the user aircraft
shooting itself down (which appears to be "shot by a phantom airplane" to the user.)
Status: Fixed
- (Note version 0.9.14 was never released.)
-
An Inside look - working on 0.10.1
Dutch Owen 22/02/20
Just an update. I'm taking a much-needed break for a little while so why not write about it...
Eight days ago I decided the last stage before release was to strengthen the AI pilot's slack dogfighting abilities based on some ideas I've had over the last couple of months while working on the radar systems implementation. I thought it would take a day or two. Wrong...
Mainly because this is like an onion, as you peel each layer off another appears. Solving one problem brings you up against another one. One that was there all along, but was obscured by the even worse failure you just corrected.
But also because of TacView. If you're at all serious about air-to-air combat but don't own this tool (or an equivalent) you're missing out. Tacview makes detailed postmortem analysis of a dogfight easy, and you can clearly see what happened versus what should have happened. If you're analyzing your own ability it's helpful, but if you're trying to keep your programmed AI from doing too many dumb things it's just essential. But it also leads to more and more things to do because you see many more blunders than you were aware of while flying.
Where we're at is that I've found several nasty bugs that caused wrong-way turns and idiot climbs or dives and I've fixed those. I've introduced several techniques to further tighten the turn rates for the AI, but it's not yet turning as tight as I can. It needs to be at least as good as me turning. Most importantly I've implemented "pitbull mode" where in a close dogfight the AI pilot will focus on keeping his nose on you using the same successful logic as the missile tracking functions. Now if he can get his guns on you in range he rarely misses, and he works much harder at getting his guns on you than before.
But that's revealed deeper issues! Right now I'm struggling with what I call the "idiot reversal". We are using FSX/P3D logic to fly the AI aircraft, but with "assists" to force angles of bank and pitch that a civilian AI pilot would never do. But at the core we're giving the sim command to "fly to a given point in space." But FSX/P3D pilots will always turn in the direction that has the fewest compass points to cross to get to a heading to the point in question. For dogfight purposes this point is always the enemy aircraft (or a lead point in front of it) updated at least every second of the fight as the enemy moves.
Now imagine the AI is turning left towards your aircraft and you're crossing laterally behind them. This is danger for the AI because you are behind them. The only appropriate move for him if he's trying to stay in the turn fight is to tighten his left turn. But let's say you do cross his centerline ...suddenly you are on his right side. So by FSX/P3D sim pilot logic that's a right turn. So instead of tightening his left turn he reverses and goes back right - which brings him right into your guns. The "idiot reversal".
How do we stop this idiot reversal while still using sim logic to fly the airplane rather than slew mode? There are ways - like computing a fake fly-to point under those circumstances. And I'm working on that now.
I just wanted you to know how complex this is, not only implementing dogfight logic but doing it within the limitations of a civilian simulator.
I think once I have this nailed this is the last major issue before release. Hopefully this weekend but it will be solved however long it takes.
Dutch
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.10.1
Dutch Owen 23/02/20
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.2 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_200223.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.2 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_200223.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.10.1
- Too many bugs fixed to list the details here.
- The skill level of the AI pilots are significanty enhanced in this release.
They will be more aggressive on offense and have better defensive options.
This is an ongoing process of improvement that's not close to finished yet.
- User aircraft of type LB or DB (level or dive bombers) can now defend themselves
with gunners if so configured. All such aircraft in the default database are
already configured for this to happen.
- Wingmen, if able to see the user aircraft, will now warn if you have a bandit on
your six.
- Crash detection is present and will be invoked if you crash if you have crash
detection turned on in the sim and Tacpack is not present. You can stop this
with CRASHDETECT=0 in the Options file.
-
FSCAI Version 0.10.1 is released.
Dutch Owen 23/02/20
Hi everyone,
After a considerable wait, the new release of FSCAI is posted up for you to test. See the pinned thread "Latest Version of FSCAI Right Here" for the links (see above post).
Be especially careful and backup your old version first. This is the first time I've packaged up FSCAI in months and this involves so many changes to program and content that it's very possible something is missing the installation. BACK UP FIRST!
The major enhancement is what is hopefully for you better AI dogfighting abilities. Another important one is the ability for AI gunners aboard a user aircraft level bomber to shoot at attacking enemy aircraft. For other nice added goodies check out the README in the ZIP.
The major effort that has taken most of the time between releases is the extensive huge integrated radar systems. They are not ready yet. They are disabled in this release.
Decent if not good combat abilities of AI pilots is at the core of this project and this is a step in that direction. At the start they were hopeless, now we are trying to get them to be at least semi-competent. In my testing so far, depending on the aircraft being used, it's now necessary to at least respect their ability or you will get shot out of the sky. At least with guns - nothing much has changed when using missiles except better turning ability should mean he will get a firing solution on you much earlier than before. The biggest issue that I see is that AI airplanes just can't turn tightly enough although that's been improved greatly over what it used to be. We're still working on developing ways to fix this.
Testing has shown that, as we know, the implementation of each sim airplane can have a dramatic effect on how it fights. Both user and AI aircraft we have now were not designed with dogfighting in mind. Therefore, they will not likely behave in combat like their real-life counterparts do. This is a fact we can't do much to work around with changing the flight dynamics of each plane.
Enjoy and please report bugs and problems either in response to this post or as a new post if you feel like it's important enough for that.
Enjoy your experiences with FSCAI.
Dutch
PS. For you Tacview junkies here is an ACMI file of my last test, which clearly shows how the A2A Spitfire can turn on a dime but the AI 109E can only turn decently. Result: Spitfire wins every time which is not realistic. Although I did miss a few shots, and it takes quite a few .303 rounds to bring down a 109 whereas if the 109 pilot ever got his 20MM on me (which he very nearly did twice) I'd have been hitting the chute.
ACMI Spitfire vs BF109 test (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/Tacview_Spitfire_BF109_20200223_121850.zip.acmi)
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.10.2
Dutch Owen 26/02/20
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.2 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_200226.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.2 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_200226.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.10.2
- Fixed bug where an AI aircraft would disengage endlessly instead of only once.
- Improved AI break/evade logic somewhat.
- Greatly improved turn rate of AI aircraft.
- Indexed skill level to many items not previously indexed.
- Added new option "Default Average Skill Level" on Options dialog.
- Added ability to change any unit's team on the Active display list.
(Double-click a unit line to access this option)
-
Plan for the next few releases
Dutch Owen 01/03/20
We've spent the last two weeks making the close combat dogfighting better which has been a great success.
The next release, 0.10.3, will contain some improvements and additions to the AI's defensive abilities; specifically fixed implementations of the spiral dive, high & low yoyo, and a new 'evasive' mode where the AI will jink and manuever when an enemy is on his six to make it difficult to shoot him. We may have a split-s and immelmann available too if plans work out for those.
Following that, we'll have a close look at jet combat including guns-only and missiles and make the adjustments needed to tighten that up. That will be 0.10.4.
That should be the last dogfighting upgrade for a while except for bug fixes.
We're really looking forward to 0.11.0 which will contain some much-needed new ASL missions features:
1. The ability for mission-defined aircraft to correctly obey conditional instructions in flight.
2. The addition of a "GROUP" statement to define a group name, formation, route, optional target, and code name color.
3. The ability to substitute a GROUP parameter for the ROUTE parameter on OBJECT statements thus attaching the object to a group with its route, formation, and optional target.
4. A statement to formally define a collection of objects as a "library".
5. A global option to allow libraries defined above to be automatically loaded if the user aircraft gets within a user-defined proximity to the library location.
These last two options have the potential to make a properly defined combat environment come alive without having to select a mission.
Lots of interesting stuff to look forward to in the next month!
After That:
Work is proceeding on the Radar environment and its getting closer. What will that mean?
It will be possible to attach a defined "radar" device to a ground SimObject. This will give the object the ability to see enemy objects within the range, elevation, and azimuth of its definition. It will attempt to classify the threats it detects (by detecting groups of aircraft as opposed to singles) and will attempt to predict the direction of the threat. Once a prediction is determined the radar station will have the ability to vector AI aircraft on its own team to intercept the threats. It will also have the ability to send the user instructions to intercept unless the user is on a mission other than CAP, even if the user is parked at an airport.
Most interestingly, it will have the ability to scramble parked AI aircraft to get airborne and intercept a threat - and also the ability to issue "air-raid" alerts to threatened airfields. This will result in audible air-raid and scramble alerts at the airports affected. This will also alert any ground-based AA objects nearby so they are ready to shoot and can't be surprised.
Of course since the radars are attached to SimObjects they can be destroyed. Campaign mode already works now - if an object is destroyed in a mission it stays destroyed in subsequent missions. Thus, this enables SEAD in any era. Yes, we will have radar-homing missiles and yes, radar operators will be aware of them and operate their equipment cautiously.
Can we do all this? Yes we can.
Dutch
PS. I have a friend who, I recently discovered to my amazement, in his Navy career actually operated a captured Soviet "Spoon Rest" mobile radar installation and he's advising me on how it all really worked from the radar operators point of view. (They fired simulated missiles at the Top Gun trainees, and got a case of beer for the whole OPFOR radar crew if they got one) ... My friend said that was the most fun he had in his career hands down. So, expect authenticity.
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.10.3
Dutch Owen 06/03/20
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.3 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_200305.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.3 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.6MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_200305.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.10.3
- New 'Evade' option for AI defensive move when others not appropriate
- Different and hopefully better overall defensive move decisions.
- Improved speed and pitch adjustments during a turn fight.
- Bug where AI repeatedly disenaged and disengaged at the wrong time fixed.
- Bug where rear aspect missile option not saving fixed.
- Higher than novice skilled AI pilots no longer drop target because of clouds.
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.10.4
Dutch Owen 26/03/20
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.4 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.5MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_200326.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.10.4 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.6MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_200326.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.10.4
- Fixed potential bug where database wasn't loaded when sim installed in the
root of a separate drive.
- Fixed crash when objects damaged by Tacpack.
- Various tweaks to defensive ACM.
-
Release of FSCAI Third Edition ALPHA v0.11.2
Dutch Owen 22/04/20
Captains,
The installers for the Third Edition of FSCAI are here ready for download:
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.11.2 for 32-bit Sims (FSX and Prepar3D Version 3) 20.6MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC32_200422.zip)
FSCAI ALPHA version 0.11.2 for 64-bit Sims (Prepar3D Version 4) 20.6MB (http://fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCAI_Alpha_SC64_200422.zip)
Important Tip!! When you run the installer for FSCAI you should right-click on it and select "Run as Administrator". This will help avoid possible security-related problems in the installation. You'll have to extract it from the ZIP do to this.
Warning: This software is an ALPHA development release. It will contain bugs. It is extremely unlikely it will do any harm to your system but we can't make any promise that it won't.
Unless the README says otherwise, simply re-installing over the old version will update, no need to un-install first.
Changelog Version 0.11.2
- New 'ZONE' command in the Teams file to define zones for a team independent
of airports. See the end of the Teams_Vietnam.cfg for an example of its use.
- Data displays in the UI now scale to the size of the window.
- 'Removed' objects no longer show in the Active Units display.
- The serious bug of wingmen sometimes attacking the flight lead (you!) has
been fixed.
- The annoying bug of menus sometimes not appearing requiring a re-press of
the Shift-J or F keys is now fixed.
- Countermeasures have been revamped to be more realistic and now AI pilots will
use countermeasures to evade missiles fired at them by you or by the AI. You
can see the flares being used if you are close enough.
- Several team assignment priority issues have been fixed.
- The 'Carrier' feature defined in Missions\Carriers.cfg that allows you to get
missions from a carrier at sea is now working again.
- A bug where a wingman in 'cover me' mode would engage a ground target is fixed.
- A bug that caused intermittent SAM failures on launch has been fixed; they are
now even more dangerous than ever. Use your flares! Flares can be shot from
any aircraft using by default the Shift-F key (this key is assignable in
Options.cfg).
- A number of missions, particular in the Southeast Asia area, have been revised
and/or fixed.