Sérvalpilot

Here is the advanced script! CCIP_advanced.lua This method "simulates" the motion of a bomb along a series of time steps until it hits the ground, calculating the acceleration then velocity and position at each time step. It also incorporates drag into the physics calculations. This method is, as you might expect, more computationally expensive than the simple method. If you encounter performance issues, please let me know. In theory this can also be expanded to work with guns, rockets, and high-drag bombs. I experimented with those types of weapons with little success. Feedback is always welcome!

You're right. The canopy needs to be open to communicate with the ground crew. I like to imagine you literally shout at the ground crew if the engines are on! I'll try to figure out the intercom stuff.

At last, here is a script! CCIP_simple.lua This is the simple CCIP method with no drag or wind is taken into account. It works fairly well with light low-drag bombs like the Mk-82 and FAB-100 and with little to no wind. Like with manual bombing, it's more accurate with steeper dive angles but it works pretty well at 10 degrees. About the advanced method that does incorporate drag, it's taking a while to release because there's still some stuff to figure out. The main thing is that it's computationally very heavy so I'm looking at ways to optimize it so it doesn't stress the CPU.

There was an update a couple years ago that hid files like that. There are still some modules in the CoreMods folder with data like what you're looking for. There is a also a lua datamine somewhere on GitHub that reveals that stuff.

I remember using NVGs with FC3 aircraft. I don't think it works now.

Nope. I'm pretty use it's for C++. I'm trying to see if I can implement it in the EFM code, no luck yet.

A while ago I found ed_object_access.h in the API folder. It seems like something to interface with objects in DCS. I don't really know what it's used for or how to use it. The comments in it and the official documentation on objects don't help much. Any ideas?

Absolutely! The main reason I started making this stuff was because I hate the standard flight model (SFM), and I wanted to provide an alternative. Here is a pre-built dll and instructions on how to implement it: BasicEFM mod.zip (This can also be found on the GitHub repository) The flight model is meant to be a template for people to build on top of, so it would take a bit of work to make it perform like the Mirage-2000 (like changing it to one engine with an afterburner, stability augmentation, etc). There is a problem with FC3 avionics, there is a problem with some mods that use FC3 avionics, and it's that DCS crashes if the pilot dies or ejects. There is a way around that, however. I'll add to the GitHub's wiki section soon.

I finally got it working! The last post error was me messing up things on the Lua side. I can't communicate with ground crew, however. Now I'm just cleaning things up and documenting, I might make a guide or implement it in my Basic FM project.

Thanks for the feedback! The debug info bug is weird, that shouldn't happen. I'll look into it if I can.

I made a bit more progress on the code front, I managed to get to a point where DCS crashes consistently with the same error code. For the record, according to the A-4 source code, the steps to setting it up are: Get wire from Electrical System Connect wire to radio Get communicator and then set it as current. Get a pointer to the virtual function pointer table for the inherited radio. Use this pointer to find the setElecPower function. I managed to pinpoint where it crashes. The problem is connecting the wire. Here are a couple lines from the crash log: EDCORE (Main): # C0000005 ACCESS_VIOLATION at 00007ffa9fa81ce0 00:00000000 EDCORE (Main): 0x00000000002c1ce0 (CockpitBase): cockpit::avVHF_SCR_522A::connect_electric + 0x0 I know this might be like sending a message in a bottle, but does anyone have any ideas on getting this to work?

Figuring this out is quite a nightmare. If I ever get it working, I'll be sure to share my knowledge about it. Seriously, something like this should be easy to set up!

Hi! Sorry for leaving this thread dormant. I've been working on a better FM template which is now out! This new one is much simpler and easier to understand internally. Check it out here!

After over a year of refinement, trial and error and learning from other flight model projects, I present to you the successor to my previous FM project. Basic External Flight Model (EFM) template! This is an enhanced version of the EFM template provided by Eagle Dynamics, with emphasis on simplicity and editability while also feeling smooth and believable. This FM template was designed to work "out of the box", designed like a two-engine subsonic trainer/fighter. What is included: Lift, drag, side, and thrust forces. Axis and discrete (keyboard) pitch, roll, and yaw controls with trim. Landing gear, flaps, slats, and air brakes. Engine startup/shutdown. Basic fuel draining system. Basic damage mechanics. Semi-realistic stalling, Dutch-rolling, and other oscillations. Infinite fuel and easy flight options. Example parameter to interface with the Lua environment. Lots of comments explaining how things work. The template itself and a pre-built .dll file can be found on GitHub! https://github.com/IGServal/DCS-Basic-EFM-Template Requirements: Microsoft Visual Studio (2019 was used to create this, but other versions might work as well). Basic understanding of C++, Lua, and flight physics. Feedback, bug reports, and suggestions are always appreciated!

h is altitude above the surface, so radar altitude. Soon™. It's pretty much done, I'm just doing some testing and documentation.

I want to mention the very special case of the A-29B Super Tucano mod. The IR camera + laser designator pod was achieved using rather complex code wizardry using core DCS dll files, which makes it the most impressive mod in my opinion.

How do I close this topic? I got my answer.

True. I forgot to add that, I'll edit the parent post. avSimpleWeaponSystem can also dispense chaff and flares, I forgot to add that too. I don't have the F-5 so I don't know how it works. My guess is that it's a combination of angle of attack and g load. Also, this topic is about creating aircraft mods from scratch, not really looking at existing ones.

After a few years of digging into DCS systems and exploring what's possible, I learned a lot about the limitations of DCS modding. This is a list of what stuff can be achieved in mods, with some suggestions on improving or expanding the modding capabilities. External flight model ("EFM") Replaces the standard flight model (SFM, which is awful in my opinion) Aerodynamics, thrust and controls. Transfer of variables using parameters. Digital instruments (ccIndicator) HUD, HDD, HMD, and screenspace indicators. Electric system (avSimpleElectricSystem) I'm not too sure what this does other than enable other systems like RWR and radar. Fire control system (avSimpleWeaponSystem) Station selection, firing, and jettisoning. Air-to-air infra-red seeking missiles have parameters for seeker lock and target angles. (AIM-9, R-73, R550, etc.) Pairs, salvo, ripple, release intervals can be done, albeit coded manually. Dispense chaff and flares as well as use ECM (just an on/off toggle). Some parameters for gyro gun reticle and rocket piper (which doesn't really work). Can still fire all weapon types, but most guided weapons are pretty much useless (more on that later). Radar warning receiver (avSimpleRWR) Receive signals, can be distinguished by type. Azimuth, elevation, and other info can be accessed. Can be used to make search, lock, and launch warnings. Radar (avSimpleRadar) Search and track flying objects as well as scan terrain. IFF, checks if a contact is on the same coalition. Guidance for semi-active radar guided missiles. (AIM-7, R-27R, S-530, etc.) Guidance for active radar guided missiles. (AIM-120, R-77, etc.) Can be linked the seeker of infra-red guided missiles, very useful in a dogfight. Can NOT sense anything less than 300m away, making it frustrating to use in a dogfight. Lock (STT) has a tendency to break for no reason. Night vision (avNightVisionGoggles) Self-explanatory and very simple, just a toggle and brightness up/down controls. Radio/intercom (avIntercom, avUHF_ARC_164) For something so ubiquitous, this is surprisingly very tricky to set up. Declaring the devices using Lua alone doesn't work. Mods use a link to some core DCS stuff using a C++ dll link, which is a headache. Radio navigation systems (avLuaDevice) Get beacon data such as position of course, some have a direction value for runways. Can get data for all the beacons on the terrain, including ILS, TACAN, VOR, RSBN, etc. What's interesting about this is that it an all be done "manually" in theory. What can be improved with existing devices: Radar: Ability to change parameters like deadzone (which I think causes the 300m unlock), sweep speed, ground sensing. Sweep width and height can theoretically be edited "manually", but having it all streamlined would be nice. Reduce or eliminate the tendency to lose track of contacts when they are flying away. Radio/intercom: Less tricky to set up, preferably eliminating the need for some external dll trickery. What could be added: Laser designator/rangefinder. Cameras: optical and infra-red ("FLIR"). Infra-red search-and-track (IRST). Guidance for more weapon types, preferably all. (The AGM-45 "Shrike" on the A-4 and F-4 mods use what is essentially "guesswork" for a firing cue.)

Looking at the code for the mods, they essentially operate on guesswork. The script just checks to see if a search radar is within a pre-defined azimuth and elevation range of the nose then makes a sound. There is no link to the missile itself. This is not a "bug" at all, it's just hitting the limit of what is possible with mods.

Thanks. I took a peek at the radio section of the A-4 source code before and I got scared by the assembly and dll linking stuff. It's a shame it has to be so tricky.

@Ramsay Thanks!

I'm trying to set up a custom radio and I've run into a problem. First, declaring the radio/intercom devices in lua alone doesn't work. Using avSimplestRadio is how to make it work, but honestly I think this could be streamlined. Anyway, now I get subtitles but not the audio. Is there something I'm missing?

So it does nothing in DCS?

I see no information on how to get the Pave Penny "laser spot tracker" pod working, even on the newer C variants. Does it do anything?