Mirknir

It's not yet activated. If you see rain, the new map with the activation zones will be released. Wrecks are my codename (actual name in skynet code) for dynamic rescue objective that are not in safe houses. Wrecks can be 'friendly rescue pickup' or the new one 'captive pilot extraction' I updated the release notes to remove the confusion. Cargo and personnel slots are easy to change in code but hard game design wise. Lemme explain: In addition to be used in rescue/capture, those slots are also tied to the delivery system where you can transport stuff and people to places. If I increase the huey capacities, I need to increase the MI8 capacities as well. Because I can't affect the weight of the aircraft, there is no added difficulty to flying an helicopter with plenty stuff and passengers. Increasing the capacities of helicopters would just make the mission easier without making the actual flying harder. So I would need to increase the supply needs of objectives and also review the AI morale rewards because suddenly you can rescue/deliver more stuff in one trip, without added difficulty... Even I know the transport capacities of the helicopter are not realistic, I took some shortcuts for gameplay BUT also user interface reasons. I only have the ghetto DCS popup to communicate with the player and the radio menu to get player's input. (I don't want to rely on chat for VR users) A more realistic personnel capacity for the MI8 would be like 20-24 but imagine loading 20 tank commanders for a transport mission using the radio menu ; and then imagine trying to display all these in the tiny popup :lol: If the spreading of the wreck objectives work and we see more rescue/capture in the southern part of the CZ, I will add more field hospital to lower the average duration of a rescue/capture.

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.5 Added: Captured Pilot Extraction When a player ejects too deep in the CZ, he now has a 'chance' to get captured by enemy ground forces The capture will output a combat log message for ALL The capture will output a 'new objective' pop-up (like rescues but with a different Morse code) After being captured, the downed pilot will be subdued and guarded by a commando. Both prisoner and guard will need extraction. The extracting aircraft will thus needs 2 free passenger slots to do so. The commando will also take care of activating a radio beacon and dropping the LZ smoke. The prisoner will need to be dropped off at a nearby base/medical center to be processed Captures count as a separate stats from rescues Captures reward more AI morale than rescues (AI morale decreases AI CAP respawn timer) Visually, I spawn 2 soldiers, 1 RUS, 1 USA but I can't spawn an unarmed one so use your imagination :) After a certain delay (1h for now), the pilot will managed to escape. Updated: Rescue/Capture Creation Rules I want more player wrecks so I am testing some changes AIs no longer create wrecks Players still have a big chance of creating to wreck when ejecting Players will now have small chance to create wrecks when they crash even if they didn't eject This will compensate for the fact that players usually don't eject or just respawn. This will also compensate for the fact that when you plane is destroyed, DCS removes your input while your pilot is still alive. If DCS send me a pilot dead event, no wreck will be created Still, it's a bit less realistic but I prefer to see more player wreck and not have to generate AI wreck I also hope this will spread the wrecks a bit more Tweaked: Pilot Rescue Some messages have been updated to mark off the difference between capture and rescue As usual, I don't pilot helicopter so I was only able to test these features partially using my DEV-MEDIC su27 :) Those changes are pretty major for the rescue systems. Don't hesitate to report bugs!!

It keeps you updated :) Then when you are back home, you don't need to catch up! Don't worry, sometimes, I join as DustOff=3=7, enter a huey, start it, don't fly but drink beers. It's like you are there :lol:

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.4 Hot Fix: Sleeping Defense feature is now only activated on immortal homebase defenses It seems like playing with the AI controller of killable groups is causing some server crashes The same problem I had with the Infinite Patrol feature Tweaked: Team Composition message You can now type '-team' in chat to get the information This will allow players that spent extended time in spectator to request refreshed information Contrary to '-server', this new command doesn't require you to be in a vehicle Added: Aircraft Specialty in Combat Log DUEL or MEDIC will now appear in the kill log Ex: Baddie Mc Fly in Su27 ▶ R27ET ▶ Mirknir in Su27 (MEDIC) In case a MEDIC is killed, this extra information will allow: The population to revolt The clergy to send prayers The sinner to repent The paladins to seek vengeance

Should I stop updating the server while you are away so you don't get teased? :P

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.3 Fighter Unbalances So the AI CAP morale feature is working well so far. Helicopters and ground pounders can now decrease their AI CAP respawn timer and thus increase by a small factor this minimal air protection. Before taking any more actions, I am going to provide quick information about team composition to help players with their coalition choice. The server status pop-up will now display the number of players in modern fighter slots for each side In chat: -server Radio menu -> Server -> Status When a player join the server, he will receive the same information thru a private chat message This will help him better choose a slot if he wants to balance teams Duel Slots are excluded from these counts Ex: ▶ Players in Fighter: 2 blues ↔ 5 reds

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.2 Tweaked: Radio menu Less all caps , more fancy characters Tweaked: Fighter in vicinity warning Warning is now active on all helicopters Warning can now be deactivated with an option for hardcore gamers that wants more AIM120 in the face Warning is active by default Can be changed in radio menu -> options Can be changed in chat -> -opt fwarn (for 'fighter warning' or 'freaking warning' depending on the day) Added: Weapon Release Announcements I wanted to test this to see if it would be fun Your pilot can now announce some weapon fired/released with NATO codewords For now, only Air to Air missiles are announced (Fox1, 2, 3) Only you will hear your pilot sounds It's an option Deactivated by default In radio menu -> options In chat -> -opt fox

No problem, I am always happy to increase the server features like I did with rescues. But adding a voice over server on the same weak-sauce-machine and not-that-bad-connection as my DCS server... I need more information first :lol:

First, I think people like team speak because it's actually not related to any game and when you download the client, you have it for every games you wanna play. Installing a voice program per each game can be troublesome for some people. Then, server wise, you need to know where the network load of the voice over IP will go. When you host or rent a teamspeak server, the load is on the teamspeak server machine and I think, sometimes it will be distributed amongst clients. The Open Conflict server machine and internet connection is dedicated to DCS and the rented Teamspeak server doesn't affect the game server as it's hosted somewhere else. I took a quick look at your link and didn't find a documentation giving information about bandwidth requisite, compression options, load repartitions between server and clients, performance impacts... Maybe I'll do more research later but yea, server performance is a big problem for me atm so I prefer to be cautious.

Yea, the warning is, for now, only applied to transport and legacy aircrafts. I can extend it to the more advanced helicopters like ka50 and Gazelle even if they have a RWR since they are still an easy prey for fighters. The warning range is still low so you still have to fly covertly so I don't really mind to extend it to these helicopters.

You change it once then your preference is saved on the server.

Yea an easy com system could be nice to declare your intention / ask for help. Still, would need some spam controls ; some people like to draw attention :lol: [ame] [/ame]

I can explain in French and English but that's about it :smilewink: For performance and general design purpose, I don't want to flood the server with air AIs and by this, I mean meaningful AIs, not the practice non offensive AIs. I don't want AIs to replace players in protecting the conflict zone. However, each side still have a warden AI CAP of 2 modern aircrafts that will offer a minimal protection of their side of the conflict zone as well as some basic aggressive targets for the opposite faction. I've recently added the feature to be able to influence your AI CAP respawn timer to slightly increase this minimal protection. (release notes) I might add more factors to influence this number but by design, the conflict zone is supposed to be dangerous if you don't have player support.

Again, you can choose what unit you have displayed. I pilot the su27, I switched to metric system, my options are saved on the server and now, the popup are always in km for dist and m for altitude. You have the information in the unit you want, the popup is clearer and less overloaded... I don't understand how it's so terrible :) It's an all-planes-general-warfare server so I won't start creating separated areas for each generation of planes. In addition to bringing more performance problem by extending the mission, this is not the purpose of this server even if I understand why people would like to only fly within 'their own era'. However, if I had the resources and time, I would gladly host additional dedicated servers for each era and even maybe one night time for the aircrafts with NVG.

Yea I know, it's a bit creepy sometimes but part of improving the server is watching people play and react to the content. It's really important to understand the different players motivation and source of fun, especially when the game is so diverse and people so passionate about it. This and also reading/answering the thread. I am just a baddie that only fly one plane ; of course, it's the best fighter in the world ; but still. :music_whistling: And for the watching huey part, I just want to see a F15 get killed by a huey but you guys always disappoint me :lol: I guess the next feature I have to script for huey is passenger with stingers.

Thanks :thumbup: In the message popup, it's explained how to change the unit system: type '-opt unit' in chat. Plus, the server is not red for russian and blue for usa. Each side has most of the planes. Bombers and recons respawn every 5 min so you should have plenty of occasions to kill some. ('-aa' in chat to track them) Even flying a su27, I've had AI or player kills stolen from me by another player. That's ok, that's part of the multiplayer environment like a helicopter searching for a target for 10 min to see it blown up by a maverick. At the end, it's a kill for your team :) I am actually trying to embrace the diversity of DCS and make a server for everyone to have fun and participate to the conflict. I think that part of what makes this server community cool is having a lot of different aircrafts flying together, helping each other, killing each other :P In my su27, I've had some memorable dogfights with mig21, gun fights with F86 or P51 and not always with the outcome you would think. I've seen huey on rescue mission hunted by F15 player, L39 doing bomb runs in the conflict area and RTBing in one piece, even pro WWII planes clearing some of the lightly defended objectives. I want to see more of this ; I don't want to divide the server mission per aircraft type or era. I also can understand people wanting to fly within an era and there are already dedicated WWII or Korean war servers that does a far better job that I would do. The duel slots are here as a 'in case people want to'. I've seen people go there to do some hardcore duels or just sometimes to do private training. That's ok if they are not used a lot. It's actually a good sign people have more fun in the common area.

Loading Optimization Attempt So even if the server don't render the 3D part of the game, it still loads all the textures and all the shaders. Of course, all of this take system and video memory but it can also make the server stutter when it loads a new aircrafts or assets. Caucasus Map Textures by Starway gave me an idea to try to increase server performances: texture mod! I created a mod with only ONE texture to replace them all. It's a simpler mod than the one I did for my Time-Lost video so it's easy and fast to try. I know this will accelerate the server loading by a great margin. But I also hope this will help with some server-related stutter. Here are some sexy screenshots of the mod before the 3D rendering is deactivated:

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.1 So, since I added rescues, I wanted to add consequences on the battlefield for rescuing pilots. Deliveries will spawn a convoy or make an hospital operational but rescues didn't have a direct impact. I also wanted to do something subtle and player driven to soften the effects of fighter unbalance that can sometimes happen. So I thought about trying to kill 2 eagles with one missile... euh... I mean 2 birds with one stone. Added: AI CAP Morale AI CAP now has a (hidden) concept of morale affected by player actions AI morale will be increased by ground related actions: Completing rescues will have the biggest impact Completing deliveries will have a moderate impact Destroying enemy defenses on ground objectives will have a small impact [*]The higher the morale, the less time the AI CAP will take to respawn [*]Respawn delay will thus vary in a certain range [*]For now, from default 20min to minimum 10min [*]Value can be seen with '-aa' in chat or F10 -> F7 in radio menu Tweaked: Deliveries and rescues now output combat log messages like kills In Map: Open Conflict Khashuri - v6.0.9 Tweaked: Clear weather to appreciate the release of Caucasus Map Textures by Starway https://starwayblog.wordpress.com/ Added: Battle Creek skins for A10C and A10A Requested by Blitz_USMC

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.5.0 Fixed: Changing aircrafts won't trigger the automatic LZ requests anymore The player teleporting from one plane to another could trigger some LZ feedback on the way Updated: Sleeping defenses will stay active for a minimum of X seconds This will avoid having to much flickering radars For now, the minimum duration is 5 min Updated: AI CAPs are now a special kind of AI flight in Skynet Your AI CAP status and respawn delay will now be included in the air to air report '-aa' in chat or F10 -> F7 in radio menu

The protected zone border SAM presence of both side have already been increased to reduce the trolling of the borders and the need for scripted protection with Skynet flaks. I don't want to artificially add more AAAs or SAMs in the conflict zone. It would not be a subtle change :)

Haha you have to much faith in me ; I am still learning the su27 and still can't do proper formation with helicopters:megalol: I've actually noticed that it's way more difficult to do CAP with a purpose. Taking off and trying to get a pvp kill is really easy. Trying to protect someone makes you more exposed ; you often can't choose your fights or the location of the fights. If it's a moment where your AI fighters are down, the unbalance can be a big challenge for a fighter but also a pain for an attacker. Of course, feeling strong in numbers, the enemies will also be less careful and more kill hungry. You can then drag them in your ground defenses. I understand people joining the stronger side to get kills but I also understand the frustration of attackers or newby fighters when they are chained killed. I don't know, it's a fragile balance so if I intervene, it must be subtle.

Of course, I am talking about when people don't do that ;)

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.4.9 Fixed: All objective smokes being blue Red objective for blue to destroy will be back to having red smokes Reported by FreeFighter In Map: Open Conflict Khashuri - v6.0.8 Added: HOT blue slots for Mirage 2000 @SENaki and @KOBuleti This will offer Mirage pilots a faster respawn option since they are usually fighting quick-to-start FC3 fighters Fixed: Slot A10C (@SEN6 - HOT - CAN.Snow ) not being HOT Reported by Zee Pet Tweaked: Blue protected zone SAMs are now on the banks of the Rioni river This should provide a clear visual reference for intruders This should provide more reaction time between lock and destruction Even if the sleeping defense feature can be used to create realistic SAMS traps, I prefer, FOR NOW, to use it mainly for the optimization The fighter unbalance problem: I am still thinking/wondering what/if I should do something when player fighters stack in one coalition and you get something like 5 modern fighters versus 1 F86. I have some ideas but I am still not convince they are good enough Stay tuned :smilewink:

In Masterscript: Skynet v2.4.8 Added: Landing Zone Feedback (LZ Feedback) More generalized version of the rescue smoke feedback Request range is now 8km (increased from 3km) Added: Navigation Beacon New concept added More generalized version of the radio beacon Navigation Beacon now contains a Radio Beacon (instead of the objective) Navigation Beacon now contains the LZ feedback (instead of the objective) Navigation Beacon is attached to a location A Navigation Beacon will be shared between all the objectives on the same location Ex: Hospital is a rescue AND delivery drop-off but only one location, thus one beacon Ex: Surami is a rescue pick-up AND delivery drop-off but only one location, thus one beacon Updated: Rescue and Delivery System Every Rescue and Delivery destination will have a navigation beacon (except airports) They will thus emit a radio beacon They will thus respond to LZ feedback manual and automatic requests Updated: Radio Menu In rescue sub menu, 'Request Smoke from Closest LZ' entry replaces 'Ask pilot to drop green smoke!' entry In the delivery sub menu, 'Pickup / load stuff' entries are now in a sub menu to free some space In the delivery sub menu, 'Request Smoke from Closest LZ' entry has been added Optimization: Testing Sleeping Defenses... Skynet can now enable/disable the awareness of ground grounds (wake up / go dark) Mission now has some wake-up zones associated to ground objectives Ground defenses will only be active when players are intruding in the associated wake up zones This will be particularly useful to reduce the cost of the MANY protected zone SAMS that, most of the time, do nothing This will also be used on some isolated objectives that will go dark until approached (Ambrolauri, Drone Base....) This could also be used later to decrease the ability to snipe SAMs with anti-radiation missiles as they will be dark in no-one is nearby

I recommend Afelium tutorial: [ame=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFMX5z-ed4&index=12&list=PLMQT7F0Pmz1SS68Kdwj7Y6p4WDMTyjb93][/ame]