Merker

Community A-4 Dev Diary Q2 2019: Comings and Goings Community A-4 Dev Diary Q2 2019: Comings and Goings From Merker: Hello all, I’d like to start this post off by thanking you all for your incredible support over the past 3 years of development. From the day we started, during good times and bad, and through what felt like a very turbulent release; it’s been a hell of a ride. During the first hours of this project, my highest expectation would be that we learn a thing or two and everyone would have some fun in the process. There was never really an expectation of success, though we wanted to give it a shot. Since then, it’s gone beyond what I could have ever imagined. Regrettably, this journey has reached its destination for me personally. As of May 31st, 2019, I will no longer be part of the A-4 Project. There are a number of personal reasons for this, and I’d prefer not to get into them, but the overall reason is that this project is just one short chapter in my life that will need to close for others to open. This project has been a very difficult lift for me personally, as I’ve invested a massive amount of time into it. The past few months since release have been some of the most demanding, and with many other opportunities and responsibilities in life demanding my attention, I feel it is now appropriate for me to move on from this project and DCS modding as a whole. This includes my work on the Oriskany, which is hereby paused indefinitely. Work had slowed greatly in the past months, and I feel that it’s a project I will never be satisfied with personally. Perhaps I’ll find a way for it to live on, but I can make no promises at this time. I announced my resignation last month and we are currently in the transition process for our distribution and communication methods. We’re working to ensure this process is as easy and as seamless as possible. I’d like to thank you all for your patience, and hope that you will continue to support the endeavors of the remaining team. I know you're in good hands. I'd like to thank this community again for an exciting three years, I hope that we’ve met your expectations and made a worthwhile addition to your DCS experience. Sincerely, Merker -- While it is time for Merker to leave, we’re very happy to announce a new member to our team. Heclak, who many of you may know through his various submods and contributions to the official mod, has joined as Coder and 3D Artist. Please give him a warm welcome! Coming up in the next updates, we have a slew of many different planned features and fixes on the horizon. Below is a tentative list of such things: Hydraulic system upgrade (For testing) Surfaces such as flaps, spoilers, gear are now dependent on the hydraulic system. This upgrade allows for some emergency procedures such as emergency gear release, and emergency landing procedures. Further upgrades are still in the research stages. Tanker version (WIP) Implementation of buddy tanker model. The model will be player flyable and AI-capable. However, the refueling capability is limited to AI only due to technical limitations. Texturing for pod and drogue is still yet to be completed. There's still an issue with drogue/probe tracking between the AI tanker and receiver. Player version of the A-4E is still not capable of aerial refueling. Check out the picture below of how it looks in our current testing. Remember, everything is subject to change! Fuel control system (WIP) We're working on some upgrades to the fuel system in the A-4E. We've implemented the emergency fuel cutoff lever and looking into other fuel systems such as fuel cutoff due to inverted flight and negative-g. Fuel dumping is now possible but no visual fuel vapours are possible. Keybindings (In progress) We're working on adding new keybindings based on community suggestions. We are aware that there are a number of keybindings that are missing. Please feel free to bring to our attention any missing keybindings via the issue tracker or forums. We will try to release a document indicating the new keybindings to assist control mapping. We're also trying to clean up the keybindings of incorrect keybindings. There are a number of incorrect bindings which are only meant for FC3 aircraft that made it into the previous release versions. These keybindings will be removed as we discover them. Visual Damage Model (Status TBD) While initially this system was teased, Merker’s departure means that this internal project has been shelved in favor of other projects. The visual damage model, which is purely a cosmetic feature within DCS, would display battle damage in-game. Additionally, we will be working to determine what changes are needed to adjust to ED’s new damage models, which were announced earlier this spring. Because we are modders, we have no advanced knowledge of these changes and will be learning alongside you all as they are implemented. Thank you all for making the past few months an exciting process, we look forward to the continued evolution of this mod over the comings months!

Unfortunately its a known bug we've had since we started development. We've never quite been able to figure out the source, and thus have no way to solve it other than restarting. However, I do know that the most common causation is flying a different aircraft before flying the A-4 in the same "session". Sorry we can't be of much help, sadly restarting is the only remedy

Actually, all you should need to do is delete the rudder axis assignments and restart. You’ll only need to delete the whole folder unless the issue persists. I had that same issue in one of the test buils and that changed solved it.

Looking good so far!

Those lighting fixtures for both the instrument backlighting and, not modeled, lighting for the panels themselves. Behind each cap was a small light, which could be unscrewed outward emit a very thin band of light in all directions around it. Due to the difficulties of working with interior lighting in DCS, it's something that I only briefly explored before realizing its implementation would be both resource intensive and difficult to accurately portray in-game.

Figured I'd drop in to respond to a few concerns and questions. First, the issue with IC has been more or less resolved. The issue with requiring the mod to join an MP server is entirely based on the way DCS, or any multiplayer game for that matter, manages server/client connection. This is true for any mod, and would also be true for completed 3rd Party aircraft if ED didn't make their external/AI elements part of the base DCS install. Related to this, we have no plans to pursue adoption into the base install of DCS. This is due to a wide number of issues, ranging from licencing to quality assurance. We have not spoken with ED directly but are aware of most of the requirements for adoption into DCS. This is not something anyone should be critical of ED for, as these requirements are necessary business-wise and for the end user's best experience. I would personally make the exact same stipulations myself if I were in their shoes. Lastly, we highly appreciate everyone's enthusiast for our mod, and while it pains me to say that we can't solve this issue for all of you, we do appreciate your concern and interest. I would definitely encourage everyone interested in flying the A-4E-C in multiplayer to consider joining a virtual squadron which flies it. I know there are many out there who do. Hope these answer help and sorry again that there are issues with finding good servers!

Unfortunately for folks that want to change back to white, this is entirely controlled on the 3d modelling/animation side of things. Sorry about that. I would maker it a submod, but due to the evolving nature of the cockpit it would be difficult to constantly maintaining two versions

Hello all, Due to a high volume of questions coming to the Community A-4E-C Team, I'd like to inform you all of two known bugs in both OpenBeta and Stable version of DCS. These bugs are not specific to the Community A-4 either, and apply to all scratch-made SFM mods as well. OpenBeta: We are currently experiencing a bug where player flown A-4E-C spawned in the air will dip forward into the ground upon landing. Below are screenshots of this issue occurring in both the A-4E-C and MB 339. Because this applies to all SFM mods, we can only wait until the bug is patched in DCS by ED. Stable: In the Stable Version of DCS, we are still experiencing the "spawn explosion" SFM bug that has since been patched in Open Beta. We are awaiting this fix to be pushed to Stable at sometime in the near future. Thank you all for your patience! -Merker, Community A-4E-C Dev Team

Community A-4E-C Update: Version 1.3 Available Now Community A-4E-C Version 1.3 Available Now Hello everyone! Today we have a very big announcement for you all. Today we’re releasing the biggest content update to date, bringing with it much requested features and bug fixes. A new carrier mechanic, new RWR system, and enhanced Shrike systems are just a few of the big changes dropping in Version 1.3 of the A-4E-C. We’d like to thank the incredible work of two newcomers who have are responsible for nearly all of these new feature; Heclak and Nero. Together, they’ve brought with them an immense amount of enthusiasm and coding skill to this project, resulting in the new content you’ll see in 1.3. The amount of work they put into this mod truly shows, and we hope you’ll enjoy that work as much as we do. Top New Features: - New carrier catapult mechanic - New RWR System, complete with originally produced sounds - Aircraft chocks now available, allowing carrier cold starts - Enhanced Shrike Usage, with originally produced sounds - Reworked Internal Lighting - New Menu Music by Eric Haugen (Thanks!) Top Bugfixes: - New collision Mesh (Hitbox), aircraft no longer invincible - Huffer now works on carriers - Fixed TrackIR issues Download v1.3 HERE: https://goo.gl/DXz7XF Project Roadmap: Going forward, there are a few features on the horizon that we look forward to development. Check out these sneak peaks at what comes next. Visible Damage Modelling and Texturing - Fixing the collision mesh, which calculates damage taken from weapons, is just the first step in much bigger plans we have for damage modelling on the A-4E-C. Our current model does not yet have visible damage animations, something we’d greatly like to fix. Our focus will be turning to this very big feature as we head into summer. Additional RWR Options - In real life, the A-4 was an incredibly modified aircraft, with no two squadrons operating identical aircraft in US service. Systems were mixed and match to fit the mission sets and preferences of each squadron. For our mod, we hope to introduce a greater degree of options when it comes to the RWR, whose functionality varied wildly based upon the systems used in it. Integrity Check Issues – Multiplayer compatibility is a serious issue in the mod, and one of our most requested fixes. We’re working to resolve these fixes going forward, however we can make no promises due to the nature of the mod. The scope of our mod is much greater than others, with many points of failure with IC. We’ll continue our eternal struggle with it going into the next patch. The features are expected to be release in a Late Summer 2019 Update. Stay tuned for more! Full Changelog – Community A-4E-C Version 1.3 Contributors: - Heclak - Nero - Merker - Plusnine - LevelPulse - Storm (AIM-9P Fixes) New Features: - Chocks now hold aircraft in place, selectable via Ground Crew Interface. Carrier starts now possible. - RwR now integrated. Including sounds.(AN/APR-23) - A-4E can now be launched with the catapult. (see the A4E-Community Guide for details) - Carriers can now have TACAN and ILS. (see the A4E-Community Guide for details) - Reworked AWRS for more accurate system simulation - Added joystick mapping axis for inst light and console light. - Lights inside cockpit reworked. Now “Combat Red” - Reworked CBUs release code for more accurate simulation - New option to change trim speed in aircraft options menu - New implementation of the AN/ALE-29A Chaff Dispensing System. - New mission planner options for setting options for the AN/ALE-29A programmer - New shrike search and lock system added. Behavior is similar to AIM-9 Sidewinders arming procedure. - New volume control for shrike and sidewinder volume (placeholder model) - Added carrier catapult launch sounds (cockpit-only) - New menu music by Eric Haugen - Completely new collision and damage model. Fixes previous damage issues. - Wheelbrakes can now be bound to a (single) Axis. - Improved ground handling - Options/special/A-4E: several options have been added like "hide Stick" and "trimspeed" Bug Fixes: - Fully functional collision mesh - Red floodlight switch no longer stuck. - No CTD when spawning on carrier. - Fixed canopy visibility in cockpit when open. - CBU visibility has been fixed. - Huffer now works on carriers. - Standby compass bug fixed. UV mapping of backlight rotated 180 degrees. - Fixed RAT animation when deployed - Fixed CBU bomblet visual placement in SUU-7 dispenser - Fixed issue where turning a knob with the scroll wheel will cause it to jump back to the beginning when it reaches the end. - Tweaked weight of SUU-7 dispenser - Fixed anti-collision light switch on exterior lighting panel - Fixed TrackIR issues Other Changes: - Console and Instrument Backlighting now controlled by appropriate knobs. - AWRS now selects appropriate ripple quantities. - Increased Pilot Size to reflect reference imagery. - Updated keybinding. Countermeasures release is now known as the JATO firing button. Function is the same. Weapon Systems: - SALVO mode will now correctly only dispense one weapon from each readied station per weapon release pulse from AWRSAWRS QTY SEL will now correctly limit the number of times the weapons are released in the RIPPLE modes. - AWE-1(AWRS) now powered from the monitor dc bus. Master arm switch no longer turns off the AWE-1 - Weapons will no longer be released from centerline station when in STEP PAIRS or RIPPLE PAIRS - Station of equal priority are now required for weapon release in PAIRS modes. - CBU bomblets are now released in tubes (CBU-1/A, CBU-2/A, CBU-2/B) - Added kneeboard page for CBU config to change the number of tubes of bomblets released per weapon pulse. (CBU-2/A, CBU-2B/A) - Added options to set CBU config from the mission planner/editor - Tweaked start condition of weapon system when spawning hot Important: You need to rebind your "Throttle Axis" and "Rudder Axis". Read the A4E-Community Guide by heclak to avoid issues with the new carrier mechanics. As always, happy flying from the Community A-4E-C Dev Team!

All I can really say on this front is that the geometry is largely final, with some exceptions on small things. One small change creates a lot more work and can cause issues with the unwrap, which then breaks a lot of textures. I appreciate the insight and constructive criticism though, and we can take a look at what can be done for some of the smaller changes. I used to have a B model downtown for reference, but Smithsonian locked her away as they do renovations :cry:

There is currently an issue in the damage model, which unfortunately I was never able to replicate accurately on my end or with other testers prior to release. Some of our hitboxes (damage mesh) are not correctly linked with the native DCS damage code. We're working to resolve this and should hopefully have a mostly complete fix for this issue when we launch 1.3, our next update.

So a few answers: It's the original version of the ECM control box. In the most recent stable version, 1.02, it was removed to increase visibility. As you noticed, it obstructed the airspeed indicator and was at the time an unused panel without functionality. In the next version, 1.3, we will be adding in a newer, smaller version of the ECM/RWR control box which will be functional but not as much of an obstruction as the original version. Hope this helps!

The explosion bug has been resolve in the latest DCS Open Beta update. If you're running the "normal" version of DCS, this does not effect you. Hope that helps! Edit: I've been informed that the issue is present in Stable, so please hang on another week or two before the bugfix is updated on the "normal" version of DCS!

Theoretically I suppose it could, however I think the better way of doing it (should we pursue to model it) would be to make it part of the aircraft model instead. Would be a bit of a challenge though getting it to look good though. For reference, the Huffer is similar in that it is on a visibility animation while being part of the aircraft model.

Out understanding is that it will be fixed in next week's open beta update. There's nothing that can be done on our end before that time unfortunately.