Suggestion: Dynamic aircraft registration (+serial, badge)?

[Azrayen]

Hi,

 

Classic DCS aircraft use dynamic aircraft registration.

This simple system, already implemented, allows to have different-looking aircraft without having to multiply skins to a (too large) number.

 

I suggest this is doable too for standard liveries (*) for the M-2000, even if french military registrations are not simple numbers (like Russia or US's ones).

(*) obviously no need for special/demo liveries that were painted to one aircraft only.

 

The old timer may remember the AdA Mod v2? That's what the developpers of the mod did, back then. :)

 

As I said, french military registrations are not 001 - 002 - 003 and so on (like Russia or US's ones), so the team had to be (more) clever.

So we made a kind of dedicated database thanks to Barbsman, Cpt Stark, Oxitom and a few others's work.

The principle is easy: this database linked some of the "side #" available in DCS editor (e.g. 11 to 49 (except round tens) for the 2000C) each to a specific triplet of information:

- what registration (french format) => displayed on the fuselage sides

- what aircraft serial number => displayed on the fin and the front gear fairing

- what squadron/flight badge => displayed on the fin (not always the same left/right sides)

Each information is a TGA texture that is added to the base-skin, using side# arguments.

 

Cherry on the cake, Barbsman even hacked part of the editor, in order to show which registration, serial and unit badge were to be displayed.

 

A big part of the work was to inventory correct (real life) triplets. Cpt Stark made a document listing them, this document is available in this topic (yeah, it's in french).

 

Images: (sorry about the aliasing, long time not running FC2, settings are broken)

Base skin:

 

With dynamic registration:

 

A light patrol, same skin on both aircraft but they look different:

 

If Razbam would consider doing something like this, I feel it would be a nice addition. :thumbup:

 

++

Az'

Edited January 13, 2016 by Azrayen

[Home Fries]

Worst case, RAZBAM could update their models to allow for decals instead of just one diffuse layer for the skins. This would allow the side numbers like you have in your proposal, different squadrons (and even nationalities) with the same basic paint scheme, etc. Same thing with the pilot skins using decals for patches instead of the four patch locations on the skin itself.

 

In other words, just like the F-15C.

[gospadin]

Yup. I'd happily re-work all my textures to support this, and it'd have made my navy Mi-8 skins a lot simpler too!

[sedenion]

+1

 

I think at least registration number should be customizable like in any other DCS module. Serial number should also be change according registration number... For the squadron/flight badge it is more a cherry on the cake, since in DCS we usually choose this by changing the livrery.

 

However, i doubt ED team or Razbam will include a full database like Ada-mod's devs does it with a rework of the editor...I think it should be more a logical based transposition, even if that generates fictionnal registrations and serial numbers (the pure real french registration according squadrons is French purist's wish :D)

 

I mean, for example, if the 1234 numner can generate something like "12-OP" registration number and "76" as serial number, by simple logical convertion, that would be a good compromise: That gives a pretty realistic registration number, an unique serial number, and allow coherent visual immatriculation in the game.

 

What can be done also is for exemple a combo with the "Enfield/Sprinfield/Uzi" etc... The "Enfield/Sprinfield/Uzi" gives you some predefined letters for the end of the registration number (OP, YP, OA, etc..) and the number "123" gives the numerical part of the registration number... mixing together gives a serial number. And you have something easy to use and understand.

 

And... and... i wonder if the "Enfield/Springfield" etc, can be replaced with some "OP, YP, OA", that can be used for radio... since they are just letters. Does current radio com have some standard "Alpha, Bravo, Charly" samples ? In this case, we would have directly a right registration number and radio com "Alpha Bravo 1 3"... instead of "Enfield 1 1" (we can dream).

Edited January 12, 2016 by sedenion

[Hook47]

+1

 

Great idea and looks pretty simple to implememnt. Would like to see

[Corsair]

And... and... i wonder if the "Enfield/Springfield" etc, can be replaced with some "OP, YP, OA", that can be used for radio... since they are just letters.

 

The immatriculations are not used in radio calls. The best thing would be to record radio calls with accurate C RDI squadrons callsigns (Coton, Charcot, Raglan, Corik..).

Edited January 13, 2016 by Corsair

[Azrayen]

2) Are there any plans for updating the object to allow dynamic side numbers (aka borts) to the aircraft so we can number them via mission editor?

 

 

2) Yes.

 

Good news :)

[gospadin]

+1

 

Great idea and looks pretty simple to implememnt. Would like to see

 

It's trickier than it looks, though the 3ds experts probably find it "simple" or "obvious".