The LMR concept

[X_Man]

Is anyone working on a random mission generator?

[Weta43]

To replace the present 'LMR' randomiser ?

 

It would probably make sense to wait till the new zipped bundle mission file format is seen & work with that wouldn't it ?

Esp. as it sounds like the changes to the format have been made with enabling such work in mind.

 

EvilBivol-1 wrote:

Caught some new bits about the ME on the Russian forum that I can relay here for those interested.

 

The mission file format will be completely different in the new ME. It will be a .zip archive, containing a LUA file describing the initial global conditions, ABRIS navigation data and text and image briefing files. If time allows, ED would like to implement audio and video briefing files as well.

 

To explain further - the entire mission is exported into a LUA file, which will theoretically allow missions to be written completely independent of the editor. This means modders will have access to mission files, making it possible to create 3rd party generators or even entire editors.

 

The ABRIS file is used to save custom ABRIS information if the designer or the pilot in-game adds custom ABRIS data for the mission (such as creating a new route or placing markers or lines on the ABRIS digital map, etc.)

 

Also, the munitions screen has been redesigned and will now be a more military-style front view of the aircraft. I believe it will now be possible to load cannon ammunition as an option. Don't know about countermeasures.

 

Which all sounds like it has a lot of potential...

[X_Man]

Ah! So this me mission file concept will come out with BS?

[Guest Dr. Shocker]

That sounds interesting, but that doens't affect any of us with Flaming Cliffs. The last thing I heard was that Black Shark wouldn't be compatible.

[X_Man]

That sounds interesting, but that doens't affect any of us with Flaming Cliffs. The last thing I heard was that Black Shark wouldn't be compatible.

 

Seriously?

[Weta43]

You can't fly 1.12b vs 1.02 ...

 

Have you tried the LMR ?

 

It's a bit more work setting up mission, but it does mean you don't know what you're getting when you take of.

(which isn't always as good a thing as it sounds, yesterday I flew an LMR mission that I have where you patrol an airspace & there are maybe 10 different opposing side flights that might appear. So I flew patrol for an hour & the only things I saw were friendlies with their ecm on that I chased locked & had to return to the patrol. After an hour I decided to RTB & just as I was touching down AWACs called pop up at blah blah for blah blah ... but I was done :-)

[X_Man]

LMR has several flaws - The two big ones are conjestion at airports for gamestart randomized aircraft. When aircraft on different missions meet during taxing or on the runway - they create bottle necks, halting all movement on that taxi route.

 

Also, there is the issue of objects that have not spawned showing up on radar. Here you find yourself targeting phantom objects.

[Weta43]

LMR only randomises the initial conditions of the mission file. Once started LMR missions are started they are exactly the same as any other mission in LO so whatever problems and limitations there are with LO there are with LMR mission. It doesn't magically allow you to double the amount of units active at any one time & so you have to schedule your 'gamestart or not there', 'always there' & 'start at sometime during play' carefuly so that there are enough to allow variety & replayability - for instance to not let you know which is which as AWAC calls them or you find them - depending on whether the 'gamestart or not there' AwAC appears :-), but also to not bring the computer to a slideshow halt.

 

If you schedule too many gamestart flights from the same runway - yes, you might confuse the AI.

 

If they're opposing force have you considered spawning them on the runway, or at 40m /250km/h above the runway, but already in flight ? if they're on your side - have some take off from the nearest runway & rendevous with you ?

 

As part of the point of LMR is to give you a surprise about what's coming maybe spread some of the flights around other runways ?

 

I've never seen an unspawned object show up on radar in LO (& I put a couple of hours into LMR missions yesterday - There are a few 'gamestart or not there' flights that spawn mid air & in the tacview file they're hanging there in mid air throughout the track, but they weren't showing up my radar in game or for the AWAC) regardless, if it's happening in your LMR missions it'll be happening in all your missions.

 

That mission I mentioned above " So I flew patrol for an hour & the only things I saw were friendlies with their ecm on that I chased locked & had to return to the patrol."

I flew it twice yesterday - (me and acouple of AI wingmen).

First time after about 15 min AWAC called popups that turned out to be a couple of flights of Phantoms which went down easy enough, but with only r-73 left I decided to rtb. A flight of Mirage after the AWAC had got past the 'border' I was supposed to be patrolling but S-300's got them. When I watched the tacview there was a flight of F-117 just taken off & heading for my home base as I landed.

Second time came across 2 F-15 down low - got them both and while climbing back to altitude ran into 2 separate packages of F-16 that just happened to be in the same area at the same time. 6 high and fast on 3 low & climbing - we got 2, but all 3 of us fell down ...

 

Boring story, but the point is that if you add enough flights over a reasonably long randomising period - both 'gamestart or not there' & to spawn at sometime in game, & bearing in mind the game engine limitations, then once you randomise you realy don't know what you'll meet after you hit fly. Which must be a good thing.

[LazerPotatoe]

This program can give you a rotation of missions based on success/fail:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=26407