Aircraft Spawn on Ramps in 1.1.0.9

[Ripcord]

OK 1.1.0.9 is here at last, now..... how to implement this in the ME?

 

Changes of AI Tasking System/Mission Editor

Spawn of inactive aircraft on parking ramps added and "Start" triggered task. This makes it possible to use aircraft as a static objects or for delayed takeoff.

 

 

EDIT: If I set the start time for the AI flight to normal mission start time, eg 1300, then the plane just takes off right away. If I set it to say, 2300, and use the START triggered task, then the flight isn't visible on the ramp until it spawns.

 

I must be doing this incorrectly.

 

Ripcord

Edited July 24, 2011 by Ripcord
Added details

[VFA41_Lion]

I played around with that new "start"checkbox and the "start" tasking in triggered actions, and nothing I did made my flight of F-15Cs appear inactive on the ramp until their start time. :(

[Ripcord]

Let me make an important correction here -- If I set the flight start time to 10-11 hours later, and use the START triggered task with a condition for it to start after a few minutes, then the flight simply does not spawn. Not at the beginning of the mission, and not after a few minutes when the Start condition is met.

 

I am starting to think this just did not get implemented.

[Ripcord]

I played around with that new "start"checkbox and the "start" tasking in triggered actions, and nothing I did made my flight of F-15Cs appear inactive on the ramp until their start time. :(

 

Where is that new START checkbox? I didn't see that. I saw only a checkbox that says UNCONTROLLED.... whatever that means.

[VFA41_Lion]

Its right next to mission start time.

[Ripcord]

OK, I got it working.

 

It is a three or four step process.

 

1. Set your flight in a parked space, use the current mission start time (no delay).

 

Be sure to check the UNCONTROLLED check box, which is right next to the HIDDEN ON MAP checkbox, right under the callsign dropdown menus.

 

2. Go the Triggered Actions menu (next in line after the weapons/payload menu) and select Add. You want to select PERFORM COMMAND, and then select START.

 

Don't waste any time with the conditions menu, that is the part here that doesn't work -- at least not for me. Be sure to post and let us know if you find otherwise. I tested the time condition and the user flag condition. No go on either.

 

3. Create one-time trigger to activate the flight. The Action you want is the AI TASK. Then you just select your START action for whatever flight you want to trigger.

 

Until you trigger it that way, you'll see the aircraft sitting there on the ramp, parked, with no pilot in it. Then when you trigger it, you'll the pilot appear in the cockpit and the taxi lights will come on. Magik!

 

Thanks to ED for implementing this -- a little update in the GUI manual would have been appreciated, but what the hell, we figured it out.

 

Ripcord

[snwboardn]

Need to sticky that ;) Thanks Ripcord... What is funny is

Uncontrolled wasn't showing up as an option next to Hidden on Map, I went to make sure I had paint.net to edit a screen shot... When I went back to dcs all of a sudden it magically appeared from nowhere.. Not sure if it takes a minute or what but it was definitely weird.

[Grimes]

Uncontrolled only appears if the aircraft has a "Start from ramp" initial waypoint.

[snwboardn]

Yea I know... I had it start from ramp and everything, the first time it didn't have the uncontrolled button for some reason... Either way I got that to work but the problem I am having is the start task is locking up my game...

 

*edit* deleted screenshots, to save space* Here are a couple of screen shots...

 

 

 

 

*edit* I took a screen shot of the wrong plane but they are both set up the same

 

*2nd Edit* Since I made the mission in 1108 I had them set to delayed starting time... Well it locks up the game when it tries to start a group that doesnt exist yet....

Edited July 24, 2011 by snwboardn

[SmokeyTheLung]

Can any one confirm that this will not work for helicopter groups?

The options appear to be there (and it will work fine for me with planes) but the helicopters always just start at mission start.

[VFA41_Lion]

There also appear to be no "uncontrolled" option for RED coalition (or at least Russian) aircraft.

[Mud]

Smokey: I have one mission with a helo starting delayed via "uncontrolled" and there at least it's working fine.

 

NPOSuperhornet: I am able to set Russian planes as "uncontrolled". Try after creating the plane/fligh, to deselect them and then select them again.

[Bungle_uk]

Thx for sharing, was struggling with it myself :D

[SmokeyTheLung]

Good call Bonso, it was my own stupidity preventing the helos from holding on the ramp...:doh:

[Geert Hooghe]

Can any one confirm that this will not work for helicopter groups?

The options appear to be there (and it will work fine for me with planes) but the helicopters always just start at mission start.

 

I've tried it with a flight of attackhelicopters and it works !

[AeroOrange]

Thanks for this thread Ripcord (+1) - I have struggled with simulating the notion of "holding on tarmac" before flight and after landing, and simulating a "shift change" or refueling of enemy aircraft in missions.

 

This aircraft setting you have shown us undoubtedly saves times and eliminated work from my approach before - but only in regards to initial conditions in the beginning of missions, not after landing and continued action after such conditions. I just wonder if its an intenend behavior as enacted by you, or just a false positive from your diligent trial and error efforts.

 

To me, a concept of "holding on tarmac" needs to be analogous to the ground units hold command while on ground as opposed to in flight (includes takeoff and landing) - would be the most ideal solution.

 

An inflight stop command could be useful and less messy as well, if it could keep the airplanes form falling out of the sky as with earlier builds of the app.

Edited September 16, 2011 by AeroOrange

[Rongor]

3. Create one-time trigger to activate the flight. The Action you want is the AI TASK. Then you just select your START action for whatever flight you want to trigger.

Until you trigger it that way, you'll see the aircraft sitting there on the ramp, parked, with no pilot in it. Then when you trigger it, you'll the pilot appear in the cockpit and the taxi lights will come on. Magik!

Ok, I managed to do so this far. But how do we trigger this in a sensefull manner? I did it by getting another flight entering a second trigger zone. I simply can not find a rule checking the time of the day for example. So what to do, if there is only the AI waiting on the ramp? How to trigger when nothing but this single AI unit is present?

[Jona33]

Use a Time more trigger, Once-Time more-10/whatever you need (it's in seconds)-AI task, Start

[Rongor]

So Time-more tells the amount of seconds since scenario beginning. Thanks for the hint! :)

[jbrking]

Uncontrolled option for Clients?

 

Is there a way we can have a client flight group already visible on the taxiway before the mission starts? I've thought of numerous ways to do it including using static objects to resemble these planes until the group is activated then remove the statics except there seems to be no way to use a trigger to remove a static unit. Also it would not take the plane from a runways resources.

 

What I really want is to have the aircraft visible start on the taxiway from the very start of the mission. The flight group is then only available to the client when an enemy aircraft enters a zone to create a ground alert intercept task. Something like this could add a lot of depth to a mission.

 

Sorry if this has been asked before but I have to know.

 

Thanks