Patch notes 0.4.0

Team Statement

Hello everyone! First off, thank you to everyone who has recently switched over to the beta branch to help us test out our new and first linear campaign. With this major update, we feel it's ready for everyone now, so thank you for your patience in waiting so long for our newest update.

The changelog is quite large, but to highlight a few of the big features:

• Whales are now a feature to help make submarine combat a little less straightforward. Now you'll have to watch your fire!
• Many environment and VFX changes (Sea foam, wakes, and biome changes primarily) as well as an overhaul of the atmospheric fog
• Our first linear campaign series
• Explicit sensor control and improved control over torpedo attack depth (right click on weapon on bottom bar to see options, only applies to ship mounted launchers)
• And more than a month worth of bug fixes!

Some of the up and coming goals we have are to

• Improve gunnery realism
• Tutorial missions
• Prepare for our first internal prototype of our AI infrastructure testing
• And moving trees into autogen system, which could lead to more additions to it to help make the game environment more realistic and varied plus should improve the overall performance

Note on new mod compatibility check

Update 0.4.0 adds new functionality to check the base version compatibility for mods within the game install. Please note that this requires mod makers to add base version compatibility into their mod's _info.ini file. At this time, most mods will not include this marker and so will appear in the list of incompatible mods. You can safely "Ignore" the warnings for now.

For mod makers: please follow the directions here to update your mods so this error is not thrown.

Check out the detailed change list below!

Detailed Change Log

Aircraft

Bug fixes

• DASH no longer can be assigned to VID a track
• Destroyed aircraft were not assigned with the Crash Physics motion controller when a mission was loaded from savegame file
• AS-4b could not dive at target
• Aircraft ramming targets while dive attacking
• Aircraft missile evasion breaking level bombing
• Physics section used instead Performance for Aircraft SOP preset altitudes; not needed conversion to units from feet for SOP preset altitudes

Improvements/Additions

• Significant change to Aircraft Takeoff. Remove specialist Skijump class, allow all aircraft to be affected by ramps. Improve STOL takeoff. VTOL will use STOL when a LaunchPoint is set to Plane and VTOL otherwise.
• Removed Harpoon from S-3A loadout
• Slava's helicopter changed to Ka-25TS so it has better targeting for Basalt missiles
• Standardized USAF and IRIAF F-4E loadouts
• All aircraft altitudes now loaded to simple object parameter. As a result there is the consistency between aircraft speeds for a unit and for its waypoints now in altitude values available
• Recon variant for MiG-21
• Recon loadouts to Orel aircraft
• Added new F-4E flight to Morvarid
• Reconnaissance aircraft can photograph stationary land installations and after aircraft recovery and some time has passed, its parent taskforce gains increased strike efficiency against those units
• OutOfAltitude interception chance is limited to 5%
• Aircraft evasive maneuver

Vessels/Submarines/Biologic

Bug fixes

• Gal class submarine: tweaked collider mesh, retracted the dive planes until those are properly supported via code
• Virginia, Tachikaze fixes, Pegasus fix
• Whale sounds where audible above the surface
• Some broken or missing colliders in various ships
• Mark 11 and Mark 13 GMLS rail rest angles on Adams early/late, Perry, Lutjens, Tachikaze
• Tachikaze bow wave/prop wash positions
• Tachikaze hullnumber fix
• Wrong flag for JASDF F-4EJ 306th TFS
• P4 boat flipping over when using high time compression
• The y offset for the bow and prop wash position for vessels wasn't taken into account
• Hullshapes of Tachikaze and Virginia
• FFG-27 Mahlon S. Tisdale name in language files
• Bowplanes on Kobben, 205, 206, Gal
• Tarawa missed "Landing" role
• Wrong Volna ammo count on Kanin from 20 to 32
• Rogov's Grad loading position
• PTG Tiger incorrect Flag submodel name
• Typo in Krivak I magazine ammo amount
• LifeRafts were not saved
• Submarines could pick up rafts while submerged

Improvements/Additions

• Tweaked all bow waves emitters (lifetime, transparency, emission, rotations, shapes, velocity over time etc)
• Replaced all propwash entries with new faint emitters
• Changed 127mm to 5"38 on Gearings, Garcia
• Adjusted bow shapes on Sa'ar 1 and Sa'ar 2
• Krivak II 100mm ammo increased [200->1250]
• Adams tilt tweak
• New crew meshes/material for Iranian vessels
• New foam texture for bow waves
• Added very small propwash emitter, tweaked small propwash outwards motion and particles size
• New rebuild correct Alvand model, adjusted to 80's weapons fit
• New 1980s Kitty Hawk, Iowa, New Jersey, and Missouri battlegroup unitgroups with historical units and formation spacing
• Added SEPTAR QST-35 target drone in 2 variants: standard with medium RCS and IR signatures and _small with smaller RCS/IR and no large target plate attached on deck
• Knox 1972 without Harpoons
• 1984 USS Enterprise Battle Group Foxtrot unitgroup with historically accurate units and formation spacing
• Biologics are now available
• Support of Formations for Biologic
• Slowed down fire system damage and repair rate
• Loadout system now works for submarines

Land Units

Bug fixes

• Land unit manual control extended to not selected units
• Players' Land units on weapons free were not attacking other surface units
• Non mobile land units had dust effect always on

Improvements/Additions

• Updated more detailed and higher resolution T-55, new T-55 Mod.1970 for Iraq and WIP on T-55M
• LandUnit default speed for dust effect lowered
• Nerfed: Oil rig hp
• Added 9K116 Bastion for T-55, inflight and stowed dummy meshes
• SA-10 SAM site representing field-deployed TELs with associated radars and misc vehicles
• Mobile Land units direct control
• Civilian comms buildings site
• Civilian radiostation site

Weapons

Bug fixes

• No terrain hit effect for shells
• Torpedo Launch Depth Command
• Torpedoes stuck in "go to north" search pattern
• Evade missile state interfered with velocity setting
• Rockets had HitAir explosion specified
• Explosion effect for bombs triggered when bomb hits water
• It was possible to retarget enemy weapons
• Unguided rocket could not be launched at land unit target point
• Fired weapons were not removed for hardpoint systems when loading a save
• P-700 Granit fins size fix
• Radio command and wire guided missiles always aimed at object center

Improvements/Additions

• RIM-7F - > RIM-7E. Proposition and info by nuclearstonk
• Unlocked circular search parameters for mk 46
• Tweaked muzzle flash graphic
• Experimental: CIWS go to rest after fire
• Lowered minimum attack altitude of AIM-54 to 50 feet for better performance against low-flying targets like cruise missiles
• Ballistics modifications for some calibers
• Missile group small improvements. Added mode for even distribution in case of attacking small targets
• Hit ground effects for weapons
• Missile evasion distance bumped up to 2 nmi
• Only 1 TOW missile can be fired at a time now
• Weapon systems received wires limit and can not launch wire guided weapons without seeker over this limit. Weapons with seeker can be launched but will not be on wire.
• Torpedo spawn to Debug Panel
• WH torpedoes must pass wake wakebubble before locking to permanent wake bubble
• New missile for land-based SA-8 Osa SAM which is unable to attack surface targets
• Retargeting of wire guided missiles

Sensors

Bug fixes

• Recon data on own units can be processed
• Soviet 5N62 radar: pivots rotation orientation fixed
• Every visual system considered as Recon regardless of setting
• Sonar seekers missed target validation
• P-14 had wrong radar entry

Improvements/Additions

• Adjustments to improve sonobouys drop at TC
• Torpedo ECM and spoof effect values refactored across all torpedoes
• Laser auto paint added to launcher system
• New weapon system state "Laser can not paint target" - for finding bugged untargetable units
• Radiostation targeting data setup
• Radar offset to ships with big FCRs
• Recon photos improve missile accuracy against spotted stationary land units

Mission Editor / Missions

Bug fixes

• Mission Editor: Speed settings weren't available for Biologics' waypoints
• Mission Editor: Objectives could be saved to mission file for the Blue side only
• Mission Editor: texts with color codes starting with # symbol were not loaded correctly from mission files
• If there were no condition units, UnitsInTheArea condition was completed
• Broken conditions for "ConditionArea" display side
• MissionType might interfere with self-defence
• Operation Revenge scenario objective sides
• Outdated EngageTask was saved instead of those actually accepted by systems

Improvements/Additions

• Added linear campaign
• "Breakthrough" new victory condition for all enemy units destroyed
• "Caron at Granada": added proper radiostation model for Radio Free Grenada and saved terrain modification data that makes the radiostation area flat
• "Caron at Grenada" scenario victory trigger requirements
• "Operation Shadow" rebuild
• Updated missions:
  • Updated "Volga Exercise"
  • Updated/rebalanced "Battle of Latakia 1973" and "Battle of Baltim 1973" (Yom Kippur War)
  • Updated/rebalanced "Operation Morvarid 1980" (Iran-Iraq War)
  • Updated/rebalanced "Encounter off Diu 1971" (Indo-Pakistani War of 1971)

• Updated scenario titles to match each other; updated start message to match
  
• WIP for attacking state for Attack Waypoints in the Mission Editor
  
• Support for advanced waypoint definitions in triggers
  
• "Combat Recon" mission to play with land units with direct control (experimental)
  
• Trigger condition UnitsAreOutOfAmmo
  
• WIP on waypoints additional parameters: SetSpeed and SetWeaponStatus are settable in mission file
  
• WIP on waypoint sensors: radars, sonars, reading from mission
  
• Attack info to waypoint. Ability to create attack waypoint
  
• Defaults for mission briefing
  
• Ability to hide, unhide and cancel ability by trigger
  
• Mission Editor: Save/Load for SetSensors parameter of waypoint settings
  
• Mission Editor: Cancel, Hide, Unhide actions for Mission Objectives
  
• Mission Editor: Altitudes/Depths for waypoints context menu
  
• Mission Editor: EMCON setting for waypoints in the context menu
  
• Mission Editor: Radar/Sonar waypoint settings
  
• Mission Editor: ROE options for the waypoint context menu
  
• Mission Editor: Add precise position edit to Mission Editor Waypoints
  
• Mission Editor: WIP on Waypoint Context Menu
  
• Mission Editor: Altitude/Septh save/load for waypoints
  
• Mission Editor: Save/Load of SetTelegraph property for waypoints
  
• Mission Editor: Save/Load for SetWeaponStatus waypoint parameter
  
• New missions:
  • "The High North 1968" scenario
  • "Caron at Grenada 1983" historical scenario

Map/UI

Bug fixes

• UI: Radar Target Channels in wrong Row
• UI Issue with updated Flight Deck Views
• StringFormat={}{0,X:N1} to StringFormat={}{0,X:0.0} to try and fix floating zero errors.
• Add extra localisation and functionality to Validity checking
• Add clearer language to Mod Validity Checker
• Add ScrollViewer to Status window
• Flag max size in bottom bar

Improvements/Additions

• WIP on Mod Download on Load Game, new Download window
• Change Main Menu version to use the compiled value from Player Settings
• EMCON Menu now includes new sun men for managing individual Sensors, Formation Manager has different context menu for Formations vs Units
• WIP: Sensors Management stuff, beginnings of a management view and removal of items from the menu
• Change leader is unlocked in ContextMenu
• Disable trigger clears map vehicle now
• Message log message and voiceover upon receiving of intel message
• Initial work on hiding Formations where all units are disabled
• Add Search Depth controls to UI. Only for Blindfire Torpedoes. If the weapon has a default Spiral Search also set to Snake Search if not launched from a missile.
• Ability to switch between missile group members just like between formation members
• AAA map icons
• Recover All button
• UI for changing waypoints altitude
• Velocity setting for waypoints
• Fuel and ETA in status pop up
• WeaponStatus to waypoint menu
• Helicopter fuel status to tooltip
• Button to forbid/allow placing waypoints by RMB
• Added ability for City positions to be displayed on Game Map
• Added precise position edition to waypoints

Environment

Bug fixes

• Shader: Terrain shader: Fixed brightness and saturation inconsistencies.
• Shader: Fixed purple sun in space and increased height test to high alt. cloud height.
  • Fixed farmland detail mask blending.
  • Reverted lighting back to normal.
  • Fixed terrain detail blending with "Multiply times two".
  • Fixed forest everywhere.
  • Fixed red sun in space.
  • Fixed farmland snow not applied.

• Autogen: Fixed legacy rad2deg rotation conversion causing buildings not rotated at all
  
• Fixed excessive sky fog when camera is low
  
• Corrected sun/moon flare screen position, refactored code
  
• Limited free camera height to the peak of skybox
  

Improvements/Additions

• Dynamically adjusting moon light intensity modifiers for ingame visual logics, enables free editing of [Night] intensity without the need to change the code.
• Terrain shader: Exposed properties for specular lighting
  • Improved grass details by using a separate high res tiling, using a cheaper sampler.

• Redone splatmaps for northern EU biome
  
• Terrain splatmaps tweaks for Desert, Euro and Mediterranean fields
  
• Extended high altitude clouds
  
• Night lighting overhaul:
  • Increased moon light intensity at Night to 0.15.
  • Decreased moon light shadow to 0.25.
  • Adjusted the getMoonlightIntensity and scaled it to the originally set value.
  • Fixed moon light affecting night city emission texture.

• Shader: Updated particle VFX shader for atmos fog
  
• Shader: Improved far terrain edge to sky transition by:
  • Added edge fog
  • Improved height-based fog
  • Increased skybox fog height
  • Fixed curvature value overflow
  • Using Broken_3 cloud layer height (for Clear) settings for a nice edge fog fade

• Smoke volumetric material fix and updated munitions ship very large explosion
  
• Shaders: Fog refactor:
  • Fixed fog modes not respected.
  • Corrected fake curvature fog by fading it out below cloud layer.

• Shaders: Sky dome: Thinner fog band, lower black sky fade altitude.
  
• Tweaked SEA fields summer color
  
• Work on cloud layers
  
• Shader: improved star UV mapping with plannar projection
  
• Shader: improved shperical projection, rotates with time of the day
  
• Sky texture: more faint stars, small very faint nebulae (to be revised as tiling is a problem)
  
• Atmospheric Overhaul: Clarity from the Karman line, fog and clouds changes
  
• Terrain shader refactor and fixes
  
• Skybox shader overhaul:
  • Added outer-atmospheric effect.
  • Lowered maximum freecam height according to Karman line.
  • Fixed horizontal cloud.
  • Corrected atmospheric fog.

• Camera terrain collision enable/disable in DM
  
• Added in city winter masks to the terrain snow masks
  
• Added water splash overlay for cluster munitions detonation, tweaked the effect a bit
  
• WIP on background scenery objects
  

Tacview

Bug fixes

• Double entries to dictionary causing a System.ArgumentException
• Add Quitting escape clause to Tacview logging
• Seemed to stop after <60s
• Force buildings to Tag as Vehicles in Tacview (until tags get fixed)

Improvements/Additions

• Live Integration
• Add Tacview default files for some vehicle types
• Database file generator, creates specific Sea Power database files from UnitMetadata read from the various ini files
• Alter Callsigns to reflect bottom bar. Also add Groups to logged data.
• Add Tacview shapes to AH-1

Misc

Bug fixes

• Multiple Null refs in different areas
• Comm buildings targeting data
• Skip checking for updates on disabled Mods
• Possible way to rebase to other taskforce airfield
• InFormationSummary now ignores disabled Units
• Correct spelling of Sonobuoy
• Unit waypoints were erased when transferring formation to another taskforce
• Memory leak cleanup low res map texture on mission exit
• Precise Waypoint Position has constrained decimal places. Create a new type for angle displays
• It was possible to rebase air vehicles to flight deck over capacity
• Add back duplicate section check to Inihandler
• Change loading weapons in SOP to not use expensive virtual ini class
• Error when reading non-existing ammo into SOP
• Civilian loadouts were missing localization
• New leader speed in formation can stuck around zero
• Add tags to force display to ground units

Improvements/Additions

• Updated translations
• GDF original nation changed to Switzerland
• Performance improvements
• All unit types now can use automated paths
• Updated some packages, Burst, Noesis 3.2.8 UI
• Force keybind alterations to save to user folder when made in gaame, same with config. Add files to special ini files that this works for in IniHandler.cs. Will only work with top level files in the original folder.
• Update Asset loader to manage MP4 files in MediaElement blocks in XAML
• Added new loading screen background images
• Waypoints fully transferred to new formation leader when changing leader
• Work on validating game files via hashing
• "Pirate" and "terrorist" nations/factions
• Grenada flags, definition for Cuba mast flag
• Save/Load of spotted objects