Aggressor News
While the update is still in the oven (few days away), I'm starting a new series on here to keep you better updated with Aggressor development. Upon request from the community and because it is fairly easy to do now with Aggressor's current code, I am starting a new gamemode that will feature a dynamic-ish mission. It will have you operating from within the cabin of an E3 Sentry fulfilling command and control duties in an active battlespace. For this I'll simply take the existing model for the Sentry and give it some interior decoration. The resulting mission scenario's are generated through code. You can choose to partake in such a mission (which will load that mission and have you fly it) or simply stay inside the AWACS aircraft.
The battle won't actually advance strategically while you're flying the mission (not sitting in the AWACS). The idea is that missions are assembled for you based on the map view. You complete them and then return to the AWACS after which the map view updates dynamically based on targets you've hit during your flight. Limited fuel prevents you from just scorching the entire map in one session. This will offer good mission variation naturally and provides an alternative while Aggressor's scripted mission set is still minimal.
Map Technicalities
There's two options here. In both cases the map is procedurally generated as I need relief data for the map view's planning anyway:
1) The map is of fixed size (<100x100km). Units are placed around the map to keep the battle going.
2) The map is linearly scrolling and the AWACS traverses it with an incremental number of enemies.
I am leaning towards option one as this is the more classic approach used in strategy games.
Units
Aggressor can slow down with large numbers of aircraft, but ground objects are totally fine and this is what will make up the majority of the active units in the world. The map view alone can theoretically handle thousands of aircraft, but once you start flying only a small fraction will be loaded in, just enough for whichever mission was generated. The procedural maps leave room for things like lakes or island chains so naval units can be part of the simulation at some point.
There exists a discrepancy between the map view and the world because the former is deterministic while the latter is a barely held together physics simulation. This is why as mentioned the battle state will not advance in realtime during flight and the mapview is synced upon exiting/completing the mission bringing you back to the AWACS, where everything will resume as normal.
Custom Liveries
Breaking Aggressor news: The game now has a really awesome tool for creating custom liveries made possible by the one and only @Millie. Upon communication with them I'll make another post on this going into more detail because there's a guide for it and everything. Props to Millie, it's been a big effort.
Update Information
The update will be done in a few days and will feature among other things: improvements to scramble and skirmish gamemodes, a new bossfight for scramble, 2 new jets, VSYNC/cap fps options and fixes to the SAM system. It was originally planned to be released on Feb 27th but don't worry I am on it, please standby🙏