This update brings the public branch up to the same version as the current Mission Expansion Beta.
Fixed an issue in the random mission system which could cause the mission to stop loading if more units are deployed on the map than there are suitable positions (mostly effected Norway and Lush Desert). The system will now fall back to a random positioning system when necessary to ensure all units get placed and the mission loads correctly.
Fixed a bug which could cause the mission to stop loading at around 75% which I tracked down to a possible error when loading the pilot database.
Added a "Visibility" option to the weather which will adjust the global fog on a map. This doesn't currently effect A.I. visual ranges but it will do at some point as well as effecting laser designator ranges and id ranges.
Extended grass draw distance to 5km in the Video Options menu. This can cause noticeable slow down.
Adds the new terrain rendering system for Central Libya. Low level flight should now look much better.
Added in selectable weather. Currently this isn't saved into the Mission Codes so you can choose whatever weather you like . Rain drops are currently not modelled.
Replaced the RWS ping sounds with something a little easier on the ears!
Removed the old atmospherics system and replaced it with a light weight VR compatible system. In fact this pretty much removes any issues with integrating the VR into the game proper.
Added in a better star field system for nicer night time missions.
Readjusted star fade in times so they are only visible at night.
Adjusted the moon light strength to give a more useful amount of moon light in night missions.
Added in tessellation effect for rocky ground on the Central Libya map. This works in conjunction with parallax effect to make rocks properly 3D and also seats the foliage better on to the map.
Re-adjusted the foliage on Central Libya so that it follows areas of erosion where water is more likely to gather. It is also more dense - but you can adjust this in the Graphics Settings menu to your preferred amount (or turn if off completely).
Added "beta" prefix to Norway and Lush Desert maps so that everyone know they are not at the same level as Central Libya. They remain totally playable and I will get round to updating them both as soon as I can
Added Dust/Sand effect that will blow in the wind across the terrain
You will now see artillery fire bases appear on the map.
Artillery bases will be populated by D-30 static artillery units for both BLUFOR and REDFOR.
Modified the sector information displays on the map to be a little more compact.
Modified the LOD levels for buildings so they should be visible from further away.
Sector displays now also show what type of sector it is e.g. Urban, Industrial, Military etc or a combination. While this doesn't effect anything just yet it will dictate the types of installtions deployed in a sector making each sector a little more interesting
Enabled cross fading between LODs so any mesh "popping" should be less noticeable
Fixed a bad LOD mesh on the maverick
Updated the unit deployment system so that installations will be populated with defence units. I also reworked the deployment system so that everything is based on the sector stats as follows...
Recon - this directly effects the number of enemy units that will be marked on your map at the start of the game. A value of 50% will mean that 50% of the enemy units in the sector will be marked.
Supply - this directly effects the amount of Deployment Points a sector can spend on units. This is based on the Enemy Force Strength selected when creating the mission. If you choose a 500 point Enemy Force Strength level and the sector has 50% supply then that sector will have 250pts to spend.
C3 - this directly effects the types of units a sector will have access to. At 75%+ the sector will be able to deploy high end units such as the Tor.
Morale - has no effect currently
Ground Defence - this gives an indication of the number of ground forces deployed. At 50% only half the sector's defence forces will be deployed.
Air Defence - this gives an indication of the number of anti-air forces deployed. At 50% only half the sector's defence forces will be deployed.
There are also a number of other hidden modifiers which dictate how deployment points are distributed between ground forces, anti air forces and utility vehicles and these allow me to easily fine tune everything.
A 500pt Enemy Force Strength mission is still the base line level. It will produce a tough mission with a good distribution of ground forces and strong air defences.
Added a new option to the TSD allowing you to cycle through which RWR sounds you want to hear. Options are "ALL", "LOCK" or "OFF".
ALL - you will hear both search and lock sounds
LOCK - you will only hear lock warning sounds
OFF - you will not hear any warning sounds
Pressing modifier button 1 (joypad left shoulder) + MFD 2 (A button on joypad) will cycle the modes. There is a bindable control for this as well.
Current mode is shown at the bottom left of the TSD page.
Fixed a number of linked bugs which could cause laser/wire guided weapons to miss if you were manoeuvring quickly.
When re-centering the targeting pod; moving the targeting pod or selecting a next/previous target will now cancel the re-centering system correctly.
REDFOR can now deploy the new ZSU-23-2 static air defence gun around installations. It has a range of 2km and relatively poor accuracy - but it is cheap!
Fixed a bug with the "Fire Weapon" control which was being blocked from working correctly. The "Fire / Wheel Brake" combined control (used by joypads mainly) was unaffected.
Added an "AUTO" mode to all turret weapons. You can enable it by navigating to the Stores MFD page. It is then the top right option (X for gamepads). This will then toggle the automatic tracking and firing mode for all turrets (yes, both turrets for the Cheyenne A ). This is just a test of the system. Once I'm happy everything is working I will integrate the toggling of this option into the radio commands window. This will then allow you to not only switch your own turrets to auto but also those of your wingman. This will also be accompanied some radio comms from your co-pilot who will acknowledge your orders and also call out what they are attacking.
Fixed a case where Shilka's would be double stacked in the IFV or MBT attack missions.
Swapped the 3D model for the Kord 12.7mm door gunner on the Hind to the correct one.
Fixed infantry so that they no longer shoot weapons when flying a Free Flight mission
All rockets now have new explosions effects!
Fixed a major bug in the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) mission type that would prevent it from generating correctly.
Fixed a bug making the Resize MFD button on the Stores MFD page execute multiple times.
Added S-13 122mm Rocket pods to all variants of the Hind
Added FAB-250 bomb to all Hind variants available as a single bomb on inner and outer pylons
Added FAB-100 bomb to all Hind variants available as a 4 x rack on inner pylon only.
Added the S-24 rocket for an even bigger boom! This is the S-24B which is an air burst rocket. The blast range is immense and can deal damage in a 300m radius!
Optimised most of the weapon shadow models
Slightly reduced the 23mm spread on the Mi-24VP