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Airfield Layouts and Problems with AI - Printable Version

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Airfield Layouts and Problems with AI - asheshouse - 14.06.2008

Trying to model Wiltz Airfield in Luxembourg.

This is an unusual site which is located on top of a hill above the town, surrounded on three sides by steep slopes.

Despite numerous attempts I cant get the AI aircraft to land, except for the Fieseler, which unsurprisingly seems to be able to land almost anywhere.

My real test was to try to land the Ju52 under AI control, essential for supply missions, but it just will not land. I got as far as succeeding in getting the aircraft to request clearance for landing but ground control would not respond.

If I copy and paste the same airfield to flatter ground the problem goes away.

Anybody got any tips?

- canonuk - 14.06.2008

How close is it to the edge of the map? If the landing routine waypoints go off the map it won't land. I had that problem before I expanded my map.

- fabianfred - 14.06.2008

is it a real airstrip or just grass? ... try just having the one icon at one end of the strip, not both ends

- Deacon352nd - 14.06.2008

Can you explain how you copied and pasted this airfield to another location?

- RAF_Magpie - 14.06.2008

If you built the airfield and then raised the ground underneath it, you will have no-end of problems; vrs if you raised the land then built it.

- asheshouse - 15.06.2008

Deacon - The Cut and Paste option can be used in FMB Map Editor Mode -- but you have to assign keys, as per the instructions that come with the map tools.

Add these lines to the end of the [HotKey builder] section of your conf.ini

Ctrl C=copy
Ctrl X=cut
Ctrl V=paste

As well as using these functions to copy or move groups of objects on a specific map you can also open a "template" map, copy objects, then open your working map and paste them in. -- Very useful.

Now to Wiltz Airfield

I had a solitary wood texture hidden under the runway plates, so I've changed that to airfield texture.

The airfield is a minimum of 30km from the map edge so I dont think thats the problem.

If you open the inflight map you can see the Waypoints for the airfield circuit appear which my pair of Me109's then start to follow. The circuit turns anticlockwise over an area of high ground, then the last but one Waypoint of the circuit comes out over the valley. At this point the plane track switches back to the first point of the circuit. The second circuit results in the same error at the same point.

I guess that the circuit waypoints are allocated heights relative to a flat surface and that what is happening is that the Me109 is not able to change height quick enough to stay within the allocated approach envelope, therefore the AI defaults back to the start of the circuit. When I use the Feiseler, because it is slower and more maneuverable, it is able to stay within the envelope and completes the landing.

This may need some thought to overcome :?

Magpie - I think what you are referring to is the way in which objects do not automatically change height when you adjust terrain levels. I just ignore the apparent visual mismatches, complete my terrain height adjustments, then close down the editor, swap across the saved files, and re-open. The heights of all the objects which appeared wrong will have been adjusted to the new terrain levels.

- asheshouse - 15.06.2008

map_h.tga and the airfield landing circuit are the problems.

In the image below I've raised the terrain underneath the path of the landing circuit for the Me109. Both aircraft landed ok.

Changed the aircraft to Ju52. As seen in the inflight map the landing circuit is now bigger and extends outside of the raised terrain area. The Ju52 still defaults back to the start of the circuit when it flies beyond my raised area, and presumably loses the landing envelope, the same as the Me109 was doing.

How many different landing circuits are there? Is it one for each aircraft, or one for each generic type, ie. fighters, bombers, etc. --- Can we MOD the landing circuit AI routines?

I now need to fudge the terrain levels a little more to get the Ju52 to land, then see how much variation in level can be introduced before landing failure returns.

[Image: Untitled-26.jpg]

- asheshouse - 15.06.2008

Success? -- Had to swivel the airfield a little bit to get the approach line away from the steep valley side, but the Ju52 now land ok, at least from the west. Because the airfield circuit is anti-clockwise I think there will be no chance to get the approach from the east working, but aircraft take off ok in this direction.

Now need to work out how much terrain smoothing the AI will tolerate on the western approach before it stops working again. The landing circuit for the Ju52 is approx 4x5 km so this is the area within which map_h is critical to the AI routines.

-- and there was me thinking that adding a few more airfields would be a quick job :lol:

[Image: Untitled-27.jpg]

- fly_zo - 15.06.2008

woow ash .... you are really putting us all in debt with all your discoveries and solutions since day one

is there any chance that we have some kind of compilation (small tutorial like ) of everything you discovered so far ? I would really like to put it as pdf in separate sticky thread .

been trying to compile one from all of your posts but i got lost in the process :oops:


anyhow , i would like to give you a big thanks for all that you did for map modding so far Big Grin

cheers
Z

- asheshouse - 15.06.2008

Thanks for the compliment fly_zo, but I am equally in debt to all those that have helped me out along the way, not least the originators of the various map tools.

Some sort of compilation would be nice but I would really like to get the Battle of France map to a stage where its good enough to issue before getting diverted.

I've inserted a few links into the tutorial thread from time to time when I've thought it was worthwhile.

I hope these have helped a few people.

- fly_zo - 15.06.2008

no problems m8 Big Grin .... i just thought maybe you have them compiled somewhere on hdd

please don't let that to interrupt work on your map , there is lots of time for tutorials Big Grin

thanks again Big Grin

cheers
Z

- ={TTU}=Tomcat - 16.06.2008

Hi,i see you are talking about airfields,this is maybe the stupidest question you will ever hear but .... how can i put additional airfields when doing missions in the Full Mission Builder?
~S!~

- asheshouse - 16.06.2008

You need the Map Modding Tools to access FMB Map Editor.
(The link is inoperative)

Use cut and paste as described earlier in the thread to copy an existing airfield, with all its taxiway routes.

Then you can edit the copied version of the airfield to give it a unique appearance.

Now the tricky bit --

Only small maps will open in FMB Map Editor, so you need to use Actors Tools to split the actors.static file into small enough pieces. Work on the section you are interested in then re-combine the actors.static. Detailed instructions come with the tools.

Best start on small maps so you don't have to use the Actors Tools straight away. With large maps and an average PC it can take many hours to recombine the actors.static file.