A Public Note to Self: LWAMI4 In Progress Issues (HELP ME!)

[LuftWolf]

If I could get the missiles to fire torpedoes if fired underwater and not fire torpedoes when fired above water, this would be easy.

Here is the problem. The AI simply does not fire at nothing. I can't get the missile to fire the torpedo unless they have a track.

Here's where it gets interesting.

For SUBROC missiles, this is no problem. Since they are classified in the database as a "snapshot" weapon, the target track is provided to them immediately at launch, so they start life with a NEWTRACK from the NSE, meaning they will launch the torpedo. The problem is, they already have a torpedo, and the weapon-selective <Attack "[weaponname]"> command doesn't work for weapons launching other weapons, only Firebest, and it seems the SUBROC missile wants to fire its actual torpedo payload in most situations first.

The problem for non-subroc missiles is that they have no track when they start life.

The way this solution is shaping up, for non-subroc missiles, I would have to give a very short range visual sensor to detect the launching platform and use the IF tgtsource $= "visual" THEN Firebest ENDIF conditional (very similiar to the wirewatch features put into the wireguided torpedoes). Also, I could use a depth-based conditional for either the missile to fire or for the dummy torpedo to simply dissappear if fired above the surface before hitting the water. I think this can simply be added over top of the relevant missile doctrines without any issues, but I could always be wrong of course.

For subrocs, I dunno... I'll probably have to tweak the database, but its pretty risky, I'd have to be pretty confident the actual torpedo would never get launched.

From a coding standpoint, the missile ping on launch is SOOO much more elegant, and would achieve exactly the same freaking thing, Molon. I really like the idea of changing the ping sound to something else BUT i have found no way to control the ping sound and that other platforms share the same ping... I mean, ideally, I could just have no sound at all, and simply allow players to get a newtrack from the active intercept autocrew, which I assume everyone uses (cough cough the GNSF needs get with it on this...).

In this case, I have two options that both suck, mostly. But if I could make either one work the way we want without messing anything up, it'd be pretty good I think.

Let me see... I'm a bit burned out from the torpedo work (don't worry), so I'm happy to do something in which my expectation of success is not quite as high.

Cheers,
David

[LuftWolf]

Ok, the "best" overall way that I have found so far is to give it an active sonar sensor and delete the ping sound from the sfx.agg so that it is reported strictly by the Active Intercept Autocrew.

Now this has a big problem associated with it. The game sound engine is constructed in such a way that subs, ships, and torpedoes are assigned their own ping sounds that can be edited individually, and then everything else left over gets assigned the generic ping sound. SO... deleting the ping sound for the missile also means no ping sound for any helos or buoys... which is a BIG BIG "hell no!" for doing it this way.

I also am beginning to agree with molon... how big of a pain in the ass would it be to hear a pinging every time you launched missiles. Yikes!

So, the only way left to go is to try to add some kind of TIW (which is automatically not reported to the launching platform, even if the torpedo is launched by a weapon launched by the launching platform)... and this means getting messy. You have no idea how hard it is to try to get missiles to launch torpedoes at nothing! :p

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

So, the only way left to go is to try to add some kind of TIW (which is automatically not reported to the launching platform, even if the torpedo is launched by a weapon launched by the launching platform)... and this means getting messy. You have no idea how hard it is to try to get missiles to launch torpedoes at nothing! :p

Ok, if the issue is so complicated to resolve for you, why don't we ask SCS to implement a TIW message for missile launches directly into a future patch.
We'll wait for an official patch, and you go on modding DW without loosing your sanity

[LuftWolf]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Ok, if the issue is so complicated to resolve for you, why don't we ask SCS to implement a TIW message for missile launches directly into a future patch.
We'll wait for an official patch, and you go on modding DW without loosing your sanity

I don't ask SCS for anything... I merely hope to catch crumbs falling from their table.

And this mod work is actually helping to KEEP me sane, at least the problem-solving aspects of it. I can live without the grunt work... that's what drives me up the wall, and it's also why I don't work in an office as a cubicle rat keyboard jockey.

[LuftWolf]

Hey I think I've got this one worked out too now.

LWAMI4 should have a genuine TIW message for underwater missile launches (I'm about 75% sure this is good to go).

Cheers,
David

[LuftWolf]

Ok, as a followup, I have the Subrocs working perfectly, they give a nice TIW message when launched and still work perfectly (at least as far as I can tell).

The other missiles are proving to be a bit of a problem. I'll get back to you on this.

Cheers,
David

[Drop-Bear]

Hi, I know I am by no means any kind of expert on this kind of subject, but if you are talking about what 'sound effects' to give the launch of missiles other than subrocs, (ie in vertical launch tubes), wouldn't it be possible to produce a loud 'Boom' sound, with extra bass factored in, so it is audible from a distance?

Correct me if I'm wrong please, but I was lead to believe that a vertical launch tube (be they TASM, TLAM, or SLBM) produces such a noise due to the way that the missile is initially propelled from the tube...

Surely such a noise would cause 'reverberations' which would be easier to locate in BB sonar once audibly detected? Doesn't 'hull popping' noise also carry over some distance in the same way?

I apologise again if my ignorance has been a waste of your time...