[REL] Cruise Missile/Flying Bomb

The target layers are identical to the boom bot for now.

I set "max_range":500," and the behavior is the same. I tried 25 and then 50 first. The weapon is just not firing.

What is the distance between the ground and the bottom of the air layer in terms of weapon range?

Updated link: https://copy.com/dz8I4yoiF3UBVAIu/com.pa.Innomen.CruiseMissile.zip

It's still using the vanilla fighter weapon; you can tell by sending a bomber or scout past it.

Thank you! That meant that it was still using the original fighter files. The path in the original json fighter was still pointing in the wrong place, so I renamed the files and lined up all the paths.

I had to set the splash radius to 30, as at 15 it would explode above a ground target and do no damage, but if I set range to zero the craft refused to explode at all.

Ok so now it's just about balance tweaking and the build/map icons

Thanks for your help all I’m going to bed now

I could probably knock together a quick PA- styled cruise missile model if that's any use?

Thank you very much for offering to help at all!

I honestly don't know if it would be any help. All I know is what I've learned through the course of this thread. I tried to use the missile graphics that were built into the game but that was beyond my abilities and it seems everyone else was either equally baffled or too busy.

My point being that if you made a model I would have no idea how to apply it (though I'd certainly try) and similarly I have no idea if it would be a duplication of effort.

How easy would this be for you? As I said a couple pages ago my original wish would be the tactical missile model, but maybe twice as large? Or maybe you have a better suggestion? Thanks again

Would be easy enough - I imagined a slightly more embellished version of the in-game missile, with team colours etc.

I too am interested in getting things in game although what I originally had planned to do is way too complicated for my level of knowledge, this would be a better starting point for both of us I think. There is some limited information from raevn's posts regarding bone hierarchies, but in this example there would only maybe be two or so - I have a fairly good idea of how it goes from there.

I can do some sketches tomorrow (I am GMT) and send them off to you in the evening then, if that's okay? Perhaps through PM to avoid spamming the forum..!

Perfectly fine with me whatever you prefer but I'd say just go ahead and post here, better for future users and better notes for us.

I'll be happy to list you as the co-author of the mod if such a thing matters to you (I think of it all as a massive group effort anyway. It's not like any of my mods would happen if I didn't have better minds to exploit hehe.)

How about something like this? Gonna try to get it textured it tomorrow. I imagined that it had extra thrusters (a bit like the MKV) in the small channel around the middle and on the tusks.



I know you said no wings... but I thought they were cute

Looks awesome to me man Great work!

I have an alternative that might look better; I'll post that in a bit when I've tidied it up - same idea but just a different approach. We can pick the best one and go from there.

Baby pictures!

I cleverly entirely forgot to triangulate the model...! Will be posting the improvements later today

EDIT

Also, always wondered this - why do the flame effects all have that little...blob? At the tip?

Its an error with the effects, every air unit used to have it, sometimes it seems much less prominent now.

Look at the t2 gunship for example.

Success! Just need to spruce up the textures a bit.

OMFG that is beautiful!

You rock dude!

Ok everyone we've got a working unit now but there's only one problem. In order to get a strategic icon we had to create a whole separate client mod just for that.

I need a confirmation that this is unavoidable, or a work around.

Is it possible to package a client and server mod as a single mod for example?

If it's not possible I need help phrasing my feature request on how the devs could most easily make it possible.

Thanks all of you for your time and patience and hand holding

Some client mod is unavoidable. One of these days I'll get around to making a run at a client framework that server mods can use to modify icons at runtime.

Client and server mods are in separate directories and have a type tag in the modinfo. You could get very close to having the same files, although leaving a client mod with file shadows on could cause trouble.

Ok so again then: "If it's not possible I need help phrasing my feature request on how the devs could most easily make it possible."

What exactly do I ask for?

I've also been trying to knock out a GW version. I've managed to get it to build and everything correctly but the server crashes when the missile goes to make a kill.

This happens whether or not the skirmish/server and icon mods are loaded.

Code:

[18:35:32.317] ERROR Error opening struct AudioVisualEffectSpec spec /pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion_ent.json
[18:35:32.317] ERROR SimAudioVisualEffect::loadSpec failed to load [/pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion_ent.json]
[18:35:34.064] INFO Uploader exited with exit code 1

All I did was copy and paste the skirmish/server version over as a client mod, change the folder name and the modinfo json, and set it to client. Then I unlocked the unit in the loadout card whatever file of my butcher mod.

It doesn't crash like that in the sandbox.

Any ideas?

Still trying to fix this.

The full contents of that *ent.json are as follows:

Code:

{
   "recon":{
      "observable":{
         "layer":"surface_and_air",
         "sphere_radius":15
      }
   },
   "spawn_response":{
      "audio_cue":"/SE/Impacts/bomb_bot_plasma",
      "effect_spec":"/pa/units/land/bot_bomb/bot_bomb_ammo_explosion.pfx"
   }
}

If I do this in the *ammo.json...

Code:

{
   "ammo_type":"PBAOE",
   "damage":700,
   "splash_radius":30,
   "splash_damages_allies":false,
//   "sim_fire_effect":"/pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion_ent.json",
   "impact_decals":[
      "/pa/effects/specs/scorch_b_01.json"
   ],
   "damage_volume":{
      "initial_radius":15.0
   }
}

The missile just hovers over enemies and does nothing.

If I do this in the *ent.json...

Code:

{
   "recon":{
      "observable":{
         "layer":"surface_and_air",
         "sphere_radius":15
      }
   },
   "spawn_response":{
//      "audio_cue":"/SE/Impacts/bomb_bot_plasma",
//      "effect_spec":"/pa/units/land/bot_bomb/bot_bomb_ammo_explosion.pfx"
   }
}

I get the same crash.

So I decided to replace the remarked audio/effect with the one from the artillery.

Code:

"audio_cue":"/SE/Impacts/missile_artillery_short",
"effect_spec":"/pa/effects/specs/default_explosion.pfx"

That also caused a crash...

So then I tried removing the spawn response thing entirely.

Same crash.

So I revert everything and I'm thinking maybe it's because that file is calling something outside of the mod directory?

I can't even find an impacts folder... Not that it probably matters since it crashed the same with arty values as it did with boombot values. (which work fine in skirmish WTF)

So I copy out the bot_bomb_ammo_explosion.pfx from the bomb bot folder...

Copy it into the cyclops folder...

And rename it "air_cyclops_ammo_explosion.pfx" (following the apparent naming standard of the boom bot files)

Then I change the ammo file and now it reads:

Code:

   "spawn_response":{
      "audio_cue":"/SE/Impacts/bomb_bot_plasma",
      "effect_spec":"/pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion.pfx"

Still crashed...

But now of course the error reads:

Code:

[23:54:52.988] ERROR Error opening struct AudioVisualEffectSpec spec /pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion_ent.json
[23:54:52.988] ERROR SimAudioVisualEffect::loadSpec failed to load [/pa/units/air/air_cyclops/air_cyclops_ammo_explosion_ent.json]

Is it's that one line, effect spec, I guess.

The arty doesn't call that kind of thing from an outside file it does it inside the file, I assume there's a good reason for doing it differently across the two units, but I have no idea what it is or what I can learn from it.

So I give up.

Here's the link to the GW version of the mod, in order to test it I had to as I said add it to my loadout mod. (locally, not to one you can download) I still don't understand how to add/modify/unlock a unit universally in GW. Like for example for the air commander by default as I want this unit to just be a basic aircraft.

https://copy.com/d9v8tFrTQO81J9sz/com.pa.Innomen.CruiseMissileGW.zip