AI carrier takeoff...

Rami

Administrator
Staff member
To all,

How do I get AI to take off from the deck of a carrier?
 
AFAIK you don't. AIs don't take off from a true floating moving carrier.

I think there is a method out there where you create a "runway" at the same location and height as your carrier and then the AIs can use that to take off from (the same method used to create "crowded decks").

Hopefully one of the AI & MB gurus will weigh in with a better answer.

Gavin
 
Reply...

If it can be done, here is the premise...

"summary_string"=Listen up! HMS Furious is flying her compliment of Spitfires off of her flight deck, bound for Malta. It is your job to ensure they're able to leave the area safely and avoid any interception from enemy fighters.
"objective_string"=On August 11th, 1942 at 1:15pm, the HMS Furious completed Operation Bellows, flying thirty-seven Spitfires off her flight decks, bound for Malta. Simultaneously, U-73 successfully launched four torpedoes into HMS Eagle, taking 160 of her crew and about 25% of Pedestal's fighter strength to the bottom of the Mediterranean.
"intelligence_string"=Your mission is to take off and fly over the deck of the HMS Furious, ensuring that her compliment of Spitfires are able to take off and be on their way to Malta without interference from any enemy aircraft.

You're flying in Grumman Martlets from the HMS Indomitable.

I have the .dyn file set up so that the Spitfires are taking off individually every thirty seconds, I just need to know how to actually get them to take off from the deck.
 
This is one of the few but never the less weakness of CFS2. I do not this think the average member like me can accomplish this. I believe one of our member had a tutorial on how to do this but I found it to be too complicated. I was never able t solve it.

As for your own squadron taking off a carrier with you just forget it. Its just impossible. As a for friendly squadron taking off a carrier as you fly around I have been able to seen it. But I think they just spawn near the carrier and not actualy take off. I have been flying to far off the carrier to have been able to abserve it actually taking off the friendly carrier.

I will set up a test mission and see if they actualy take off a carrier or spawn near it.
 
No need to bother Rami.Since when did Spitfires need help from Martlets???
 
I just flew from a testing Mission and yes the Ai AC just spawn off the Carriers!

You cannot take off from a infrastructure Carriers either.

Maybe someone else can figure this one out!
 
Reply...

If this doesn't work, I'll do a re-hash of the attack on the U-73, only this time the U-boat will be submerged and you'll go after her with depth charges in the Albacore.
 
I seem to remember it's possible when you create an airbases.dat entry for the position of the static/infra carrier. It has to have the correct heading, or hand-coding the coords/heading/runway length in the .mis file.
 
Hi Rami,

Carrier Multi-Aircraft Take Off Tutorial. This process will place a virtual runway over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, and allow wingmen or groups of AI aircraft, to populate or take off, from the carrier deck.



To make things easy, I created a new airbase in the airbase.dat file, (located in the CFS2\INFO folder.).


1. Create entry in airbase.dat file.


(You can have more then one just increase xxx numbers and change name)



Here is Data for the Airbases.dat file. Fill in the XXX with the next numbers in sequence and do not delete the little square eof marker.


[runway.xxx]
id=xxxx
name=Fake runway one
heading=40
allegiance=0
units_across=1
base_lat=N6* 8.70'
base_lon=E135* 4.68'
base_alt=+64
takeoff_start_pos=28,0
takeoff_stop_pos=1600,200
landing_start_pos=5000,350
landing_touchdown_pos=5,0
landing_stop_pos=150,0




2. Build mission with yourself taking off from carrier.(Start with two wingmen)
(Make sure starting speed of carrier is zero.)


(Try to make the starting heading of the Carrier either North, South, East ,or West.)

This will make things easier when you decide to advance from here.

3. Fly mission, PAUSE, then Hit Shift-Z, and write down starting info. IE- lat, lon, alt, heading.

4. Exit mission Builder.

5. Edit the new "Fake runway one" airbase entry that you placed in the "airbase.dat" file. (use data from step 3)

6. Restart mission builder and load mission.

7. Change takeoff from "Name of Carrier" to "Fake runway one" airbase.

8. Save and Exit




9. Enjoy

Note: If the carrier speed is greater than 20 knts. your wingmen will start their takeoff roll as soon as you start your engine.


B24Guy
 
Also keep in mind that you can use Rich Hogen's ArrCab program to land aboard an insfrastructure CV in CFS2. You need a separate install of ArrCab dedicated to CFS2 but otherwise it works the same as in FS2002/2004.
 
Hi Rami,

Carrier Multi-Aircraft Take Off Tutorial. This process will place a virtual runway over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, and allow wingmen or groups of AI aircraft, to populate or take off, from the carrier deck.



To make things easy, I created a new airbase in the airbase.dat file, (located in the CFS2\INFO folder.).


1. Create entry in airbase.dat file.

(You can have more then one just increase xxx numbers and change name)



Here is Data for the Airbases.dat file. Fill in the XXX with the next numbers in sequence and do not delete the little square eof marker.


[runway.xxx]
id=xxxx
name=Fake runway one
heading=40
allegiance=0
units_across=1
base_lat=N6* 8.70'
base_lon=E135* 4.68'
base_alt=+64
takeoff_start_pos=28,0
takeoff_stop_pos=1600,200
landing_start_pos=5000,350
landing_touchdown_pos=5,0
landing_stop_pos=150,0




2. Build mission with yourself taking off from carrier.(Start with two wingmen)
(Make sure starting speed of carrier is zero.)

(Try to make the starting heading of the Carrier either North, South, East ,or West.)

This will make things easier when you decide to advance from here.

3. Fly mission, PAUSE, then Hit Shift-Z, and write down starting info. IE- lat, lon, alt, heading.

4. Exit mission Builder.

5. Edit the new "Fake runway one" airbase entry that you placed in the "airbase.dat" file. (use data from step 3)

6. Restart mission builder and load mission.

7. Change takeoff from "Name of Carrier" to "Fake runway one" airbase.

8. Save and Exit



9. Enjoy

Note: If the carrier speed is greater than 20 knts. your wingmen will start their takeoff roll as soon as you start your engine.


B24Guy

Here is a link to the original thread on Netwings:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060720071336/forums.netwings.org/forums/archive/index.php?t-637.html
 
Also keep in mind that you can use Rich Hogen's ArrCab program to land aboard an insfrastructure CV in CFS2. You need a separate install of ArrCab dedicated to CFS2 but otherwise it works the same as in FS2002/2004.

Where can I find that program? And would you tell us more about the program?

Trasno
 
Reply...

The B24 Guy,

The original premise of the mission was for you to be flying a CAP over the deck of the HMS Furious and watching the Spitfires take off, one at a time, from her deck. I made each Spitfire flight an individual one.

I ended up shelving it and going with Plan B.
 
Rami, as a workaround you can set up the AI to spawn individually over the flight deck of a static carrier every thirty seconds from 60 feet or so (just above the flight deck) and climb out to altitude along waypoints just like taking off from an airbase. The key is using a static carrier with speed at 0 knots. If you try to use a moving ship, you'll have to continuously calculate a new aircraft spawning position along the ship's heading every 30 seconds of its travel at 20+ knots -- not an easy task in MB.

I know i'm always referring to Jane's F/A18 in comparisons and such, but it does something similar to what you're trying to do. It has a very realistic player, AI aircraft and carrier relationship code that allows both the player's flight and any escort package to start on deck together then launch in turn. The player's flight goes up first -- wing elements go first, then the player and his number two. You then orbit your flight in formation as the escort package launches. As the package gains altitude and vectors to the next waypoint, you move in with your flight to take up escort positions (which you can change and command in real time) and egress to the objective -- pretty cool stuff that adds great realism.
 
ArrCab is a freeware program that enables you to launch from and trap aboard infrastructure carriers without having to add special gauges to the panels of your aircraft. For several years Abacus had the proprietary rights to the program and it was a feature of their Flight Deck FS packages but now it's back to being freeware. It uses Peter Dowson's FSUIPC interface which you may have to d/l separately. Click on the link in SC7500's post and you'll be ready to go. :)
 
There is a way to get the AI aircraft to takeoff from a moving carrier I think.The idea is to turn the AI aircraft into ships.The reason behind this is you can controll the speed of the ship and the AI being ships you can put them at the hight of the flight deck True you will most likely have to give them a haul but make it invisable.I got the idea from a picture of a plastic model aircraft sitting on a clear plastic stand.How tough it is going to be to do this I don`t know because I not up on this type of stuff.Note: You can also group ships using one waypoint.Doing this you can have the aircraft grouped moving at the same speed as the ship and they should stay in place on the carrier as the two move in the water.
 
Sooo....following the context of this thread, if Rami forces the ferry package into a ship "box" as you suggest, how does he get them to fly to altitude and possibly fight as fighters in self-defense if jumped by 109's as they make their way to their designated airfield? And then how do you get them to land properly on the field at arrival? I think the object here is to get them up and flying as AI fighters on ferry, escort them as player, then land them at their new airbase.
 
Bearcat241, Once you takeoff you spawn the flight in the air and you angle the deck launched ac in such a way so they move away from the carrierinto an area where they won`t be seen.You can take B24`s folding wings AI AC and spawn them one at the time and then spawn the flight that is going to the hight of the carrier you want to use.You then spawn the AI you want to use to fly a CAP with.
 
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