BOBII 2.08 Status Report

[buddye]

Hi to our Matrix customers. I posted this at the Shockwave Forum. I thought some of Matrix customers may be interested in a Status Report on the BDG's 2.08 BOBII Update release.

Remember the Matrix purchase is at Version 2.06. I hope you have all updated to the 2.07 Update as it will be the base for our 2.08 update.

I have encluded a short summary of the 2.08 (as it is now but it will grow and change) and the change details. This is far from being complete and we still have a long ways to go with some very significant problems to analyze, find solutions, and implement. We have no time line (schedule) for 2.08 as yet but we will try to keep you our customers informed.

I want to first explain the really heavy work that has been going on for over 6 months to add a new A/C to BOBII with Geoff and Osram doing the lead/heavy work. BOBII as a game is basicly dead in the water without new planes. Historicly we can not go forward in time to the other air battles in WWII for Europe. If you notice the summary, you will see "Established, Refined, and Documented the Process of Adding a New A/C". This was the "key" 2.08 work but the Tiger Moth product is also very nice.


Summary of 2.08 Features

1. The addition of the RAF Tiger Moth Trainer
2. Established, Refined, and Documented the Process of Adding a New A/C
3. The 2dGauge System (with some continuing gauge work to follow).
4. Updated Landscape
5. New 3D objects by Ben
6. Enhancement of the AI 1-on-1 Maneuver Selection
7. Enhancement of the Fighters against Bombers AI Maneuver Selection
8. New Hurricane Model
9. Fixes


Detail 2.08 Changes

1. Fixed Novice_Stronger_Bullets=ON [ #NOTE: Only the player has the stronger bullets (not the AI)] so that only the player has the stronger bullets and not the AI. Default is off and I added a NOTE in the BDG.txt

2. Fixed Auto Pilot so if significant damage occurs the A/C will crash as Auto Pilot will be disengaged back to manual and can not be re-engaged thanks to Trumper for catching this one for us.

3. Fixed Auto Landing in Auto pilot to exclude the BOBII unflyable A/C like bombers thanks to Bader for catching this one.

4. Added code to smooth out turns during auto landing thanks to Bader.

5. Prevent a CTD in SPC when START_FROM_PEN=ON.

6. Added a BDG.txt parameter External_View_Starting_Distance = 3.100000 #sets the starting distance from the A/C in external view NOTE: set to 1.3 to get the old distance. The default is 3.1 which fixes slight vibration in external view by increasing the distance slightly. NOTE: for anyone who wants/needs (for Pic’s or close inspections) the “old” distance set to 1.3.

7. Implemented necessary code to support Stickman’s BOBII 2D Gauge System work (see Manual for operation details by Stickman) with a special thanks to Eric (2D Gauge System Programmer) and Scott (provided the code to the BDG). The goal is provide a 2D gauge option for the A/C 3D gauges that have problems.

8. Fix a FlyBy sound issue where the Players A/C engine sound was left on during the FlyBy. The player’s engine sound is stopped during FlyBy and restarted when FlyBy is completed.

9. Added a BDG.txt parameter for MysticPuma or other movie makers. The default is 50 (for about 50 times the minimum distance). Most all customers will not use this option. External_View_Zoom_Distance , "External_View_Zoom_Distance", 50, "#Sets the max zoom distance from the camera (player A/C) in external view NOTE: default = 50 to zoom out farther set to 60,70, 80,etc. for movie makers like MP"

10. Added Range (in meters from the player, NOTE enemy AI only) to the MoveCode label for SW analysis/debug. If you set Show_MoveCodes=ON in the Bdg.txt, you will get the following (example only):

AUTO_COMBAT MANEUVRE_TURNINGFIGHT ACE 799
Move Code Maneuver Code Skill Range

11. I have done a redesign of the AI Selection Criteria for the Instant Action 1-on-1 Dog Fight mission. The key to the redesign is that the criterion is more deterministic rather than random as it is now (well more deterministic then it was anyway). I need to move in this direction to improve the AI offence and defense, IMHO.

To look at the new code you will need to select IA Dogfight 1-on-1 Mission and set the enemy AI to “Ace or Hero” or turn Terminator on.

Here is a summary of the new selection criteria:

1. Altitude (how much altitude and rate of change)
2. Speed (how much speed, and rate of change)
3. Position of A/C to each other (none to tail, tail to tail, nose to beam, tail to beam or left, right, front, back)

To implement the new selection criteria I built a 3 X 6 matrix (a truth table). Where for each A/C (the unfriendly and the AI or the player and the AI) , I designed programs to look at Altitude, Speed, and position and to first try and select the best maneuver (aggressive or defense).

Altitude and speed can also be thought of as “energy” as altitude can be turned into speed.

The new design uses the A/C’s current position but I am thinking about implementing the A/C’s “lead” position (his future position a short delta time in the future).

Anyway, this is a long term work in progress that I can work on as I have new ideas (from you guys). The goal is to improve the 1-on-1 AI performance (as best I can) but we can move this implementation into the BOBII AI if we feel it is good for the BOBII’s future or we can just leave it as 1-on-1 only.

My gut feel based on my experience is that the AI is better at selecting the correct maneuver and avoiding bad positions (like low altitude) and a bit stronger fighter and defender. Of course, the Player will always “win” with experience/practice but if we give the player a better fight I consider that real progress.

What I need our customers to do is go to IA Dogfight One-On-One mission and select Ace or Hero or Terminator for the enemy AI and give it a good try.

Be sure and use full realism and no cheats (no peripheral vision, G-effects on, etc) for this One-on-One testing. You will always kill the AI but is it more of a challenge (or not)? Post your thoughts for me.

BTW, I also gave the Terminator a bit of boost in performance and tune-up so you might want to try it out. With the boost in Terminator performance, he was getting “cocky” so I implemented a spinout feature. The Terminator flies so close to the edge now that he has a tendency to “spinout”. This is when you can get him.

I also implemented a new AI feature called “Flying Factor (FF)”. This is the knowledge of the AI pilot to fly a given maneuver (experience) and how well the AI pilot will actually fly the given maneuver (skill). The FF is based on the Skill Level (customer selected in Instant Action Missions and software assigned in the Campaign). The Terminator is assigned a Skill Level of Hero2 (the highest in the game) so that is where he gets his boost in performance (edge).

12. A significant Reworked the AI maneuvers for “fighters against bombers” was done to improve AI performance. The new code is based on skill level.

13. Added a new BDG.txt parameter Collision_Detection_And_Avoidance=ON #NOTE CDAA must be set to TRUE to do Collision Detection And Avoidance. Also check the other two CA BDG.txt parameters for correct values, if needed. The default = ON.

Deleted the old BDG.txt parameter Collision_Avoidance (default = OFF)

This was done to permit the customers to have a default = ON for Collision_Dection_And_Avoidance for the new Tiger Moth in their BDG.txt. The slow speed of the Tiger Moth was causing the faster fighter to crash with the Tiger Moth too much. Requested by Osram.

14. Fixed the Bomb Doors not opening and closing correctly. I tested it in the Instant Action Intercepts Lone Fighter Vs Lone Bomber Mission and the Historic London mission. The Bomb doors work correctly on the DO17 and the HE111. They do not work on the JU88 (but Bader says the JU88 had under wing bombs).

15. Prevented a CTD had by a customer by checking for a NULL Pointer in Diary::SetLanding (in sqddiary.cpp at line 2699.

16. Implemented the following Bdg.txt parameters for Ken our FM engineer (Note: these are only for Ken’s use for a FM change):

Spitfire_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0
Hurricane_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0
BF109_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0
BF110_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0
JU87B_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0
TigerMoth_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0

17. Implemented the following Bdg.txt parameter for testing the AI ( so I can easily see the speed and altitude of both the player and padlocked enemy AI A/C, Note: this feature will only work in AUTOCOMBAT):

Your_2dGauges_Work_In_Autopilot=OFF #Set to ON to have your 2dGauges work in AutoPilot. The default is OFF. Note: Only works in AUTOCOMBAT.

[Hard Sarge]

Sounds great Buddye

looks like a lot of good work, and some good improvements

you guys have done a good job over there

[Ron Belcher]

I recently purchased this awesome game! I patched it to v2.07 and even added the expanded graphics work.
All in all, I have done myself injustice by not buying this game sooner. heh

I love it! My modern flightsim has been deleted off my hard drive and I'm back in prop status! Thank you
for your continuing hard work. [&o]

I am so looking forward to downloading and installing v2.08, as well ! [8D]

Can't say enough of my thanks. 'cept that I rated this game on Gamespot.com as a 10 out of 10
and added a nice review too. [;)]

[buddye]

Hi tactician,

Thank you for your kind works and thanks for the gamespot review. The BDG freeware group loves BOBII or our "Time Machine" as like to call it. We feel it is a special game and that is why we work on it in our hobby time. Yes, 2.08 is comming along but we still have a long ways to go and many issues/problems to solve.

BTW, Bader posted some new screen shots of the Tiger Moth that we are working on for 2.08 on the Shockwave forum.

http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10231

[Ron Belcher]

Thanks. Will have to take a jaunt and c those pix!

Keep it goin' !

[Erik Rutins]

Thanks for posting the news here as well, Buddye. 2.08 is looking great!

[otis1]

No I have not updated to 2.07. And it seems the version 2.07 links have been removed. Is this the problem of why I cant get 2.08 to run?

[buddye]

All you need is the 2.08 it includes everything.
 
If you want to update to the 2.09 beta:
 
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12476
 
The 2.09 complete self-installer update should be out in a short time (week or so) so you could choose to wait for it which will make the install easier.

[otis1]

I will wait, and thanks for your response buddye.  I have enough work right now to keep me busy for quite a while with this wonderful game.
 
On a different subject, and I ask because you seem to be the man,  I have trouble getting some squadrons to take off.  I have started a second campaign at a slightly higher skill level and when pounced with raids I will authorize but get a not "insufficient aircraft.  Some of the squadrons will not take off.  They are set to 2 or 5 min , have not flown a mission that day, are in excellent or good morale but wont scramble.  ????????  Can you point me in the right direction, please.\
 
Thanks, Otis1

[buddye]

Sorry, I am not the Campaign player/guy but just a simple applications coder. I did find two comments on the Beta Forum from our campaigners when we were discussing this issue and if it was a problem (needing a solution) or not. We decided the current design is OK but pf course you can feel free to disagree.
 
Highlander comment:
 
If your sector ops gets destroyed, the affect it has is that it takes longer to get squadrons airborn and then to coordinate the attacks against the raiders. It's mainly the communications network that gets affected.
 
The Game is trying to simualtae a historic problem/issue that the RAF had during the BOB which may or may not be what everyone wants/likes.
 
Heinkill comment:
 
So, beyond the limits of game mechanics, there was some historical accuracy to the Rowan decision to limit RAF defensive resources as it reflects the lack of cooperation between Park and Leigh Mallory which meant that all available resources were in fact not used against the Luftwaffe during crucial moments of the Battle.
 
In Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend by Leo McKinstry, McKinstry cites sources saying that Dowding was widely criticised after the Battle in RAF reviews of his strategy for keeping the control of 12 and 11 Group resources separate under Leigh Mallory and Park instead of uniting them under one command or at least coordinating them as one Group. The effect of this decision was a lack of coordination between 11 and 12 Group which often meant all of 11 Group aircraft were often fully committed (and over committed!), while most of 12 Group sat idle.
This quote from a letter by Park in 1968 illustrates the problem:
"throughout August and September 1940, on occasion when all my squadrons had been dispatched to engage the many German bomber forces, I called on No 10 Group to cover some vital targets on my right with one or two squadrons. Brand always responded at once and on many occasions effectively intercepted the enemy, preventing them from bombing their target unmolested. In similar circumstances I called on N0 12 Group to cover my fighter aerodromes north east and east of London but Leigh Mallory failed to respond. This resulted in North Wealk, Hornchurch, and Debden being accurately bombed whilst 12 Group wing was being dipatched, assembled and climbed in mass formation to the rear of my area and to no purpose."
In another letter Park wrote at the time he said, "Frankly I was more worried at the lack of cooperation (with Leigh Mallory) than I was about out-witting the massed German raids."
Evidence of this conflict can also be seen in a memo Leigh Mallory sent to Park during the Battle, "Full explanation required why 11 Group fighters have shot down enemy fighters over 12 Group area." (!)
 
 

[otis1]

That helps. It is hard for me to determine at this point if I am doing something wrong and if I am how to fix it. I shall check the sector ops situation and be satisfied it is part of the game for now.

thanks, otis1

[buddye]

Just an update on the 2.09 Text (if you are interested) for more completemess. I would estimate that the BOBII 2.09 self-install will be delivered next week (if we do not hit any show stopper problems/issues duing testing.

What's included?
Quite a lot

1) More Aggressive AAA
2) 3.5" Flak that can Kill 
3) Bullet Dispersion re-design
4) Single Character Labels
5) Rework of air-to-air and ground collisions
6) Improved counts for Kills, friendly A/C losses, and friendly pilot losses
7) Implemented exact same control surface reduction code for the AI A/C  as the player   (subjectively, this is a *big* one!)
8 ) New Ground Objects (over 250 in total now!) Airfield buildings, houses, ships, rural features (look out for the Oast houses ).
9) Further Landscape improvements (updated textures for this release, reworked areas eg Boscombe Down)
10) New Auto Gen for Trees and other objects (Work in Progress)
11) New Flight Model (FM) and Spin characteristics
12) Over 40 CTD and other fixes and features implemented.
13) New Blenheim and Ju52 models, static Tiger Moth

Known Issues:
1- When selecting the Blenheim in the 'End of Defiant' Historical Instant Action Mission (you can add it in place of the Defiant), you *must* select an RAF or Luftwaffe fighter after making the change to enable the Blenheim. If you do not, you will get a crash.
2- Sorry, the Tiger Moth didn't make it as a flyable aircraft, it's static only. Maybe 2.10...


2.09 code (exe) Changes (Buddye)

1. Fixed a CTD in AirCombat caused by a SAG flight.
2. Fixed a CTD in Overlay.cpp caused by using ai.unfriendly pointer with a AUTO_BOMB movecode (the ai.unfriendly movecode is not valid).
3. Fixed the Bomber Stragglers so that they break out of formation and drop back away from the other bombers. I needed to decrease Straggler’s speed by about 5% so they drop back slowly. They will then head home (at the correct WP) or continue to the target to try and drop their bombs (based on random numbers as always). Thanks to Chumleigh for this one.
4. I added the skill level for our Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant (higher skills shoot more accurately). I also reduced the accuracy of the Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant. I implemented the change so that I can “tune” the rear gunner’s accuracy in the 110, Defiant, and JU87 as well as the Bomber gunners accuracy (both player and AI). Thanks to Alex for pointing this one out to me.
5. Implemented new bullet dispersion for BOBII
Here is some information I used for the design and implementation of the Dispersion code so you can review the text and get an idea what we are trying to accomplish. .
SIMHQ data - Dispersion. A target shooter will fire his rifle a number of times to establish a ‘group.’ The smaller the group, the more accurate the shooter is.
A modern aircraft gun has a similar characteristic. Technicians will fire the gun at a target and then count the projectile impacts and measure their pattern from the center aim point. Typically, this calculation will be expressed as a percentage of rounds fired within a certain area, usually a circle with the aim point at its center, and is called the gun dispersion.
A typical modern gun dispersion results in about 80% of the rounds being grouped in a five foot (1.52 meter) diameter circle at a range of 1000 feet (304 meters).

Osram data - Bullet dispersion is 1 meter per 100 meter travel in both RL (back then) and BoBII.
I am using Osram’s data for the BOBII implementation as it is not for only modern guns. The dispersion for a BOBII gun was a circle at 300 meters with a radius of 1.5 meters (150 cm).
I also added the following 11 Bdg.txt Dispersion parameters. The Dispersion was the “core” of these changes (except for the skill levels) and it was completely re-code with bugs fixed. The old Dispersion was done a very inexperienced coder named Buddye back in 2003 for BOBI. BobII had totally outgrown that approach and implementation. The following Bdg.txt parameters were added so that customer can change the bullet dispersion to his personal taste. I do recommend you carefully try/use the defaults as 100’s of hours of test and analysis time was required for the determination of the defaults by the BDG. As always, I need to recognize and give my thanks to Bader for his leadership, testing and support.
Dispersion_Bomber_Gunner_Player = 450
Dispersion_Bommer_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_Flyable_Planes_Player = 100
Dispersion_Front_Cannons_AI = 100
Dispersion_Def_JU87_Front_Guns_AI = 100
Dispersion_Heavy_Fighters_Front_Guns_AI = 100
Dispersion_Def_Rear_Gunner_AI = 150
Dispersion_JU87_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_ME110_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_Veteran_Regular_Skill_Increment = 10
Dispersion_Poor_Novice_Skill_Increment = 10
6. A very long shot but I added defensive code to protect against a “NULL” pointer in AutoShoot that caused a CTD. Thanks to reflected for reporting this one. It will do no harm but may not fix anything.
7. Fix a bug where when a Bomber dropped his bombs the fighter targeting him is set to ai.unfriendly = NULL which puts the fighter in a disengage movecode. I have been looking for this bug for a year. I called it the ai.unfriendly bug (bugs get names when they go unsolved for a long time).
8. Fixed a bug to prevent jet action after death if the previous maneuver was the MANOEUVRE_SPINOUT (after death only fix).
9. While I was fixing a bug (thanks to Uriah) where short labels did not work, I added the following feature for labels called “Single_Chararacter_Labels”.
To get Aircraft Names (Labels) to be displayed, you must set in the BOBII GUI in Options->Sim->Game Aircraft Names = ON. You then use the “T” key to toggle labels ON/OFF.
In addition to the GUI setting above, for 2.09, you *must* also select only *one* of the following Labels options in the Bdg.txt as “ON”:
Single_Chararacter_Labels # the default is a single character [w] for wingmen (friendly) and an [e] for enemy (target)
SHORTENED_LABELS # short Label example – ME109
Show_MoveCodes # For testing AI maneuvers

The default for all 3 of the above Bdg.txt parameters is “OFF”. If all are “OFF” then you will get the long label (example – BF109E4).

You also have the option of choosing a single character if you are selecting the Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON by using:
Single_Character_Label_Enemy= # Input a single character of your choice for your label
Single_Character_Label_Friendly= # Input a single character of your choice for your label

So if you are interested in trying the new single character feature, open the bdg.txt file and edit the following settings. (Note- only one can be set = ON at a time, or you'll get nothing at all.)
Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON
SHORTENED_LABELS = OFF
Show_MoveCodess = OFF
and then find and set the following two Bdg.txt parameters like this:
Single_Character_Label_Enemy= +
Single_Character_Label_Friendly= O
You can choose your personal single characters, of course. Dots work too.. whatever you prefer.

10. I added a Plus or Minus random “Error” by skill level (higher skill level has a smaller error) for the Bomber Gunners and the A/C Rear Gunners.
11. Fixed a CTD in USERMSG.cpp thanks to Ric. This was a very old problem dealing with the SAG. It seems that no one runs BOBII like Ric.
12. I have given the AAA code a makeover. I focused fixing the bugs that prevented the AAA from performing and I also looked at improving the AAA it accuracy. The AAA to me consists of (1) bullets and (2) flak (shells that explode or burst). The AAA bullet types work about the same as A/C bullets. The flak works a bit different.
The code looks for a flak burst overlapping an A/C to determine a hit. If you have a hit then damaged is forced on the A/C. You must force damage because the BOBII damage engine does not take care of flak damage like it does for bullet damage.
Here are the AAA and Flak Bdg.txt parameters options that you may want to consider for change or leave as default:.
a. Do_You_Want_Flak_Over_France=OFF # ON = Player Gets Flak Over France or OFF = Player Gets No Flak Over France
The default is OFF as that is the current implementation.
b. Increase_Flak_and_AAA_Rate_Of_Fire=OFF # ON = increase the Ground Flak and AAA rate of Fire or OFF = Stay with the same Flak and AAA rate of fire as in the BOBII Gun specs
The default is OFF which is the current way the game is set up and operates, but if you have the Processing power and enjoys some AAA and Flak tension give it a try.
c. Flak_Size_In_Meters = 11.0 #The flak size is used to force major damage to an A/C when the flak overlaps the A/C. Used to Simulate a A/C significant flak hit.
The default is 11.0 meters (flak is about 10 meters and a Spitfire wing is about 12 meters, so 5 meters radius for flak and 6 meters for the Spitfire = 11 meters). If you fly mostly against bombers you may want to increase the Flak Size Parameter.
You will know when it is a flak hit as the left or right wing will rip off very suddenly, or both tail fins will rip off, and the pilot will bail out..
This parameter is for Stickman who says that the odds of getting hit by flak in 1940 were about the same as drawing a Royal Flush in poker.
For those interested in getting flak hits at a very low but they will happen sometimes (or to test the feature), my testing has shown a Flak_Size_In_Meters=25 will get infrequent but possible flak hits.
d. Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire=ON # ON = Player 'Gets' Flak and AAA fire or OFF = Player Gets 'No' Flak and AAA fire. For saving processor resources.
The default is ON as that is the way it is now but Beta Testers have noticed increased processing (as the bugs fixed permits additional fire) when the Flak and AAA is in full fire mode. Also may help customers with weaker PC’s to save some processing.
e. Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire_if_Friendly_within_1000_Meters= ON # ON = Flak and AAA when friendly is within 1000 meters or OFF = No Flak and AAA fire when friendly is within 1000 meters
The default is ON as that the way it is now (all AAA and flak fire at enemy target). Many players will want AAA and flak off to prevent friendly A/C form being hit. In addition, large dog fights take significant processing power so limiting the flak and AAA will be a help for some. On the other hand it is fun to dog fight around flak and AAA as it just adds to the stress level if you have the processor grunt.
13. After an Air-to-Air collision both the Target A/C and the Hitter A/C pilots bail out or crash as the damage is too serious to continue. In the old code method only the player’s A/C took damage from an air-to-air collision which seems very wrong.
14. After working on the AAA and Flak code, I discovered that Rowan had made some interesting decisions with respect to the hand held guns..
The Rowan guys limited the fire from the hand held guns (110, JU87, def, and bomber gunners) by setting all of them to reload at 500 (that is 5 sec or 500 csec). This sets these guns to fire (four bullets) only every five sec if they can target an enemy.
Rowan did this I think because they did not have good control over the accuracy of the gunners as we just discovered. Now that we have the Dispersion parameters and some experience I think we can turn these guns loose, if we want. The bomber gunners had 900 bullets. I am not sure how many bullets the 110, Def, and Ju87 gunners had but the software checks for out of stores.
The game play would be enhanced (more exciting against the gunners) if we could turn these gunners loose and let them shoot when they can target (I do not think they can target all that often). You may have to re-tune the dispersion parameters (or not) depending on the your results and personal taste.
I implemented the following Bdg.txt parameter so the customer can have a option:
Do_You_Want_Increase_Firing_Rate_Of_Hand_Held_Gunners=OFF # ON = Increased Firing rate to Historic for hand held guns OFF = Leave the firing rate as implemented currently
As is my policy (mostly) the default is OFF as that is the way the current code works.
15. During Beta Testing, a few of the Beta Testers commented that the 40 MM Bofors AA guns were too strong and accurate. I implemented a new Bdg.txt parameter for changing the reload time for the 40 MM Bofors. This parameter can be used to either in crease or decrease the firing rate of the guns. I also introduced a random error for the Bofors to tame them down a bit.
LT_BRIT_BOFORS_Reloadtime = 100 #the reload time in cseconds (cs / 100 = seconds) for the LT_BRIT_BOFORS 40 MM AA Gun. Just increase this parameter to reduce the BOFOR rate of fire.
The default is 100 CS or ONE Second (a CS is 1/100 of a second or seconds = CS/100). If you want to reduce the Bofor’s rate of fire (example) just set the parameter to the following:
LT_BRIT_BOFORS_Reloadtime = 1000 (10 seconds) so you will get about 1/10 the rate of fire from the Bofors then with 100.t
16. When you get a “red” tint over the screen then BOBII is trying to tell you that your canopy has been damaged badly and you are dead. I added the code to ensure that you crash when this occurs. Thanks to Borton for this catch.
17. When one elevator and one horizontal stabilizer is damaged and missing (= BS_DEAD in the program). The player will be crashed as his plane is really not flyable anymore. Thanks to Marine for this catch and post.
18. Fix a small bug when Max_Number_AI_Targeting_AI = 1 as the old code would permit 2 subject AI to attack the target AI.. Thanks to Borton for this catch.
19. Another attempt to improve the Bomber/Fighter fire problem (where it burns forever rather than crashing). I also ask Scott to review his code in the damage engine which is separate from the C++ BOBII engine. Maybe I made it better this time or I fixed it.
20. Spent 3 weeks improving the Combat Reports and Diary Report counts for Kills, friendly A/C losses, and friendly pilot losses. I think we were able to take a big step forward but we still have a few report problems in the campaign to be fixed.
This change will result in a change to your game play.
WARNING: TO ENSURE THAT YOUR COUNTS ARE CORRECT FOR ENEMY KILLS AND FRIENDLY LOSSES, YOU MUST WAIT UNTIL THE A/C HITS THE GROUND BEFORE ALT-X IS HIT. THIS IS ALSO TRUE FOR EXPLOSIONS FROM COLLISIONS AND BULLET HIT AS AN INVISIABLE A/C WILL STILL HIT THE GROUND. IT CAN TAKE A MINUTE OR MORE TO REACH THE GROUND FROM ALTITUDE.
21. I added a transition to smooth out the after death maneuver. If the A/C is in a spin, spinout, or a violent maneuver that left his pitch and roll in a strange position then the after death maneuver had a very hard time completing a correct death maneuver.
22. During Beta Testing of the counts change (trying to accurately count the losses and kills), it was noted that LUF “Bomber Stragglers” are not target by RAF fighters. After some testing and experimenting a LUF Bomber Straggler fix was designed, coded , and tested.
The way the code worked before I coded the straggler attack fix was that stragglers could not be attack/engaged as they could not be found by running the bomber loop. Once a bomber became a straggler he was not targeted unless he was already targeted before he became a straggler.
Bombers are always targeted and retargeted as the fighters become disengaged and engaged (this is the normal process so the software can try and keep track of the fighters attacking the bombers). The player is not given any special preference which is by design. In fact, the fighters will give preference to targeting the back row of bombers trying to avoid some of the bombers guns.
The new code does in fact limit the targeting of stragglers to only one attacker at a time (unless a RAF fighter was already targeting the straggler before) as I did not want to shoot down all the stragglers each mission.
23. I implemented the MANOEUVRE_LUFBERRY for the ME110. It is not perfect but it is a fair simulation, I think.
In very simple terms it was a special LUF defensive maneuver that a group of ME110 tried where they formed a circle and tried to defend against the RAF fighters so that their front and rear guns could form a good defense against the RAF fighters. I do not think it was a big success in RL after the RAF fighter figured out what they were doing.
The best way to see a MANOEUVRE_LUFBERRY is to select Dog Fight Random advantage and select the ME110 for the LUF. It is coded to be random with about a 2% chance of the ME110 group using the defensive maneuver. Of course it can be used by the LUF in any IA or campaign mission that meets the requirements (squad <= 10 but >= 6, sort of loosing the fight and outnumbered, is a 110 squad, and meets the random number).
The Lufberry was requested by several players some months ago.
24. Extend the maneuver time for the ME110. The ME110 has a slower roll rate that was causing the maneuvers to terminate too soon.
25. Thanks to Alex, fixed a CTD in AutoFollowWP caused by a bad pointer. Alex was able to test and verify the fix.
26. Bader (the BDG’s senior member/tester and a very smart man who happens to be one of the best testers of the AI I have worked with) made a post on the Beta Forum about the AI being able to “roll” faster than the player.
After careful analysis and thought, we decided to try to implement the exact same surface reduction code for the AI A/C that implemented for the player’s A/C.
The fix was actually easy and without much risk but required significant testing to ensure the AI could still perform all their maneuvers. We did find and fix a problem with the AI making power dives at very high speeds. We really saw no AI problems with the change as yet except for the power dive problem (AI hitting the ground with a crash).
The unexpected results was that all the Beta Testers saw a big improvement in the AI behavior with smoother, more natural, and more realistic AI behavior. This was a bit of a surprise to me but I will take it.
I did implement two new Bdg.txt parameters to support the change as follows:
PLAYER_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON # the Rudder, Ailerons, and Elevators surface deflections are realistically reduced based on the Player A/C's Speed, Altitude, and Dynamic Pressure
AI_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON # the Rudder, Ailerons, and Elevators surface deflections are realistically reduced based on the AI A/C's Speed, Altitude, and Dynamic Pressure
I deleted the old Bdg.txt parameter, REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION.
The defaults are both set to “ON” as the old one was “ON” as well (which is our policy on defaults).
27. Fixed a rather annoying problem found by Trumper on the Beta Forum where the AI in the Instant Action Dog Fight 1-ON-1 would not always engage on skill levels other than Veteran.
28. Fixed a CTD when a A/C collides with a ground object that is movable but smaller than an A/C. I would like to thank VF-2 John Banks who took the time to post this problem at SIMHQ and then assist me with follow-up data.
Anyway I needed to recode BashHitter to take care of all the cases (hitting other A/C both in the air and on the ground, hitting moving trucks/objects on the ground, and hitting non-moving object like an AAA gun, pen,etc.).
29. Changed the Default for Target Size = Small. Note: if you have a savegame file and you run with Medium you will see no change here unless you re-install.
30. Fixed a CTD in Replay (rather complex procedure) that has been there forever. I want to extend a big thanks to our new BDG’er Rob for finding, reporting, and testing this one.
31. I added a “death” transition type maneuver to try and smooth out the death moves.

Here are Osrams 2.09 changes:

32. Externalised the weapons data from the executable into a new file "weapons.txt" in the models folder. This means this data is now easy to change for non coders.
33. Allow additional and different 3D objects (until now, excluding groups, we could only have 512. Now we can allow almost an infinite number of objects).
34. Permit FOV angles of up to 135 degrees if unlocked via the bdg.txt (mainly for special hardware). This was a player requested feature.
35. Forest rim trees to make the forest look denser than it actually is IOW increase visual quality with relatively little FPS effect.
The following four items were done by/for 777 Studios ( http://www.777studios.net/ ) and are used by A2A Simulations / the BDG since 777 and A2A share their improvements of Merlin.
36. Fixed neon coloured dots for the ground objects.
37. Implemented Fog fix. See before / after pictures to see how bad the old version looked, depending on settings.
38. Shaders are now handled differently depending on whether they use opaque, 1 bit alpha or smooth alpha textures.
39. Speeded up (improved FPS) on: Autogen objects, ObjectAdds, Far away objects, Rendering in general. Known issue- since this correction some models now show white in the furthest distance. This needs model fixes, which will take some time.
40. Implemented 1 Bit Alpha (did not ship with any previous official exe)
41. Fixed a memory leak.
42. Implemented Mouse placement mode for adding objects. Until now, you HAD to use the keyboard.
43. Fix "zero step" bug when placing objects using the keyboard (thanks to Stickman for the report).
44. “START FROM PEN” position for Marck updated (thanks to PV for this one). So now you actually start on the airfield
45. Set default TARGET SIZE to LOW. This allows more realistic gunnery and improves visual damage effects. You have to edit this in the game GUI if you import old settings from a previous install.

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Flight Model (FM) updates. Thank you to our FM engineer, Blue Six.

Please review the detailed release notes:-
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/bob_dev/P ... _notes.doc <-HERE

Please note: if you want to use the latest Spin settings you will need to edit a couple of lines in your bdg.txt file, these are:
AI_Spin_AOA_Control and AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control.
If you do not make the edit you will use the fairly relaxed default settings which mean that spins are possible, but less likely than in R/L.

Here are Ken's recommended bdg.txt file spin parameter settings for your player-flown aircraft (AoA / rotational velocity):
Spitfire 17.500000 / 4.250000
Hurricane 16.500000 / 5.000000
Bf109 18.500000 / 5.000000
Bf110 18.500000 / 5.000000
Ju87B 18.500000 / 6.000000

As an example, if you are mainly a Spitfire pilot, edit the bdg.txt lines so they look like this:
AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.50000 #AI. set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI, 22.0 Degrees Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 12.0)
AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.25000 #AI, 14.325 degrees per second Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 3.5)

As an example, if you are mainly a Hurricane pilot, edit the bdg.txt lines so they look like this:
AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.50000 #AI. set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI, 22.0 Degrees Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 12.0)
AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.00000 #AI, 14.325 degrees per second Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 3.5)

....and so on....


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Landscape improvements come in three parts
1. We now have over 250 upgraded ground objects. See this thread: HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 10&t=12474
(do not use any downloads from this thread, though, they are already included in the 2.09 update)
2. We have further updated textures.
3. We have numerous corrections. These include relocation of Boscombe Down airfield, many fixes for landscape errors (for example the Ashford-Redhill railway line, which was missing a section, is now fully in place. This was used as a key navigational aid as it runs straight for 50 miles and enabled pilots to locate the south London airfields (Biggin, Kenley, Croydon) with ease when returning from the coast).

Can I place objects myself?
Absolutely! That's the whole idea. Anyone can add their own details and it takes only a few minutes.
I'd suggest Stickman's excellent guide and illustrations: HERE-> http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/bob ... IDE-v1.zip <-HERE (5M)
Included is a full set of pictures of the new objects and instructions on how to place them in-game.








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For details on improvements in the earlier 2.08 see this thread: (all these updates are in 2.09), but there is a lot of good explanatory text of the new features.
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 51&start=0
(do not use any downloads from this thread, though, they are already included in the 2.09 update)

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How do I enable trees?

This is a Work-in-Progress feature that is useable for most people.
You can see more in this thread. HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 10&t=12575

Edit your bdg.txt file.
At the very bottom you will see a line saying ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=OFF
Change this to:
ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON
TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=62

Yes, you need both lines. Just copy and paste, or type it longhand.

Weaker systems will need TEMP_AG_SN[15,0]=62 or TEMP_AG_SN[15,1]=62 (the number after the comma is a density setting).
Strong systems may be able to run TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=62 which gives the greatest tree density.

Note: Set 'Town and Forest Raises' to OFF in the GFX settings screens.



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Another wonderful team effort across all times zones and nationalities. There are dozens of people contributing to the various versions so far.
Specifically on 2.09, thank you to:
Coders- Buddye, Osram
Flight Model (FM)- Blue Six
Models: Creation, conversion- Ben, Geoff, Simon, Condor (Greg)
Textures- Ben, Bader, Nigel Dickinson, John Whelan
Landscape- PV, Bader, Stickman
Guides/Illustrations- Stickman
Testing/General- Trumper, Borton, alexcraig, Hylander_1715, Prem Holdaway, chumleigh, Heinkill, Mraah
and, as ever, Scott, for allowing us to camp out here and general support.






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The new Blenheim model: (Thank you, Geoff)



The new Ju52 model: (Thank you, Condor(Greg))



Static Tiger Moth model: (Thank you, Geoff).


French updates, here is Wissant: (Thank you, Stickman)




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What Mods are there?

Quite a few. All down to personal preference.
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 10&t=11652
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 10&t=12021

Do also look at the bottom of the 2.08 release text for High Resolution cockpit glass, alternate 109 cockpit textures and increased Me110 view.
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 51&start=0
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