Author Topic: helicopter too low (Read 1280 times)

redmenace · « **on:** 07 Dec 2005, 02:36:44 »

I'm trying to make a mission where at one point you have to radio for a helicopter to come pick you up, then after you get in it flies for a bit and is hit by an AA soldier and you are forced to eject. So far, I have a load waypoint linked with a get in waypoint, and the load waypoint is also linked with a radio alpha trigger. The only problem is once you get in the helicopter and start flying, it flies too low so when you eject you die when you hit the ground! Can anyone help?

Pilot · « **Reply #1 on:** 07 Dec 2005, 02:42:09 »

Give it a flyinheight command in the On Activation field of the waypoint just after the helicopter's load waypoint. A number between 80 and 100 should do the trick

-Pilot

redmenace · « **Reply #2 on:** 07 Dec 2005, 02:46:32 »

If I type flyinheight 100, it says "unknown operator"..

edit: forgot 'this'

nominesine · « **Reply #3 on:** 07 Dec 2005, 13:53:05 »

Since you're using the command in a waypoint you cannot use 'this' either. You must give the helicopter a name and refer to it with that name:

Code: [Select]

helicopterName flyInHeight 100

456820 · « **Reply #4 on:** 07 Dec 2005, 22:42:15 »

also try using the never fire/hold fire modes as well with telling the chopper to be in safe or careless mode this way the chopper has more chance of doing what you want but all depends on situation and enemys around you

ONoSixIsDown · « **Reply #5 on:** 08 Dec 2005, 18:43:54 »

also, take into consideration the elevation of the terrain when you enter the flyinheight. I'm not positive on this but it appears that the value given to the flyinheight, is the elvation from sea level. So a flyinheight set at 100 may still be too low if you are ejecting on high ground.

i may be talking out my rear on this, but i had a similar problem with paratroops not having enough time to deploy their shutes, so a flyinheight of around 150 is best so you know you wont just become a lawn dart after you eject.

hardrock · « **Reply #6 on:** 08 Dec 2005, 18:48:35 »

Quote from: OhNoSixIsDown on 08 Dec 2005, 18:43:54

also, take into consideration the elevation of the terrain when you enter the flyinheight. I'm not positive on this but it appears that the value given to the flyinheight, is the elvation from sea level.

Wrong. flyInHeight works relatively to the ground. You have to take care of obstacles, i.e. buildings, trees or similar when setting low altitudes, as choppers won't do much to evade them in many cases.

LoTekK · « **Reply #7 on:** 08 Dec 2005, 18:52:56 »

From my own experiences, flyInHeight is in fact altitude AGL, not ASL.

THobson · « **Reply #8 on:** 08 Dec 2005, 19:17:07 »

My experinece also. I do suspect that when flying over houses the height is measured from the highest floor in the building - but I have not checked this and anyway it would only have an effect for a hover.

Beware though. Steep mountainsides can cause the death of a chopper as it fails to climb rapidly enough to maintain its height. I can't speak for other islands but on Malden the fjord at Vigny is like flypaper for choppers. It seems to attract them and then kill them - unless you do something to stop then going there.

nominesine · « **Reply #9 on:** 08 Dec 2005, 20:07:10 »

Helicopters and planes behaves different when they get a flyInHeight command. I tested the flyInHeight yesterday, because I'm making a cessna mission (yeah I know it's boring, but I like cessnas). This is my findings (after about 15-20 tests):

When given a flyInHeight command both helicopters and planes adjust their height relative to the terrain below (i.e it is height relative to the ground level, not sea level). If they are over open sea, it is height relative to 0 meters.

When moving they try to maintain this relative flyInHeight, but choppers are much better at doing so. Planes usually remain on the original height, even if a mountain gets in its way.

This has to do with speed. The faster the plane, the lesser its ability to adjust height. The same goes for choppers (but to a somewhat lesser degree).

I don't know how buildings affect choppers. It had no effect on my plane over Petrovice (but the plane is so fast and it's impossible to keep it fixed over a building for more than 0.5 seconds, so I really don't know)

Tested near the snowy mountains on Nogova with a BIS A-10 and a BIS UH-60. Observations was made by a regular BIS western officer with binoculars. It's almost like science, isn't it? ;D

Wadmann · « **Reply #10 on:** 09 Dec 2005, 18:55:10 »

Has anyone had problems with user made islands?

I was working on a mission for the DMA Libya island and was having a very hard time getting my chopper to safely land. It seemed that no matter what height that I gave the chopper, it would crash into some palm trees or a building prior to landing.

Is there something in an islands config that can interfere with the game engine's ability to correctly calculate the fly in height?

I tried a lot of different approaches and variations but finally gave up as I figured that it was the island's fault. I had other problems like getting the chopper to perform a fast rope at a specific location with a variety of different scripts from OFPEC, even snYpir's ever so reliable SP/MP Support pack failed me this time.

All of this leads me to believe that there may have been an island config setting that caused my grief but as I do not understand the fundamentals of island creation, I am really not sure.

As the island is one that I would like to use for more missions, I would like to hear that it was my mission design that caused the problems and not the islands fault.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Wadmann

nominesine · « **Reply #11 on:** 09 Dec 2005, 20:17:38 »

Quote from: Wadmann on 09 Dec 2005, 18:55:10

I would like to hear that it was my mission design that caused the problems and not the islands fault.

All the problems you mention are connected with your designer abilities - except the problems that are connected with the island ;D

Seriously though... The DMA Libya map looks impressive, but there is too many objects on the map for the AI. That's why troops don't move properly on the map and that's probably why your helicopter refuse to land. The trick is to find a spot where it is safe for the helicopter to land (just like a real life pilot would do). Avoid areas with lots and lots of palm trees

In other words... use your mission designer talent to make a working mission on the map you are using at the moment. Every map has its pro's and con's

Or you can chose another map. IMO the BAS_Tonal islands are a better choice than the DMA_Libya, but that's a bit off topic.

Wadmann · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 Dec 2005, 00:20:42 »

Quote

All the problems you mention are connected with your designer abilities

I have yet to post a mission online but my reputation still preceeds me!

I should not have clouded the issue with extra information without a full explanation. As I do not want this to get too far off topic, I will be brief:

I understand the "too many objects" issue and have made very similar missions on Tonal without problems. What I was trying to convey was that the chopper not only flies in too low and crashes into trees before it gets to the LZ, but when attempting to fast rope out, the chooper seemed to hover too low by about the same factor as it was when it crashed into the trees (about 5-10m lower than what I consider normal).

It is for this reason that I was wondering if there was a config setting that "raised" the island by about 10m and thereby throwing the flyinHeight off.

But then again, it could be my crappy mission design!

Wadmann