KC-10 Extender

[Plane]

This is my first addon, the beta testing addon is still not complete.
No texture, no cockpit, yet the refueling function works. Just select in the action menu,and fly close to the tanker (within 5 meters to the tube) and see the instructions from the tanker.

So if you have any suggestion, questions, bug reports or you wish to work this thing together, please reply! ;D

And remember, DO NOT post this addon to any websites.
The last recommand: Use at your own risk! Enjoy it! ;D

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Edited Dec 7th
New version addon

[Morglor9]

would be good if u posted the addon with a demo mission, for a clearer idea on how it works.

now, aside from the obvious lack of textures and cockpit, this seems to be coming along nicely. my only beef right now is the scripting. i set up a mission where me (A10) is flying behind the KC-10 at the same speed. when i click the action to request fueling, the boom extends properly, but the KC-10 accelerates away from my plane at a rate that the ol' Hog just isn't capapble of. shouldn't it slow down to the other plane's speed (or slower) so that we can actually manovuer into the correct position?

[Plane]

Well, the A-10 has much low speed than other aircrafts. You remind me of this fact, I use the RKT's F-15 to test my addon, it has a afterburner and a high speed. That's a bug right now, but you can still test my addon.
Just type the following into the "init" of the Refuling tanker:

Code: [Select]

this setspeedmode "Limited";This means to make the AI fly with low speed, and this should work.

[Crassus]

Well, it certainly has potential. Now please include some instructions as to its proper use.

I used IKar's F14, so I was able to keep up, but the Extender's altitude was erratic, especially as I closed in on him.

The hint/title text detailing the relative speed and distance showed, but how close must I get to refuel? (I set my Tomcat's fuel to just above "empty". I went to flying on fumes and hit the ocean after about 15-minutes of looking at and trying to touch the Extender's butt.)

Suggestions:
1) Script the Extender to fly at a specific height and speed.
2) Do you plan to have the Action to call for a refuel available only when the player is very near the Extender? How about just having the Extender on-map allow for the action to show up in the menu?
3) I was going to suggest that the Extender provide bearing and distance to its position, but RL ones don't, I don't belive. Pilots would have been briefed as to their presence and location.
4) I hope you will include a demo mission or two.

[Rockape]

Ive been playing with this for a little while now and have to say i love it.  its certainly alot better than the A-2-A Refueling i'd tried out some time ago.  A few of constructive things:

1) The aircraft handling - while i realise its a beta you need to make the aircraft more agile.  With its current stats it either flys of the map or takes about 20 mins to turn and get stuck on a waypoint.

2) Conditional messages - when a full aircraft tries to refuel you should give it a message to deny it access.

3) Closing speed and messages etc - less decimal places and less in your face/smaller etc.

4) Remove the Request Refuel from the user menu once you have a plane moving in it just adds clutter.

Other than that really good implementation, already had alot of fun with it!

[Plane]

Crassus's suggestion:

1) Script the Extender to fly at a specific height and speed.
2) Do you plan to have the Action to call for a refuel available only when the player is very near the Extender? How about just having the Extender on-map allow for the action to show up in the menu?
3) I was going to suggest that the Extender provide bearing and distance to its position, but RL ones don't, I don't belive. Pilots would have been briefed as to their presence and location.
4) I hope you will include a demo mission or two.

Answer:
1) That's what I want to do but OFP's Limitation makes it hard to come true. The "flyinheight" command only works when the aircraft were choppers.
2,3) Bearing, distance, map position and other stuffs are in progress, it may take some time to do it because I'm one man working on this addon.
4) The mission may comes with the next release.

Rockape' suggestion:

1) The aircraft handling - while i realise its a beta you need to make the aircraft more agile.  With its current stats it either flys of the map or takes about 20 mins to turn and get stuck on a waypoint.
2) Conditional messages - when a full aircraft tries to refuel you should give it a message to deny it access.
3) Closing speed and messages etc - less decimal places and less in your face/smaller etc.
4) Remove the Request Refuel from the user menu once you have a plane moving in it just adds clutter.

Answers:
1) This have to be define in mission, set a cycle waypoint.
2) I've already done this, have you ever tried a full plane?
3) Also a OFP limitation , if there is a "round" function then this will be OK. Can some help me to do this?
4) I will try.

Finally, I'm telling you guys have to wait for a while for my next release because some serious problems during modeling->The bin crashes
But thans for you suggestions. Any other questions or advises, please reply. ;D

[h-]

That's what I want to do but OFP's Limitation  makes it hard to come true. The "flyinheight" command only works when the aircraft were choppers.

Nope.
Works for planes just fine... At least it worked for me..
It's just a crappy function and seems to work best with waypoints rather than scripts...

You can however script the planes velocity and make it drop height instead of using the flyInHeight..

[Plane]

Oh, sorry. It seems work. But my tanker has a low pitch sensitivity. I set it flyinheight 1000, it just go down and up between 1000 meters. From 500 to 1500, it won't stop. How to define it in the config, just make it faster to roll, yaw, pitch?

[Rockape]

Rockape' suggestion:Answers:
1) This have to be define in mission, set a cycle waypoint.
2) I've already done this, have you ever tried a full plane?
3) Also a OFP limitation , if there is a "round" function then this will be OK. Can some help me to do this?
4) I will try.

Finally, I'm telling you guys have to wait for a while for my next release because some serious problems during modeling->The bin crashes
But thans for you suggestions. Any other questions or advises, please reply. ;D

1) I already have done that but its so slow to turn it makes it impractical
2) Full plane?  Only the one attached to the first post. Is there another?
3) Ask Hater_Kint nicely hes very good with scripts  ;D

Oh, sorry. It seems work. But my tanker has a low pitch sensitivity. I set it flyinheight 1000, it just go down and up between 1000 meters. From 500 to 1500, it won't stop. How to define it in the config, just make it faster to roll, yaw, pitch?

Thats because its following the terrain - try flying over water.

Pitch sensitivity is controled by:

Code: [Select]

elevatorSensitivity=1.5;Roll by:

Code: [Select]

aileronSensitivity=1.00000;Yaw is a a function of both of the above and a small factor of:

Code: [Select]

wheelSteeringSensitivity = 6; This has a great effect on the ground and only a minor effect in flight.


Hope that helps you.

[Wadmann]

3) Also a OFP limitation , if there is a "round" function then this will be OK. Can some help me to do this?

Take a look at this function by Tactician.

Or, from the comment section of the above function, the line of code below may work in place of this function:

Code: [Select]

((_this + 0.5) - ((_this+0.5) % 1))
Keep up the good work!

Wadmann

[Skaircro]

Very nice so far.

Great work on the model and awesome work with the refueling script, having it lock the receiving plane makes it so much easier!!  

I initially had a problem that I wouldn't get a response to the refuel request so I de-pbo'd it and had a look. Turns out it was just because I had too much fuel at the time.

Just three minor bugs with the refuel script that I've noticed:
1. The one above, I didn't get the message that I already have enough fuel after requesting.
2. After refuelling complete I got the message that refueling was complete, BUT I also got the abort refueling message.
3. This is more a personal opinion. When the text starts flashing in the middle of the screen showing distances and position on final approach, I found it a bit distracting and made it harded to keep steady. Possibly have it refresh less frequently.  :-\



One suggestion: As the refuel script releases the plane from lock after refueling, can you set the speed of the receiving plane to be slower than that of the tanker.
Reason: The first time refueling I was screwing around trying to control my plane whilst locked, on release my plane went into a steep climb and I colided with the tanker.
Alternative: Instead of releasing the plane from lock after refueling, keep the plane locked on course with the tanker but slow the receiving planes speed a bit. Once the receiving plane is about 200m(?) from the tanker then release it from lock.


Hope this helps abit.
Keep up the great work!  :thumbsup:

[Plane]

Looks like Skaircro find some bugs for me and I've fixed it now.
The full plane can be denied requesting if the tanker has a cargo(The refueling operator)
Without him, you cannot refuel. Yet a OFP bug have trapped my script:

Code: [Select]

?(refueler==nil):....I thought if the unit does not exsit, it would return "nil" (I've been programming with Delphi) But OFP returns a string: scale bool 0*FFFFFFF but not nil, so the script continue to work. Now this bug is no longer exist!

I'm releasing a new version fixed the bugs you have mentioned. But I have no time on the modeling and texturing. Hope you will enjoy! ;D

Download at my first post

[zandhaas]

Hi,

The KC10 and the tanking script work brilliantly, a very good job (especially since the Royal Netherlands Airforce has similar KDC10 aircraft in service).

Regards,

Sander

http://llw.the-dropzone.net