Helicopter Gunship DEX News

This is a small update to address a few issues and some QoL features....

1. Custom loadouts now store fuel load and ammo load for each weapon. This allows you to setup very specific loadouts for Deployment Point or weight limits.

2. Quad racks used for hellfires and TOW missiles now automatically configure themselves between a quad launcher or dual launcher depending on ammo loaded (except the TOW launcher for the Lynx which is always a quad launcher)

3. Removed dual hellfire/TOW racks from the all helicopter loadouts. Unfortunately this may effect previously stored custom loadouts from loading correctly.

4. Increased the size of the colliders used on helicopter skids to prevent them clipping through the terrain colliders when landing. Hopefully this should fix the "skid boogey" that sometimes happens where the helicopter won't settle on the skids properly and continually shuffles around ːsteamlaughcryː

These updates will be pushed to the public branch in a few days...

This update brings the public branch up to the same version as the current beta and includes a wide range of improvements and fixes....



Streaming Terrain System
The "Central Libya" map has now been upgraded to use a new streaming system. This effectively removes any limitation on the size of the map as terrain tiles will be streamed in and out as needed.

The main effect of this is to reduce RAM requirements to well below 8Gb.

Fixed Wing Support Assets
Su-25, Su-25T & A-10A support units are now available to be used in missions. They differ from the Reaper Drone as they are fully autonomous. Simply tell them were to focus their attacks and they will prioritise targets as they see fit.

These units are designed to be used on the Central Libya map where the terrain is fairly flat. They will be less effective when used on terrain with sharp changes in elevation such as Norway where units can hide in valleys etc.

Update Foliage System and Terrain Textures
Central Libya has been upgraded to use a new foliage & tree system that makes use of GPU instancing as well as a collider streaming system to reduce CPU workload.

Trees will also react to rotor wash as you approach them!

The terrain also now uses more textures to give a more varied landscape.

New U.I. System
The U.I. has been given a bit of a workover to make it a little more slick than the previous "chunky" version.



1. Most weapons have been given new sounds effects.

2. HUD has a new glow/holographic effect. You can adjust this effect in the Game Settings menu if you want more or less glow (or turn it off completely).

3. Weapon tracers now dim more realistically as they get further from you

4. UPK-23 Gunpod is now available for all version of the Hind giving even more "dakka dakka" options!

5. Harrier now has manual nozzle control. You can bind joystick (or keyboard) controls to the new "Thrust Vector" control under "Aircraft Controls".

For Joypad users you can change the "Collective" (left stick up/down) into "Thrust Vector" mode by holding "Modifier 1" (left bumper).

There is a new information display above the "TRIM" setting that will show you your current "NOZZ" (nozzle) angle.

6. Joypad users can now access an analgue trim system by holding "Modifier 2" (right bumper) which will switch the "Collective" (left stick up/down) into "Trim" mode.

7. Improved wingtip contrails.

8. Heat blur for the Harrier now follows the nozzle direction.

9. AT-6 missiles have a better guidance system

10. Shilka and Strela turrets have been updated so that they can turn faster allowing them to track an engage faster moving targets.

11. Reworked the flight models for fixed wing aircraft so they act more like proper aircraft. The Harrier should feel a little "looser" when in flight.

12. A.I. Helicopters now land a little faster rather than being very hesitant.

13. Applied a low pass filter effect to all cockpit views simualting a muffling effect

14. Remastered all the audio settings so sound attentuates more accurately with distance.

15. Added in Doppler Shift effect for suitable audio sources.

16. Updated flight path for the AGM-65 Mavericks so that they do a sensible loft attack rather than something similar to the Hellfire's top down attack.

17. All Apache's apart from the early A version can now equip Maverick missiles.

18. Updated the support unit selection page so that support units are represented by "trump style" cards.

19. Fixed HE blast zone damage calculations so damage is now applied correctly. This will improve the effectivness of pretty much every weapon!

20. Moved the keybinds for "Modifier 1" & "Modifier 2" from SHIFT and CTRL to "*" and "/" on the keypad. This is because other MFD commands are asssigned to "Keypad 1", "Keypad 2" etc but holding SHIFT will actually change "Keypad 1" to "END" etc messing up the MFD controls. Thanks to Darloth for spotting that one!

21. Updated the "Altitude Hold Up" & "Altitude Hold Down" buttons so that the input now repeats when they are held down allowing to change altitude more rapidly. Single presses are still possible for fine altitude control.

KNOWN ISSUES

1. When calling in fixed wing support there will be a slight stutter as they load in.
2. Support units outside the player bubble i.e over 12km away from you may not be able to locate targets to destroy.
3. Infantry units outside the player bubble i.e over 12km away from you may not be able complete their mission correctly.

This update just fixes and tweaks a few things....

1. Re-priced the support assets to make them more suitably priced with the advent of the CAS aircraft.

• Artillery - 50pts (no change)
  
• Reaper Drone - 75pts (-125pts)
  
• Su-25 - 100pts
  
• A-10A - 150pts
  
• Su-25T - 175pts
  

2. Adjusted the spawn position of all helicopters so they don't bounce around when initially placed on the helipad.

3. Fixed a bug which wasn't setting the Combat Lynx 3's centre of gravity correctly.

The new ZSU-23-2 model is now complete and ready to be integrated into the air defence network!





You'll likely see this unit placed in villages or other locations where you might not spot it easily. The good news is that it is not likely to be that accurate, the bad is that you probably won't know it's there until it starts shooting unless you are particularly vigilant with scouting an area ːsteamhappyː



The DAGR weapon system will also be available shortly once the redesigned M299 Hellfire launcher is complete. While the DAGR is similar to the already available APKWS system it does have the advatage of being more flexible as you'll be able to fit a 4 x DAGR pod on the M299 launcher in place of a Hellfire missile giving you multiple weapons systems on a single launcher.

The available options will be 4 x DAGR + 3 Hellfires or 8 x DAGR + 2 Hellfires.



The "HERO" Chinook interior will also be available in 3 - 4 weeks time at which point it will become available as a flyable helicopter for heavy cargo/troop transport missions.

The Chinook will also probably be the 1st helicopter to utilise the new 360 degree engine noise system which should give a much more realistic portrail of engine and rotor sounds.

This should be the final update for the Terrain Streaming Beta.

1. Added options in "Video Settings" to control both the density and draw distance of terrain grass. Trees are uneffected by this setting as they must always be rendered out to 12km to ensure vehicles remain obscured even at long range.

2. AH-64 '88 can now carry AGM-65B missiles while the AH-64D & Longbow can carry AGM-65D missiles. While these missiles are not particularly useful at the moment they will have their uses against hardened structures such as bunkers etc in the future.

Hellfires will also be re-balanced shortly so that their maximum range is more inline with real life i.e. around 8km fro the radar and 10-11km for the laser (weather permitting). This means the Maverick will provide a longer range missile capability for attacking things like Tor SAMs at a lower technology level than the Brimstone.

Mavericks work slightly differently to other missiles as they are IRTV homing. This means the target must have a valid heat signature i.e. a vehicle or building. They cannot lock on to the ground. Once fired they are self homing and do not require constant designation by the T-POD allowing you to quickly engage multiple targets.