VTOL VR News

Hey everyone! I've been recreating the original "Island" campaign using the built-in editor, playing some of your custom missions and campaigns, and fixing all the bugs I found in doing so (there were quite a few!). So this update is focused on bug fixes, but there some other small changes I think you'll enjoy such as the new pilot model and color customization, and updated explosion effects.

Unfortunately, your progress on the Island campaign will be reset, but it's not very long anyway so please let me know if you run into any problems playing through it, since it was rebuilt from scratch.

Now that most of the problems are out of the way, it's time for me to start creating new missions for the campaign, start working on the fighter campaign, and adding fun new features!

Here's the full list of changes:

Alpha v0.0.9
AV-42C
- Recreated The Island campaign using VTEditor
- Created new QuickFlight campaign to replace old one
- Enabled brake lock when starting landed, flight-ready, to prevent rolling off carrier
- Improved control using Hover Autopilot
F/A-26B
- Added some interior engine audio
- Added HUD reticle for boresight mode
- Radar now remains in boresight mode when unlocking a target previously acquired via boresight
- Joystick button now unlocks target acquired in boresight mode and returns to boresight mode
- Allowed weapons to be attached on fuel tank pylons
- Fuel tank pylons are now displayed in EQUIP MFD page
- Fixed: Soft-locks remained when switching radar to boresight mode
- Fixed: Joystick button still TWS locked targets when in boresight mode
Editor
- Added loading scenes
- Added invincibility option when testing a scenario from the editor
- Added mission availability mode option to campaign editor (Sequential or all available)
- Added event action for setting whether air unit or air group should do radio comms
- Added "Attack Target" and "Cancel Attack Target" event actions for air units and air groups
- Added confirmation dialogue when deleting a trigger event
- Added static objects
- Added tooltips in the Scenario Info window
- Fixed black screen issues when launching custom campaign mission from editor	
- Fixed incorrect team showing when selecting a formation leader for an air unit group event action
- Fixed: Objectives showed incomplete status even though a required unit was selected
- Fixed error when deleting a scenario from the Open menu before opening any scenario
- Fixed: Enabling a previously disabled trigger event through an event action did not actually enable it
- Fixed drop-off objectives on the hospital helipad not working
- Fixed trigger event not working if the waypoint is a unit that was not spawned immediately
- Fixed mission breaking error caused by having a Fly To objective with no waypoint set
- Fixed error when an air group is commanded to take off or land, but one of the pilots is dead
- Fixed: Unable to save when an event action targets an objective that has been deleted
- Fixed error when loading a scenario that had a reference to a waypoint that was deleted
- Fixed: Editing scenario info of campaign training mission set it to non-training
- Fixed: Forcing equips that the player hasn't unlocked caused black screen in vehicle config hangar
- Set all equips enabled by default on a new campaign
Units
- Reduced attack rate of DMS Cruiser
- Added vapor effects to enemy fighters
- Fixed: Refuel tanker was radio messaging the player when an AI FA-26 was refueling
- Fixed render layers of ASF-58 and GAV-25 low-poly LODs
- Fixed RWR symbol of drones launched from drone carrier ship
- Fixed Manta UCAV ignoring default values set in editor
AI
- Fixed issue when assigning a target to wingman who is already in combat
- Fixed: Enemy fighters won't evade or engage when far away from their orbit waypoint or wing leader
- Fixed issue where ships assigned to a looped path sometimes start in the wrong direction
Weapons
- Increased AIM-9 and IRIS-T resistance to countermeasures
- Increased AMRAAM turning capability at higher speeds
- Gun director sight will use radar or TGP target data if available
General
- Updated explosion particle effects
- Updated pilot body and hands models
- Added dark background to MFD labels to improve readability
- Added some hand gestures
- Added pilot color customization
- Added different overlay unit icon for allied units so team can be identified in nightvision
- Spectator camera settings are now persistent
- Increased NVG illumination
- Radars no longer detect aircraft that are landed
- Fixed: Launching a campaign mission with no vehicle configuration switched to the editor instead
- Fixed incorrect custom campaign mission being launched with zero budget under certain circumstances
- Fixed rearming panel weapon display on moving carrier

Small fixes to issues in last update.

Editor
- Allow units to be set as landing objective targets so you can RTB to moving carriers/cruisers

F/A-26
- Fixed oscillating caused by combination of body physics and center stick options

General
- Fixed red/blue unit icons
- Fixed rearming on moving carrier
- Fixed placement of player vehicles on spawn and when rearming
- Updated Dangerous Transport and Difficult Mission custom missions
- Removed empty test campaign

Hello! It's time for another update.

This update includes a bunch of improvements and fixes to the editor, units, wingmen, and equipment.

You can now make a whole custom campaign with a series of missions, budget, unlocking weapons, etc. Just like the original 'The Island' campaign. There are a couple new enemy air units which can be placed in custom missions - a stealthy high speed fighter, and a VTOL/STOVL attack plane.

Triggers in the editor now work, which lets you fire events based on whether the player or a unit enters or exits a certain area.

Ships can now be commanded to move through event actions in the editor!
Landing on a moving carrier can be quite a challenge.

The player spawn can now be assigned to an air group, which is how you designate which planes are the player's wingman.
When you have wingmen, they communicate threats and their attacks with you, and can be ordered to attack your specific target through the communications MFD page.

There's also now a settings option to display the spectator cam (when you've turned it on through the MFD) on an external monitor.

There's alot more changes so be sure to check the full change log below!

Now that the editor has most of the features I needed, I'll move towards converting the original Island campaign to use it, and create more missions for it.

If you have created custom scenarios, please share them on the Steam forum under the proper sub-forum, or post them on the discord! Happy flying!

Here's an album of screenshots from the update:
https://imgur.com/a/iNH18

AV-42C
- Set new lit shader to the rest of the cockpit labels

F/A-26B
- Fixed tooltips for light switches
- Fixed hand pose bounds for light switches
- Added softlock track icons to HUD

Editor
- Added Campaign Editor
- Added "Protect Unit" objective
- Added Trigger events
- Added aicraft group option to Player Spawn to allow receiving radio messages from wingmen in custom scenarios
- Added message in objective editor showing if certain required fields have not been configured
- Added ability to target/reference sub-units for certain actions
- Added TWR info when editing aircraft unit equipment
- Added sea unit groups
- Allow selecting a unit as a waypoint for triggers and certain mission objectives
- Missions set as training mission now appear in training tab in-game
- Added aicraft group option to Player Spawn to allow receiving radio messages from wingmen in custom scenarios
- Added message in objective editor showing if certain required fields have not been configured
- Fixed issues caused by deleting a unit that was in a unit group
- Fixed issue caused by deleting a unit attached to a carrier
- Fixed issue caused by deleting a carrier that was referenced by a landing event
- Fixed issue when attempting to Save As with scenario that uses Editor Resources
- Fixed broken Refuel objective type

Units
- Added ASF-58 fighter to enemy team
- Added GAV-25 attack vtol to enemy team
- Added AWACS to allied team
- Added ability for ships to move
- Added countermeasures to fuel tanker and AWACS
- Added Anti-Ship missile to allied AI planes
- Added anti-ship missiles to allied and enemy cruiser ships
- Removed annoying sound when F/A-26 wingman is turning on/off afterburners
- Updated Allied Carrier model
- Improved AI VTOL handling
- Fixed: Enemy infantry soldier unit jumping around map
- Fixed AV-42C taxi collision avoidance and steering

Equipment
- Improved AGM-89 maneuverability
- Adjusted anti-ship guidance to eliminate crashing when turning sharp corners and sea-skimming
- Anti-ship guidance in evasive mode can now detect incoming missiles with radar and react
- Fixed issue where AGM would auto-lock even when set to manual uncage on first shot

AI
- Improved landing procedures to be able to land on moving carriers (both arrested and VTOL)
- Fixed: AI sometimes attempt to take off before taxiing to a runway

General
- Added scrollable list view for campaign selector
- Added button to reset progress on a campaign in campaign selector
- Added variations for wingman radio comms
- Added more wingman radio messages
- Added "Attack Target" command in MFD comms page
- Added experimental wind option in game settings
- Added radio comms volume knob to both vehicles
- Added second-monitor option for spectator camera
- Fixed issues with HUD brightness control on elements that show and hide
- Fixed: Autopilot would sometimes disable unintentionally
- Fixed planes sometimes getting stuck at the end of a catapult launch
- Updated some of the custom missions to use the new features

Here's another small batch of fixes to the editor and new fighter.

A lot of people had problems with the game shutting down when HMDs turn off from inactivity. I changed the editor scene so that VR will not be required, and it is safe to let the VR set shutoff or even quit SteamVR while in the editor. The VR system should automatically come back on when exiting the editor or launching the mission.

The flight model of the F/A-26B is something I'll continue to experiment with, but since it was very easy to fall into an unrecoverable spin, I made it a bit more stable and adjusted the flight assist to help prevent you from spinning out when rolling at high angle of attack. Please let me know what you think!

		- Adjusted F/A-26B aero to increase roll rate and control under high AoA
		- Fixed: Game crashes when in editor and SteamVR shuts down (now safe to close SteamVR when in editor)
		- Fixed error causing black screen when save file has invalid data
		- Fixed missing equipment sometimes when re-arming in custom missions
		- Fixed issues when launching mission from editor with brand new save file
		- Fixed weapon configuration not saving when testing mission from editor
		- Running mission from editor without equip configuration now launches loading scene

Hi everyone.
This patch is just a bunch of fixes for bugs reported since the Tuesday update. There is a new switch on the Flight Assist panel of the F/A-26B, labeled CATO TRIM. This can be enabled prior to a catapult takeoff to allow for a safe hands-off catapult launch with any payload weight.

Aside from various fixes, I've also begun applying some brightness adjustment for the cockpit instruments to help with night missions. I've only started on the AV-42C and have not finished, but I wanted to get these fixes out as soon as possible.

EDIT: Also Hotfix v0.0.7.2 which fixes the missing shaders for the new labels in the AV-42C.

A full list of changes are below:

v0.0.7.2
               Fixes
                    - Fixed missing cockpit labels shader for AV-42C

v0.0.7.1
		Improvements
			- Added HUD brightness knob to vehicles
			- Added label backlight controls to A/V-42C
			- Improved F/A-26B flaps aerodynamics
			- Added catapult take-off autotrim switch for F/A-26B
		Changes
			- Adjusted F/A-26B engine specs
		Fixes
			- Fixed master arm label in F/A-26B equip MFD page
			- Fixed error in radar missile launcher when tracking a target that is destroyed
			- Fixed colliders on F/A-26B elevons that possible caused collisions on catapult launch
			- Fixed control surface twitching
			- Fixed parked AI planes being spawned in the wrong location in custom missions
			- Fixed fuel display issue when re-equipping drop tanks
			- Fixed AMRAAM dynamic launch zones
			- Fixed throttle thumbstick control on F/A-26B
			- Fixed screen fader issues (black screen) on scene changes
			- Fixed mid-air spawning in F/A-26B carrier landing practice
			- Fixed F/A-26B wing audio
			- Fixed probable cause for inability to rotate camera in editor after removing HMD
			- Fixed player sometimes falling a few feet when spawning on ground or carrier in custom scenarios
			- Fixed low poly model LODs showing when spectator cam is near distant unit
			- Fixed issue when launching a custom mission from editor after changing the player vehicle, but not saving
			- Fixed missing F/A-26B collision warnings