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Thread: TWC English Channel Campaign Server - updates and improvements

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    TWC English Channel Campaign Server - updates and improvements

    [[I posted this in the TWC Campaign Server forum area, but many of you may not have access to that as it is a private forum within the ATAG forums. FYI you can ask for access to that private forum - just message ATAG_Snapper and let him know whether you'll fly Blue or Red. You'll get access to the general Campaign Forum and also a special super-secret Red or Blue forum with highly classified stuff like passwords to your side's comms & General Situation Map/online radar.]]

    We've been working to bring even MORE TWC Server updates. Many of these are things we have developed for the Tobruk Server (forthcoming!) and now backported to the English Channel server. You can find it all in the Blitz/Tobruk multiplayer server browser under TWC Campaign SErver - Winter 1940.

    #1. We've integrated all the new Tobruk Aircraft - so 109E-7, 109F models, 111H-6, Ju88A-5 and Ju88C models, Macchis, Hurrk MkII, Spit IIB & Spit Vs, Martlet (ie, F4F Wildcat), Tomahawk (ie, Curtiss P40C Warhawk), Kitty Hawk (ie, P40D), Wellington (all models, including torpedo), etc

    Some of these were used mainly in the North Africa campaigns. But there are a few of each type, if not more, to fly and try in the English Channel campaign.

    #2. Fly ground attack raids from Beaufighter, Bf-110, etc WITH A SQUAD OF GROUND ATTACK COVER AIRCRAFT.

    Imagine this: You flow low across the channel, evading radar, in your Beaufighter IC, Bf-110-C4B, or Bf-110-C7, with two accompanying cover aircraft of the same type. Once there, you get to work on difficult ground targets.

    You drop a flare (Tab-4-4-4-4-6) and your cover fighter-bombers attack that point, or (at your discretion) the nearsest ground vehicle or object. They will first bomb the target and then repeatedly strafe it--until it's dead.

    Or--you drop a bomb, and your fighter-bombers will attack either the bomb point or the nearest ground vehicles/objects to it. (Again, set it up with Tab-4-4-4-4-6.)

    We developed this tactic for our Tubrok Campaign (forthcoming!) and it is a heckuva a lot of fun. Best way by far to take out ground objectives like vehicles, convoys, and the like.

    In the English Channel Server, this is a great tactic for taking out (for example) small enemy radar installations, flak & AA batteries, etc.

    #3. More detailed info about your own side's bombing missions--and they are FAR more likely to attack vital mission objectives.

    Whenever a bomber mission gets underway, you will see an announcement on the HUD and more details in Chat. The details are compiled at the end of the General Situation Map/online radar.

    The details include starting location, one major mid-flight waypoint, and destination. This is enough to decide whether you want/need to support it and figure out when & where to intercept if need be.

    #4. Due to ongoing SPY ACTIVITY on both sides of the channel, info about a number of key ENEMY bomber raids on vital targets is LEAKED every mission day. Both sides should put protecting these raids at top priority--and defend or attack them, as appropriate.

    This is the same info as above--but for enemy targets. The leaked bomber raids are nearly always for the enemy's vital objectives. The enemy knows this, too, and (if they are clever tacticians at all) will be planning to defend this important raid to the hilt.

    So . . . you had better plan to attack it--and stop it. And the enemy had better plan to stop you from doing that . . .

    #5. As before, you complete the "Find the General" task your side will have access to ALL enemy bomber raid info for the next 24 hours--but now the info you get is far more detailed and valuable.

    This is the same more detailed info as the "Leaks" above. But you get this more detailed info about enemy bomber activity for ALL raids now--rather than just the very few the on-the-ground spies are able to turn up.

    #6. Improved Aerial Intercept Radar - now with greater detail/magnification.

    Imagine this: You're flying your two-seat heavy fighter early in the morning, at dusk, or even in the middle of the night. Chain Home puts you on an intercept course with a group of enemy bombers. You use your aerial intercept radar find the bombers and close in on them. You can't see them until you're 500 meters, 200 meters, maybe even just 100 meters away. But your trusty radar guides you in, you spot the target, and get your kill.

    That's what real pilots did in WWII--and so you can you, in the 113 Days server.

    The major advance is that in Aerial Intercept Radar (Tab-4-4-5), you can now flip among 1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X magnification. Thus, you can detect aircraft via the AIR at some distance, and as you get closer to them, magnify to 2X, then 4X, then 8X. This gives you greater detail as you get closer, to hone right in on the enemy.

    This is the exact type of airborne radar used (by both sides) in WWII to (for example) hone in on and shoot down enemy bombers at night.

    Aerial Intercept Radar (Tab-4-4-5) is available on all aircraft with 2 or more seats--so Beaufighter, Bf-110, Stuka, etc.

    In the war, heavy fighters like Beaufighters and 110s were at a disadvantage in a head-to-head dogfight. But they were still used heavily regardless--because they had other advantages, such as longer range and ability to use the heavy/bulky early airborne radar units.

    In short - AIR gives these heavy fighters a little advantage they didn't have before, and makes them a whole lot of fun to fly in the 113 Days server.

    #7. Fixed many, many bugs and brought many more advanced features we've developed for the Tobruk Campaign back into the Cliffs of Dover/English Channel server.

    Just a few examples: Cleaner messaging, fixed a bug that could crash the server occasionally, fixed a bug that made a bomber+parachute exit sometimes kill you when it shouldn't, and sometimes kill your fighter pilot career when it should have been your bomber career.

    I don't want to try to explain all this in detail, but for example just today I backported a FEW HUNDRED minor bugfixes, small improvements, and other important but small changes back from the Tobruk Server code to the English Channel code. I've been doing this most every day for the past couple of weeks.

    This includes changes and updates in everything from AI aircraft behavior, cover aircraft behavior, aircraft supply system, aerial intercept radar system, stats, and more.
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    Re: TWC English Channel Campaign Server - updates and improvements

    Here are some of the updates/improvements to the server that were posted earlier this month:

    A made a few tweaks to the Campaign Server to make things more interesting:

    #1. In the past, AI bomber formations attacked various objectives, but generally avoided PRIMARY objectives. Now they actually give preference to Primary Objectives.

    #2. AI bombers now use Recon photo information to precisely locate and identify objectives, just as breather pilots do.

    - If a target isn't reconned, they will try to hit but only have a vague idea where to drop. If it is reconned, they will be able to target it precisely--just as we do.

    - They know it is a primary target if it is reconned. That is how they know. So (per #1) they will give priority to attacking primary objectives but only if they are aware that they are primary objectives, because they have been reconned.

    #3. There are now THREE ways one side can turn the map:

    #1. Destroy ALL Primary Mission Objectives
    #2. Destroy MOST Primary Mission Objectives plus several other secondaries/non-primaries
    #3. (NEW!) Just destroy a whole boatload of objectives of any kind

    What brings this up is that recently the Blue side had a list of destroyed objectives as long as your arm. But no one had gotten busy and actually bombed the primary objectives.

    So #3 is not the way I would suggest proceeding. It takes like 10-20X the objectives it would to just target the Primary Objectives. But if you want to take that approach, it will manage to turn the map every once in a while.

    #4. When you locate/photograph the General Staff, the enemy's Primary Objective List is revealed to you (via the usual Tab-4-6 and The General Situation Map), for the rest of that session. This is, obviously, important intel. It allows you to focus your defenses where the enemy is most likely to attack & will do the most damage.

    I'll let you figure out the ramifications of these changes. But a few to chew on:

    If you just like to get in there and shoot down bomber raids, your dream has now come true. Because stopping those bomber raids--whether AIs or breathers--is absolutely vital. They will be attacking Primary Objectives and--even if they don't do that--working to turn the map via Method #3. So the more of them you can stop, the better.

    Recon is super-important--more important than ever. When you recon an objective, you provide vital information not only to the breather pilots, but also the AI bombers, who will now be able to identify primary targets, and locate ALL targets much more precisely, thanks to you.

    Keep in mind that when you recon targets, your stats will get a piece of every objective subsequently attacked or destroyed thanks to your recon work. So your recon work is sort of like and investment that pays off over the entire remainder of the campaign--until next time you turn the map.

    #5. [NEW!!!] Cover bombers/fighters are IMMEDIATELY returned for both your personal use and to the general aircraft stock for your side, IF you release them over friendly land (ie, over land, not water). So you need to fly them back to friendly territory, until they are over land, and then release them.

    If you don't do this, they will have to fly back on their own and they won't be released for your use OR to the general aircraft stock until they manage to return to base on their own. This can sometimes take an hour or more (and of course, many aircraft don't ever make it back).

    In short, to keep re-using your Cover aircraft you have to fly them over AND back safely. But once they are back over friendly land, you can release them & then re-use immediately.

    Note (for the curious): When no one is in the server, the AI bombing raids basically go to sleep. They don't do the various actions outlined above until there are pilots in the server to defend against them. So you don't have to stay up all night worrying that the map will be turned when no one is even in the server. When everyone else goes to sleep, the AI goes to sleep as well . . . but as soon as there are breathers in the server--watch out!

    #7. Greatly improved/refined control of cover bomber targeting. Now you can target by giving them an exact coordinate (Knickebein Point), or by dropping a flare or dropping a bomb. The cover bombers will target either that exact point OR (at your direction) they can target a ground vehicle or object like an AA gun nearest to the point you indicate.

    This opens up a WORLD of possibilities for attacking and bombing with your cover squadron.

    #7. The list of your side's AI bomber sorties for the mission, along with their destination, appears at the bottom of the General Situation Map page.

    This is helpful as you have an idea of the bomber group's make, plans, and destination. You can decide whether you should support any particular bomber group.

    If you have cracked the General's code (see above) that will include ENEMY bomber sorties, as well, for the next 24-hour period. With this info, you'll know which of the enemy's bomber attacks are most vital to defend against.

    (And it should lead to some cracking good dogfights, as breather pilots on BOTH SIDES know exactly which bomber raids are most important to protect/defend.)

    #8. Fixed the persistent problem where people will get the message "your radar returns are in progress" indefinitely, and will never actually get a radar return until the server re-starts.
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