EA-6 Prowler EW aircraft

Askhati · 01-13-2009, 03:30 PM

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask (mods, redirect if necessary), but here goes:

I'm currently coding an Electronic Warfare aircraft unit for the AirForce Generals, and decided to use the venerable EA-6 as base. Now however, after finishing the code and testing, I find myself still looking for a model. My question is simple: does anyone know where I could download an useable model, or perhaps contact an artist who might be willing to make one? I've been out of the community for a while, so please don't kill me if someone posted a killer model last week...

PS: if anyone is interested, I could upload the code for the unit, so that the interested party/parties can have a look at it in-game & see how it performs.

IraqiPeopleRocks · 01-13-2009, 03:38 PM

o:

Welcome back Askhati! About the prowler, sorry but i also don't where to get one.

beng · 01-13-2009, 05:30 PM

I can make one for you, i suppose around the size of an aurora bomber is ok? PM me your email address. What kind of skin do you want? What weapons do you put on it? Does it do the gap generator thing to draw the shroud around itself?

beng · 01-13-2009, 05:45 PM

Or how about something that looks more EW - like, say an E-2C Hawkeye. The EA-6 can launch HARM missiles though.

Askhati · 01-13-2009, 06:19 PM

beng, the PM should be in your box, hope it helps.

Talking about the E2 - I was thinking of making a big Boeing AWACS craft that you deploy similar to the Spy Drone, and then it flies around without needing to land. It has no weapons, but contains duplicates of all the superpowers that your Command Center has (so losing the Center doesn't affect your recharge times), and it can call in a Construction Dozer Paradrop every few minutes. Could it work and/or have a role? I'd appreciate some feedback on the idea, have been mulling it over for some time now.

beng · 07:57 PM

So in other words you want it to be a flying command center. Yes that is possible and also quite easy. Just copy the whole command center code, then change the draw module of your command center to draw the plane and delete the construction scaffolding et. Change the KindOf from STRUCTURE IMMOBILE to VEHICLE AIRCRAFT (leave the rest the same). Give it physicsbehavior, AIUpdateINterface, and a WINGS locomotor, and there you have it.

For building the dozers, make a new dummy object that kills itself immediately, and dies with InstantDeathBahavior that calls an OCL that creates a dozer that is put inside a large parachute, and have the flying command center construct that dummy object. It will then appear that the dozer parachutes from the command center. If you like you can make the door open (like the cargo plane) and the dozer drops from there (just adjust the coords in the module that handles the production exiting to create the unit at the door).

Role is this: Airforce general can fly his command center plane to wherever he likes and drop his dozer there. Cons: plane can be shot down. Make sure your give it EMP_HARDENED KindOf and lots of health.

Also, by moving it around the map he can make his generals powers planes come from different directions.

If his com cen gets shot down, his dozer can build a new one (have it build a beacon structure that calls a new flying com cen by OCL when it dies).

beng · 08:02 PM

Also you could give it a drone upgrade where it can build a drone raptor (or two) that flies HAVCAP around it.

Other ideas: Airforce Gen's barracks is a C-130 that drops airborne troops.

His war factory is a C-5 that drops vehicles.

Power plants are tanker aircraft.

His supply center is air-transportable, when the supply pile is used up his chinook can pick up the supply center and move it over to a new supply area.

beng · 01-14-2009, 02:30 AM

I've made most of the airframe including the foldable wings and refueling probe. I just have to do the engines, wing pylons, stores, retractable undercarriage, particle bones, and skin textures, and also the reallydamaged and rubble models and the broken off bits to OCL when it crashes.

Askhati · 01-14-2009, 02:53 AM

Wow... Retractable carriage? Please man, I have an older PC - I can't handle a million-poly model! But thanks for your effort, appreciate it.

AWACS: thanks for the ideas, will have a closer look at some of them. The tanker/power station could be neat... Also, just a note: I've been editing Generals since early 2004, so I have a pretty solid idea of coding (and I do icons on the side) and the likes. Thanks for your time and effort in writing out the AWACS code idea though, would've followed a similar path myself. Your point on having variable spawn-points for the superweapon deliveries is an interesting consideration...

beng · 01-18-2009, 07:42 AM

I've sent you the models and textures and some example code of how to make them work. The folding wings work fine, and the gear too, but the actual plane has a bug whereby if you use SHADOW_VOLUME a line of shadow sticks out of the underside of the fuselage and joins it to the ground, its like there is a part of the shadow in mid air. I tried to fix it but couldn't, short of redoing the entire fuselage, so i decided to use a SHADOW_DECAL instead. The decal texture is also included. It doesn't look too bad, only you won't see the shadows of the missiles and jamming pods etc, and the shadow's wing's won't fold of course, but the shadow is only shown on the ground, so it will be under the airfield when the wings are folded.

In the example code, i opted not to use EMP HARM missiles in case you want to use it with other planes which are not EMP hardened, so the HARMS work like stealthjet missiles, with added effects of leaflet behavior and building jamming by making them have UNDER_CONSTRUCTION status. They can also be upgraded to have neutron blast behavior for clearing tunnel networks.

At heroic veterancy, the plane can also call in air strikes from a B-52, each of which can clear a stinger site AND it's hole.

The plane also has a 20mm cannon that is very effective at killing anti-air vehicles and infantry in the open, and also good against aircraft, but weak against tanks and structures.

It also has gap generator, GPS scrambler, upgrades. ECM pod gives the plane stealth as well as a missile jammer. Stealth Detector pod lets it detect stealth and also hack enemy buildings (you can thus jam the enemy superweapon and he can't shoot it).

It can also make chaff once you have bought countermeasures upgrade but my chaff doesn't work in distracting enemy defences. Just replace the chaff object with your drone making chaff. You can copy the particle effects from my chaff if you like.