11 replies to this topic

[Thorbard]

I've just coded most of a supply plane for generals ZH, although it will probably work in generals too.

At a special airfeild, you can build a C-130 transport, which has 12 transport slots and can take infantry or vehicles, just like a chinook. However, if you eject a unit in flight they simply fall to the ground, and vehicles take damage. How do you make them use parachutes.

I tried this, having altered the parachute to take vehicles:

 Behavior = TransportContain ModuleTag_10
    Slots = 12
    ScatterNearbyOnExit = Yes
    OrientLikeContainerOnExit = Yes
    KeepContainerVelocityOnExit = Yes
    ExitPitchRate = 30
    ExitBone = WeaponA01
    AllowInsideKindOf  = INFANTRY VEHICLE DOZER
    DoorOpenTime = 0               ; this prevents the Contain module from messing with the doors, since we want DeliverPayload to handle 'em
    NumberOfExitPaths = 0
    DestroyRidersWhoAreNotFreeToExit = Yes ; 'destroy' as opposed to 'kill'
    PutInContainer    = AmericaParachute
  End

(Note the last line)
But the game crashes.

Here is the section of code from Object AmericaParachute:

 Behavior = ParachuteContain ModuleTag_05
    PitchRateMax = 60          ; deg/sec
    RollRateMax = 60           ; deg/sec
    LowAltitudeDamping  = 0.2  ; how much to damp swaying when we get "close" to the ground
    ParachuteOpenDist   = 25.0 ; how far we have to fall 'till we open our 'chute
    AllowInsideKindOf   = INFANTRY VEHICLE DOZER PARACHUTABLE
    ParachuteOpenSound  = ParachuteOpen
  End

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

[Thorbard]

Another thing, is there a way to make the plane take up two slots in a standard airfeild? Being more than twice the size of most other planes.

[Mastermind]

For the first part, I don't know of any ways that do work, I've only found work arounds. At one time there was a mod that claimed to have the system working completely, but they seem to have disappeared. As for the second question, I don't believe so. I've not seen anything about making planes occupy multiple slots. You could make a separate airfield, but that would be very difficult for only one plane.

[Hostile]

There also the world famous question of what happens when one airefield is destroyed the remaining planes will land at the closest airfield. Correct one or not.

[Thorbard]

I've not seen anything about making planes occupy multiple slots. You could make a separate airfield, but that would be very difficult for only one plane.

There also the world famous question of what happens when one airefield is destroyed the remaining planes will land at the closest airfield. Correct one or not.

Thats why I was asking, at the moment, the airfeild just uses the normal USA airfeild art, but only has 2 slots.

For the first part, I don't know of any ways that do work, I've only found work arounds. At one time there was a mod that claimed to have the system working completely, but they seem to have disappeared.

Can you tell me where to find these work arounds?

[Thorbard]

Also, how can you make it so that a) it can only let units out when its on the ground and b) touch down to let units out before continuing on. Sort of like the chinook, but it would need to keep moving.

[NVShacker]

Unfortunately no, as that is done with an OCL or object creation list, which isn't applicable with transports, as the transports just eject the normal infantry.

The only thing I can think of is somehow using GLA bike rider logic on different sub-objects with special commandset ocl spawns, I don't know how you'd do the commandset stuff for multiple occupants though.

[Thorbard]

Seems far to complicated. Is there a way to make them unable to eject except when they are on the ground?

[NVShacker]

I don't know, you'd have to sift through the Chinook code and take a look. IIRC though, it's mutually exclusive with JetAIUpdate.

Workarounds I could think of:
One is to only allow one passeneger, which is major lame but allows you to transport anyone and not have to land. This is done via the bike rider logic and a special power that you use that has something like a two second reload and spews out a guy of choice in a parachute. If you up the transport count, you may be able to spew them individually. Requires a lot of clicking as apposed to a nice evacuate button.

The other is to do it the way rebirth did it and make it a weapon. You can spew them with parachutes via a weapon ocl, the only problem is that you don't actually have soldiers of your choice in there.

[beng]

On a different but parachute-related topic, does anyone know a way to stop things in parachutes dying when they land on water or slopes?

The only way i know (in ZH) is to replace ParachuteContain with GarrisonContain and give it height die so it dies near the ground, releasing the unit, and have it like a Firebase so the unit is visible, but then without using a different parachute model what happens is the unit appears inside the parachute instead of under it.

[beng]

Parachutes that allow units to exit alive on water or slopes:

Chris's ZH module list has
KillWhenLandingInWaterSlop = No
for ParachuteContain but it crashes the game.

However, i found some workable ini based workarounds to let ZH parachutists land alive in water or on slopes.
There is one for Generlas too but it needs scripting support for over water survival.

See here for test maps and map.inis:
http://www.cncmaps.c...?showtopic=3328

Basically for ZH i used Firebase style GarrisonContain for the parachute instead of ParachuteContain and gave it a height die. I also added the ability of the parachute to move towards a target and also the passenger can fire from it.