Calling Moggy, a question about action codes

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rotton50
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Calling Moggy, a question about action codes

Post by rotton50 »

Moggy,

David Phillips ( Skylark ) and I are finishing up a HR A-36. I added effective dive brakes to the fligh model and now we are wondering about how to make graphics too.

We have all seen landing flaps activated with the landing gear key and sliding canopies activated with the engine start key. Is there an action code that we could use to activate the dive brakes? Or are there only those two codes?

David came up with the possibility of activating the brakes when the "Bomb Armed" keys are pushed.

Thanks,

Ray
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Post by Col. Gibbon »

Hi Rotten50.

Sorry to butt in, but there are no action codes which can easily be used for dive flaps. It's been a long term aim to try and re allocate some of the old PAW codes which are still active in EAW, and either duplicate, or simply don't do anything any more. Sadly, searches for the way these codes work, has so far turned up nothing. :(
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rotton50
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Post by rotton50 »

Ok, I guess it's not going to work just yet.

Thanks Col.
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Post by Moggy »

Have to agree with the Col here :(
VonBeerhofen

Post by VonBeerhofen »

Hi Rotton,

the only actioncodes available are those which can be triggered by keyboard pressures known by EAW. You could for instance change the keypressure but the invoked action won't change. Changing the keys is done in the EAW.INI which again is using the remapbl.str for the setup of the ini.
The actions we sofar know of are all bound to rotation of gears, shadows, dropping of ordnance and starting of engines.
It should be possible to use an any of these to drop the flaps but if for instance ordnance is in and this actioncode is used, the ordnance will be dropped too.
You can drop flaps on starting/cutting of engine or on dropping an ordnance, if no ordnance then the flaps will drop graphically and it's entirely up to you how to influence the FM to make it feel realistic.
If however you will have any ordnance loaded which listens to this particular keypressure then the acion will be combined.
An actioncode is nothing more then a keypressure which switches part of a 3DZ to read another part in it. The code merely tells the model that the code is on or off after or before the keypressure.
If a table for such keypressures is used there might be room to add more in the exe but as each has a specific result, i.e. a specific piece of programming which will cause the action you may understand that detaching a certain movement which is preprogrammed is almost impossible.
The ordnance drop is an on/off switch and ordnance behaviour is taken over in the ordnance FM after release and you can not undo the release switch and use it for something else afterwards.
The closest action for a flaps drop is that of the landing gear, the action will tell the 3DZ part to move from one state to the other in a fluent move and even though started by a switch it's more an animation which rotates the element in a certain plain.
If you would use this code the gear would also drop, no matter if the programmed rotations are different, they will just happen at the same time.
I think the use of an ordnance code is pretty nifty and might work too, provided you have no ordnance loaded. If ordnance would be part of the mission then both actions will be performed, your ordnance will drop and so will your flaps.
It's just too bad that we don't have too many of these codes to give em our own implementation but I think you have a valid point there and I wouldn't let it stop me from trying.
I think that these questions should be asked in SimHQ though, so those who may not be a member of The Gen can take full benefit of questions like these. After all it's the most extensive database on the workings of EAW and contains over 5 years of knowledge. No one will ever read this reply, but a centralised database and a unified community is what EAW really needs.
I can not guarantee I will be able to reply in the future, so it's up to you to understand the importance of a centralised knowledge base.

VonBeerhofen
Last edited by VonBeerhofen on Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Wudpecker

Post by Wudpecker »

Good thinking "out of the box," Ray.

You are not totally in new territory. I do recall some "flaps" mods---did a search at SimHQ.
Jan Tuma has them! The question is how he did it. May or may not be tied to landing gear.
http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards ... 059#000015

Capt. Kurt has them! (Tied to landing gear :cry: )
http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... 3;t=001587

Col. Gibbon's is tied to the landing gear:
http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... 3;t=001119

A search at SimHQ may turn up some more.
Yeah, I know. What a tedious headache chasing a mod. But the life of the modder is not an easy one.

Yes, the ORD01 through ORD09 are all bombs of various sorts.
I understand these can be made to appear and disappear after dropping.

You could use one to make your dive flaps raise and lower--though what that code # is, I don't know.
I read some in Charles' notes, but didn't find it.
http://eaw.wikispaces.com/charles+notes
Last edited by Wudpecker on Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Shreck »

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rotton50
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Post by rotton50 »

I think I'm in uncharted territory here. All the mods I've seen for the flaps and canopies are tied to either the landing gear or engine.

I was hoping to at least find the code that actuated the flaps with the flap key as that's the most obvious missing key.
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Post by Col. Gibbon »

Hi Rotten50.

Moggy posted a list of action codes a long time ago, and 150 / 0 - Right elevator (top and bottom) in PAW planes is listed. The problem is this code does not work in EAW. :(
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Post by Pobs »

could we tie the action to the joystick X axis so it works off the joystick command ? then it would cut in as we turned.. a bit like it should :)...


cheers,


Pobs
VonBeerhofen

Post by VonBeerhofen »

There is no code linked to stick movement Pobs. As far as I can see it the best method is to set both gear and flaps to use the same F key in the EAW.INI. This will lower the gear as well as deploy flaps, I've seen this combined action used by several pilots.
The main problem for finding new actioncodes is that they seem to be slotspecific and could be hiding under any key on the keyboard, including the alt and ctrl combinations. Some could be triggered by an event in the game, like the bulletholesprites but if so what is the event which triggers it and how to know what to watch? Some codes could still be active in some ordnance slot which makes searching for them very timeconsuming.
Only a systematic search might reveal more.

VBH
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