MSN Gaming Zone Special Edition Combat Flight Simulator Mission
November 1998
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(c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1998
Thank you for downloading this MSN Gaming Zone special edition Combat Flight Simulator mission.
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DIRECTIONS FOR INSTALLATION
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1. Extract the robnew1.mis file to the Missions folder under the Combat Flight Simulator Directory.
2. The new mission should now be available for play.
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MISSION OVERVIEW
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Mission title: The Cobra's Fangs
Mission Brief: Operation Cobra - The morning of July 25th marked the beginning of the break out of allied forces from the Normandy area and spelled the end of German forces in France. As part of this operation, your squadron will conduct a ground attack mission along the road from Lessay to Periers.
Mission Objective: Destroy any German armor you encounter. Watch out for German fighter patrols. You MUST destroy at least half of the German Tanks.
Player Aircraft: P-51D
Mission Editor Readme
The folowing files are provided to help you build missions for Microsoft (R) Combat Flight Simulator. These files are not supported by Microsoft.
The following files are included in this .zip file:
Mission Editor.xls - This spreadsheet contains the cells and macros that are used to build mission files (.mis files) for Combat Flight Simulator.
Bob3_5_RAF.xls - This is a sample mission spreadsheet. This file is provided as an example, and for use as a template for new missions.
Mission Editor.rtf - This file contains descriptions of the fields in both the Mission Editor and Mission spreadsheets.
Damage Profile Tutorial
Important!
╖ The following information is for those who are familiar with Microsoft« Flight Simulator, Microsoft« Combat Flight Simulator, the directory structure of these applications, and the process of importing aircraft into Combat Flight Simulator (see Combat Flight Simulator's online Help for details about importing aircraft).
╖ This article is intended only as an introduction to the basic concepts behind the complex process of editing Combat Flight Simulator damage profiles, and should be read in conjunction with the information in Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf.
╖ The damage profile editing information and tools mentioned in this document are not supported by Microsoft Product Support.
Introduction
The damage modeling and weapons systems in Combat Flight Simulator are quite detailed. Each plane has multiple hit boxes that are tied to specific aircraft systems and damage probabilities. Each weapon has a unique positioning relative to the aircraft, and unique characteristics. The damage model and weapons systems are defined in the aircraft's damage profile file (.dp) which is located in the specific Aircraft subdirectory for that aircraft.
When you import an aircraft into Combat Flight Simulator that doesn't have a damage profile associated with it (because it's a Flight Simulator 98 aircraft, for instance), the default damage profile (default.dp, located in the main Aircraft directory) will be used. With no effort on your part, Combat Flight Simulator will turn a Cessna 182S into a Cessna 182S with guns!
"Pretty cool," you think. But when you take this odd bird up into a furball or two you may notice that something doesn't feel quite right. You'll fire your weapons while looking at the Cessna from an outside view, and you'll get a glimpse of the magnitude of the problem: the muzzle flashes from the guns and cannons are below the wings! "Hey! What's up with that?! I thought this game was supposed to be realistic!"
Combat Flight Simulator's developers spent a lot of time tweaking the damage profiles for each aircraft to make them as realistic as possible. They couldn't possibly create accurate damage profiles for every aircraft that might be imported into the game, because there are an infinite number of them! Every day clever folks are designing new aircraft for Flight Simulator 98 and Combat Flight Simulator. Many of these aircraft don't have damage profiles associated with them. Thus, the default profile will be used, and it may not be appropriate for the specific aircraft you've imported. The weapons and damage boxes might be in the wrong places. The damage effects might be different than what you'd expect. So much for realismà
So what's a fan of realistic simming to do? Take matters into your own hands!
1. Assign a different damage profile to the imported aircraft.
2. Modify the new damage profile until it's to your liking.
Assigning a Damage Profile
The default damage profile (default.dp) is for a hybrid between a twin-engined Mosquito and a Spitfire Mark IX. If that doesn't seem right for the plane you've imported, you can assign a different damage profile to it. For example, if you import Flight Simulator 98's Extra 300 into Combat Flight Simulator, you might want to attach the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8 damage profile, since that will be a closer "fit" than the default profile. Keep in mind that a damage profile includes both a damage model and weapons systems: if you want your imported aircraft to have cannons, you can add them yourself manually, or you can simplify the task by attaching a damage profile from a plane that's already got them!
Here's how to assign a damage profile to an imported aircraft:
1. Make a copy of the damage profile file you want to use. Damage profiles are located in the Aircraft subdirectories, one for each aircraft. For example, the damage profile file for the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8 is called fw190a.dp and is located in <CFS>\Aircraft\Fw190a (where <CFS> is the directory into which you've installed Combat Flight Simulator).
2. Paste the copied damage profile file into the Aircraft subdirectory of the aircraft you want it associated with. The imported Extra 300 resides in the Extra300 subdirectory of the main Aircraft directory.
3. Rename the pasted damage profile file. In order to be associated with a specific airplane, a damage profile has to have the same name as the associated .air file that also resides in the specific Aircraft directory. In our example, you'd change the name of fw190a.dp to Extra300S.dp.
That's all there is to it! Usually though, the copied damage profile won't "fit" perfectly. You can see this by flying the Extra 300S with the new damage profile:
1. In Free Flight, fire the guns and cannons by pressing the 1 and 2 keys.
2. Look at the plane from an outside view by pressing the S key to toggle past Virtual Cockpit to Spot view. Use the hat switch on your joystick or the Num Pad keys to move around.
You'll see that the weapons are all positioned too high. An Extra 300 is not a Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8, so some tweaking to the damage profile will be necessary. We'll cover how to do that next.
Modifying a Damage Profile
Rather than having to deal with the jumble of numbers in a damage profile (.dp) file by editing it directly, you can use the Damage Profile Editor to make the task easier. Damage Profile Editor.xls and its associated *-damage.xls files are Microsoft« Excel spreadsheets that organize damage and weapons system components into functional areas so you can easily edit damage profiles without ever having to actually open a .dp file.
Note: To use the Damage Profile Editor you'll first have to download it. Included in the DamageProfiles.zip download is a document called Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf that explains in detail how to use each tab, row, and column in the Editor and in its associated .xls files. Make sure you read that document before you start using the Damage Profile Editor.
You define an aircraft's damage and weapons components in a *-damage.xls file, then use the Damage Profile Editor as a macro-based build tool to generate the damage profile (.dp) file. So, to generate a new or modified damage profile (.dp) file, you must have both Damage Profile Editor.xls and a *-damage.xls file for the aircraft's damage profile you want to modify. The *-damage.xls files for all the aircraft included in Combat Flight Simulator (both player-flyable and non-player-flyable are included in the DamageProfiles.zip download.
In our example, you've copied fw190a.dp, pasted it into the Extra300S directory, and renamed it Extra300S.dp. Now you're ready to modify it. To do so, you'll need the fw190a-damage.xls file included in the DamageProfiles.zip download. Then:
1. Save a copy of fw190a-damage.xls somewhere on your hard drive, and name it Extra300S-damage.xls.
2. Using Excel, open Extra300S-damage.xls.
Note: For a detailed description of all the tabs, rows, and columns in a *-damage.xls file, see the Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf document.
Editing Weapons Parameters
Assuming you've been following our example of flying the Extra 300S in Free Flight, and firing the guns and cannons (press the 1 and 2 keys) while looking at the plane from an outside view, you can see that when the Focke-Wulf's weapons system is "attached" to the Extra 300S, the results are less than perfect, because the Extra is a much smaller plane. (To view your plane from an outside view, press the S key to toggle past Virtual Cockpit to Spot view, and use the hat switch on your joystick or the Num Pad keys to move around.)
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8 has two 13-mm MG131 machine guns and four 20-mm MG 151 cannons. The first task is to move all the weapons down so they're correctly positioned on the aircraft instead of in the air above it. To do this, use the GunStations and Guns tabs at the bottom of Extra300S-damage.xls.
A Gun Station is comprised of one or more guns, and is positioned relative to a reference ("datum") point located about 1/4 width of the wing back from the leading edge, in line with the wings, in the center of the fuselage. At the datum point, x=0, y=0, and z=0, where x is the aircraft's longitudinal (lengthwise) axis, y is the lateral axis (wingtip to wingtip), and z is the vertical axis. A gun is positioned relative to its Gun Station. Gun Stations exist so that it's easy to specify identical parameters for a group of guns, while giving them different ammunition limits and harmonization angles.
Note: All distances from the datum point in a *-damage.xls spreadsheet are in meters.
Two machine guns and four cannons is overkill for an aircraft as small as the Extra, so we'll start by getting rid of one of the two machine guns, and then moving the remaining gun into a better location:
1. On the Guns tab, delete Row 3.
2. In Row 2, change the values for Offset X, Offset Y, and Offset Z to 0. This will eliminate the offset between the machine gun's position and its Gun Station's position.
3. On the GunStations tab, in Column B, change the value for Offset Z (in Row 15) to 2. This will put the Gun Station two meters forward of the datum point (about 1 meter forward of where it is now).
4. Save and close the spreadsheet.
Now, build a new Extra300S.dp file to see what your change looks like:
1. Open Damage Profile Editor.xls.
2. When prompted, click Enable Macros.
3. In Row 6, Column B, enter the path to the folder where you put Extra300S-damage.xls. Do not include the file itself in the path.
4. In Row 7, Column B, enter <CFS>\Aircraft\ (where <CFS> is the directory into which you've installed Combat Flight Simulator).
5. In Row 16, Column A, enter Extra300S.
6. In Row 16, Column B, enter Extra300.
7. Click Generate Single Aircraft Damage Profile.
The Damage Profile Editor has now generated a new Extra300S-damage.dp file that has overwritten the existing one. Let's see how the change looks in the game:
Note: If you're already looking at the Extra in Free Flight, you'll need to select End Flight from the Flights menu (to reset the aircraft model so it reflects the changes you've made to Extra300S-damage.dp) and begin with step 4 below.
1. In Combat Flight Simulator, select Free Flight.
2. Under Player Aircraft, click Change/Modify.
3. In the list, select the Extra300S.
4. Click Fly Now.
5. Press the S key to toggle past Virtual Cockpit to Spot view, and use the hat switch on your joystick or the Num Pad keys to move around.
6. Fire the machine gun by pressing the 1 key or the trigger on your joystick.
Amazing! The machine gun is now positioned in the center of the nose cone! Now you have a basic understanding of the possibilities: you can add, delete, and move machine guns, cannons, rockets, and bombs by adjusting the values in the appropriate rows and columns (or adding or deleting rows and columns) in Extra300S-damage.xls.
The best way to learn how to use this tool is to play with it. Make a change, then generate a new .dp file and go into Combat Flight Simulator and see what it looks like. Through trial and error, you can learn how to make the changes you want.
You can also change other weapons-related parameters. See Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf for a detailed explanation of each tab, row, and column in the Damage Profile Editor and in its associated .xls files.
Editing Damage Parameters
The damage modeling in Combat Flight Simulator is incredibly detailed--and is directly linked to aircraft performance. Each plane has multiple damage boxes and each one is tied to specific aircraft systems and damage probabilities. When a bullet hits a plane, that bullet will only damage whatever system is located in that area. Hitting a wing means you could damage the machine guns, the cannon, a rocket, the flap, the aileron, the aileron control cable, the landing gear, or the wing structure itself. Hitting the nose means you could damage the engine; the oil, coolant, and hydraulics reservoirs; or the nose structure. Thus, one lucky shot could turn the aircraft into a fireball, while 20 rounds that miss all the important systems might have little effect.
The Boxes Tab
The Boxes tab of a *-damage.xls file is where you define the location and size of each damage box. You can define an unlimited number of damage boxes, and each damage box is defined by two points. Point 1 is defined by x1,y1,z1. Point 2 is defined by x2,y2,z2 relative to a reference ("datum") point located about 1/4 width of the wing back from the leading edge, in line with the wings, in the center of the fuselage. At the datum point, x=0, y=0, and z=0, where x is the aircraft's longitudinal (lengthwise) axis, y is the lateral axis (wingtip to wingtip), and z is the vertical axis. If you're looking at the aircraft from the tail forward, Point 1 (x1,y1,z1) is always the lower, back, left corner of the box and Point 2 (x2,y2,z2) is always the upper, front, right corner.
Note: Sizing and positioning damage boxes accurately is extremely difficult since you can't see them. It's largely guesswork and a matter of trial and error. Keep in mind that the larger an aircraft's damage boxes, the easier the aircraft will be for enemy aircraft to hit, and that the size and position of damage boxes do not have to mirror the shape of the aircraft.
The Boxmap Tab
The Boxmap tab of the *-damage.xls file is where you define the aircraft components that can be affected when a box is hit. Each component within a box has its own chance (expressed as a percentage in the appropriate Box column) of being affected, and each component has a defined number of "lifepoints" (defined in the Points column). The amount of damage that a weapon will do to an aircraft component (the number of points it will cause to be subtracted from the component's total points) is defined in the shooting aircraft's *-damage.xls, in the Damage Dice row of the GunStations tab.
Looking at the Boxmap tab of Extra300S-damage.xls, we see that Box 1 (the "nose" box, as defined on the Boxes tab) contains four components:
╖ The Nose Structure (with 700 total points, and a 40% chance of being hit if Box 1 is hit)
╖ The Oil Reservoir (with 400 total points, and a 10% chance of being hit if Box 1 is hit)
╖ The Engine (with 500 total points, and a 35% chance of being hit if Box 1 is hit)
╖ The Hydraulics Reservoir (with 200 total points, and a 5% chance of being hit if Box 1 is hit)
Note: The percentage values are defined in the columns of the appropriate boxes, and components are only affected when the boxes they're in are hit. The Rudder Cntrl Cable has a 5% chance of being damaged if box 2 (fuselage) is hit, a 5% chance of being damaged if box 5 (tail, forward) is hit, and a 5% chance of being damaged if box 6 (tail, rear) is hit, because the rudder control cable in an airplane extends through all three boxes.
The Effects Tab
The Effects tab of the *-damage.xls file is where you define what happens to a component when a specific number and/or all of its "life" points are exhausted. When 100% of the 50 total Rudder Cntrl Cable points are exhausted, the component will BREAK. When 10% of the 400 total Oil Reservoir points are exhausted, the component will LEAK. When 100% of the 400 total Oil Reservoir points are exhausted, the component will BREAK. LEAK, BREAK, and BOMB are codes that Combat Flight Simulator uses to make changes to the aircraft model based on the amount of damage inflicted on a component. Values in the Effect Param column specify the type of smoke linked to an effect. Values in the Severity column specify the severity of the smoke effect (or a bomb effect). See Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf for more details about these columns.
Extras
On the Extras tab you can define fixed smoke and fire effects. This tab is intended to be used with scenery objects (to make smoke coming out of chimneys, off burning wreckage, etc), not aircraft. But it's fun to play with nonetheless. Want to give the Extra a flaming tail? No problem:
1. On the Extras tab, in Row 6, Column B, type the word Infinite. (Smoke types are defined on the right side of the spreadsheet.)
2. In Row 6, Column C, type the word Fire. (Smoke colors are defined on the right side of the spreadsheet.)
3. In Row 6, Columns D, E, and F (X Offset, Y Offset, and Z Offset), enter 0, 0, and -4 respectively to position the fire effect on the tail, 4 meters back from the datum point.
4. Save and close the spreadsheet.
Now, you'll need to build a new Extra300S.dp and see what your change looks like:
1. Open Damage Profile Editor.xls.
2. When prompted, click Enable Macros.
3. Click Generate Single Aircraft Damage Profile.
The Damage Profile Editor has now generated a new Extra300S-damage.dp file that has overwritten the existing one. Let's see how the change looks in the game:
Note: If you're already looking at the Extra in Free Flight, you'll need to select End Flight from the Flights menu (to reset the aircraft model so it reflects the changes you've made to Extra300S-damage.dp) and begin with step 4 below.
1. In Combat Flight Simulator, select Free Flight.
2. Under Player Aircraft, click Change/Modify.
3. In the list, select the Extra300S.
4. Click Fly Now.
5. Press the S key to toggle past Virtual Cockpit to Spot view, and use the hat switch on your joystick or the Num Pad keys to move around.
Like magic, your Extra's tail is on fire! To get rid of the effect, simply delete the values you entered on the Effects tab of Extra300S-damage.xls and use Damage Profile Editor.xls to generate a new Extra300S-damage.dp file.
General Tips and Facts
╖ The more aircraft you import and create appropriate damage profiles for, the easier the process gets. Modifying an existing damage profile to work for an imported helicopter is no easy task. But when you import another helicopter you can simply assign your existing helicopter damage profile to it, and make some small modifications.
╖ If you want to modify an existing aircraft's damage profile, make a copy of the aircraft's main directory, and paste it into the main Aircraft directory (just like you've imported it). Name the copy something different (such as MyP38) and play with the damage profile in that new aircraft's directory. This way you won't risk losing the original damage profile for the plane.
╖ You cannot use an imported aircraft (or a Combat Flight Simulator aircraft with an edited damage profile) in a Multiplayer game if the host has selected the Restrict Aircraft option. If the host has not selected the Restrict Aircraft option, you can use an imported/modified aircraft, but know that other players will see a default aircraft unless they have a copy of the aircraft you are flying. For more information about using imported aircraft in Multiplayer games, see the Help file for the Combat Flight Simulator Aircraft Converter.
╖ Combat Flight Simulator will automatically create .CDP files in your aircraft directories. A .CDP file is a Cached Damage Profile that Combat Flight Simulator uses to make the game perform more efficiently. If you do not see changes you have made to a damage profile, delete the .CDP file for the aircraft and generate the new *-damage.dp file again.
╖ To learn more about editing damage profiles, be sure to read Damage_Profile_Ref.rtf., included in the DamageProfiles.zip download.
