Official Scripted Campaign "Lightning Strikes!"

[Na-zdorovie]

no sure on this one as i havent got that far yet, but lullaby you need to find the wooden landing lookout toweres, and stop there, sometimes need to park close so make sure you stop pointing the right way

[Jaegermeister]

On 6/19/2021 at 11:20 AM, GPatricks said:

FANTASTIC Campaign Jaegermeister! I'm relatively new to IL2 and in Mission #22 "Celles" you return to base to rearm\refuel, which I wasn't even aware was possible. Looking for where to do this got me a YT video saying stop\kill egine\open canopy and using the chat window and a ">rr100" (similar anyway) and in SP there is no chat window I see. Where\how do you rearm? 

 

Glad you like the campaign.

 

Although I mentioned rearming in the briefing, it was to add the atmosphere of knowing how close the enemy was to your base. They flew multiple round trip missions that day as I recall, not just one per day.

 

I did not include rearming as a mission feature for a few reasons. The main ones are that your flight is unpredictable in how they land, they de spawn after landing, and they will not take off again. No one flew single plane missions at that point of the war, so it would be very unrealistic to expect players to do that in a semi historical setting. I could respawn new wingmen, but they would not follow your orders or actually be part of your flight.

 

All one has to do to rearm is land, be near a vehicle set to rearm, shut off the engine, press the key command assigned to rearm, and wait the specified time.

[justin_z3r0]

On 6/20/2021 at 5:49 AM, GPatricks said:

 

Do I need to find the R&R "area" or just pull off the runway, shut down, open canopy, and hit the RCTL-x keys? As for "Lullaby", I definately will try it as I love the idea of RTB\rearm\refuel and return to the battle!

Sorry I can't remember (its been a long time since I flew this campaign). I thought there was a description of where to go in the briefing. Or maybe it was in the subtitles in mission. Sorry I can't be more help.

 

Edit - Oops - didnt notice the other responses - Guess my memory fails me.

Edited June 21, 2021 by justin_z3r0

[LukeFF]

Interesting note about the Germans using captured P-51s (since they show up in this campaign) - this wasn't the only such time they employed such trickery. I have a document about the history of the 440th Troop Carrier Group, which talks about how on one day in April 1945 two P-51s in German markings were able to approach their airfield unopposed, because no one thought these could possibly be Allied planes in German hands. They were able to set ablaze a handful of C-47s on the ground and get away unscathed.

[Mtnbiker1998]

Any Issues playing this campaign with the new clouds?

[Jaegermeister]

I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. It’s on the list. I would imagine you will be in the clouds on a few missions right now.

 

If you feel like giving it a roll, Post back here and let me know.

[Mtnbiker1998]

12 minutes ago, Jaegermeister said:

I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. It’s on the list. I would imagine you will be in the clouds on a few missions right now.

 

If you feel like giving it a roll, Post back here and let me know.

I'll pickup where I left off and see where it goes. I'm on mission 13 and the briefing says Overcast, so I guess we'll see!

[Jaegermeister]

I think overcast is fine if it’s not too low. The heavy layered clouds (I recall number 3 and 9?) used to have 2 layers where you could fly in between them. That’s gone now. It will also set the base height to default instead of whatever I had it set to.

[Mabes72]

I just completed the first mission! So I can help ?

You fly through a thunderstorm on the way to the target area. It was awesome and terrifying all at the same time. I entered the clouds in formation and flew instruments for the 2-5 minutes in the cloud. When I finally popped out, I was way off course and had to book it to catch back up. I’m just glad we didn’t midair. The AI guys kept the tight formation. Crazy?

I didn’t know if that was by design or a happy accident with the new clouds.

[Jaegermeister]

On 1/7/2022 at 5:05 PM, Mabes72 said:

I didn’t know if that was by design or a happy accident with the new clouds.

 

No, not how it was designed... I have started updating the missions but it takes quite a bit of time to go back through all 25. Some of them are ok as is, but many are not, and I can’t change the briefed altitudes.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Jaegermeister

[paul_leonard]

The new clouds can be totally terrifying.  On my first attempt on mission #2 (the long one? Are there more?) the number 3 crashed into me in the clouds!  Time to bail out.  First reaction was damn I have to start again.  Second reaction was how often did that happen in real life?  Next attempt I was very careful and pulled a little bit out of formation to reduce the risk.  Tension was high and really made the mission exciting.  Flying through clouds can also be vertigo inducing, especially I think with the twin prop effects.  Very cool.  Leave it alone.  Great fun.

[Donik]

personally I'd like the campaign updated to reflect your intentions, rather than flying through clouds for an entire waypoint or two just because   Will be happy to restart the campaign once I catch wind that everything has been updated.  Cheers!

[Jaegermeister]

9 hours ago, Donik said:

personally I'd like the campaign updated to reflect your intentions, rather than flying through clouds for an entire waypoint or two just because   Will be happy to restart the campaign once I catch wind that everything has been updated.  Cheers!

 

The updated files have been submitted for replacement. I believe it will be fixed with the next update.

 

* All missions have been updated to work correctly with new clouds

* Errors in skins Alpha layer corrected

* Enemy AAA Ai updated 

* New special effects like looping smoke and ammo explosions updated to improve appearance and frame rates

* Moved all subtitle messages to the top of the screen as requested

* Other small corrections requested earlier in the thread that I don't remember

 

I'll let you know when the new files are active. 

[TUS_Boatsman]

How convert this campaign to co-op? Where locate mission files?

[LukeFF]

16 hours ago, Boatsman said:

How convert this campaign to co-op? Where locate mission files?

 

It's an encrypted campaign, so the files cannot be extracted.

[TUS_Boatsman]

On 2/5/2022 at 3:42 AM, LukeFF said:

It's an encrypted campaign, so the files cannot be extracted.

Thanks. Strange decision for a free campaign.

[F19_Haddock]

Just started this campaign. Missions 1 and 2 were brilliant. I really enjoyed the atmosphere!

Now... Mission 3: Wow. That is a long flight time.  Even at 4x (all my computer can cope with) it took forever... Taking off is fun, joining the formation is fun, settling on the formation at the right speed and trim is also fun. But flying in a straight line for 20 minutes when I just have  30 or 40 minutes to play, is definitely not fun.

 

I wish Il2 had a "jump to the next mission waypoint" button like Strike Fighters used to have.

[Jaegermeister]

4 hours ago, F19_Haddock said:

Just started this campaign. Missions 1 and 2 were brilliant. I really enjoyed the atmosphere!

... Taking off is fun, joining the formation is fun, settling on the formation at the right speed and trim is also fun. But flying in a straight line for 20 minutes when I just have  30 or 40 minutes to play, is definitely not fun.

 

 

Glad you enjoyed them!

 

History can be annoying when it doesn't fit into convenient gameplay...

[Gambit21]

5 hours ago, F19_Haddock said:

Just started this campaign. Missions 1 and 2 were brilliant. I really enjoyed the atmosphere!

Now... Mission 3: Wow. That is a long flight time.  Even at 4x (all my computer can cope with) it took forever... Taking off is fun, joining the formation is fun, settling on the formation at the right speed and trim is also fun. But flying in a straight line for 20 minutes when I just have  30 or 40 minutes to play, is definitely not fun.

 

I wish Il2 had a "jump to the next mission waypoint" button like Strike Fighters used to have.

 

We design these missions for the guy who has a good chuck of time to really sink his teeth into a historical mission, not for the guy who only has 30 minutes FYI

Suggestion...when you only have 30 minutes, go fly the QMB or similar.

 

When you have a nice block of time to really enjoy the experience, fly a campaign mission.

I say that as a guy who has very little stick/cockpit time available...mostly due to creating content, real job, wife, chores, etc etc.

[Jaegermeister]

@Gambit21, your just a little less subtle than me i guess...  

[Gambit21]

7 minutes ago, Jaegermeister said:

@Gambit21, your just a little less subtle than me i guess...  

 

[F19_Haddock]

I know. I'm pretty aware I might be the problem ?

I really enjoyed "Ten days of Autumn" and "Fortress of the Volga". I actually completed both! But in those campaigns most missions take around 30 minutes gameplay, which is pretty convenient. But I guess you are right... If you have the time a properly historical mission must be nice. 
 

Edited March 9, 2022 by F19_Haddock

[Gambit21]

4 minutes ago, F19_Haddock said:

I know. I'm pretty aware I might be the problem ?

I really enjoyed "Ten days of Autumn" and "Fortress of the Volga". I actually completed both! But in those campaigns most missions take around 30 minutes gameplay, which is pretty convenient. But I guess you are right... If you have the time a properly historical mission must be nice. 
 

 

I'm in the same boat. So many distractions...I'm lucky to get 20 minutes without an interruption even if I do have a chunk of time.

...and I don't have kids around!

Pretty much the spousal unit.

[Jaegermeister]

Just wait until we get the Battle of Normandy map and people start making missions flying across the English Channel... Then it's really gong to be inconvenient.

 

Fortunately the stuff I'm working on now has much shorter flight times.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jaegermeister

[Irishratticus72]

12 minutes ago, Jaegermeister said:

Just wait until we get the Battle of Normandy map and people start making missions flying across the English Channel... Then it's really gong to be inconvenient.

 

Fortunately the stuff I'm working on now has much shorter flight times.

 

 

I'm training one of the cats to be a relief pilot, it's going better than I thought, to be honest. 

[Jaegermeister]

I should point out that the missions get a lot shorter after the halfway point. It's a long campaign at 25 missions, but the whole 2nd half covers the Battle of the Hurtgen and the Bulge so the target area is much closer. Near the end, it's barely a 5 minute flight.

 

Just be careful if you decide to set the autopilot and go make a cup of coffee waiting to get to the target area (or have a cold cerveza). Sometimes the flights don't go as planned... 

[Gambit21]

45 minutes ago, Jaegermeister said:

Just wait until we get the Battle of Normandy map and people start making missions flying across the English Channel... Then it's really gong to be inconvenient.

 

Fortunately the stuff I'm working on now has much shorter flight times.

 

 

 

Aye - post-invasion has it's advantages no doubt.

 

 

Or pre-invasion attacks too come to think of it.

Lots of potential near or on the Normandy coast.

[TAIPAN_]

20 hours ago, Jaegermeister said:

Just wait until we get the Battle of Normandy map and people start making missions flying across the English Channel... Then it's really gong to be inconvenient.

 

Fortunately the stuff I'm working on now has much shorter flight times.

 

 

Can't wait for drop tanks too ?

 

I've got kids, and long missions are fine if it's got a good atmosphere. The great thing with single player is we can pause the game. If I get interrupted I just pause and come back later.

 

Multiplayer is a whole different challenge though!

[jeanba]

On 1/27/2022 at 1:00 PM, Jaegermeister said:

 

The updated files have been submitted for replacement. I believe it will be fixed with the next update.

 

* All missions have been updated to work correctly with new clouds

* Errors in skins Alpha layer corrected

* Enemy AAA Ai updated 

* New special effects like looping smoke and ammo explosions updated to improve appearance and frame rates

* Moved all subtitle messages to the top of the screen as requested

* Other small corrections requested earlier in the thread that I don't remember

 

I'll let you know when the new files are active. 

Hi

 

Was this implemented in 4.703 ?

 

I did not see it in the readme

[Jaegermeister]

12 hours ago, jeanba said:

Was this implemented in 4.703 ?

 

It appears so, yes.

 

You will have to download and install or re-install the skins from the link in the first post for the Alpha layer corrections to be effective. 

[jeanba]

Thank you

[[FAB]FlaTheLegend]

On 5/19/2020 at 6:27 PM, Jason_Williams said:

Here is where you can discuss the Lightning Strikes! Scripted Campaign released in Update 4.006 built by Jaegermeister.

 

 

Skin Pack - Skins updated 1/25/22

 

Jason

Thanks pilot

[Niagara]

I already have this campaign , ( Lightning Strikes ) but have noticed it is no longer available in the IL2 store == what gives ??  just curious .

never mind, I just figured it out = was free with an update ...

[JediMaster]

Anyone noticed the P-38s in your group fly SLOOOW? The waypoints say "280 mph" or around there, but my flight does more like 280 kph! At 50% throttle I leave them in the dust and have to turn around a couple of times so as not to be out there by myself.

They fly along with a big AOA, very nose-high, because of how slow they go. This seems better on the way home, my wingman kept up with me at 300mph or so, but going to target takes longer than it should because of their creeping along.

[Jaegermeister]

On 10/15/2022 at 12:13 PM, Niagara said:

I already have this campaign , ( Lightning Strikes ) but have noticed it is no longer available in the IL2 store == what gives ??  just curious .

never mind, I just figured it out = was free with an update ...

 

It was never available in the store, it is included in your profile if you purchase the P-38 Collector plane

 

On 3/5/2023 at 11:35 AM, JediMaster said:

Anyone noticed the P-38s in your group fly SLOOOW? The waypoints say "280 mph" or around there, but my flight does more like 280 kph! At 50% throttle I leave them in the dust and have to turn around a couple of times so as not to be out there by myself.

They fly along with a big AOA, very nose-high, because of how slow they go. This seems better on the way home, my wingman kept up with me at 300mph or so, but going to target takes longer than it should because of their creeping along.

 

I'll take a look at it, I'm probably going to update that Campaign with Tactical ID codes soon.

[JediMaster]

Thanks, much appreciated! I'll pause flying it for now because I'm more likely to just try and go solo and leave them behind which is poor tactical procedure!

[Spidey002]

The updated skins pack seems to be missing the German P-51 skin, leading to this confusion:

 

[Jaegermeister]

3 hours ago, Spidey002 said:

The updated skins pack seems to be missing the German P-51 skin, leading to this confusion:

 

 

Here is an updated complete skins file until the link on the first page is updated;

 

Lightning Strikes Skins File

 

If you prefer to just download the missing German Mustang skin, here it is;

 

Lightning Strikes German Mustang Skin

 

 

 

 

[71st_AH_Mastiff]

Mission #8 Prum, should be a afternoon mission not a night mission.

 

 

[Jaegermeister]

On 10/30/2023 at 12:46 PM, 71st_AH_Mastiff said:

Mission #8 Prum, should be a afternoon mission not a night mission.

 

 

Hey, thanks for the information. I didn't want to clutter up the Update thread with stuff about this campaign.

 

The mission I have in my files is at 5:30 pm. Unfortunately it is too easy to change the time by accident so I'm not sure what happened there.

 

Spoiler

 

 

I am in the process of updating this campaign to include Tactical ID Codes, revised attack logic, more AI traffic and flights, and various other changes in ground units to improve time distortion. I can tell you it runs smoother already with newer revisions in AA spawn logic. This mission will be fixed with those updates.

 

I am hoping to finish this week and get the revised Campaign in the next update, but with 25 missions it takes a lot of time.

 

Edit... I got sidetracked by other things for 5.108. Maybe the next update?

 

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Jaegermeister