Advanced chain home radar system and AI Mark IV radar (

[IRRE_FlyPlatypus]

Hello all, I did an advanced radar system for my multiplayer Dieppe Campaign. It worked pretty well with around 64 players (tick delay around 5 whith no players at all).

 

 

- In game Spotters on the main UK cities + some AI RADAR BEACONS on the mainland

- LOW ALTITUDE RADAR which spot the size of the enemy threat and give some basic altitude info. + 

- MAIN ALTITUDE RADAR (do not spot enemy below 500m and over 5000m)

- FAR RADAR  : do not give the size nor the altitude of enemy formation, and have less resolution.

File: RADAR.zip

 

Basically these radar are checkzones that are activated for a very brief time periode so it does not consume to much ressources on the server, when one enemy is detected it activate more checkzone in the area to count the "size" of the spot and check the altitude. Each zone is checked one at a time (for exemple 1417 is checked for 0.1 s, then 1418, then 1419 etc etc... and then it repeat itself in a infinit loop)

 

In addition to that, players equiped with bendix (which where some night fighters Havoc in my mission) would be pointed in the direction of the nearest enemy position IF at least one allied is at less than 12 km from an enemy. This system simulate the AI Mark IV radar equiped on some RAF night fighters (such as the Havoc). In reality this radar was pretty basic and could spot enemy at a distance of 6 km. 

 

This is how it works: (implemented  only on the AI RADAR BEACON group and LOW ALTITUDE RADAR group to save server ressources)

Each radar zone is checked for a brief time

IF an enemy is inside the Radar AXIS Check zone (6.5km):

     -> activate a sequence of 9 small 2km AXIS checkzone during a brief time

        IF an enemy is inside one of these small checkzone:

               -> activate a checkzone of 12 km checking for ALLIED planes during a short period of time = An allied player (supposedly equiped with a AI RADAR ) is in range of detection

                IF an allied is at range (check zone 12km):

                         -> A beacon spawn in the middle of the small 2k3 AXIS zone = beacon for the Allied bendix

                         -> A check zone is activated and despawn the beacon if there is no more German players inside the area.

       

This system worked very well in a night mission were  6 Havoc  were the only one equiped with the bendix and had the mission to spot altitude and precise composition of enemy bomber raid.

 

Limitations:

To save some server ressource, I used only check zones and no complexe trigger, ideally the check zone checking the range of the AI RADAR should be a complexe trigger which is triggered only by the A20 Havoc equipped with the "AI RADAR" bendix. 

 

To simulate the actual Home chain Radar, the radar should not detect enemy > 5000m, my system put a chevron if enemy is above 5000m with no bar over it, so players were mislead in my mission: they though they were a contact between 500m and 3500m when the player was actually at 6000m. The player in question was intentionnaly flying this high to pass undetected when in reality he was spotted on the map with a chevron)
An easy fix would be to always check altitude before activating chevrons, but I am to  lazy to redo my checkzones systems.

 

 

Sorry if my explanations are not clear, simply ask me question if needed