Modifications for AI threats and friendly AI

[doc]

As I read through more of the documentation, it seems that there is a configuration task I'm missing to enable aircraft to be able to be used for AI wingmen or adversaries.  And I think the same goes for how to add AAA/SAMs to a theater built from scratch.  I was working on NTTR as a test bed, now there is a theater out there so I can do the threat additions to that since I've had some time on that range.

I would eventually like to learn how create theaters using FSCAI as a facet since I already know how to use FSX@War and CPP to create theaters.  In the future I would like to create ETO/CBI/PTO theater for WWII, Add more to the Vietnam Theater; do a Korean theater (50s War); and others (Balkans, DESERT STORM, Eldorado Canyon, etc.).  

Would I be correct to assume that to fully flesh out a new theater using FSCAI (with or without missions) with threats, targets, and associated scenery, these are the steps required?

1. Add a new aircraft, weapons, etc., to the Vehicles Database.
2. Create ASL Scripts for placement of SimObjects
3. Test

Thanks in advance.

[Dutch Owen]

FSCAI is, at its most fundamental essence, a program that assigns weapons to "potentially mobile objects" (called SimObjects in the MSFS world) and automates those objects so that they will engage other enemy objects with their weapons in a realistic way.

The way it works is that there are two lists. There's a list of defined weapons which is provided but can be modified or added to by the user, and there's a list of "vehicles" which establish what SimObjects get what weapons which can also be user modified. This second list is the way weapons are attached to objects. Up to eight weapon systems can be assigned to any object, by title.

A "title" is a name assigned to a class of SimObjects. For example "VEH_Baggagecart_blue" is the title of one of the mobile baggage handing carts seen at airports. Any SimObject in the world, whether flown by the user or created by the AI system or by any other external means will carry this same title. If the FSCAI "Vehicles.cfg" file contains an entry listing the title it may also contain up to eight weapons. This is what makes the object controllable by FSCAI.

For aircraft only (not ground vehicles or ships) there's a different way to link weapons to objects. This is by using the "ATC_MODEL" defined in the object's aircraft.cfg file. If any aircraft in the world has an entry in the Vehicles.cfg file that matches the "ATC_MODEL" in its aircraft.cfg that aircraft object will be used by FSCAI with the weapon systems attached to it. If there is no match FSCAI leaves it alone to do its own thing in the world.

When it first starts FSCAI looks to see what SimObjects are alive and active. It then looks up each in its list and if there's a match of either title or the model then it will start scanning using the range and direction parameters of the object and its weapons to see if it can see any enemy objects. If it sees any it will attack the closest one. If not it will continue to scan. It the object is an aircraft in flight it will continue on its planned route or mission, but will always be scanning.

It's important to understand that at this base level FSCAI doesn't care how the object was created. It could have come from the sim itself (say in the case of the baggage carts at airports) or it could be a regular AI aircraft on a flight plan, or it could have been spawned as a part of the FSX/P3D Missions system, or it could have been created by FSX@War, or it could have been created by FSCAI's own missions system. Or spawned in any other way, like from the Tacpack menus. It doesn't matter all are treated the same way. To FSCAI even the user aircraft is just another object in the world except it doesn't control it, but it can engage it with other objects.

If you want to create a new SimObject and make it active in the combat world add an entry to the Vehicles database (using the UI of FSCAI) and it will use the weapons you give it if it finds any enemies in range that can be seen.

I hope that clarifies how it works.

Your step 1 is correct.

Step 2 is one way to do it. Also FSX@War/CCP is commonly used to place objects. The ASL scripts are readable and can be coded but we are working on a visual editor that will allow easy creation of mission scripts with precise object placement and animation. Xpel is a master of the official Missions system and there are various editors out there that make it more accessible but I have always found it too confusing to use.

Testing is the most time consuming part in my experience!

Dutch

[doc]

Thank you for the explanation, it makes things much clearer. I hear you on the testing stuff! I'm watching xpel's videos about how to place objects in FSCAI. I will give that a shot and see what I come up with.

One more question, is there a way to attach/visually see the ordnance on those AI wingmen that I spawn from the flight menu, assuming I did the right configuration as you point out above?

[Dutch Owen]

No, there isn't any visuals of the FSCAI weapons at this time.

That's almost impossible to do without access to the model source code.