Our Clod Server: Changes To The Currently Running Mission

[FoolTrottel]

Here's an overview on how our Cliffs Of Dover server 'works', ie. what's happening on it.

If you have any issues with the server, remarks, questions, ideas or suggestions, put them in this thread, or PM me and/or Fruitbat.

 

- One single mission is running over three hours (Increased from two hours, on July 31st 2014)

- After three hours, the CloD server program is being restarted. Be careful, because you will then have to disconnect, and wait a few minutes before re-joining.

- In this single mission, several pre-programmed waves of aircraft (mostly blue bombers) will appear on fixed timings, ie. in each three hour run, the pre-programmed flights will show up at the same time as in the previous run.

 

Newly added: CloD Random AC Loader

- Over the time time the mission is running, at intervals in between 20 and 40 minutes (randomly determined) one of seven  (randomly determined) different pre-programmed flights of some type of aircraft will be spawned in. After one flight is spawned in, the interval for the next one is determined. Once the interval has passed, the next one of the seven flights will be spawned in. And so on. (So, yes, it is so very random that it is possible the same flight will be spawned in twice in a row. Or three times even... This is being realized by a separately programmed utility. I'm pretty sure it can be done within CloD's scripting engine, but I would not know how)

 

Note:

As of July 30th 2014, our Clod Server is running on a new box. It is different in setup, and it might show some issues, mainly when it is time to relaunch the mission, after the three hours have passed.

The name of the server is the same as it was, as is the password, so from client perspective, connecting to the server is still the same as it used to be.

Euro pilots will experience higher pings (from 30's to 90's) and NA pilots may experience lower pings (from 180's down to 90's)

 

Future:

After hearing about the 'CloD Random AC Loader', Fenrir suggested to remove all pre-programmed flights from the mission completely, and have them all spawn in via the random method described above.

Now, that's a brilliant idea, and I'd like to follow up on it, however I do not have a clue yet on how to realise that. Maybe I can figure it out quickly, or maybe Fruitbat can help?

 

Anyways, all this just for your information, and hopefully you all will have some fun with it!

 

As of Aug 1st 2014:

- Base map, emptied of all AI aircraft will run in three hour sessions.

- The CRAL (Clod Random Ac Loader) will randomly launch aircraft/flights out of the following series:

1. 109's Northsee to Manston

2. D017-109's Ambleteuse to Folkstone

3. HE111-109 Oye Plage to  Manston

4. Stuka-110 Framzelle to Dover

5. Wellington-Hurricane to France

6. 109's-From-Thames-To-Audembert

7. 110-Attack-Southampton 

8. Spits-Folkstone-To-Manston-Channel

9. Blenheims-Beaufighters-Attack-Shipping

10. 109a.mis

11. do17.mis

 

 

More may be added later on and/or removed.

[FoolTrottel]

Bump ...

 

Anyone with flight ideas is welcome to throw them in.

 

You can now even fire up the FMB and program some flights in yourself.

Give 'm way points, load outs, a target. Throw in some escort fighters.

 

No need to worry about the environment on the ground, because that's done already.

Leave everything else alone in the mission setting. Just focus on the aircraft/flights, their route, their targets.

Send me the .mis file and I'll load it up to the server, and make sure CRAL will use it

[fruitbat]

I'll try and jump on ts one evening and have a chat with you FT, when, well......

[FoolTrottel]

[FoolTrottel]

Well, I can be around till 21:00 your time... 

[APHill]

FT,

By this statement:"You can now even fire up the FMB and program some flights in yourself.

Give 'm way points, load outs, a target. Throw in some escort fighters."

Does that mean I can load a mission I created into our server?

Sorry if that is a silly question.

[FoolTrottel]

FT,

By this statement:"You can now even fire up the FMB and program some flights in yourself.

Give 'm way points, load outs, a target. Throw in some escort fighters."

Does that mean I can load a mission I created into our server?

Sorry if that is a silly question.

 

Not a silly question at all AP.

 

(It just shows I was a tad unclear in explaining things...)

 

What I meant to say was that you can create any mission you like/want/need in your FMB, simply focusing on the air-stuff, and once done you send the mission file over to me, and I will upload it to the server... it will then be part of the 3 hour mission that is running, it will randomly be launched... meaning it could be on/in the server from the get go, or it may be in it mid-mission, or... not at all.

But,once it's in the list, chances are it will be running at some time in the near future...

[FoolTrottel]

Well, in the end, there's only one little tiny issue with the way I threw it all together, and that is that someone has to be controlling the server, be logged on kinda, other wise the thing just does not work at all.

 

So, Server is back to running the 'usual'  RaradsEarly109'  mission,...

 

(Will try and see if I can fix this)

[B16Enk]

Server could do with a reboot FT, if you feel up to it?

Windows update needs running too.

[FoolTrottel]

Will do Sir!

[FoolTrottel]

Done!

[B16Enk]

Thanks!

[FoolTrottel]

Fixed the issue with the CRAL tool, it's now working as advertised in the first post of this thread. 

[Gothkrieger]

I may not understand all of the above but what I think I am reading is not matching what I saw last night.  I flew the server twice and never ran into a friendly or enemy plane.  Now this is a change since last I flew the server when there were lots of bomber types in flight.

[FoolTrottel]

I may not understand all of the above but what I think I am reading is not matching what I saw last night.  I flew the server twice and never ran into a friendly or enemy plane.  Now this is a change since last I flew the server when there were lots of bomber types in flight.

 

Could you define 'last night'? Is that the same evening/night as you posted this? (I tend to think it was the night before that, and that makes sense, as that'd be before I fixed the thing...

 

Or... It's a large map, if you fly around it without listening to the radio (voice volume off?) and do not see the radar messages (No info window?), then with a bit of misfortune ... you might me all the fun? 

 

The way I got it configured is having radar messages to the left-top (+ some radar voice volume), and damage/destroy info on the top right.

(If configured, you should see at least those messages....). See this post  (section b, confuser.ini, chatwindow) by Fruitbat on what I configured where.

 

According to logged timings, as of August 4th, 20:24PM (my time, so 8 hrs ahead of yours) the server has been hosting a mission with AI in it.

[Gothkrieger]

I will fly it again tonight and see what happens.

 

The link in the above post takes me to a Search page and not to a post.

 

I saw no planes, and heard no radar reports.  My chat window is turned off.  I do get the game message displays, eg. aircraft located at.......... and the verbal notifications of the same.

 

I don't know if you still have icons on but if you do I did not see any icons either.  Previously icons were visible.  I don't think you changed the server address, if you did I could be logging on to an old map??

[FoolTrottel]

You will not be logging on to an old map, or old server... as there is neither of 'm.

 

Here's a working link, sorry about the botched up other one!

 

I am logged on to the server right now, and looking at what is going on.

And, well... not a lot. Some AI action is there. But no real battles between AI yet.

There are either not enough sub-missions yet, or the timings are too loose.

Then again, I am not flying, and just sitting on the tarmac... so....

 

Me thinks it will need a lot of trying out, to get it balanced and fun ...  So thanks very much for your feedback, keep it up that way, it really helps!

[FoolTrottel]

- Gunner skills of HE-111 formation toned down.

- Launching of flights now somewhere in between 5 and 15 minutes, used to be 20 to 40.

[FoolTrottel]

- Set of 15 mission-parts now rotate randomly, but equally, meaning: once a mission-part has been loaded, it will not be used the next time a part is loaded.

It will only be used again after all other 14 have been used. So, it will no longer that out of four spawns, three of 'm were the same mission part.

[FoolTrottel]

Mission-Parts list now 17 in total: 
DD-P-109's-From-Thames-To-Audembert.mis
DD-P-109's-NorthSee-To-Manston.mis
DD-P-109-FreeHunt-OverChannel.mis
DD-P-110-Attack-Southampton.mis
DD-P-110s-Attack-Dover-Castle.mis
DD-P-Blenheims-Beaufighters-Attack-Shipping.mis
DD-P-Blenheims-From-PaddockWoods-To-Calais.mis
DD-P-BR20M-From-Poperinge-To-Hawkinge.mis
DD-P-Do17-109-Ambleteuse-To-Folkstone.mis
DD-P-Dorniers-From-Hazebrouck-To-Manston.mis
DD-P-Dorniers-To-Lympne.mis
DD-P-He111-Bf109-Oye-Plage-To-Manston.mis
DD-P-JU88's-From-Poperinge-To-Lympne.mis
DD-P-Ship-leaves-Ramsgate-for-Dover.mis
DD-P-Spits-Folkstone-To-Manston-Channel.mis
DD-P-Stuka-110-Framzelle-to-Dover.mis
DD-P-Wellingtons-Hurricanes.mis

Please add your stuff: here's a template on which you can work, load it in the FMB, Save it, using a different name, addd your flights/targets and upload back here! Simples! Easy!
DD-P-Template.mis

[FoolTrottel]

Have changed the skill level of Bomber pilots.

 

Increased their 'Discipline' level a lot, in an attempt to stop them manouvering rather weirdly...

[FoolTrottel]

As of now, at each re-start of the server / base map, the mission starttime will be randomized.

 

Currently between 6'30 and 16'00hrs.

[FoolTrottel]

Hm, too bad it doesn't work... fixing it... hopefully.

[FoolTrottel]

Fixed it... possibly.

 

Time will tell.

 

Also fiddled with some of the mission parts, there's 29 different scenario's now...

[BluBear]

Fantastic! Thanks FT, your efforts are most appreciated!