Yes, I do recall that problem. Took a lot of work to figure it out too.

But that's what we do.

You come up with a new idea and I try to break it.

Then you fix it and I break something else.

It's called destructive creationism.

Not much fun for you but I have a blast.

You can see what I did for the 250 lb round bomb in line 82.
What do I do with lines 83 and 86 in which you have data?

Line 83 looks like 82 so I can set the image to 618.
86 is very different. Do we have a proper name for "SPARE 5"?

Line 82 and line 83 are the Allied 250lb and Axis 100kg bombs set up to drop with the drop tank key. Anything labeled "L-!" is ordinance that is set up like this. Back in the development of SPAW we were slot limited and these two particular ordinances were sidelined. Once the dat file was increased I was able to put them in.

You can edit line 83 to "619" and leave all the other data the same. We'll then have 250 and 100 KG bombs that skip.

I can put a regular 250lb L-1 bomb in slot 84 and the 100kg L-1 bomb in slot 85.

Line 86 is just the US torpedo in another slot. I was trying to set up the P-61 to carry two torpedoes with separate drops but it does not work so it can be deleted.

Then you could label the round bouncing bomb as "620", put in slot 86 and that would give me all the weapons I need.

Don't forget though, I need the skipping bombs to run like the dambuster bomb rather than the torpedo.

I have modified the editor and your files



I got sick of the CD loader defaulting to the wrong directory, so I have a loading panel where you select the "txt" and the "dat" files and then click "Load". The CD loader is not used.

What was in the previous "SPARE 5" was not meant to bounce, so I have added extra slots, renamed some, and moved it to 87.
The ones marked as "BB" are available for bouncing bombs.
It is the slot number not the image that determines if the bounce code will kick in, so both the the 250 lb and 100 kg BB can both use image 618
I need to edit line 83 with the correct image.
This was done before your last post

Will you upload the new editor?

Did you fix the new bombs so they run like UPKEEP rather than the torpedo?

I have just had to modify the 150 exe. There is a routine that diminishes the bounce height, but the original height value was not re-set. The upshot was that the bomb from the first plane bounced, but the bombs from the other planes did not because the height had been reduced to zero. It is now fixed in the old map version and I need to fix it in the new map version.
T will package the stuff and put it on the server in your folder. Give me an hour or so

Ok

"ForRay22Jan.exe" (7-zip) is in your folder.
It has the new editor, my files, and an "EAW Versions" folder with the two new exes

I left out the renamed 3dz
Your "RoundBomb.3DZ" needs to be renamed "ORD618.3DZ"

I noticed this which is a bit odd:
Your original BBs were type 4 (droptank) and if I go to the loadout screen I have no weapon by default, and have to select the bombs.
The same if I make them type 5 (bomb + droptank).

If I make them type 1 (bomb) then I get bombs by default and do not need to select them

Hi,

Interesting. The Germans recovered an "Upkeep" mine from the wreckage of Barlow's Lanc after the dams raid - the self destruct does not seem to have worked. They produced an 850lb version of their own (Upkeep weighed 9250lb with 6600lb explosive and Highball 950/500) which could be carried by an Fw190 but could not make it work as they do not seem to have understood the need for backspin so it tended to bounce back at the launching aircraft - I have seen a film clip of a USAAF test with Highball on an Invader where the bomb or the water splash hit its tail and it crashed. Attempts to solve this using a rocket booster failed, but if they had fixed the problems it could have been dangerous for Allied shipping - imagine a dozen or so Fw at low level raiding a naval formation off the Normandy Coast on D-Day or Ju188 hitting a naval anchorage such as Scapa Flow! The Ju88/188 could carry one under each wing I imagine and could bomb at night using ASV radar and/or flares if you want a challenging scenario Ray. During tests a dummy Highball knocked a sizeable hole in the old battleship Malaya, and if it had rolled down under the keel and exploded it would have been probably fatal. Of course a squadron (618?) of Mossies took Highball to Australia to use against the Japanese but were never activated. They would no doubt have taken heavy losses but could have caused significant damage if used sensibly.

Nice work guys.

Pete

Tony,

The round skip bomb works but I couldn't get the regular 250 lb bomb to work. I sent you the pertinent files in an e-mail.

Can you significantly shorten the distance the bounding bombs go before they disappear? Right now they run as far as the torpedo which doesn't look correct?

I would say that the round bouncing bomb should go about 1/4 the distance of the torpedo and the skip bombs no more than 100 yards.

I have just compiled V21.
It uses a "Bounce.mpf" file with the maximum bounce height and the run in feet.
Currently I just tried this

20
1000

Height and run in feet

If there is no "Bounce.mpf" file then hard coded default values of 45 and 3000 are used.

This gives us the chance to experiment and find the best settings.
In my "weapons.dat" I have made the type 4 BBs type 1. Otherwise the AIs do not release them because they are drop tanks.

Ok, that's a good approach.

But won't we need three different mpf files for the dambuster, skip bomb and bouncing bomb?

Also, I've gotten a bit mixed up.

Which are the slot numbers that are hard coded for the torpedoes, dambuster and bouncing bombs?

The torpedoes are in 30, 31, 63, and 64.
The original Upkeep is in 80
The new BB slots are 82-86

If we do not need any more BBs there could be a universal mpf with the two values for slot 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 and 86 all listed in the one file. It would not be hard to modify the exe to read it and select the appropriate pair for the current bomb.
The key thing to do is to test the bombs with the current mpf and see which settings are best for each one.

I will send you four new exes. Early this afternoon I found a way of slowing down the torpedoes slightly, so you might try those too.

In your folder at the Gen "Versions21and22.exe" a 7-zip as usual

Four execs in that download.

Which is which?

And do I make my own MPF file or will you make one that I can then edit?

There are default values in the exe, but you can make one like mine and play with the numbers.

20
1000

The 22XXX ones are my experimental torpedo speed first shots
These may need a "Fuse Timer" increase otherwise the slightly slower torpedoes may die before reaching the target

Upon testing I found an oddity.

Loaded up a flight of P-61's with skip bombs. Doesn't matter which ones, they all do it as well as the bouncing bomb.

In the lead plane the bombs skip but in all the following planes the bombs don't skip.

I am working on it. In simple terms Ralf had set the torpedo run code for AI aircraft like this:

If ( condition1 and condition2 and condition3 and condition4)

Do this

So if all four conditions are met the routine runs.

However, he followed it with:

else

Do that

So if any of the four conditions are not met the "else" routine runs

There is a myriad of "else" routines in his code, and one of them generates the torpedo run.

This morning I have got the torpedo run working well with skip bombs from both a Lancaster and a Kate, particularly in an escort mission with AI Lancasters or Kates.

What I cannot get working at the moment is in Ship Strikes. If I drop to a low altitude to attack my AIs do not follow me, and release their weapons from their relatively high altitude.

It is working for me


I have an experimental SPAW planeset with the Avenger, the Kate and the Black Widow having a single loadout files with one or more skipbombs. They all work with these 'planes in Ship Strike missions, or when escorted by other planes.

I tried the four in the P61 and they all worked, except as you reported the first release drops one, then the second drops the other three.

Ok, looking good.

I've pretty much done away with the uneven drops by reverting to the multiple drop method I used for SPAW rather than Ralf's method.

It means I must go back and edit the loadouts on all the planes but it shouldn't take but a day or so.

Also, I have another subject to discuss but it's better to start that with PM's.