Hey All. With nothing to do these last 2 days, and using some profiles of Wings Palette, I created some low polygon models and I borrowed some artwork to make up a Mig 21 and a F1AZ just to see how it would work out. Sorry to 'butcher' your profile like this Brent ... hope you dont mind. I want to add the full range of SAAF aircraft that were used in the bush war, as well as the Russian/Cuban planes and bases.
Low poly models, with detail lines darkened to make the detail more visible in the Direct X 9 3D engine. In the scenes, aircraft are scaled up several times so that the can be seen. In real air to air combat, Targets are mostly specs in the distance, and that would be boring.
The setting is AFB Ondangwa, the year 1988, The terrain is a Google Earth tile of the Angolan bush. Ondangwa airport is also off Google.
The aircraft are the MIG21 and the Mirage F1.
It is a hot summers afternoon. It is your shift at MRU, Ondagwa. Today you are the FIGHTER CONTROLLER on duty. Suddenly, the radar screen lights up with more inbound inbound MIG's than you can count. ... their target ... You and right where you are sitting, inside MRU FIGHTER CONTROL at Ondangwa.
Radar detects at least 50 incomming Migs. You make the call and you scramble everything the SAAF has on station to intercept. This will be the biggest dogfight on the African continent. The Mirages race towards the intectept point at low level to evade radar. You can choose what units to scramble, but once the enemy is seen and engaged, each pilot will be making his own decisions ander control of the AI. In fact, if you dont take control of the situation, the pilots will make theor own decisions and do the best they can. With AI player against AI opponent things are fairly even ... but, can you take over control and turn the battle in your favour, or will you mess things up or are you just going to sit and watch and pray ....
The AI examines the battlefied and a formation of 9 Mirages decide to break off to the east in a flanking maneuver as the main force heads on for a direct intecept. (Each pilot thinks for himself, and those 9 decided, based on the battlefield layout, that their best cance of a kill was to break away and come back in on the flank of the incomming Migs)
As you watch from the Tower Camera, The two groups of aircraft close on each other as some pitch to a high level engagement altitude, individuals hold back from and circle the engagement seeking targets of opportunity.
The engagement takes place breaking up into numerous 1 on 1 dogfights.
Changing to the cockpit cam of any aircraft, you can immerse yourself in the actions as would be seen by the pilot. The air is thick with bogeys, tracer, expolsions and pieces of debris.
Using the Wingman Lock view, you watch a wingman take on a Mig closing on the 6 of your selected pilot
Using the Target Lock camera, you watch the Mirage pilot lock his weapons on the exhast of your opponents wingman.
As ground controller you can select individuals or groups of aircaft and focus their attention on individual or groups of bogeys.
As individuals run low on fuel and wepons or take damage, they return to base, to restore, then scramble straight on out agan to re-engage the dogfight that is deperately being held away from AFB Ondangwa. Will they suceed? Well that is up to the skill of the SAAF FIGHTER CONTROLER ... ummm yes, thats you.
Re-create any engagement with a highly intelligent and sophisticated pilot AI that can 'fly' anything from a battlstar to a battleship. Choppers, Jets, Warbirds, ww2 biplanes ... you name it. Then set up the scenario, and the models and the forces, and then sit back and see how the battles unfolded as the AI pilots seek to gain advantage through classic set point moves or break away into individual inovative maneuvers that stretch the performace envelopes of their craft. Scale the craft to realistic dimensions or expand them up to make the distant specs visible. Scale the speed of the action from slow mo to watch individual engaements in detail or accelerated speed to watch grand strategies unfold.
Create the epic battles of the past ... The pacific theatre, the battle of brittain, the campaign for North Africa, Korea, Vietnam and even desert storm (not that that was much of a battle) ... but if you had been in charge of Saddams forces, how much of a run could you have given Bush for his money. Play out what-ifs to your hearts content.
And when that gets boring ... a few parmater tweaks and you can have a few sharks in amongst a scool of dolphins or a flock of seaguls going for a school of fish. Piranas versus Baracudas ... The AI mimics natural grouping, evasion and attack patterns so it can be applied to fish in the sea, birds in the sky or aircraft in combat. Set the parameters and create the environmental models.
Follow this and other stories here ... from LIFE AT MRU ...
http://www.zs6meg.co.za/borderstories17.htm
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