3.5 (Kilter) Development Update 10/29/2012 Thread - WIC: Modern Warfare Mod for World in Conflict

I've been very busy in the past week, with RL work picking up. As 3.5 development is rather taking longer, I'll try to post weekly progress updates.

Here is what the team has been working on so far on 3.5, and in the past week:

Complete re-write of infantry units (Land Warfare Phase 1) (past 2 weeks):

• We've brought on couple new members with military experience to our team; they've been helping us greatly in making new changes to the infantry role.
• The "Fire Team" concept employed in 2009 has now been replaced with a more versatile "Squad" system that vanilla WiC had.
• Infantry squads are available in three categories: Anti-Infantry, Anti-Armor and Anti-Air.
• Each squad has 10 men and consists of team leader, riflemen, medic, designated marksman, MG/specialized weapons, etc; infantry units are now much more lethal against full spectrum of threats.
• Ground transportation mobility for infantry has been improved. APCs and amphib assault vehicles now have much more firepower against light vehicles and enemy infantry. The best part however, is addition of indirect smoke grenade special ability -- using this function, these vehicles can conceal your infantry as they move into a building or move from cover to cover.
• NOTE: Primary 10-men infantry squads can no longer fit inside a humvee -- only light units, such as JTAC and Vehicle Crew can ride in humvees. Main assault squads should use dedicated APC/amphib vehicles, trucks or transport helicopters.
• Infantry role as whole has been simplified; Sniper and Engineer have been removed as they are unrealistic in game scale and rarely (if ever) used.

Flexible Interceptor (FLINT) 2.1 Engine Updates

• FLINT has been undergoing major code optimizations and changes to help improve game performance. One of the new changes is the addition of Fast-Correlating Linear Interpolation (FCLERP) to reduce CPU load while moving missiles in game space.
• Latency-Insensitive (LI) Compliance: New feature introduced by FLINT 2.1. LI Compliance is a code review process to ensure that critical mathematical computations performed by FLINT are delivering consistent results regardless of frame rate or latency.
• Latency-Insensitive (LI) Aerodynamics: Calculation of missile/rocket velocity and its physics in game space is no longer affected by the frame rate, tested up to 9 fps. Missiles no longer lose velocity or suffer from increased drag when the game frame rate dips below 30 fps.
• Guidance functions and proximity fuses/sensors are still affected when frame rates drop below 27 fps -- this is because at slow frames, there is greater miss distance between each frame during a high speed engagement.
• Improved physics -- FLINT 2.1 now properly simulates gravity. Acceleration due to gravity is cumulatively increased to projectiles as they lose their forward velocity during coast phase. The proper simulation of gravity in FLINT 2.1 will now pave the way for us to start adding guided bombs into the game (i.e. LGBs).
• FLINT will now support missiles flying as high as up to 1000 wic meters in altitude, without crashing the game. This allows ballistic missiles to be more authentically modeled in WiC.

Advanced Flight Modeling (AFM) for Ballistic Missiles

• Ballistic AFM takes advantage of the improved physics simulation in FLINT 2.1. True ballistic projectiles, such as 9K79 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab), will now rely entirely on ballistic trajectory and gravitational acceleration as they make their hit. Maximum range is proportional to the height of ballistic arc.
• Ballistic AFM will now allow us to add MLRS rockets using FLINT in future MW Mod versions.
• Tochka ballistic missile now costs only 10 TA for RU air role, in order to make it more economical under the presence of opposing missile defense systems.
• US ATACMS missile is now a maneuvering surface-to-surface quasi-ballistic missile (SSM). Unlike Tochka, it flies on a much more flatter trajectory and makes programmed turns and pitch maneuvers while in flight.

New Artwork for 3.5 Kilter:

• F/A-18E Super Hornet has been added to the game with a new detailed model. F/A-18E replaces the F-16 in game and currently performs SEAD functions. In the future, F/A-18E will also provide high-altitude CAS with guided bombs for infantry and armor players.
• AIM-120C-7 missile has been replaced with a new detailed model.
• We've hired a new modeler, combatace, who makes wickedly detailed models for Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) mods. He's currently working on the LAV-AD project -- new AA vehicle for US infantry. Updates will follow later.
• AGM-88 HARM missile may be replaced with a new model -- not sure yet... thinking about it as of 10/29/12.

Other Works being done as of right now - (week of Oct 29, 2012):

• Feasibility Study for RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) for future development. ESSM has been offered for use on SL-AMRAAM and is also being integrated into NASAMS, while being used by shipborne SAMs. Integration of ESSM to MW Mod is being reviewed for potential KM-SAM augmentation and other unidentified use-case opportunities.

• MW Mod seems to have gained pretty good reception amongst former/current military members. Inevitably, we are now going through our own experience of inter-service rivalry in action -- As a result, going forward, all US faction roles are now being re-arranged under the Joint Forces concept model, as follows:

1. Air Role - Army Aviation (for helicopters); USAF and Navy for Fixed-Wing Aircraft system.
2. Infantry Role - Totally run down and taken over by the USMC. All units in inf role are marine corps. Any non-MC units (including Stryker) are pushed to other role panels -- they can be purchased out-of-role at same prices as before.
3. Armor Role - Army. Also provides a diverse set of transport vehicles that inf players can buy out-of-role (i.e. inf buys Stryker from Armor role; while USMC AAVP is in-role to infantry).
4. Support Role - Army. Big weapons (M270 MLRS, artillery, Patriot, etc).

• Improvements to Russian ground and air - T-90 now automatically launches Refleks missiles and has optical / infrared vision system as offensive ability, just like on Abrams tanks. Mi-28 now uses a more sophisticated command-guidance when firing missiles at low altitude -- missile will now easily clear obstacles and hit targets at longer range from low altitude.

• Vertical Launch System (VLS) Compliance (being done for future development) - VLS compliance ensures that a selected missile can be launched both vertically and horizontally, while still being able to guide onto its target. The S-300 48N6 missile is now upgraded to use the newly improved VLS-compliant launch sequence. On the US side, VLS compliance will allow vertical launching of ESSM and SM-6 type rounds.

Edited by: blahdy

YUSSSSSSSS, Its a shame that the engine limits map sizes otherwise I would really love to make massive maps! Will probably end up just making a beach invasion map with a small Island for fire support and aircraft while there is a massive beach for AAV assaulting!

Will the Ruskie also get their newer toys over time? And will the tech improvements be included with the Russian army?

adventlead wrote: Will the Ruskie also get their newer toys over time? And will the tech improvements be included with the Russian army?

All technology improvements are implemented to both teams (even as of now).

YEAAAAH! BTW, about the MLRS concept - does that mean that rocket based arty units might have their missiles intercept probable in the long run? Or does it only improve authenticity of rocket simulation - which in turn might be a stepping stone for counter-artillery code?

adventlead wrote: YEAAAAH! BTW, about the MLRS concept - does that mean that rocket based arty units might have their missiles intercept probable in the long run? Or does it only improve authenticity of rocket simulation - which in turn might be a stepping stone for counter-artillery code?

During the initial implementation, it'll be mostly for authentic rocket simulation; however, technically they can be intercepted, just not effective. C-RAM will be able to engage FLINT-based rockets right out of the gate, but will be next to useless during saturation bombardment.

We intend to make Russian BM-30 highly potent (as bad as US Apache Longbow as far as gameplay impact is concerned). In the future, we may be able to introduce the Israeli Iron Dome into US side as a counter-balance (certainly, technology is there; just need proper models/art work to make it happen).

Are there any plans to create or host multiplayer matches? This all sounds very well and fun, but it would be a real blast if we could try this out in multiplayer matches.