Custom Icons Part 4/4
We can make the game more challenging and realistic
by limiting icon information. Here's how!
by
Flying Nutcase
We can make the game more challenging and realistic
by limiting icon information. Here's how!
by
Flying Nutcase
Full Mission Builder Tutorials
For IL2 Forgotten Battles and Pacific Fighters
Step 5: Using FRIENDLY & FOE For More Customization
We've done really well, and now have an elegant way of setting custom icons in Pacific Fighters.
There's one more aspect which we need to cover, which is setting different icons for friendly and enemy units.
Everything is done the same as in Section 4 except we now need two lines in our rcu file. I've used 'if' to represent 'icons - friendly' and 'ie' to represent 'icons - enemy'.
We've done really well, and now have an elegant way of setting custom icons in Pacific Fighters.
There's one more aspect which we need to cover, which is setting different icons for friendly and enemy units.
Everything is done the same as in Section 4 except we now need two lines in our rcu file. I've used 'if' to represent 'icons - friendly' and 'ie' to represent 'icons - enemy'.
Copy and paste this into your rcu file:
@a if mp_dotrange FRIENDLY TYPE 2 ID .5 RANGE 6 COLOR 3 DOT 10
@a ie mp_dotrange FOE TYPE 1.5 ID .3 RANGE 6 COLOR .005 DOT 10
@a ie mp_dotrange FOE TYPE 1.5 ID .3 RANGE 6 COLOR .005 DOT 10
I've reduced the enemy 'type' setting to simulate the more intimate knowledge that a pilot would generally have of his own aircraft. And I've set enemy COLOR to 5 meters so that it won't change because there are only two possible colors and I'd prefer to have as few bright icons floating around the sky as possible!
Load Pacific Fighters again and run our new customization:
ID pops up so you can keep with your flight:
No more bright-blue icons:
How was that?
Also, you don't have to stop with two shortcuts - if you want to train for online missions, why not practice with the same settings, for example referring to the Hyperlobby servers, gg for 'Greater Green' (only one needed since they don't have any enemy icons), ZWf for 'Zeke vs Wildcat' friendly icons and ZWe for enemy. Check the servers for current settings. In some cases you will have to guess, as the range isn't included!
Next we're going to take all this one step further!
Step 6: Change Icon Settings From Your Joystick!
We've come a long way and our story is about to reach it's dramatic conclusion.
We've managed to reduce our typing from a long string of characters down to just two or three. This next step will bring it down to zero. And it will give us the option to change icon setting on the fly.
Set 'if' and 'ie' to your joystick!
We can eliminate typing by setting the command line instructions to a joystick button. A flick of a button at the beginning of every mission. Easy!
Doing it is just the same as assigning any button. If you have 'if' and 'ie' set in the RCU file as in Section 5, then set a button as:
'Shift-Tab', if, 'Enter', ie, 'Enter', 'Shift-Tab'
Pushing the joystick button will now open the command line, enter the shortcuts we assigned in Section 5 and exit the command line. So your new icon settings will be in use for the remainder of the game!
*Set 'Toggle Icon Types' to your joystick!
When the action's close we can relieve ourselves of icons using the 'Toggle Icon Types' command.
I have two hatswitch buttons set for this. One button toggles three times, the other toggles once. Why? It means that you can switch between your standard 'if'/'ie' icons and no icons with a flick of a button!
The 'three times toggle' is my 'icons on' button. It toggles from no icons...
Get it?
The single toggle button takes icons from the full settings back to no icons. One button to switch icons on, one to switch them off.
That way, when you're in the midst of the action and everyone's in sight, you can switch off icons and enjoy the more realistic visuals. Nice.
Can't think how to set the triple-toggle to your joystick? I have 'Toggle Icon Types' assigned to 'Alt-G' on my keyboard, so my 'icons on' button is assigned to:
Sweet - icons for every occaision! We're now up and running with custom icons that we can change with a joystick button.
You'll find that there are different schools of thought regarding how icons should be set, but in the end it comes down to what's right for you.
By the way, thanks to Tully for his explanantion of using the rcu file. That info I got from his article on the excellent FAQ page at airwarfare.com, here:
Airwarfare.com's Excellent FAQ Page
And the naming conventions I got from:
LizKing.com's Examples of Icon Settings
Also, you don't have to stop with two shortcuts - if you want to train for online missions, why not practice with the same settings, for example referring to the Hyperlobby servers, gg for 'Greater Green' (only one needed since they don't have any enemy icons), ZWf for 'Zeke vs Wildcat' friendly icons and ZWe for enemy. Check the servers for current settings. In some cases you will have to guess, as the range isn't included!
Next we're going to take all this one step further!
Step 6: Change Icon Settings From Your Joystick!
We've come a long way and our story is about to reach it's dramatic conclusion.
We've managed to reduce our typing from a long string of characters down to just two or three. This next step will bring it down to zero. And it will give us the option to change icon setting on the fly.
Set 'if' and 'ie' to your joystick!
We can eliminate typing by setting the command line instructions to a joystick button. A flick of a button at the beginning of every mission. Easy!
Doing it is just the same as assigning any button. If you have 'if' and 'ie' set in the RCU file as in Section 5, then set a button as:
'Shift-Tab', if, 'Enter', ie, 'Enter', 'Shift-Tab'
Pushing the joystick button will now open the command line, enter the shortcuts we assigned in Section 5 and exit the command line. So your new icon settings will be in use for the remainder of the game!
*Set 'Toggle Icon Types' to your joystick!
When the action's close we can relieve ourselves of icons using the 'Toggle Icon Types' command.
I have two hatswitch buttons set for this. One button toggles three times, the other toggles once. Why? It means that you can switch between your standard 'if'/'ie' icons and no icons with a flick of a button!
The 'three times toggle' is my 'icons on' button. It toggles from no icons...
- to range only
- to range + ID
- to range + ID + type (full icons)
Get it?
The single toggle button takes icons from the full settings back to no icons. One button to switch icons on, one to switch them off.
That way, when you're in the midst of the action and everyone's in sight, you can switch off icons and enjoy the more realistic visuals. Nice.
Can't think how to set the triple-toggle to your joystick? I have 'Toggle Icon Types' assigned to 'Alt-G' on my keyboard, so my 'icons on' button is assigned to:
- 'Alt-G' 'Alt-G' 'Alt-G'
- 'Alt-G'
Sweet - icons for every occaision! We're now up and running with custom icons that we can change with a joystick button.
You'll find that there are different schools of thought regarding how icons should be set, but in the end it comes down to what's right for you.
By the way, thanks to Tully for his explanantion of using the rcu file. That info I got from his article on the excellent FAQ page at airwarfare.com, here:
Airwarfare.com's Excellent FAQ Page
And the naming conventions I got from:
LizKing.com's Examples of Icon Settings
IL2 Sturmovik/Forgotten Battles/Pacific Fighters
is a World War 2 flight sim
by Oleg Maddox and 1C: Maddox Games, published by Ubisoft.
This is a fan site and completely independent of the above companies...
Other than a love for this sim. :-)
is a World War 2 flight sim
by Oleg Maddox and 1C: Maddox Games, published by Ubisoft.
This is a fan site and completely independent of the above companies...
Other than a love for this sim. :-)
Getting Started with the Pacific Fighters Full MIssion Builder
[ First Pacific Fighters Mission ] [ Objects in 2D & 3D ] [ Using Takeoff Waypoints ]
[ Static Cameras in IL2 ] [ Front lines in IL2 ] [ IL2 Destruction Brush ] [ IL2 Trains ]
Setting up Ground Attacks in IL2 Pacific Fighters
[ AI Level Bombing ] [ Paratroopers & Supply Drops ] [ Use the V1 Doodlebug ]
[ Fly the Mistel in IL2 ]
Mission Objectives in IL2 Pacific Fighters Missions
[ Destroy ] [ Destroy Bridge ] [ Escort ] [ Destroy Ground ] [ Recon Landing ]
Miscellaneous Guides
[ Custom IL2 Icons ] [ Full Loadout Carrier Takeoffs ] [ Make an IL2 Ntrk Movie ]
[ Make Training and Campaign Interlude Tracks ] [ Shift_E's Quick Mission Tuner ]
Make a Campaign in the Pacific Fighters Full Mission Builder
[ Your First IL2 Pacific Fighters Campaign ] [ Randomize your campaign ]
How to set up a Coop
[ Make an IL2 Coop Mission ]