News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4
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@tiag ok thanks for checking
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@Seifer said in News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4:
Hey folks, it’s been a while… a long while. You have not heard much from me lately, the main reason is because after a series of launches, @tbuc took over the Release Master place (and thanks for that, because I needed it badly!). U4 is in good hands.
I know some are expecting a release for Easter, but sorry, no. You are right though that we are working hard on it
U4 Schedule
Our plan for U4 was explained here and it is still our baseline. Our deadline was Q1 2024, but I believe we will not finish this in Q1, so my bet now is somewhere in May (@tbuc knows better, though). With luck, April.
U4 Plan
As usual, this release turned out more complex than expected. One of the main reasons was the transition to PBR. There were some nasty bugs hidden there (specially related to lighting), some of them were present but not noticeable, others are new bugs introduced by this new model and its texture sets. We also spent quite some time transitioning aircraft data to protobuffers (more robust internal format).
Here is the updated list:
- Link16 implementation for F16.
- PBR: this is in the final stages. We hope the last CTDs were sorted.
- OpenXR implementation: I believe this is finished from what I heard (haven’t tested it though, so cannot say).
- A/C data in proto format.
- F15:
- new 3D model!
- Basic F-15 A/G: it is possible to release bombs in very basic CDIP.
- Basic ILS implementation (still under test).
- More MFD pages implemented.
- Some new callbacks.
- Performance improvements (specially for AMD cards)
- New ballistic code.
- tons of bug fixes
- and more!
The star of this release will definitely be the Link16, we hope you will have a whole new experience! I mean, this is a HUGE effort (affects UI, network, 3d, avionics, DTC etc).
Also, graphics already shows a bit of improment over U3 with the introduction of PBR (this is a great step towards NT and unified database).
There are some hidden gems, like the new explosion code, which takes fuel into account to decide how much the aircraft should burn or even if it should explode immediately.
Please, also notice there are a lot of new things not listed here (@Mav-jp can probably tell more).
What is missing?
I believe Link16 is in the final stages. Once it is finished, we will be ready for release. But there are some points still bugging us:
- A dogfight bug which needs to be fixed (invisible after respawn).
- F15 ILS still not very precise.
- Shadows are still bugged from views which are not in the same position as the camera.
Rest assured, we are working hard towards U4. The most serious bugs were fixed and now we are moving towards the end. The good news is that U3 seems to be doing good in terms of stability and we heard reports of MP with more than 40 people without issues. Meaning: we are not in a hurry.
Future
A release as complex as U4 will probably bring some new bugs, which we will try to address with hotfixes. If all goes well, our goal is to make the move to NT after U4. But still too early to talk about it, so don’t expect it anytime soon.
We are also planning some new aircraft (red side…), and also implement more F-15 AG modes (which will be cool for ITO).
Meanwhile, keep on rocking! Thanks for making this community the BEST!
Thanks for the detailed update. Looks like another notable boost!
May I ask what “A/C Data in proto format” means? Is it a new file format?
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@Scorpion82 protobuf is a platform agnostic Data format for serialized data with a DDL. Developed by Google for internal use in 2001 made public in 2007 and used in many games as a datatransfer format
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Thank you for all your efforts!!
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@hiuuz said in News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4:
We are also planning some new aircrafts (red side…)
You mean AI, or playable?
Looks like this will remain a mystery for a while
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Many thanks for all you do!
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@hiuuz not really, we mean playable, of course. But this is just in the beginning and our resources are limited.
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Looking forward
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Thanks for the feedback. May have to dive a little bit deeper into it. Sounds like data handling (how data flows / are processed).
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@Scorpion82 said in News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4:
May I ask what “A/C Data in proto format” means? Is it a new file format?
think of it as “JSON for C++” if that helps
I don’t expect it’s much faster, but it means (a) we spend less time fixing bugs in crufty old 1990s code parsing binary files, or raw text files, and (b) the structure of those files becomes extendable in a way that’s more future-proof and resilient.
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@airtex2019 - Nothing I hate more than crufty old binary files…
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@Seifer said in News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4:
@hiuuz not really, we mean playable, of course. But this is just in the beginning and our resources are limited.
Thanks for clearing this!
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No Hornet updates yet…
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@chihirobelmo said in News from the frontlines... 4.37 U4:
No Hornet updates yet…
Thanks for the update - liking the “yet” part
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Just another vote of thanks to the dev team for all the work you put it. I’m only just back into BMS and am appreciating it more every. damn. day!!!
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@Seifer Excellent, thanks for the Sit Rep…Link 16…Wow!
Bayonet.
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Call me an old fogey but in some situations I like the limitedness of IDM, will IDM still be available in the sim, are only certain jets getting L16 or how will it work for people wishing to play missions without L16 functionality?
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@SOBO-87 Link-16 and IDM will be available only for aircraft have them. Some will have only IDM (e.g. old block vipers and PXIII), some will have L16 (like the PXIV and F-15C), others will have both (tapes 5.2s, MLUs), and a large portion will have nothing.
So, that thing of using IDM to see some airplanes, which do not have a datalink at all, will not be available anymore in BMS. In RL, only some F-16s, Rivet Joint and spanish hornets have IDM.
Complete new game.EDIT: If you want to run a tape 5.2 without L16, simply turn off the MIDS.
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@tiag awesome, thanks for the info.
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@SOBO-87 - I’m going to be interested in seeing how L16 works in BMS…because in RL what Hornets do with is is nothing short of EYE-WATERING…