Gunship!

playing tips:

1. Help! I lost or never received the Gunship! Quick Start Guide. This has a few
things that aren't in the manual, and is nice to have. Click here for a .pdf version
of it. I forget who sent me that, but thanks whoever you are.
2. How to use the Comms (Tab) menu:

The major aggravation here is that when you hit the Tab key, then the flight #,
you see the waypoint parameters for the current (first) waypoint, but, if you
change one of the parameters, it changes it not for the first waypoint, but for the
waypoint # (usually the last one) highlighted in white on line 2 of the right
column. If you want to change an order for the current waypoint instead (which
would usually be the case), first select 1 (Waypoint number) from the menu, then
press 1 to set the highlighted waypoint to waypoint #1. I make a habit of pressing
Tab, 1, 1, 1, Tab, Tab at the start of the mission, which sets it and returns me to
flying. After that, when you return to the Comms menu, the highlighted waypoint
# will always be waypoint #1.

After you change an order for the current waypoint, sometimes it seems to help
to then press 6 (Orders), then 4 (Activate current waypoint) to make sure the
wingmen get the new orders.

The first 2 choices on the Orders menu, 'Fire at will', and 'Hold fire', don't appear
to work. They don't work from the Map screen, under the 'Orders' button, either.

One extra option that the Map screen gives you that you won't find anywhere else,
is the ability to change a waypoint speed to Hover. I do this sometimes if I want
to jump out of my own helo temporarily (F9) to view something, and don't want
the AI to wander off in the meantime. Another reason might be if you want your
wingmen to stay in one spot while you go do some scouting on your own.

3. Sometimes, in Map view, you move your cursor over a waypoint and it won't
light up to allow you to move or delete it.

When this happens, sometimes it helps to first click on the actual Waypoint # on
the right panel, and/or hit Z and X to zoom in and out on the map. Then, the
cursor sometimes will light up over the waypoint, allowing you to move or delete
it. Left click the waypoint to move it, right click to delete it.

4. According to the manual, "Below 7 knots, the IHADSS switches into Hover
mode. In Hover mode, a position box represents the helicopter's location when
the hover began. If the helicopter drifts, the position box moves across the
display. If you want to return to the original hover point, simply return the
position box to the centre of the screen."
 The manual unfortunately doesn't explain how to make the 'position box' appear
on the screen. You need to press Shift-H and then you'll see the symbol (only
works w/realistic IHADSS, I think). No more disorientation during
engagements! This tip was provided by Lozz.

5. Another new key command found by Lozz:

From the pilot's or external cockpit, press shift-F. Now, you can pan around using
the joystick without having to hold button 2. You can do this in LOS or TADS
mode. If you see a target, you can lock if necessary, then fire at it, or press the B
key to fire at the CP/G's target instead. In his words, "Try this: Pull into a hover,
bring up the full screen IHADSS view by pressing 'I' twice, hit the shift+F keys
and then scan around for targets, use the Z&X keys to take a closer look, lock up
any targets with button3. Bingo! A perfect Stealthy attack with the benefit of full
screen situational awareness thrown in!"

To return to the normal joystick mode, press shift-F again.

6. Help! The link I followed to download the Gunship demo doesn't work.

Some of the sites that originally hosted the demo no longer do. Here are 2 links
where you can still download it (18 megs):
http://www.3dgamers.com/dl/games/gunship3/gsdemo.exe.html or,
http://downloads.gamezone.com/demos/d8462.htm

7. Why can't I kill dismounted infantry with my cannon?

When using your cannon against enemy infantry, switch off the TADS (Target
Acquisition and Designation System) and use your Mark I eyeball instead. The AI
always shoots low and will miss almost every time. If you're in the gunner's seat
you should unlock the target (with the L key or joystick button 4) and shoot
freehand.

8. Why does my wingman sometimes lag, stay in one spot, and not progress to the
next waypoint?

It could be that his helo is too badly damaged to continue. Or, perhaps his gunner
is trying to shoot infantry with the cannon and is shooting too low (see previous
item). If you don't want to wait for him, you can hit the map screen, change speed
to Hover, hit F9, jump into the other helo, finish the target, then jump back into
your original helo and continue on. Another thing that could cause this instead, is
if your computer is low on resources. Low resources can cause other numerous
odd things to happen in Gunship! like, for instance, pulling your trigger but no
weapons fire, missing or odd graphics, etc.

9. How to use the F4 and F9 keys.

 F4 is the chase view. If you press F9, it looks like a chase view, but it actually
will release your current helo to the AI's control, and let you view all the other
vehicles that are on your side. After pressing F9, then press F12 to view the next
vehicle, or F11 to view the previous (You might have to press them twice the first
time to get them to respond). You can instead press shift-F11 or shift-F12 to
jump to different platoons, instead of having to go thru every vehicle in every
platoon.

If the vehicle you're viewing is a flyable helo, you can then press Shift-F1 to take
control of it, and then F1-F4 to choose the cockpit you want. If you press shift F1
to take control of it but the game doesn't give it to you, hit F12 to the next vehicle,
then F11 back to the previous and try again usually works.

Note: The custom.ini setting HOLDONMAP = 'True' changes how the AI takes
over the helo. The most reliable way I've found, if you want to completely
release both pilot and CP/G to the AI, and you want them to continue the mission
on their own, is to first press F2, then 'w', then F9. This is a handy way to go look
at the map, for instance, but know that your helo and platoon will continue with
the mission (and ignore the HOLDONMAP setting). When you're ready to get
back into battle, just press one of the F1 thru F4 keys.

10. How to force the game to ignore the 'HoldOnMap' setting when necessary.

See the previous paragraph.

11. Why does the first waypoint sometimes get deleted by itself at the start of the
mission?

There is an anomaly where the first waypoint sometimes gets deleted (You hear
the radio say 'Lightning, continue with mission. Out.', and you know it got
deleted). This seems (to me) to happen only when you're flying certain helo's and
then hit 'N' to see the map as soon as the mission starts. If instead, I press F2, 'w',
then F9 (as detailed under #5 above), then 'N', it seems to prevent it from
happening. If you have more information as to why/when this happens, please let
me know and I'll update this.

12. Is there a way to change my flight model, HUD mode, or other settings after a
battle starts?

Yes there is. Hit 'Q', then click on the 'Options' button. You can't change local
settings during a multi-player game, however (all players use the host's settings).

13. Some mission designers add helo waypoints, but don't explicitly specify the
desired speed, flight profile, battle mode, and/or target priority at each waypoint.
 Example:
ORDER_MODE_WAYPT:
ORDER_WPT_CURRENT: 1
ORDER_ASMBLY_ASSMBLY:
ADDWAYPT: 96210 99301
ORDER_ASMBLY_BATTLEPOS:
ADDWAYPT: 94553 99449
ORDER_ASMBLY_LZ:

, i.e. only the waypoint types are added, and speed, flight profile, battle mode, and
target priority, are left to default.

When you play the battle, here is how Gunship! fills in the missing parameters:

1. If the player only views the 'Mission Planning' screen prior to battle
(regardless of whether or not they make any changes), each waypoint that
doesn't have those parameters explicitly specified, will copy the values
from the immediately preceding waypoint (except flight profile), even if
that means copying the values from the prior helo platoon's final
waypoint. This applies to all waypoints of all helo platoons, both friendly
and not, flyable or not. ORDER_WPT_SETDELAYTIME: seconds are
always reset to the default value for each waypoint type, regardless of
whether the mission writer explicitly specified them or not in the mission
text. ORDER_ASMBLY_EAST: and other facing commands are dropped
from the mission.
2. If the player does not view the 'Mission Planning' screen prior to battle,
each waypoint that doesn't have those parameters explicitly specified, will
take the default values that are defined for the waypoint type (Patrol, BP,
Assembly, etc.)
3. In either case, the flight profile (NoE, Contour, Cruise) for each waypoint
is always overwritten with the game default for that waypoint type,
regardless of whether it is explicitly specified in the mission text or not.
The only way for the player to use a different flight profile is to change it
after the mission starts, in the map screen or the Comms menu.

For more about this behavior and some workarounds, check this SimHQ thread,
and the ideas below.

14. Another issue, related to the above, is that Gunship! will ignore _PROTECT: and
_TARGET: objective orders if used under a helo platoon and the player views the
'Mission Planning' screen before the battle. Click here for a link to a patch that
fixes this and a thread on SimHQ that further explains the anomaly.

Mission building tips:

Here is what I have found about making missions:

1. Set each air and ground platoon's initial spawn facing direction correctly, to help
prevent unnecessary delay and collisions. See the manual for details.
2. Experiment w/artillery support before using it in a mission. You should also use
the Gunship! Tactical Reference to make sure the range of the artillery unit's
weapons is far enough for the expected targets in the mission. Check this thread
for more information. Gunship! Tactical Reference now also displays the number
of rounds that each vehicle will fire each time the platoon is called for artillery
support.
3. The Hind's (platoon 61) ATGM's are relatively weak and short-ranged, so, if the
mission you're building is for the original .exe, and you need good anti-armor
capability, add Havocs or Hokums, or write it for fng2k's v2.0 beta (in which the
Hind's ATGM's have greater range and effectiveness) instead.
4. Use the ORDER_PRIORITY_HQ: command sparingly, if at all, because it makes
the AI give highest targetting priority to tents, fuel and supply trucks, leaving the
platoon vulnerable to real threats, like tanks, Anti-Aircraft, infantry, etc.
5. Experiment w/initial formations for helo's because some formations lend
themselves to collisions, which cause loss of altitude and delay.
6. Make sure the spawn altitude is high enough that the helo's won't spawn inside or
under a tree or other obstruction.
7. Don't use LOGIC: commands for helo platoons, because, if the player views the
'Mission Planning' screen before battle, Gunship! will ignore the command(s), and
simply direct the platoon to fly to the first and only waypoint.
8. At each waypoint stop (and every pause on the way to _BATTLEPOS: and
_PATROL: waypoints), helo's will face their direction of travel, except the first,
at which they will always face north. Troops that dismount from transport helo's
at _LZ waypoints follow the same rules. If you want helo's or their dismounted
troops to face a different direction, rearrange or insert a _CHKPT: waypoint
before it. ORDER_ASMBLY_NORTH and other direction commands are
unreliable when used for helo's.
9. ORDER_FORM_ altitude commands are ignored in the game; instead, Gunship!
sets the helos' altitude from the waypoint type, so, if the altitude is important for a
waypoint, you have to change the waypoint type, or change the altitude while
playing the game.
10. Using the _SETDELAYTIME: command for helo's is unreliable since Gunship
will sometimes replace them with the defaults, which are Assembly: 5 minutes,
Patrol: 4, BattlePos: 3, _LZ: 30 seconds, and _SAR: 45 seconds.
11. Be careful of which waypoint parameters of altitude, speed, battle mode, and
target priority, that you omit and leave to default because, in many cases, you
can't rely on Gunship! to fill them with what you want or expect. Better to
explicitly specify all 4 parameters at each waypoint. All flight mode templates
can be easily copied and pasted from below.
12. For the very first waypoint for each helo platoon, explicitly specify the waypoint
type, and all 4 waypoint parameters, otherwise, in some cases, Gunship! will copy
them from a prior helo platoon's final waypoint.
13. Scan your helo orders for each platoon and make sure that no commands are
repeated or contradict each other, ie. that there is only one order for each of
altitude, speed, battle mode, and target priority per waypoint, otherwise Gunship!
will sometimes give 'left over' commands to another platoon.
14. Insert _HELO_S_AND_D: & _PRIORITY_ARMOR: commands at transport
helo _LZ: waypoints if you want their dismounted troops to fight aggressively.
15. If transport helo's don't reliably pick up troops at _SAR: waypoints, try inserting
an _LZ: ahead of the _SAR: waypoint to allow the helo's to drop off their current
load of troops first. I believe that at the start of missions, transport helo's begin
with a full load of troops, so I always make their first waypoint an _LZ: waypoint
to insure that they fly with an empty compartment, if their task is search and
rescue.

According to the vehicle table in the game, which I found by means of one of
fng2k's spreadsheets, each transport helo has the following initial load:

o Blackhawks: 1 infantry platoon 101

o Sea Stallions: 2 infantry platoons 101
o Hinds: 1 infantry platoon 98
o Hips: 2 infantry platoons 98
16. Don't add ADDWAYPT: or other commands under SUPPORT: lines because, at
least in some cases, Gunship! will give the waypoint(s) & commands not to the
support unit as expected, but to a previous unit instead.
17. Don't add a _PROTECT: or _PROTECT2: command under a helo platoon unless
the platoon to be protected is Raider or Sandy (the 2 transport helo callsigns).
One rule of thumb I follow is to only insert these 2 commands under the actual
platoon that is to be protected, although they otherwise could be placed anywhere
else in the mission.

Note: Although the Mission Editing guide says that the Raider and Sandy
callsigns do not work, they actually do work everywhere in the game except
when you display the map screen during the battle; there, they are erroneously
listed as Lightning instead. The Raider and Sandy callsigns work fine in the pre
and post-flight briefings and elsewhere in the game, and can therefore be used as
_PROTECT: ID's. Lately, I've had a lot of fun playing missions where the
objective is to protect one or more transport platoons during flight to and from
landing zones, so I've been using _PROTECT: 48 or _PROTECT: 49 for those.

18. Don't forget to apply these same guidelines to all the other helo platoons besides
the player platoon, including non-flyable and enemy helo's, since they are all
subject to the same flight and game rules.
19. Choose quality over quantity. Don't just sprinkle the whole battlefield with air
and ground units unless they are actually important to the mission. Excessive,
unnecessary units just steal processor power, making the mission unplayable by
those w/slower computers.
 20. Get in the habit of using unique callsigns for each platoon. That makes the
mission easier to follow, and easier to use the F9/F11/F12 keys to jump between
platoons.
21. Add comments liberally and arrange platoons in logical groups, helo's at the top,
etc. because most advanced players like to tweak even 3rd party missions to their
own tastes.

These helo waypoint templates have the default altitude, speed, battle mode, and target
priority, so they can be copied and pasted into missions:
ORDER_MODE_WAYPT:
ORDER_WPT_CURRENT: 1

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_CHKPT:
ORDER_ADV_FAST:
ORDER_FORM_CRUISE:
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_ENGAGE:
ORDER_PRIORITY_AIRDEF:

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_ASSMBLY:
ORDER_ADV_FAST:
ORDER_FORM_CRUISE:
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_BYPASS:
ORDER_PRIORITY_AIRDEF:
ORDER_WPT_SETDELAYTIME: 300

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_PATROL:
ORDER_FORM_CONTOUR:
ORDER_ADV_MED:
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_ENGAGE:
ORDER_PRIORITY_AIRDEF:
ORDER_WPT_SETDELAYTIME: 240

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_BATTLEPOS:
ORDER_ADV_SLOW:
ORDER_FORM_NOE:
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_S_AND_D:
ORDER_PRIORITY_ARMOR:
ORDER_WPT_SETDELAYTIME: 180

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_LZ:
ORDER_ADV_MED:
ORDER_FORM_CONTOUR:
/* ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_BYPASS: */
/* ORDER_PRIORITY_AIRDEF: */
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_S_AND_D:
ORDER_PRIORITY_ARMOR:

ADDWAYPT: x y
ORDER_ASMBLY_SAR:
ORDER_ADV_MED:
ORDER_FORM_CONTOUR:
ORDER_ASMBLY_HELO_BYPASS:
ORDER_PRIORITY_AIRDEF: