| Damage Model Aspects of Aircraft |
| Written by DOC |
| Thursday, 12 February 2009 14:16 |
 We’ve had a number of pilot players in the game ask questions about aircraft performance degradation as a result of battle damage. Generally the confusion stems from the game engine not being able to dynamically display all forms of battle damage and the network then process the rendering result of this to everyone across the internet, while also doing the many other state updates the broad spectrum of the game demands.
The damage model of real aircraft in the real world is an infinitely variable and changing state that is enormous, from 1 bullet hole to the entire airframe disintegrating, there are hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of degrees or “states” of damage that could occur. We have to abstract this heavily to stay within the confines of what we have available to make use of, in emulating this kind of thing. All aircraft perform perfectly (and identically) until damaged. While in the real world two Bf109F-4’s would have different performance results as a consequence of different states of engine tune, parts wear and tear, the finish on various areas of the airframe, and fit and finish of the overall airframe … this kind of variety isn’t really viable for us to model, so all aircraft (indeed all weapons and equipment) perform in 100% perfect condition until they are damaged. The same is naturally true of every vehicle or weapon of an identical type. Now, when a part of an aircraft (since this was about the aircraft damage model and not, say … tanks which function differently in a different kind of combat environment to aircraft) … when a part of the airframe takes damage there are a number of “levels” that each part of the airframe is divided into, each one representing a consequential impact to the aircrafts performance integrity that is graduated across those levels. The first level is only light damage, and is generally most noticeable to the pilot as just a loss of airspeed from extra drag on the airframe caused by the damaged aerodynamic skin that covers the airframe and flight control surfaces. If the damage part of the aircraft is a flight control surface (like the rudder, or elevator, or the ailerons) then you may detect some loss of response in the direction of vector change controlled by that flight control surface. At the light level of damage this for most goes un-noticed to them with everything else that is happening. For some pilots this level of damage may be almost impossible to detect, others less so. Chances are that if they are hit only lightly the guy that did this damage is either adding more damage to your airframe as quickly as he can or will as soon as he gets another guns solution on you. Thus few pilots spend any time evaluating and measuring exactly what happens at ANY static level of damage their plane is at, until something catastrophic happens, like one of their wings goes in a different direction to the rest of their airframe. They tend to notice that. From “light” to “catastrophic” there are a number of graduated levels that, until a catastrophic event occurs, increase the level of drag to that component as each level is reached with increasing damage coming in from your attacker. This doesn’t just “slow you down” but has other consequences, depending on the component damaged. If your left wing is damaged, you will have a tendency for the aircraft to want to fly sideways “dragging its left wing” in addition to the loss of speed to deal with. It won’t handle as well, and might experience some inability to climb, to roll or bank or recover from a stall. If the left aileron was damaged, you might have reduced roll and bank response as a result, or if sufficient levels of damage were imparted to it, no aileron at all. Visually you can’t see the damage but one day we would like that ability to be there as well. However, with tanks and trucks and ships and boats and countless dozens of other state and weapons information going across the network from the huge world all around you, and everything in it, we haven’t been able to find space in our bandwidth for that yet. Perhaps when we do a completely new set of hi-resolution cockpits at some point in the future we might conspire a local client side version of this, it’s hard to say. Would be nice however! With each level of damage taken, drag increases, and if there are other associated criteria, those too can be expected to increase. When you have received enough damage to reach the final level (catastrophic) the wing comes off, so you aren’t worrying about that damage drag so much anymore. Other components react according to their general design and what consequences might be expected. Engines for example, can be damaged through a variety of levels of damage, but unlike a wing or tail structure (which will not break off until the final level of damage is imparted to it) … an engine however can receive a level of damage that is not catastrophic but will, if allowed to run on as you try to escape back to base, damage itself (and thus become catastrophic when it dies) just by running with that damage affecting it. The more damaged it is before you escape combat alive, the less time you have until it self destructs while you are trying to escape. An oil tank might have been holed; its “catastrophic” level of damage is when there is no oil left. While nothing more will happen to the oil tank, the engine will now start to damage itself. Once that occurs, your time with a functioning engine is limited. Fires are different again. Even the first light level of damage to a fuel tank can create a chance of fire. It’s not guaranteed but it can happen, or not, depending on your luck. Each level of damage higher than that increases the risk, but it is never 100% unless the last (highest) or catastrophic level is imparted. |
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Comments (4)
1
Friday, 13 February 2009 05:15
tettie
Nice read DOC. One question: are all the damage states measured upon damage taken in joules? IE you have band withs in joules of damage taken for each damage state?
2
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 16:21
Aceman8
DOC, any chance of modeling the engines so that we have individual control over each engine? If I have one engine about to go nuclear, I'd like the ability to turn that engine off to prevent an explosion/wing loss, etc.
3
Friday, 20 February 2009 09:16
Miar
Are there going to be modeled flaps dmg, gear dmg or fuel lines in wing? I never experienced problems with these in flight. And i also think that pressure indicators on instrument panels dont work...
4
Friday, 20 February 2009 19:15
iizvn
WWII pilots such as myself appreciate you taking the time to explain such a critical part of self preservation during gameplay. S!
