L63H_ACM_Compat

0.0.4

0.0.3

0.0.3
Covers everything since 0.0.1.

NEW
- AI-crewed Apaches: L63H_AH64A_AI, a child of ACM's AH-64A, and L63H_AH64D_AI, L63H_AH64D_Desert_AI and L63H_AH64D_HeloDrab_AI, children of ACM's AH-64D in its three paint schemes. An AI pilot flies them in L63_HeliAI's Strike and Patrol flights. The AI copilot-gunner in the front seat lases with the TADS, guides Hellfires on the aircraft's own laser code and works the M230 gun; the pilot fires the Hydras in pairs, one per pod. No passengers. What the crew does is in L63_HeliAI 0.0.78's notes.
- All four have the same crew and components. The three AH-64Ds share one registry row, AH-64D Apache, with the AH-64A's settings; like ACM's own, they show as "AH-64D Apache" to a Game Master (the paint tells them apart).
- ACM's own systems do the work: the TADS lock and laser designation, the Hellfire's seeker, the flare dispensers and the reload. This addon connects them to L63_HeliAI and decides nothing itself.
- Countermeasures: the copilot-gunner dispenses flares against ACM anti-air missiles locked on its Apache, found by their own lock, not by ACM's missile warning receiver. Chaff is not used: every such missile is handled as infrared.
- Home service: at an RTB park ACM's own reload refills the Apache. Where that reload does not cover an airframe, L63_HeliAI's own re-arm runs instead (REFILL NOT COVERED in the log).
- Hellfires leave the right inboard rail first: from the left one, a guided round flew several metres below the line of sight for its first seconds.
- Hydra aim: 0.4 deg of superelevation. In testing the pairs landed on average 0.3 m high at about 330 m on the AH-64A, 0.5 m high on the AH-64D.

CHANGED
- Requires L63_HeliAI 0.0.78 or later (was 0.0.75): update L63_HeliAI first. This version does not compile against 0.0.77 or older.
- Script comments trimmed: a script error now names a different line number than in 0.0.1.

TESTED ON THE AH-64D
- Each paint once: a transport route (landed 0 m from its mark, flew home, parked) and, in a hover, a laser-guided Hellfire into an empty BTR-70 3 km away (three hits).
- The plain AH-64D: flares at once against two ACM Mistrals (one decoyed, one still hit); rocket passes in two flights, Hydras in pairs, no Hellfire off its rail. Once each: a hover battle position 3 km out, three crewed UAZ-469 destroyed with three Hellfires; as an AH-64A's wing, each at its own battle position, three UAZ-469 destroyed, none shot twice; refilled and re-crewed at home, then its new copilot-gunner destroyed a crewed UAZ-469 2.75 km away from a hidden battle position.

FOR SERVER ADMINS
- Dependencies are unchanged: L63_HeliAI and ACM Flight CORE (1.0.44 or later; tested with 1.0.46).
- For the Apaches, add ACM AH-64D to the server's mod list (it holds all four ACM Apaches and brings ACM Strike Package). This addon does not download them, so a server without Apaches downloads nothing new.
- Without ACM AH-64D the ropes work as before and no Apache spawns: a flight drawing one from a Prefab Pool spawns the slot's own Prefab; its first launch logs a pool warning and an engine resource error naming each missing ACM prefab (AH64A.et, AH64D.et, AH64D_Desert.et, AH64D_HeloDrab.et).
- A warning starting [L63H_ACM] after an Apache spawns (CENSUS, UNGUIDED GROUP none or DEFENCE) means something its AI crew needs was not found on it, for example after an ACM update.
- Each AI Apache is two AI: the pilot and the copilot-gunner.
- When an Apache parks to re-arm, ACM's reload refuses while the rotor turns: the log shows REARM warnings (REFUSED, SHORT), then about 20 s later a quiet retry refills it. 'REARM retry dropped' means it did not (for example, the Apache left first).
- Not yet checked on a dedicated server.

FOR MISSION MAKERS
- Put any of the four Apache prefabs in a Strike or Patrol flight's airframe slot or Prefab Pool. If the mission may run without ACM AH-64D, use the Prefab Pool and keep an L63H gunship as the slot's own Prefab.
- A Game Master sees these Apaches only after an L63_HeliAI flight spawns them. ACM's own AH-64A or AH-64D, placed in a mission or by a Game Master, gets no AI crew from this addon.
- The crew's settings are on L63_HeliAI's weapons operator component; each has a tooltip. The operator adapter's Defence settings (Infrared / Radar Seeker Classes) have no effect in this version.
- The rope stations and the 15 roping helicopters are unchanged.

KNOWN
- The AH-64D runs the AH-64A's code and settings. Not flown on it: Patrol attacks with the sight, moving targets, fighting from an open spot on the approach, leading a two-ship. The Desert and Helo Drab flew only the route and the Hellfire test.
- Decoys: whether they defeat a missile is not proven; in testing on the AH-64D one missile of two still hit.
- See L63_HeliAI 0.0.78's KNOWN list.
- Built and tested with ACM AH-64D 1.0.2, ACM Strike Package 1.0.16 and ACM Flight CORE 1.0.46. ACM updates often change the AH-64's internals.

0.0.1