You can download the patch by launcing the Command update tool, or by clicking here.
New features & improvements:
* Simulation Performance. Major portions of the core execution pipeline have been re-architected to optimize performance and scalability. The boost is most noticeable on “heavy” scenarios (not just in terms of number of units but also activity, e.g. numerous concurrent pathfinding processes, everybody jamming and scanning everybody etc.). Stability is also improved.
* Air Refueling fixes. You asked for smarter and more dependable refueling AI & mechanics, and we listened.
The list of tweaks & improvements is too long to list here, but three major changes stand out:
a) Crews are now context-aware in their logic of picking the most suitable tanker. Depending on what the aircraft is supposed to be doing (enroute to mission, returning, free-roaming, on patrol, on support circuit etc.) the optimal choice is often significantly different.
b) Tankers are now smart enough to avoid overbooking (and thus getting completely drained). They now reject refuelling requests that they estimate they will not be able to service.
c) Aircraft returning from a mission (e.g. strikers on the RTB leg) will opt to bypass available tankers and head straight for their home bases if possible. This lightens the load on available tanker assets and eliminates the need to manually change the “use refuel” doctrine mid-mission. If they do need to refuel on the return leg they do as before.
* NCTR (Non-Cooperative Target Recognition) for select radar systems has been added, enabling active type/class-identification of air targets. See here for introduction to the technology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_MASINT#Non-Cooperative_Target_Recognition
NCTR as modelled in Command is broken into two techniques:
* JEM: Jet engine modulation (aka fan blade counting). This is simpler to process and more widespread but works only within a frontal arc of 15 degress offset from the target’s front (so that the fan blades are visible to the radar).
* NBILST: Narrow-beam Interleaved Search & Track (aka synthetic pseudo-imaging). This is far more demanding computationally and is possible only with phased-array radars, but can work regardless of target aspect.
Interestingly enough, even some quite old radar systems (like Square Pair on SA-5 batteries) have an NCTR ability. However, because of its manual/semi-automated nature (the operator literally looks on raw radar return modulation data on an oscilloscope) the classification time varies highly with operator proficiency. In modern systems the highly automated nature of the process (point the radar at the target and wait) means that crew skill is irrelevant.
When a target is classified using NCTR a relevant message is added to the message log.
* BVR cranking: Fighters launching BVR missiles now regularly attempt to “crank” (turn to the side while still tracking/painting as necessary, and throttle back) once they have taken all their shots. The purpose of the manouver is to reduce the rate of approach with the enemy and thus delay enemy countershots as much as possible.
* Damage repair rates (for sub-systems) have been increased and messages are now provided when a subsystem is repaired for a heavier to a lighter state of damage or fully restored.
When examining subsystems damage on a unit (Damage Control window), the different degrees of subsystem damage (light, medium, heavy) are represented by different colors (yellow, orange and orange-red). Destroyed systems retain the red color.
* Numerous fixes and tweaks to damage modelling including ARM impacts, cluster munitions, proximity blast damage, depth charge damage & duds etc.
* Includes the v418 versions of the DB3000 & CWDB databases with numerous fixes and additions.
Fixed/Added:
◦ – 0008123: ASW helo static after retrieving dipping sonar
◦ – 0008135: Strike Planner only works for 1 sortie all following strikes are straight on
◦ – 0007679: AS-9 Kyle hits ships but doesn’t cause any damage point loss
◦ – 0007089: HARM hits are not damaging targetted radar
◦ – 0007960: RBU-6000 “no armor penetration”
◦ – 0008102: CBU 87 doesn’t hit Inf platoon
◦ – 0007581: Build 521 TLAM-D Bug
◦ – 0007138: Himars/GMLRS accuracy against moving targets very poor
◦ – 0007487: [524] MLRS not killing tanks
◦ – 0008094: Aircraft launch torpedoes against KNOWN targets way too early
◦ – 0004520: Sverdlov armor issues
◦ – 0008117: AARGMs missing active emitters by large margin
◦ – 0007973: BVR cranking
◦ – 0007593: NCTR
◦ – 0008112: Asroc Shot short; Not landing in Torpedo sensor range of target
◦ – 0007862: Cluster Muntions Issues
◦ – 0008100: Weapons Damage model Issues Roundup
◦ – 0004935: Automatic fire vs Armor Issue
◦ – 0008107: 562- Delete Mission Crash
◦ – 0007245: MGs ineffective against Mobile targets
◦ – 0008119: 565: Intercept Mission Issue- Fighters launch due south well away from intercept target
◦ – 0008121: Strange post-crank behaviour
◦ – 0008051: CTD when deleting mission
◦ – 0005633: LOAD LAST RECORD BUTTON CRASH
◦ – 0008129: Exception received while command was running in background
◦ – 0008126: SARH Missiles seem to guide well outside their archs while aircraft is cranking
◦ – 0008127: SARH Amos shots really problematic with cranking
◦ – 0007778: Naval F-117 RCS too small?
◦ – 0007786: DB3k: 948 Elli-Kortaener Helo facilities issue
◦ – 0007787: DB3k: AV-8B Harrier II loadout 1565 issue
◦ – 0007781: DB3k: Need a 2015 Kusnetsov Magazine with Adders
◦ – 0007782: DB3k: DRPK Issues. Missing Najin and Nampo
◦ – 0007752: New J-7’s a number of African nations have
◦ – 0001891: Damage Status Window Refresh
◦ – 0003199: Damaged Sub rise to surface issue
◦ – 0003324: DB3K: Swiss Hawker Hunter
◦ – 0006619: AAW Mission Enhancement: Add A response area
◦ – 0004284: SCUD B-100 (Project-T)
◦ – 0006103: Add infantry weapons such as M72, RPG7, Milan, Javelin, etc
◦ – 0006364: DB3k Update: Add Irish Samual Becket class OPV
◦ – 0006508: DB3k Update: Add FLIRS to USGG aircraft
◦ – 0003758: DB3k Update: P31 Eithne Update (Ireland)
◦ – 0003760: DB3k Update: Add P21 Emer/Diedre (Ireland)
◦ – 0007061: Offensive ECM marked as DECM
◦ – 0007453: Mike’s tank and IFV’s to finish up list
◦ – 0006713: Cragside converted as USN/SOF mothership
◦ – 0007785: DB3k: AT-16 Scallion too slow
◦ – 0007679: AS-9 Kyle hits ships but doesn’t cause any damage point loss
◦ – 0007777: Super Frelons (Size Class: Lrg) should be able to take off from Clemenceau-class carriers
◦ – 0007842: Milas failing
◦ – 0007883: Add AN/PAQ-1 to Laser Maverick’s director list (and other LGBs)
◦ – 0007885: DB3k: HMS Ocean Upgrade 2014
◦ – 0007902: SLAMER-ATA cannot hit submarine
◦ – 0007829: Add CWDB Platform requests
◦ – 0007822: CWDB: DOB of Chinese Naval Aviation and initial aircraft
◦ – 0008053: DB3k: New LRASM data
◦ – 0007975: 1982-1990 FB-111 does not have the conventional loadouts
◦ – 0007942: Hound Dog missile issue…or not
◦ – 0008065: DB3k: UAE Baynunah fix
◦ – 0008064: DB3k: French Floreal Upgrades
◦ – 0008062: DB3k Update: Add AGM-88F
◦ – 0008099: Israeli Cobra helicopters out of service this year (2014)
◦ – 0008098: Seawolf and Ohio AN/BLQ-10(v3)(v4) aren’t detecting anything
◦ – 0008095: [DB Editor] Raptor pod sensor ranges
◦ – 0008093: DB3k: More flight deck space on San Antonio’s
◦ – 0008114: DB3k: New towed arrays for US navy DDG and CG
◦ – 0008118: A-6E Snakeeye loadout
◦ – 0008125: Soviet SEAD pretty useless if Viyuga can’t pick up NATO TPS-63/FPS-117 Radars
◦ – 0008133: DB3k: Add refueling flags to E-2D
◦ – 0008132: DB3k: Add Krypton KH-31A ASM loadout to Malaysian Flankers
◦ – 0007900: UGM-109E attacks on mobile units
◦ – 0008003: Sub snorkling with nearby contacts
◦ – 0008122: AS-6B ARM still not killing radars
◦ – 0008080: Magic depth charge
◦ – 0007411: [522] Depth Charge Malfunctions
◦ – 0007865: [554] Nuclear Depth Charges that miss should still explode and kill nearbye targets.
◦ – 0007986: [General program infrastructure] Crash after RAF Falkirk was destroyed
◦ – 0008044: Sub Transits too deep
◦ – 0008074: [B557] Exception
◦ – 0008038: Diesel bouncing up and down to recharge batteries
◦ – 0007241: [509] Land units assigned to Asuw Patrol Ground and Mixed dont’ move
◦ – 0007089: HARM hits are not damaging targetted radar
◦ – 0007046: HARM vs. Ships damage issue
◦ – 0006849: F/A-18F Cannot Refuel each other with Buddy store
◦ – 0007998: Aircraft refueling logic (SH-to-SH buddy)
◦ – 0007811: [553] Wooden Leg Refueling Issues
◦ – 0007901: Weird behaviour during in flight refueling
◦ – 0006980: [501] KA-6D tanker problem
◦ – 0003147: Countering “overbooking” in air refuelling
◦ – 0007602: [536] Units forget the RTB order after going defensive
◦ – 0006618: [486] Refueling Issues
◦ – 0006847: Refueling Case: Multiple Refueling Aircraft on station with RefuelingROE set to on = Crashed aircraft
◦ – 0007988: Aircraft refuses to refuel from nearest tanker
◦ – 0006772: Serious tanker doctrine issues – set scen/mission/group/unit default to false
◦ – 0008067: [Build 556] Exception Error
◦ – 0006454: [483] Support mission, 1 time loop and refueling logic
◦ – 0008069: Refueling: E-3 crashes as it can’t seem to link up with KC-135E
◦ – 0003072: Aircraft assigned to the same mission should go to the same tanker
◦ – 0004974: Aircraft running out of fuel and crashing. Not refueling
◦ – 0005517: When Group Refueling ROE is set, individuals aren’t inheriting it when the group breaks up to RTB
◦ – 0005253: Tankers RTB too late
◦ – 0008072: [557] Sub trying to attack sonobouy
◦ – 0008087: [Build 553] Refueling Sentry keeps hooking up
◦ – 0008086: [558 Refueling] Most Vipers want to keep refueling than return to patrol zone
◦ – 0007974: Need to add color depth check at startup
◦ – 0007880: Crash when using zones
◦ – 0007910: Freezes during tutorial after activation of No-Nav Zone
◦ – 0008088: Tanking fix broke 3rd rule
◦ – 0008058: Dipping Passive Sonar (Build 554)
◦ – 0008091: [560] Units in ferry missions stay with the tankers instead of follow the mission