Foothold v4.4.0

The Director

• Added new campaign logic that controls how Red plans and supports its attacks.
• Changed Red to focus its forces on selected parts of the frontline instead of launching separate missions against random zones.
• Added coordinated attacks where CAP can provide cover, SEAD can clear the route, and CAS, helicopters, ground forces, artillery, and supplies can support the main attack.
• Changed Red to consider player activity, SAM coverage, damaged zones, available aircraft, supplies, recent captures, and important areas before starting an attack.
• Changed Red CAS so aircraft will avoid attacking through long-range SAM coverage. Red may send SEAD first or use helicopters and ground forces instead.
• Changed Red CAP to protect active fronts and respond to player activity instead of repeatedly covering the same area.
• Added the ability for Red to change targets, redirect aircraft, delay an attack, use a diversion, or stop an operation when the situation changes.
• Added backup AI groups and routes when an operation does not have a suitable preplaced option.
• Changed Red spending so zone upgrades, mass attacks, and Strategic Bombers are purchased based on what is happening in the campaign.
• Changed Blue-generated Attack, Capture, CAS, SEAD, DEAD, Recon, and Runway Strike missions to follow the active front.
• Added Blue campaign logic when blue AI is present to be more relevant where the players are.
• Added saving for active operations, previous targets, campaign results, and front priorities.

CAS And SEAD Missions

• Changed CAS missions so they are no longer won by whichever player finishes first.
  • Each qualifying kill adds 30 credits to the mission reward pool.
  • The entire reward pool is divided between surviving participants according to their qualifying-kill contribution.
• Changed CAS objectives to randomly require between 80% and 100% of the eligible ground targets in the selected zone, with a minimum of five targets.
• Added additional CAS missions based on the number of players.
  • Two CAS missions are available normally.
  • Three are available with at least three active players.
  • Four are available with at least six active players.
• Added up to two simultaneous SEAD missions at different zones.
  • Each qualifying SAM kill adds 50 credits to the mission reward pool.
  • The entire reward pool is divided between surviving participants according to their qualifying-kill contribution.
• Changed completed CAS and SEAD missions so qualified players who have already landed receive their rewards automatically.

Supply And Logistics

• Added ready-supply production to blue and red zones.
  • At default settings, a normal zone prepares one supply every 20 minutes. and can hold 1 supply.
  • A Logistic Center [WH] prepares one supply every 10 minutes and can hold 3 supplies.
  • Players can bring supplies from other zones and stockpile them so that front line have more supplies.
  • Damaged or missing units in a zone will effect the speed of the production.
• Changed AI supply missions to require ready supplies before launching.
  • Each supply mission that goes out from a zone will consume one supply.
  • Buying resupply friendly zone will not consume supply from their origin zone.
• AI supply missions will prioritize zones based on missing units, damaged units, frontline position, neutral zones, waiting time, existing deliveries, and current campaign priorities.
• Blue zones will now self repair and self upgrade if supplies exist in the warehouse.
  • One ready supply is consumed, and the work takes five minutes by default.
  • Repair or upgrade progress is shown on the F10 map.
• Added a 30-second player priority when the supply is ready, so player have a chance to pick the supply instead of the AI.
• Consumption of supplies, when players pick supplies from the zone can be toggled off in the config PlayerZoneSuppliesConsumeStock.
  • Returning or removing the supply restores it to the source zone.
  • Carrier and dynamic FARP supplies remain unlimited (for now)
• When players deliver supplies to a friendly zone, that zone will start the upgrade / repair process.
• Changed the C-130J-30 and Hercules to carry up to three supplies when WarehouseLogistics = false.
  • Added load and unload choices for one, two, or three supplies.
• Added a radio-menu option to enable or disable regular Blue AI logistics when allowed by the config.
• Progress of the supplies in each zone are stored.

Shop And Zone Upgrades

• Added an Add 3 Supplies shop option.
  • Costs 750 credits and requires rank 2.
• Added a GCI station zone upgrade.
  • Costs 500 credits and requires rank 3.
• Added EWR, Logistic Center, and Add 3 Supplies options to the WWII shop.
  • EWR costs 1,000 credits and requires rank 2.
  • Logistic Center costs 2,000 credits and requires rank 1.
  • Add 3 Supplies costs 750 credits and requires rank 2.
• Changed purchased supply missions to use a suitable nearby airbase, Logistic Center, or FARP when available.

Aircraft And Player Support

• Added F-14BU DynamicSpawn template.
• Added F-14BU to the config.
• Added F-14BU and F-14A variants to show the Carriers bearing when players uses "Get closest friendly airbase".
• Added F-4E BRU-42, GBU-24E. and SUU-23 in the weapons list.
• Added configurable player-escort altitude.
  • The escort can follow at the same altitude or between 1,000 and 10,000 feet above the player.
• Changed player escorts to use consistent air-to-air engagement settings while escorting, orbiting, and rejoining.
• Added alerts and a flashing F10 outline when a Blue zone comes under attack.

Config

• Added new supply settings to both the normal and WWII configs.
  • ZoneSelfRepairAndUpgradeTime controls how long a Blue zone takes to repair or upgrade itself using one ready supply. The default is 300 seconds.
  • PlayerZoneSuppliesConsumeStock controls whether player-picked Zone supplies consume ready stock.
• Added RadioMenuStopSupplies to the normal config.
  • This allows players to enable or disable regular Blue AI logistics from the radio menu.
• Added the new shop prices and rank requirements to the normal config.
  • Add 3 Supplies: 750 credits, rank 2.
  • GCI station: 500 credits, rank 3.
• Added the new shop prices and rank requirements to the WWII config.
  • EWR: 1,000 credits, rank 2.
  • Logistic Center: 2,000 credits, rank 1.
  • Add 3 Supplies: 750 credits, rank 2.

Performance And Fixes

• Changed zone maintenance to run in smaller waves, reducing large periodic CPU spikes.
• Changed supply-cargo tracking to reduce repeated checks and unnecessary logging.
• Fixed Zone supply cargo not always being detected correctly inside supply zones.
• Fixed JTAC smoke requests failing when no target is currently assigned.
• Fixed stale CSAR proximity and hover tracking remaining after a pilot was rescued.
• Fixed dynamically spawned GCI aircraft reusing occupied radio channels.
• Fixed naval supply and battleship groups spawning or restoring too close to shore.
• Fixed supply mission would display when there was only 1 blue zone.

Foothold Config Manager

• Added full config Preset support for each saved server instance.
  • Store the current config, switch Presets, update them, rename them, or delete them from the new Presets menu.
  • Each instance can store up to three Normal Presets and three WW2 Presets.
  • Normal and WW2 Presets are managed separately.
  • The active Preset is clearly marked and kept updated when the config is saved or a backup is restored.
  • Switching Presets validates the selected config and backs up the current config before replacing it.
• Added support for importing older Presets.
  • Older value-only Presets can be converted into full config Presets without changing the original files.
• Changed MIZ and config-file imports to support stored Presets.
  • The active Preset is updated automatically.
  • Other stored Presets can also be selected from the import preview.
  • Selected Presets are backed up before being updated.
• Added recovery options when a saved instance can no longer find its config.
  • Select another config, switch between the Normal and WW2 config in the same folder, install a config from a MIZ, or remove the saved instance.
  • Removing an instance does not delete its config file.
• Added live supply restock timer previews to the Red and Blue Supply Speed Scaling controls.
  • The Manager shows the resulting normal-zone and [WH] restock timers for both the Normal and WW2 configs.
• Added clear Locked notices when a setting is unavailable because of another selected option.
  • Conflicting settings are disabled automatically and show why they are locked.
• Added escort altitude selection to the escort configuration.
  • Escorts can follow at the same altitude or between 1,000 and 10,000 feet above the player.
• Changed Open file location to appear under the Manage menu to make room for the new Presets menu.