Radio communications, intelligence, and bounty hunting.

Hello everyone!

We have completed work on a major server update. In this update, we have added new interaction features, rewards for scouting supply columns, bonuses for victors in aerial combat, made changes to the economy, and fixed a number of bugs and flaws. But first things first.

Radio Communication.
The largest and most noticeable new feature is the implementation of radio communication via TeamSpeak 3. Now, by being on the game server and in our TS simultaneously, and after configuring the client, you will be able to use radio comms. This will broadcast to all combatants belonging to your coalition within a certain range who are performing combat missions at the same time as you on our server.

How does it work?
There are two bots living in our TS. One is for linking your TS account to the system account (so the system can accurately identify you, see your coalition, etc.). By the way, the linking procedure is very simple and takes literally 30 seconds.

The second bot acts as a repeater. The player assigns a push-to-talk button and configures "whispering" to the repeater bot. That is, you will be talking to the bot. The repeater bot (after your account is linked) knows your coalition, your coordinates, and the coordinates of other virtual pilots and tankers, and can relay your speech to those within the radio station's range.

This way, players can sit comfortably in their own channels without losing connection to other channels in our TS. You can plan and execute joint operations without having to set up multiple different buttons to whisper into different channels, to different players, or, even worse, channel hop. It is enough to set up "whispering" to the repeater bot just once. From now on, there is no need to gather in a huge crowd in one channel, which is usually full of noise and chatter. You can split up into flights or specializations (attack aircraft in one channel, transports in another, fighters in a third), go to different channels, and still maintain contact.

With this, we simulate real radio communication used in aviation to this day, albeit with a shorter hearing range, and we hope this will facilitate organization and bring the server to life in terms of communication.

Zoning.
Radio communication is divided into zones. There are three in total:

• Briefing.

• Combat mission execution. When the player spawns on the airfield or in a tank.

• Outside the server.

While in the briefing room, via radio communication, you can talk to all players (only those who have linked their account to the system one) who belong to your coalition and are also in the briefing, but you cannot broadcast messages into the combat zone. Those who have spawned on the airfield or tank range cannot hear the briefing zone, and the briefing cannot hear them. Therefore, coordinate your actions in the briefing room beforehand. In the combat zone, players can request help if they suddenly encounter superior enemy forces, etc.

Outside the server, radio communication will not work at all. If you leave our server, no one will hear your messages—neither the briefing room nor the combat zone.

In addition, we tried to add realistic noise and interference to the radio comms, which will add realism to air and ground battles and provide immersion for players. The radio connection will cut off when a player leaves their vehicle or is shot down. Such a player is immediately moved to the briefing room, so don't try to shout on the air hoping to give a tip to someone who is still fighting. The range is 31 km—a sphere, not a cylinder.

Future Prospects.
At the moment, radio communication has been implemented experimentally. If players actively use the comms and like this approach, we will develop it further. What could this development look like? Well, firstly, although it is not very historically accurate, for the sake of game mechanics, we could add "communication nodes" that will increase the radio range. These could be physical objects that aircraft can destroy to deprive the opposing side of the extended radio range. Also, VNOS (Air Observation, Warning, and Communication) posts are planned. Players will be able to transport and set up air observation posts using transport aircraft. In turn, these posts—with some errors, but more accurately than regular game triggers (many of you have seen text hints on other servers like "enemy aircraft spotted in such-and-such grid," even though there might be more than one aircraft, and it's unclear what altitude or course they are on)—will be able to notify everyone within radio range. Our posts will be able to broadcast the approximate altitude, quantity, types (specialization), and approximate direction of one or more aircraft. This will facilitate interceptions and, as a result, spectacular dogfights.

Furthermore, for fans of immersion, we could add AI dispatchers to airfields, with whom you can communicate. Requesting a "bearing" (direction to the airfield), getting weather conditions, receiving takeoff clearance or denial...

The radio setup is described in the article:

Scouting Rewards.
Since transport columns, railway, or maritime supply require reconnaissance, we have added a reward for those who perform such tasks. The conditions for receiving the reward are simple: you must be the closest to the center of the trigger when it activates, and after the "fog of war" circle is replaced by an icon, return to any allied airfield. If the scout does not return, the reward will not be credited to their account (but will be noted in the session log with the values). If the scout is in a group, the reward goes to the group's shared income. Each successful reconnaissance is rewarded as follows:

• For scouting a garrison supply: 100 in-game currency and 35 points.

• For scouting an airfield supply: 200 in-game currency and 70 points.

You can read about supplies and the mechanics of scouting them in the articles: "Airfield Supply: Life for Aviation" and "Garrison Supply: The Key to Success".

"Headhunting".
A bonus for shooting down aircraft has been added to the standard reward. The size of the reward directly depends on who you shoot down (destroy on the ground in PVP), as it is calculated in relation to the enemy's balance and points. If it is an ace or just a general with a lot of in-game currency and points on their balance, the reward will be higher, but if it is a rookie who is barely making ends meet and is just learning to play in a virtual war environment, the reward will be insignificant (sometimes even zero). Hunting aces is more profitable than shooting blind rookies. The main condition for receiving the bonus is the survival of your game character at the time the bonus is calculated. If the victor is in a group, the bonus is credited to the group's shared account.

• The bonus amount in points is 2% of the number of points shot down.;

• The bonus amount in the game currency is 5% of the downed balance.;

Reward for Paratroopers.
As of this update, the reward for shooting a paratrooper is abolished. Now, the reward for the crew will only be awarded up to the moment they bail out of the vehicle.

However, please note that clause 6.3 of the server rules states: "It is forbidden to intentionally leave the game while flying or operating a tank without a technical or gameplay necessity (damage that does not allow continuing the fight). Bailing out of an undamaged vehicle by the crew is considered disrespect to the enemy and is strictly punished." Such actions disrupt the mission balance, interfere with other players, and can lead to account wipes.

In the future, we will implement automatic monitoring of "bailing out of undamaged vehicles," and the system itself will punish such players with massive fines.