New SEOW Release: SEDCSv3.1.0, SEDB31, MP4-v4.360

[IV/JG7_4Shades]

On behalf of the SEOW Development Team, I am delighted to announce a major milestone release for SEOW. The new release, to be termed 3.1.0, contains a very important set of new functionality for SEOW campaigning.

Ideas, criticisms and play testing feedback from many people around the globe have been fed into the development of the SEOW 3.1.0 code set. Now, at last, we have what is probably the most credible ground war system ever seen in the flight sim community. Of course, like most features in SEOW, it is optional. We recognize that every different group of users likes to play SEOW differently, so we always try to ensure that SEOW features can be mixed and matched at the click of a button.

So here goes with the usual list of significant changes in this release.

Software Requirements
The new SEOW system requires the following free software installs:

Mission Planner v4.360
PHP4 or PHP5 (server side)
Internet Explorer 6/7, or Firefox with IE plug-in (client-side)

SEDCS v3.1.0
MyODBC-v3.51.12 or later
.NET Framework 2.0

SEDB31
The SEDB31-series databases are available either in MySQL4/MySQL5 or MSAccess2003+ flavours, and both flavours interoperate seamlessly with the other MP and DCS software components. I haven't been able to contact Katana recently, so I have released "Lite" versions of the SEDB31 sector databases myself - the database now has something like 500,000 records in its full form, so the "Lite" databases are highly recommend for public server applications.

Backward Compatibility
This new release is not compatible with previous SEOW software versions at all. While it is possible to upgrade existing databases to SEDB31 standard, this effort is very complex. Re-templating existing campaigns is recommended if access to the new SEOW feature set is desired.

Co-existence
The new DCS v3.1.0 happily co-exists with earlier DCS installs on the same PC, so you can manage your new and old campaigns from the same PC, if need be. The new MP can also be run in parallel with the old MP, but at the cost of an extra 110 MB of disk space.

Changes:

SEDB31
*) Missing Spitfire MkVIII (CW) object added to Object_Specifications (Hitcher)
*) Missing Normandy road routes added to Highways (Paddington)
*) Loadouts added for P-39D2, C-47, Li-2, L2D to Aircraft_Loadouts (Ala13_Mdie)
*) 779BAP, 108GvShAP added to Airforce_Units table
*) Duplicate Normandy-Niemen regiment entries fixed in Airforce_Units
*) Aces aircraft set to AI-only in Object_Specifications (II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Structural changes to Airbases, Object_Specifications, Highways, Highway_Intersections, Sector_Status, ObjMissionData, Industrial_Installations, Station_Type, Campaign_Settings tables
*) New tables Demolition_Orders, Sector_Movement_Cost, Supply_Drop_Orders, Supply_Drops, OffMap_Supply_Reserves
*) New data for Berlin, Cyrenaica, Italy, Kyushu, North Sea, Oslo, Ostfriesland sectors
*) Revised Highways, Highway_Intersections and Industrial_Intersections data
*) Added fuel capacity and range data to Object_Specifications (Jager)
*) Updated SEOW Airbase manual v2.0

MP4-v4.360
*) CoopManager web scripting support to integrate SEOW with rnzoli's Dynamic Server Coop system (102nd_YU_Cmirko, rnzoli)
*) Ostfriesland sector, using the NW Europe map (JAGD_RC)
*) Cyrenaica sector, using the Desert map (II/JG77Hawk_5)
*) Kyushu sector (WTE_Goanna)
*) Berlin sector (II/JG77Hawk_5)
*) Italy sector (JAGD_RC)
*) North Sea sector, based on Norway map (II/JG77Hawk_5)
*) Improved Rocket Tools management
*) Support for display of targeted industrial areas in SchedMissions tool (II/JG4_Ivank)
*) Enhanced Stalingrad and Prokhorovka zoomed views (II/JG77Hawk_5)
*) Revised unit icon tooltips to show endurance and morale states
*) Supply Drop orders and targeting features
*) Corrected airspeed displays to use IAS throughout (II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Transportation of fuel/supply by air, sea and ground
*) Improved character mapping for the Objectives screen (esmiol)
*) Improved handling of airbase selection and tooltip display
*) Greatly revised and expanded Option Settings display
*) Corrected airbase takeoff vector calculations
*) Improved Green and Classic skins for MP
*) Seaplane bases now moved to Airbase_Type >= 200
*) Support for engineer demolition of airbases, industrial facilities and bridges (RAF74_Taipan, II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Sector- and season-specific movement cost factors
*) Corrected Merger Tool for carrier operations and to correct the scenery objects counter (RAF74_Buzzsaw, 13_Taipan, 13_Baxter)
*) Costs screen now optionally contains images of all objects (II/JG77Hawk_5)



SEDCS v3.1.0
*) Support for aircraft breakdowns (13_Taipan)
*) Corrected glider mission altitudes at Off Map points. (III/JG11_Tige)
*) Automated unit morale support, including desertion and surrender functions
*) Integrated fuel/supply tracking functionality for all units
*) Unit refueling from nearby supply dumps
*) Airbase control now set at template load time when Fog_Of_War=1 (RAF74_Buzzsaw)
*) Improved wreckage generation for destroyed shipping
*) Corrected spurious listing of targets in .properties file
*) Ground movements can now be auto-truncated at mission end
*) Full support for engineer demolition actions
*) Corrected timing of bridge repair calculations
*) Nation-specific radio silence settings (II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Option to place targets in ALL infrastructure facilities (II/JG4_Ivank)
*) Corrected handling of temporary airbases for CS_Front_Lines = 0 (RAF74_Buzzsaw)
*) Implementation of sector and season-specific movement costs, by unit class
*) Nation-specific settings for initial intelligence rates (Hitcher)
*) Nation-specific settings for ground movement model (II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Nation-specific unit skill modes at template load time (Hitcher)
*) Nation-specific pilot loss penalties (II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Powerful web scripting support including reporting of standard cycle status events and exceptions (102nd_YU_Cmirko, rnzoli)
*) Corrected ClockAdvance error after removal of In Progress missions (II/JG77Hawk_5)
*) Corrected "halt at junction" bug in ground movement module (WTE_CraigusNZ, II/JG3K.Brandle)
*) Implementation of selectable recon decay rates per unit class
*) A6M2-N Rufe added as potential host seat aircraft

Downloads are available at the usual place.

Enjoy!

IV/JG7_4Shades, on behalf of the SEOW Development Team