I just released version 7.82 on the main website and here on SourceForge.net.
It remains interoperable with every version since 7.70 but it exploits new features of the newest "Mumble" very powerfully. A small change in the handling of the "NetworkMode" attribute (from the LacConfig.txt configuration file) determines whether LAC should interface with old Mumble "the old way" or interface with the newest Mumble in "the new way". If you are using Mumble version 1.3.0 or later, you should upgrade. I think you will really like the additional power! These additional Mumble functions are triggered by Morse Code messages between online players, and LAC's standard keyboard arrangement has been expanded with additional Morse-related buttons to make all of this easier.
Here is the "WhatsNew":
======= WHATS NEW IN V7.82 ==========
Changes in the early Sep2019 version (Lac07p82) include:
This version is operationally compatible with all prior versions since Lac07p70, but it takes powerful advantage of the newest (optional) features in Mumble V1.3.0, and the area of the keyboard used in our standard configuration has been expanded with additional functions for those that have updated their copy of Mumble.
While parked on the runway waiting for refueling and repairs, the player can now stop the automated review and vocalization of all of the mission targets (which normally cycles "Select Next Target" through all ten mission aircraft) by tapping the "Select Previous Target" key. This gives the player an opportunity to examine the tactical situation at his own pace and designate his own preferred target while his aircraft is being serviced.
Even more powerful Mumble integration, with an improved standard keyboard layout, placing even more Communication-oriented commands within easy reach.
Unfortunately, older versions of Mumble, which do not support new commands that recent versions of LAC like to use for interprocess communication, are still in common use. Accordingly, this version of LAC has enhanced its interpretation of the "NetworkMode" attribute that can be set in the "LacConfig.txt" configuration file. That variable is now "Bit Coded". Use of the least significant bit is unchanged, so a value of "0" still indicates "Peer to Peer Mode" as before, and a value of "1" still indicates "Client/Server" mode as before. However, we are no longer ignoring the other bits. As a consequence, four distinct settings of "NetworkMode" are now fundamental to LAC's operation on the network and with Mumble, as follows:
if NetworkMode is set to "0", LAC will operate in "Peer-to-Peer" mode and will not attempt to use any advanced Mumble functions.
if NetworkMode is set to "1", LAC will operate in "Client/Server" mode and will not attempt to use any advanced Mumble functions.
NetworkMode is set to "2", LAC will operate in "Peer-to-Peer" mode but it will take full advantage of advanced Mumble functions.
if NetworkMode is set to "3", LAC will operate in "Client/Server" mode and it will take full advantage of advanced Mumble functions. This is the preferred setting.
(Explanatory text within the LacConfig.txt file explains all of this and will help users set the value of NetworkMode appropriately.)
When LAC is told to avoid Mumble's advanced functions, it relies on the user to configure Mumble "Shortcuts", as described in our "Frequently Asked Questions", as the basis for our Mumble interface. Users that configure all 26 of those Mumble shortcuts will enjoy very smooth, high-speed Mumble performance for all of the basics. However, for unknown reasons, Mumble loses some or all of those 26 shortcuts from time to time, so it is frequently necessary to reprogram them. Without those shortcuts, it is still easy to use Mumble on a single channel, but it is difficult to optimize channel choices. As a consequence, most Mumble transmissions will be broadcast to friendly and opposing team members alike.
When LAC is allowed to use the advanced functions from Mumble version 1.3.0 and later, it automatically tunes Mumble to the best channel for every mission as soon as the player selects it, and all of the following "Hot Keys" always work immediately during those online missions, with no need to program the corresponding Mumble Shortcuts:
"1": Switch to M1All Channel.
"2": Switch to M1Blue Channel.
"3": Switch to M1Red Channel.
"4": Switch to M2All Channel.
"5": Switch to M2Blue Channel.
"6": Switch to M2Red Channel.
"7": Switch to M3All Channel.
"8": Switch to M3Blue Channel.
"9": Switch to M3Red Channel.
"0": Switch to Root Channel.
"F7": Morse Squelch BlueTeam
"F8": Morse Squelch RedTeam
"F9": Morse Unsquelch All
"F10": Switch to TeamCast channel.
"F11": Switch to MissionCast channel.
"CapsLock": Toggle keyboard in and out of "Morse Code Radio" mode.
In addition, the following Mumble commands are instantly available if the associated (very simple and well-behaved) Mumble shortcuts are configured:
F1: Push To Talk in Current Channel
F2: Shout to Parent Channel and its Children
F3: Volume Down
F4: Volume Up
F5: Mute Speaker
F6: Mute Microphone
Furthermore, LAC even uses those advanced Mumble commands in conjunction with six types of specially formatted Morse Code Radio messages as follows:
1 of 6: "PPPPPPPP2" (Eight or more sequential "P" characters followed by one or more copies of the single digit "1", "2", "3", "4", "5","6","7", "8", "9", or "0", corresponding with one of the ten players in the mission.) This is the "PROMOTE" command, and it grants administrative privileges to the designated mission player. Although no player can promote himself, he can promote any other player on his team. The player remains "promoted" until he is killed or exits the mission. After being promoted in this manner, the promoted player can thereafter issue any of these other six specially formatted Morse Radio messages:
2 of 6: "SSSSSSSS" (Eight or more sequential "S" characters). This is the "SECRECY" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto a new, secret, Mumble channel for private communication. Members of the other team are NOT switched, and it is cumbersome and time-consuming for them to ever discover which channel is being used for this secret conversation. It is unlikely that members of the opposing team will hear conversations held in this manner.
3 of 6: "MMMMMMMM" (Eight or more sequential "M" characters). This is the "MISSIONCAST" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "MissionCast" channel for the current realm and mission so that everybody participating in the mission will be able to hear and converse with everybody else.
4 of 6: "TTTTTTTT" (Eight or more sequential "T" characters). This is the "TeamCast" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "TeamCast" channel for the current realm and mission. The other team also has its own TeamCast mission as a "sibling" channel, and those two sibling channels are isolated from one another so that voice communication in one is not heard in the other. Note, however, that any player that chooses to enter the mission's "MissionCast" channel WILL hear everything, so this "TeamCast" option is best viewed as a means of minimizing congestion rather than a means of ensuring secrecy.
5 of 6: "RRRRRRRR" (Eight or more sequential "R" characters). This is the "Root" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "Root" channel of our Mumble server at LinuxAirCombat.com. This is handy for recruiting new players into the mission, since it is commonplace for new players to hang out in our Root channel while waiting for mission activity elsewhere.
As a consequence of these advanced commands, it is now much easier for teams equipped with the latest versions of Mumble to make powerful and orderly use of our Mumble channels, enjoying a significant advantage in combat.
Last edit: bbosen 2019-08-29
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I just released version 7.82 on the main website and here on SourceForge.net.
It remains interoperable with every version since 7.70 but it exploits new features of the newest "Mumble" very powerfully. A small change in the handling of the "NetworkMode" attribute (from the LacConfig.txt configuration file) determines whether LAC should interface with old Mumble "the old way" or interface with the newest Mumble in "the new way". If you are using Mumble version 1.3.0 or later, you should upgrade. I think you will really like the additional power! These additional Mumble functions are triggered by Morse Code messages between online players, and LAC's standard keyboard arrangement has been expanded with additional Morse-related buttons to make all of this easier.
Here is the "WhatsNew":
======= WHATS NEW IN V7.82 ==========
Changes in the early Sep2019 version (Lac07p82) include:
This version is operationally compatible with all prior versions since Lac07p70, but it takes powerful advantage of the newest (optional) features in Mumble V1.3.0, and the area of the keyboard used in our standard configuration has been expanded with additional functions for those that have updated their copy of Mumble.
While parked on the runway waiting for refueling and repairs, the player can now stop the automated review and vocalization of all of the mission targets (which normally cycles "Select Next Target" through all ten mission aircraft) by tapping the "Select Previous Target" key. This gives the player an opportunity to examine the tactical situation at his own pace and designate his own preferred target while his aircraft is being serviced.
Even more powerful Mumble integration, with an improved standard keyboard layout, placing even more Communication-oriented commands within easy reach.
Unfortunately, older versions of Mumble, which do not support new commands that recent versions of LAC like to use for interprocess communication, are still in common use. Accordingly, this version of LAC has enhanced its interpretation of the "NetworkMode" attribute that can be set in the "LacConfig.txt" configuration file. That variable is now "Bit Coded". Use of the least significant bit is unchanged, so a value of "0" still indicates "Peer to Peer Mode" as before, and a value of "1" still indicates "Client/Server" mode as before. However, we are no longer ignoring the other bits. As a consequence, four distinct settings of "NetworkMode" are now fundamental to LAC's operation on the network and with Mumble, as follows:
if NetworkMode is set to "0", LAC will operate in "Peer-to-Peer" mode and will not attempt to use any advanced Mumble functions.
if NetworkMode is set to "1", LAC will operate in "Client/Server" mode and will not attempt to use any advanced Mumble functions.
NetworkMode is set to "2", LAC will operate in "Peer-to-Peer" mode but it will take full advantage of advanced Mumble functions.
if NetworkMode is set to "3", LAC will operate in "Client/Server" mode and it will take full advantage of advanced Mumble functions. This is the preferred setting.
(Explanatory text within the LacConfig.txt file explains all of this and will help users set the value of NetworkMode appropriately.)
When LAC is told to avoid Mumble's advanced functions, it relies on the user to configure Mumble "Shortcuts", as described in our "Frequently Asked Questions", as the basis for our Mumble interface. Users that configure all 26 of those Mumble shortcuts will enjoy very smooth, high-speed Mumble performance for all of the basics. However, for unknown reasons, Mumble loses some or all of those 26 shortcuts from time to time, so it is frequently necessary to reprogram them. Without those shortcuts, it is still easy to use Mumble on a single channel, but it is difficult to optimize channel choices. As a consequence, most Mumble transmissions will be broadcast to friendly and opposing team members alike.
When LAC is allowed to use the advanced functions from Mumble version 1.3.0 and later, it automatically tunes Mumble to the best channel for every mission as soon as the player selects it, and all of the following "Hot Keys" always work immediately during those online missions, with no need to program the corresponding Mumble Shortcuts:
"1": Switch to M1All Channel.
"2": Switch to M1Blue Channel.
"3": Switch to M1Red Channel.
"4": Switch to M2All Channel.
"5": Switch to M2Blue Channel.
"6": Switch to M2Red Channel.
"7": Switch to M3All Channel.
"8": Switch to M3Blue Channel.
"9": Switch to M3Red Channel.
"0": Switch to Root Channel.
"F7": Morse Squelch BlueTeam
"F8": Morse Squelch RedTeam
"F9": Morse Unsquelch All
"F10": Switch to TeamCast channel.
"F11": Switch to MissionCast channel.
"CapsLock": Toggle keyboard in and out of "Morse Code Radio" mode.
In addition, the following Mumble commands are instantly available if the associated (very simple and well-behaved) Mumble shortcuts are configured:
F1: Push To Talk in Current Channel
F2: Shout to Parent Channel and its Children
F3: Volume Down
F4: Volume Up
F5: Mute Speaker
F6: Mute Microphone
Furthermore, LAC even uses those advanced Mumble commands in conjunction with six types of specially formatted Morse Code Radio messages as follows:
1 of 6: "PPPPPPPP2" (Eight or more sequential "P" characters followed by one or more copies of the single digit "1", "2", "3", "4", "5","6","7", "8", "9", or "0", corresponding with one of the ten players in the mission.) This is the "PROMOTE" command, and it grants administrative privileges to the designated mission player. Although no player can promote himself, he can promote any other player on his team. The player remains "promoted" until he is killed or exits the mission. After being promoted in this manner, the promoted player can thereafter issue any of these other six specially formatted Morse Radio messages:
2 of 6: "SSSSSSSS" (Eight or more sequential "S" characters). This is the "SECRECY" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto a new, secret, Mumble channel for private communication. Members of the other team are NOT switched, and it is cumbersome and time-consuming for them to ever discover which channel is being used for this secret conversation. It is unlikely that members of the opposing team will hear conversations held in this manner.
3 of 6: "MMMMMMMM" (Eight or more sequential "M" characters). This is the "MISSIONCAST" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "MissionCast" channel for the current realm and mission so that everybody participating in the mission will be able to hear and converse with everybody else.
4 of 6: "TTTTTTTT" (Eight or more sequential "T" characters). This is the "TeamCast" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "TeamCast" channel for the current realm and mission. The other team also has its own TeamCast mission as a "sibling" channel, and those two sibling channels are isolated from one another so that voice communication in one is not heard in the other. Note, however, that any player that chooses to enter the mission's "MissionCast" channel WILL hear everything, so this "TeamCast" option is best viewed as a means of minimizing congestion rather than a means of ensuring secrecy.
5 of 6: "RRRRRRRR" (Eight or more sequential "R" characters). This is the "Root" command, and it switches every member of the player's team onto the "Root" channel of our Mumble server at LinuxAirCombat.com. This is handy for recruiting new players into the mission, since it is commonplace for new players to hang out in our Root channel while waiting for mission activity elsewhere.
As a consequence of these advanced commands, it is now much easier for teams equipped with the latest versions of Mumble to make powerful and orderly use of our Mumble channels, enjoying a significant advantage in combat.
Last edit: bbosen 2019-08-29