# Changelog

## V2.0 (release candidate: V2.0-rc1)

Version 2.0 is a complete rebuild of HelicopterOptions. The police helicopter
now flies and chases much more competently, almost everything is configurable,
and the whole mod is safer and better behaved. Compared with the original
release (V1.0.1):

### Added

- **Chase-speed control** that keeps the helicopter from crawling on straights,
  with an optional minimum and maximum chase speed.
- **Movement prediction** so the helicopter aims where you are going, easing off
  when you brake or turn hard.
- **Stopped-player handling** that holds a close position when you stop instead
  of drifting off into the distance.
- **Sudden-turn recovery** that re-centers the helicopter when you make a hard
  U-turn or handbrake turn.
- **Stability protection** that gently levels the helicopter if it ever rolls,
  pitches, or spins too far, so it recovers instead of tumbling.
- **Configurable attacks**: control attack frequency, angle, timing, and spacing;
  a follow-only mode that never attacks; and an option to stop repeated ramming.
- **Optional aggression** that can build up over a long pursuit.
- **A safety net** that hands control back to the game if anything ever goes
  wrong, so the helicopter always keeps working.
- **Extras**: never lose sight of you, never run out of fuel, adjustable flying
  height, turning, and acceleration.

### Improved

- The helicopter keeps up and corners with you far more naturally than before.
- Motion is smoother and more stable, with built-in protection against the old
  uncontrollable-spinning behavior.
- Logging is clearer and written in plain language, and it never floods the file.

### Fixed

- Resolved the long-standing spinning/instability problems from the original
  release.
- Corrected many internal values that did not match the game's real behavior.
- The mod now reliably recognizes the supported game version and starts up
  cleanly.

### Configuration

- Settings are now split into **fourteen topic-based `.ini` files** under
  `scripts\HelicopterOptions\Configuration\`, each with plain-English
  explanations, recommended ranges, and default values.
- Missing settings files are recreated automatically; existing files are never
  overwritten.
- Sensible defaults improve the helicopter noticeably out of the box, while
  experimental and difficulty-increasing options stay switched off.

### Compatibility

- Only runs on the supported English PC v1.3 game version; other versions are
  left completely untouched.
- Works alongside other `.asi` mods: if another mod already changed the same
  part of the game, the affected feature is skipped and everything else keeps
  working.
- Changes are applied only in memory and fully undone when the game closes.

### Removed

- The old single settings file (replaced by the fourteen topic files above).
- The preset system.

## V1.0.1

Original release. Preserved untouched in `V1.0.1_ORIGINAL_BACKUP/`.
