ACE COMBAT 8 MOD v18.5 - TONI 10 km Manual Replacement

This optional package changes Tonitrus / TONI's configured designation range from 5 km to 10 km. Both target-lock handling and free ground designation use the same range setting. Native targeting, obstruction and aiming conditions still apply; the first surface hit can be closer than the maximum distance.

The change is LockonRange: 500000 -> 1000000 centimeters.
Damage, blast radius, reload time, ammunition, visual effects and all other resource settings are retained.

REQUIREMENT

Install the ACE COMBAT 8 MOD v18.5 core first. This package contains only the complete TONI resource module. It does not include dinput8.dll, other weapon modules, an installer or scripts.

INSTALLATION

1. Close AceCombat8.exe normally.
2. Extract this ZIP into a separate folder.
3. Find the game root, the folder containing Game. Steam > Manage > Browse local files opens the game's installation folder.
4. Back up the following existing files from Game\Content\Paks to a folder outside the game's mod-loading directories:

   pakchunk99-ACE8PlayerTonitrus_4_P.pak
   pakchunk99-ACE8PlayerTonitrus_4_P.sig
   pakchunk99-ACE8PlayerTonitrus_4_P.utoc
   pakchunk99-ACE8PlayerTonitrus_4_P.ucas

5. Copy the Game folder from this package into the game root, merge the folders, and replace the four matching TONI files.
6. Keep the installed v18.5 core and your other modules. Start Game\Binaries\Win64\AceCombat8.exe yourself.

The final resource location is Game\Content\Paks, not Game\Game\Content\Paks.
This is a replacement for the standard 5 km TONI module. Do not install the 5 km and 10 km variants side by side, rename the module prefix, or leave a duplicate TONI copy in another mod folder such as ~mods.
Keep all four files together. The .utoc and .ucas contain the rebuilt resources; the original matching .pak and .sig are retained.

IN-GAME DESCRIPTION

The existing v18.5 DLL contains static weapon-description text, which may still say 5 km. This package leaves that DLL unchanged. The resource setting used for designation is 10 km; the old description is not the range control.

CHECKING THE CHANGE

Check target locking/designation between 5 km and 10 km, and free ground designation beyond the previous 5 km limit. Aiming geometry and native obstruction rules still matter. The range is a configured trace/lock distance, not a promise that every ground point is reachable at exactly 10 km horizontally.

The complete container was rebuilt and read back successfully, and the modified asset differs only in LockonRange. In-game behavior of this 10 km variant is awaiting user confirmation; no automatic game test was performed during preparation.

RESTORING 5 km OR REMOVING TONI

Close the game and restore the full four-file TONI set from your backup or the standard v18.5 package. If TONI was not installed before this optional package, removing its four files removes this TONI module; keep the core if other enabled modules need it.

Manual replacement does not update an old BAT or GUI installer's records. An official reinstall may restore the standard 5 km module, and an old restore operation may stop because these resource hashes have changed. Keep your original four-file backup for reverting this change.

LOGS

Game\Binaries\Win64\ACE8PG-loader.log
Game\Binaries\Win64\ACE8-TONI-runtime.log

Preserve the logs before restarting after an error. Files.sha256 contains the package file checksums.
