Stonehouse

Thanks for the confirmation Grimes. Lucky for me I am only really looking for the unit that is leading the group so I can use it to check for enemy units in a moving zone around the group (assuming that the individual units will be relatively close together as compared to the radius of the zone which is 8000m). Ok cool I can just do Group.getUnits()[1] then by the sounds of it as the other guys suggested. Cheers, Stonehouse

Did some more searching and came across http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2017253&postcount=491 This implies that the table returned by getUnits is actually static and that index =1 may start out as the leader but if it dies then index =2 inherits his command and so on. Don't know if the comments are still true or not being about 2 years ago.

Ok thanks. I was of that impression too but wondered if there was a short cut built into the various DCS functions so you could link directly from controller to the unit it was associated with. If no-one can offer alternatives then I will go ahead using the method you suggest. Thanks again. Cheers, Stonehouse <edit> PS is it always group:getUnits()[1] ? ie is the table rearranged after the original unit at index 1 is destroyed? or does the table stay static and [2] become controller?

Just wondering what is the best way to end up with the unit deemed as being the leader of a group of vehicles or ships? I know you can do a Group:getController but that returns a class of Controller not Unit and while it logically is representative of the group leader I don't think it equates to Unit from a script point of view. Is there an easy way of going from knowing the controller to getting the unit leading the group (which I believe changes according to units in the group being destroyed) ? Any other approach people use? Thanks, Stonehouse

Hi Challenger, Yes I would expect them to be updated to work in the stable release as needed. One passing thought which *may* fix your issue. It's possible the OA and OB patches changed the P-51 in some respect - even if not mentioned in the change log - and therefore the bin folder in the mod is now out of date. We use the P51 cockpit and dlls etc to provide the P38 and Zero cockpits and functionality. So you could try deleting the bin folder from the mod folder and replacing it with a copy of the bin folder from the P-51 and see if that helps or not. When I have some spare time I will try to see if I can find out the problem but without making promises I hope you understand.

Hi Challenger, We tend to stay in the latest stable release version as not everyone has the alpha or beta (I assume that is what you mean by OA & OB) so I'm afraid the answer is "don't know". It's funny but after one of these mods is made, tested and released no one in the group seems to have spare time to go back and fly and enjoy them.:( Anyway the P38 has not been updated since release so the DCS user files version is the current version. I have some lua updates for quite a few of the mods being worked on but Lilkiki's Mistral has been the priority for a while so they have been parked. To the best of my knowledge the Zero was never uploaded (ie "released") to user files so the WIP version higher up in this thread is the only one out there. At one point I was having a discussion with Markindel about changing the underwing hardpoint locations as I had figured out how to add a bombload that a human pilot could use but it got sidelined with other tasks.

See here http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2857217&postcount=9 Basically need to ensure that a bomb loadout is selected, plot a straight and level flight path for at least 2 waypoints with the target in between the two. On the first waypoint add an advanced waypoint action for bombing, override the auto settings to bombs and ALL (or how ever much bombs you want dropped in this attack) and position the target triangle on the point you want to hit. See linked post for discussion about the required distance between target and first waypoint to make it work.

Meant to say thanks days ago if none of the others beat me to it but life is busy at the moment so it didn't happen until now. One comment though is that the P38 is basically the P51 in terms of arming bombings and releasing them etc. At least it was when I last tried it and I don't think anything has changed since then. Ditto the keys available. @predattack - probably will need the P51 is my guess right now. Long way to go yet. We've all been doing work on Lilkikki's Mistral assault ship of which Markindel and CrazyEddie will release an updated version as a tribute to Lilkiki for the last while so none of the aircraft have been worked on for a while.

Ok that's good news. I would have hoped just using the latest Mist version would work. You might try again since you fixed the underscore thing - if there is some sort of issue not using the latest version then you should report the bug to Lukrop's github site as going forward it will cause problems having to use an old version.

Hi TBear, Not sure if you are using Lukrop's version as you don't say. If you are then really he'd be the best person to offer you support as it's his script now. That said I don't think he comes onto the forums much these days so I suggest you post up the mission file so we can try to help. Cheers, Stonehouse

Not 100% sure but since it is now working it would seem fair to think I have found the root cause. It looks like the functionality of loadlivery.lua (Mission editor folder) changed to now include the ability to use zipped skin files. I had a partly completed skin in a zip file in the root of Bazar\liveries\P-51D and it looks like loadlivery was unzipping the file and parsing the description.lua file - which had a table handling error - causing the mission editor to not be able to place a F icon for the P51 and causing corruption to the unit properties dialog. Deleting the zipfile immediately fixed the problem.

Ok so obviously it is just me experiencing this issue. Any thoughts from anyone for a solution beyond reinstalling DCS from scratch? Thanks, Stonehouse

After the most recent patch I am finding issues placing a P51 on the map in the mission editor. All mods disabled, repair has been run, P51 module deactivated uninstalled and reinstalled. The issue I am seeing is that selecting a P51 and trying to place the unit on the map results in no icon being displayed and the unit waypoint properties dialog getting corrupted with labels overwriting them selves. I am then unable to exit the me and am forced to use task manager to end DCS.exe. Other modules seem ok so far in regard to placing them on the map although I have not yet had time to create a simple mission and run it (it's very late here and I had really only planned to fire up DCS and fly for a sec to see what it went like after the patch before going to bed). I checked the logs and found the errors shown below, anyone else seeing something similar? Thanks, Stonehouse

You need to create a new loadout. Two choices are available 500lb or 1000lb bombs

+1000. Real assets on the map that can be destroyed to disrupt supply would be a really big leap forward

Tu-4 http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/2032824/index.php

Just to advise that the Tu-4 has been uploaded to user files but is waiting a moderator to approve it. Cheers, Stonehouse

The flak script is reasonably straight forward and the example mission I included in the package for it covers all the different types. You do need to get the latest version of mist off the github location however. You can find the link over in the Mist thread but for your reference it is always here if you wish to bookmark it https://github.com/mrSkortch/MissionScriptingTools/releases/latest

That's really terrible news. He was a really great bloke.

Small update on this. I was fiddling around testing the B29. For runway attacks (the actual waypoint task not the role) it works fine from above 2000m if you keep the flight path in line with the target - so if you have say 3 waypoints numbered 0,1,2 and the runway attack action is on waypoint 1 you need to keep the line between 0,1 and 2 straight with the target roughly on the flight path and that works with about 20kms run in from waypoint 1 to target. However for ground attack role and the bombing action I seem to be seeing a relationship between bombing altitude and the distance between bombing action and target of about 10+ to 1. IE same as above example. Waypoints 0,1,2 with a straight flight path again but this time the waypoints are at 8000m and the action is bombing with a ground attack role. The distance between waypoint 1 and the target triangle seems to need to be about 80kms or more and then it works. The aircraft still seems to twitch when it hits waypoint 1 with the action so I would be careful of too close a formation. Perhaps moving it to 15 times alt might stop the twitch too, don't know. Anyway if the attack order was at least 80km from target then the bombing seemed to work every time at 8000m.

Small update on this. I was fiddling around testing the B29. For runway attacks (the actual waypoint task not the role) it works fine from above 2000m if you keep the flight path in line with the target - so if you have say 3 waypoints numbered 0,1,2 and the runway attack action is on waypoint 1 you need to keep the line between 0,1 and 2 straight with the target roughly on the flight path and that works with about 20kms run in from waypoint 1 to target. However for ground attack role and the bombing action I seem to be seeing a relationship between bombing altitude and the distance between bombing action and target of about 10+ to 1. IE same as above example. Waypoints 0,1,2 with a straight flight path again but this time the waypoints are at 8000m and the action is bombing with a ground attack role. The distance between waypoint 1 and the target triangle seems to need to be about 80kms or more and then it works. The aircraft still seems to twitch when it hits waypoint 1 with the action so I would be careful of too close a formation. Perhaps moving it to 15 times alt might stop the twitch too, don't know. Anyway if the attack order was at least 80km from target then the bombing seemed to work every time for 8000m. I will cross post this over in mission building too.

Not yet, you'd have to talk the boss ;D It would all depend on whether there is a good quality free use model I think plus of course whether it's on Markindel's to-do list.

Maybe Steggles could add a variable to the script that controlled the detail of the returned info to be similar to what you describe. You might be able to keep bogey dope then as it was possible I believe to get vector to target info from sector ops plotting stations even as early as 1940 so I imagine capability increased as the war progressed. Just thinking from my own experience that it is better for the community to have one script that covers multiple situations than multiple scripts.

It worked on Nevada in the past but I haven't tried it for months. Strange for the B29 in respect to making DCS not start. Have you edited any of the lua files? If so a typo may be causing the issue although usually all that happens is that you don't get the B29 in game and everywhere you have put it in the mission changes to an A10. All my tests are on latest stable DCS world too. I still have a feeling that a patch has changed something because I haven't revised any of the released mods on my install because I'm busy looking at the WIP ones but I have found missions I built previously for testing the B17 that did work now don't. I did note that there was a change in AI bombing buildings to stop a crash bug in the last patch. Anyway at this point I have no concrete ideas unfortunately so will just have to continue to look that the problem as spare time allows and will advise if I find any way to make it more dependable or identify a root cause.

Yeah kind of as Rob is saying. The 457 squadron skins are all the same base skin with the squadron letters and the RAAF markings but each aircraft in the mission is given a specific bort number corresponding to the pilot assigned that aircraft. This sets the aircraft letter and pilot insignia/kill markings etc under the canopy. Only down side is that apparently from what my friend says is that there are very specific locations on the P51 that can be used with bort numbers like this. I don't know the actual technical details sorry. Just have no skills in creating skins. We all have the same single skin installed but the smarts he built in make it depict more than a single plane so I suspect there is very little traffic involved in making the skins appear correctly in game.