Mistermann

Audacity. And yes, it's free. It will take a little time to learn but I don't find it overly complicated. There are lots of videos explaining how to do what you describe. Have fun. The rabbit hole is deep.

Great post, @Northstar98. Thanks for sharing.

There's a dedicated VR sub forum in the PC hardware section, have you looked there? YouTube also might be a good source as well. Both have been a wealth of knowledge for me over the years when I have VR questions. Good luck. VR was/is a complete game changer for me, and I won't ever go back to 2D. The immersion is amazing.

... and I'm fully committed to it! Looking great fellas.

Thanks. The kneeboard flight plan now matches the targets elevations. The PROD1 elevation was also incorrect in the Targets section of the kneeboard. As for the coordinates, I double checked them all and they are correct. Those target buildings occupy a large footprint and the provided coordinates all fit within those footprints. Thanks for flying and providing feedback.

Thank you. I don't normally do that, but thought me using a VPN would force the traffic over the Internet outside my LAN. I realize now this sounds quite odd. Thanks for educating me on this one.

Is it? I am connected over a VPN to the public IP of the dedicated server. Not the non routable 10.10.x.x IP. Maybe it's still obvious? IDK.... something seems odd to me there. Am I still connected via LAN using the public IP? That's the part I don't understand.

Still getting this Alert. Also running Avast. I'll downgrade and select this version.

TLDR: Its fixed I'll pick out some of the comments made in my OP as I outline what I did to resolve this troubling issue. Since I have zero control over MP code quality, I called in my Internet provider to troubleshoot my cable connection. My internet dropping would explain all these bolded observations above. If nothing else, I could check off "my side" of the equation so to speak. Before calling my ISP, I installed a quick and dirty tool that monitors internet connectivity by periodically pinging three different public IPs. If there's a delayed response from all three it alerts and logs the event. It didn't take long for the app to start registering failures. I used this information to "convince" my ISP to send out a tech. When the tech arrived at the house, he told me the tests he ran from the street showed no issues. Using the results of this Uptime monitor, I was able to convince him there was an issue. He replaced all the hardware in the box attached to my house and verified signal strength from there to the street box. He ran additional diagnostics and said everything looked good. All said he was here about an hour. That was Tuesday (3/5). Last night our group got together and flew 3 hours without a single issue. Smooth as glass and not a single glitch. I think I can declare this issue resolved; I can save the Fox3 experiment for a later day (and keep that $50/month fee for something else DCS related). As for my internet ... it must have been glitching for quite some time. Not bad enough to register outside our DCS events. It was random enough to mask itself as the root cause. I still don't understand why my connections to the dedicated server weren't compromised like my friends. That really confused the diagnosis of the problem. Regardless, this appears resolved for now.

Added my perspective to the first video. Split screen Hornet and Gazelle - 2 minute video.

Is there a list somewhere of all the custom args and what values do what? These args < 1000 are new to me. Thanks!

Thanks @cfrag. Spent an hour on the phone today with my Internet provider. They are sending a tech out tomorrow. I'll post an update when I know more. I'd like nothing more than for for this to be a "me" issue.

Just a single target mission depending on a couple triggers. There are some random probabilities you can adjust to increase difficulty however. The mission results that flash on screen when returning to the boat also vary with how much you destroy. I'll check out the elevation mismatch you point out. Thanks!

Perhaps a little hyperbolic, but my small group of Multiplayer DCS friends is about to dissolve due to server timeouts. 2 years ago, these were non-existent and we could enjoy 4-5 hours of non-stop DCS missions. Today, the game cannot be enjoyed as we continuously lose connection … seemingly at random. @BIGNEWY or @Grimes or anyone at ED – please tell us there’s some MP issue being looked at for this and I’ll remain hopeful my group can stay together. Some relevant observations - When we first got together as a group, one of us would start a mission and launch the MP server directly from the game. We probably did this for at least a year and never had a single issue. As we got into more intensive missions we wondered if a dedicated server would help offload some processing from our main gaming machines. - About 6 months ago, I replaced my “old” gaming machine and repurposed that rig for DCS server duty. The entire machine was wiped and now acts as our MP host. From the beginning, our experience was just “okay”. We found ourselves crashing to desktop a fair amount, but were willing to cope with those as we were on OB and running some extensive missions with heavy scripting (Pretense and Through The Inferno (TTI)). - Since December of 2023, our experience with the Dedicated Server has become much worse. While the CTD experiences are now much less frequent, what is now happening at an unacceptable pace is client connection time outs. We can play for an hour with no timeout, or we experience 5 in 20 minutes. There doesn’t seem to be any correlation between timeout and type of mission being run (script heavy vs. light vs. none). Many times both my friends will timeout simultaneously and I'll be left alone in the mission. - This morning a buddy and I were flying a TTI mission together and he timed out 3 times while sitting on deck of the carrier – never even got his engines started. This was after I had been flying 90 minutes on that same mission before he joined. - I rarely experience a server timeout. I am connecting to the public dedicated server’s public IP just like my mates (granted the physical server is sitting on the same LAN that my gaming PC occupies). If I had to estimate, I have 1 timeout for every 20 the others connecting to “my” dedicated server do. - As a test this morning, my buddy hosted the same TTI mission on his gaming machine using the “Launch Multiplayer Server” option. We launched from the carrier and within 2 minutes of being airborne I received the dreaded “connection timed out” error. The DCS gods were conspiring against us today. To put it mildly, at this point we’re pretty frustrated. Mainly because nothing in the logs indicates what happens. The disconnects simply appear as regular clients leaving the server. We don’t know how to address this issue. If both dedicated server AND launching MP from within DCS gaming PC both behave this way – with 2 different hosts – I am left to wonder if this is DCS MP code misbehaving or possibly some serious ISP/Internet traffic glitches. Neither of these my group of friends can control. I am considering firing up one of those Fox3 servers for a month to see if one of those is more stable for us. ED – are there known MP issues out there that cause MP timeouts that you’re working on? My MP experience has gone from “rock solid” to “untenable” in the past 2 years. Any advice is welcome. ED - we are more than willing to help your team find/fix this issue (if this ends up being DCS MP code related).

Still experiencing this issue, @Shifty2805?

Same. Pimax 8kx on SteamVR. Never experienced this issue ever in 2+ years of VR use.

I have the same observation on "Low". I almost cracked open the ME to adjust the altitudes but better judgement prevailed. I figured Looking Glass made them the way they are to "make it work". To his point above, this was very fun with the AI planes set the way they are... I fly with a couple of guys regularly and we're going to fly this mission in MP and see what kind of calamity ensues.

Yeah, I first flew the mission without changing the month and just didn't care for the drab and dark look. Plus without a sun visor, there were several "retina burn" moments where the sun was really uncomfortable, so I changed the month from Jan to Oct. Much more colorful that way. I think I made the flight time a little later so the sun was higher in the sky as well. I was pleasantly surprised with the AI. I was expecting them to be all over the place. Now, there were a few times where they got pretty squirrely and made some questionable turns and speed changes ... but that's the nature of ED's AI. I always try and fly defensively when getting near AI flights and try to leave an escape path for the inevitable 5g pull into my flight path.

Definitely not a dumb question. Most campaigns, as I see them, are designed for the experts out there. They are experiences that only those pilots that've mastered the jet/helo can fully enjoy. For me, the ability to do AAR and Case III recovery in the Hornet (along with most night missions) were just too much for me to master. I didn't have the time, patience or talent to learn. Like you, I'd buy the campaign to support the community and then tell myself I'd learn how to do those things before trying to fly. Over the years I've collected just about every Hornet campaign released. What I've never seen for the Hornet is a training campaign (maybe they're out there in the downloads section somewhere...) Now, I have seen/flown one of these for the Warthog. Its a masterpiece and teaches you how to fly and begin to fight with the A-10C II. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/campaigns/a-10c_ii_iron_flag_part_i_campaign/ (I know, not exactly what you asked). If you really want to fly campaigns, here are my recommendations. - Pick a platform and commit to learning it. Personally, I did this with the Hornet several years ago and now have the confidence to tackle any situation and fly any Hornet campaign. It takes a lot of study and practice. Plus a lot of patience with yourself. You will get there if you stay committed. I wish there was a magic answer here. Lots of youtube "learning". - Find a DCS friend (maybe harder than the above advice). You can fly together and learn from each other while pushing each other to get better. You don't have to join an online community for this - just host the mission from your local machine for you and your buddy. - Maybe seek out an online squadron that specializes in teaching. This might also open you finding others to befriend. - This can be a pain in the backside, but possible. You could edit campaign missions to give yourself immortality, unlimited fuel, etc. (you have to edit the "mission" object within the .miz file). I know this is likely considered blasphemy by some, but if it means you can skip AAR or prevent death and eventual rage quitting, why not ... its your DCS, enjoy it how YOU want. When ED releases the savegame feature this will also help people get through difficult campaign elements. At the end of the day, I think its all about YOU and how you enjoy this great hobby.

That's a great question. To be honest, I never looked at the recommended system requirements until you asked this. Like you, I run a dedicated server using an old machine with only an integrated graphics card. Given there's no video rendering going on, I am skeptical that a dedicated card does much to boost performance. BUT, I have to admit I need someone to explain why that may or may not be the case. Here's the specs in case anyone is wondering: Minimum system requirements: OS 64-bit Windows 10; CPU: Intel Core i3 at 2.8 GHz or AMD FX; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 170 GB (depends on installed terrains); Integrated graphics; 50 Mbps internet connection or better. Recommended system requirements: OS 64-bit Windows 10; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 32 GB (64 GB for heavy scripted missions); Free hard disk space: 250 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); discrete graphics card; 100 Mbps internet connection or better.

I'm going to necro this thread because I stumbled on this mission just last week and I want to point it out to folks who may have missed it. @Looking Glass, thank you for putting this together. I am sure this took a significant amount of time to get the timings all right. I've flown it twice now and the mission performed flawlessly. If anyone is looking for a fun flight/tour around the Caucasus region alongside some RAF Tornados, you can't go wrong with this mission. The immersion created by the voiceover actor is really compelling. For anyone interested, I recorded my flight so you can see what the mission is like (flown in VR). I changed the default time of year from winter to fall in the ME. I highly recommend this mission as a nice change of pace to slinging ordinance. Definitely worth the 45 minute time investment.

That video sequence from 1:12-2:40 stands out to me given the close proximity and genuine excitement that comes through over the radio. To me, that level of immersion, cooperation and flat out fun is what MP is all about. The sounds you capture with the doors off the Gazelle are just too darn cool. Kudos to ED - this sim is outstanding day OR night! @Devil 505, you set the bar high with this challenge video. I look forward to seeing what others post. Absolutely agree.

There's a nasty bug with "in zone" triggers....they no longer work. The last patch of 2023 broke them. How this made it through their QC process is troubling. We've had this mess since before Christmas with no hotfix. ED has promised a solution in the "February patch". Until there's a fix, any mission with "in zone" triggers is likely busted.

My guess here is the ME is the oldest code in DCS. Likely created first as a tool to test the sim by setting up missions. If so, it's likely a spaghetti bowl of brittle code that no one wants to touch. There's a reason we don't have the most basic QOL features ... It's not that ED doesn't want them; the time, effort and risk to deliver them far outweigh the their value when compared to other revenue generating tasks. Therefore they are quite happy someone is tackling the ME as a mod. I know I certainly am.

Do you have these issues hosting other missions? My group has nothing but trouble with Pretense. We cope with the issues because it's an absolutely incredible experience when it works. We experience DCS client crashes and periodic server timeouts every time we play (6 months now). We don't have these issues with less complex missions. The unsubstantiated opinion is DCS is too brittle (at times) to coexist with the complexity of the pretense script. I am not blaming DZ's creation here at all.