DCS 1.2.3 & TARS 1.0.2b2 (+Helios)

Thanks to Manuel for pointing out the general way to do this. Below is everything described in a bit more detail as I did for my squad, maybe it can help others too :-)

Ok, it took me some searching and testing to get to this. The following procedure will make TARS work with DCS World 1.2.3 and if you are running HELIOS for instruments on a second screen it will work as well. Please use notepad2 or notepad++ to edit lua files.

 

The change introduced with DCS World 1.2.3.9871 is that the file "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export\Export.lua" and config.lua in the same directory is ignored by DCS, but used by both TARS and HELIOS. Instead DCS now looks for "C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua". And network.cfg, see post #5 by c0ff below.

 

Configure DCS World 1.2.3.9871

DCS World needs to have the following two directories created (standard installation path quoted below):

• Export in C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config
  
• Scripts in C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts
  

 

Additionally you have to copy/ create two files in the newly created: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export

• Copy Export.lua from (a new empty file will probably also work): C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Scripts
  
• Create a new (empty) file called Config.lua (that would normally contain this statement: EnableExportScript = true, but is now handled in network.cfg see post #5 by c0ff below)
  

 

This step is for HELIOS users only

Just after creating directories and copying/creating Export.lua and Config.lua, you should setup your HELIOS-profile(s). Do this just before setting up TARS - if you already done the TARS setup, just do the TARS setup again after setting up your HELIOS profiles. What HELIOS does is that it replaces the export.lua, so you will then afterwards have to manually add the line that TARS needs for the TARSExport.lua to be activated (which is: dofile("./Config/Export/TARSExport.lua")).

 

• Setup your HELIOS-profile like: profile-editor->open profile->module name->Setup. (Nb. it will replace export.lua in the Config/Export directory, so it will need to be run before TARS adds its line to this file)
  
• If you have a HELIOS-profile for more than one module, see note below
  

 

TARS Setup

• Open TARS Control panel (upon installing TARS close teamspeak first).
  
• Setup radio-keys and settings
  
• Click the A-10C icon. Check install TARS, uncheck standby. (Nb. TARS adds one single line to the Export.lua, in addition to installing TARSExport.lua and some other files, see below)
  
• Copy the newly modified C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export.lua to: C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts
  

 

Note about program startup sequence

When TARS or HELIOS is installed correctly it does not matter in what sequence you start HELIOS, teamspeak and DCS. You don't need to have the TARS Control panel running, it has done its work installing and modifying files. Teamspeak and Helios Control center connect to the export scripts run by DCS. When DCS starts a module the export is started and is ready to be connected to.

 

Problems? Things to check:

• File is present: C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua
  • Contains this line at the end (if not using HELIOS, this is the only line that needs to be in that file): dofile("./Config/Export/TARSExport.lua")
    

  [*]File is present: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export\TARSExport.lua

  [*]File is present: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export\Config.lua

  • Contains this line: ExportEnableScript = true
    

  [*]Directory is present (installed by TARS control panel): C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\TARS

  • Containing directory: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\TARS\aircraft
    • Containing files: a10.luac, ka50.luac

    [*]Containing files: tarscore.luac, tarsexporter.luac

  [*]Teamspeak: is the plugin checked in menu Settings->Plugins? (ctrl-shift-p)

  • Files present in teamspeak program directory: tars.ini, plugins\tars_64.dll (if using 32bit version it should be tars_32.dll)

 

Note about HELIOS and multiple modules

When using more than one module you need to replace the Export.lua in C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\ with the export.lua corresponding to your helios-profile. You don't need to run the profile editor every time you change module:

• Do a setup of your profile for the first module - A-10C for example.
  
• Setup TARS, as above.
  
• Check that the following has been added to the end of the Export.lua to enable TARS: dofile("./Config/Export/TARSExport.lua").
  
• Copy the newly created Export.lua to a new file like A10C-export.lua.
  
• Do a setup of your profile for the second module - KA-50 for example. Copy the newly created Export.lua to a new file like KA-50-export.lua. Add the following line to the end of the file to enable TARS: dofile("./Config/Export/TARSExport.lua").
  

 

When you fly A-10C copy A10C-export.lua to (before starting DCS Multiplayer or you will need to restart DCS Multiplayer): C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua

 

This can be done by using batchfiles, macros, shortcuts or... Example of my own two batchfiles below, remember to update the username from Administrator to your username:

 

HELIOS-KA50.bat

@echo off
copy /Y "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export\Export-KA50.lua" "C:\Users\Administrator\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua"

 

HELIOS-A10C.bat

@echo off
copy /Y "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Config\Export\Export-A10C.lua" "C:\Users\Administrator\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua"

Create a new file called Config.lua containing this statement: ExportEnableScript = true

Could it be, that the key word is EnableExportScript instead of ExportEnableScript?

Mike

Thx a lot Manuel and Tietze!! :-)

Helios is working again!!

Doing this TARS only works for server, not for clients.

TARS runs ok for every member of our squad only when he is server, as clients this don´t work.

Could it be, that the key word is EnableExportScript instead of ExportEnableScript?

Yep and thanks! But apparently the file is completely ignored, so its presence is only to satisfy the TARS installation, so an empty file will probably do the trick! Will update the above post accordingly.

The folder $INSTALL_DIR/Config/Export/ is no longer used by DCS.

Export.lua file is loaded from $HOME/Saved Games/DCS/Scripts/Export.lua

Config.lua is no longer used.

 

The availability of LoGetObjectById() and LoGetWorldObjects() on multiplayer clients depends on the server setting (in network.cfg):

server = {
  ...
  allow_object_export = true, -- (default is false).
}

Thanks for the reply!

c0ff, where TacviewExportDCS.lua and TARSExport.lua should be located now?

In 1.2.2 they used to be there \DCS World\Config\Export

c0ff, where TacviewExportDCS.lua and TARSExport.lua should be located now?

In 1.2.2 they used to be there \DCS World\Config\Export

For the time being they work when still being there. Your Export.lua located in: Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Export.lua should contain the following lines to enable them:

dofile("./Config/Export/TARSExport.lua")
dofile("./Config/Export/TacviewExportDCS.lua")

I have tested it, thanks for quick heads up. It's alive!

TACVIEW records are OK, HELIOS works OK, TARS not tested yet, but I suppose analogy applies OK :)

The availability of LoGetObjectById() and LoGetWorldObjects() on multiplayer clients depends on the server setting (in network.cfg):

server = {
  ...
  allow_object_export = true, -- (default is false).
}

Just to be clear: do one actually need to set this to true for those export scripts to work - does it only affect things when hosting a game/creating a server?

I've got TacviewExportDCS.lua and TARSExport.lua sitting in my "...\saved games\DCS\scripts"

My export.lua in the same location looks like this:

dofile (lfs.writedir().."Scripts/TARSExport.lua")
dofile(lfs.writedir().."/Scripts/TacviewExportDCS.lua")

Just to be clear: do one actually need to set this to true for those export scripts to work - does it only affect things when hosting a game/creating a server?

If you are hosting, and want your clients to be able to EXPORT = yes true

If you are hosting, and DON'T wan't your clients to export = leave it default false

This is how i interpreted c0ff's post.

If you are hosting, and want your clients to be able to EXPORT = yes true

If you are hosting, and DON'T wan't your clients to export = leave it default false

 

This is how i interpreted c0ff's post.

Yep, it seems not to affect whether you are able to export yourself - even when running a server.

Even when running a client.

So the restriction imposed on export regards other objects than the "client" itself. That is you are always able to export what pertains to the client craft (sensors and dials for example), but not able to get information about any object?

What exactly is the advantage of moving this file? By moving it; it breaks a load of mods!

What exactly is the advantage of moving this file? By moving it; it breaks a load of mods!

Breaks now yes, but in the future by having mods in the saved games folder the auto updater won't break them and you won't have to reinstall them every time an update is pushed.

What exactly is the advantage of moving this file? By moving it; it breaks a load of mods!

In addition to what paulrkiii says my buest guess is that the advantage is a clean up of what-goes-where. So export scripts (and everything else that modifies DCS) goes into subdirectories of the Saved Games/DCS folder. This has the advantage that users are not needed to mess around in the DCS World folder (usually located in the program files folder). This probably makes "errors by messing around" less likely to happen, which could make life easier for both people making/creating export-dependent mods and for the following installation and use of those mods (not to mention providing support and fixing broken behaviour of DCS).

Both good points :)

You might be interested in this post: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1602807#post1602807

You might be interested in this post: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1602807#post1602807

You bet - and it works nicely :-)

I've got TacviewExportDCS.lua and TARSExport.lua sitting in my "...\saved games\DCS\scripts"

 

My export.lua in the same location looks like this:

 

dofile (lfs.writedir().."Scripts/TARSExport.lua")
dofile(lfs.writedir().."/Scripts/TacviewExportDCS.lua")

That is a really nice find :-) Works nicely putting everything into the "Saved games\DCS\Scripts"!

As workaround of the workrkaround I found cleaner to prepare, move & rename the Export directory into the user directory as described and made a junction back to the original location.

This worked with TARS and with some custom exports I have made.

I mean something like:

mklink /j "[i]<install>[/i]\Scripts\Export" "[i]<user>[/i]\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts"