Can't Change Airport Coalition

[pdmarsh]

The attached mission was working fine until the recent installer update. It seems unlikely that just an installer update would affect a mission, so maybe this was coincidence.

 

To reproduce the issue I am seeing, take the following steps:

 

1. Open attached mission in Mission Editor.

2. Click on Novorossiysk airport and observe that it is assigned to the Blue coalition.

3. Start the mission and select any aircraft.

4. Once in the mission, go to F10 map view and click on Novorossiysk airport again.

5. Observe that the airport is designated as neutral.

6. Exit mission and observe that Novorossiysk airport still shows in blue coalition.

7. Change Novorossiysk to red coalition and start mission.

8. Observe that you are not asked if you want to save changes.

9. Once in the mission, observe that Novorossiysk once again shows as neutral in-game.

 

If there is a temporary workaround to this by manually alterning the mission file, for example, please let me know what that might be. I have not been able to find where airport (airdrome) coalition is stored within the mission files.

 

Thank you,

Paul

Cargo Escort.miz

[pdmarsh]

After looking at this a bit deeper in an attempt to salvage the mission, here is what I have found.

 

Within this mission at least, Novorossiysk has been assigned an AirdromeID number of 14. This number is not among the lists of unit, airdrome and other object numbers assigned to blue, red or neutral coalitions (see code below). So, it's not so much that Novorossiysk is "neutral" as is that it is no longer on any coalition list at all, and changes to Novorossiysk within Mission Editor are not re-adding it to any of these lists. However, I can create a new aircraft unit, assign it to land at Novorossiysk and see within the "mission" file that this unit is to land at "["AirdromeId] = 14."

 

I have attempted to edit the "mission" file within the miz file group by adding 14 at the bottom of the blue coalition group in the code below, but so far this has not worked. It seems that editing this file and re-inserting into the miz group of files renders the miz file unreadable by DCSW.

 

Paul

 

 

   ["coalitions"] = 
   {
       ["blue"] = 
       {
           [1] = 11,
           [2] = 4,
           [3] = 6,
           [4] = 16,
           [5] = 13,
           [6] = 15,
           [7] = 9,
           [8] = 8,
           [9] = 12,
           [10] = 2,
           [11] = 3,
           [12] = 5,
           [13] = 10,
           [14] = 20,
           [15] = 21,
           [16] = 40,
           [17] = 26,
           [18] = 45,
           [19] = 28,
       }, -- end of ["blue"]
       ["neutrals"] = 
       {
           [1] = 7,
           [2] = 17,
           [3] = 22,
           [4] = 23,
           [5] = 25,
           [6] = 29,
           [7] = 30,
           [8] = 31,
           [9] = 32,
           [10] = 33,
           [11] = 35,
           [12] = 36,
           [13] = 39,
           [14] = 41,
           [15] = 42,
           [16] = 44,
           [17] = 46,
       }, -- end of ["neutrals"]
       ["red"] = 
       {
           [1] = 0,
           [2] = 1,
           [3] = 18,
           [4] = 19,
           [5] = 37,
           [6] = 24,
           [7] = 27,
           [8] = 43,
           [9] = 47,
           [10] = 34,
           [11] = 38,
       }, -- end of ["red"]
   }, -- end of ["coalitions"]

[Grimes]

Those are countries. Airbases are defined within the warehouses file. I'm looking into the mission file you posted.

[pdmarsh]

Those are countries. Airbases are defined within the warehouses file. I'm looking into the mission file you posted.

 

Thank you, Grimes. I appreciate it.

 

I tested a simple mission and it seemed to work, so I recreated my bigger mission from scratch thinking my miz file got corrupted somehow. However, after I finished and tested the new mission, the exact same problem existed. Other airports in the area do not seem to have this problem. It might be restricted to Novorossiysk.

 

Thanks again,

Paul

[Grimes]

Its not corrupted, its how the game works. In the mission editor the coalition set for an airbase is the default coalition that owns it. However any ground unit within a certain radius of airbases and farps over-rides the default ownership. You have two infantry groups of 10 units each for both teams within the radius so the base is considered to be contested. If one of those groups was completely killed then the base will belong to the coalition of the other group. Otherwise when that small convoy reaches the base it will switch to red. You can place a few more blue groups at the airbase for it to remain blue. For instance I placed a single IFV and it stayed blue.

[pdmarsh]

Its not corrupted, its how the game works...

 

Thank you, Grimes! Sorry for the wild goose chase. I actually tried something along these lines, adding a blue coalition aircraft at the base, but I now see it wasn't enough to tip the scales. Good to know.

 

Thanks again,

Paul

[Grimes]

Only ground forces will effect the ownership.

[pdmarsh]

Only ground forces will effect the ownership.

 

Makes sense. Thanks again, Grimes. I can get back to mission editing now!

 

Take care,

Paul

[crazyeddie]

Only ground forces will effect the ownership.

 

I disagree, if you place a red building on or near an airfield that will switch the ownership to red and blue aircraft will divert to the next nearest blue airfield. Put a red building and a blue building on or near an airfield and neither red or blue aircraft will land on it.

 

You can get them to take off from that airfield, but they wont land back on it.

 

In FC3 that was the case even if you destroyed the buildings, not sure if that still applies because I have always assumed DCS will not change that and have never bothered to check.

 

I understand the logic of ground forced determining ownership of an airfield, a perfectly sensible bit of logic, but buildings are just inanimate objects, who they belong to is irrelevant really unless you have them packed with infantry or armour, so the game logic kicks in again anyway. But empty buildings should all be neutral, always.

 

I have a great buildings Mod that I have never finished for that very reason, once you place them on a airfield its either red or blue. How I wish it was different.