Where to put templates?

[Bahger]

I had been intending to populate Nellis and its surroundings with Razorback's excellent templates but the path he describes for putting the file does not exist in my (recent) DCS install: user/saved Games/DCS.../Template I may well be missing something very obvious here; can anyone set me straight? Thanks.

[Rudel_chw]

The path is /saved games/dcs/StaticTemplates/

If the folder doesnt exist, you can create it yourself using windows file management ... or, you can go to dcs mission editor, create a new mission, add a unit (any unit) and then Edit / Save Static Template ... save this mission as template and DCS will create the folder for you :)

[Bahger]

Thank you! I have no experience of doing this; I was once very well-versed in the Mission Editor but I've been off the scene for four years now and this feature is new to me. Can you tell me, will I need various mods to get the least complex template to work properly?

[Rudel_chw]

.. Can you tell me, will I need various mods to get the least complex template to work properly?

 

Yes, the least complex requires 7 Mods if I recall correctly. May I suggest you to start first with these templates, as they require just a couple of Mods:

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=221516

 

Best regards :)

[Bahger]

Thanks once again. I am hoping to keep DCS un-modded for the time being; is there such a thing as a template that can populate an environment without requiring mods at all? If not, would the only choice be to populate individual missions with stock items in the Mission Editor?

[Rudel_chw]

I am hoping to keep DCS un-modded for the time being;

 

I can fully understand that desire :) .. however there are two basic kinds of Mods, and one of them is fairly inocuous to the game:

 

1) Mods that alter basic DCS files, for example a Terrain Mod, and for this they modify files at /Program Files/Eagle Dynamics/DCS/

 

2) Mods that ADD things to DCS, for example airbase scenery objects, and for this they place new files at /Saved Games/DCS/Mods/

 

The type (2) are the ones I consider unharmful and you dont really need to avoid them. You owe it to yourself to try at least the VPC airfield mod ... these are the objects that it adds to DCS:

 

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ai6cuX3YQI26hIFj_lFxMlMMCJiUdQ

 

is there such a thing as a template that can populate an environment without requiring mods at all?

 

There could be, but I have not seen any that doesnt require at least a couple of Mods.

 

If not, would the only choice be to populate individual missions with stock items in the Mission Editor?

 

Yes ... but keep in mind that most likely you will be using the same airbase on future missions too, so it is best if, prior to starting work on your desired mission, create a new mission with just the items you want at the airbase: they can be units and statics ... the units can have waypoints and waypoint actions.

 

Then save the mission as a new Template, using Edit -> Save Static Template .. it will ask for a Template Name, File Name and Description, I usually use the same name for both Template & File and on the Description I make a note of which Mods it requires.

 

Cheers!

[Bahger]

Thanks very much indeed for the reassurance/clarification. I will now set about installing both a good template and the necessary mods. I am assuming by the title "static template" that these files do not include scripts that introduce moving ground and air traffic?

[Rudel_chw]

I am assuming by the title "static template" that these files do not include scripts that introduce moving ground and air traffic?

 

"Static Template" is a new feature of DCS, less than a year old by now.

 

Previously we had what was termed "Unit Template" .. these are meant for use with Ground Units only, you cant add structures or static objects .. you could use them for example to create a SAM Battery template, that you could reuse whenever you needed it .. here are some examples of this type of Unit Template: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=82161

 

.. and here is a video of how they are used, worth to see so you can better understand the differences between both types of Template:

 

wBu0Dnj1Zaw

 

What I didnt like about Unit Templates is that they were all lumped up on a single .LUA file ... this made really hard to share specific Unit Templates with other people .. the file is on your /Saved Games/DCS/Mission Editor/ folder and is called Templates.Lua

 

A "Static Template" is a much different animal .. for a start you can combine Ground, Air and Naval Units, plus static objects .. and the units retain their waypoints and waypoint actions. Each Template goes on a separate file, all of them stored at /Saved Games/DCS/StaticTemplate/

 

Each unit of the template retains its position on the Map (this is different from Unit Templates, where you can paste them on different places) .. so they are of no use for generic formations, like SAM Batteries, but they are useful if you want to have (for example) all the SAM Batteries of an Operation's Theatre; or for example to setup all the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall at Normandy.

 

I use them for airfields, as airfields are always at the same place :) .. here is a nice video that explains it better than me:

 

oi6VioycdQw

 

Any way, after this long intro .. No, the static Templates only contains Units and static objects. They cant contain Trigger Zones, Triggers nor Scripts. They also dont contain Weather, Date or Time settings.

 

However, to add random air traffic (RAT) you need a very simple script (more like a specification script, the grunt of the work is made by the Moose Framework) and one sample unit of each type that you want traffic for ... units ... that's what Static Templates can handle, right? :)

 

So, I made a Template that contains one aircraft of each type for the Blue Side (for example), each set-up like needed for RAT (A unique name, Late activation and hidden) ... when I want to add RAT to a Mission, I load the Template (Static Templates are additive, you can apply as many as you need to a Mission, say : Template for origin airfield, template for detination airfield, template for RAT, etc) and then I just need to add a trigger that loads Moose and the Script ... and presto, I have background air traffic on the mission :)

 

Here is a video on RAT (with civil aircraft, but the same can be made with military aircrafts, say transport and helos):

 

VEelYslDv2Y

 

Best regards

Edited February 1, 2019 by Rudel_chw

[Bahger]

This is great; thanks so much!