Mission Editor Top User Requested Features

[shagrat]

1. Load out for ground units aka realistic non-warsaw pact T-70 / T-80 that don't carry ATGMs!!!

The Option to set unlimited ammo to certain units. Simulating stock supply at the location (especially for AAA or infantry in fixed position). It is difficult to simulate a village defended over a long time in longer missions, where you would stock ammo in buildings, caches etc.

[statrekmike]

Here are the big ones that come to mind for me.

 

1.) The ability to enable random system failure with aircraft set as "client". Right now, only aircraft set as "player" can use random system failures that can be configured in the random system failure tab of the unit properties. Having this as a option for multiplayer would allow interested mission makers and especially more "milsim" minded groups to really drive home the importance of the system tests that are often so well modeled on the various modules.

 

2.) Having a sort of "neutral" option. Right now, you can only really do redfor and bluefor and while that works most of the time, it also severely hampers creating missions that model a more complex, more nuanced battlefield. Lacking a neutral faction makes setting strict/realistic ROE difficult to justify and for a sim as capable as DCS, that is a noticeable shortcoming.

 

3.) While I am not sure what can meaningfully be done without huge amounts of work, having a option to change weather on a entire map basis (as opposed to dynamic weather system) via triggers or timing as set in the editor would be really helpful. For example. It would be really useful to be able to set a mission up so it starts on a cloudy day but escalates (again, map-wide) to severe overcast or even rain/snow and then a storm would be pretty nice and would allow for more dynamic feeling missions without the need for complex weather system manipulation.

 

4.) Have the model viewer in the editor (in the loadout tab of the unit properties) reflect the time of day settings more accurately/usefully. This would help mission makers set the time of day for their mission and know what it will kinda look like more effectively while not requiring the mission maker to fully hop into the mission to check.

[prof_laser]

- click-and-drag box to select multiple units / multiple groups

- multi-level undo / redo

- 3D editor (like the Arma 3Den editor)

- copy and paste of stuff between missions / maps

- allow setting "unlimited fuel" per group

- fix the bug that removing map objects from a trigger zone does not work in multiplayer

- trigger zones of different shapes (rectangle, elipses, polygons)

[DoctorStrop]

1) borders or editable n'gon zones (also with toggle-able visibility in mission map)

2) multi-select on units

3) 3d editor with default as satellite view

4) multiple coalitions

5) coalitions can switch allegiances

6) show/hide an entire coalitions units

[fusyoo]

1) triggers for doing stuff with already existing objects on the map (like a bridge destroyed)

2) placeable bridges

 

3) AI to avoid buildings (last time i tested it they just rubbed themselves on a house until the end of the mission - might be different right now)

4) task AI to assemble a bridge

5) improved civilian traffic: air traffic, no traffic zones

6) parentheses for triggers to be able to create more complex triggers

[nickos86]

1. An automatic 'flight' creator. The user choose the target to be attacked, the airplane, role and airfield - the system will create an automated route for takeoff to landing including PUSH, IP, target waypoints. Moreover, additional options can be added 'low/high egress', 'refuel', standoff attack/pop-up...

2. Create a 'package' - number of 'automatically created flights' that tied up using the same target. The system will synchronize the PUSH time. Possible options - "refuel en-route" will add a refuel aircraft prior to the PUSH way point and allocate time for refueling.

3. Not sure if it's under the scope of this thread but just having the certain ME abilities in MP would be a blast. At the moment there is no way to brief MP mission on the server nor change the flight plan in any way.

[Binary]

Mission Editor Top User Requested Features

 

I’d take WebAssembly as an alternative to Lua over all other points in this thread. If this is not going to happen, here are some other points (some suggestions have already been mentioned, though kept them in case duplicates are used to derive a priority):

 

- Event when groups/units are RTB (example use case: know when a tanker leaves its race track or a flight its CAP station because they are empty)

- polygon zones

- option to enable unlimited fuel for units

- random aircraft failures in MP (for non Player units)

- a method to retrieve the remaining fuel of a unit

- a way to change the loadout for a whole flight at once

- a way to determine a unit (of a group) that used an F10 radio item (so eg adding radio items for units)

Edited October 16, 2019 by n26

[Stratos]

1. An automatic 'flight' creator. The user choose the target to be attacked, the airplane, role and airfield - the system will create an automated route for takeoff to landing including PUSH, IP, target waypoints. Moreover, additional options can be added 'low/high egress', 'refuel', standoff attack/pop-up...

2. Create a 'package' - number of 'automatically created flights' that tied up using the same target. The system will synchronize the PUSH time. Possible options - "refuel en-route" will add a refuel aircraft prior to the PUSH way point and allocate time for refueling.

 

I like this ideas!

[Zeagle]

The event when a flight (such as a tanker) is RTB would be great.

 

Also, fix the land/refuel/rearm thing so that AI can land and actually refuel/ rearm then takeoff again. Basically the ability to create a loop so that unless destroyed, a flight will fly, land, refuel-rearm, takeoff, fly etc.)

[Lino_Germany]

Route loop for ships

[VIKBELL]

change ME

 

Allow air and ground assets to be assigned to color coalitions. Not using any specific country just color coalitions. Ensure greater use of all aircraft. Definitely more call signs...

[schroedi]

- place,generic airfields on any point of the map

 

- multiple coalitions with "allies", "friendlies", "neutrals", "unfriendlies", "enemies"

 

- a simple fuel calculating tool, to know how much fuel is needed for the desired route.

 

- set aircraft on alert on an airfield, so they scramble and intercept incomming hostiles, without the need of compilcated scripts

 

- a better misson generator where you can choose specific countries, not only "blue" and "red" coalition

Edited October 15, 2019 by schroedi

[Snacko]

I'm not sure if this makes sense in the long-term plan for DCS World.. but,

 

I think simply making the Mission Briefing Images allow for display of a Webpage plugin/widget would allow users to make much more immersive briefing. It would allow for all kinds of interactive and video content like in a real pilot briefing room. In addition to the static text and images; Webpages allow for display of videos, flash, pdfs, gifs, and other forms of interactive content.

[WOPR]

To my previous feature requests add:

 

 

The ability to assign skins & automatically based on player name, aircraft and slot via scripting. Or better yet, add a player name to aircraft with decals instead of having to have dozens of skins for a squadron.

[discwalker]

In preprogrammed failures table the minimum of the Within column set to 0 minutes.

This way when the pilot do the preflight checks failure can be detected.

[nickos86]

Adding a 'Layer' feature that add 'tags' -automatic and custom made.

For example, a friendly fighter unit who's mission was defined as SEAD will automatically get: 'friendly','fighter','SEAD'. In addition, the user may add other 'tags' like 'phase1', 'blablabla' etc.

 

Moreover, you can tag a GROUP of units

 

You can choose to show/hide items that belong a certain tags to de-clutter. For instance, choose to show only 'Friendly' or ('Friendly' AND 'SEAD ) or ('phase1','fighter', 'sam') etc.

 

That way a user may keep on the map only well defined assets that he's currently interested in.

[MadDog-IC]

Would like to see:

 

 

• The preservation of all preset radio settings set in the ME for player / client aircraft if those planes are changed to AI temporarily (For testing the mission) and when the flights are set back to "Player / Client" mode (Have all the radio frequencies restored back to their custom frequencies set by the mission designer originally instead of the ME default set).
  
• The preservation of all preset "Target point" and "INS" coordinates for the KA-50 set in the ME for "Player / Client" aircraft if those planes are changed to AI temporarily (For testing the mission) and when the flights are set back to "Player / Client" mode (Have all the "Target Points and INS Points" restored back to their custom coordinates set by the mission designer originally instead of having them all deleted).
  
• In "Battle commander" mode, have it so all variants of "Sounds to XXXX", "Radio Transmission to XXXX" and "Message to XXXX" are all played though to the commander as well, no matter which Coalition or flight they may be transmitted to.
  

Regards, Ian.

[71st_AH Rob]

1. Neutral Coalition

 

 

2. Ability to add political boundaries to maps i.e. international borders, no-fly zones etc. that would be linked to coalitions.

 

 

 

3. Airfield objects with properties, i.e. a fuel truck as used at a FARP but it can be used at an airfield to define a refueling area or a Maintenance or Ammo truck that can define maintenance or ammo areas respectively. This would be particularly useful for WWII aircraft that could establish a forward operating field wherever you can find a flat field.

 

 

more to come...

[Preacher316]

(1) Good if: Train engines and cars can be assigned to trigger a condition (unit dead) to perform an action (Flag on) = One car damaged or all train dead etc. More control over trains would be good, like way-point triggers. Like you can with a ground unit. Trains can play a fun part in a mission's scripting when being targeted.

 

 

(2) Using the same sound file (XYZ.ogg) in multiple action trigger panels, will some times interfere with each other. Example - I use XYZ.ogg in two different trigger action panels. Delete the sound XYZ.ogg from trigger one ACTIONS panel, and it deletes the sound from both triggers 1 and 2. Sometimes it deletes the sound in the other trigger's action panel and sometimes it does not. Very hard to duplicate. But when I fly a mission and know that the trigger should have produced a sound, I go back to look why it did not play the sound file and the drop down file selection box is gone. Image enclosed.

 

 

(3) It would be great to have a "Check Box" on the SOUND ACTIONS panel for a trigger, to select the "PRIORITY" of the sound. EXAMPLE: If the box is selected, the sound will immediately play and WILL NOT stop playing until it is finished, even though another sound is triggered on top of it. Also, it will immediately play only if the previous sound is not also checked "PRIORITY", otherwise it will play immediate after the previous "PRIORITY" sound is finished playing. As it is now, a newly triggered sound stops the current playing sound, which causes the listener to miss very important sound messages. (i.e. verbal instructions)

[Gruman]

Ability to import waypoints from a file located on the player/client machine (MP).

Would allow players to load their pre-planned waypoints done with external tools like CombatFlite. Would bridge the missing feature of a Data Cartridge and mission planner until ED releases their own one.

Apparently loading waypoints is only possible for Ai units and Players. Not for MP Clients.

[slyly666]

visualize the sonic boom, and animated people and animals, armored vehicles that can camouflage, animated special units of the helicopter to set off better sound everywhere real textures of houses, cars, trains, etc

[FlankerKiller]

A, part of coalition detected in zone trigger. Way more cargo suppliers, helicopter sling loads as cargo suppliers. A way to limit the amount of supplies a supplier can hold.

[FlankerKiller]

A “land on ground” option for departure points to go with the “take off from ground option”, and make it for non VTOL aircraft. Use the direction from the previous point to determine the landing direction, and the next point to determine the takeoff direction. Maybe include a taxi way point as well.

[FlankerKiller]

The ability to simulate non lethal air to air training with the AI. A in route task for BCM practice wit option of own group, or other group. Could be used in training campaigns.

[FlankerKiller]

The ability for infantrymen to be transported by ground vehicles. Could also be used for towed artillery.