Feature request: Importing completed missions into editor

[Dark_Sceptre]

Since the campaign engine won't be updated in the foreseeable future, I have a request for a feature that may improve gameplay for mudmovers off- and online.

 

The biggest flaw in the campaign / mission engine today as I see it is that there's no persistence between missions. While it would be great to have a fully dynamic campaign with an ongoing war being fought across the map, we could achieve a fairly extensive campaign if only we were able to save a mission as it was upon completion and edit it in the mission editor to set up a new mission.

 

A major requirement for this to work would be that the state of all objects must be saved. Any structures destroyed or damaged must be recorded, as well as all vehicles. For moving units, their progress along waypoints must also be there. This may be more data than what the mission file format contains today, but imho the extra work would be well worth it.

 

By allowing the player to snapshot the game universe upon completing one mission, and reimporting this into the mission editor, you can orchestrate anything from a short engagement with a couple of flights to a fullscale limited war.

 

Especially for online cooperative or force on force, such a feature would be invaluable.

[Greenies]

Re: Feature request: Importing completed missions into edito

 

...we could achieve a fairly extensive campaign if only we were able to save a mission as it was upon completion and edit it in the mission editor to set up a new mission.

 

IMO, this is a great suggestion, Dark_Sceptre. Let's hope the developers have the time and opportunity to make something like this a part of the add-on (they have a tight schedule already, I'm afraid). A feature like this would make for a static, but continuous campaign.

[Trident]

http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=37;t=006221

[Dark_Sceptre]

I wasn't aware that the campaign persists damage across the missions, but that doesn't invalidate my request. There are two good reasons why saving missions and editing them is a good idea;

 

1: There IS NO ONLINE campaign.

 

2: The campaign is completely static and does not reflect the actions of the player; you either complete a mission objectives and move on to the next campaign stage, or you fail them and have to refly.

 

What I am suggesting is a manual and admittedtly work-intensive, BUT online flyable and non-static camapign through a series of handmade missions that start in the state you left the universe upon exiting the previous mission.

 

This is by no means a perfect solution, but as we all know, there iS no solution forthcoming at all - all work is concentrated on visuals, avionics and flight mechanics, whereas the mission engine remains unchanged. There are many people who stopped flying Lock On a long time ago because of the limitations inherent in the engine, and to be completely honest, lock on is only a great sim for pure head to head aerial engagements.

 

I am suggesting a way to open the sim up _a_little_ to the player so that we can at least orchestrate a multi-stage campaign ourselves, online as well as offline, until such a time comes when (if!) the game's builtin warfare capabilities are improved.