Dustblower MP - Helicopter Landing Competition [server-friendly, persistent scores]

[cfrag]

Dustblower MPT - Helicopter Landing Competition  
version 20250412

Download here

FOR GOODNESS SAKE, DO NOT USE DCS' NEW "SAVE MISSION" - THAT WILL DESTROY THIS MISSION.

PLEASE DO NOT REPORT BUGS FROM A SAVED MISSION. IF YOU SAVE A MISSION IN DCS, IT IS DCS THAT IS F***ING UP THE MISSION. HARD. DCS'S "SAVE MISSION" FEATURE IS NOT PRODUCTION-READY.

 

REQUIREMENTS: SYRIA and a HELICOPTER (Huey, Black Shark (2/3), Mi-8, Gazelle, Hind, Apache, Kiowa, Hook)

SUMMARY: "Dustblower" is a score-based, non-combat, single-/multiplayer, competitive Helicopter Landing Trainer set in Syria. 

Persistent Score: To enable high score persistence, you must de-sanitize the hosting DCS instance

HIGH SPIRE, DUSTBLOWER ONE IS READY FOR DEPARTURE

After finally acing that landing on the gas platform off Batumi's coast, you are now "Dustblower One", training with High Spire in Syria. As before, Landing zones are created dynamically based on the difficulty that you request. Currently, you can train in:
 

• Haifa
  Densely populated, Haifa is a beautiful city with a busy port. Missions here are somewhat more difficult than their Caucasus (Lawnmower) counterpart, with the "difficult" missions bordering on dangerous. Also not helping: the drop-dead beautiful scenery that will distract you. 
    
• Adana
  Where difficult landings become legendary ones. Even more densely populated than Haifa, Adana is home to two airfields, sprawling suburbs, industrial zones, and some memorable landmarks that are sure to show up as a LZ (only on challenging level) when you get lucky.  
   

To liven up your task, and unlike Caucasus, there's a steady breeze coming in from the sea which you'll have to take into account when making your approach. Oh, and you are racing the clock in more than one way - sundown is sixty minutes after start-up. Landings will get progressively more difficult as darkness falls across the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, there's some air traffic that may or may not try to stay out of your way. Try not to end up on the windshield of a C-17, will you?

How to: 
Request a landing from "High Spire" (via Communications->F10:Other) and choose a difficulty (easy, normal, or challenging). High Spire will create an LZ accordingly, mark it, and send you on your way.

All LZs are generated dynamically, from tens of thousands of possibilities. Due to the way how landings are generated, some 'challenging' LZs may prove be impossible for your skill/helicopter combination, and may have to abort.
 
Each landing is scored individually, while High Spire keeps a running total until you crash or change airframes). After five or more successful consecutive landings, your overall skill is rated. Harshly. So better step up your game, soldier! Should you crash your helicopter, your total score is reset to zero. Good news for those of you who are brave enough to instruct: when you are flying multi-crew, only the pilot is rated.

In multiplayer, each helicopter is scored individually. For high-score, the "Highlander-Rule" applies: there can be only one. No matter what team, difficulty, airframe or location, only the highest score counts. Well, the to 10 highest, but then there was also more than one Highlander Movie.

Currently all DCS flyable helicopters (Huey, Ka-50, Mi-8 and Gazelle) are supported. You can switch between airframes at any time - just remember that scoring is based on the helicopter's pilot, so you if you change the airframe, your score will reset. 

Scoring
Each Landing is scored based on the following parameters

• Difficulty level (easy, normal, challenging)
• Time required until touchdown, with some leeway added in for distance.
• Quality (precision) of landing
• Helicopter type 
   

LZ are marked by a ring of tires with a red flag sticking out (easy and normal mission), or a ring of red flags (hard). Additionally, the position of the LZ is marked by smoke that is positioned outside the LZ. Use the smoke to locate the LZ and judge the wind before you get too close. Teams can choose their own smoke color by request from High Spire. 

A touchdown outside of the marked LZ fails that touchdown with a score of 0. Aborting an exercise counts as a failed landing (Score 0) towards your total and average score.

You must also avoid other units moving about, even if they intrude on your LZ. Landing on a road is therefore not advised. Fly with an eye out for other helicopters or planes, as both Haifa's and Adana's airspace is busy. 

You can choose between three levels of difficulty:
 

• Easy:
  your landing zone will be mostly unobstructed and can be approached from any direction. It's big enough even for inexperienced pilots to hit, maybe even land in. There is a generous time limit, and breaking the limit will simply add less to the score.
   
• Normal:
  your landing zone may be partially obstructed, so plan your approach direction. Landing Zone size is still generous. Time limit is shorter, breaking the limit also only results in a lower score
   
• Challenging:
  your landing zone is virtually guaranteed to be obstructed from at least one side, and usually there are obstacles (trees, buildings, vehicles, power lines) close by that may even extend into your LZ. Size of the LZ is what you could expect in real-life extraction missions. Time limit is harsh, and breaking the limit will reduce the entire score to zero. As in ral life, you run a slight risk that the LZ provides an insurmountable challenge, and you'll have to bite the bullet and abort (with full zero score penalty) rather than risk crashing.

Helicopter difficulty:
- Ka-50 Black Shark 2/3 (easiest)
- UH-1 Huey
- OH 58D Kiowa
- SA-324 Gazelle
- AH-64 Apache
- CH-47 Chinook
- Mi-24P HIND
- Mi-8 Hip (hardest)

Nobody ever said it was easy. But it's fun!

NOTE:
Dustblower now uses 'stopGap', a utility that provides eye candy: unoccupied player slots are automatically filled with 'empty', parking aircraft. You can turn this feature off by going to Communications-->Other-->Eye Candy and choose "(Performance) leave player slots empty".

You can disable stopGap on mission start by opening the mission in Mission Editor, and click on the TriggerZone "stopGapConfig". Then change the value for "onStart" from "yes" to "no".

WARNING:
In multiplayer, stopGap REQUIRES that the server (only the server) runs the tine 'stopGap GUI" script that sorts out a DCS-internal synchronization bug. If your players complain that their helicopters 'drop from the sky' on start, you have not yet installed stopGap GUI on the server.

You can find stopGap here: (ED user Files)
 

INSTALLATION
To install, download and move "CFrag's Dustblower MPT.miz" to
    C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS\Missions\
or
    C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Missions\

For server installation, also install stopGap GUI (see here)

TO START THE MISSION 
Start DCS, then click
    - Mission (Note: NOT Training)
    - My Missions tab (upper left)
    - CFrag's Dustblower MPT

 

TO HOST MULTIPLAYER
Start DCS, then click
    - Multiplayer
    - Click 'New Server' 
    - Add CFrag's Dustblower MPT to your mission roster and select it
    - Click on 'Start'

 

Version History
v2.0 - 20210515
Initial release, replaces the original "Dustblower" 

v2.2.0 - 20220319
Added Hind, Apache, center tire on easy, full DML support.

v.3 - 20220910
- Reworked 'challenging' mission LZ logic to prevent impossible missions
- Permanent top 10 list (persists though missions, requires de-sanitized DCS)

v20221217
- Added Ka-50 III

v20240615
- Added Kiowa 
- Added 'stopGap' eye candy

v20250412
- added fog (player choice)
- DCS bug hardening

Edited April 12 by cfrag

[Resection]

Thanks. Played Haifa last night and it seemed to work well. Crashed on my 5th challenging landing though 

 

Will have a go at Adana next. Need some more Mi-8 practice.

 

The work you have put into this shows. Thanks for all your effort.

 

 

[cfrag]

Thank you, @Resection - have fun in Adana!

 

[cfrag]

Mission deleted. 

Too many people downrated this mission without bothering to say what to improve. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by cfrag

[Resection]

What a shame. Everyone who develops missions for us to download needs our support and encouragement. DCS would not be half as much fun for single player users without these missions.

 

Don’t get too disillusioned cfrag. I am sure there are lots of users who appreciate the efforts you and other mission makers put into these downloads.

[szaan]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb cfrag:

Mission deleted. 

Too many people downrated this mission without bothering to say what to improve. 

Hey cfrag,

 

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm just starting out in DCS, so I've hadn't had the chance to fly your missions but I'm sorry that you got negative feedback on your hard work. 200h is a huge amount of time and effort and it's sad that the missions are no longer available.

 

Wishing you all the best!

[EL_LEJI]

It's sad to read these things.

Luckily I have their missions and I can enjoy them.

I personally thank you for your effort in creating missions for our beloved helicopters.

[StevanJ]

On 6/2/2021 at 8:18 PM, cfrag said:

Mission deleted. 

Too many people downrated this mission without bothering to say what to improve. 

So i just downloaded and played CFrags DustBlower, When you see whats near the top in the Ratings charts for the Huey, And you compare it with your mission, I think the ratings are fair.
And to delete missions because you arent happy with the ratings youre getting, when even your missions will help the newer players, i think it just seems a little petty.
Someone somewhere will be loving your missions, So keep them uploaded- one 'share' to a forum and you may get a higher rating or even feedback-

Having spent some time building missions, I think it wouldnt be fair to rate your mission as highly as something like these.
https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/filter/type-is-single/unit-is-uh-1h/sort-is-rating/user-is-ElementLT/apply/

Your mission isnt bad, but its not very addictive, or fluid, or thought out.
For new players- i think they'd enjoy it, but for the seasoned players like myself- we honestly expect alot more.

Its not good enough for 5 stars, but with a few changes, it could be.. honestly.
Fly to blue, land. Use comms to select another landing zone. Comms says we have to fly over the runway to get a landing zone.
Fly to runway, get an LZ, repeat.
Its repetitive. And a little boring after the first two landings.

Theres nothing to this mission to keep me entertained for longer than five minutes.
It needs story, and continuing landing zones.
Not Fly to blue, then fly to green to get a blue.
Fly to Blue- Then to another Blue- Then to another Blue ETC
Then give me a Score based upon my landings, pace, time, quality of landing etc.
Score = 5/10 Go faster to get a 6/10. Land more carefully and youll get a 7/10 etc. 10/10 is Max Score

I chose hard landings because you say 'the LZ is what you would expect in real-life extraction missions', but my first 'Hard LZ' was on a 45 degree incline (made it then lost a skid), 15 yards from a level LZ in between two buildings which was just as hard, and when i imagine which LZ they'd use in a 'real life extraction mission', I doubt it would be the incline.

The ratings.. What does it mean? Where is my rating in the ranks? Whats top/bottom? How do i know if ive done good?
My stats- What do they mean? Total score 6353 (avg 1270)? I dont understand. Its not clear enough.
After playing for 10 minutes, i dont think id be playing it again.

 

Things i liked.
The scoring system, this was great- and if this was used effectively, youd be onto a winner.
But the mission pace works against the scoring system. So im not motivated to play it again, because i want the landings not the 'fly to runway'.

What id like to see improved.
Rankings- I wanna see where i am in the rankings, not told im a 'fixed-wing pilot' with no reference of how good or bad that is.
Story- If ive got to go back to the starting position, there'd better be good reason for it, instead of 'just to get a new LZ'.

Scoring- Tell me how to improve my score, give me consecutive landings, on real life examples of LZ's not on a 45 degree incline above an empty car park.

Sounds- Hated the robot woman, after twice communicating with her, i was irritated enough to be motivated to end the game. Lose the comms menu after each landing.
I dont want to have to talk to anyone- if im practicing landings, than thats what i should be doing, i should only have to use the comms to change my next task, not select a task.
Landing should be automatically setup one after another.

I hope you dont take any of this any other way than as constructive, but i think if you put a little bit more time into this, it could turn around within a few weeks.
Dont take my review too harshly, with a little direction, youll get there..

I hope this is the feedback youre after..

[cfrag]

Aaaand I got over myself. Dustblower MP is back. And what's that I spy with my monocled right eye? Why, that's an AH-64, fully fueled and ready to go on the tarmac!

Version 2.2.0

Changes:

• Easy difficulty now has an additional marking in the center so you can better judge where you need to place your helicopter's center of gravity to get a perfect score (hint, hint)
• Fully upgraded DML libs
• Oh, yeah. The Apaches have arrived. Two in Haifa, two in Adana

Enjoy.

-ch

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by cfrag

[cfrag]

Version 3 - 20220901 - Competition Version

This version now supports an eternal (persists through server restarts) top ten landings list (Pilot, Airframe, Score) - so you can run it on your server and the best scores remain even  through daily restarts. 

If you play it locally it will also remember your 10 best landings though mission restarts,

Changes

• Reworked all LZ to accommodate map changes (Haifa harbor, downtown Adana)
• Pre-selected "chatter" frequencies on all helicopters 
• Tweaked 'challenging' logic to reduce likelihood of impossible LZ
• Updated DML 
• Now can keep permanent top 10 landing list (requires de-sanitized DCS) 
• Re-located back to ED's User Filers

[cfrag]

Apologies, fixed the link

-ch

 

[cfrag]

Update 20221217

• added Ka-50 III

Enjoy,

-ch

 

[cfrag]

Update v20240615

• Added Kiowa (4x Adana, 4x Haifa)
• Added 'stopGap' eye candy

Enjoy,

-ch

[Slippa]

Good on ya cfrag, keep at it .

Cool response to a thoughtful write-up from Steve. Healthy positive energies, just what we need.

I’d have a look but you’d need a comedy section/disaster zone and nobody wants a record of my dodgy attempts yet . 

[AKA_Clutter]

@cfrag,

 

Just found this and looking forward to trying  this.  I tried making a mission similar yo this for me, so eill be interested is seeing how you dif tge scripts as well.

[cfrag]

BUG NOTIFICATION: DCS 2.9.6.57650 and 2.9.6.57656

Please be advised that DCS 2.9.6.57650 and 2.9.6.57656 (updates from July 11 and 22) completely breaks this mission. A 'fix' for a previously reported bug has rendered central functionality of this mission inert: the mission can no longer detect if a helicopter has landed. Until this is fixed by ED this mission is unplayable.

Hopefully a fix in the future can restore this mission back to working condition.

Edited July 22, 2024 by cfrag

[cfrag]

Update 20240819

• Unbroke the mission
• Added Chinook

Enjoy,

-ch

 

[Hotdognz]

Hey Cfag you might want to check the mission cannot be downloaded I get a 404 Not Found error when i click download

[cfrag]

3 hours ago, Hotdognz said:

cannot be downloaded

Thank you for the headsup! I just tried, and it seemed to work for me. Perhaps it's ED's 'venerable' infrastructure acting up? Can I trouble you to try again, and if it does not work, I'll try and contact someone at ED.

 

[Hotdognz]

1 hour ago, cfrag said:

Thank you for the headsup! I just tried, and it seemed to work for me. Perhaps it's ED's 'venerable' infrastructure acting up? Can I trouble you to try again, and if it does not work, I'll try and contact someone at ED.

 

I got it download eventually

[cfrag]

Update v.4.1 -- 20240927 -- Maintenance and Quality Update 
 

Changes in detail:

- code hardening against DCS jul-11 and jul-22 bugs 
- re-recorded all HighSpire audio
- moved eye candy menu access to admin group
- pushed out restart to 5 hours (for up to 5h cycle compatibility with "Tickle")
- added sortie name
 

[cfrag]

Update v.4.1.2 - Maintenance 

- New scenery in Adana requires re-positioning of some client slots

 

 

[cfrag]

Update 20250412 - Fog & Maintenance 

- added player-controllable fog 
- Hardening against DCS bugs

 

WARNING:

DO NOT USE DCS' "SAVE MISSION" FEATURE - THAT *WILL* DESTROY THIS MISSION.

DO NOT REPORT BUGS FROM A SAVED MISSION. IF YOU SAVE A MISSION IN DCS, IT IS DCS THAT IS F***ING UP THE MISSION. HARD.
DCS'S "SAVE MISSION" FEATURE IS NOT PRODUCTION-READY.

Edited April 13 by cfrag