How do you use CA effectively to create missions

[Zimmerdylan]

  I have been with DCS now since the beginning of DCS Balckshark when it was released on CD many years ago. In fact, I still have that disk somewhere. 

 I have since purchased many modules over the years. Over the past recent years I just stopped sinking money into DCS. Combined Arms, and Assets Pack are 2 of the many reasons that I have lost interest in DCS. 

My experience with CA is that it's clumsy, counter intuitive, doesn't work like it's suppose to, needlessly complicated, and just a bad purchase all around. DCS touted how easy and effective it would all be. When did that ever come about???

 It seems that even if, and when you can get it to act right, you have to do trial and error testing for days to get any particular task to be performed with any consistency at all in mission. 

 Example: B17's and bombs........Need more be said on this?? Go read the countless posts on it. Getting them to do what is asked of them is so insanely frustrating that you get pissed off every time and give up. I have only once in all the years of having CA gotten them to drop anything but themselves to the ground. And before you start preaching that I just don't know how....Well, I do (or did anyway), but it's never consistent. "Select Iron bombs" tell 'em where  to drop and all that stuff. Then for whatever reason, it doesn't work any more so then you got to go find the work around for it or alter files configs. No thanks....I didn't sign on as a Dev. The software should work the way ED says it will. Embark features on the Helis??? It was there at first and worked well but now you have to work around a system that wasn't broken in the beginning. It seems like anything I need to do in a mission is a major problem for CA. Hell....Even my own planes flying with me or for me do what they want and ignore orders. CA has turned out to be one of my DCS regrets as I never use it any more unless I am creating a practice range with static vehicles. Gets boring fast!  Heaven forbid I ask any of them to do more than drive a road, and even then sometimes they mess that up. I am not saying that I need to specifically know how to get planes to drop bombs. That's just an example. My problem is that you need to do so many ridiculous things to get even the simplest of tasks out of CA vehicles, planes, and troops. It has never worked correctly for me without doing what seems like a day's work for 2 minutes of play. 

 So those of you making these "complex" missions.....Do you have to alter a lot of LUA files or what? Well that shouldn't be the case. This thing should be working after so many years. So maybe there should be a thread somewhere that people can share their CA tricks, or even just using the damn thing. To me it's just junk that I have that doesn't work............

Edited October 29, 2021 by Zimmerdylan

[Eight Ball]

You seem a bit confused.

None of what you said has anything to do with CA.

Combined Arms is a RTS interface for DCS World. It allows you to give orders to AI units (other than your wingmen) in real time (once you're playing the mission)  as well as taking direct control of some of them (ground units) .

Your problems relate to: the mission editor (B17's bombing run), the DCS World AI (your wingmen not following orders), DCS World ground units pathfinding and DCS World buggy features (helo troop transport).

It's a bit ironic you regret buying CA since, based solely on this post, it looks like you've never actually used it

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Eight Ball

[StevanJ]

56 minutes ago, Eight Ball said:

You seem a bit confused.

None of what you said has anything to do with CA.

Combined Arms is a RTS interface for DCS World. It allows you to give orders to AI units (other than your wingmen) in real time (once you're playing the mission)  as well as taking direct control of some of them (ground units) .

Your problems relate to: the mission editor (B17's bombing run), the DCS World AI (your wingmen not following orders), DCS World ground units pathfinding and DCS World buggy features (helo troop transport).

It's a bit ironic you regret buying CA since, based solely on this post, it looks like you've never actually used it

 

 

Well thats unfair, Everything he said has to do with CA, How is he confused?
The bottom line is we all have this module, and no one really knows how to make it work effectively. All people do is reference the manual, and then once theyve read that, theyve other issues and bugs to contend with.

Im an active mission maker, i can normally get my head around absolutely anything in the mission maker..
But every single one of the Missions ive made with CA (including a squad Campaign on the Syria map) just doesnt and wont make sense.

While im very sure there will be a huge flame war to follow, id first like to hear from the people that can actually make this module work intuitively and easy.
Because i cant..
And like @Zimmerdylan Ive given up trying too..

Heres a prime example, People asking, and no one really knowing how to answer..
 

I really even struggle to drive the damn tanks as their isnt really a guide to do so intuitively either.
If i want a semi accurate and fun Tank Sim- i end up going onto another piece of software that rhymes with Smacklefield More'..

Heres a well known youtuber giving us a brief insight into how to use Combined Arms effectively..
(This is from the guys that taught me how to use the MAV' in 6 minutes- Notice how this is the first of two videos)
The total guide is nearly 3 hours of media..

Heres the Playlist for anyone that wants the references to each individual vehicle..

Edited October 30, 2021 by StevanJ

[Eight Ball]

1 hour ago, StevanJ said:

The bottom line is we all have this module, and no one really knows how to make it work effectively

That's just not true. Exactly how many people are proeficient with it, I don't know, but I'm certainly not the only one. It's by far the simpliest module in DCS (not counting the SC).

If you're capable of learning the F-18 or the A-10C you should be more than capable of understanding how combined arms works. But once again you have to understand CA is just an interface to interact with AIs in real time.

I've played entire liberation campaign exclusively with CA and sure, there are some quirks, bugs and limitations but nothing OP mentionned are part of them.

the Bombing advanced waypoint feature has nothing to do with CA, neither does the helo troop transport feature. Same with your wingmen not following orders.

You don't need combined arms to use any of these features or be affected by issues with them.

 

1 hour ago, StevanJ said:

Heres a prime example, People asking, and no one really knowing how to answer..

Just open the mission editor,  add a game master, add an airplane with some weapons, a few targets, click play and see for yourself?

Given how barebone CA is, within 10 minutes you would know that you can give waypoints to airplanes, set their speed, altitude, ROE and formation and you can designate targets and that's about it.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Eight Ball

[Callsign112]

10 hours ago, Zimmerdylan said:

My experience with CA is that it's clumsy, counter intuitive, doesn't work like it's suppose to, needlessly complicated, and just a bad purchase all around. DCS touted how easy and effective it would all be. When did that ever come about???...

 So those of you making these "complex" missions.....Do you have to alter a lot of LUA files or what? Well that shouldn't be the case. This thing should be working after so many years. So maybe there should be a thread somewhere that people can share their CA tricks, or even just using the damn thing.

 

I think this is an excellent suggestion, so thanks for starting the thread. In my experience, unless your a YouTuber running a "How to" channel, your probably less likely to post how you do/use something unless it is in response to someones question. So if your stuck on something, or want help, just throw your question up on the forum and you are likely to get at least one response. But it is worth a try, and maybe others will join in here to share how they use CA.

I get what @Zimmerdylan and @StevanJ are trying to say, because there does seem to be a grey area surrounding CA in terms of what it is, or isn't, but I think @Eight Ball pretty much nailed it in his description of what CA does.  

An easy way to demonstrate for yourself exactly how CA can affect what happens in a mission is to start off with a mission that doesn't use CA. Go into the Mission Editor and place your favorite plane/jet/heli in the map as a player/client. Then find an open piece of terrain where you can place 10 red tanks and 10 blue tanks about 5 miles apart. Save and fly the mission. You are now in your favorite plane/jet/heli, and the 20 red and blue tanks you placed will just be sitting there 5 miles apart not moving because you didn't give them any way point logic, or tasks to do. From your plane, all you can really do to interact with the ground vehicles is attack them while you fly around overhead.

Now go back to the mission editor and edit the same mission by adding a CA Game Master slot for either the red or blue team, and an AI plane of your choice. Also check the "PILOT CAN CONTROL" box, then save and fly the mission. Now you will be given an option to either fly the player/client plane, or occupy the Game Master slot. This time, if you select the pilot slot, you will notice you are now able to click on any of your tanks, give them way points, change formation, speed and so on. If you select the Game Master slot, you will not only be able to click on any tanks to control them, but you can also click on the AI plane you added and control it in the same way. Additionally, you can also drive any of the tanks on the map, both red and blue, by selecting a unit and clicking on the little TANK icon (take control) at the top.

So what CA does is it allows you to connect and control air, ground, and naval forces as the mission plays out. What happens in the mission is up to you.

I don't have the time right now, but I would like to try and address if I can what Zimmerldylan feels is clumsy, counter intuitive, and complicated about CA in a later post.

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Callsign112

[StevanJ]

4 hours ago, Eight Ball said:

That's just not true. Exactly how many people are proeficient with it, I don't know, but I'm certainly not the only one. It's by far the simpliest module in DCS (not counting the SC).

If you're capable of learning the F-18 or the A-10C you should be more than capable of understanding how combined arms works. But once again you have to understand CA is just an interface to interact with AIs in real time.

I've played entire liberation campaign exclusively with CA and sure, there are some quirks, bugs and limitations but nothing OP mentionned are part of them.

the Bombing advanced waypoint feature has nothing to do with CA, neither does the helo troop transport feature. Same with your wingmen not following orders.

You don't need combined arms to use any of these features or be affected by issues with them.

 

Just open the mission editor,  add a game master, add an airplane with some weapons, a few targets, click play and see for yourself?

Given how barebone CA is, within 10 minutes you would know that you can give waypoints to airplanes, set their speed, altitude, ROE and formation and you can designate targets and that's about it.

 

Op is having trouble, instead of actually helping him, youve condescended him with 'youve never actually used it'..

Ive turned around and validated that 'yes, there is an issue..'
Ive used it, and despite making many a mission, I struggle to make it work in a fun and intuitive way- efficiently, as you can a mission for an air module.
Ive had it a VERY long time and ive spent enough time into it, to realise it doesnt work well enough.
Either the units track through a building, drop from a bridge, or you have to aim improperly as shown in the video ive posted above, where Cap aims at the tank, and then the Guy giving the advice, says 'No, you have to aim at the bottom of the reticle, if you aim at the tank, it wont actually hit'..

This is what im talking about. Who in the right mind would actively know that you cant aim directly at the tank if you want to hit it?
Its more trouble than its worth.

Now this is the important bit, No one with enough knowledge about the module wants to share what they know.

You could have posted a video solving Op's issues, or given him instructions on how to resolve his problem, but you chose to belittle him..

What I know, is that the problems ive experienced with CA, means it isnt worth implementing into anything.
9/10 times the way i solve most of my issues, and If I want to prevent days of wasted time testing missions, the simplest of solutions is to plainly avoid using the module.
An example is the Embark function which is so problematic, I just dont use it anymore.

No body wants to sit and wait while troops that are supposed to embark, run around like headless chickens for nearly 15 minutes until they realise they have to 'just walk to the huey'..
Now i just use activate and deactivate group as it works more fluidly and more reliably.

Then, theres the problems with the Asset Pack, should it work with CA in the same way actual non asset pack assets do? Because I cannot get it to..

The Editor isnt intuitive enough to actually create epic battles, I set up two squads of troops, set it up the same way i would any other mission (because why would it be any different)..
One pathfinder regiment reaches hostiles in a village in Iraq, and then the hostiles call for back up, and the player has to defend the pathfinders.
One single mission, took two of us, 3 weeks.. We can build a whole 8 mission Campaign in that time.
The unimaginable problems we experienced from CA, and the way it implements into the game just made it unusable.

AI, Never did what we wanted it to do, Firstly we wanted the player to drive the scouts into the village from the camp, the AI, WOULDNT do it. They just didnt want to drive through that village, so a trigger zone function, couldnt be used. So we had to keep the Squad stuck in one position, but they kept splitting up and driving around one house, doing nothing. So i had to have them react to nothing, but ROE weapon free. But this was even more problematic with each new enemy we introduced.
Then we wanted the opposition to do a basic flank in two positions- Nope, they didnt want to walk through the village either, so then we had to literally have the enemy just be at the end of the road.

Then there was the balance, because of problems again, the troops would only walk in ones, despite setting and trialling formations, they just wouldnt stay together and fight as a group, so then we had to go back and add near 40 individual groups, rather than a group of 40. Because the small group of pathfinders would just shoot all of the enemy as each of them walked forward in single file to get shot in the face.

Then there was the tanks, the tanks either do what you ask, or act like they dont have a driving license based upon skill level. Set expert, and they do what you want, but kill everything first shot, they know exactly where the enemy are through buildings, and that meant setting the enemy to expert to so they'd follow there waypoints, and then ROE weapon hold so that they not destroy everything instantly, and then the battle takes 2 minutes, set them as novice, and they act like they know where they SHOULD go, but cant figure out how to steer and actually go there..

3 weeks of trying, and me and my guy just looked at each other and said, this is DUMB'..
Here was the outcome- 3 weeks of work for a decent mission that had about 5 minutes of action..

Now, I would welcome some friendly insight into actually how to make the modules work in a way, where its fun and easy, but right now it just seems youre being unhelpful and would rather argue that ' Op is wrong- rather than just telling him how to make it work' For all of us..

[Los]

We integrate CA into our mission regularly. We might be doing a combat assault so we use CTLD to spawn troops to lift at a FARP. Once troops are deposited we use CA (simply and quickly I might add) to move them around to assault positions.  We always have a tactical commander present. Sometimes if we need TACP or some someone gets shot down they jump into a ground unit and guide us on to targets. From what it does we are happy to have it. If you want real ground combat...well that's why god created Steel beasts or Arma. (Coincidently once I remapped my CA controls to be similar to Steel beasts, it made things easier). It is nice to have some control over ground forces when we need it, after all there no point to air operation except to make sure there are boots on the target.

 

This is not to take away from criticisms that ED appear to have put minimal effort into CA other than make the models look nice. The interface could be easier, and how the units function on the ground, and how they interact with the terrain to create effective ground combat simulation leaves work still to be done. But I'm certainly happy to have it.

[StevanJ]

1 hour ago, Los said:

We integrate CA into our mission regularly. We might be doing a combat assault so we use CTLD to spawn troops to lift at a FARP. Once troops are deposited we use CA (simply and quickly I might add) to move them around to assault positions.  We always have a tactical commander present. Sometimes if we need TACP or some someone gets shot down they jump into a ground unit and guide us on to targets. From what it does we are happy to have it. If you want real ground combat...well that's why god created Steel beasts or Arma. (Coincidently once I remapped my CA controls to be similar to Steel beasts, it made things easier). It is nice to have some control over ground forces when we need it, after all there no point to air operation except to make sure there are boots on the target.

 

This is not to take away from criticisms that ED appear to have put minimal effort into CA other than make the models look nice. The interface could be easier, and how the units function on the ground, and how they interact with the terrain to create effective ground combat simulation leaves work still to be done. But I'm certainly happy to have it.

Dont get me wrong, before 2.7 I LOVED this module online, nothing like doing the day job with a bit of CTLD and dropping tanks and taking over an airbase on the forward line, but since 2.7 I cant even get the Tanks to follow more than one waypoint.

Id love to have this module cared for, and have a game, where we dont need outside scripting like CTLD.

Inter-Module intergration is what we should of had before the Apache or Hind was ever brought forward. Then we'd have the foundation in place, to add a great attack copter.
Now we have a (hopefully) great attack copter, and CA- and what it is now.. Which is.. in disrepair?

[Callsign112]

@StevanJ, I understand your frustration, but I think all Eight Ball is saying is that most of the things mentioned so far in this thread are not actually Combined Arms issues. I don't believe he is trying to belittle anyone, or argue someone is wrong. No one is being judged here. I am certainly no authority on Combined Arms, or the Mission Editor, but I am willing to try and help if I can because @Zimmerdylan asked, and I hope he hasn't taken something the wrong way and remains engaged in the thread.

What peaked my interest the most is when Zimmerdylan asked if he has to alter LUA files to use Combined Arms. It certainly adds a lot of power to the Mission Editor if you know how to use script files, but you don't even have to know how to use a trigger zone to use Combined Arms, and I think I can show that.

But we all have to be on the same page. In other words, we all have to agree/understand what CA is, and what it isn't. Part of the problem to start with is that there appears to be a lot of overlap between the Mission Editor and the CA module, making it hard to see any separation between the two. In the simplest terms, I would say that CA gives you mission editor level control over AI assets while the mission is in progress. Now it does more than just that, but in a nutshell, that's whats going on. The best example with CA installed is you can give way point commands to AI assets during a mission. Without CA, you have to exit the mission to update it with the desired way points in the mission editor, and then run the mission again. That is one of the strengths of CA, it allows you to reshape the battle even as it is being played out.

Since CA is about controlling AI assets, the best starting point would be to see how control happens in DCS World. The video I linked below shows the different control methods in DCS as they are being used with CA installed, but essentially without CA you assign way points in the MISSION EDITOR. With CA installed, you can also give way points on the fly, take direct control of a selected unit, or if you are in direct control of the primary unit for a group (designated with a #1 next to its icon), you can give the other AI units in that group movement commands using the "\" key.

To give an example, say there are 4 platoons of 4 red tanks each on your side. As the tactical commander of the red team, you could give movement commands to all 16 tanks from the F10 map. You could also take direct control of any tank in your coalition from the F10 map, while assigning way points and targets to all other red tanks on the battle field. And if you are in direct control of a primary unit for a group, you can use the "\" key to control the other tanks in that platoon. You can also change the platoon you control on the fly by simply going to the F10 map and selecting one of the other primary units and pressing the "take control" button (little tank icon at top). 

Controlling AI units may sound trivial, or even uninteresting, but once you start using it, you quickly see how this aspects of CA is able to virtually eliminate the repetitiveness of scripted game play. Say you design a 4V4 mission where each side has 4 platoons of 4 tanks each and 2 planes/jets/helicopters. So 2 players in tanks, and 2 players in aircraft on each team. Each player assigned to tanks controls 8 AI units including the unit they are driving. It is almost impossible to see the same match play out the same way twice as each player strategically moves their units on the map.

My last point is about path-finding and the options available. This is very important because while there are many bugs/inconsistencies, a lot of the perceived issues in this area are user related IMO. This is certainly one area where the Devs need to make major improvements, but a lot of the issues I encountered were solvable through simple trial and error to figure out how to correctly use the path-finding feature. But I concur StevanJ, I was able to do more with path-finding before 2.7 stable released.

3 general categories of path-finding (way point) commands. On Road, Off Road, and Custom (free). With On Road way points, the units are forced to follow in a row. If way point "0" is set to On-Road, all units in the group will be evenly spaced out (apprx. 100 ft) and locked to the row formation on a road. Off-Road way points also force your grouped units to follow in a row while moving cross country, but initial placement of units at way point "0" can be changed by the mission designer. Regardless of unit position at way point "0", units will form up according to the desired formation at mission start and at each subsequent way point. A subcategory to the Off-Road way point command are all the formation commands, which simply force your grouped units to follow in something other than a row while going cross country. The last category is the Custom (free) command. This is useful if you want your group to have a more natural looking formation as it moves, but it can also cause a lot of problems especially if units are not spaced correctly.

If you are having problems with path-finding, try experimenting with things like distance between grouped units, command type, and variations to the path itself.

 

           

Edited November 5, 2021 by Callsign112

[Callsign112]

On 10/30/2021 at 4:44 AM, StevanJ said:

...AI, Never did what we wanted it to do, Firstly we wanted the player to drive the scouts into the village from the camp, the AI, WOULDNT do it. They just didnt want to drive through that village, so a trigger zone function, couldnt be used. So we had to keep the Squad stuck in one position, but they kept splitting up and driving around one house, doing nothing. So i had to have them react to nothing, but ROE weapon free. But this was even more problematic with each new enemy we introduced.

Then we wanted the opposition to do a basic flank in two positions- Nope, they didnt want to walk through the village either, so then we had to literally have the enemy just be at the end of the road.
Then there was the balance, because of problems again, the troops would only walk in ones, despite setting and trialling formations, they just wouldnt stay together and fight as a group, so then we had to go back and add near 40 individual groups, rather than a group of 40. Because the small group of pathfinders would just shoot all of the enemy as each of them walked forward in single file to get shot in the face.
Then there was the tanks, the tanks either do what you ask, or act like they dont have a driving license based upon skill level. Set expert, and they do what you want, but kill everything first shot, they know exactly where the enemy are through buildings, and that meant setting the enemy to expert to so they'd follow there waypoints, and then ROE weapon hold so that they not destroy everything instantly, and then the battle takes 2 minutes, set them as novice, and they act like they know where they SHOULD go, but cant figure out how to steer and actually go there..
 

Wanted to get back to this with another video. It is not always easy to get the AI to do what you want, and I find this with infantry more so than vehicles. Sometimes it is even hard to tell if the behavior I'm seeing is a bug, or if its just because I'm not doing something right. But getting AI infantry to look real in a battle scenario is a little bit like an art that requires a lot of practice.

For example to address the bold text above, what I found works quite well is using the custom way point command at the right times. First make the size of group you want to use, then click on the primary unit and set way point 0 to custom, now move the individual units around by clicking and dragging so that they are in the formation you want them to move in, then add the additional custom way points you need to get them to the desired destination. Less way points is generally better in terms of RAM usage. This becomes more important as the size of your mission grows.

I normally have to set up, run, change, repeat at least 2 or 3 times before I get the movement I want.

Once the mission is running, you can use CA to change a groups formation on the fly if you like. 

And you can also add a lot of effect by changing the way point formation type and direction, or by having a number of groups moving together.

For example, you might have a group of 10 soldiers using the On-Road way point command from WP0 to WP1 with a speed of 2. From WP1, try placing your next WP2 the desired distance from WP1, but at a 90 degree angle so that the units will have to make a sharp left or right turn. Also, make WP2 a custom WP with a speed of 6. What should happen here is the 10 soldiers should walk on the road in single file until they reach WP1. Since WP2 is a custom WP, all of the soldiers will start to turn and run from their current position instead of following the leader. The custom WP and simultaneous change in direction will give a scattered and very natural looking formation as the soldiers start to run.

So lets say you want this group of 10 soldiers to attack another group of 5 soldiers. What I found looks the most natural is to try and set it up so that they don't start shooting at each other until after the group on the road starts turning and running. This should deliver pretty close to the movement you want to achieve.

The first video linked below is just to demonstrate how simply changing the distance between units affects the movement outcome. The second video is showing a small squad of infantry following their support tank in a looping pattern around a town. Pay attention to the WP type in each video and notice how AI behavior changes as the WP type changes. 

In my last post, I just realized that I missed a movement command option when the player is in direct control of a group. I will follow this with another video in a later post.   

 

 

 

[Callsign112]

On 10/29/2021 at 1:37 PM, Zimmerdylan said:

 ...My experience with CA is that it's clumsy, counter intuitive, doesn't work like it's suppose to, needlessly complicated, and just a bad purchase all around. DCS touted how easy and effective it would all be. When did that ever come about???...

 

I was going to make another post in the CA appreciation thread as a general "why its so great", but wanted to also get back to @Zimmerdylan's questions about CA with another video to look at why I like the interface, and why I think its very well laid out in terms of vehicle control. I will start by saying there are a lot of different vehicles/types available, as well as quite a few controls within CA itself, and making yourself familiar with all of them will help a lot in getting more use out of the module. You obviously wont need to use them all routinely, but knowing what is available for each specific vehicle is an important first step. I can always hit the pause/break key, and then ESC to access the "ADJUST CONTROLS" menu if I run into trouble during a mission.

For anyone new that hasn't already done so, or isn't aware, it really pays to have a look at all the settings available under special options in the main menu, and or mission/map options within the mission editor itself. DCS World core allows for a lot of customization and setup of the simulator and how it runs your missions.

But aside from the basic controls to enter and drive/turn a vehicle, the list of controls I use routinely from memory are:

"Middle Mouse Button" - for better turret traverse control. (***used a lot)

"T" key - to toggle Cruise Control on/off.

"C" key - to toggle Autopilot on/off.

"G" key - to add group way point

"Space bar" - to confirm added group way point.

"\" key - to access command menu.

"Q" key - cycle through weapon/turret selection.

"E" key - to cycle through ammo type. 

"V" key - for gun stabilization.

"Enter" key - for target lock.

"Left Mouse Button" - to fire main gun.

"Lt Shft + LMB" - to fire secondary weapon.

"Insert" key - for Isometric view.

"F7" key - for External view.

"F1" key - for Gunner view.

"B" key - for Binocular view.

"Scroll Wheel" - for Binocular zoom.

You can add the "Home/End" keys to adjust the gun sight on WWII tanks, but that is it really. Memorizing just these 19 controls or so will allow you to direct a vehicle/group of vehicles with ease.

The impression I got from comments on the forum is that some people are not use to switching between the F10 map and direct vehicle control, and I wondered if this might be why some view the CA interface as clumsy/awkward. The F10 map is very powerful in terms of what it allows a tactical commander to do and the information it provides, but I think it does take practice to be able to use both interfaces together without breaking the flow of game play.

A fun way to get more comfortable with using the F10 interface and the information it provides is to first practice doing SP missions using just the F10 map with Fog of War turned on. Its sort of like playing a computerized version of the board game RISK where instead of rolling dice, units on the map move in real time and are hidden until you make contact. You can slowing build more challenge into the SP missions as you get more comfortable using the interface, but before you know it, switching between F10 and Direct Control is a lot less disruptive. I most often use F10 when I am controlling a platoon in one location, but need other units to move without wanting to directly control them, or I if need to reorganize forces. And as I already mentioned, it is also extremely useful in game play when the "Fog of War" feature is turned on.

I have had issues with the F10 interface though. For example, you have to first set a way point before you can adjust the vehicle/group speed in F10. You can also increase and decrease the speed as much as you like en route to the way point, but I have seen the interface bug-out quite a few times when I moved the speed slider to the max. I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but the devs might want to consider setting it up so that the slider can only be moved as high as the slowest vehicle in the group would allow.   

But back to direct control, the MMB control in DCS is absolutely the best turret traverse control I have ever used on any platform. Anyone that has played other AFV sims/games will immediately get this. To activate it, simply click the MMB and then move your mouse right or left to adjust the speed and direction. To deactivate it, click the MMB again and the turret stops traversing. If while driving you find your turret fixed to a position as your hull turns, hit the NUM5 key and you should be all good.     

Regarding the control of movement itself, I haven't actually seen another platform with as many options. In DCS CA, you can drive your vehicle using the arrow keys just like in WarThunder if that is what you find most comfortable. But you can also make use of cruise control, autopilot, the assign group way point feature, and the command menu. I have certainly found a good use for all of these features depending on what I am doing. And of course, you can also control movement and formations from the F10 map. But in terms of finesse and the level of control the player has over not just the vehicle he is driving, but the other vehicles in his platoon, nothing compares to DCS CA.

The other thing I really like about movement control in DCS CA is the way they have the transmission setup. On most other platforms, you use the up arrow to go forward, the the down arrow to go backwards. In DCS CA it is modeled to more closely resemble a real vehicle. You use the up arrow like you would use a gas pedal whether you are going forward, or backward. The X and Z keys are used to shift gears/ set in drive, neutral, reverse. To more closely simulate a standard transmission, uncheck the automatic transmission setting in CA SPECIAL OPTIONS within the main menu.

What DCS CA is mostly missing are the frequent updates needed to continue fleshing out its development, but in terms of function and control it is already sitting on a very solid foundation. One of the most important issues that needs to be addressed is path finding and AI behavior. I have seen a lot of weird things crop up since 2.7 stable released in SP, and from what I can gather, things are a lot worse in MP. But path finding in something like CA is crucial, and it needs to be robust enough to work regardless of where, what, and when it happens.

In the first video I linked below, I try to demonstrate some of the options discussed above for movement control in CA, and the second video is meant to show that you can use CA without knowing how to use script files, or most other technical features of DCS World for that matter. The mission took about 30 minutes to put together, and other than the few way points given to enemy Ai, no other mission logic was used.  I use the direct control interface without the F10 map for the duration of the mission except near the very end where I jump around in different vehicles.