DML - Mission Creation Toolbox [no Lua required]

[cfrag]

40 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

The messenger was triggered with a simple message saying the target had been destroyed but I received no score for it.

Oh joyful news. Yes, the kind people at ED also have changed the events sent when a map object is destroyed to "dead" and no longer invoke "Kill". As a result, killing a map object can no longer be tied to a player. I'll look into it to see if I can change this to attribute the kill to a faction instead. Thank you so much for setting up a test miz.

TBH, it feels to me as if DCS's API is rapidly going down the tubes quality-wise.

Edited September 10, 2024 by cfrag

[Panthir]

On 9/10/2024 at 5:59 PM, DD_Friar said:

Module: playerScore and ObjectDestructDetector

@cfrag Further to my earlier post on scoring destroyed buildings, it looks like, from my test anyway, that this does not work.

I set up a mission for a player flown F16 dropping JDAMs on the target using steerpoint so pretty pin-point.

nullBelow is my set up of the object. The messenger was triggered with a simple message saying the target had been destroyed but I received no score for it.

null

 

Eventually it bangs the flag but it doesn't award the score. I used a numeric flag instead of e.g deadTestTarget and I awarded the score via red or blueScoreFlags. In this context the score is awarded to the team without be taken in account to the player's score.

 

Edited September 11, 2024 by Panthir

[cfrag]

Version 2.3.2 - 20240912

Feature Update: Inferno, Airtank 

A couple of very busy weeks. I've put finishing touches on the two new modules airtank and inferno, and put them together in what I wanted to build for almost two years: a firefighting mission (please see here for details). 

The two new modules are now fully described and cross-referenced, and all that is left is to document the demo, which I put on my to-do list for the next update. 

Also part of this update are more bug-fixes for the damage that ED did to their great product, but for some modules I unfortunately can't undo all. It seems that the kind people at ED (unwittingly?) changed the way that DCS signals how and when a unit or object is destroyed. As a result, some modules (e.g. PlayerScore, objectDestructDetector) are diminished in what they can do. We'll have to wait and see how this develops in the future, and I hope that ED find the time to better communicate their intentions and improve their QA. 

Changes in Detail:
Documentation
    Main
        Inferno (new) 
        Airtank (new)
        Various updates & corrections 
        
    Quickref
        Inferno (new)
        Airtank (new)
        
Demos
    (none)

Modules
    - airtank 1.0.0 
        - initial Release 
    
    - inferno 1.0.0 
        - initial release 
        
    - objectDestructDetector 2.0.4
        - DCS bug hardening 
        
    - playerScore 
        - diminished services due to DCS bugs 
        
    - sittingDucks 1.0.1
        - DCS bug hardening 
        
    - TDZ - 1.1.1
        - now correctly sends a signal on touchDown 

Enjoy,

-ch

 

[Panthir]

Many thanks for your effort Christian!!!! Have a nice day!!

[vgilsoler]

Hi, 

Always amazing your work and effort.

Not sure it is related to DML or a bug in DCS, but I put a flak41 template in a mission with DML and only the 20mm guns are firing.

If I put the same flak41 template in a fresh mission, both 88mm and 20mm fire.

The flak is not located under a trigger zone influence so I think the problem is not related to DML, but in the fresh mission it worked.

I attach the mission if it is possible you can point to any clue, I already reported the bug (if exists)

 

 

Normandia_1Vida.miz

[cfrag]

46 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

only the 20mm guns are firing.

Interesting. How does DML interact with the flaks? In other words, what do you use DML for when it comes to making the flaks fire?

[vgilsoler]

39 minutes ago, cfrag said:

Interesting. How does DML interact with the flaks? In other words, what do you use DML for when it comes to making the flaks fire?

I put an enemy flight near the guns to test.

DML should do nothing with the flaks. They are not inside any zone. 

 

[cfrag]

1 minute ago, vgilsoler said:

DML should do nothing with the flaks. They are not inside any zone.

In that case I don't think that DML would do anything with anything in the miz.

[vgilsoler]

11 minutes ago, cfrag said:

In that case I don't think that DML would do anything with anything in the miz.

Yeah, It is what I think. But what sounds strange is that the empty mission with only the flak template worked correctly, but in the attached mission the same flak template with the DML modules loaded not.

I'll try to load the same used DML modules in the empty mission one by one and test again.

 

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, vgilsoler said:

But what sounds strange is that the empty mission with only the flak template worked correctly, but in the attached mission the same flak template with the DML modules loaded not.

The mission requires a mod "WWII Armour and Technics". That would be my first suspect.

[vgilsoler]

4 hours ago, cfrag said:

The mission requires a mod "WWII Armour and Technics". That would be my first suspect.

It is the WW2 Assets pack. But it helped to find the issue. There was a flak88 unit from the stock game in the mission. After I removed it, the other guns started to fire. 

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Salute Sir.

I have not updated to v 2.3 yet, the below errors are with the previous version and related to scoring. Would I be better taking scoring out for the time being completely? or do you think that these errors would have been fixed in 2.3 (I have been away on holiday and not had a chance to update yet).

null

[Panthir]

8 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

@cfrag

Salute Sir.

I have not updated to v 2.3 yet, the below errors are with the previous version and related to scoring. Would I be better taking scoring out for the time being completely? or do you think that these errors would have been fixed in 2.3 (I have been away on holiday and not had a chance to update yet).

null

Update the ObjectDestructDetector.lua with the new one. Do the same for sittingducks.lua if you use it.

Edited September 20, 2024 by Panthir

[DD_Friar]

@Panthir  -Thanks - I will download 2.32 and update the mission. As I said, I only got back from holiday Wednesday night and was flying with the squad last night (Thursday).

@cfrag - Thanks for the updates as always.

[CidTheViking]

Hello,

Is there a way for the damaged! to pick a random value? I wanted to call a qrf force in on the original unit but wanted to be 1 of a 3 options. Also is the cool down based on start spawn time or when unit is dead? Is there a way to do when the unit has died?

Thanks

[CidTheViking]

41 minutes ago, CidTheViking said:

Hello,

Is there a way for the damaged! to pick a random value? I wanted to call a qrf force in on the original unit but wanted to be 1 of a 3 options. Also is the cool down based on start spawn time or when unit is dead? Is there a way to do when the unit has died?

Thanks

I think I solved it, unless someone knows a better way I used the RND! flag

 

[DD_Friar]

@CidTheViking - I was going to suggest exactly the way you have done it.

Pass a flag to a RNDFlag to pick from a list. I use something similar to generate random flights from random airfields when a player enters a zone.

I would perhaps also add the option to remove the selected choice from the list to prevent the same option getting selected quickly in succession (if that is a possibility in your mission) and possibly crashing into each other?

[CidTheViking]

@DD_Friar
Yeah I am exploring RND further. Trying to pick a random spawn at start then when players have killed the unit to randomly pick another after a delay. But I don't know how to do the delay part. I don't want the RND to to fire off while they are still overhead. Having a hard time understanding how to do that.

Edited September 24, 2024 by CidTheViking

[DD_Friar]

@CidTheViking

You need to pass a trigger to DelayFlags. It has an input startDelay? which would be the signal from the event (unit killed), you set the duration for say 30 seconds. The output delayDone! is the flag to hit (the trigger flag for the RNDFlag)

null

[Panthir]

On 9/10/2024 at 5:59 PM, DD_Friar said:

Module: playerScore and ObjectDestructDetector

@cfrag Further to my earlier post on scoring destroyed buildings, it looks like, from my test anyway, that this does not work.

I set up a mission for a player flown F16 dropping JDAMs on the target using steerpoint so pretty pin-point.

nullBelow is my set up of the object. The messenger was triggered with a simple message saying the target had been destroyed but I received no score for it.

null

 

Eventually It doesn't apply the score to the team although it bangs the deadTestTarget flag. Christian is aware and informed ED for this issue. A solution for having the score to wotk is to replace the deadTestTarget flag with e numeric one e.g 12345 and use the blueScoreFlags or redScoreFlags to award the score to the team. Bear in mind that the score is awarded directly to the team and not to the player.

Edited September 24, 2024 by Panthir

[DD_Friar]

Ref: Persistence

If I am exporting player scores when the mission is saved, do they get re-imported when the mission next loads? or do we start from fresh?

 

[cfrag]

18 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

do they get re-imported when the mission next loads? or do we start from fresh?

Yes.  

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag Sorry as you put a smiley on there I take it that scores do get re-imported so players can add to scores from one mission to another?

[cfrag]

7 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

Sorry as you put a smiley on there I take it that scores do get re-imported so players can add to scores from one mission to another?

It also means that I'm a bit mystified why you don't try this yourself...  

[DD_Friar]

I did but they did not load - it was my expectation that they should re-load but just wanted to confirm it was me, and you have confirmed that. Thank you.