DML - Mission Creation Toolbox [no Lua required]

[bitboy]

cfrag,

Worked like a charm, many thanks! 

[cfrag]

Version 2.5.3 - 20250717 - update 

Summertime... and the living is definitely not easy for a Northerner living in (what feels like) the tropcis, so thanks for nothing, Gershwin! And, poor me, I had to upgrade my main PC and now am terrorized by ample performance and quick responses, unheard of for years. Even DCS feels snappier - occasionally. Yeah, I'm really suffering here.

I'm looking at some tangential ideas that I've long since wanted to bring to DML, but in the past weeks I've spent a lot of time playing my very own "Expansion", and therefore had to tweak it here and there, which in turn required a number of tweaks to DML. All these changes are in this release, and I'm now turning again to one of my more peripheral DML pet projects (almost entirely eye candy) that I maybe can bring to DCS soon. Working on more substantial DML enhancements (e.g. persistence, warehouse) currently is out of question to me, as DCS is currently notwhere near what I need it to be.

All changes

Manual
    Documentation
        - reconMode updates for static objects
        - some spelling corrections
        
    Quick Ref
        - updates to reconMode 
        
Demos
    ADF and NDB fun - updated to current version 
    reconMode reloaded - updated to current version 

Modules
    - cfxZones 4.5.4 
        new allObjectsInZone() 
    
    - cloneZone 2.8.0 
        better integration with reconMode 
        
    - csarManager 4.5.4 
        reduced verbosity 
        
    - NDB 1.3.1
        - improved starting guard 
        - improved on? off? reading 
        
    - reconMode 2.5.1
        - reconMode now can report static objects as well
    
    - twn 1.0.3
        - added compatibility with marianas ww II
 

Enjoy,

-ch

 

Edited July 17 by cfrag

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag Thank you for your continued time and effort you put into your tool box. Its good that you have actually had time to play the sim as well.

I have not been doing any DML recently as my squad have been stuck into one of the "Foothold" campaigns so I have been able to take some time out of having build scenarios for our squad to play.

 

[DD_wingflyr]

@cfrag Thanks for keeping this very useful system alive with updates. Your contributions are something ED certainly should look at. Wonderful stuff.

Quick question the guys and myself are flying the new F4u corsair on the excellent ww2 Marianas with the Essex of coarse.

Protecting the fleet from sub attacks.

We loved your Troubles Deep mission with the helicopter and was wondering if possible to somehow convert helicopter to ww2 planes, say P47, Mossie, and OR of coarse Corsairs.

The thought of say the ships telling the approximate location of randomly placed enemy subs via the beacon morse code or a vector in the general direction of the attacking sub. Then to go and try to eliminate the threat. Just a thought, Thanks again Bud.

[ChuckIV]

cfrag, currently in DML is there a way using the F10 map in game to mark a point for artillery? Meaning, while in our server, can a player pull up the F10 map mark a point and have artillery fire at that point? I know using DML’s arty zone you can design pre-plotted points on the F10 map, but doing this live in game is what I’m asking about. ChuckIV

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, ChuckIV said:

can a player pull up the F10 map mark a point and have artillery fire at that point?

It would be near trivial to write a script for that. And it would be near-trivial for a player to designate any point and have arty pound it, which is why I so far did not implement it, it’s simply too easy (for an approximation, install theDebugger in a mission, and use the boom command. That would be very similar).

And if we can hash out a good, fun way how this feature could work, I’m happy to create a script for that…  

 

Edited July 19 by cfrag

[Recluse]

21 hours ago, ChuckIV said:

cfrag, currently in DML is there a way using the F10 map in game to mark a point for artillery? Meaning, while in our server, can a player pull up the F10 map mark a point and have artillery fire at that point? I know using DML’s arty zone you can design pre-plotted points on the F10 map, but doing this live in game is what I’m asking about. ChuckIV

19 hours ago, cfrag said:

It would be near trivial to write a script for that. And it would be near-trivial for a player to designate any point and have arty pound it, which is why I so far did not implement it, it’s simply too easy (for an approximation, install theDebugger in a mission, and use the boom command. That would be very similar).

And if we can hash out a good, fun way how this feature could work, I’m happy to create a script for that…  

 

Maybe some combo with WilliePete?  Allow the player to create  WilliePete zone on the fly, so not as easy as marking a point and having artillery fire, but marking a zone and then needing to fire WP rockets to call in the arty?

Edited July 20 by Recluse

[ChuckIV]

My original thinking goes back to Vietnam.  Soldiers would call in Willie Pete for a couple of reasons.  First, so they could "see where they were" relative to the map they used.  Second, they would use WP to see how close they could get to the enemy before they called in a final adjustment for fire for effect order.  In our servers we don't use the F10 map to "see" the enemy locations, we have to use landmarks, kneepad, or take our best guess using the F10 map.  It would be nice to attempt an artillery barrage on an advancing enemy group using just the F10 map while flying in the immediate area.  Very challenging indeed!  C4

[ChuckIV]

After this morning's server update, here is the error that pops up.  We have 3 servers; this one is our MarianasWWII server.  I'll see if this occurs on all 3 of our servers right now.  I'll also see if I have the most up to date dcsCommon DML module installed.  (see error below)

Mission script error: [string "dcsCommon = {}..."]:3189: attempt to call field 'dostring_in' (a nil value) stack traceback: [C]: in function 'dostring_in' [string "dcsCommon = {}..."]:3189: in function 'getMissionName' [string "dcsCommon = {}..."]:3928: in function 'sanity' [string "dcsCommon = {}..."]:3963: in function '?' [string "dcsCommon = {}..."]:3982: in main chunk

EDIT: This only occurs in the MarianaWWII map - I do have the most up to date dcsCommon DML module installed in this mission.

EDIT: EDIT:  Recluse, you Sir are a GENIUS! YES! I did add BIGNEWY's code to our MarianaWII Autoexec.cfg file, and IT WORKS NOW.  No error code.  Well done Sir!

Edited Wednesday at 03:12 PM by ChuckIV

[Recluse]

Don't know if it is relevant but there was a scripting "fix" in today's update:

 

Scripting API. Changes to the behaviour of net.dostring_in(). This API can be used only with trusted scripts/missions! More details here: Changes to the behaviour of net.dostring_in() - ED Team - ED Forums

[ChuckIV]

Recluse, you Sir are a GENIUS! YES! I did add BIGNEWY's code to our MarianaWII Autoexec.cfg file, and IT WORKS NOW.  No error code.  Well done Sir!  Odd thing is that it works without this code in Normandy and Nevada.  Do you suggest that I add it to both of those as well? ChuckIV

Edited Wednesday at 03:14 PM by ChuckIV

[Recluse]

5 minutes ago, ChuckIV said:

Recluse, you Sir are a GENIUS! YES! I did add BIGNEWY's code to our MarianaWII Autoexec.cfg file, and IT WORKS NOW.  No error code.  Well done Sir!  Odd thing is that it works without this code in Normandy and Nevada.  Do you suggest that I add it to both of those as well? ChuckIV

Glad this observation was helpful! I have no clue as to your question about the other theaters. Maybe @cfrag will have a more informed opinion.

[ChuckIV]

cfrag,

Two quick items...  

1. Should we add BIGNEWY's recent suggestion in regards to our Autoexec.cfg files FOR ALL our servers?

2. The playerScore was working perfectly until today's update (in the MarianaWWII map).  Now, we get this error... We are using 5.3.2 and 3.1.0 for playerScore and playerScoreUI respectively

Mission script error: [string "cfxPlayerScore = {}..."]:1138: Unit doesn't exist stack traceback: [C]: ? [C]: in function 'getPlayerName' [string "cfxPlayerScore = {}..."]:1138: in function 'isScoreEvent' [string "cfxPlayerScore = {}..."]:1220: in function 'onEvent' [string "Scripts/World/EventHandlers.lua"]:13: in function <[string "Scripts/World/EventHandlers.lua"]:11>

any thoughts?

Edited Wednesday at 03:40 PM by ChuckIV

[cfrag]

Yup, The new release from ED introduces a new, braindead 'security' scheme that prevents scripts in missions from invoking net.dostringIn() unless you create some arcane "autoconfig.cfg" text file in a similarly arcane location. It is simply crap design, and I'm at a loss of words seeing how ED simply did this without bothering to ask the community. The results are far ranging: slotblock (if you play foothold), ssb (another popular slot block), stopGap for multiplayer, twn, radio, ... all require the new 'security' BS.

IMHO, the result will be that everyone who wants to play a modern, good mission will have to allow unsafe invocations, and this results in LESS security for DCS than before. What an ill-thought out, idiotic, crude approach to security. Goodness. And ED rammed this atrocity down everyone's throat without ever announcing it or soliciting ideas. Because it is trivial to come up with better solutions, solutions that could help DCS become a modern, player-friendly SECURE app and could ditch the silly 'unsanitize' approach of today. But no, we now have 1980's style "autoconfig.cfg" files. If it wasn't so sad, I would laugh. 

This is bad. And completely unworthy of ED. 

 

[DD_Friar]

Salute @cfrag

As you are well aware since I discovered your excellent tool that has contributed so much to my mission development, I became very much "a fan boy" and "biging" you up when ever I could.

Your skill and support in developing the DML Tool box has been very much appreciated and it is a sad day for all of us that have come to build so much around it.

I understand your position and hopefully you will be able to re-establish your self back here at some point.

You will always be welcome to come fly with the Dangerdogz (www.dangerdogz.com) at any time.

With warmest kind regards

DD_Friar

[cfrag]

Dear all, 

    my inclination to contribute to DCS has reached an inflection point, and I have decided to withdraw from public contribution for the time being.

 I thank you all for your kind encouragement and friendship in the past decade, and wish you only the best for the future.

-ch 

[Recluse]

@cfrag I hope the wounds heal and your passion for this stuff brings you back to us someday soon.  DML is a great contribution to the community of Mission Builders who choose not to become LUA literate   and provides so much capability for building diverse and complex missions.

 

 

[HanuXXL]

Thank you sir 

Edited yesterday at 07:17 PM by HanuXXL
Unable to say anything more as it seems

[Panthir]

Dear Cfrag,

Thank you very much for what you have done for us. All mine and our virtual squadron’s missions are based on DML modules. 

Although your decision is a disaster for the mission editors, I completely understand your disappointment and I am sure I would do the same, in case I were in your position.

For me that I am involved in DCS since the Lockon 1.0 era, DML was revolutionary. 
 

Many Thanks

=GR= Panthir

 

 

 

[Karlos]

On my part, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work and your efforts in helping the community, something that ED does not seem to want to help.

[MAXsenna]

Thanks @cfrag! Hope there's a better solution down the line! 

Cheers! 

[Nishiyandcs4]

@cfrag, 
the DML was a wonderful and encouraging tool for a Mission editor like me who is not good at programming. 
I'm not sure how to put it into words, but I’m grateful for the time and contributions you have made to DML so far. 
 I sincerely hope that you can make the most of the free time you have enjoy by withdrawing from DML development and support!!

[bitboy]

Truly appreciate all your efforts, you had a big impact on DCS mission development, using capabilities "still over looked, to this day", by ED. You took intuitive mission design with under the hood solid LUA code to help make mission maker dreams turn to reality. 

Many creative and cool features that made DCS more dynamic and more immersive as well as supporting intelligent core functions for continued development.

Some of my favorites: FactoryZone, Convoys, Valet, Messenger, of course the King of Kings..... CloneZones! Clever items such the implementation of ASW, very slick. Intelligent resource and performance prudent capabilities such as Impostors. And of course tclGUI which gives server/community managers extra flexibility to trusted players to quickly swap missions or reset, etc. 
As you know I'm fond of saying...."Take the rest of the day off" 

Relax and contemplate the next big challenge. 

Many thanks!