DML - Mission Creation Toolbox [no Lua required]

[cfrag]

3 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

I'm using DML version 2.3.0 - limitedairframes 1.6.0

Awwwww... shucks. Yet another one of the new DCS bugs that got away from me when I hunted them. Thank you, I'll see to it that I can amend the module asap.

 

[cfrag]

44 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

I'm getting this error

Can I trouble you to try with this new version of limitedAiframes hot off my (prelim) testing?

 

limitedAirframes.lua

[vgilsoler]

No error message with v1.7.0.

Happy to help to improve DML.

Thank you very much for your help and effort.

[vgilsoler]

One question I haven't found answer, well in fact there are two questions:

- Is there a way to prevent users from changing their coalition after joining one with DML?

- Is there a way to prevent users from resloting to another airframe type? I can limit the coalition pilots using limited_airframes, but if there are slots available the dead user can jump to another type.

For example, I setup a mission with 6 pilots in a team with limited airframe and ssbclient single use. if only 2 pilots join the mission and one of them crashes, he can stiil jump to 4 available slots. So one airframe can be used only one time, but pilots can be used more times. Or is it possible to link in some way each time a pilot join to the number of limited airframes? Not sure if I explained well myself.

[cfrag]

5 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

- Is there a way to prevent users from changing their coalition after joining one with DML?

I was working on a small script for that, and with Slotty now in place doing that is possible. If it is advisable to control players on your server that way is something else entirely. 

7 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

- Is there a way to prevent users from resloting to another airframe type?

This, too, I could add to slotty later. It also sounds like a very good way to lose players on your server. Most people I know really don't like being told what to do when they are spending quality time. So, doable, and IMHO questionable added value.

[DD_Friar]

FEATURE REQUEST

Salute @cfrag

I am currently working on a mission where by airfields can be captured by players.

I would like to use the dynamic warehouse and stock control.

When an airfield changes hands is there a module that could re-set the airfield stock for all equipment and fuel to zero (or to a global/local value e.g equipment to 30 of each and liquids to 50 tons of each)?

Although blue own the airfield it can not be operational until some supplies have been brought in?

I tried setting the AI airfield to 0 hoping they might have ignored stock levels but my spawned planes came in unarmed.

 

[vgilsoler]

3 hours ago, cfrag said:

I was working on a small script for that, and with Slotty now in place doing that is possible. If it is advisable to control players on your server that way is something else entirely. 

This, too, I could add to slotty later. It also sounds like a very good way to lose players on your server. Most people I know really don't like being told what to do when they are spending quality time. So, doable, and IMHO questionable added value.

The idea behind that is to run missions like coop style. “One life, one plane, think carefully what you’re doing” 

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, DD_Friar said:

I would like to use the dynamic warehouse and stock control.

This is high on my list of priorities. I've scheduled warehouse support for the future, in the hopes that with the Hook and coming Herc the current (IMHO) amateurish warehouse API will get a revision to make it resemble something that can pass as having some semblance of engineering/design. The current warehouse API implementation IMHO is not worth my time. Once we have a real API for them, warehouses can become a centerpiece of truly great missions.

 

[In case people wonder why I'm not happy with the current warehouse API, which is already more than 1 year old, here are some points that made me sad indeed:

• warehouses are tied to airfields/FARPs. No way to move or remove them without a FARP. This means that a warehouse ownership is always tied to a FARP. So, e.g. no ships in a harbor can function as a warehouses. Pity
• Therefore (currently) no dynamically spawning warehouses (it might work with dynamically spawning FARPS, did not follow up on that)
• Warehouses have three different typed inventories: one each for weapons, aircraft and liquids. WTF? What if you want to add another type of stock, for example medical supplies, tents, building materials for a base? How about the cargo items that we have in ME (like oil tanks, barriers etc). Not covered.
• Liquids use Numbers as designation, e.g. 4997000 for Diesel fuel. Why?
• "weapons" use a domain type identifier (e.g. "weapons.missiles.AGM_154" that is bound to break in the future (think: controllable drones: are they weapons or aircraft?). Currently some 700+ are defined. Good luck finding the one that you are looking for, because naming is already borked today: "weapons.missiles.AGM_114K" defines the AGM 114K, while the Lima variant is "weapons.missiles.AGM_114" (no "L"). How do you find out? One proven method is banging your head on the table.
• there is no warehouse inventory category for vehicles. Yeah. Scratch Hook/Herc transports to move inventories to the front. 
• the warehouse data isn't inside miz's mission file, but a separate file inside the miz. Ugh.  

And above are only the obvious flaws that I can come up with on a moment's notice. This make me believe that too little forethought, engineering and design has gone into warehouse design. The design restricts future DCS development, is backwards-oriented (what do we have now), not future-proof. To me - and maybe I'm too harsh here, looking back on 35+ years of software engineering - that warehouse API design looks positively amateurish. I'm sure that the good people at ED did their best, and I do not intend to sleight them nor their expertise. The results, however, are deeply troubling to me.]

Edited August 23, 2024 by cfrag

[cfrag]

20 minutes ago, vgilsoler said:

The idea behind that is to run missions like coop style. “One life, one plane, think carefully what you’re doing” 

Understood. Methinks that 99 times out of 100 it's better to to talk to other players and have a gentleman's agreement rather than have some inflexible software enforce a rule that then can't be easily softened -- let's say player A jumped into the wrong plane, or their child bumped their joystick while taxiing and they crashed. In those cases the mission has to be restarted for everyone to allow player A back into the game. It's simply less fun.

[DD_Friar]

9 minutes ago, cfrag said:

How do you find out? One proven method is banging your head on the table.

Ha Ha  - Many thanks for a considered reply and thought process explanation. Much appreciated.

regards

Friar

[dtruck260]

@cfrag Question for something that might be unsolvable. If I make a unit controllable (IE JTAC/Combined Arms) it works, until I load it on a helicopter then redeploy it. Is there something I am missing, or is it something that isnt possible currently? (using Helotroops todo this)

[cfrag]

3 minutes ago, dtruck260 said:

until I load it on a helicopter then redeploy it

While helo troops can load any legit group into the chopper, upon redeploying the group, all ME-supplied routes etc are gone - because the newly spawned group merely looks like the group it picked up, but it is an entirely different group. DML uses its own 'orders' for groups that were spawned from spawnZones to circumvent this, but currently DCS has no methodology to retrieve and store a group's current tasks and then re-activate those orders on a newly spawned group.

[dtruck260]

18 minutes ago, cfrag said:

While helo troops can load any legit group into the chopper, upon redeploying the group, all ME-supplied routes etc are gone - because the newly spawned group merely looks like the group it picked up, but it is an entirely different group. DML uses its own 'orders' for groups that were spawned from spawnZones to circumvent this, but currently DCS has no methodology to retrieve and store a group's current tasks and then re-activate those orders on a newly spawned group.

If I do it with a cloner, I am able to keep the ability to control it (a hummer) no matter how many I spawn, for now I'll just link the clonezone to the hook. 

 

Thank you for all these tools!

Edited August 23, 2024 by dtruck260

[Recluse]

@cfrag (or other DML'ers)

EDIT:  Leaving this up in case it helps someone, but indeed, I got it all working with wiper!!  Had some anxious moments before I realized that I was trying use delayTimer without loading delayFlags!!!! Got various messages about the deprecated wipe? flag for CloneZones, but it all worked. I had some issues with my Messenger settings (as I guessed) so maybe despawn? would have worked as well.

Quick question: I am trying to debug some Messenger and delay timers that trigger when all the current units in a CloneZone are dead.

Scenario is basically, a  delay before the respawn, with concomitant messages:   "All units destroyed, respawn in xxx seconds..." triggered by the delay time initiator flag from empty!,  "Units respawned in xxx zone" triggered by the clone? flag sent by the delayTimer.

Trying to debug it but I cannot find a good way to just destroy the units for testing.

I think my problems stem from the naming scheme stuff.

- tried the despawn? flag, but realized as stated that empty! won't fire in that case.

- I tried using the IDENTICAL flag and just setting a radio option to EXPLODE all the UNITS (names from template). DCS crashed on me when I tried this!!

- Thinking maybe Wiper would work for this with the wipeCategory for units...  but I am too tired for more testing tonight. Don't know how wiper works with empty! and general cloneZone actions.

Ideas?  I guess I should just suck it up and destroy them myself,  but I know I have some Messenger issues and it would be quicker to debug if I could just set off the destruction quickly.

 

Thanks!

Edited August 24, 2024 by Recluse

[DD_Friar]

@dtruck260 I may be missing the point of your post but if you want a working JTAC you can do it with the JTAC module in DML. I have it successfully in the past.

I use the "JTAC" amour unit and spawn / pickup / deploy by helicopter. I drop him within range (set in the config file, I usually go for about 3000m). It then starts lazing on targets he has line of sight on.

It makes for a good multiplayer mission when I pick one up from base, try to insert him overlooking a target area (I did use the excellent Blackhawk mod, but now I am a 'Hooker)

The jet jockies then lock onto his signal and start putting warheads on foreheads.

[dtruck260]

5 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

@dtruck260 I may be missing the point of your post but if you want a working JTAC you can do it with the JTAC module in DML. I have it successfully in the past.

I use the "JTAC" amour unit and spawn / pickup / deploy by helicopter. I drop him within range (set in the config file, I usually go for about 3000m). It then starts lazing on targets he has line of sight on.

It makes for a good multiplayer mission when I pick one up from base, try to insert him overlooking a target area (I did use the excellent Blackhawk mod, but now I am a 'Hooker)

The jet jockies then lock onto his signal and start putting warheads on foreheads.

My fault for not being clear, with our group we usually utilize combined arms so there is an actual player on the ground. I had looked at the JTAC order and thought about it, and after reading your post, it would seem that I could just apply that order to a unit I drop and it would work player controlled or not - thanks!

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Module LZ

Is this module confirmed as working ok?

I am just trying to build a mission where I need to detect take-off's for helicopters to trigger some other actions.

I have a LZ zone over the airfields and have set a flag to bang on departed! being hit but nothing is happening?

I am wondering if it is me or the module?

Regards

Friar

 

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, DD_Friar said:

I am wondering if it is me or the module?

Predictably, the module (i.e. me ) try this:

 

LZ.lua

[dtruck260]

2 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

@cfrag

Module LZ

Is this module confirmed as working ok?

I am just trying to build a mission where I need to detect take-off's for helicopters to trigger some other actions.

I have a LZ zone over the airfields and have set a flag to bang on departed! being hit but nothing is happening?

I am wondering if it is me or the module?

Regards

Friar

 

I just started using this module yesterday (LZ) and it worked for me, after, ahem I remembered to put it in the game and not JUST the other modules it requires.

 

I REALLY wish I could say that was the first time

[Diablo 1-1]

I couldnt find it but can you use the order captureAndHold and have them use the roads? I know in attackedOwnedZones they will but I don't want them to continue on. Could I maybe give multiple attackZone orders? If this isn't available, is it a possibility to add in a later update?

Edited August 24, 2024 by Diablo 1-1

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag I added your new LZ to my mission. I am using for the first time tonight on our server but have received the below error?

null

[cfrag]

14 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

but have received the below error?

Ha, good catch! Must have been in there for ages, and only surfaces when a pause or continue input triggers (which obviously wasn't in my test set  )

Below please find a new version that should fix it:

 

LZ.lua

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag - I have just been out and whilst driving I thought I should let you know by saying that the error probably occurred when I triggered a pause after 3 take-off's so at least this confirms your post that beat me to it !

Many thanks for a speedy response.

Cheers

Friar 

[DD_Friar]

tested new version - all good - many thanks once again.

[Diablo 1-1]

On 8/22/2024 at 9:19 AM, DD_Friar said:

@Diablo 1-1

Salute

I use the pick-up and drop-off of troops a lot in my missions that my squad use. I use the spawner which is triggered by the option in the Comms menu for airborne troops. Our helicopters land in a compound, we request either a section (x6) for Hueys or a Platoon (x24) for the 'Hook. They then drop them off near a point to be captured. I use the captureAndHold option so that they will advance into the ownedZone and take control, but will not advance on to the next location. We can then pick them up and either take them back to base or on to the next location.

I trigger my enemy to attack the newly captured location based on the ownedZone changing hands blueCap! or redCap!

Can I have a better understanding of what you mean by "threshold" and "reset back to 0" What are you tracking?

 

Sorry Bud, didn't see this.

I figured it out. At first I couldn't get clone zones to be requestable but I just missed the paragraph talking about ownership of a zone being needed for it to work. Originally I was just going to use a spawn zone and wiper to remove stuff but I figured it out. What I'm doing, slowly, is you request x6 soldiers. You transport them to a Camp/FOB, that adds a number to a flag. Once that flag hits a certain number it reset so you can deliver more units. Once that flag hits that number it also produces an assault group made of armor units is activated to attack a zone.

Now my new problem is I can't get the assault group to use roads on captureAndHold orders. They just use they same formation they spawned in. I also didn't want them to continue attacking. I wanted them to hold it, but I may just have to wipe them and spawn a new group for defense to act like they transitioned to defense. Which now talking about it sounds better than them just being on the road. So thanks for the help.