DML - Mission Creation Toolbox [no Lua required]

[cfrag]

On 11/28/2024 at 7:51 AM, Gunslinger52 said:

punish a player for killing a Neutral,

Now that is indeed something that I overlooked, thank you for the hint. I'm adding a new attribute "nMod" which is a multiplicator applied to killscore for neutral kills. It defaults to 0 (sets the score to zero), and if you really want to punish your players, set it to -10 or -100 (or even higher, ummm, lower) which will tank their score near irredeemably. I'll start working on that soon.

 

Edited November 30, 2024 by cfrag

[Guest]

6 hours ago, cfrag said:

Now that is indeed something that I overlooked, thank you for the hint. I'm adding a new attribute "nMod" which is a multiplicator applied to killscore for neutral kills. It defaults to 0 (sets the score to zero), and if you really want to punish your players, set it to -10 or -100 (or even higher, ummm, lower) which will tank their score near irredeemably. I'll start working on that soon.

 

Brilliant!

Thanks cfrag.  I will warn the players 1st

Have a good one 

'52

[cfrag]

6 hours ago, cfrag said:

I'll start working on that soon.

So I started on that, and I found that although the nMod change was small, some undocumented DCS internal changes *really* threw a spanner into the entire playerScore module. The fix is inbound, and I think I can finish it by tomorrow so you can have an early version to test. But - man! DCS Mission Scripting Environment is a hot mess. Now, when you kill a ground vehicle, it instantly loses the group that it was part of. I can fix that with some trickery, sure, but that requires the MX module write down all known units and groups. And that means that DCS's own coalition.addGroup() method needs to be patched so spawners and cloners still can spawn and have their spawned units be correctly recognized... what a mess. I'm now knee-deep into engineering a minimally invasive fix, and with some luck I can contain this mess to changes to two modules: MX and playerScore. Keep your fingers crossed.

Edited November 30, 2024 by cfrag

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

This fix seems an awful lot of work just to track the killing of neutrals (which in the scheme of things, @Gunslinger52 aside, probably is not a very wide requirement), would it not be easier to do something in "UnGrief"?

For those that do not know this module has the ability to kick a player after a number of warnings for killing friendlies.

I do acknowledge that you have responded to requests I have made for module changes but have always felt the changes would reach a wider audience.

Either way, always remember "When you are up to your backside in alligators, never forget you only intended to drain the swamp!"

[cfrag]

52 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

would it not be easier to do something in "UnGrief"?

It would require the exact same work in Ungrief. The challenge is to differentiate between a unit kill and an object kill. Until DCS changed stuff internally, the method of choice was to look if the killed target belonged to a group (making it a unit) or did not have a group (in which case it was a scenery or map object). So, if you kill a map object (which are all neutral) simply by missing something else it would look like a neutral unit kill. If Ungrief was watching, you'd be kicked unless I find a way to discriminate the two.

So, I'm looking for a clean solution that then also can be back-ported to Ungrief.

Oh, and the change also affects Red and Blue units. The issue was mostly masked because of the other checks that PlayerScore performs and still was able to backtrace the kill.

[cfrag]

Here are the new versions of MX and PlayerScore, plus a demo miz that shows a negative score factor for neutral kills. 

Enjoy,

-ch

 

playerScore.lua cfxMX.lua Neutral kills the mood.miz

[Guest]

9 hours ago, cfrag said:

Here are the new versions of MX and PlayerScore, plus a demo miz that shows a negative score factor for neutral kills. 

Enjoy,

-ch

 

playerScore.lua 59.54 kB · 2 downloads cfxMX.lua 19.13 kB · 2 downloads Neutral kills the mood.miz 196.76 kB · 1 download

Thank you sir, much appreciated!

Have a great week.

'52

[Chad Vader]

Hi Guys.

I successfully completed my mission.

Here is a stream of the mission night, if you are interested, which was made almost exclusively using DML.

Thanks for all the fish: 

 

[cfrag]

Version 2.3.8 - Feature Update - 20241205

You all know the conundrum: there is this one-time event when a player - any player - does this one thing, and this should start something important in your mission. This is especially important if you are designing multiplayer missions that do not pause and wait for players to join, but happily run on the server. 
DML now provides "Usher", a module that is designed to handle many first-time PLAYER-events -- like player "XYZ" connects for the first time (similar to "Valet", except that Usher only reacts to the very first time), the first player enters a specific unit, the first player joins a particular faction, or the first player to enter a specific aircraft type (e.g. an A-10A)
In addition to being able to send out some very crafty special commands, Usher also comes with some (to me at least) QoL abilities to generate dynamic text output with advanced support for wildcards.

Other changes include a massive internal overhaul of MX to correct for an unannounced "feature" in DCS that screws with objects when they are killed, that patches into coalition.addGroup() - a significant change that luckily remains completely under the hood.

Also, yesterday saw the release of a new DCS version with new Fog abilities, and I'm now looking into providing simple DML support to create fog at the drop of a hat.

Below is a sneak peak of that ability, showing the upcoming Typhoon landing in heavy fog at Bamberg airfield (unannounced Fulda Gap map):

 

All changes in detail:
    Main
        Usher (new)
        Usher me to my plane demo (new)
        Various updates 
        
    Quick Ref
        Small updates 
        
Demos
    Usher me to my plane demo (new)
    
Modules 
    - cfxMX 3.0.0 
        - patch coalition.addGroup to be able to rececord all spawns
        - read all objects and reference them by name 
        - new reference functions to backtrace statics to their original dynamics
    
    - convoy 1.3.0
        - start & arrive messages only when wpupdates are enabled 
        - new "listOwn" attribute

    - dcsCommon 3.1.4
        - better wildcard support 
        
    - fireFX 2.1.0
        - rnd support for fire size 
        - better support for persistence 
        
    - playerScore 5.0.0 
        - completely rewrote logic for detecting kill
        - supports penalties for neutral kills 
    
    - reconMode 2.4.0
        - improved SALT, naval units
        - no optimization for naval checks 
        - new optimization for groups that have been spotted
        - bearing and distance from pilot added 
    
    - usher 1.0.0 
        - initial release 
    
    - valet 1.1.2
        - new wildcards <u>, <p> and <g> to harmonize with usher 
    
 

[Chad Vader]

Awesome! LOL on the Tyhpoon.

[MAXsenna]

14 hours ago, Chad Vader said:

Awesome! LOL on the Tyhpoon.

[cfrag]

I may have been joking about the Typhoon and Fulda map - but today is St. Niklaus day, and here is something for you DML friends to enjoy:

the "fogger" fog module in working, but not completely finished version, along with a simple demo that allows you to change the current fog via the communications->Other menu.

Happy Nikolaus!

foggy bottoms.miz fogger.lua

Edited December 6, 2024 by cfrag

[Chad Vader]

2 hours ago, cfrag said:

I may have been joking about the Typhoon and Fulda map - but today is St. Niklaus day, and here is something for you DML friends to enjoy:

the "fogger" fog module in working, but not completely finished version, along with a simple demo that allows you to change the current fog via the communications->Other menu.

Happy Nikolaus!

foggy bottoms.miz 148.66 kB · 1 download fogger.lua 2.88 kB · 1 download

Awesome! I just included a fog key in my recent mission.

I actually posted it to mission files: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3342428/

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag ref Persistence.

I am having trouble getting it to work on our server.

Assuming that everyone else is happy with the way this module is working, is there any extra debugging I can do?

My score file IS being created however no mission data is being saved.

I have tried setting verbose to true in the config file but other than "saving mission data" message I get no other warning or messages.

Are there any other logs etc that I can check or debug tests to try to try and find out why my mission is not saving?

EDIT / UPDATE

I have just tried running the same mission on my machine as a local server. I had all the modules flag that they had been registered with Persistence.

The score file has been created but still no game data.

I am using a manual save via a radio command. I get the "Saving Data" message so I know that is working but nothing is getting saved?

Edited December 7, 2024 by DD_Friar

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Module Modification Request

Module: Persistence

Would it be possible to add a message when saving has been completed please?

I plan to run my mission with a manual save at the end of the session and would like to know when it will be ok to leave the server.

[cfrag]

14 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

Would it be possible to add a message when saving has been completed please?

 

saveNotification

When set to true, each time that the mission is persisted, a text notification is sent to all players. Default is true (notify players when saving)

 

Doesn't that work for you?

12 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

The score file has been created but still no game data.

This usually indicates that something in your DCS setup is non-standard and you may have to use "root", "serverDir" and "saveDir". Please also remember that the data is saved into a directory that has the same name as the mission itself, not at the mission level.

[cfrag]

15 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

I get the "Saving Data" message so I know that is working but nothing is getting saved?

To not beat about the bush - is it possible that you are using DML's QuickRef to base your mission designs on, and when running into issues you sometimes forget to check the main manual and the demo missions that are (pretty much unless the last DCS release screwed up) known to work? 

So, do DML's persistence demos work on your DCS installation? It's entirely possible that DCS's last release has thrown a spanner into the mix, or that something else is amiss that I need to fix. I'm happy to do so, and I would love some good examples that I can follow up on.

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

As usual, I am totally at fault. I checked your demo and saw my mistake.

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag Question on Persistence (now I have it saving)

I have an owned zone that is captured by a "convoy" module created convoy. I made sure I did not save the mission until the capturing convoy had come to a hold within the zone.

When I re-loaded the mission for the second time the zone had reverted back to its original state.

Is this down to my configuration or expected functionality.

FYI I have another zone that is captured by a placed unit (not cloned or "convoy" generated) and that capture HAS carried over to the second session, so is what I am trying (zones captured by "convoy" clones) not possible?

regards

Friar

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, DD_Friar said:

I have an owned zone that is captured by a "convoy" module created convoy. I made sure I did not save the mission until the capturing convoy had come to a hold within the zone.

When I re-loaded the mission for the second time the zone had reverted back to its original state.

Ah. Indeed. That may be something that I need to look into. What is happening is this:

A convoy's units are not persisted, but they may have caused the owned zone to switch side. 

When the game reloads, the owned zones revert to their original owners (meaning: I'll need to check if they persist their owner). Since convoy units disappear on reload (not persisted), the owned zone may forget and never correct the fact that it was owned by a different faction. Will have to check. If you have a small mission that can demonstrate the issue, so much the better.

 

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag Please find attached a small mission I have put together that was supposed to show the issue.

I have units and convoy units capturing owned zones, invisible FARPs and airfields.

With the addition of unitPersistence it all seems to work ?

The mission just has a P51 trainer cold on the ground. Go to the F10 map and you can watch the various units heading towards their targets.

I will now have to go back and check my original mission.

PersistenceConvoyCheck.miz

[CidTheViking]

Hello fellow DMLers

I am looking for a way to have players build units/sam sites around the map. But as far as I can tell you are limited to a zone to be able to use DML to spawn/clone units. Is this just the current limitation?

Also is there a way to hide CSAR pilots from appearing on the F10 map?

Thanks for all the hard work.

[DD_Friar]

@CidTheViking

Salute

When you say "build" what is your criteria for this?

You are right about SAM sites can be cloned in, there is nothing stopping you having multiple cloners use the same trigger flag if you require sites to be created based on a completed action/task.

Does that help. Perhaps explain your scenario / requirements in more details and one of us may be able to suggest something.

 

[CidTheViking]

18 hours ago, DD_Friar said:

@CidTheViking

Salute

When you say "build" what is your criteria for this?

You are right about SAM sites can be cloned in, there is nothing stopping you having multiple cloners use the same trigger flag if you require sites to be created based on a completed action/task.

Does that help. Perhaps explain your scenario / requirements in more details and one of us may be able to suggest something.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of having players pick up supplies at an airfield and transport those supplies anywhere on the map to build a site. Like how MOOSE CTLD has it setup to do.

[cfrag]

4 minutes ago, CidTheViking said:

I was thinking more along the lines of having players pick up supplies at an airfield and transport those supplies anywhere on the map to build a site.

I like the idea, and I'm still looking for a good way to implement that in DML. Currently, there is no such functionality, and I'm hoping that I have some time (and enough wine) over the coming three weeks to look at this more thoroughly. I was hoping that DCS's API extensions for the Hook and Dynamic Spawn abilities would bring something to the table, but it seems that I was a bit optimistic. Let's see what I can come up with