DML - Mission Creation Toolbox [no Lua required]

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

That makes complete sense to me now and I understand your explanation. I put the goMissionStart in so that we could let the mission load and get people ready before the action started.

I will implement your suggestion of saving the flag and set cloneTriggerMethod =1

Many thanks for taking the time to review this.

 

[cfrag]

Here's how I made it work with your example:

null

You will need to remove the previous save file

Edited February 11 by cfrag

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Since I have multiple clones all running off of goMissionStart, do I only need to have it specified once as a flag to save? or does it need to be on each cloner?

What about if I have a clone with onStart set to true (without goMissionStart), is that ok? I do not need the triggerMethod check or flag save? If those units are killed then they will not be recloned at the next start?

Edited February 11 by DD_Friar

[cfrag]

1 minute ago, DD_Friar said:

Since I have multiple clones all running off of goMissionStart, do I only need to have it specified once as a flag to save?

You are using one "command" (or flag), and they are all listening to that same command. So you only need to save it once. Think of it like a tape recorder in a room that records what was yelled. You only need one recording, even if there are 5 listeners. Yeah, the metaphor is being stretched to breaking point, agreed  

... but each listener need their own "=1" instructions...

Edited February 11 by cfrag

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Module "Observation"

Module: ownedZones

Comment: I have just discovered that a player driven ground unit e.g. a tank does not capture an owned zone, however a group of AI soldiers walking in the same zone will. I have the capture parameter set to 1 as well.

[cfrag]

12 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

Comment: I have just discovered that a player driven ground unit e.g. a tank does not capture an owned zone,

If ownedZones 'fastEval' flag is true (it is by default), only the first unit of each group is checked for zone entry for performance reasons, and the rest of the group is assumed to be close by, and all units are counted. If you are driving any other unit than the groups first unit, ownedZones will not register your unit entering the ownedZone. So please try again driving unit 1 from the group, or turn off fastEval.

 

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

OK, although I was in a tank on my own, it was taken from a group of 4 and was not the first tank in that group.

Explanation understood and accepted.

I will make all of my player drivable tank units single group members.

[Recluse]

@cfrag Another FARPZONE question...

In the event that some or all of the resource units are destroyed, will the FARPZone regenerate them at some point? I am thinking NOT.  In that case, how can one restore a FARP to active duty?  if some or all of the resources are destroyed, but the FARP remains owned by that faction. (perhaps the undocumented camp zone...:) )

 

I am going to try it later, so possibly will answer my own question..but meanwhile it remains a gedankenexperiment.

Edited February 12 by Recluse

[cfrag]

1 hour ago, Recluse said:

In the event that some or all of the resource units are destroyed, will the FARPZone regenerate them at some point?

It would seem that goldfish-brain I kind of forgot about that. It should regen them regularly, but I then forgot to put the code in. I may be able to put this into the update following tomorrow's.

[Recluse]

39 minutes ago, cfrag said:

It would seem that goldfish-brain I kind of forgot about that. It should regen them regularly, but I then forgot to put the code in. I may be able to put this into the update following tomorrow's.

Thanks! That would be great........ EXCEPT... it would hinder the ability to remove all the enemy units when capturing a FARP unless your capture method destroyed them and ownership changed before they could be regenned. Unless for some reason, the resource units don't count toward the total. In my testing I have always destroyed them before starting a capture, and the unitZone exitZone!  * output seemed to care about them.  I guess with a suitable interval it would be OK, or maybe even some flag to bang to start the regen...though I haven't quite worked out what should trigger it...again it seems the undocumented camp has some repair and rebuild options that can be bought.....)

Edited February 12 by Recluse

[cfrag]

7 hours ago, Recluse said:

it would hinder the ability to remove all the enemy units when capturing a FARP

I was thinking about a successful landing at a FARP triggering restore. We’ll have to see.

[cfrag]

Version 2.4.3 - REQUIRED UPDATE - 20250213

Whoops, they did it again. For some reason, and documented nowhere, ED changed the way that MissionEditor saves some of its zone data. This played Havock with some modules, and my disbelief was... 

The fix in DML was as quick as the change to DCS was silly. Since DML uses a modular, engineered approach, fixing this in a single module was sufficient to restore all modules back to full working condition. 

As a result this update to DML is required for everyone who creates or edits missions with a DCS version from, or later than, the January 2025 update.

And since I'm already whining about really, really bad stuff in DCS: I took another stab at working with DCS's Warehouse API, and - again - came away aghast at its amateurish, clownishly bad design. I flat-out refuse to believe this to be the result of professional work, much like the band-select "feature" in Mission Editor. No professional worth their salt would sign off on something like this, and I hope that it all turns out to be a practical joke. 
The WHpersistence module (which persists warehouses) required a near-complete rewrite, and should now correctly support ferry flights. While at it, I discovered (and reported) a show-stopping bug in net.lua2json(). Hopefully this gets fixed - seeing that my last report of a different bug in net.lua2json() (math.huge is incorrectly converted) has been unfixed on the record for more than a year, I'm trying to keep some optimism and hope for at fix sometime near the end of this decade.

On the positive side, this update is filled to the brim with small updates, and sees the release of a new 'kind' of modules, the "compound module" - a specialized module that pulls together the functionality of multiple modules to provide easier access. Compound modules are designed to ease building specific functionality, and aren't as flexible as the normal building blocks. "FireCtrl" kicks off this category of modules, and it is designed to integrate "airtank" and "inferno" and adds some player management for good measure. You can see it in the wild in "Heroes of Flame".

All changes:

Documentation
    Main
        - FireCtrl (new)
        - Various Changes 
        
    QuickRef
        - Various Changes 
        
Demos
    - fire starter (new)
    - FARP and away (update)
    

Modules
    - Airtank 1.0.1
        - attachTo: no works correctly
    
    - cfxZones 4.5.2 
        - GUARD AGAINST DCS CHANGE: "ZONE RADIUS"
        - new API for property access
    
    - FARPZones 2.3.0
        - new outputs redCap!, blueCap!, captured!

    - fireCtrl 1.1.0
        - Initial release 
    
    - GuardianAngel 4.0.1
        - hardening against DCS bugs 
        
    - heloTroops 4.2.3 
        - new attachTo: attribute 
        
    - inferno 1.0.1 
        - code cleanup 
        
    - playerScore 5.2.1 
        - wildcard support for scoretable 
        - support for CA players 
        - score wiped on player birth event
    
    - pulseFlags 2.0.3
        - pulses now correctly inited to -1 
        
    - WHpersistence 1.1.0
        - workaround for severe json error 
        - support ferry flights (dynamic spawns)
    
    

Edited February 13 by cfrag

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

Many thanks for the continual updates. I am just about to launch my campaign for the 4th time (and hopefully the last as I now believe I have, with your help of course, sorted out all my issues with persistence) this evening so the fixes in this release are well timed.

Salute

Friar

 

[bitboy]

Outstanding, the work/development of DML rolls on, thanks for sharing your most excellent efforts. Take the rest of the day off. 

[Recluse]

Quote

 - FARPZones 2.3.0
        - new outputs redCap!, blueCap!, captured!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Quote

   - playerScore 5.2.1 
        - wildcard support for scoretable 
       

LOL!!  I thought this was already there. I guess I would have found out and complained had I actually gotten around to testing!!!!

 

[Recluse]

6 hours ago, cfrag said:

I was thinking about a successful landing at a FARP triggering restore. We’ll have to see.

That would certainly be a good solution!!!!

Speaking of landing....  I am trying to figure out how to get the AI (helo) to capture a base.  I found that I could not give them a LANDING waypoint at a base controlled by the other faction.

- my workaround was just to spawn a unit when the appropriate helo entered a unit zone and not have them actually need to land

-today I was going to mess with using an airfield zone makeNeutral? flag to force the base to NEUTRAL once it was emptied out of units and then turn autoCAP? back on with the same flag, or a delayed flag.

Am I missing something simpler and more obvious?? (and elegant)

[DD_Friar]

@Recluse

ref your AI helo issue. What about having it land outside the zone and once landed deploy troops (using the DCS standard method) that then make their way into the zone to fight what ever is left to capture it?

[Recluse]

37 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

@Recluse

ref your AI helo issue. What about having it land outside the zone and once landed deploy troops (using the DCS standard method) that then make their way into the zone to fight what ever is left to capture it?

Yeah that was another option. I just didn't really want to setup all those troop pickup and dropoff things in the ME for all the different bases.

BTW, I just realized that my makeNeutral? idea wouldn't work as I would have to still pre-program the helo's waypoints when the zone was of the other faction.

Edited February 13 by Recluse

[DD_Friar]

@cfrag

I updated my campaign mission today to 2.43 and have just tried running it on our server and received the following error!

null

[cfrag]

31 minutes ago, DD_Friar said:

received the following error

Yup, a typo that I failed to correctly regression test. Here's the update:

 

pulseFlags.lua

[DD_Friar]

Wow ! thanks for the quick update!

 

[rmakowsky]

Thank you so much for this great tool set.  I use your modules every week making missions for my group.  

I am trying to make a convoy attack mission and I want to spawn ground troops when the convoy is attacked.  I want to spawn them near where the attack is taking place - think dismounts from attacked vehicles.  Any idea how to go about that?

Thank you again and keep up the great work!

 

[DD_Friar]

@rmakowsky

Hi, glad you are finding DML so useful.

I have done something similar before, here is what you do;

1. Create a clone zone template that contains the soldiers you want to appear when the convoy is attacked. It can be placed anywhere on the map. they do not appear when the mission is run.
2. Create a clone zone that references the template as its source and link the clone zone to the convoy vehicle. This will make it move with the convoy.
3. Create a unit Zone flag that fires a trigger when the convoy enters. Use this flag/trigger to bang the "clone?"
4. If you know the direction of the attack on the convoy you can also set the heading for the troops so that when they appear they are facing the attack. If they are in range they will then fire back.

Hope this helps, if you need anything else please do not hesitate to post back.

Friar.

Edited February 15 by DD_Friar

[DD_Friar]

@rmakowsky

"A picture speaks a thousand words"

I have just knocked up this little demo for you, hope it gives you some ideas.

Here is a video of the mission so you can see what it does first.

 

Ambush Demo.miz

Edited February 15 by DD_Friar

[ChuckIV]

cfrag,

Quick question... I'm using a cloner to spawn in large STATIC fuel/oil tanks for both red and blue as targets.  I believe I called them something like red_tanks and blue_tanks.  When they spawn in, I believe a suffix is added to these names due to the unique naming of DML.  Anyway, how do I get playerScore to work with these static SPAWNED in tanks?  I believe their DCS name is "Tank 1".  Do I put something like red_tanks*, blue_tanks*, Tank 1, or Tank 1* in a table?  I appreciate any help thanks!

ChuckIV