In-game sound file generation

[JDen]

Do you ever get fed up with going online to generate a sound file to use for direction finding? 

If there were a way to have AI units transmit a message from the Mission Editor in morse code, it would be far less frustrating and much easier.

 

In my mind, it would work as follows:

When in the Mission Editor, you select an AI unit you wish to have transmit a message. You select the “Transmit Message” option, you choose a frequency, and you write in a text box whatever message you wish the unit to transmit. Then, the Mission Editor will automatically translate the message into morse code, and the unit transmits the morse code in the selected frequency during the mission, whether it’s one time, repeatedly, or tied in with a flag.

 

It seems like a pretty simple addition, and it would certainly be incredibly useful and stress-relieving. I enjoy the Mosquito, and would like to make DFing a bit easier without having to going on Google and searching for a file generator, writing my message, turning it into a file, then restart DCS, then open the mission again, and insert the file. I’m sure mission makers would thoroughly appreciate this feature as well.

[cfrag]

10 hours ago, JDen said:

If there were a way to have AI units transmit a message from the Mission Editor in morse code, it would be far less frustrating and much easier.

Agreed. I think, however, that this is an extreme edge case:

• most importantly, very few (I assume, I have no numbers to back this up) people are sufficiently conversant in Morse code. I do have an RT license, and I can't decipher morse code without pen, paper, and a table. So if a unit transmits an arbitrary message in Morse code, there will be very few people who would be able to understand that message (literally) on-the-fly.
• Most messages would be static (i.e. the message does not change over time) for the simple reason that vanilla DCS does not support dynamic messages (you'd need Lua, usually in the form of a mission framework for that). Since you know in advance what that message is, you can (and it is a painful process) pre-generate the sound file and include it in your mission.
• Morse code is WWII tech, and for warbirds and (perhaps) cold warriors, Morse is something that should be better supported. I do not know how big that community is, but I wager that the majority of DCS pilots fly modern era birds, that rely less on Morse, and more on binary. That's a bad reason not to support Morse code, just a tangential thought. I too want mission-designer placed NDB and VOR to auto-configure and broadcast their signature in Morse code, and even be able to provide a text message that shows the dots'n'dashes.

Now, with above points in mind, I agree that there should be an option for mission designers to allow all units to auto-generate a three to four letter callsign/ID/signature sound so we can easily create homing devices that transmit their ID (but no arbitrary messages) without mission designers having to home-brew their own sound file.

10 hours ago, JDen said:

It seems like a pretty simple addition, and it would certainly be incredibly useful and stress-relieving

... stress-relieving for mission designers, yes. Like, for example, multiple object selection, stand-alone editor (being able to edit and fly the same mission), or - god forbid - simple undo. I have seen little evidence in the past few years that we mission designers rank high on the list of priorities when it comes to QoL Mission editor features.

I'm hoping that this may change some time in the future. I recommend cautious optimism - wonders still seem to happen from time to time.

[JDen]

9 hours ago, cfrag said:

Agreed. I think, however, that this is an extreme edge case:

• most importantly, very few (I assume, I have no numbers to back this up) people are sufficiently conversant in Morse code. I do have an RT license, and I can't decipher morse code without pen, paper, and a table. So if a unit transmits an arbitrary message in Morse code, there will be very few people who would be able to understand that message (literally) on-the-fly.
• Most messages would be static (i.e. the message does not change over time) for the simple reason that vanilla DCS does not support dynamic messages (you'd need Lua, usually in the form of a mission framework for that). Since you know in advance what that message is, you can (and it is a painful process) pre-generate the sound file and include it in your mission.
• Morse code is WWII tech, and for warbirds and (perhaps) cold warriors, Morse is something that should be better supported. I do not know how big that community is, but I wager that the majority of DCS pilots fly modern era birds, that rely less on Morse, and more on binary. That's a bad reason not to support Morse code, just a tangential thought. I too want mission-designer placed NDB and VOR to auto-configure and broadcast their signature in Morse code, and even be able to provide a text message that shows the dots'n'dashes.

Now, with above points in mind, I agree that there should be an option for mission designers to allow all units to auto-generate a three to four letter callsign/ID/signature sound so we can easily create homing devices that transmit their ID (but no arbitrary messages) without mission designers having to home-brew their own sound file.

... stress-relieving for mission designers, yes. Like, for example, multiple object selection, stand-alone editor (being able to edit and fly the same mission), or - god forbid - simple undo. I have seen little evidence in the past few years that we mission designers rank high on the list of priorities when it comes to QoL Mission editor features.

I'm hoping that this may change some time in the future. I recommend cautious optimism - wonders still seem to happen from time to time.

Well being able to understand it is not the point. In DCS WW2, morse code is often used for direction finding beacons. That’s my aim here. To transmit a message, you need a message to transmit. You can’t transmit nothing.

But also, it doesn’t have to be morse. The problem is that ED wouldn’t be able to voice over all of the possible messages you could type. Morse code is the only way to get over that problem.

Edited September 13, 2023 by JDen

[cfrag]

8 hours ago, JDen said:

Well being able to understand it is not the point.

In that case (you only need some audio source to be able to use ADF) can't you use just any audio? Maybe some nice 40s music. some static, or some "deet-dat-dat" beacon audio? 

9 hours ago, JDen said:

The problem is that ED wouldn’t be able to voice over all of the possible messages you could type.

Agreed. In the mean time, there's some working (but not high quality) Text-To-Speech solution available here.

[JDen]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:17 AM, cfrag said:

can't you use just any audio? Maybe some nice 40s music. some static, or some "deet-dat-dat" beacon audio? 

On 9/13/2023 at 4:14 PM, JDen said:

You could but you would have to go online and import a file lol. That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid here. I suppose they could add presets for stuff like that.