MP/SP Campaign: Silent Thunder

[Mistermann]

TLDR: There’s an ALPHA MP Kiowa Campaign available to check out.  This post will link all 8 missions at the bottom of the post

Overview

My buddies and I really enjoy flying together and experiencing story driven content.  We’ve been fortunate to find some likeminded content creators over the years and thoroughly enjoyed our experiences playing MP campaigns like

Griffins Original and Remastered - 

 

Hormuz - 

I only wish there was more content like this – created for MP, but also consumable by SP.  This is our contribution to the community in this regard.

As some of you may know, I am responsible for the Griffins Remastered.  Now that the Kiowa is out, my small group embarked on a Kiowa MP/SP campaign in the spirit of the Griffins Remastered called Operation Silent Thunder.  See attached PDF for the first mission brief.  We are making this for our group but also wanted to share with the community.

As the group’s resident ME “expert”, I am currently 4 missions into this campaign.  We have storyboards for 8 missions so far.   Instead of waiting for all 8 to be written, tested, produced and polished the team thought we should release as we went along.  This way interested parties could get their hands on content sooner and provide feedback to us along the way.

I consider this content to be pre-release content so you may encounter a bug here or there.  You may see a debug statement flash on screen, but all voiceovers are there and the mission has been flown by my group at least once.  In other words, you’re an early adopter.  

Given the Kiowa is still relatively new, I hope this campaign can be enjoyed by more people who are just getting into this helo.   Looking forward to people’s comments and feedback.  Big shout out to the fellas for content, testing, and willingness to get shot down [ @Devil 505 @Wulf103 ]!

Campaign Features

1-4 Aircraft OH-58D COOP/Mulit-Crew up to 8 total Players

Module(s) Required:  Polychop OH-58D Kiowa, Syria Map
Mod(s) Required: Noted in mission download if any leveraged

Additional topics:  Fully voiced missions using AI (elevinlabs), mission brief PDFs, scaled difficulty based on number of Helo’s in mission.

This is a fictional based campaign set during the 2006 July War historical timeframe on the Syria map and is designed for COOP play.  The campaign can be done solo if you desire.

Mission

Mission 01: Prey [v1.01 -- August 18, 2024] -https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3339666/

Mission 02: Fish Barrel [v1.02 -- August 12, 2024] - https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3339695/

Mission 03: Dawn’s Light [v1.02 -- August 25, 2024] - https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3340031/

Mission 04: Uniform Justice [v1.01 -- August 28, 2024] - https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3340180/

Mission 05: Wild Hunt [v1.00 -- August 26, 2024] - https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3340351/

Mission 06: Darkness Falls [v1.00 -- September 26, 2024] - https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3340783/

Mission 07-08: Storyboarding & Brainstorming

M01 Prey_v1.0.pdf

 

Edited September 27, 2024 by Mistermann
M06 link

[Mistermann]

FAQ

Q: The RELOAD MISSION menu option isn't working for me, is there a special trick? A: Yes.  The reload option is only available for MP dedicated servers.  You must load a small script from @cfrag that you can find in this link below.  A must have for any MP dedicated server team IMHO.

Q: When I start the mission in SP I spawn in over the top of some statics, how do I correct this? A: The entire campaign is designed for MP Coop so every mission expects to run in a multiplayer server session.  Make sure you start each mission from the "Launch Multiplayer Server" option in order to spawn in the intended spot(s).  NOTE:  Ensure your multiplayer Advanced Settings have "Resume on load" selected.

   

 

Edited August 28, 2024 by Mistermann
Updated Q2

[YoYo]

Coop? Like this idea! Thx!

[Mistermann]

6 hours ago, YoYo said:

Coop? Like this idea! Thx!

You are welcome.  I enjoy creating these for my buddies.  I figure if anyone else gets enjoyment that's icing on the cake.

I added the link to the first mission in the OP.

[BoFrost]

Nice mission for an "warm up"

would also have been nice if the video link from Reaper would have been availlable.

 

Anyway, looking forward to next mission.

 

Thanks

Frank

[Mistermann]

Thanks!  Yeah that Reaper feed has been a PITA.  When testing I couldn't get it to lock onto the Luv Tigr.  I'll get M02 uploaded here ASAP.

Edited August 1, 2024 by Mistermann

[Mistermann]

Mission 02: Fish Barrel is now linked in OP

This mission adds a little excitement to the mix after what was essentially a Beirut familiarization flight in M01.  Been flown a few times by the group so I don't expect there are major issues.  Please let me know if you run into any defects.  

[BoFrost]

Tried M2.

After flying to the airport and then turning on to the left main street, and just before I wanted to start to search for the SA8, I got the message to return to WP1, what I did, but then nothing happens. 

Also, there where no Target Points stored in the System, as it says in the briefing. 

Will try again later today.

Did I miss the trigger at WP1 ?

 

[Mistermann]

2 hours ago, BoFrost said:

Tried M2.

After flying to the airport and then turning on to the left main street, and just before I wanted to start to search for the SA8, I got the message to return to WP1, what I did, but then nothing happens. 

Also, there where no Target Points stored in the System, as it says in the briefing. 

Will try again later today.

Did I miss the trigger at WP1 ?

 

I'll check into it this morning.

[Mistermann]

@BoFrost - Thanks for giving me a heads up.  In my haste the other day to get this out, I mistakenly uploaded the wrong MIZ file.  Over the years I've learned to create backups of MIZ files as I create to prevent the ME Gods from letting me delete entire groups of content when I get lazy and forget nuanced ME user experience flaws.  I simply grabbed the wrong one to publish.  Sorry about that.

Please download the latest version linked in the OP

A couple of thoughts as well

• When you get over to the Beirut Airport, make sure to rally over the waypoint.  This will trigger clearance into the AO from Condor.  There's a Trigger Zone (0_Hold_For_Condor) at least one in the group must enter.

• I'm at a bit of a loss on the Target Points.  They are in the ME, but I can't see them in the Helo either.  This could be user error for sure on multiple levels.  First could be I don't have the process down from a cockpit switchology standpoint.  OR I've messed something up in the ME itself.  Here's how I established those points in the mission.  If anyone knows what I might have done wrong in the mission setup, please advise.

Thanks for playing!

Edited August 3, 2024 by Mistermann

[Devil 505]

Glad to see people jumping into this campaign! It has been a blast so far to work on with Mistermann and to fly together.  We are really driving home the coop mentality with your fellow aviators and a scout mentality.  Look forward to feedback.  If you have OBS or the ability to record your experience and post them, please feel free to drop them here.  We would love to see them.  

[Mistermann]

A little bit of a progress report. 

Missions 3 and 4 are both written and in various stages of testing. 

Mission 3: @Wulf103 and I flew M3 over the weekend and uncovered a handful of tweaks I want to make before making available.  Those were made and await testing.  Given our flight schedules, I'd say this should be uploaded over this coming weekend.  Note, ED doesn't approve file submissions over the weekend, so it won't likely be available until early next week.

Mission 4: This awaits testing - all logic is in place as well as all radio voiceovers.  If the stars align, the team and I will have a chance to fly this weekend as a test.  I've flown a handful of times solo.

Mission 5: Skeleton mission created and being debugged.  No voiceovers at this point.  

Mission 6-8: Rough storyboards discussed.  We feel like we can wrap the campaign in 8 missions.   

Also, I added an answer regarding Reloading Missions to the FAQ

[Wulf103]

It is a major blast and incredibly fun to have the opportunity to fly with these two guys on a semi-regular schedule. Their talents in creating technical content and testing technical content are wonderfully entertaining. Me? I'm the middle guy that you you have to drag through the missions waiting for them to catch up and generally creating all those  "DUH" moments that are hard to program for. Therein lies my contribution...but it's great fun learning all those new things I otherwise would miss. Come join me...download and fly with Mistermann, Devil505, and myself...Wulf103.

[BoFrost]

Hmm.... unfortunately I did not have much time to fly the updated M2. But I managed to make 3 starts on it.

First try I forgot to start the mission via F10, HaHaHa. As I found it out, I already was on WP1 and it did not activate the trigger.

The second and third attempt both failed with activating the trifgger, as it looks like. I arrived at WP1 and got the message, that I have to wait here for further instructions. But they never came. I hovered arround the waipoint, made some orbits, but did not activate.

When then just proceed on the mission, I got the message to return to WP1. I then just stopped the mission.

 

What I am doing at startup, is to create an Target Point arround the expected SA8. Also I am creating 2 WPs. One on the start of the route I want to use, and one just at the end of the route, so I do not flyby the target area. My observation point.

Hopefully have some more time the next days.

 

regards

Frank

 

[Mistermann]

3 hours ago, BoFrost said:

Hmm.... unfortunately I did not have much time to fly the updated M2. But I managed to make 3 starts on it.

First try I forgot to start the mission via F10, HaHaHa. As I found it out, I already was on WP1 and it did not activate the trigger.

The second and third attempt both failed with activating the trifgger, as it looks like. I arrived at WP1 and got the message, that I have to wait here for further instructions. But they never came. I hovered arround the waipoint, made some orbits, but did not activate.

If you receive the following text on screen, you're at WP01.  "You've arrived at WP01 ... hold here for clearance from Condor.  Checking in now."

What happens next depends on how many players/helo's are in game.  Are you playing with others?  Sounds like you're a single ship, so I suspect there's only one in game but need to ask.

30 seconds after arrival at WP01 and receiving the text message, the game fires a voiceover depending on number of players.  Do you think you waited the 30 seconds before leaving mission?  Maybe I need to reduce the wait for Condor to release?

3 hours ago, BoFrost said:

What I am doing at startup, is to create an Target Point arround the expected SA8. Also I am creating 2 WPs. One on the start of the route I want to use, and one just at the end of the route, so I do not flyby the target area. My observation point.

You shouldn't need to do this.  I already have target points in the mission for this purpose as shown in the image a few posts back.  I am starting to wonder if they are somehow bugged because I can't get them to work in Mission5 either.  

Regardless, how are you seeing where to place these points?  Everything's set to hidden on map.

Lastly, I am thinking about removing the target points and simply putting in waypoints for the different routes.  Your experience, coupled with mine in M5 seem to indicate there's an issue with target points.  Unfortunately I'm not going to have time to update this for a least a couple of days.

I'm sure this is frustrating for you - appreciate your willingness to keep at it and assist in debugging.

 

[BoFrost]

Yes, I am playing in single Player. One ship.

I guess I waited way longer than 30 seconds. But Not sure how long exactly. 

The Target points you have are not usable. Thats why I create my own target points as prepoint in the MMS to find the target easier. 

In the briefing the location of the SA8 is shown. So I can create an marker on the F10 map and store it as an target point as prepoint in the MMS. Not exact position but near enough to shorten the search time for it. It is hidden yes, but the picture in the briefing is showing the location.

Not frustating, like really to help you. Unfortunately my time is limited, to maybe 6-8 hours of DCS playtime the Week.

Will not be bored to try again. Next try will be without adding target points or wp by me. Will see if this makes a difference. 

And sorry for my bad writing here, but if I write from my mobile in english,  the autocorrection is going nuts. HeHe.

Regards

Frank

 

 

[Devil 505]

8 hours ago, BoFrost said:

Yes, I am playing in single Player. One ship.

I guess I waited way longer than 30 seconds. But Not sure how long exactly. 

The Target points you have are not usable. Thats why I create my own target points as prepoint in the MMS to find the target easier. 

In the briefing the location of the SA8 is shown. So I can create an marker on the F10 map and store it as an target point as prepoint in the MMS. Not exact position but near enough to shorten the search time for it. It is hidden yes, but the picture in the briefing is showing the location.

Not frustating, like really to help you. Unfortunately my time is limited, to maybe 6-8 hours of DCS playtime the Week.

Will not be bored to try again. Next try will be without adding target points or wp by me. Will see if this makes a difference. 

And sorry for my bad writing here, but if I write from my mobile in english,  the autocorrection is going nuts. HeHe.

Regards

Frank

Frank,

I spoke to Mistermann today about this.  We flew it together with our other wingman prior to release.  We are going to look into it and get back with you.  There might have been a bug with waypoints or target points in the OH-58 but we have not confirmed yet, so take that comment with a grain of salt until we can work through it.  It may also be something on our end with ME.  To be honest, when we flew it, I was copilot and guiding my pilot in on the highway so we were not paying attention to the waypoints.  Glad to hear you are digging the missions so far.  We will get this ironed out.

[BoFrost]

maybe for future missions you should try to create mission data in the "data cadridge" Yes, this function is not implemented completely yet,

But you can store the waypoint, target and control points to an file, which then can be imported to the Kiowa.

Finally I could find the video again, I saw some time ago, and thought, this would maybe be nice.

 

[BoFrost]

OK, I made another run on M2.

Did not do any planing in forehead, and just flew to the WP1 and got the trigger fired up. So I first got the message to wait on WP1 and short after I got the message to go in hot.

Not sure if this was related to not to do the WP and Target point planning, or if I mybe did something wrong on the second and third try out.

However, I could manage it this time, and I am looking forward to M3 ! 

 

Regards

Frank

[Mistermann]

4 hours ago, BoFrost said:

maybe for future missions you should try to create mission data in the "data cadridge" Yes, this function is not implemented completely yet,

But you can store the waypoint, target and control points to an file, which then can be imported to the Kiowa.

Finally I could find the video again, I saw some time ago, and thought, this would maybe be nice.

Wait .... what?!?  Mind blown.  Didn't know this was implemented.  Watched the video.  I will absolutely go back and implement this for the missions.  I need to figure out what works and what doesn't, but that's a nice feature I have yet to see in other DCS aircraft.  Thanks for sharing!

[Devil 505]

16 hours ago, BoFrost said:

maybe for future missions you should try to create mission data in the "data cadridge" Yes, this function is not implemented completely yet,

But you can store the waypoint, target and control points to an file, which then can be imported to the Kiowa.

Finally I could find the video again, I saw some time ago, and thought, this would maybe be nice.

[Ramsay]

On 8/8/2024 at 5:38 PM, Mistermann said:

I need to figure out what works and what doesn't ...

Using the Mission Editor and how to name target points, etc. is documented in the DCS Kiowa Manual, Section 24 (page 235) i.e. the SA-8 target point should be labelled "1T|1|SA8" to appear in the Kiowa's target list. 

Mission Editor

Kiowa Target List

HSI+ / RMS Slew to 1T (seems like slew wouldn't accept double digits i.e. 99T)

Mission Editor Target Point 1 and 2  names like "Route: Ardvark" and "Route: Possum" aren't parsed as target points but do appear in the waypoint list and on the HSI as "ROUTE:"

The DCS Kiowa includes an example ME mission file "DCS World\Mods\aircraft\OH-58D\Doc\kw_demo_mission.miz" to demo waypoint, control point, target point and drawing tool DCS naming schemes - note that, like RMS slewing to 99T, there may be features that still don't work as the dev's intended/documented.

Tested in single player using DCS 2.9.6.58056

Edited August 10, 2024 by Ramsay
Found Route 2 and 3 imported correctly from the ME Drawing Tool once I used the correct names i.e. "KW-ROUTE2"

[Mistermann]

Thank you @Ramsay.  Lesson learned..... RTFM.  

[Mistermann]

Thanks to both @Ramsay and @BoFrost.  I was able to spend some additional time in the ME figuring out how to add mission drawings to the Kiowa's Data Cartridge.  I learned that I can do everything from the ME itself so there's no need to spend time messing around with the Nav Settings on the ground (unless you want to).  This resulted in the following in-game HSD+ image as I approached the AO on M02.

 

I achieved this by turning OFF the waypoints in RMS-SETUP

I was also able to go and update M03 and M04 the same way so we'll have this throughout the remainder of the campaign.  I also added a kneeboard to the missions to try and assist in giving players easy access to images.  They are not the prettiest I've ever seen, but functional.  Here's what I added for M02.

         

I'll get M02 uploaded along with M03 today.

[BoFrost]

@Mistermann

Yeah, tried also a little bit around with M2, and added Target Points and the 2 Routes, which did not work all so well.

Was fun, because I normaly Do not mess around with the ME. But learnd a lot.

Looking forward to replay the new M2, and of course M3.

Thanks for your work and publishing for free!

 

Regards 

Frank