My impression of the editor, feedback on two things.

[Nasder]

Didn't know where to post this, so I thought that this part of the forum would be nice.

 

The Mission Editor is decent, not bad compared to some, but not good compared to others.

 

And I do understand that the ME is constantly being worked upon, and that this is a bit of "Mk. I" of the editor in the DCS series. I got a few things I miss in the editor which I would like to see in future updates and/or DCS Modules.

 

 

1. Height detail in the editor.

I'd like to have a better topographical view of the map. This shadow option we have now is not as detailed and "honest" as desired. Having contour lines showing increases/decreases in height on the map would be nice, if it would be scalable with different options, maybe dependable on zoom level, showing you 2m interval per contour line when very zoomed in and 10-20m when zoomed out. This would make it easier to see how the terrain is in the 3D view without having to test play it. Now, it shows you some, but it's not detailed enough which forces you to check the map (in test play) more often than would be necessary with a more detailed topographical view.

 

2. Holding waypoints.

(PS, if there is such a thing at this, please tell me how to actually get it to work. I read the manual, I've searched the forums and the net without solution.)

 

At this time, you can not (I think, after hours of testing) make a ground unit hold at a waypoint while waiting for a condition to come true. There are work-arounds to this but none of them work as well as having this option available from the beginning.

 

Having a unit on hold, showing from the start using the check box, and then become active is my preferred way at this time. But this renders the unit useless until activated as it will not shoot at or be shot at while not active.

 

This is just an example. Having a group of MBT's follow a set of waypoints, then at a selected waypoint hold until a group of IFV's have reached a set location before moving on. Making them work as a team without having to time the waypoints perfectly. And while holding at this waypoint, being able to be fired upon and returning fire. If they stood there and were "unactive" they'd just stand there even if a convoy of BMP's drove infront of their noses.

 

These are my only two real issues right now at least concerning the editor.

 

I am spoiled with options when it comes to other editors. Especially options at waypoints and triggers. And I hope that one day DCS' Mission editor will be at par with these options (at least options that are usefull in BS).

[Panzertard]

:thumbup:

Regarding 1.)

In my perspective, I liked the way the IL-2 editor made it possible to zoom in to the 3D world and accurately place objects.

Most wanted feature, for sure. :)

 

2.) Some sort of orders for the unit should be possible, I agree. "Hold until <condition>" type of trigger. I need to start looking for such a method myself.

[born2thrill]

I also like the way you can place static cameras at diff alts (il2), good for makin movies!

[nemises]

In a post not long ago, I belive Wags outlines the upcoming improvements to the ME functionality in the (nearly here?) patch !

 

I remember seeing someone talk about a "deactivate group" trigger action, though that doesn't really help in your scenario...maybe a hold waypoint type, or hold trigger action will come with it too?..

 

As for height detail, you do get very accurate height data , if you hover the curser over a point, the height (ASL) is shown down the bottom of the screen ... though not as good as having contour lines, you can still "plot" out an area's topography by moving the mouse around it and taking note of the elevation...not saying it;s prefect, but incase you didnt notice the elevation data down the bottom there...

[Nasder]

In a post not long ago, I belive Wags outlines the upcoming improvements to the ME functionality in the (nearly here?) patch !

 

I remember seeing someone talk about a "deactivate group" trigger action, though that doesn't really help in your scenario...maybe a hold waypoint type, or hold trigger action will come with it too?..

 

As for height detail, you do get very accurate height data , if you hover the curser over a point, the height (ASL) is shown down the bottom of the screen ... though not as good as having contour lines, you can still "plot" out an area's topography by moving the mouse around it and taking note of the elevation...not saying it;s prefect, but incase you didnt notice the elevation data down the bottom there...

 

I read that this "deactivate group" would do the opposite of activating it, eg. removing it rather than adding it. But let's hope. This thread I read wasn't by Wags or any other official, but rather someone pointing it out. (I found this while searching for a way to make troops hold), but I don't remember the thread location.

 

Well, the main idea with contour lines and topographical information is that you should get a good idea of the height in the area from a quick overview. The way that you pointed out works, but it consumes time and doesn't give you that overview of the height from a quick view, which is what I'm looking for. The shading we have now would work too if it was way more detailed than it is. You can have an area without shading and still have height variation of what seems to be 10-20m. Which would be ok, if the ground AI could search their way to a hulldown position at the top of one of these. But as it is now, you need to manually place them in the right place to give them the ability to see over the top of this incline.

[nemises]

..my guess is, that if there is a deactive agroup trigger, it will basically make them static .... whether they can then be "activated" again...? probably not ... would be nice though... I agree, a "hold:xx" waypoint type or trigger action would be great....there may be inherent issues with the AI that cannot allow for it though ?

 

As for the topo stuff, yeah, I totally agree.

I almost feel an interactive 3d placement map would be of benefit (take Tacview for eg) .. where the mesh is aproximated, but accurate enough ...

 

I wonder if Tacview could be used as a unit placement engine to generate a .miz that can then be opened in the ME for triggers / actions / waypoints etc... with some modding?

[Panzertard]

The "low res" ground view in the editor came quite apparent to me today.

Edited a mission and tried to get some ground groups to engage at random if they get too close to eachother.

 

However, after a couple of hours travel (ingame) enroute I hust discovered there's some low hills obstructing the LOS.

It's quite neccesarry to watch all the unit movements right now to see if they have the correct LOS - that might take a few hours in a large mission. Which can become quite painful over time.

A bit better terrain view in the editor would have saved me from a lot of testing :)

 

So it's a big one for the "wish list". :)

Edited May 30, 2009 by Panzertard