Start dedicated server without loading the last mission

[Draken35]

I might be missing something obvious here, but I run a dedicated, on demand server and I will like the server to start without loading any mission, so I can choose which one to run from the Web GUI. Is this possible? 

[Maverick87Shaka]

no, try to start a server with empty mission list will result in fail to start.
what you can do is create an "empty" .miz file with just some observer slot on caucasus (that reasonably every one has)
Put that one on server.cfg to load at start, and then you and your admins/mod can use SLMOD from within the server, to start other mission by in chat commands.

[Draken35]

@Maverick87Shaka  not an empty mission list, just preventing starting any mission (last one played) . 
I was actually looking at a dummy mission with either a menu system or SLMOD but couldn't figure out how to always start that mission.

Now, I don't see a server.cfg in my saved games / config or anywhere else.  What would the location and syntax be ?

And thank you!

[Maverick87Shaka]

4 hours ago, Draken35 said:

@Maverick87Shaka  not an empty mission list, just preventing starting any mission (last one played) . 
I was actually looking at a dummy mission with either a menu system or SLMOD but couldn't figure out how to always start that mission.

Now, I don't see a server.cfg in my saved games / config or anywhere else.  What would the location and syntax be ?

And thank you!

In saved Games\DCS.release_server\Config\ (or your instance name instead DCS.release_server) you have a file named serverSettings.lua (sorry for my bad memory)

It looks like this more ore less:

cfg = 
{
    ["description"] = "This is the server description",
    ["require_pure_textures"] = true,
    ["listStartIndex"] = 1,
    ["advanced"] = 
    {
        ["allow_change_tailno"] = true,
        ["disable_events"] = false,
        ["allow_ownship_export"] = true,
        ["allow_object_export"] = true,
        ["pause_on_load"] = true,
        ["allow_sensor_export"] = true,
        ["event_Takeoff"] = true,
        ["pause_without_clients"] = false,
        ["client_outbound_limit"] = 0,
        ["client_inbound_limit"] = 0,
        ["server_can_screenshot"] = false,
        ["allow_players_pool"] = true,
        ["voice_chat_server"] = false,
        ["allow_change_skin"] = true,
        ["event_Connect"] = true,
        ["event_Ejecting"] = true,
        ["event_Kill"] = true,
        ["event_Crash"] = true,
        ["event_Role"] = true,
        ["resume_mode"] = 1,
        ["maxPing"] = 0,
        ["allow_trial_only_clients"] = false,
        ["allow_dynamic_radio"] = true,
    }, -- end of ["advanced"]
    ["port"] = 10308,
    ["mode"] = 0,
    ["bind_address"] = "",
    ["isPublic"] = true,
    ["listShuffle"] = false,
    ["password"] = "",
    ["listLoop"] = false,
    ["name"] = "This is the server name",
    ["require_pure_scripts"] = false,
    ["missionList"] = 
    {
        [1] = "C:\\path\\of\\mission\\emptymission.miz",
    }, -- end of ["missionList"]
    ["require_pure_clients"] = true,
    ["require_pure_models"] = true,
    ["maxPlayers"] = "80",
} -- end of cfg

It could be empty on fresh installed server, normally what I did is create a new server with all the settings that I need from my DCS Client (Multiplater => New Server) and then I use that file in the server, specially for formatting description and so on.
just remember to change the path of the .miz if it's in a different folder

[Draken35]

LOL... No worries I do that all of the time...

I see want you mean, basically create a mission list with one mission, and load the others via SLMOD ... I just manage to de-sanitize SLMOD (missions requirements) ... I'll test this method since it is more flexible than the menu in the missions, after the first mission load.  

I really appreciate the help, thank you!

[Maverick87Shaka]

16 hours ago, Draken35 said:

LOL... No worries I do that all of the time...

I see want you mean, basically create a mission list with one mission, and load the others via SLMOD ... I just manage to de-sanitize SLMOD (missions requirements) ... I'll test this method since it is more flexible than the menu in the missions, after the first mission load.  

I really appreciate the help, thank you!

Yep, otherwise you'll have also to add in all the mission the menu to load the first one and others, with slmod is everything there
Consider that for our training server, other staff members has ftps access to the slmod mission folder, so they are even able to upload new .miz and load it from menu if necessary
On top of that, you can build report, statistics and other.
I do really recommend to go in that way