Timer for cloud presets

[Nealius]

Since we have a timer for the fog and dust storm settings, a timer for cloud presets should theoretically be possible whereby the user can start the mission with one cloud preset, then at a defined time have the mission transition to a different cloud preset, e.g. starting off with "Broken 3" then at 2 hours after mission start transitioning into "Overcast and Rain 2" or somesuch to replicate changing weather.

[MissionCMDR]

Ever click the 'Dynamic' tab in the weather settings? I don't think it 'switches' between cloud types, but it can generate more dynamic weather systems which may change the clouds as well? Maybe messing with some settings and the clouds will roll in as you want after a couple of hours in a natural way?

 

[Nealius]

Dynamic weather is a legacy system full of bugs (like 30+ kts surface winds to get clouds to appear at all, after hours of lua editing to put pressure systems close enough to create those clouds where you want them). 

[twistking]

On 2/17/2025 at 4:34 AM, Nealius said:

Since we have a timer for the fog and dust storm settings, a timer for cloud presets should theoretically be possible whereby the user can start the mission with one cloud preset, then at a defined time have the mission transition to a different cloud preset, e.g. starting off with "Broken 3" then at 2 hours after mission start transitioning into "Overcast and Rain 2" or somesuch to replicate changing weather.

A simple way to get some weather changes is indeed very much needed, but i'm not a fan of your particular solution. Wouldn't it be more elegant to define sizes of weather patterns instead of timings?
For example you define two weather presets with their own cloud, temperature, pressure and wind settings. Then you select the size of each pattern's "tile". DCS would then move those tiles around the map depending on some simplified wind speed calculations. At the tile's borders the weather parameters would be interpolated between the two tiles. Also edges would not be straight lines but more fractal to hide a tiled appearance.
So this would NOT be a weather simulation, but a simplified system that allowed 2 (or more) defined weather states at different points at the same time. Moving tiles would also allow auto-generated weather forecasts without doing a lot of calculations. It would just estimated tile position at requested position based on those simplified windspeed calculations.

Surely not as good as a true weather simulation, but much easier to implement and imho more immersive and interesting than a timer-based global switch between systems.