QAG - Disappointing

[wilbur81]

I'd really love to have the old "create fast mission" feature back. The new QAG is not quick, and it is way too much work to not be the full-fledged ME. I used the old one to create somewhat random "surprise" missions with lots of units. It was not perfect, but it was indeed fast and gave us the option of instantly creating a mini-scenario with lots of ground and air units. So far, the new QAG is just a paired down version of the Mission Editor... Maybe I just need to wait for the bugs to get squashed, but I'd love to see the Create fast mission generator stick around as an option. I find the full-on Mission editor itself to be awesome and plenty quick enough to create the more specific scenarios that the new QAG is currently providing. 

[Swordsman422]

Ditto this. I was messing around with it this morning, and the old Quick Mission Generator was better.

[wilbur81]

5 hours ago, Swordsman422 said:

Ditto this. I was messing around with it this morning, and the old Quick Mission Generator was better.

Agreed. It doesn't help that it freezes and crashes every other launch for me. It just feels like a clunkier version of the Mission Editor, but with fewer options. I think the ME is awesome and that the old "create fast mission" generator was different enough to warrant its existence, too. But as for this, I will likely never touch the QAG again. 

Edited May 23 by wilbur81

[Smashy]

The QAG in its current state is pretty painful to use.  It's incredibly slow and isn't a fun experience.

I'm hoping development of new features like the QAG and DTC continues full speed ahead.  It's a bad feeling when cool new features get added and then seemingly set aside when focus shifts to other cool new half-baked features.

Edited May 23 by Smashy

[diego999]

ED seem to be trying to fullfill some checklist, releasing half-baked features with barebones functionality only so they can say "hey, we gave you what you wanted".

Quick Action Generator: slow, cumbersome, for some weird reason it loads the terrain first (?) before giving you the option to select another one.

DTC: primitive and barely functional.

Mission Save: uselees for anything more complicated than you alone on the map bombing some static units.

Most recent patch: +20 C° CPU temperature for AMD users somehow.

 

The now unified DCS version is still Open Beta, they just changed the name.

[Nodak]

Very disappointing, the F-5E on a bomber intercept mission set on all is restricted to only WWII aircraft???  Really

Even the dogfight is a funky very limited list of third rate stuff, who wants to bother going up against that garbage?

Why isn't there an unlimited mode where I get to choose what I want to fight?  This doesn't even make sense.

[NineLine]

I have passed along feedback there are some scenarios that are missing key aircraft, and I agree ALL should allow access to all. 

[primus_TR]

The QAG needs randomization options. At this point, it is a large step-back from even the former Quick Mission Generator. The QAG, at this time, is simply the Mission Editor with 99% culled functionality. It does not provide any 'practicality' to the user, if the goal is to enable players to generate quick, fun missions. I understand that this is the first iteration of what is to come, but it is really not adding any value for the player at this time. 

[wilbur81]

1 hour ago, primus_TR said:

The QAG needs randomization options. At this point, it is a large step-back from even the former Quick Mission Generator. The QAG, at this time, is simply the Mission Editor with 99% culled functionality. It does not provide any 'practicality' to the user, if the goal is to enable players to generate quick, fun missions. I understand that this is the first iteration of what is to come, but it is really not adding any value for the player at this time. 

100% this. ^^^

[Nate--IRL--]

2 hours ago, primus_TR said:

The QAG needs randomization options. At this point, it is a large step-back from even the former Quick Mission Generator. The QAG, at this time, is simply the Mission Editor with 99% culled functionality. It does not provide any 'practicality' to the user, if the goal is to enable players to generate quick, fun missions. I understand that this is the first iteration of what is to come, but it is really not adding any value for the player at this time. 

It needs a single "Randomise" button, so no user input is required. It also needs to be quick.

For flyers with limited time, it needs to offer a one click jump to cockpit option, random or not. 

I would also like to see it populate the world in the mission automatically, but that's for the future I guess.

 

EDIT:- as an aside the UI/UX really needs to be improved. Less of a corporate application feel and more of a Game interface.

Nate

Edited May 24 by Nate--IRL--

[Trigger]

I also would appreciate the return of the former "create fast mission" feature.

[wilbur81]

3 hours ago, Nate--IRL-- said:

EDIT:- as an aside the UI/UX really needs to be improved. Less of a corporate application feel and more of a Game interface.

Nate

I actually love DCS' overall user interface because it is simple and low-frills. I'd consider the DCS non-gamer interface to be one of its many strengths. I just happen to hate the new QAG.

[NineLine]

6 hours ago, primus_TR said:

The QAG needs randomization options. At this point, it is a large step-back from even the former Quick Mission Generator. The QAG, at this time, is simply the Mission Editor with 99% culled functionality. It does not provide any 'practicality' to the user, if the goal is to enable players to generate quick, fun missions. I understand that this is the first iteration of what is to come, but it is really not adding any value for the player at this time. 

I disagree, while it needs some love and more mission types and will improve, you can already create some quick and enjoyable missions to just jump in and start. After the Dynamic Campaign comes out we can look at tools within that to create more complex dynamic one off missions, but that is not what this is intended to be. 

16 minutes ago, wilbur81 said:

I actually love DCS' overall user interface because it is simple and low-frills. I'd consider the DCS non-gamer interface to be one of its many strengths. I just happen to hate the new QAG.

Its a weird thing to hate, so I will please ask if you can give constructive feedback, do so, but if you just come here to hate on it and not offer helpful feedback, then these posts will need to be removed. We have to go through a lot of posts on this forum, noise just gets in the way of getting real feedback to the team. Thanks for understanding. 

1 hour ago, Trigger said:

I also would appreciate the return of the former "create fast mission" feature.

It would be helpful to list what features you would like to see. My mind reading skills are not what they used to be

 

On 5/23/2025 at 7:08 AM, wilbur81 said:

Agreed. It doesn't help that it freezes and crashes every other launch for me. It just feels like a clunkier version of the Mission Editor, but with fewer options. I think the ME is awesome and that the old "create fast mission" generator was different enough to warrant its existence, too. But as for this, I will likely never touch the QAG again. 

If its is freezing and crashing every other launch, then you should be supplying quality reports with logs and info, I do not experience this at all aside from the issues with the Cold War Map that are already reported. Its frustrating to read this self proclaimed hate of the QAG, but no details on how you are having these issues. 

[primus_TR]

18 minutes ago, NineLine said:

I disagree, while it needs some love and more mission types and will improve, you can already create some quick and enjoyable missions to just jump in and start. After the Dynamic Campaign comes out we can look at tools within that to create more complex dynamic one off missions, but that is not what this is intended to be. 

Dynamic Campaign is not on the horizon yet (based on what little information has been released by ED about it), so if we have to wait for DC release for the QAG to offer some degree of randomization/dynamic elements, that is a bummer. The templates that the original Quick Mission Generator had was a brilliant idea. It provided great flexibility and randomization. Too bad, its development stopped many years ago. I remember the old days when it was relatively functional; I'd used it a lot. And honestly, I wish ED'd chosen to fix the Quick Mission Generator rather than axing it and replacing it with QAG. 

[TheBiggerBass]

Hmm - atm I don't see anything provided by QAG what the normal mission editor can't do too as easy and fast as QAG. So why spend precious development time for QAG feature ?

[skywalker22]

Personally I was/am always making my own missions, even the most simple one in ME, so I don't really care about it. When you master ME its an amazing tool, and you can do what ever you won't specially using triggers.

[Maduce]

QAG is very disappointing. Long load times, not very customizable, for something so simple as it seems, it seems botched. I know the Dynamic Campaign will be much harder to implement but if ED can't get QAG right, that doesn't give me much hope for DC. DCS (speaking for myself) has become a little stale lately. I create most of my own missions in the ME (which is a very good tool) but like I said, it has become stale. I just hope that the bugs will get fixed in QAG and lessons learned from that will be implemented in the upcoming DC. Fingers crossed!!

[wilbur81]

8 minutes ago, Maduce said:

QAG is very disappointing. Long load times, not very customizable, for something so simple as it seems, it seems botched. I know the Dynamic Campaign will be much harder to implement but if ED can't get QAG right, that doesn't give me much hope for DC. DCS (speaking for myself) has become a little stale lately. I create most of my own missions in the ME (which is a very good tool) but like I said, it has become stale. I just hope that the bugs will get fixed in QAG and lessons learned from that will be implemented in the upcoming DC. Fingers crossed!!

Don't worry... I think they're going to absolutely nail the Dynamic Campaign. I'd say that the QAG release is quite uncharacteristic... as I find that most of ED's new features move the sim/experience forward. They're absolutely allowed a misstep now and again.

[wilbur81]

48 minutes ago, TheBiggerBass said:

Hmm - atm I don't see anything provided by QAG what the normal mission editor can't do too as easy and fast as QAG. 

100% agree... and not 'fast as.' The ME is 50 times faster.

[NineLine]

2 hours ago, TheBiggerBass said:

Hmm - atm I don't see anything provided by QAG what the normal mission editor can't do too as easy and fast as QAG. So why spend precious development time for QAG feature ?

Its for new users that might be new to or intimidated by the Mission Editor, if you already good with the ME, you most likely can make missions like this and more yourself.

1 hour ago, wilbur81 said:

100% agree... and not 'fast as.' The ME is 50 times faster.

That is well exaggerated, not considering that the person it was created for is someone who doesn't enjoy or know ME.

2 hours ago, skywalker22 said:

Personally I was/am always making my own missions, even the most simple one in ME, so I don't really care about it. When you master ME its an amazing tool, and you can do what ever you won't specially using triggers.

No one who makes a mission in the ME on a regular basis will use this that much at all, and that is the point, it's aimed at people who don't want to or haven't learned the ME. Its not lost on me that much of the negative feedback on this is coming from people that obviously are well versed in the ME

[TheBiggerBass]

vor 18 Minuten schrieb NineLine:

Its for new users that might be new to or intimidated by the Mission Editor, if you already good with the ME, you most likely can make missions like this and more yourself.

Ok, understand. I started with DCS in Nov last year. At that time more training missions would have been most helpful to me, especially for basic flying, take off, landing and handling. I guess more of them, with skipable explanations, generated by experienced users could be done much quicker than QAG.

[Nodak]

One thing that can be improved is the ability to set wingman to 0 and not have one.  Why do I want a wingman in my way going one on one in a fast scenario to get quick gun training, or destroying my training targets?  That should be one of the major purposes behind a quick action generator, get in fast, maximize guns training in the limited time most of us are stuck with. 

For me the whole purpose is fast action specifically against a type I want to go up against, random isn't wanted for that, nor does a restricted list of opponents.  That's just another waste of quality air to air combat time which I really don't have.  This sim has never been set up for developing proficiency in more than one or two types at a time for us average players, and this is the major reason.  Lack of fast access on a limited time budget.  I've stopped buying modules because of this, there's no way to use but a few in any sort of efficient manner, way too cumbersome.  

One would think it would be in Eagle Dynamics own interests to fix this problem, at least they finally tried. 

[Baldrick33]

I have regularly played DCS for years and have dabbled with the ME to the extent I am pretty comfortable making basic missions but largely to fill the gaps of available Instant Action quick missions. For example when a new map doesn't have any instant actions missions for an aircraft or changing the available aircraft in an instant action mission.

Maybe some might see it as a being a bit soft but I also use the ME to lessen the difficulty or to add aircraft I can fly as clients so if I get shot down I can select another slot to continue the mission. Hardly Top Gun stuff but it is how I enjoy DCS.

So the QAG is of interest to me as a means of adding significantly to the instant action kind of stuff. In this respect it is impossible not to compare with the quick mission and advanced quick mission in another well know combat simulator which IMHO works very well for that quick fix, which frankly is mostly what I end up doing.

My initial thoughts are that as mentioned it should have every possible asset available regardless of map or mission type. I also feel it needs to be be snappy and only start a delayed loading when starting the mission. I am sure that is easier said than done but the visual representation of the map in the QAG interface doesn't seem to need to have the level of detail we fly in so I would expect (wish) it to load much faster. 

I would also prefer not to have just a Save and Fly button but a Save option so I can make a bunch of missions with different aircraft/mission types with a given map rather than have to load it again each time. 

I would also like to have the option of setting the player aircraft and wingmen as clients so I can choose which aircraft and loadouts I wish to fly for my saved mission plus the aforementioned ability to jump into another aircraft to complete the mission should I get shot down or run out of ammo (heresy that it might seem for some DCS veterans!)

Just some thoughts, hopefully this will evolve to add a useful option to supplement the provided instant action missions and the full mission editor.

[hornet1a]

I think that the QAG in it’s current state is a good start for new DCS player.

 

I used it mainly for the “Ground Attack” role, what i would like is to be able to add

static objects as targets and also to be able to effects such as smoke near the target

area (to make it easier to locate the target with labels off)

 

Also to have a choice of main target: right now we have only the “Work Show A”

it seems.

 

Mentioned before but to be able to continue the mission once the main target

is destroyed instead of an automatic mission exit.

[wilbur81]

1 hour ago, NineLine said:

Its for new users that might be new to or intimidated by the Mission Editor, if you already good with the ME, you most likely can make missions like this and more yourself.

That is well exaggerated, not considering that the person it was created for is someone who doesn't enjoy or know ME.

 

That's perfectly fine, but if that's the case, then it probably should not have replaced the "create fast mission" (CFM) generator, which truly performed quickly and was totally unlike the ME...in a good way. I'm just upset that, given what it is, it has actually replaced the CFM option, which was arguably more beginner friendly and flexible.

Edited May 24 by wilbur81