Current Mission Planning Tools

[graveyard4DCS]

Hi,

I’d like to get player's opinion on the current landscape of mission planning tools available for DCS World.

The context is serious/realistic pre-mission preparation, with the goal of supporting structured multiplayer operations (up to a large COMAO level).

I'm interested to hear from others:

• What are you currently using in single player, and in your squadron/group?
• What do you consider must-have features in a modern DCS mission planning suite?

Here's a quick overview of the tools I’m aware of, with some notes based on experience:

1. CombatFlite

• Pros:
  • The only complete standalone planner available today
  • Unique features. E.g.: intervisibility analysis
  • Supports import of .miz files
  • Extensible to new theaters with basic user effort
• Cons:
  • Development appears to have stalled; no updates in a long time
  • Export of .miz files needs a lot of workarounds

Still in my opinion the most complete standalone planner available today.

2. CombinedOps

• Pros:
  • Web-based and multi-user capable
  • Real-time coordination across participants
  • ACO and ATO generation tools
  • Free
• Cons:
  • Limited set of mission planning features, not yet matching the depth of CombatFlite for detailed planning tasks
  • Depends on active server hosting
  • Overcrowed view for complex missions
  • You must work from an existing flight in a .miz file

3. FragOrder

• Pros:
  • Web-based and multi-user capable
  • Real-time coordination across participant
  • Direct editing of DCS .miz files in a web interface
• Cons:
  • Limited in flexibility and detail of planning
  • You must work from an existing flight in a .miz file

4. DCS Web Planner

• Pros:
  • Free
• Cons:
  • Lacks advance mission planning features
  • No collaborative use case
  • Depends on active server hosting
  • You must work from an existing flight in a .miz file

Thank you!

Edited Saturday at 08:07 AM by graveyard4DCS

[buur]

Interesting topic. Unfortunately I have no standard mission planning tool. No one of the above mention do complete satisfy my needs. I always use only parts of the programs, mostly for generating kneeboards.

  What I really miss in the mission planning tools is a good calculation on flight times based on the performance data of the aircraft. I mean things like time to climb, distance to climb and so on and so on. At the moment we need a lot of trial and error for mission with a time on target or a precise rejoin mid air.

Done this partly for the Harrier and it is a big help for mission planning if you can calculate the timing. Below an example what you need for precise planning.

Spoiler

Mission Task: Calculate the flight to observing station.
 General Plan: Climb to 30000 feet and fly to observing area. Climb with 300KCASFrom Mission Editor:
Wind 133° 30knots
Groundtemperature: 25°C

Aircraft Parameter:
Drag Index: 33.1
Empty weight of aircraft: 15966
Weight of weapons: 1055
Mission weight of aircraft: 17021 lb
Max. start weight: 25250 lb
free weight at start: 8229 lb
Fuel internal max: 7758 lb
Total weight at start: 24779 lb

Mission parameters:
Start, taxi, takeoff and acceleration uses 500 pounds fuel
Total weight at start: 24279 lb

Cruise height: 30000 feet
First Leg: 150nm 149°

WeightAfterCruise = 22.578
Numbers of iteration: 8

Climb with 300KCAS: 5.0 min / 701 lb / 30 miles
Cruise at 30000: 11.7 min / 669 lb / 120 miles
Total: 16.7 min / 1370 lb /150 miles
Fuel in Tank: 5888 lb
Mission Task: Calculate bingo fuel, time and c/d distance for return to mother
From Mission Editor:
Wind 133° 30knots
Groundtemperature: 25°C

Aircraft Parameter:
Drag Index: 33.1
weight of aircraft: 17021 lb

Mission parameters:
Cruise height: 30000 feet
First Leg: 150nm 329°

Minimum fuel reaching mother: 850 lb

Numbers of iteration: 5

Climb with 400KCAS: 3.1 min / 447 lb / 21 miles
Cruise at 30000: 11.3 min / 524 lb / 86 miles
Descent with 230KCAS: 8.9 min / 162 lb / 43 miles
Total: 23.3 min / 1984 lb /150 miles
Mission Task: Calculate the flight to observing station.
 General Plan: Climb to 30000 feet and fly to observing area. Climb with 300KCASHere the calculation for the hol
ding time.
 Fuel at beginn 5888 lb fuel at end 1984. Holding hight 30000 feet.
From Mission Editor:
Wind 133° 30knots
Groundtemperature: 25°C

Aircraft Parameter:
Drag Index: 33.1
Empty weight of aircraft: 15966
Weight of weapons: 1055
Mission weight of aircraft: 17021 lb
Max. start weight: 25250 lb
Fuel at beginn holding: 5888 lb
Fuel at end of holding: 1984 lb
Fuel for holding::  3904 lb
Weight at beginn holding: 22909 lb
Weight at end of holding: 19005 lb

 

 

[graveyard4DCS]

1 hour ago, buur said:

What I really miss in the mission planning tools is a good calculation on flight times based on the performance data of the aircraft. I mean things like time to climb, distance to climb and so on and so on.

Hi, thanks for your input. I agree with you, searching through the flight performance manual is time consuming, and I bet no one does it on a regular basis.
If you fly the Hornet or the Hawg, you might be interested in AMVI's mission planner, it will answer you needs I believe.

Personally, I'm used to making rough mental calculations which work quite well for performance (fuel vs time vs speed). And the big advantage of this method is that it remains valid in real time, since there's no dependency on external software when you're in the cockpit. But I agree that it can be useful for finer calculations, when you're within a few hundred pounds in terms of accuracy.

[buur]

For the mental calculations: This works only if you are familiar with the airplane. If you are mission designer and have to works with planes you don't know you need the help of a good mission planning tool. And also, when I do the calculation in my head I don't need a mission planning tool. 
 

[Volator]

Combat Flite was/is a great tool, its stalled development is a great loss to the community.

With the release of the CWG map I haven't used it a lot anymore though, since at the outer regions of the map magnetic courses CF vs. DCS vary quite significantly, and the kneeboard maps are of limited use due to the differences between the real charts and the in-game terrain. My flight planning procedure for a MP flight in our squadron, which I do take quite serious, is to create a flight in the ME, then start the mission in SP, select the flight and visualize the route, then measure all magnetic headings and distances and jot them down, then calculate times-to-steerpoints, time-over-steerpoint depending on desired time-over-target, fuel required, and fill in a Mission Data Card manually. A very time-consuming effort, so I'd be willing to pay ED a ton of money if they sold me a fully-integrated mission planner that would do all that for me and give me the in-game terrain on my printable kneeboard charts with my route and doghouses on it, so basically everything that Combat Flite did, plus aircraft specific calculations like fuel flow, take-off and assumed landing data and so on. 

[TheBiggerBass]

Instead of a new QAG with too many restrictions - no flyable user mods allowed ect. - I'd prefer some quick&easy mission templates for beginners for the mission editor and a rework of the mission editor to.

[graveyard4DCS]

52 minutes ago, Volator said:

With the release of the CWG map I haven't used it a lot anymore though, since at the outer regions of the map magnetic courses CF vs. DCS vary quite significantly

One work-arounds with modern aircraft is to work in true headings instead of magnetic headings.

In real life, magnetic headings are only used for instrument departure and landing procedures. In all other instances, true headings are the way to go.