Mission Editor Features Request Wishlist

[Wrecking Crew]

Mike, I think that is a great idea.

 

I would also like to see the encyclopedia entries enhanced and filled out on a standard template by type so they all contain like information.

 

WC

[SDsc0rch]

don't know if its been brought up already.. but just having the ability to simply COPY a unit sure would be nice

 

like everything else in windows - copy-and-paste

 

yes, i've tried making a "template" of an ai aircraft, but that doesn't copy everything - i still have to click five to ten times (if there are advanced actions, for example) to copy an aircraft

[xaoslaad]

I copy and paste all the time. Ctrl-c ctrl-v. You can shift click a gaggle of units and do the same. Between missions too. Shift click units, ctrl-c, open different mission, ctrl-v, life is good.

[SDsc0rch]

oh! i did not know that!

 

(off to go try this...... you have NO IDEA how much time and how many mouse-clicks i've spent........ lol)

[shagrat]

Yeah, one of these features they missed in the manual... :D

[Xeno426]

I copy and paste all the time. Ctrl-c ctrl-v. You can shift click a gaggle of units and do the same. Between missions too. Shift click units, ctrl-c, open different mission, ctrl-v, life is good.

I didn't know it worked across missions. Is that how people have such nicely-placed FOBs?

 

Also, love your avatar. :D

[xaoslaad]

Possibly. I mean you could easily copy a layout, or set it up once the way you like it and paste it. I made a wishlist/request once for templates for things like FARPS, ship convoys, airbase sam defenses, armor convoys, etc. You could just populate a miz with all your favorite templates and copy and paste them where you need them. I do wish we could flick an airbase one way or the other and check like a 'standard defenses' and get some reasonable approximation of a realistic airbase defense set up as far as armor, SAM's, AAA, etc. for each. It would ease populating a map. re: avatar, thanks. I usually use Hudson as my callsign/name in multiplayer. Love that universe.

[SDsc0rch]

i thought that was exactly what templates were for

 

for ground units, you can build templates - doesn't work so well with air units for example

 

 

(parenthetically, WHY should we have to build a template for a SAM system?? why can't a nominal SAM site have the search radar, tracking radar, and TELs included already in its own group ready to go ---- think of how many threads that would cut down on, ppl wouldn't have to come on here and ask why their sam system isn't working....)

Edited January 28, 2015 by SDsc0rch

[xaoslaad]

I think there are some kind of 'standard setup' for a typical military airbase, etc. So many AAA at such and such ranges, Long/Medium/Short Range SAM's at their locations and ranges as well, to create a proper umbrella. I seem to remember seeing someone posting something like that, at least for Russians at some point, though I have no idea where off hand. It would be nice to flick the airbase Redfor or Blufor (as we can now) and choose air standard air defenses for a given country.

 

But yes, even having a patriot, hawk, sa-11 or whatever template would be good too, so everything needed and likely to be seen together would populate, and you just move it around a bit as you like.

[Xeno426]

i thought that was exactly what templates were for

Except it doesn't work for static objects, so you can use the template system to create a FOB or FARP.

[SDsc0rch]

confirmed - CTRL-c CTRL-v works

 

works great

 

wow

[dimitriov]

A trigger usable by radio, which would allow player to save the current position of the various unites and values of the various triggers in another file. It could even be a txt file or anything else, but convertible in a .miz file thanks to a tool.

 

It would allow us to save our progression in very long missions, and possibly allow us to make a "dynamic 15h long campaign" with only one mission.

 

Nicolas

[DarkFire]

I think there are some kind of 'standard setup' for a typical military airbase, etc. So many AAA at such and such ranges, Long/Medium/Short Range SAM's at their locations and ranges as well, to create a proper umbrella. I seem to remember seeing someone posting something like that, at least for Russians at some point, though I have no idea where off hand. It would be nice to flick the airbase Redfor or Blufor (as we can now) and choose air standard air defenses for a given country.

 

But yes, even having a patriot, hawk, sa-11 or whatever template would be good too, so everything needed and likely to be seen together would populate, and you just move it around a bit as you like.

 

For a cold-war era Warpack airfield, there was a standard template for defences:

[Fri13]

For a cold-war era Warpack airfield, there was a standard template for defences:

 

And from left of that template here is image of that SA-8/SA-3 site at NAF.

 

 

Just to see the scale well.

[Frogisis]

This is a very, very minor thing, and maybe someone's already brought it up, but I think some kind of option to add a page of material in between campaign missions (or even before any mission) would really kick the experience to the next level. What if you could toggle on a dedicated space to arrange text and images that would provide supplemental context and, if you're into that sort of thing, advance the campaign's storyline?

 

I haven't had much time with the Huey so far and apparently Belsimtek tried something like this with the briefings in the included campaign, but how much nicer would it be if that kind of flavor text weren't crammed into a little column but had its own dedicated page beforehand? You could just scroll through or click right out of it if you didn't care and just wanted to go on to the next mission, but as long as, AFAIK, a dynamic campaign isn't in the works I think something like this might go a long way towards encouraging designers to squeeze the most out of the possibilities of regular old scripted campaigns by providing ready-made space for a literal script—You could technically do this already with a series of embedded pictures in the briefings, but people are more likely to give thought to something if there's an empty prompt for it.

 

Technically-minded folks primarily into the nuts and bolts of air combat could provide supplementary comments on whatever they felt was important or worth expounding on—Say, intelligence on overall enemy forces and tactics that would provide insight into the flow of the missions themselves (the kind of thing really thorough designers sometimes already do with an included PDF, except now it could be built right in)—and the more artistically-minded could frame it in the form of, say, a series of news pieces on the progress of the campaign or even short pieces of fiction giving character to elements of your side, both sides, or even civilians in the middle watching all this go down. And I mean, what campaign-mode or pilot career feature could be better than a Joseph Campbell-esque "hero's journey?" Just 'cuz it's a study sim don't mean the only tears it evokes need to be from frustration.

 

tl;dr Dangit I want a big blank page you could fill with a ripping yarn about intrigue, love, betrayal, redemption, and the hardest mission of all: doing the right thing, to go with my Hog drivin' but am self-conscious about that idea seeming too frivolous or twee for a serious flight sim so I wrote a bunch of extra words.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Frogisis

[AG-51_Razor]

I apologize in advance if this has already been mentioned but for the Mission Editor, I would really like to be able to go into a "3D" view, much like you can in the IL-2 Full Mission Builder when placing static objects. It is nearly impossible to accurately place a static object in the current version of the DCS Mission Editor.

[shagrat]

I apologize in advance if this has already been mentioned but for the Mission Editor, I would really like to be able to go into a "3D" view, much like you can in the IL-2 Full Mission Builder when placing static objects. It is nearly impossible to accurately place a static object in the current version of the DCS Mission Editor.

That is one of the reasons DCS 2.0 will get a unified executable. Not sure if they will change the ME with DCS2.0, but I'm sure it is on the list... :)

[msalama]

@Razor: Indeed. Hasn't been mentioned so far AFAIR, but as arcade as the auld IL-2 was, at least they had a WYSIWYG sort of mission editor even then.

[Exorcet]

Mission editor options for displaying/hiding units has been brought up before, but I don't know if a specific option "show only" has been suggested.

 

The idea would be to have it as a checkbox on a unit. Click it, and all units/waypoints except the unit in question and its waypoints vanish. This could be helpful in crowded missions and might be faster than trying to hide/show all the other units directly.

[AG-51_Razor]

I sure hope you're right shagrat!

[Rabb]

Making Mission Editor more user friendly. Being able to zoom in to see actual terrain, structures and units being placed. Further zooming with seing actual unit in 3D and being able to move it and rotate it in real time would be additional plus and would make mission creator's life much easier.

[Backy 51]

As anyone who puts in a lot of time in the Mission Editor knows, the existing AI aircraft behavior upon RTB via the Land waypoint is pretty chaotic at best. Just build yourself a mission with a group of AI aircraft flights and try to stagger their arrival times in a realistic fashion. Include some bombers, tankers and transports to really create some interesting "approach patterns". The 270 degree whifferdill maneuver is my AI favorite. Nothing ruins the sense of immersion more after a successful mission than to RTB into a traffic pattern of AI kamikazes.

 

As an effort to control the AI chaos as a mission designer, I propose the creation of a new ME point called APP (Approach). The APP point would be inserted prior to the Land point but would also override the existing AI logic associated with the Land point.

 

The APP point would have for simplicity, a Straight-in or Overhead Break option. The Overhead Break could have a left or right Break sub-option as well. The benefit here is that this gives the mission designer realistic flow control of landing aircraft at an airfield. The aircraft will sequence better, and therefore behave predictably in the pattern.

 

Once this logic gets sorted out, it could be expanded to have an ILS and Downwind Entry item listed in the APP point sub-option.

 

It would be great if one day DCS World ATC could become a module of its own or be re-written within the existing AI logic code. Until that time, I think the APP point could serve as a realism enhancement to the DCS World product.

 

Thoughts?

[Slazi]

1) Maybe this is an engine request, but the ability to add weight to a unit to simulate cargo. Even better, an official system for adding cargo. The Mi-8 should be able to load up with crates of ammo for SAM sites for transport.

 

2) Ability to set ammo and reload ground units.

[Exorcet]

Additional options for the Escort task. Specifically:

 

-Set height to "waypoint" or some user entered number so that escort fighters stay at a fixed height instead of trying to follow the planes they are escorting directly.

[zaelu]

I hope it wasn't already asked.

 

Layers.

 

Customizable layers just like Photoshop (don't laugh). We could create an unlimited number of layers cleverly named and we could assign units to them thus making far easier to work with complex missions.