Uncontrolled Option

[Markeebo]

I am having a devil of a time getting the "uncontrolled" option to work.

 

As I understand it, having an AI aircraft set to UNCONTROLLED will allow it to sit in it's assigned parking space as though it were static until its time for it to launch.

 

I get absolutely nothing on the ramp. I set up a test with a single F15C on the ramp. AI skill set to High so it knows no one will be flying it. The aircraft is set to depart in 12 min.

 

This is my trigger setup.

 

1 Once Set Flag On (1), No Event, No Condition Defined, Flag On 1

(I set a "msg to all" on Flag 1 true In another trigger to notify me that the flag was indeed on....It is)

 

Next trigger

1 Once No Event, Condition= Time Since Flag = 720 Seconds linked to Flag 1 On, Action = AI TASK Start(defined in the triggered actions in the Airplane Group Window)

 

Select Uncontrolled and enter the mission. Nothing. He spawns in place and on time(12 mins after Mission starts)

 

I'm definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, so I would love to have someone school me on what I am doing wrong.

 

Markeebo

 

 

 

EDIT:Added MIZ for review. Bottom line is........I want to populate the airport at the start rather than having them spawn out of thin air. This .MIZ is a quick test to see just what I am doing wrong.

Uncontrolled test.miz

Edited April 10, 2013 by Markeebo
Added .MIZ

[Exorcet]

Post the mission as an attachment.

 

My guess is your problem is setting AI task to start. I use activate group.

[Grimes]

AI Task Group Start is the way to activate an "uncontrolled" unit. I suspect he might have set either a delayed start of 12 minutes or ticked the "late activation box".

[Exorcet]

AI Task Group Start is the way to activate an "uncontrolled" unit. I suspect he might have set either a delayed start of 12 minutes or ticked the "late activation box".

 

Thanks for the correction. Is there any difference between the two, or am I fine leaving my missions as they are?

[Grimes]

Uncontrolled for aircraft is basically the same as "visible before start" for ground units. The unit is there and it is spawned in, but the AI aren't "alive" until the start action is given. Its useful because some don't like seeing AI spawning out of nowhere. It is also, in my opinion, a better option than placing static objects of aircraft as these AI exist within the parking spots and AI will know to avoid that parking spot.

 

Also AI usage with resource management is a little different between the two.

 

With uncontrolled the AI unit spawns and consumes the resources at a base.

Late Activation for aircraft consumes the resources WHEN the unit spawns into the mission.

[Paganus]

An additional benefit to "uncontrolled" is when using CA. It allows you to have aircraft, without preset waypoints, waiting for the battlefield commander to task them, from the F10 screen.

[Exorcet]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was asking about the difference between using AI Start task to trigger Uncontrolled, or using activate group to trigger them. I've been using the latter.

 

I agree that uncontrolled is better than spawning or static aircraft. Now I've got visible back up AWACS and Tankers in many missions that don't come from no where and can be taken out before they're called upon.

[Markeebo]

Updated Post #1

 

Added requested .MIZ

 

Thanks for looking this over gents

[Exorcet]

It will be a little while before I can look at the mission, but I'll get back to you.

[Markeebo]

S'Ok. I'm going out of town today for the rest of the week. Interested to see what you find.

[Grimes]

Your start time for the F-15C is 12:12:00/0. The mission start time is 12:00:00/0. The F-15C will not spawn until 12 minutes into the mission. At that point the trigger will start the group anyways. Change the F-15C start time to the mission start time and it will work.

[Markeebo]

I KNEW it was something simple. Just wasn't grasping the big picture. Out of town till Sunday. Will try it when I get home and report back. Thanks much for your time and efforts.

 

Markeebo

[Markeebo]

Tested as described and it works as advertised. Thanks for the help.

 

I am working on a mission that has a pair of eagles departing 52 min into the mission. I set then to uncontrolled and the editor wouldn't allow me to change their start time.....so I locked ther start time and of course, the boxes turned red because the speed required to reach waypoint 1 was down to 3.xxxx knots. I haven't had time to check but I would assume that sine the aircraft are locked in place for 52 mins, the avg speed required will rise accordingly and be normal at their activation time. Right?

 

Thanks again for the advice.

[Rongor]

There is no "AI Start Task" in my mission editor. I only have "AI Task Push" and "AI Task Set"

[Wrecking Crew]

An additional benefit to "uncontrolled" is when using CA. It allows you to have aircraft, without preset waypoints, waiting for the battlefield commander to task them, from the F10 screen.

 

 

^^^ This ONLY works in SP mode or by the multiplayer host.

 

Very disappointing to know that this feature will not work for any multiplayer Ground Commander. Don't get caught designing a multiplayer mission that depends upon GCs controlling AI a/c! The controls are there but do not function.

 

WC

[SDsc0rch]

yes - i am going to resurrect this thread

 

i have had a DAWG of a time trying to figure this out - and yes, i have seen the half dozen or so threads that dealt with this topic, but none of them *clearly* set out the instructions on what to do

 

so, for the sake of posterity, let me lay it out...

 

first, to have an aircraft APPEAR in the mission, but delay starting until a set amount of time passes (see grimes comments above for implications of UNCONTROLLED vs LATE ACTIVATION, resources etc - that's part of the reason i chose to append this post to this thread, out of the several threads that dealt with this issue), you need first set the aircraft on the airport, and then select "takeoff from ramp"

 

 

note -- set the TIME to whatever mission start time is, this is NOT where you enter the "delay"

 

also, notice the PRK field? you can select where the a/c is spotted (or... "PARKED" ----- cool feature, thx DCS ---- btw, if anybody has these mapped out for all the airfields, i would be much obliged..)

 

at this point, also click UNCONTROLLED --- that means the aircraft will be *empty* at mission start (ie: no pilots)

 

 

 

 

now, select that third tab over (next to the waypoint tab in the lower-half of the page) --- this is going to contain the start action - the actual TRIGGER is something else and we'll cover that in a minute

 

click ADD, then in the window that pops out, type = PERFORM COMMAND, and action = START

 

 

 

 

 

 

next, we'll cover the trigger..

 

first box: NEW, ONCE, NO EVENT

 

second box: select TIME MORE and down below enter a time in seconds - THAT IS HOW LONG THE AIRCRAFT WILL SIT INACTIVE

 

 

moving to the third box, this is where you tie this trigger to the action of starting this delayed start unit -- under ACTION, select AI TASK PUSH, and below that in AI ACTION, every unit that has an action is listed - that's where you'll see the GROUP name and actions you've made available to it

 

 

 

 

 

i hope this clears things up for future mission editors

 

and i also hope its not confusing since i have two F-15Es in the mission and you see info on both of them in here - but maybe that helps too ----- the reason its like that is i was trying every *freaking* combination of commands and it wasn't working - so i gave up on the first and created a whole second one, thinking maybe i had corrupted the first one and needed to start over fresh

 

maybe (please?!?) ED can make this process easier in the GUI, rather than have to create an action under a tab, then build a trigger that references that action......... gawd! how freaking insane!!

 

oh well, all in a days work (don't laugh - THIS is what i did today - er, yesterday.. its after midnight now)lol

Edited February 13, 2015 by SDsc0rch

[wilsonov]

good example !! thanks, that cleared things up for me.

[Grimes]

also, notice the PRK field? you can select where the a/c is spotted (cool feature, thx DCS ---- btw, if anybody has these mapped out for all the airfields, i would be much obliged..)

 

C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Doc\Charts\DCS_GND_Charts.pdf

 

It has data on the parking at most airbases.

[SDsc0rch]

thank you!

: ))

[Justificus]

yes - i am going to resurrect this thread...

 

Thank you so much for doing so! I'm really new to the ME and am learning my way about slowly and stumbled upon this thread and your post. I've wanted to do exactly this for so long now and hadn't a clue how... As you say, it should be so much easier to do just to delay a take off with an object already in game... thanks for the instructions as I tried it and it worked for my first attempt!