Escort when aircraft has reached an area?

[Serp Supreme]

Forgive me, I'm truly clueless when it comes to editing in DCS.

 

I'm creating a mission where you are flying escort for an AWACS which is flying a terribly unrealistic route to another friendly airbase through enemy territory.

 

At one point during the mission, I want two friendly MiG-29s to fly up and escort the AWACS alongside your flight, as you pass their airbase. However, I don't know how to do this. Is it possible to make the MiGs stay parked until the AWACS flies near their base? And then have them stick around until they reach a certain point/run out of fuel/ammo?

 

If i'm not specific enough, ask me something else. If not, then it'd be much appreciated if someone could help me do this.

[ENO]

Create a zone around the airbase where the 29s are parked... then activate the 29s when the AWACS enters the zone. You may have to start them as uncontrolled and late activated... then activate them with the AWACS entering the zone. I think "uncontrolled" is the same as "visible before start" on ground vehicles but I'm going to have to look that up to be sure.

 

You can then give a "follow" or "Escort" waypoint action at the MiG29s first waypoint and just choose the AWACS. I like "follow" because you can set the XYZ distances that you want the aircraft to fly... you can make it a tighter formation than with the "escort." It takes a bit of monkeying around to get the right position, but it's fun to experiment. We have learned through different patches that going shorter than 200 feet does cause some errant formation flying behavior where different aircraft can go into "avoidance" mode because of too little space between aircraft. I think we got it down as close as 150 but it really seems to depend on the aircraft size. I set them to 200 now just to give some wiggle room.

 

Escort is a bit easier to deal with... set it and forget it!

 

You can also set a trigger to RTB the MiG29s once the AWACS exits a larger zone- but you need to set a flag between 1-100 to do so. You can either set a "stop condition" for the follow command and go "user flag xx is true" or set a "start condition" for the RTB using the same flag. Either way- it breaks the Mig29s off and allows your mission to carry on.

Edited October 5, 2013 by ENO

[Serp Supreme]

How do I create a zone, and then also how do I use triggers? For now I've just set it so they begin to fly at around the time the AWACS and flight shows up, but don't have an exit trigger or any of that other stuff.

 

Mission attached btw. Don't judge my unrealism, it would be boring then.

 

Also I'm really winging it with the enemy fighters too, just going by the ETA given when you place waypoints and adjusting speed, activation time, etc accordingly.

 

EDIT: I'd also like to add a few radio messages in the mission, like when the MiGs depart, a text would appear, worded like a radio transmission from them, saying that they are breaking off. Or, if the AWACS is hit but not dead.How would I go about doing that?

 

Also, is it perhaps possible to make it so the AWACS leaves when it itself reaches the area, not the MiGs?

Mother Goose, Mother Goose.miz

Edited October 8, 2013 by Serp Supreme
new ideas

[ENO]

I'm going to suggest you look through the GUI manual and read what is available first. I don't mind explaining some particulars but its easier if you do some I'd the ground work yourself.

 

All that stuff you're asking for us very, very easy to do but tough to explain if you don't research the basics.