Ability to set planes waypoints in game

I had a short think about it.

What about integrating it with the kneeboard. Have it similar to setting flare programs and laser codes for some of the aircraft. Have a separate page on the kneeboard.

While you are being re-armed and refueled, you check up the coordinates to your desired destination in couple of waypoints in your kneeboard (with a similar method to flare/laser codes programing).

After you are done, ask trough a radio option/ ground crew option to load the flight plan. You wait couple of seconds and then you get a message that the flight plan has been loaded (similar to the repair message)

And there ya go, now your FC3 aircraft or Su-25T or any other plane has their waypoints in the computer

[...]

What about integrating it with the kneeboard. [...]

i don't think, that would be a good idea. some modules having options to change settings in kneeboard is just a bad substitution for having a proper universal flightplan/cartridge editor in dcs.

dcs by default should have a universal mission planer / cartridge editor that can be opened in briefing screen. if the mission designer allowed changes to cartridge/mission plan, you could change / edit your waypoint or change aircraft settings, that are unavailable in the rearm menu.

the framework would be universal, so the editor would show up the same for every module, albeit with more or less options, dependant on the module.

ideally you could also set up your kneeboard here. deciding what pages you want included and in what order.

How is my solution not universal for every module ? It is just a simple solution, I didn't say it was the best one.

If the plane has a navigation system, it should be able to use it. Couple of key combinations for moving number for coordinates and that is that.

sorry, i wrote that in a bit of a hurry:

i meant to say, that your solution was reasonable and better than what we have now (namely: nothing), but that i strongly feel, that it wouldn't still be adequate for such an essential problem.

i mean if you begin a mission, at some point, there even is a "mission planer", if i remember correctly. it basically shows you the f-10 map. if this "feature" could be updated to allow manipulating waypoints and have a simple, graphical UI for changing aircrafts settings, than this would be a way more user friedly way of doing it. it would also feel more immersive, as you would do the mission planning before you enter the cockpit and in multiplayer you could use the mission planer to coordinate tactics with the mp-synchronized map-markers while tweaking the flightplan...

+1 for having the option to define your own waypoints in any MP mission. I agree to have this option only when parked on a friendly airbase.

Pre planned waypoints are completely useless in a longer running, dynamic MP mission.

Multiplayer needs to have the mission planner same as single player. Not just waypoints but:

 

Radio frequencies

Cargo lift rope length

Bomb laser code

MW-50 tank contents

IFR hood mount

 

Anything you can do in the editor.

Exactly, Thats what i m still missing.

Maybe its possible in inside the ground Crew com Menu? (A Screen like with a map thats opens like the rearming )

while the mission is running, possibility to add, edit, delete waypoints.

 

Thanks

Do you mean the aircraft you are flying, or AI aircraft?

Exactly, Thats what i m still missing.

 

Maybe its possible in inside the ground Crew com Menu? (A Screen like with a map thats opens like the rearming )

I'm sure a lot of these properties like Huey rope length, A-10 data cartridge, Ka-50 ARK channelization are designed to be applied on "spawn". Applying these values during runtime is probably not something the developers made their code handle.

But for aircraft as they spawn that's normally where they get passed an array of option variables anyway so that's a natural mechanism to redefine those values. Instead of your A-10 spawning with the chunk of text from the .miz saying what waypoints info to include, just grab it from another source that's been generated by the client a few minutes ago.

That's the simplest way I can think of, choose your role as a client but instead of spawning directly take some time in the ME/MP interface to redefine/edit the values about to be passed to that unit.

Wouldn't be a bad idea :thumbup:

See my post at CombatFlite for an update.

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=3415991#post3415991

I know I can crack blowing waypoints to the .miz file by editing the mission file, but there seems to be no way to do so with clients post mission launch - ie after the game engine has loaded the .miz file components.

I have had exactly the same issue with integratring Amazon Polly into DCS, in order to avoid having to do canned voice-overs. While I can get Lua to Amazon to create a speech stream/file, the only files that will play in dcs are those that are present in the .miz file at mission load.

I have now got it to work going directly to the sound card, but it only works once. It is a three step process: Lua --> C++dll --> C# dll. One of the first two is not releasing as I can call the C# dll multiple times from a C# windows forms application.

Developing in DCS is not for the faint of heart is all I can say after another weekend of achieving nothing.

That's the simplest way I can think of, choose your role as a client but instead of spawning directly take some time in the ME/MP interface to redefine/edit the values about to be passed to that unit.

Excellent idea and implementation concept. :thumbup:

I'm sure a lot of these properties like Huey rope length, A-10 data cartridge, Ka-50 ARK channelization are designed to be applied on "spawn". Applying these values during runtime is probably not something the developers made their code handle.

 

But for aircraft as they spawn that's normally where they get passed an array of option variables anyway so that's a natural mechanism to redefine those values. Instead of your A-10 spawning with the chunk of text from the .miz saying what waypoints info to include, just grab it from another source that's been generated by the client a few minutes ago.

 

That's the simplest way I can think of, choose your role as a client but instead of spawning directly take some time in the ME/MP interface to redefine/edit the values about to be passed to that unit.

That is a clever idea. I will give it a quick test to see if I can get hold of the Controller and pass waypoints and arming as the client loads in. I still doubt it will work as I am pretty sure the Controller only works with AI units/groups, but worth a go as it will be a lot easier than the nightmare I have in front of me of effecting a merge on two mission files! Thanks for the idea!

Arise from the dead oh evil thread - obey and ARISE!! :D

Dynamic MP campaigns are getting more and more common these days (see Hoggit or 4YA).

With more and more aircraft using more and more complex weapons, the concept of 'just fly to there and drop your bombs' is quickly becoming archaic.

To be able to easily manage your self-selected missions in such and environment, we need a way to setup mission waypoints easily and quickly from within the running game.

I think setting up waypoints on the F10 map would be the easiest possibility.

- Allow only when aircraft is parked with engines off.

- Allow editing (moving, adding, and deleting) waypoints the same as in the ME.

- Make everyone ecstatically happy.

- Profit.

:D

But seriously, this would be such a great improvement in the MP environment :thumbup:

Most any of the modern aircraft can do this already via the CDU

The way most multiplayer servers are, there is no flight plan. You just follow your RWR to the big furball.

Except the FC3 planes all planes already offer the ability to create and edit flightplans from within the cockpit and it works very well. I do that all the time flying on Blue Flag.

Having said that, ED recently said, that they want to make the SP Mission Planner available for MP.

Of course you can add, delete, and edit waypoints from within the cockpit, but it can be a huge chore, is prone to mistakes and having a simple tool would change it from being a Pain-In-The-Ass chore to just an easy step in pre-flight planning.

I don't buy the excuse that everyone just wants to furball. Maybe it's just the servers you like to visit. Not my problem.

I have no idea what ED has in mind for a SP Mission Planner for MP. Maybe exactly what I'm requesting. All the better. Can it be here yesterday already?

Reminds me of the tourettes support group's chant:

Leader: What do we want?!

Group: A cure for tourettes!

Leader: When do we want it?!

Group: F*ck!! :D

Of course you can add, delete, and edit waypoints from within the cockpit, but it can be a huge chore

It’s a “huge chore” because this is a simulator

And it’s not really so difficult

I understand the Need, but only during a planing or Breifing Stage of teh mission. Not any time anywhere kind of thing.

I wouldn't even ask for anything other than 'wheels on the ground, engines off', and that's all the we need.

This HAS to be a thing, mission planning is a vital part of what we are trying to recreate/simulate. Like many have said, entering data into the cdu, editing cms programs or requencies just isn't how it's done. This would allow mission makers more flexibility in terms of how they design mission, missions should be more 'senarios' where by the pilot should have to make up their own plan on how their mission is achieved.

In terms of multiplayer: Select your aircraft>Enter Mission Planner. Due to the way DCS handles flights, most large mp servers have just solo aircraft. But in the mission planner it would be awesome if you were able to make a flight by 'inviting' players to it.

Whilst a 'simple' planning tool would be great for now, it really needs to be a system where multiple clients can all see the same map and be able to discuss and plan with realtime tools. This would then mean a flight would be able to all have the same plan.

Also I feel that you should not be able to enter the planner whilst in the aircraft. For MP you should go back to the slot selection and start again, I do feel that there should be a 'process' to this mechanic.

Like many have said, entering data into the cdu, editing cms programs or requencies just isn't how it's done.

I don’t understand what you mean. That’s exactly how it’s done. Unless you mean some data cartridge used on the real aircraft. And if you’re on a SP mission designed around a certain flight plan, why would you need to create a completely new one? You can. But why? There are some tricks like creating intersecting flight paths over SAMs but generally you are just adding waypoints to targets called out to you.

In MP some servers did have flight plans related to mission objectives, there’s no real reason to create your own in that situation. Today it seems MP is just a big airquake mess in which case a flight plan has no purpose.

This would be a Battlefield Commander and Combined Arms type of feature, should not be possible if you're only a pilot player/client.

should not be possible if you're only a pilot player/client.

Why? Again this is just a basic feature for any aircraft with a CDU.

This request doesn’t make sense to me. It’s something that’s already in the sim, but really not so useful.

....Unless you mean some data cartridge used on the real aircraft.....

So you do know what I mean.

....Today it seems MP is just a big airquake mess in which case a flight plan has no purpose.....

I'm going to take a guess here and say you only fly in SP? The MP community isn't airquake, though I would agree to say they're the ones who shout the loudest. I fly with a very small group, one of my good mates has made an amazing sandbox mission template that utilises MOOSE, Skynet, and other scripting tools to create a dynamic environment whereby we can easily jump into a session, come up with a mission/target, fly out towards it and the scripts will work their magic and try to contest us. There are a lot of other PvE servers who do the same thing.

Having mission planning tools would allow us to do just that, correctly plan a mission and then load the data into the aircraft via the dtc.

I'm going to take a guess here and say you only fly in SP? The MP community isn't airquake,

Most of what I see is airquake, on any of the servers with any players on them. Yes I play mostly SP because MP in DCS is so poorly done.