change switch defaults for mission start up

Where are the switch positions defined for mission startup, like Cold and Dark? Somehow the switches know to be set differently for "Ready on the Ramp" as compared to "Cold and Dark". I'd like to edit the lua to have more switches off as default in Cold and Dark so my students can do a full start-up and touch all the switches. I can edit a lua but I can't find the one.

... I'd like to edit the lua to have more switches off as default in Cold and Dark so my students can do a full start-up and touch all the switches.

I don't know about such lua files, but I do use the trigger action "cockpit perform clickable action" to setup my aircraft like I need to at the beginning of a mission, for example:

Here I enable autopilot at start (its an air-start mission), and disable the RWR, Countermeasures and the SPJ Pod.

You can obtain the device and command by editing the MissionEditor.lua (on your saved games folder), with this line:

OPTIONS_ADD_COMMAND_CODES_TO_TOOLTIP = true

This will show the device and command for every keybind that you have on the Options -> Controls page.

It looks complex, but actually isnt.

Best regards,

Eduardo

Wow thanks, that sounds like it might work. So I edited the line as you say, switching "false" for "true, but I can't seem to find where that screen actually comes up. The MissionEditor.lua file was in the main install "DCSWorld/MissionEditor" folder, not the saved games folder, but it certainly had that command set to "false" that I then edited to "true". Once I set it to true, when should I see the three-screen tool as you show? Thanks again.

gtsab said:

Wow thanks, that sounds like it might work. So I edited the line as you say, switching "false" for "true, but I can't seem to find where that screen actually comes up. The MissionEditor.lua file was in the main install "DCSWorld/MissionEditor" folder, not the saved games folder

Sorry, I should have explained it better .. if you edit the lua file on the program's folder it will get overwritten the next time you update or repair DCS.

So, it is much better to make use of DCS facility for taking configuration from your saved games folder .. you just need to create the MissionEditor folder, and then copy the lua file from the program onto the saved games location, it looks like this:

(NOTE: The above paragraph is obsolete, please see the Update note at the end of this post)

once there, you edit the lua file, like this:

Quote

Once I set it to true, when should I see the three-screen tool as you show?

You just go onto the Options -> Controls for the aircraft you are interested in, and once you locate the command that does what you need, just hover the mouse over it and on the tooltip you get the info.

For example, for the RWR command that I used on my previous example, the screen looks like this:

UPDATE: 

That post of mine was correct at the time, but a recent DCS Update rendered it obsolete, as nowadays DCS does not uses the MissionEditor.lua at /Saved games/ ... you have to edit the MissionEditor.lua that is within the DCS program folder, and repeat the edit after every DCS update .. it's a pity that ED made this change, wish they would change it back.   

Ak OK, I got that to work. I get the info now when I hover over the binding as you say. But I still don't see how you are getting the three-pane screen with "TRIGGERS CONDITIONS ACTIONS". I think you must be in the mission editor software, but for the life of me I can't get that screen to open. I add a client aircraft, then select it, then I see TRIGGERED ACTIONS with a number of options and drop-down menus, but I don't see anything resembling your three-pane window there. thanks.

Oh wait, I found it! It's not under a specific aircraft, its just the "rules for trigger" on the right. Let me play with it a bit. thanks.

! yea it worked. I tested it by telling it to start with mission with the battery switch in the ON position instead of usual OFF, and it worked. Thanks a ton for your very kind help with this. All the best to you. -Greg

! yea it worked. I tested it by telling it to start with mission with the battery switch in the ON position instead of usual OFF, and it worked. Thanks a ton for your very kind help with this. All the best to you. -Greg

:thumbup: You’re welcome :)

:thumbup: You’re welcome :)

Hi Rudel,

I'm trying to use the method you've posted here to set some at-start cockpit setting, but without any success. Could you please have a look at my trigger and say what I'm doing wrong?

Many t(h)anks in advance!

This is the switch I'm using.

The aircraft is an F/A-18C.

The first Action (Message to all) appears normally.

Flag On is for safty.

The two "Cockpit Perform Clickable Action" should set the console and instrument panel ligthing.

And Set Command 816 causes the aircraft into Active Pause, which always works, only the lighting settings are not working:

Any ideas what the cause might be?

Captain Orso said:

Hi Rudel,

 

I'm trying to use the method you've posted here to set some at-start cockpit setting, but without any success. Could you please have a look at my trigger and say what I'm doing wrong?

First of all, sorry that I've just now saw your post .. don't know why I didnt see it earlier.

Your triggers are almost correct .. the problem is that this particular control is not an axis or knob control, but rather acts like two buttons, one that increases and the other decreases it.

And they act in tiny increments .. I made a quick test and it needs about 20 presses to get the knob to the mid position.

So, the solution is ugly, but works .. just repeat the action 20-30 times, like this:

Here is how it works, look carefully to catch the knobs movements:

First of all, sorry that I've just now saw your post .. don't know why I didnt see it earlier. :(

 

Your triggers are almost correct .. the problem is that this particular control is not an axis or knob control, but rather acts like two buttons, one that increases and the other decreases it.

 

And they act in tiny increments .. I made a quick test and it needs about 20 presses to get the knob to the mid position.

 

So, the solution is ugly, but works .. just repeat the action 20-30 times, like this:

 

 

Here is how it works, look carefully to catch the knobs movements:

 

05hM0xRoW7c

 

:thumbup:

Thanks for the reply! :)

I'd actually given up on this.

Honestly, I've seen uglier solutions, and really what makes it ugly is only the way lua scripting works. I would give a kidney to be able to use bash scripting here :smilewink:

Thanks Rudel_chw! That was a really useful info.

:thumbup:

Thanks Rudel_chw, this is excellent! I now have twice as many switches to turn on from cold. :thumbup:

What tripped me up was the trigger. Some of the switches have three positions. The center value for the trigger is typically 0.5. - I used the /keyboard/default.lua to confirm the switch position values.

How can I find the Cockpit device value, command value, and value information for the F-18 Hornet in order the use the X: COCKPIT PERFORM CLICKABLE ACTION function in the mission editor? Thx

2 hours ago, dclark3522 said:

How can I find the Cockpit device value, command value, and value information for the F-18 Hornet in order the use the X: COCKPIT PERFORM CLICKABLE ACTION function in the mission editor? Thx

See here, where I described how to find them: