Operation Snowfox - Persian Gulf PvE Playground

This is interesting - with all the “free time” I’ve got at the moment I’ve wanted to try and augment Surrexens great missions in a way to tie runway/airbase attacks/damage to the deactivation of the enemy caps... and then try to find a way to incorporate the fact that an airbase/cap is out of commission into the info saved in the persistence data.

 

This would allow single players (like me) to make all out attempts to bomb enemy cap airfields in an effort to gain air superiority so that you then shift to CAS/Ground attack using the A-10 (which generally doesn’t last long even with support packages tagging along).

 

This is interesting I wonder if it works.

 

The only problem at the moment is the latest few DCS updates have really borked performance for me in these missions. I’ve been pretty much immune to poor FPS forever but I fired up v122 of the Clearfield mission last night and the FPS I was getting was 60%-70% worse than usual...pretty sad.

I've added a radio trigger to disable Red Cap by setting the airbases' resources to zero. This means that if the air defense system has already spawned aircraft, that aircraft will remain and will even land and respawn as long as they are not destroyed. I also have a trigger that will re-enable the Red Cap by setting the airbases' resources to nill which sets them to their mission default of infinite resources so that the defense network will spawn more aircraft. I quite like this because it still gives you something to shoot at on the way into the target but then you don't get overwhelmed at the target. If you disable cap right at the beginning of the mission, usually nothing spawns.

I added this feature before Surrexen added his update in v129 that keeps aircraft from spawning on top of you within 40nm of an airbase. I think Surrexen's solution is far more elegant and more importantly to me, realistic.

Given that, I think it'd be possible to set a trigger that if a bomb is dropped on a runway then you could set airbase resources to zero. You could also add a timer that would reset them to nil too. I don't know off the top of my head how to make that persistent though.

Use trigger type "Do Script" and simply have it run the following commands to set resources to zero:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Alpha", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Lengeh, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, 0 )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Beta", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Lar_Airbase, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33" }, 0 )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Gamma", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Havadarya, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, 0 )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Delta", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Abbas_Intl, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33" }, 0 )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Epsilon", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_e_Jask_airfield, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, 0 )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Tau", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Lar_Airbase, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33", "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, 0 )

Then to reset them to nil:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Alpha", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Lengeh, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, nil )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Beta", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Lar_Airbase, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33" }, nil )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Gamma", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Havadarya, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, nil )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Delta", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Abbas_Intl, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33" }, nil )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Epsilon", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_e_Jask_airfield, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, nil )
REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Tau", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Lar_Airbase, { "SQ RUS MiG-21Bis", "SQ RUS MiG-29A", "SQ RUS MiG-29S", "SQ RUS MiG-23MLD", "SQ RUS MiG-25PD", "SQ RUS MiG-31", "SQ RUS Su-27", "SQ RUS Su-30", "SQ RUS Su-33", "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" }, nil )

I noticed when I was retreating after a Ground Attack and literally about to land at either kobuleti or senaki the red for shot me down right as I touched down at a safe base. I have made some changes to the missions for myself but just a heads up the blue bases could do with some anti air defences.

I noticed when I was retreating after a Ground Attack and literally about to land at either kobuleti or senaki the red for shot me down right as I touched down at a safe base. I have made some changes to the missions for myself but just a heads up the blue bases could do with some anti air defences.

I already added blue air defences a while back, they are set to hidden on the map. Can't really add anything further now due to unit counts on my machine. If you are not enabling the blue CAP flights, you should do that so the blue airbases have that layer of protection going on.

Cold Start

This looks Awesome!

Total mission editing newbie here.

How can I change a selected plane to cold start,

I need a walk through here please.

Thanks!!

@Parrotman go into the mission editor, click on the client plane of choice and in the drop down change it from Start from ramp cold to Start from Parking/runway/wherever hot.

@surrexen I will double check (I may have been on clear field not Snowfox) but where i was landing there definitely hasn't been any friendly sams to protect you upon RTB.

I'm planning to add a couple of scripts to your missions at some point (learning scripting myself atm albeit very slowly), first is a simple mission timer that lets the user know how long is left in the mission at 30,25,20,15,10,5,1 mins and at 30 secs before mission end, this also includes an auto mission restart after 5 hours (I then use a batch file to restart my servers physically every 10 hours).

Also I intend to try and at the RAT module to these missions.

Thanks for the hard work and keep it up dude!

MM

Thanks Badass!

@surrexen - Do you have any plans to modify this mission or create a "copy" to include the Supercarrier when it is released?

I would love to have the SC in this mission. Thanks for all of your hard work.

@surrexen - Do you have any plans to modify this mission or create a "copy" to include the Supercarrier when it is released?

 

I would love to have the SC in this mission. Thanks for all of your hard work.

I had asked everyone this question a while back and the answer was a resounding "no".

Might have to wait until it's actually out. I had pre-ordered the supercarrier within seconds of the pre-order going live. My original intention was to put it in the mission. We shall have to see how it goes on release.

Me and a friend of mine are having an issue where the script is not saving units when running on our computer, but it runs just fine on our server for our wing. Do you have any idea about why that would be?

likely the missionscripting.lua is not edited per the instructions. see the download page. if you did edit it in the past and had an update, it will get overwritten and you need to do the edit again. you also need to ensure the user that the game is running under has permission to write into the folder hierarchy containing that file.

hi there, I have a small question, if it has been asked before please just link me to the answer, is it possible to turn down the amount and regularity of enemy aircraft? it just seems like perpetual unending waves of aircraft, and by that I mean, you shoot down one flight and there is already another flight there to take its place, most of the time they arrive before you've even shot down the first flight, so there is just no way to do anything without a huge friendly cap to keep the opfor air even close to under control. we are a small group of no more than 10 members, most of the time we only have 2-4 of us and the way the opfor air is in the mission is just too much for us

Yes, it can be done. You will have to dig in the air defense lua script and change some things. Are you comfortable with that?

yes, I am :)

sent you a PM.

make sure you do call out all the support to go after your target. even sead and cas help take down red flights, or at least distract the red flights.

Yes, it can be done. You will have to dig in the air defense lua script and change some things. Are you comfortable with that?

Was wondering also how to tone down the red flights. I fly mp with a buddy, and with only 2 of us, it’s near impossible to succeed in certain areas of the map.

Thanks,

Marv

@hlfritz could you elaborate, I'm not scared of Lua but not entirely which part of the a2a script we should be editing to adjust the frequency of red spawns??!

Also one more question regarding persistance for @surrexen I noticed that i have the unit files created inside my dcs root folder for all units that have been killed, but I wonder how this applies when running multiple instances of the same maps, for example I run 2 x Snowfox maps and 2x clear field maps. Does this mean that both maps/missions will automatically have the same units dead on them without having both been killed in the same mission.

@Badass, Surrexen can answer that more definitively, but I am sure that both versions of the missions will use the same files, therefore doing as you surmised. You could probably go into each mission and edit the file name they get saved (and conversely loaded, i.e. look for the reading/loading as well as the saving) as to make them separate.

If you want to adjust the amount of planes, you need to look at Snowfox A2A Defence System.lua

I will assume you are using it in GameMode 0 (multiplayer) ...

To remove a squadron entirely, you would need to remove the following lines from function SEF_REDSQUADRONSMULTIPLAYER()

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Alpha", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Lengeh, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" } )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronOverhead( "Alpha", 1.0)

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 2 )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronTakeoffInAir( "Alpha" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronLandingAtRunway( "Alpha" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCap( "Alpha", CAPZoneRed1, 1000, 11000, 750, 900, 800, 1200, "BARO" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCapInterval( "Alpha", 1, 450, 900, 1 )

By removing the above (or just remarking them out), you will stop squadron "Alpha" from being able to spawn. Alpha is the squadron at Bandar Lengeh airfield.

You would also need to remove the references to Alpha squadron from function SEF_AIRFIELDPERIMETERZONECLIENTSCANNER(Timeloop, time).

Keep in mind, if you remove a squadron then then the enemy CAP coverage will have holes in it. So if you don't want to do that, then perhaps try the below...

If you wanted to make Alpha squadron spawn only 1 plane instead of 2, then you would change:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 2 ) to

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 1 )

To change the timing values, you would change:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCapInterval( "Alpha", 1, 450, 900, 1 ) where 450 is the low interval in seconds, and 900 is the high interval in seconds. 450-900 is every 7.5-15 minutes. Keep in mind that extending the low interval can mean a long wait before any planes start up.

Hopefully that gives you a bit of an idea of where to start if you want to muck with it. Goes without saying though, experiment at your own risk.

If you want to adjust the amount of planes, you need to look at Snowfox A2A Defence System.lua

 

I will assume you are using it in GameMode 0 (multiplayer) ...

 

To remove a squadron entirely, you would need to remove the following lines from function SEF_REDSQUADRONSMULTIPLAYER()

 

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadron( "Alpha", AIRBASE.PersianGulf.Bandar_Lengeh, { "SQ IRN F-4E", "SQ IRN F-5E-3", "SQ IRN MiG-21Bis", "SQ IRN MiG-29A" } )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronOverhead( "Alpha", 1.0)

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 2 )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronTakeoffInAir( "Alpha" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronLandingAtRunway( "Alpha" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCap( "Alpha", CAPZoneRed1, 1000, 11000, 750, 900, 800, 1200, "BARO" )

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCapInterval( "Alpha", 1, 450, 900, 1 )

 

By removing the above (or just remarking them out), you will stop squadron "Alpha" from being able to spawn. Alpha is the squadron at Bandar Lengeh airfield.

You would also need to remove the references to Alpha squadron from function SEF_AIRFIELDPERIMETERZONECLIENTSCANNER(Timeloop, time).

 

Keep in mind, if you remove a squadron then then the enemy CAP coverage will have holes in it. So if you don't want to do that, then perhaps try the below...

 

If you wanted to make Alpha squadron spawn only 1 plane instead of 2, then you would change:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 2 ) to

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronGrouping( "Alpha", 1 )

 

To change the timing values, you would change:

REDA2ADispatcher:SetSquadronCapInterval( "Alpha", 1, 450, 900, 1 ) where 450 is the low interval in seconds, and 900 is the high interval in seconds. 450-900 is every 7.5-15 minutes. Keep in mind that extending the low interval can mean a long wait before any planes start up.

 

Hopefully that gives you a bit of an idea of where to start if you want to muck with it. Goes without saying though, experiment at your own risk.

awesome thank you for this, is there a way to do the same with SAMs as well? Maybe limit the number of units or the Sam types? Some of the more modern SAMs make it a bit tough for a little group like mine

awesome thank you for this, is there a way to do the same with SAMs as well? Maybe limit the number of units or the Sam types? Some of the more modern SAMs make it a bit tough for a little group like mine

One of the main points of this mission was to put in real world SAM locations (as best as what I could find out anyway) for the major SAM sites. The only SAM location I added as an extra is the Bandar Lengeh SA-11. Also the Bandar Abbas SA-10 will be an SA-5 as soon as the SA-5 gets released. The SAM sites are also mission targets. Persistence was added to the mission because of how much effort it can take to remove the SAM threats.

Long story short, a lot of effort went into SAM research and placement for this mission (and Operation Clear Field). Therefore no, there will be no changes made there to reduce difficulty.

Oh wow, I must apologise, humbly and whole heartedly. I was completely unaware of the placement. I had just assumed that they were random spawns like the aircraft. Shows how ignorant I am!

Let me just say, your hard work is really really appreciated. Your missions have brought a great deal of fun and enjoyment to my Crew we have been playing it daily at the moment and just loving it

Thank you for making these missions mate. You’ve done a brilliant job

Oh wow, I must apologise, humbly and whole heartedly. I was completely unaware of the placement. I had just assumed that they were random spawns like the aircraft. Shows how ignorant I am!

 

Let me just say, your hard work is really really appreciated. Your missions have brought a great deal of fun and enjoyment to my Crew we have been playing it daily at the moment and just loving it

 

Thank you for making these missions mate. You’ve done a brilliant job

No apologies needed brother. All ground units are placed very very intentionally I assure you (with a few creative exceptions like my friends on the Minab Dam wall).

When I first attempted to fly my own missions, I got ripped apart. But I quickly got very good at dealing with SAM's. Now, I just have the 1000 yard stare from looking at the editor too much. But that's another story.

Indeed, this is a great mission generator, thanks for all your hard work, and making it available to us.

Thanks.

I just have the 1000 yard stare from looking at the editor too much. But that's another story.

I feel your pain bro, I build A lot our missions in both DCS and ArmA. Sometimes it feels like I spend more times in editors than I do in game lol