2021 (and earlier) DCS Newsletter Discussion Thread

[Northstar98]

3 minutes ago, Tippis said:

Why is it necessary? What does it solve that existing solution can't do, and in particular, how does it solve the implied problem that what's on the client's system affects others? Doesn't that mean they can just circumvent this whole measure in three seconds flat by downloading something as basic and trivial as CheatEngine or some similar real-time memory editor?

 

Because that's really how this thing reads: you're saying that IC is dead code that can be ripped out because it serves no purpose, and that cheating in MP can be done with the most readily available tools commonly used to cheat in single-player games…

 

…which means that it can't be tested.

 

Look, I'm all for your exposing critical values in a browsable database so you don't have to wade through dozens of overlapping LUA files to figure out how SA-10 target selection and unit linking works, but that's a pretty mundane use-case that entertains data divers like myself — it doesn't help with the the most useful use case of having direct (editable) access to the values. And there really shouldn't be a need for a community tool to begin with.

 

I absolutely 100% agree with you Tippis, and it was your amazing wiki that brought me into experimenting and making fixes for things in the first place.

[hanab]

1 hour ago, BIGNEWY said:

The change is necessary to ensure a level playing field in multiplayer,

there is already a community tool available to view the files, you just wont be able to edit them. 

 

Thanks 

 

Totally agree with you. 
 

I hope we will see no more cheater on multiplayer server now

[MAXsenna]

 
Damn, I was hoping to make the new buses be able to be driven directly using CA, among other things... 
 
Spoiler

Yes, I did just say that. Don't judge me!

 

TGIF!!!

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

…which means that it can't be tested.
 
Look, I'm all for your exposing critical values in a browsable database so you don't have to wade through dozens of overlapping LUA files to figure out how SA-10 target selection and unit linking works, but that's a pretty mundane use-case that entertains data divers like myself — it doesn't help with the the most useful use case of having direct (editable) access to the values. And there really shouldn't be a need for a community tool to begin with.

Agree! Somethings off.
Pirates perhaps...

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

[Tippis]

9 minutes ago, hanab said:

Totally agree with you. 
 

I hope we will see no more cheater on multiplayer server now

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

In fact, this suggests it will happen even more now that they've revealed that it's that easy…

[JG-1_Vogel]

I'm EXTREMELY disappointed by these changes to .lua files. I've been flying LOMAC/DCS since 2004 and have not ONCE come across anyone I would say is "cheating", nor have I ever encountered anyone online complaining about people cheating. If there are cheaters out there, they're in such a tiny tiny percentage as to be inconsequential.

 

All this does is kill the modding scene, without which we wouldn't be able to enjoy the likes of the A-4 community mod etc. Really poor form, ED you really screwed up here.

[BIGNEWY]

30 minutes ago, JG-1_Vogel said:

I'm EXTREMELY disappointed by these changes to .lua files. I've been flying LOMAC/DCS since 2004 and have not ONCE come across anyone I would say is "cheating", nor have I ever encountered anyone online complaining about people cheating. If there are cheaters out there, they're in such a tiny tiny percentage as to be inconsequential.

 

All this does is kill the modding scene, without which we wouldn't be able to enjoy the likes of the A-4 community mod etc. Really poor form, ED you really screwed up here.

 

Locking weapons data does not stop mods from being created or enjoyed like the A-4. 

 

thanks

[Flagrum]

3 hours ago, BIGNEWY said:

The change is necessary to ensure a level playing field in multiplayer,

there is already a community tool available to view the files, you just wont be able to edit them. 

 

Thanks 

 

This kills half of the comunity mods, which people might enjoy in singleplayer.

Why can't this be enforced by the IC check for multiplayer?

[Rudel_chw]

44 minutes ago, Flagrum said:

This kills half of the comunity mods, which people might enjoy in singleplayer.

 

Half Mods killed and yet you didn't mention a single one? 

 

Most of my User Mods still work fine: the A-4E Skyhawk, the Super Tucano, the VPC Airfield Objects Mod, the 476th Target Objects, the Civil Aircrafts Mod, the Military Aircrafts Mod, the Desert Farp, the Nato soldiers Mod, the Frenchpack Mod, the Tu-4, the L61 spanish carrier, the WW2 Airfield equipment ... haven't tried the rest yet, but so far not one of the Mods I currently use is incompatible ... perhaps that's because I don't use Mods that alter the core of DCS.

[Mars Exulte]

3 hours ago, JG-1_Vogel said:

I've been flying LOMAC/DCS since 2004 and have not ONCE come across anyone I would say is "cheating", nor have I ever encountered anyone online complaining about people cheating. If there are cheaters out there, they're in such a tiny tiny percentage as to be inconsequential.

  Really? You missed the whole phase where people were griefing servers by using an exploit to slam planes into airfields from extreme altitude and render them unusable? That you've been living under a rock in no way means this community doesn't have the same griefer/cheater tendencies literally every game ever created has. The high cost of entry probably does more to lower prevalence than anything else, but it absolutely still happens.

 

-edit

Btw, looks like this guy is modding weapons, so I'm 100% certain other people can, too.

 

 

You maybe can't tweak the values of existing weapons, but that's easily worked around by modding new ones in, copying the old stuff, and tweaking it to your liking.

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Mars Exulte

[Flagrum]

6 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

 perhaps that's because I don't use Mods that alter the core of DCS.

Yes, perhaps. But different people might be, well, different.

 

But whatever, lets just lock everything and eventually and finally get rid of one of DCS' best features - it's moddability (mod, as in modification/altering stuff).

[Grimes]

6 hours ago, Mars Exulte said:

  Really? You missed the whole phase where people were griefing servers by using an exploit to slam planes into airfields from extreme altitude and render them unusable? That you've been living under a rock in no way means this community doesn't have the same griefer/cheater tendencies literally every game ever created has. The high cost of entry probably does more to lower prevalence than anything else, but it absolutely still happens.

 

-edit

Btw, looks like this guy is modding weapons, so I'm 100% certain other people can, too.

 

 

You maybe can't tweak the values of existing weapons, but that's easily worked around by modding new ones in, copying the old stuff, and tweaking it to your liking.

 

 

Fairly certain the griefer doing that wasn't purely due to them having access of the Scripts/Database folder. The overall size of the community is a firewall of sorts to heavy amounts of griefing compared to other games out there. The integrity check isn't perfect, but it serves the role of blocking the easy hacks, but allowing people to mod if they want, while the people who can hack around it are probably not impacted by this change at all. 

 

That mod works because its changing stuff in Coremods which is where all of the 3rd party and a lot of the new stuff by ED gets placed into instead of the old Scripts/Database folder. Thus some database files are more equal than others. 

[EasyEB]

I must say I’m very sad to see the locking of lua files. I’ve always enjoyed being able to tweak values and through that my expeience of the game. For me this takes away alot of fun. 
 

I used to feel I could enjoy DCS in a way that suited me, now it’s leaning more toward you telling me how I should play and enjoy DCS.

 

I hope this decision will be changed back to how it used to be. It felt more like we did this together before.

[Northstar98]

On 4/24/2021 at 12:50 PM, EasyEB said:

I must say I’m very sad to see the locking of lua files. I’ve always enjoyed being able to tweak values and through that my expeience of the game. For me this takes away alot of fun. 
 

I used to feel I could enjoy DCS in a way that suited me, now it’s leaning more toward you telling me how I should play and enjoy DCS.

 

I hope this decision will be changed back to how it used to be. It felt more like we did this together before.

 

Yeah, I used to make minor modifications to tidy the names up, now I can't. Minor sure, and my wishlist thread (which I only needed to make as a result of the locking), rather expectedly, didn't gain much traction.

[schurem]

But what about sniper AAA BMP?

[Eldur]

The new Petrovich AI seems interesting and I like the idea of controlling it with just a 4 way switch with short and long presses.

 

And I'm glad the BS3 module is not dead as some expected recently. But it looks like you guys had to drop the President-S system, which is a bummer. But it's better to get some upgrades without that than nothing. Maybe you should put your resources that would have went into that into contacting Mr. Алексей Леонидович Пажитнов in order to have a fully licenced version of TBRIS* within the module. When I can get that, I won't care about anything else. I mean, the SYST page literally cries for it.

 

*TBRIS:

Edited April 30, 2021 by Eldur

[wowbagger]

Can we give you a hard time about a little wikipedia copy-paste?

 

Thanks for the update. Greatly looking forwards to some Pacific action.

[StevanJ]

16 minutes ago, Desert Fox said:

Marianas in two weeks confirmed!

 

 

Looks awesome, looking forward to this.

 

Really?

Where?

[Gierasimov]

With the new Mariana Islands map we really need that Deka's Su-30 @uboats  

Pretty please  

[Northstar98]

Marianas looking better and better!

 

Though this is making me want the Kh-22NA available for the Tu-22M3, so I can recreate the strike on NASKEF in Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, using Andersen and Guam as a stand-in.  

Edited May 7, 2021 by Northstar98

[joker62]

@ED thank you so much, you are really doing a great job with the Mariana Islands map. The images are suggestive, full of details. It will be a real pleasure to fly there. We are waiting, the engines are running ... 

[Eldur]

Since the newsletter mentions skip-bombing, when do we get that?

[uboats]

9 hours ago, Gierasimov said:

With the new Mariana Islands map we really need that Deka's Su-30 @uboats  

Pretty please  

There will be something coming for Marianas soon, but not su30

Edited May 8, 2021 by uboats

[TaxDollarsAtWork]

1 hour ago, uboats said:

There will be something coming for Marianas soon, but not su30

 

I take it this will be an AI asset you're talking about?

Is the Su-30MKK module is still being considered as a module some time later?

[Gierasimov]

10 hours ago, uboats said:

There will be something coming for Marianas soon, but not su30

 

Nice one, CAP is so great, thank you! 

24 minutes ago, Bigounet said:

 

Will the topography of the roads be worked on?

 

I don't think so, this is also the case for DCS Syria, so my guess is that this is terrain engine limitation.

[draconus]

19 minutes ago, Gierasimov said:

this is terrain engine limitation

This is only manhours investment vs the "good enough" modeling limitation.

Btw: every image says WIP.

Edited May 8, 2021 by draconus