DCE Campaigns

[Spartan111sqn]

On 5/9/2021 at 4:53 PM, Miguel21 said:

ok, so, since the release of DCS 2.7.0, our DCE campaigns are no longer compatible.

For the moment, we propose in test only one compatible campaign: "Hornet over Caucasus-CVN ".

We hope to release the others soon

I have tried your way to move to NG campaign according to hornet over caucasus campaign info. 

 

Only crisis over PG works with NG and 2.7, the rest not.

 

Waiting for a DCE campaign in Syria.

[REDEYE_CVW-66]

Tested the latest and updated Hornet over Caucausus (2.7). Blown away on how you guys sorted things with the spawnings and all that. Fantastic. Had a great strike mission taking out and SA-10 site.

 

A little input in case you are interested:

 

The CSG is VERY close- so close that I almost took the mast off the destroyer flying in front of the carrier doing a standard case 1 departure at 500 kts. They should be spread out much more (I know, I can do it in the init mission- so it is not a big deal).

 

For some reason I did not get a tacan readout to the tankers. It might just be bad luck and out of range or whatever, but I'd thought I'd report it. I tried them all (In AA mode on the Y-band).

 

Also- even when taking off on time I had no way to reach wpt 1 at the given time and was lagging behind the other package elements (They mission worked fine still).

 

Thanks for all the great work you are doing.

 

I generally dislike story driven campaigns personally, due to various tech limitations in DCS, but the DCE campaigns provide superb offline entertainment. Much appreciated!

[ameriveaux]

Bug report :

 

on the new hornet in Georgia CVN ( for 2.7 ) 2nd wingman repeats bandit callouts endlessly even when 160 nm out . 

 

Experience report :

 

 1 . mission for SEAD strikes SAM sites waited until flights were over before popping on and shooting SAMs. Maybe coincidence, maybe IADS /skynet integration?  

 

2. ATO and general flow of Carrier life is very impressive and engaging. Multiple flights going ( and depending when you get back if you wait, you can witness them coming back )  I remember in an earlier version, flights would be scheduled late enough so when the player returns, there are new flights waiting to take off, again providing a truly dynamic war type experience. Very Falcon BMS like -   

 

Recommendation : Is there a chance to add S3 and other naval craft take off and recovery?   Once ED manages to actualize AI ground crews to guide to parking, then I think Super carrier would be mostly complete.  Also , more flights scheduled later , for immersion factor or the very rare player that would land and watch all the new flights do their missions anyway. ( anyone else guilty ? )

 

3. AI flights are reasonably effective, completing missions with me at around 75%.  The logic of waypoints to guide their behavior is working so far. 

 

4. Recommendation :  Are JTAC units programable/ possible? It would certain add a bit more interaction for longer strike/CAS flights.  Also, any sort of ideas of difficulty levels? 

Edited May 11, 2021 by ameriveaux

[Spartan111sqn]

Hello, I would like to give you my feedback on DCE campaigns.

 

Please take into account that normally in my squadron we fly MP, around 6-12 players, missions, flights and behaviours ran smoothly.

 

I want to give you pros and cons we have found, also take into account we are hardcore simmers and our point of reference is Falcon campaign:

 

PROS

• feeling of a live environment, when we are spawned we see there is life flying before we arrive, even sometimes we are ramping up and in the meanwhile we see aircraft landing (that feeling is great). In contrary to Liberation campaign that when the turn starts everybody (human and AI) starts on the ground.
• the location of flights and logic of who is doing what and where and for how long is very good, in this case it is also better "furnished" than Liberation campaign. So keep in that style.
• the build up of the package concept is good and also the COMAO understanding.

CONS

• The interface and the flight scheduler is not flexible enough to choose the target we want and also assign different aircrafts to different roles, sometimes we choose to strike a target and the planner create a different flight for a different target on the other side of the map.
• We cannot influence in the flight plan either the waypoints timing, when flying with humans we can do it on our own, but probably there are other flights that will go to the same target and if we arrive "late" they already destroyed part of the stuff.
• Ground units are static and we do not see a clear logic or relationship if we want to conquer something
• Flight plan altittudes and deconflictions sometimes have no logic at all
• it is needed an improvement on the flexibility to create packages and target assignation, and be able to create a flight reference inside the package, once adjusted the timing of that flight plan, the rest of the flights of the package shall get the same timing and just with fine tunning we can have a very good coordination flight for the entire COMAO.

You can have a look on Liberation campaigns, there are a couple of stuff that could give you some ideas, I also told them the same to look in your campaigns, I do not like how they locate their flights in the scenario, also on every turn they start all in ramp (it is not immersive), but they have other stuff cool, like ground movers, the interface is more friendly...

 

All in all, we have spent hours and hours enjoying your campaigns, they are amazing, and they give us a Falcon campaign flavour.

 

Please keep pushing we support you, if you have a website where we can give you donations we would do it.

[Miguel21]

12 hours ago, REDEYE_CVW-66 said:

Also- even when taking off on time I had no way to reach wpt 1 at the given time and was lagging behind the other package elements (They mission worked fine still).

 

I think I found a bug concerning this observation, to see in the future patch

 

If you can, take off 2 minutes before the scheduled time

[Miguel21]

4 hours ago, ameriveaux said:

. mission for SEAD strikes SAM sites waited until flights were over before popping on and shooting SAMs. Maybe coincidence, maybe IADS /skynet integration?  

if the seads have fired ARMs, the SAM sites sometimes/often shut down to avoid their destruction (Mbot Script)

 

4 hours ago, ameriveaux said:

Is there a chance to add S3

it already works like this
except that the S3 and E2 are banned from Sixpack

 

4 hours ago, ameriveaux said:

Are JTAC units programable/ possible?

not yet, but we are thinking about it

 

4 hours ago, ameriveaux said:

Also, any sort of ideas of difficulty levels? 

What does that mean?

[Miguel21]

7 hours ago, Spartan111sqn said:

The interface and the flight scheduler is not flexible enough to choose the target we want

do you use the T key?
"T Multiplayer by choice of (T)arget

 

7 hours ago, Spartan111sqn said:

Ground units are static and we do not see a clear logic or relationship if we want to conquer something

this will be our next big project

 

7 hours ago, Spartan111sqn said:

Flight plan altittudes and deconflictions sometimes have no logic at all

What does that mean?
for example?

 

7 hours ago, Spartan111sqn said:

it is needed an improvement on the flexibility to create packages and target assignation, and be able to create a flight reference inside the package, once adjusted the timing of that flight plan, the rest of the flights of the package shall get the same timing and just with fine tunning we can have a very good coordination flight for the entire COMAO.

 

it will be very complicated to change this, because DCE is written in the opposite way to what you are asking:
DCE calculates ATO packages and you select one

And no, the ATO packages are calculated according to your flight.

We can change this only when DCE_Manager.exe can generate missions instead of the DOS window. And still, nothing sure...

 

 

 

for the time being, we are still trying to adapt all DCE campaigns to version 2.7.0

But we have a big problem with the dedicated servers, and it's quite long and painful to find and fix.

Sorry for the wait.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Miguel21

[Spartan111sqn]

Thanks @Miguel21for your replies, I answer also to you:

 

Quote

do you use the T key?
"T Multiplayer by choice of (T)arget

We Use T for sure, but sometimes the planner do what they want and select another target.

 

Quote

What does that mean?
for example?

The "join" wp is given for example to a FL220 for all the flights, and there should be a deconfliction on each flight at that WP, also a loiter time in that wp. And after that the rest of the navigation is at FL200, and it is not taking into account the nature of each flight mission, for example a SWEEP normally has to fly high and maybe the planner put the strike flight higher than the sweep.

 

Quote

it will be very complicated to change this, because DCE is written in the opposite way to what you are asking:
DCE calculates ATO packages and you select one

And no, the ATO packages are calculated according to your flight.

We can change this only when DCE_Manager.exe can generate missions instead of the DOS window. And still, nothing sure...

understood, I support you that the entire ATO must not be created according to my strike flight, but I guess the package arrangement according to the VIP fight plan should be great, just a way to link all the flights related in the package, by the way I understand what you have said.

 

Please do not get me wrong, I wanted to provide you my feedback on your amazing campaigns!, we are enjoying a lot and we are thankful for this. I want just to provide feedback if is possible to improve a bit what you already have.

 

[Miguel21]

1 hour ago, Spartan111sqn said:

Please do not get me wrong, I wanted to provide you my feedback on your amazing campaigns!, we are enjoying a lot and we are thankful for this. I want just to provide feedback if is possible to improve a bit what you already have

no problem, I don't misunderstand ^^
I too want to see this excellent tool developed by Mbot improve little by little.

 

1 hour ago, Spartan111sqn said:

We Use T for sure, but sometimes the planner do what they want and select another target.

We discovered and fixed a bug that was still offering destroyed targets.

Maybe this is the source of your problem

1 hour ago, Spartan111sqn said:

The "join" wp is given for example to a FL220 for all the flights, and there should be a deconfliction on each flight at that WP, also a loiter time in that wp. And after that the rest of the navigation is at FL200, and it is not taking into account the nature of each flight mission, for example a SWEEP normally has to fly high and maybe the planner put the strike flight higher than the sweep.

There will indeed be work to do on this
for the moment it remains as originally written.

You can modify the altitude values according to the loadout if you find it inappropriate.
                hCruise = 5200,
                hAttack = 5100,

In Init/db_loadouts.lua

The unit is meters, not feet ^^

 

from memory, there is no need to restart the campaign, just a SkipMission.bat

Edited May 11, 2021 by Miguel21

[Spartan111sqn]

@Miguel21 awesome!, keep pushing!, if there is a way to support your team let us know.

[PB0_CEF]

Very very happy that globally DCE is used in MP by squads and that you enjoy it . Mbot gave us a very cool tool to fly in DCS with a credible and realistic environment ! The main mechanisms for creating packages and selecting targets remains mainly based on its original coding. With his tools I tried to prepare, with other designers, campaigns respecting a logic regarding the positioning of targets and defenses as well as air units. Of course that's my logic and what I think makes the most sense. This is not necessarily always the best that could be done. Mbot's DCE is originally designed to simulate attrition warfare with most often an offensive air force attacking fixed targets and a defensive air force. With my first campaigns derived from those of Mbot I tried to introduce a little more balance to diversify the types of mission (interceptions, CAP) with targets in both camps. For the moment we are very limited by moving targets because the missions generated are often difficult to play with low FPS. We are studying the possibilities of artificially moving static units according to various factors (losses, timing, etc.) The track of templates is studied but it may require a lot of work for a sufficiently flexible implementation.

While waiting for the release of these new kinds of campaigns, I think it is possible for you to modify the existing campaigns to put them to your liking. You can change the positions of the units in the Base_mission and modify the loadouts with in particular the altitudes and speeds according to the missions. You should also look at the priority values in the target file. I often used the Mbot original values so they are not always very well adapted to new planes introduced in our campaigns. Fell free to change all those settings.

Edited May 11, 2021 by PB0_CEF

[Spartan111sqn]

11 hours ago, PB0_CEF said:

Very very happy that globally DCE is used in MP by squads and that you enjoy it . Mbot gave us a very cool tool to fly in DCS with a credible and realistic environment ! The main mechanisms for creating packages and selecting targets remains mainly based on its original coding. With his tools I tried to prepare, with other designers, campaigns respecting a logic regarding the positioning of targets and defenses as well as air units. Of course that's my logic and what I think makes the most sense. This is not necessarily always the best that could be done. Mbot's DCE is originally designed to simulate attrition warfare with most often an offensive air force attacking fixed targets and a defensive air force. With my first campaigns derived from those of Mbot I tried to introduce a little more balance to diversify the types of mission (interceptions, CAP) with targets in both camps. For the moment we are very limited by moving targets because the missions generated are often difficult to play with low FPS. We are studying the possibilities of artificially moving static units according to various factors (losses, timing, etc.) The track of templates is studied but it may require a lot of work for a sufficiently flexible implementation.

While waiting for the release of these new kinds of campaigns, I think it is possible for you to modify the existing campaigns to put them to your liking. You can change the positions of the units in the Base_mission and modify the loadouts with in particular the altitudes and speeds according to the missions. You should also look at the priority values in the target file. I often used the Mbot original values so they are not always very well adapted to new planes introduced in our campaigns. Fell free to change all those settings.

 

Thanks a lot for your effort and indications!

 

we will try with your indications.

 

Keep pushing!, we support you!

 

[bonfor]

Regarding using a dedicated server (in case someone wonders), it is not necessary to have a separate DCS install, all you need to do is to start a dedicated server (using your current install) assigning it a different folder. I have a script with a single line that does that:

start "" "C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\bin\DCS.exe" --server --norender -w DCS.server1

Mind you I have 64Gb RAM so I can run both the server and the client on the same machine. The FPS gain is real and I can now play OK in VR!

How to manage the server through the webUI is explained elsewhere in the forum

 

The only (minor) issue I found is that, even if I use the same pilot name in multiplayer and single player, the campaign details like nr of missions etc do not get updated in the client UI (but debriefingNN.txt is correct). I started the campaign in single player mode.

[noriyappi]

A previously reported bug in which the End mission button was disabled has been identified as a DCS issue.

This is a bug that occurs when attacking a target without an ID. It occurs when the Airport strike mission is activated in the middle of the campaign.

Sorry to misunderstand it as a DCE problem.

 

[noriyappi]

Sorry, but can you tell me the exact meaning of time, dusk time, dawntime in camp.init file?

Because the missions of all the campaigns I have run are recorded as night flights.

 

This issue has also been identified as a a bug in DCS 2.7. Never mind. It's a really great game.

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by noriyappi

[Miguel21]

8 hours ago, noriyappi said:

Sorry, but can you tell me the exact meaning of time, dusk time, dawntime in camp.init file?

Because the missions of all the campaigns I have run are recorded as night flights.

Wait ^^
I'm tracking down a bug that's been plaguing me for a while now, so I haven't had time to reply to you yet ^^

8 hours ago, noriyappi said:

Sorry, but can you tell me the exact meaning of time, dusk time, dawntime in camp.init file?

Because the missions of all the campaigns I have run are recorded as night flights.

it corresponds to dawn and dusk, but I think they should be adapted to the season played in the game, which is not necessarily the case

[PB0_CEF]

On 5/12/2021 at 9:54 PM, bonfor said:

assigning it a different folder

Hi bonfor, really interested with your trick. Can you you explain me what you mean with this part of your post ? How can you assign it and does it need a lot of hardrive space ?

[bonfor]

Simple, the last part of the script "-w DCS.whatever" tells dcs to write the server files in saved games/DCS.whatever. 

You don't need any additional install. And the files written by the server are just a few small ones. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by bonfor

[sublime]

Hi P80; Miguel..

So I'm to understand that DCE doesn't work in 2.7? 

I was going to try to fiddle around and see if I could get it to work (the installer didn't work out for me) but of course if only the f18 is working for 2.7 I need to wait.  Glad you guys are well

 

[Miguel21]

20 minutes ago, sublime said:

Hi P80; Miguel..

So I'm to understand that DCE doesn't work in 2.7? 

I was going to try to fiddle around and see if I could get it to work (the installer didn't work out for me) but of course if only the f18 is working for 2.7 I need to wait.  Glad you guys are well

 

Hi,
Yes, at the moment DCE does not work with 2.7.0

Only Hornet over caucasus is available and under test

We are still working on making DCE compatible

[sublime]

Thanks man. I'll keep an eye on this space.  Whenever it gets sorted out I'm afraid I'm going to have to bug you guys for help again

[noriyappi]

17 시간 전 숭고한 말 :

Hi P80; Miguel ..

그렇다면 DCE가 2.7에서 작동하지 않는다는 것을 이해해야합니까? 

나는 바이올린을 켜고 작동시킬 수 있는지 확인하려고 노력했지만 (설치 프로그램이 나를 위해 작동하지 않음) 물론 f18 만 2.7에서 작동한다면 기다려야합니다. 잘 지내서 기뻐

 

I'm running a campaign with the F-16, but there are no major bugs I've encountered so far.

[Miguel21]

2 hours ago, noriyappi said:

I'm running a campaign with the F-16, but there are no major bugs I've encountered so far.

the incompatibility comes mainly from the catapulting bug on CVN

Nice quote, my translator had trouble finding the Korean

[Miguel21]

 

With a lot of difficulty, I propose an update (still for testing), to have a DCE compatible with DCS 2.7.0

You can do it via DCE_Manager.exe with the button "update:NG" of scriptsMod. (cf signature)

As we had a lot of bugs with taxiiage and catapulting in dedicated server, we split the problem in 2:

 

-1/ To use the dedicated server in singlePlayer reliably, you can use option D, you will be alone with your flight on the deck, all other flights will spawning in flight.

 

-2/ You can use the DF option, if by chance DCS will be able to fix the catapulting bugs when the deck is full of planes.

 

One more thing: in dedicated server, your wingman will taxiing only when you have been catapulted, so take between 5 and 8mn in advance for that.

 

I'm waiting for your feedback on this version, especially if you use the DF option, to find in which configuration, some catapults block
(I guess it's when a wingman is behind the carrier, but I'm not sure)

 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

Quote

==:20.46.102:==
94 -fixed: some planes land at the beginning of the mission
95 -fixed: bug Deck
96 -fixed: bug trigger
97 -fixed: bug spawnAir MP
98 -fixed: bug Deck
99 -fixed: taxiing schedules are wrong
100 -fixed: bug Deck
101 -fixed: bug Deck
102 -added: SinglePlayer with dedicated server Full plane

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Miguel21

[Miguel21]

Important information:

Set the dedicated server to remain paused,

Option D : you will spawn on the sixPack
Option DF: if you are scheduled to spawn first, you will be on the sixpack, otherwise, you will be delayed:
in this case, change of slot, return in spectator then Pilot
If it still doesn't work (I don't see why ^^), restart the server, resume, then try to spawn

 

May god save the queen ^^

Edited May 17, 2021 by Miguel21