Mission editor doubts/tips/help.

[Stratos 3,186]

Well I think that is time to open a post about the mission editor with tips and questions. This way all will enjoy a better experience.

I open the post with a question:

 

- How can I design a target area? Imagine I want a SEAD mission against a SAM site that I designed, how can I make the main target for my flight the SAM I just placed?

[+DanW 32]

Make it close air support. Make the sams the primary objective. Only use a flight of two and order your wingman attack. If you want more flights to attack the SAMs then do the same thing with another AI flight. If you use a four ship the #3 and #4 probably won't go after the sams. Try it and see. You can move the objective triangle waypoint to anywhere on the map and edit the waypoints so you can do CAS anywhere. Make sure you tell the sams to appear early enough into the mission. I think they are set for a 2 1/2 minutes by default. (check the start time relative to the players arriving on target time). If you use SA2 or SA6 be sure to put the appropriate search radar (i forget the names) or they won't light you up and fire at you. SA8 can move and will be fine with no early warning radar.

Edited December 8, 2010 by DanW

[+malibu43 142]

I believe strikes have to be against targets in the targets.ini file for the terrain. Therefore, your options are to:

 

1. Make it a SEAD mission with the target area being whatever target area is closest to your SAM site. However, depending on the proximity of the SAM site to the target area and the game engine, the specific SAM site may or may not end up being a "primary target"

 

2. Make it an Armed Recon or CAS mission. Then you should be able to designate your custom placed SAM site as the primary target.

 

*edit* - DW beat me to it!

Edited December 8, 2010 by malibu43

[+Stary 2,427]

Question:

 

at the mission main properties, what weather altitude and thickness means? Does it affect height of clouds and their thickness? Heights of top cover in overcast? I think not, as they are controlled by environmentsystem.ini variables.

How can I change the contrails to appear below 8000 which is the lowest possible altitude?

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Its also controled through mission files, which mission editors can do. I use KMD, but I'm stuck at SF1 2006. Here's an example from the old game... your game may be different.

 

 

 

[Weather]

WeatherType=CLEAR

WeatherAlt=4000.0

WeatherThickness=500.0

HasHighLayer=FALSE

HighLayerAlt=8000

FogAmount=0

ContrailAlt=7000

StartWindDirection=

StartWindSpeed=17.57222

WindGustingAmount=25.57222

[+DanW 32]

Weather altitude changes the height of the clouds in the mission. The thickness i just that - the thickness of the clouds. You should be able to control the contrails in the contrails drop down box.

[+Stary 2,427]

Weather altitude changes the height of the clouds in the mission. The thickness i just that - the thickness of the clouds. You should be able to control the contrails in the contrails drop down box.

 

Thank you DanW,

I thought clouds height ASL is controlled via environmentsystem.ini entries, separate for all weather types we have and that these settings override mission specific ones. Can you confirm that? About contrails altitude, the lowest possible is 8000 meters in Mission Editor (which is right) but to make them lower (if one wants to) one has to manually edit mission file like Lexx suggested. But this is no issue.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Stary

[Murphy'S 15]

how can we set a flight based on the same carrier you take off from to appear on the carrier one minute after your own launch. (already tried but no joy til now)

 

ps: sorry for the cross post

[+PureBlue 71]

I think it's because the ME assigns flights with a variable "time on target". The option to set start time (from mission start), is not available.

so it somehow determines how the battle is setup, sometimes the other flights will have negative start times, and they will be in the air already, when you're just taxiing..

 

of course you can always save the mission and edit the file with notepad, and set the start times as you like. But I wish this option was readily available in ME.

Edited December 10, 2010 by pureblue

[Stratos 3,186]

Anyone already added a working SAM site? SA-2 for example.

[+Brain32 265]

I did, SA-2 and HAWK.

Also tanks, AA guns and stuff.

I made a really cool mission Shakak vs MiG-21PFM in the Syrian valley in which I placed two dozens 57mm AA guns...crazy show time

[+EricJ 4,189]

I've added a Tunguska during an Afghan strike mission. Wasn't particularly exciting since I jammed it before I shot it with a Maverick.

 

Also, the ME reads your aircraft's loadout.ini file, which is good since you can make theater specific loadouts (for use with that mission) rather than always having to mod the base one.

 

Been having issues with AI strike missions, they tend to fly past the point in the same direction, something I'm missing or a bug?

Edited December 12, 2010 by EricJ

[+DanW 32]

Make sure you add a FAN SONG radar next to your SA-2 sites. They won't fire without the radar close by.

[+Dave 2,321]

So with the editor you have to add all the SAM's yourself? It doesnt use the targets.ini and populates them automatically?

 

 

[+EricJ 4,189]

It does but if you want to add additional SAMs

[+Brain32 265]

Can you clone stuff? I didn't notice such option but that would be super awsome...

[+EricJ 4,189]

I don't think so, have to do it the hard way...

[Stratos 3,186]

So to add a SA-2 site, I need to add the launchers plus a FAN SONG radar? Is that all?

[+EricJ 4,189]

Looks like it, but remember to place it near a map objective. OR for mission Editor's sake, make a map "target" and place the SAM site near it for your CAS objective. That may be a workaround.

[+EricJ 4,189]

http://combatace.com/topic/61294-quick-guide-to-the-mission-editor-for-exp2/

 

Quick Guide I wrote up

[+EricJ 4,189]

Added generating CAS flights.

[+PureBlue 71]

Here's something I've bumped across:

 

The MissionEditor won't let me place any objects on the outer %10 of the length/width of the map.

You can get the crosshairs to point inside this imaginery border, when you zoom in. But if you place something, it will move to the edge of this %10.

 

I have an airfield which is out there on the eastern edge and It doesn't show up on the pulldown menu for friendly airfields.

(Position=117900.000000,698000.000000) in a 1304x1304km map.

 

I played with the border setting under [worldsettings], flightengine.ini. but that's not it..

Edited December 21, 2010 by pureblue