HOW TO CHANGE DATE IN SINGLE MISSION ODS MOD?

[JamesWilson 13]

Hi everyone,

I need help to change the date in "single mission" in the amazing ODS (Operation Desert Storm) mod for SF2

It lets me choose between years 1990-1991-1992

As soon as i end a mission and, for example, i get a medal or an award, it ofc says the date the sortie has been done...

The problem is: since i can only choose the year, and not the month in mission menu, the date is randomically chose (for example i very often get months like august or december, even if the war had been fought only between the second half of January and February 1991, not any other month)

How can i choose the month and day i want to fly for a single mission? So that i can choose the actual days the war happened instead of random 1991 months?

I hope i explained well and that a solution can be found.

I already tried changing Start Year and End Year date with January 1991 and February 1991, but nothing happened

I truly love this mod, and imho it's absolutely perfect, but this is the only thing that "ruins" a bit (like getting a medal which says i flew over Iran on April 1991) and i'd like to fix it but idk how 

Thank you so much for helping me, seriously 

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

did you try "01/17/1991 " or "January 1991"

 

[JamesWilson 13]

16 minutes ago, daddyairplanes said:

did you try "01/17/1991 " or "January 1991"

 

You mean in Start Year or End Year? Or where?

Btw i already tried January 1991 and 01/17/1991

Even if i edit the Options.ini and save it, it resets to default settings as soon as i boot up the game

Edited June 2, 2021 by JamesWilson

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

ok, it wont take letters very well, so no January

in the options ini its traditionally just teh year (StartYear=). but try doing it in a numeric format, like i did above.

and if you dont want a VERY short campaign i would put that date in the start year area,

[Wrench 9,472]

the mod is designed ONLY be usable in those years. For obvious reasons

[JamesWilson 13]

6 minutes ago, daddyairplanes said:

ok, it wont take letters very well, so no January

in the options ini its traditionally just teh year (StartYear=). but try doing it in a numeric format, like i did above.

and if you dont want a VERY short campaign i would put that date in the start year area,

so like 01/17/91 as start year and 02/28/91 as end year?

does it work?

will the file reset as soon as i start the game?

[JamesWilson 13]

2 minutes ago, Wrench said:

the mod is designed ONLY be usable in those years. For obvious reasons

i know, but i wanted to personally choose the months, since the date i get is random (like august/october/march)

so i wanted to set the sorties between 16th of January 1991 and 28th of February 1991 (when the war actually was)

[+EricJ 3,943]

I don't think it's doable as the game works by years and not by a specific date range (what you're trying to do). So basically what you're trying to do can't happen. You could use the Editor that gives you the ability to change the date but it won't modify the whole mod. That's the only workaround to get what you need.

Edited June 2, 2021 by EricJ

[Wrench 9,472]

Not entirely true ...

Saved single missions are readily editable (sp???). The trick is you have to select you single mission, start it, end it, then SAVE it.

You'll wind up with something like this (btw, this is a sample test mission, so don't try to play it)

Quote

[MissionHeader]
AircraftType=Mig-21MF
MissionMap=Bowl
MissionType=CAP
StartTime=11:30:00
StartDate=04/05/1975

[MissionData]
FriendlyAirActivity=1
EnemyAirActivity=1
FriendlyAirDefenseActivity=3
EnemyAirDefenseActivity=3
PlayerMissionID=1
PlayerPositionID=1
MissionNumber=1
GeneratedMission=FALSE
AdjustStartPosition=FALSE
AdjustBaseWaypoint=FALSE
CreateStaticAircraft=TRUE
CreateHelpFlight=FALSE

[Weather]
WeatherType=CLEAR
WeatherAlt=3962.400146
WeatherThickness=304.800018
HasHighLayer=FALSE
FogAmount=0.600000
ContrailAlt=6400.800293
StartWindDirection=300.000000
StartWindSpeed=3.601108
WindGustingAmount=9.774436

[AircraftMission001]
Name=SHOWTIME
AircraftType=Mig-21MF
Size=1
Alignment=ENEMY
RandomChance=100
MissionType=CAP
TargetArea=
ObjectiveID=0
RatingForSuccess=50
CarrierBased=FALSE
Position=509000.000000,454000.000000,2000.000000
Heading=0.000000
Speed=250.000000
StartTime=0.000000
BaseArea=
Nation=Soveit
FormationType=SovietFighter
PilotTrainingStandard=EXCELLENT
Loadout=AirToAir
AmmoPercent=100
FuelPercent=100
TracerMixRatio=50
Texture=GS
Squadron=
AircraftNumber=19
KillMarking=0

[Callsign]
GroundCallsignID=1
FACCallsignID=1
TACCCallsignID=1

you can see the start date and time are listed, and easily changed with a text editor (Notepad, etc)

But, it can only be done that way. The Game Engine (tm) only allows year choice.

[JamesWilson 13]

18 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I don't think it's doable as the game works by years and not by a specific date range (what you're trying to do). So basically what you're trying to do can't happen. You could use the Editor that gives you the ability to change the date but it won't modify the whole mod. That's the only workaround to get what you need.

Oh damn... :c

[JamesWilson 13]

12 minutes ago, Wrench said:

Not entirely true ...

Saved single missions are readily editable (sp???). The trick is you have to select you single mission, start it, end it, then SAVE it.

You'll wind up with something like this (btw, this is a sample test mission, so don't try to play it)

you can see the start date and time are listed, and easily changed with a text editor (Notepad, etc)

But, it can only be done that way. The Game Engine (tm) only allows year choice.

So technically once i go into single mission i just choose it in "load mission"?

But if i do this way the "random" factor of enemies, objectives etc vanishes right?

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

sorry to get your hopes up. i have seen aircraft data inis with specific dates in them before. i was thinking that maybe getting specific could force it, but looking closer im seeing that entry is ServiceStartYear too. so those specific dates probably dont do squat in either instance. again sorry bout bad info

for the question above

yes on choosing load mission for what you edit. i do it all the time when testing things other than skins and decals. things like B-52G_Strike_17011991, KC-135E_Recon_12121990 etc. you can be very specific on waypoints for everyone, loadouts, altitudes, force compostion etc.

also yes on it locks in what you're up against. i do it to eliminate enemy opposition (no fun checking nav lights or a weps load out if you keep having "a bandit on your six o clock") but what ever you load is whats popping up every time you load. again, useful for me to a point. but it can get boring seeing teh same thing over and over.

[JamesWilson 13]

1 hour ago, daddyairplanes said:

sorry to get your hopes up. i have seen aircraft data inis with specific dates in them before. i was thinking that maybe getting specific could force it, but looking closer im seeing that entry is ServiceStartYear too. so those specific dates probably dont do squat in either instance. again sorry bout bad info

for the question above

yes on choosing load mission for what you edit. i do it all the time when testing things other than skins and decals. things like B-52G_Strike_17011991, KC-135E_Recon_12121990 etc. you can be very specific on waypoints for everyone, loadouts, altitudes, force compostion etc.

also yes on it locks in what you're up against. i do it to eliminate enemy opposition (no fun checking nav lights or a weps load out if you keep having "a bandit on your six o clock") but what ever you load is whats popping up every time you load. again, useful for me to a point. but it can get boring seeing teh same thing over and over.

don't worry for bad info, no problem at all

btw yeah the mission is the same every single time, but the months and days are correct if edit them, so it's not a great problem

maybe is not like choosing month and day from random single mission, but it doesn't matter, it's still amazing :D

[+Menrva 4,001]

What's the fuss all about? The ODS package I released allows to select months (from August 1990 to February 1991), not years. It's part of the included menu mod, it makes use of a function from TW's First Eagles.

If he's talking about the older ODS packages, I won't provide support for those as they are not my work.

11 hours ago, EricJ said:

I don't think it's doable as the game works by years and not by a specific date range (what you're trying to do). So basically what you're trying to do can't happen.

Not true.

 

PS: Please, refrain from writing topic titles all in caps, it's just impolite. We're not blind, we can read and we do read, and we reply where we have something significant to say. Thanks.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Menrva

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

14 hours ago, JamesWilson said:

.

The problem is: since i can only choose the year, and not the month in mission menu, the date is randomically chose (for example i very often get months like august or december, even if the war had been fought only between the second half of January and February 1991, not any other month)

well, if ODS30AE the secondary test crew (also known as an end user) has found something the primary has not.  whether its specific to them and their system or a general issue is another question

 

4 hours ago, Menrva said:

If he's talking about the older ODS packages, I won't provide support for those as they are not my work.

to actually read the post its not clear which he is talking about, while he doesnt say the 30AE edition many people would just shorten to ODS. yes, its not correct but thats how most people in the world do. im inclined to believe he's talking the new version given all he praise he gives it and the flying over Iran in April mention. but it doesnt say for certain, even to say new or old

 and theres no need to be offended by questions like this. once its out, people are going to tinker with it to make it to their particular taste. everyone starts somewhere, whether its adding a decal to look more like real life or altering dates. those small steps (and the support or lack of the person gets) can be the difference between someone that becomes a new modder in our very small community or someone that talks about how SF2 is old and dated. the difference between tinkering and modding is the experience level

nice bit incorporating First Eagles into SF2 though. i see quite a few things and thought it could be done, but couldnt remember where id seen it

 

[+Menrva 4,001]

2 hours ago, daddyairplanes said:

im inclined to believe he's talking the new version given all he praise he gives it and the flying over Iran in April mention. but it doesnt say for certain, even to say new or old

No, I can confirm he has not downloaded ODS 30AE, so he's definitely talking about older ODS mods which are not my work. If he was using the latest ODS 30AE package, he wouldn't ask a question about a (seemingly non existent) feature which is already included by default and works as intended.

2 hours ago, daddyairplanes said:

well, if ODS30AE the secondary test crew (also known as an end user) has found something the primary has not.  whether its specific to them and their system or a general issue is another question

Please, let's not add further confusion to other readers and imply that ODS 30AE has issues it does not have. JamesWilson is talking about the old ODS mod package by eburger69, which is totally unrelated to ODS 30AE. If he can only select years (like in stock SF2) and not specific months, then that is not ODS 30AE.

@daddyairplanes No offense, but you've been in the development team of ODS 30AE, so it surprises me that you don't even know about its features.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Menrva

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

25 minutes ago, Menrva said:

No, I can confirm he has not downloaded ODS 30AE, so he's definitely talking about older ODS mods which are not my work. If he was using the latest ODS 30AE package, he wouldn't ask a question about a (seemingly non existent) feature which is already included by default and works as intended.

ok. then maybe share your trick so that we can get a new modder started down the path. dont just shush him over his question because the new one is better.

27 minutes ago, Menrva said:

No offense, but you've been in the development team of ODS 30AE, so it surprises me that you don't even know about its features.

true. but i havent played it much period since january, am busy with RL and setting up installs on my new computer (cherry picking from huge installs into many more but era/region focused installs). i had forgotten about that and also didnt do much menu related work. plus most of what i did was on my main SF2 install, then transferred at the end to you and my 30AE install. i just fired up first time in a month, and oh yeah, it does that.

its one thing to see the feature in action though, another to know whats going on behind the scenes. decalling is the simplest thing to me, yet we have at least 1 question a month on how they work. i try not to get mad at them anymore, but point out where they can learn if basic knowledge, and answer if something not so basic.

The work done on 30AE is amazing and has many things that advance the game, between guruu's helicopter work (and fastest carrier made iirc) to your menu work and much much more. it doesnt just enhance the 30AE mod itself but has potential the entirety of the community.

[JamesWilson 13]

15 hours ago, Menrva said:

What's the fuss all about? The ODS package I released allows to select months (from August 1990 to February 1991), not years. It's part of the included menu mod, it makes use of a function from TW's First Eagles.

If he's talking about the older ODS packages, I won't provide support for those as they are not my work.

Not true.

 

PS: Please, refrain from writing topic titles all in caps, it's just impolite. We're not blind, we can read and we do read, and we reply where we have something significant to say. Thanks.

I'm sorry, i didn't mean to be impolite nor presume you wouldn't have read.

Yes i meant the old ODS mod

I got a question: if playing your mod, i choose for example January 1991, may i also get dates like before the actual operation which started the 17th?

Thanks and forgive me again

[JamesWilson 13]

10 hours ago, daddyairplanes said:

well, if ODS30AE the secondary test crew (also known as an end user) has found something the primary has not.  whether its specific to them and their system or a general issue is another question

 

to actually read the post its not clear which he is talking about, while he doesnt say the 30AE edition many people would just shorten to ODS. yes, its not correct but thats how most people in the world do. im inclined to believe he's talking the new version given all he praise he gives it and the flying over Iran in April mention. but it doesnt say for certain, even to say new or old

 and theres no need to be offended by questions like this. once its out, people are going to tinker with it to make it to their particular taste. everyone starts somewhere, whether its adding a decal to look more like real life or altering dates. those small steps (and the support or lack of the person gets) can be the difference between someone that becomes a new modder in our very small community or someone that talks about how SF2 is old and dated. the difference between tinkering and modding is the experience level

nice bit incorporating First Eagles into SF2 though. i see quite a few things and thought it could be done, but couldnt remember where id seen it

 

I was talking about the old ODS mod, the one it's been out for years now.

I got a question too: once the ODS30AE mod comes out finished, will the old ODS mod be removed from this website?

In theory no, since the ODS30AE is a completely different mod, not related to the old ODS mod right?

So we'll get both on here?

Thanks

[+Menrva 4,001]

7 hours ago, JamesWilson said:

I'm sorry, i didn't mean to be impolite nor presume you wouldn't have read.

I got a question: if playing your mod, i choose for example January 1991, may i also get dates like before the actual operation which started the 17th?

Thanks and forgive me again

No worries, it's just that topic titles don't need to be in caps, that's the equivalent of shouting. You were not impolite in your following questions, so all is cool.

As for the question, yes, you may get missions before January 17th. Nothing we can do about this, especially since we allow missions from August 1990 by design. You can only specify a start date and end date, nothing in between for each single month. If you don't like the date of a created mission, just go back to the single mission screen and let the game create a new one. If you want a more realistic and historically accurate experience, you should play the campaign mode instead. I'm talking about ODS 30AE, the old mod was very inaccurate in pretty much everything, campaign data included.

7 hours ago, JamesWilson said:

I got a question too: once the ODS30AE mod comes out finished, will the old ODS mod be removed from this website?

In theory no, since the ODS30AE is a completely different mod, not related to the old ODS mod right?

So we'll get both on here?

Even if ODS 30AE surpasses the old mod in quality, we are in no position to remove the old one, it would be just wrong and not respectful to the amount of effort put in past years by other modders. There should be no confusion about which is the most recent, since you can see when each was uploaded at their respective download page.

[+daddyairplanes 8,689]

could ask Erik to make an archive section in the downloads section though.

keeps the older stuff out there, but more for research purposes for the modders. there are several aircraft and other files that are duplicated with the newer and older releases. if nothing else it would cut down search time to put the older ones into the Jedi archives

[JamesWilson 13]

On 4/6/2021 at 9:40 AM, Menrva said:

No worries, it's just that topic titles don't need to be in caps, that's the equivalent of shouting. You were not impolite in your following questions, so all is cool.

As for the question, yes, you may get missions before January 17th. Nothing we can do about this, especially since we allow missions from August 1990 by design. You can only specify a start date and end date, nothing in between for each single month. If you don't like the date of a created mission, just go back to the single mission screen and let the game create a new one. If you want a more realistic and historically accurate experience, you should play the campaign mode instead. I'm talking about ODS 30AE, the old mod was very inaccurate in pretty much everything, campaign data included.

Even if ODS 30AE surpasses the old mod in quality, we are in no position to remove the old one, it would be just wrong and not respectful to the amount of effort put in past years by other modders. There should be no confusion about which is the most recent, since you can see when each was uploaded at their respective download page.

oh ok, thank you very very much

So both mods will have a separate download page and no one of the two will ever be removed from this website correct?

[Wrench 9,472]

yes. 

as was stated before, the date of upload is a dead giveaway as to "what happened when"