Mission Building For Dummies

[Beebop-RIP]

Hi, it's me again.  After a couple of months of flying BoS/BoM/BoK I am getting into mission making, specifically dogfight missions.  I tried using the Easy Mission Generator, (a really good program by the way) but then wanted to make the missions more immersive and increase the chance of actually meeting the AI it puts in the mission, usually far away from where you are.

I already have the following manuals:

* Prangster's  Mission Building Guide

* Il-2 Sturmovik Mission Editor and Multiplayer Server Manual

I also have a very simple Basic Mission Guide for SP missions which does the kind of thing I'm looking for but does not go into Multiplayer/Dogfight missions.  I forgot where I got it, a link in the IL-2 Sturmovik forums.

I have watched Youtube tutorials by supanova, Sktech5051, Frog, Ian Jeremiah and Vapor8bit (one of the more helpful).

Here's the problem.  ALL of them assume you have more than a noob's knowledge of the ME.  They say things like "I connected that using Shift Key".  What key?  Just using the Shift key didn't do anything.  I have no idea what that means.  Most of what I do know so far has been like a blind man moving about in a dark room and I know that is the most common way to learn this "Made For A Rocket Scientist" mission editor.  I have found a good bit of the ME manuals and video's don't work as shown and that some functions have changed such as key combo's etc.

So, is there a CLEAR guide to mission making that takes you literally step-by-step on how to make a mission, showing you where to click, what to click then why to use it.  I understand using Linked Entity's, adding and connecting waypoints, using timers and Translator MCU's but there is SO much more.  All that I have learned has been literally, by accident.

Am I asking to be lazy?  After all this time isn't there a "Complete Idiot's Guide To Great Battles Mission Building"?  I know it's like much of the game, a work in progress but if I could get a less frustrating way to get a handle on the ME I could deal with the incremental changes updates bring.

So if I am just trying to be lazy just tell me to STFU and RTFM.  I'll understand.

Th' Bopster

 

 

 

[FoolTrottel]

You are WAAAYYYY ahead of me, that I am sure of!

(Does that help?)

[Beebop-RIP]

LOL FT.  I got pretty durn good at mission building in 1946.  In Great Battles I'm tearing my hair out.  (thank god i'm not going bald...but that may change) 😬

[FoolTrottel]

Yep, 1946 is fine and under control for me too ... GBS ... not so much. One just needs to switch and think differently there. I have not done that yet.

(Instead of causing a lack of hair situation, I quickly go and move to other things.)

I know APHill and maybe Perfesser are better at it ... 

[DD_Arthur]

FT you hero, you've added all the new planes to our DF server!

Last night I cleared my dogfight folder and started downloading the missions as they came up on the server in order to add the planes manually and then realised - after six weeks of not fiddling with the mission editor - that I've forgotten how to use it

[FoolTrottel]

6 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

FT you hero, you've added all the new planes to our DF server!

Last night I cleared my dogfight folder and started downloading the missions as they came up on the server in order to add the planes manually and then realised - after six weeks of not fiddling with the mission editor - that I've forgotten how to use it

Downloading them might not suffice, as you do not get the .mission file with them? Takes special action to open the .msbin file... as in ... type the name+extension msbin in the File Open Dialog box...  

[DD_Arthur]

2 minutes ago, FoolTrottel said:

 Takes special action to open the .msbin file... as in ... type the name+extension msbin in the File Open Dialog box...  

Ahhh...yes - that was what I couldn't bloody remember!  Doh

[FoolTrottel]

Yeah, I always try and leave .mission out, for performance purposes - when there's lotsa dogs joining ...