New Server Mission Uploaded With Exciting New Features (well I think so anyway!)

[Friar]

Posted on DML thread. cfrag has replied to say caused by unannounced change to the way some data is sent to one of the tables.

He has posted new scripts to fix this issue.

I will add them into the missions and re-upload.

He ended by saying that there may be others but bear with me I will get the fixes in as soon as I can.

[Friar]

UPDATE 23RD JULY 2024

Syria 10:00hrs only

• Added option to take LSO and Carrier Boss slots on Theodore Roosevelt (who wants to be first to kick a hard left just as Fen comes into land?)
• Corrected spawn positions for some planes as pointed out by @delta7
• Added EWR for enemy AI planes. "They do not know who you are but they will find you and they will kill you".

[Friar]

UPDATE 7TH AUGUST 2024

Syria Map

New scenario now available (built without DML so no script issues / crashes like before);

Welcome to NATO Operations Turkiye / Cyprus Air Force Bases

From here we will be launching our attacks on Syria.

MISSION SESSION 1
===============

Objectives For Mission (In No Special Order)

Secure Control Of The Skies
Strike Military and Tactical Ground Targets
Capture Harim Town
Capture Aleppo Town
Capture Aleppo Airfield

To capture an enemy location blue forces must be superior to occupying red forces. 

Tactical and Military Targets available for "Ground Pounding"

• Aleppo
  • Logistics Park
  • Train Station
  • Tv and Radio Stations
  • Weapons Store
• Al Safirah
  • SAM Site
  • Scientific Research Center
  • Military Base
  • Missile Store
• Jablah Hydro Electric Station
• Hin Shinshar Chemical Weapons Bunker
• Khirbet
  • Chemical Weapons Bunker
  • AAA Site
  • SAm SIte
• Palmyra Weapons Storage.

Pre-configured Way-points (You can of course plan your own)

HATAY HELICOPTERS
=============
WP01 - Home
WP02 and 03- Harim Town
WP04 - Aleppo Town
WP05 - Aleppo Airfield

INCIRCLIK AIRCRAFT (AIR TO GROUND)
========================
WP01 - Home
WP02 - Aleppo Town
WP03 - Aleppo TV / Radio Stations
WP04 - Aleppo Airfield
WP05 - Aleppo Weapon Storage
WP06 - Al Safirah SAM/Research Centre/Missile Storage/Military Base

AKROTIRI AIRCRAFT (AIR TO GROUND)
========================
WP01 - Home
WP02 - Jablah Hydro Electric Station
WP03 - Hin Shinsha Chemical Storage
WP04 - Khirbet Chemical Store/AAA/SAM Site
WP05 - Palmyra Weapons Store

GAME PLAY INFORMATION
================
Aircraft designated "(A2A)" when selected will spawn enemy aircraft flights.
Aircraft designated "(A2G)" will not. That is not to say they will not be attacked if someone else has spawned enemy AI.
You can of course set a load-out for ground attack on an "A2A" designated plane and vice-versa but taking off in an "A2A" designated plane will trigger the AI flights.

Town and airfield capture zones are marked by a dotted ring.

TROOP TRANSPORT
==============
Only Hueys can transport troops. They can be picked up from HATAY in the area marked. Once dropped they can not be picked up again (unlike with DML).
Once Harim has been captured they can also be picked up by Hueys from the new RRR area.

If the mission objectives are achieved I will endeavor to produce a new scenario rolling the map on with new objectives for the next session.

[Friar]

...But we may not have it all our own way.....

 

[Friar]

Area of Operations

 

[Friar]

UPDATE 11TH AUGUST 2024

Syria Campaign Map

• Added CH-47F (Chinhook)
• I now have a better understanding of how standard DCS troop transport works so have introduced the following
  • Troops can be transported by Huey or Hook.
  • Troops are provided in Sections of 6 (intended for the Huey) and Platoons of 24 (intended for the Hook)
  • As at this release there are a finite number of troops available. 4 x Sections of 6 and 4 x Platoons of 24. Units can not be spawned in repeatedly. Once these units are used or killed. That is it for this mission session. (I am looking to add more units based on territory capture)
  • Each helicopter is assigned a unit to pick-up at spawn in. For example - "Mission Update - Pilot of Huey-1 you have been assigned 82nd Airborne Section-1"
  • You can now however load more than 1 unit (if your capacity allows) should you wish.
  • Troops can only be picked up and dropped off at specific points on the map. I have created Green zones for pick-up and Orange zones for deployment.
  • The two zones are linked via way-points for the troops. For example troops picked up at the green zone in Hatay can only be deployed to the Orange zone at Harim. Once deployed they will follow their own way-points to achieve their objective. They will head for Harim town.
  • If you deploy your troops anywhere else they will make their way to what should have been their next way-point. You can not pick-up and drop off ad-hoc like we could with DML
  • Once they have achieved their objective they will proceed to a Green zone ready for extraction.
  • There may be more than 1 group of troops waiting for extraction at the Green zone. So for example if you are in a Hook and there are 3x6 Sections waiting, you could pick them all up in one go if no one else is playing that role.
• Added MC 2000 back in

[Friar]

UPDATE 12TH AUGUST 2024

Syrian Template V3

• Change to the way troops are generated for picking-up
• Added new Orphanage building right next to Aleppo TV and Radio stations which MUST NOT be hit! if you fancy a precision bombing exercise. Shutting down the countries communication channels should be a high priority on the tactical strike targets agenda.
• Added allied convoy heading to the area of Fence Gate Post 2 to facilitate a FOB for helicopter RRR and troop pick-up (giving shorter flight times).

The limitations and the potential for issues for pilots repeatedly wanting to pick-up troops was bugging me (a player crashes after take-off for example or on landing attempting to deploy the troops and needs to go again). 

After trying different solutions I have finally settled on one that works quite well. It is probably overkill for what will be used but it has taught me the logic on how to do such things without using scripts. I can if required scale it back if it proves to be an issue.

Players wanting to transport troops will now do so by first going into the Communication menu and selecting F10 "Other". In there will be the options to request a Section (group of 6) or a Platoon (group of 24). Each pick-up location will have its own item in the menu. At the start there will be only two, one for "Request Hatay Section" and one for "Request Hatay Platoon".  

As other positions become available for initial troop pick-up menu options will be added dynamically. For example I have added a new allied convoy that will depart from Hatay and head towards Fence Gate Post Two. When (and if) it arrives it will facilitate RRR for helicopters plus eventually the option to pick-up more troops for location capture deployment.

When the option is selected the next available unit of the chosen type will be enabled and stood ready for boarding at the compound. There are now 8 Sections available for pickup and 5 Platoons. A player in the Hook could for example request 4 sections be made ready. In game there are 4 Huey slots and 4 Hook slots.

This request can either be made once you have landed in the compound or before you have taken off. It does not matter.

Once the maximum number of Sections and Platoons available have been requested for the location the option to request them will be removed from the menu for that pick-up zone.

I would suggest one Section per Huey (I think the game will allow you to take more but lets try and keep it real) and a maximum of 24 troops (either 1 Platoon or 4 Sections) for the Chinook. Again the loadout capacity / availability is higher. Plus I have not yet tested the impact to the server once a platoon is deployed and makes its way to the target area with the potential for all the soldiers to be firing.

If the game struggles to move the Platoon correctly I may have to do away with the Platoon option and just have lots more Sections.

To board the troops there is a standard DCS option on the Comms menu "Airborne Troops". You select that, then "Embark", This gives you another option called "Embarking" where you are able to select the name of the group you wish to board from those that have been made ready. For example if two of you have landed and have both requested Sections they will both be listed for both players so some cooperation is required.

Once selected they will run towards you and "board" your helicopter. You will receive a notification message once they are all aboard.

To disembark the troops there will now be an option for Disembark and Disembarking where you select the name of the unit you wish to unload. Once unloaded they will head towards their given waypoint(s), which is why we now have to unload in specific areas (labelled and designated on the F10 map in Orange with triangles around the edge. The pick-up zones are Green with squares around the edge)

I appreciate these recent updates are heavily Helicopter focused but if anyone wants to suggest other scenarios for the fixed wing jockeys I am more than willing to try and accommodate them. For example it was an idea from Fenrir and Fruitbat about splitting the A2A and A2G and also having enemy AI attacking our bases, which was put in for the previous update.  

Salute

Friar

[fruitbat]

Real men beat gravity into submission in hellos, rather than pussy flying in things that glide.....😉

[Friar]

UPDATE 23RD AUGUST 2024

Syria Campaign M1 (Mission 1 - Harim / Aleppo Airfield)

• Added ability via comms F10 "Other" to "Request More Enemy AI"
• Made enemy AI more random. When an A2A plane is taken (or a request made) one of the enemy airfields is picked at random then a flight of planes at that airfield is picked at random to spawn in.

These features will be carried forward to other Syria Campaign missions.

Friar.

[Friar]

Added option to re-start the mission as well.

[delta7]

Does the Syria mission restart? I thought it was to be a persistent campaign with objectives to destroy and capture however when I was trying out F5 yesterday it seemed that all the air defence had reactivated at alleppo. Or is it still in trial mode?

[Friar]

I have not added "Persistence" yet. The server will roll the mission at 01:00 and 12:00. 

You can always re-start the mission yourself by going into the Comms F10 "other" option and selecting "Mission Commands" and then Re-start.