Dear Devs - Double Down on the Campaign! Sort of!

[No601_Swallow]

As we all know, the campaign isn't a "campaign" as most of us would understand the word. Personally I think it's a mistake to use the word - it's verging on misleading. But!...

 

If we take the campaign for what it really is, a sort of supa-doopa QMB/generator, it's really really cool. Again, as we all know, we feed in some parameters (mission type, starting base, phase of the battle, etc) and - as I understand it - the game uploads these parameters into some uber-server which then spits out a bespoke and unique (I know they conform to a template, but they're potentially unique) mission just for each of us - the players. It's a really great idea - an instant mission. The generator'll keep spitting out missions for as long as you want.

 

So long as we don't think of these missions as a "campaign", they're fun, challenging, atmospheric and great practice. I very much enjoy them, and with tweaking and expansion, they could and should be awesome/legendary/well-wicked/etc.

 

So a couple of suggestions: if the campaign mission generator could spit out coop-enabled missions, it'd be fantastic - perhaps a unique selling point among sims?. A smallish group of friends - say a flight from an online squadron - could fly a few of these objective-based missions together whenever they wanted, particularly if the system could be expanded to include other potential mission types or objectives. It'd be like an MP UQMB from the days of yore.

 

I can even envisage the campaign mission generator assigning objectives to both sides of an MP skermish. The campaign generator would populate the map with airfields, flak positions, searchlights, AI flights, etc, just as it does now. Shazzam! MP Insta-joust!

 

It'd be great fun. It'd probably be difficult to achieve technically, but given the foundation that's already been laid with the "campaign", I don't see why such an expanded tool couldn't be built.

 

Obviously, it's not a "campaign", it's not a dgen/etc/etc campaign. As I say, it's more akin to the UQMB, but it'd still be great.

 

So, dear Devs, while you're working on the Ju cockpit  , get cracking! 

 

[sorry this post is sooo long.]

 

[And obviously, this topic isn't about unlocks. Could we perhaps just this once not...? Etc,etc]

Edited January 24, 2015 by No601_Swallow

[Leaf]

Coop campaigns will/would be awesome!

 

Coming to think of it, that's an idea: coop missions that can be used to unlock things. 
[Let's face it, it's not gonna happen, but I think it'd be cool.]

[Rjel]

I think this is a great idea. And it would be a way to use the "campaign generator" as it stands right now but in a slightly repackaged way. Had it been offered as a random mission generator instead, I think most would've been thrilled with it.

 

This discussion was pretty good, along these same lines. There probably have been others.

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/11273-single-player-campaign-thread-without-talking-about-unlocks/page-2?hl=%2Brjel+%2Bmissions&do=findComment&comment=172824

[Cloyd]

I think this is a great idea. And it would be a way to use the "campaign generator" as it stands right now but in a slightly repackaged way. Had it been offered as a random mission generator instead, I think most would've been thrilled with it.

+1. It just needs more templates. I'm sure that's a lot of work, but the "generator" is already there.

 

Cloyd

[Jason_Williams]

An online COOP campaign generator has occurred to us, but it is a big undertaking we are not in a position to pursue at the moment.

 

Jason

[LittleJP]

An online COOP campaign generator has occurred to us, but it is a big undertaking we are not in a position to pursue at the moment.

 

Jason

 

 

:sadface:

[Beazil]

/agreed.

What makes it such a big undertaking? Curious because I'd love to hear your vision.

[No601_Swallow]

Thanks for responding, Jason. Perhaps further down the road.

 

But it might be worth reiterating that the campaign mission generator perhaps has great potential as a coop engine. The missions are all objective-orientated. There's a task or target. This makes even the existing mission templates very well-suited to coop play.

 

And I do like the idea of automatically generating beautifully populated atmospheric scenarios for small teams of red v blue, as well. Of course, when the ME comes down the line, we'll be able to set up these things for ourselves. It's just that this kind of thing seems an easy and natural fit for the campaign mission generator. It'd be a feather in the BoS cap - the sort of thing that's cool, that we'd boast of to squadron mates, and so on. 

 

It would be easy, fun and a great showcase for what BoS is capable of. Anyway, I for one hope that development on the campaign mission generator continues. It's a great great tool.

Edited January 25, 2015 by No601_Swallow

[wtornado]

Thanks for responding, Jason. Perhaps further down the road.

 

But it might be worth reiterating that the campaign mission generator perhaps has great potential as a coop engine. The missions are all objective-orientated. There's a task or target. This makes even the existing mission templates very well-suited to coop play.

 

And I do like the idea of automatically generating beautifully populated atmospheric scenarios for small teams of red v blue, as well. Of course, when the ME comes down the line, we'll be able to set up these things for ourselves. It's just that this kind of thing seems an easy and natural fit for the campaign mission generator. It'd be a feather in the BoS cap - the sort of thing that's cool, that we'd boast of to squadron mates, and so on. 

 

It would be easy, fun and a great showcase for what BoS is capable of. Anyway, I for one hope that development on the campaign mission generator continues. It's a great great tool.

I personally think a COOP generator would be a short coming.FMB with COOP capability would be more practical.

 

If you have built missions and you have been a host online you have to take into account of the population(objects) in the mission itself

and you look at the pings of the players connecting to determine from experience what coop you can play with creating excessive

lag for them on you're server their pings affect game play immensely in a populated  COOP .

 

Choosing a COOP with too many planes in itself could be disastrous when playing a COOP with just a few players with high pings.

 

You would get the Captain Kirk effect with the planes and especially AI planes warping for high ping players.

 

 

When I say populated I am referring to the amount of objects,targets and planes in the mission.

 

QMB generators do not give you that option to control the ingame population although they save the builder a lot of time creating.

 

                                                                                                                               439th_WTornado

Edited January 25, 2015 by WTornado

[No601_Swallow]

I personally think a COOP generator would be a short coming.FMB with COOP capability would be more practical.

 

If you have built missions and you have been a host online you have to take into account of the population(objects) in the mission itself

and you look at the pings of the players connecting to determine from experience what coop you can play with creating excessive

lag for them on you're server their pings affect game play immensely in a populated  COOP...

 

 

 

I'm taking it for granted that we'll get an FMB capable of making coop/MP missions. It would be inconceivable for this not be the case!

 

But I'm lazy. Why populate a map when there's a wonderful auto-generator to do it for you?    The campaign mission generator gizmo would allow you to fly custom missions with your friends with no work at all! What's not to like?!

 

(I take your point about mission builders optimising missions for performance and compatibility reasons, but I suspect (and hope) that the campaign mission generator is - or could be - adapted to take these factors into account. A GUI complexity slider, for instance might be all that's needed!)

[Jason_Williams]

Actually I was speaking about more than just a COOP system, but an online war using a COOP generator. These kinds of things might be possible in the future, but they are a good size commitment.

 

Jason

[KoN_]

An online War would be great , log in with personal stats and kills with historic medals ect .. now that would be good .

[wtornado]

Actually I was speaking about more than just a COOP system, but an online war using a COOP generator. These kinds of things might be possible in the future, but they are a good size commitment.

 

Jason

A COOP online war generator is one thing and is great.Being able to have the capability to run you're own COOPs

with friends with just the click of a button would be nice too.

 

I bought ARMA 3 when it came out.There were no servers because the game was hard to run just by itself

let alone starting a server.

 

I never seen such an up cry on their forums or on any forum from such devoted ARMA fans that bought the game.

 

Well the ARMA devs did it.And it is a fun game to play really fun and you have coop server capability.

 

Well there were 5768 servers running last night when I played ARMA 3.