IL2 Great Battles Easy Mission Generator

[SYN_Vander]

47 minutes ago, littlepe said:

Hi Vander - thanks for reply. 

After creating a mission in the Generator  - The only way I can get the mission to appear in the game under 'Mission' is to load it in the editor and then 'save as' under a different name.  I then played it and it worked perfectly.

 

I then used the generator to create a different mission.  Went into the game  - but the 'Syn-gen' mission had not changed from the first.  I went back to the editor and once again did the 'save-as'  - went back into the game and it had changed to the new mission which loaded OK. 

 

When I tried to generate a Rhineland bombing mission  - the only aircraft it offers me are the HE 111 H16 (which is a Kuban map a/c) or the JU88 (which is a Moscow map a/c) - neither of which I have. 

 

Forgive me if any of this is newbie error stuff - I am elderly and not completely tech savvy. ?

Thanks for reporting. I had a similar thing happening and then it seemed a space in the mission name caused this. Perhaps check the name. Otherwise, please post the mission.

 

In the “Bombing” scenario the bombers will level bomb the target from altitude which is something only these planes can do realistically. If you want to select another aircraft, unselect “Historical planes”.

[littlepe]

Yes that did it.  It didn't like the 'SYN_Generator' file name - I didn't realise you could change it in the generator - oops.  And de-selecting historical allowed me to use the He111 you get with Stalingrad. 

One last thing - can changing the weapon load only be done in the editor?  I don't think you can re-arm in game?

 

Many thanks for your efforts - great program.

16 minutes ago, littlepe said:

Yes that did it.  It didn't like the 'SYN_Generator' file name - I didn't realise you could change it in the generator - oops.  And de-selecting historical allowed me to use the He111 you get with Stalingrad. 

One last thing - can changing the weapon load only be done in the editor?  I don't think you can re-arm in game?

 

Many thanks for your efforts - great program.

Sorry Vander - found the manual - and now  see you can change the load on mission start - thanks again.

[SYN_Vander]

31 minutes ago, littlepe said:

Yes that did it.  It didn't like the 'SYN_Generator' file name - I didn't realise you could change it in the generator - oops.  And de-selecting historical allowed me to use the He111 you get with Stalingrad. 

One last thing - can changing the weapon load only be done in the editor?  I don't think you can re-arm in game?

 

Many thanks for your efforts - great program.

Sorry Vander - found the manual - and now  see you can change the load on mission start - thanks again.

 

Thanks..

 

Now I understand you were trying to select the other He-111 variant. I can add that to the Kuban and Rhineland maps as well. Is there any particular reason why you would want to choose the older He-111 variant? I assumed "newer = better"  

[SYN_Vander]

33 minutes ago, Beebop said:

Not always.  America got a newer President a while back.....

 

"Assumptions are the mother of all .... "

[littlepe]

No - it is just that I don't have the Kuban map which gives you the newer H111 , I have the Rhineland Map - but have to use the H111 that comes with the Stalingrad Map.

[SYN_Vander]

2 hours ago, littlepe said:

No - it is just that I don't have the Kuban map which gives you the newer H111 , I have the Rhineland Map - but have to use the H111 that comes with the Stalingrad Map.

 

Ah yes.... I see.

[w00dy]

I wonder if anyone can help, when I create a coop mission to fly a Me 262, it always puts me on a grass airfield. Yet I'm sure when I first created a coop 262 mission I was on a run way. 

 

Is their a way to always start on a runway and not a grass field?

 

I've tried different time periods at the top of the generator and of course I'm setting the correct map for the 262.

[EAF51_Triple1]

The application window appears truncated without the possibility of getting off ?

 

[littlepe]

HI Vander.  I wonder if you can help.

 

I simply want to create waypoints in a mission i am creating - simple waypoints that a player aircraft can fly to and see on the map - and when the waypoint is reached - next waypoint appears - and so on.  No triggered actions  - just that.

 

I have read numerous aids and watched vids - but they all seem to concentrate on AI aircraft doing things.  Not just a simple flight plan to follow.

 

Appreciate any help.

 

I have been steered towards 'translator icon' set as a waypoint and i think that is what i see in your missions - but i cannot link them to my aircraft.

Edited June 23, 2020 by littlepe
new info

[vonGraf]

8 hours ago, EAF51_Triple1 said:

The application window appears truncated without the possibility of getting off ?

 

 

Click on the 'Red Star' or the 'German Cross' and the related menu get shut and the whole window becomes smaller.

[SYN_Vander]

On 6/22/2020 at 12:08 PM, w00dy said:

I wonder if anyone can help, when I create a coop mission to fly a Me 262, it always puts me on a grass airfield. Yet I'm sure when I first created a coop 262 mission I was on a run way. 

 

Is their a way to always start on a runway and not a grass field?

 

I've tried different time periods at the top of the generator and of course I'm setting the correct map for the 262.

 

There are simply not that many large, concrete runways. Try choosing the "far behind the lines" airfield option.

13 hours ago, littlepe said:

HI Vander.  I wonder if you can help.

 

I simply want to create waypoints in a mission i am creating - simple waypoints that a player aircraft can fly to and see on the map - and when the waypoint is reached - next waypoint appears - and so on.  No triggered actions  - just that.

 

I have read numerous aids and watched vids - but they all seem to concentrate on AI aircraft doing things.  Not just a simple flight plan to follow.

 

Appreciate any help.

 

I have been steered towards 'translator icon' set as a waypoint and i think that is what i see in your missions - but i cannot link them to my aircraft.

 

"translater" ( a weird name for a particular class of mission objects) Icons are just that: Icons. You can use them to show a flight plan on the map, but they are not used by any logic.

 

So do you want to display a flight plan on the map for the player? Or should the AI (or your plane flown by autopilot) be able to fly the waypoints? 

[Rjel]

I finally installed your mission generator. Very impressive. The first mission was excellent with multiple types of allied and enemy aircraft in the air. Lots of action seen. Flak bursts popping up in multiple directions. It all had a very movie like quality to it. Add to that, my machine was still running at 120 FPS most of time, nary a glitch or stutter. I think this mission showed me as much as anything how good this sim has become.

 

Thank you for this excellent tool.

[littlepe]

Just a flight plan for the single mission player - shown on the in game map - and like your missions a yellow icon floating in the sky with the distance to waypoint - and when you reach that waypoint a new icon appears at the next waypoint.

 

I have tried to study one of your missions in the editor which appears to have the yellow translator icon labelled as waypoint 1  - object connected to the player aircraft - but i could be wrong ?

 

I have created tranlator waypoint icons in my mission - but i cannot connect them to anything either object or target.  In game - they do appear on the map as black dots connected by a line - but no floating icon or distance.

 

 

[Beebop]

What you are seeing is how the game displays the navigation aids.  These can be turned off in Realism settings and unticking "Navigation Aids" or can be modified by using modified icons found in Mods > [Mod] Icons on the forum.

The in-game display cannot be modified using the Mission Editor.  I think what you are referring to is the Translator Icon MCU which when certain properties are applied shows on the players in game GUI map.  They can be Object Linked to each other to produce a gamut of visual effects on the GUI map.

See Chapter 14: Reference, Translator MCU's,  icon Translator, page 255 in the Mission Editor and Multiplayer Server Manual:

I can HIGHLY recommend having and using this manual.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Beebop

[littlepe]

Many thanks Vander & Beebop , you have me sorted and i do appreciate the time you give me.

I eventually found a couple of manuals to read and found this in the one you recommended

 

'Help Pilots Fly a Route
For a singleplayer mission, you can help pilots fly a route by marking points along the route
as follows:
• Mark each point with an icon on the GUI map and draw a line between the icons.
• Mark the next point that the pilot will encounter along the route with a yellow teardrop
symbol in the air and on the GUI map. The distance to the next point is displayed in the
air, beside the symbol.'

 

Exactly what  i was after - Mind you, it is on page 60 of the manual - i wish it had been nearer the front ?  Many thanks to Jim for the manual.

 

The emphasis in both manuals and in You-Tube is on making AI do things.  I dont think i found a single You-Tube tutorial that even mentions a visible flight plan. (and i watched many!)

 

As you know, their is no manuals issued with the game so as a newbie you really have to root around to get the gen - and plead for help from kind Gentlemen such as yourselves - your willingness to assist is much appreciated. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by littlepe
ammend

[Beebop]

1 hour ago, littlepe said:

Mind you, it is on page 60 of the manual - i wish it had been nearer the front

If while in the Table of Contents section you find a topic you want to read about, just place your cursor over the title and left click and you will be instantly transported to the topic.

Also in the upper left hand corner of the page you will see a magnifying glass icon.  Click on it and a box opens on the top right side.  Type the word(s) you are looking for and click the 'Next' box.  If will take you to the first instance of that word.  Keep clicking 'Next' if needed until you get to the subject you are looking for.

 

A couple of time savers I have discovered.

 

ADDENDUM:

 

Here are some excellent mission building videos by Sketch:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Sketch5050/videos

 

And some comprehensive videos by Vapor:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUgWNRKsYnVOtScOUBJuAKA

Check out his video No. 4 for some IAI patrol info.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Beebop

[littlepe]

Great - thanks - lots to look at - hoping for a sale soon - couple of bombers i like the look of.

 

[Beebop]

Get 'em all!  Variety is the spice of life.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Beebop

[JimTM]

4 hours ago, littlepe said:

...

As you know, their is no manuals issued with the game so as a newbie you really have to root around to get the gen - and plead for help from kind Gentlemen such as yourselves - your willingness to assist is much appreciated. 

 

The game manual is the first link under "Game Guides" in this post.

[littlepe]

yes, got it thanks Jim - and thanks for yours - very good

Edited June 24, 2020 by littlepe

[w00dy]

On 6/23/2020 at 9:03 PM, SYN_Vander said:

 

There are simply not that many large, concrete runways. Try choosing the "far behind the lines" airfield option.

 

 

Yes I have tried that and still get a grass run way ☹️

 

It even looks like the same air field, every time I generate a mission. I guess it's only really a problem with the 262, though the Ar 234 may suffer from the same problem.

[SYN_Vander]

I’ll look up which lines/airfield combos can be used (mind you I did test the me262 on grass runways and tried to make the runway length as large as possible).

 

What I want to do anyway is provide an overview of which airfield is used for which front on my website. 
 

3 minutes ago, w00dy said:

 

Yes I have tried that and still get a grass run way ☹️

 

It even looks like the same air field, every time I generate a mission. I guess it's only really a problem with the 262, though the Ar 234 may suffer from the same problem.

 

[w00dy]

1 hour ago, SYN_Vander said:

I’ll look up which lines/airfield combos can be used (mind you I did test the me262 on grass runways and tried to make the runway length as large as possible).

 

What I want to do anyway is provide an overview of which airfield is used for which front on my website. 
 

 

 

Thanks for looking into this

 

It's not so bad taking off with out bombs, it's when the plane is fully loaded when grass runways are a problem.

 

I saw 2 concrete runways tonight near cologne, after I took off from a mission I generated.

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by w00dy

[blue_max]

I was just going to say, I really enjoy taking off from grass runways with a 262, it's a challenge. But I never tried it fully loaded with fuel and bombs haha. Perhaps a warning would be better? I still like the option of grass runways. It should just give me a warning not to take bombs.

[SYN_Vander]

On 6/25/2020 at 12:36 AM, w00dy said:

 

Thanks for looking into this

 

It's not so bad taking off with out bombs, it's when the plane is fully loaded when grass runways are a problem.

 

I saw 2 concrete runways tonight near cologne, after I took off from a mission I generated.

 

 

So I checked again. There are no concrete runways near Cologne, but perhaps you saw the one near Dusseldorf. However, those are only 1000m long and will not help you I think.

In the areas I defined there is only one concrete runway in use and that's the one at Twente. Choose the period "Oct-Nov 44" and the airfield 'far behind the lines'.

 

I double checked but could not find any other concrete strips in the currently defined areas. I'm willing to extend them a bit, but there is nothing close outside the borders either. All the 'big' airfields are just east of Twente and clustered together: Rheine Hopsten Achmer, Hesepe and Vorden, but they would only be an alternative for Twente.

 

Then there are some in the Netehrlands: Deelen, Soesterberg and even Schiphol, but they were not used during the sep 44 - may 45 time frame I think and are too close to the front lines.

Edited June 26, 2020 by SYN_Vander

[w00dy]

Thanks for looking into it, I will try those settings you said.

 

I think even a shorter concrete runway, would be better than a gress field. I wonder if it could be made an option to select a concrete or grass airstrip?

[EAF51_Triple1]

On 6/23/2020 at 9:06 AM, vonGraf said:

 

Click on the 'Red Star' or the 'German Cross' and the related menu get shut and the whole window becomes smaller.

 

YESSS ?

 

Thanks!

[w00dy]

Vander, just to let you know your tip worked

 

Picked period "Oct-Nov 44" and the airfield 'far behind the lines' and got concrete airstrips.

[[AFC]Alfa229]

Hello, so I created two test patrol missions in rheinland but when i check my missions folder, there are no missions for that map. I tried again for the Kuban map, and it worked. Is this a bug or are rheinland maps not supported yet?

[SYN_Vander]

2 hours ago, Alfa229 said:

Hello, so I created two test patrol missions in rheinland but when i check my missions folder, there are no missions for that map. I tried again for the Kuban map, and it worked. Is this a bug or are rheinland maps not supported yet?

Rhineland map is fully supported yes.

Which aircraft did you select as player aircraft? And do you own those aircraft?
How did you name the mission exactly?

Edited June 28, 2020 by SYN_Vander

[[AFC]Alfa229]

57 minutes ago, SYN_Vander said:

Rhineland map is fully supported yes.

Which aircraft did you select as player aircraft? And do you own those aircraft?
How did you name the mission exactly?

My bad, turns out I probably choose the wrong aircraft, upon correction the mission generated just fine.
Also this generator is great.

[SYN_Vander]

52 minutes ago, Alfa229 said:

My bad, turns out I probably choose the wrong aircraft, upon correction the mission generated just fine.
Also this generator is great.

 

Have fun!

[41Sqn_Skipper]

As far as I understood the generator is written in python. Is it possible to run it on a Linux without GUI over an command line call?

 

[TP_Tufty]

Vander,

I’ve been using your generator in coop mode for some time, and think its great,

thanks for its creation, and for sharing it with the community.

I have had one issue today, where I got a “mission could not be created” box come up after several seconds.

After I while, I have pinned it down to overcast weather selection.

Everything can be same and create successfully, but if I select overcast instead of say heavy cloud, it fails.

 

Have you experienced this before?

Rhineland Map, 19th sept 1944, flying for Allies P47, patrol.

 

thanks for any insight.   

[SYN_Vander]

19 minutes ago, TP_Tufty said:

Vander,

I’ve been using your generator in coop mode for some time, and think its great,

thanks for its creation, and for sharing it with the community.

I have had one issue today, where I got a “mission could not be created” box come up after several seconds.

After I while, I have pinned it down to overcast weather selection.

Everything can be same and create successfully, but if I select overcast instead of say heavy cloud, it fails.

 

Have you experienced this before?

Rhineland Map, 19th sept 1944, flying for Allies P47, patrol.

 

thanks for any insight.   

 

Thanks for finding!

The error occurs if you select overcast but no rain/snow. The bug has been there since I added the snow option I think.

I fixed it and will be in next release, probably as soon as the P-47C comes out.

On 7/1/2020 at 3:10 PM, 41Sqn_Teflon said:

As far as I understood the generator is written in python. Is it possible to run it on a Linux without GUI over an command line call?

 

 

Yes that is very well possible. The UI writes to the config file and the config file is used by the generator to make the actual mission file(s).

I am now working on a new version with a proper mission parser and serializer which will have more simple template structure and be more flexible.

Edited July 2, 2020 by SYN_Vander

[TP_Tufty]

Thanks Vander!

[41Sqn_Skipper]

20 minutes ago, SYN_Vander said:

Yes that is very well possible. The UI writes to the config file and the config file is used by the generator to make the actual mission file(s).

 

Thats awesome news! Can you give an example how to generator needs to be call with a given config file?

Edited July 2, 2020 by 41Sqn_Teflon

[SYN_Vander]

56 minutes ago, 41Sqn_Teflon said:

 

Thats awesome news! Can you give an example how to generator needs to be call with a given config file?

 

I'll see if I can change it so it will accept command line arguments as it now is being called with two parameters internally. Should be easy to fix.

56 minutes ago, 41Sqn_Teflon said:

 

Thats awesome news! Can you give an example how to generator needs to be call with a given config file?

 

I have made an executable with just the generator part. It reads the config file in the same folder as where the exe is. Haven't tested but give it a try. You need to have the template folder available as well. The path to it is set in the config as well... I used configparser to create the config.

MissionConstructor.zip

Edited July 2, 2020 by SYN_Vander

[352ndOscar]

So I evidently missed something between v28 and v33.  Why when I select game type “Dogfight” do I ONLY get a scenario type of “Bombing” with no opportunity to change to another type?

Edited July 5, 2020 by 352ndOscar

[SYN_Vander]

6 hours ago, 352ndOscar said:

So I evidently missed something between v28 and v33.  Why when I select game type “Dogfight” do I ONLY get a scenario type of “Bombing” with no opportunity to change to another type?

 

It has always been like this. In Multiplayer 'Dogfight' mode you can't be in a flight (AI slot) and thus all the scripting for Single Player or Cooperative won't work. It's a game limitation.

So for Dogfight mode there will be AI bombers attacking the targets in sequence and respawn after each sortie. In the next update there will also be AI fighters respawning after a sortie. 

The game objective is to destroy all three targets first.