I'm asking this as i'm in the process of writing an offline campaign which could easily be 70+ missions long, nearly all 1.5 hrs long (the pilot concerned actually flew ~150 missions in this period).

So, is 70 missions too much?(split into parts?), about right. or should i go for 150- even if alot will be patrols with little happening- (except for any sadistic little tricks i might devise )

70 seems about right, but yes split into parts would be a good idea.
Have seen these threads about AI?

Might help...

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=31193

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=31573

yes, i have seen the AI threads , i'm working with some of the other sliders than advanced flying atm, bravery and discipline can give some useful results- there's some interaction with other factors, such as fuel level, which can affect how AI attack and how long they stick around. add some variety to individual planes and results aren't too bad

Bomber AI is still a bit of a problem in some respects, as is the 'airliner pilot' behaviour once AI has decided to go home

good stuff, look forward to playing it.

Among the most downloaded campaigns for IL2 were Poymandos Battle over Britain, and Cobra427s Hurricane season, and SpitnFire. They were all about 20 to 30 missions long. I think you probably have more than enough material and it is more important that each mission is really well made and has an element of challenge and replayability, than to create a campaign of hundreds of missions.

But that's just my preference!

H

Totally agree with the above statement, but want to add that it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. For my own part, when I create missions, I'm looking to recreate the feel of a specific event, or day. You gather a few of these, and you can recreate a time frame reference, a general feel of a specific time, in history, or in the story you want to tell. A few of these blocks of time is plenty to call a campaign. IMO, a campaign is the story leading you towards the conclusion, it doesn't have to be a very long string of doing the same few things over and over if the story is told well.

I think a good example might be FlatSpinMan's Legion Kondor SCW campaign. It certainly wasn't big, with a few missions in the bi-planes as training, a flight in a Tante Ju, then more in the He-53 (?) til you moved to the 109s. I believe it was less than 35 missions, but it really really told a longer story than some other campaigns I could name. You just need a taste of each phase you want the user to experience, less work, and more impact without becoming repetitive.

Sounds fantastic, I personally love the longer campaigns, especially if they are well written, and there is a good background storyline. Like the idea of a few devious little tricks to spice things up along the way as well lLoki g forward to trying it out oneday, and thanks for your efforts in advance!

Cheers
Craig

I look more for attention to detail in each mission rather than how long the campaign is.
I know when I was designing the "Liberation Skies" IL2 campaign, I spent hours testing and
tweaking each mission. So if you're really crafting the thing like I would hope you are, 70
might be a lot.

If its split into parts its fine, it could cover the total campaign from France, Dunkirk then the Battle of Britain.

Looks like i'll probably go for a split campaign of ~30 missions each then, think i've got a suitable point to split it.

Briefings, scripting and more testing (and any changes needed if patch alters things) to do- should keep me busy for 'two weeks'

Good lord man, it takes me two weeks to make an airfield!

Yep, I used to spend hours just adding static units and vehicles, making sure there was moving vehicle activity
when the player took off, as well as when he returned to base.

'two weeks' was meant to be ironic

I used to get lost for hours in tank battles. Balancing the sides to that there was action the entire time, creating
tank battles in towns, etc. Things the player never noticed I'm sure. I'd never do that now, but I had fun at the time.

a little teaser of what i'm working on
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6qozz7hq2zfva13

not finished by any means and i can only claim it works in official patch (not alpha)- the new takeoff routine can make some of the formation join ups go awry

That's the other fun thing, spending a bunch of time getting something right only for a patch to futz it up later on.