Thanks to Creaghorn for the idea and OBD for this wonderful game, I was able to come up with an idea on how to construct custom made campaign missions to follow the life of a famous pilot.

But first, let me introduce my findings....

RNAS 10 campaign mission with A, B and C flight sitting on the field waiting to fly the mission. Even the waypoints are accurate just like it appeared in the mission briefing.




Look at all of these pics that were taken during the same campaign mission. How you can tell that they are from the same mission is to look at each picture and see that they are from a different squad and either A or B flight and the distance in NM signifies how far away it is to my starting point - all different as well.

Now, wasn't that similar to how missions were flown in 1915 - one or two planes?














I can add more planes to the campaign, make specific waypoints and missions, and make a "flight" have either one, two, three or any number of pilots and even specify the names of who will be flying. Now, I see that it's possible to make custom campaign missions with starting airbases and waypoints to fly them and follow the actual missions of a famous pilot during their career.

OldHat, you are something else indeed. I am constantly impressed with your ideas and modding skill.

Sounds fantastic!

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Oh yes, there are many, many things that you can set up in custom missions - add in new aircraft, new towns, new facilities, new flights, etc. I always enjoyed building custom missions. Good on you OldHat for jumping into the deep end of the pond. I look forward to seeing what you create.

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That's cool, Lou. I might need your help later if that's ok with you.

Another thing I found out is that I can make a campaign of say 10 historical missions from the career of a real pilot. Then I go ahead and make/enlist a pilot to fly those missions in succession. Each mission will get recorded inside WOFF's passport page and log everything like flight hours, medals, victories, etc... and if my pilot dies in any of those missions, then that's it - he becomes listed as deceased and I can't use him again...(unless I use Robert's backup utility, of course)

So far, I only can get a maximum of 4 custom waypoints (found a workaround for it) including the altitude to fly at. But I think that should be enough for most missions. I will see if I can find an interesting Ace's career or a squad's role in an offensive to mimic and then try to design a few missions around those events to see if my pilot can follow in their footsteps....

OldHat, let me know if I can help on the historical side. Love doing that kind of research, and have a fairly good starting knowledge.

Hey OldHat I was thinking as I was flying to the front - yes sorry boys using Autopilot.

How would these be implemented, and then used, in a campaign? Can you use them in a campaign?
Or would it be a string of custom missions flown through the QC/Scenario route?

Obviously you know much more of the guts of WOFF then I do but it seems that the campaign engine would overwrite, on start-up, any attempt to place a custom mission into a WOFF campaign via JGSME? Unless it's as simple as "write protecting" the custom mission file? Wonder if that would crash WOFF? Does the current mission in a campaign always have the same name? I'll have to go back and check Creaghorns post on this.

Be very cool if you could place custom missions in a existing campaign. And make them historical.
Every mission doesn't have to be custom in a campaign but perhaps significant events.
For example: I am flying with J11 and let's say it's 21 April 1918 - the date of MvR's death. A custom mission is inserted here with the set-up of the circumstances of his death programmed into the mission as much as possible such as fighting 209 Squadrons Camels in the same numbers for both sides, weather, location, etc, etc. he would still be dead when it's over but much better then flying a random mission and he just disappears at the end of the day.
Or May 7 with Albert Ball. Or any of the great significant aerial events.
Be a hell of a lot of work but, if doable, how cool would that be?

now all you need is a random mission generator with movable waypoints and alt etc...just like in the old RB3d days.

Well sir you have me pondering the "coolness."

Aces: As designated in WOFF? Let's say we have a British pilot who ended up with 7 kills (if using the 5 kill standard) but he didn't make the WOFF Aces list. He would be a generic pilot then? Or are there generic Aces also?
Waypoints: As defined (displayed) on the WOFF map? Are they done by longitude and latitude or some in-game code #. If done by longitude and latitude can you use any location in the game world?
Altitude: I will guess part of the mission file designates an altitude that the flight should be at when it to arrives at a waypoint?
Flights: Does every flight have to be done as a separate entity? Let's say all three flights ended up in a historical fight at a certain time and location. Can all three flights be combined in a huge arse B (the players) flight or (better) a huge AI flight just to make sure they all get there and to save mission writing time? Or is there a limit to the number of aircraft in a flight?
Ground Positions: Using the MvR example, and presuming he died of ground fire, how are land targets handled? Can you place an infantry unit at a longitude and latitude for the ground fire ambiance? Or, if overly complicated, I suppose the fight can be placed in the vicinity of a existing one already placed in-game.
Timing: Let's say a fight took place at a certain location. I will guess you cannot specify a time for a flight to be there. One would use the waypoints and a "by guess and by God" to hopefully get them there at the same time. And/or use "Loiter" at the target area to make sure (as much as possible) they meet up?

Sounds like you have the bulk of the info down already sir!
I was going to mention the Re8's but look at you - names and all already.
Going by memory 209 lost a pilot enroute to mechanical trouble so only 14 actually were in the target area...but since WOFF simulates that already (possibility of failure) may as well start with 15. And these would be Bentley engined Camels but I guess we'll wait for WOFF 3 to worry about that.

Of course this bit of neatness rears its head on a busy Sunday and not Friday when I had all weekend to get names, etc.

Where's JFM when you need him?
Bet he has all this memorized.

OldHat;

It might be worth testing a campaign mission in Italy. Not sure if the WOFF AI would generate central powers flights to contend with, or even if this is possible.

Do you have the capability to generate opposition forces in any theatre?

Holy moley OldHat!
You are quite the wizard. Looks awesome!

Go OldHat go!

All 4 files are ready. White knuckle fighting, MGs, Archie and a bit chaotic with good frame rates. I'm just trying out different ways to solve the skins issue and waiting to see if anyone can answer my question about why a few skins are not correctly assigned to some pilots in the scenarios. Skins work in campaign just fine, weird.

WOFF already has scripted database system for historical missions built in, and can currently fly and use historically scripted missions (already does with the historical Gotha Raids for example). Obviously most of the time instead it generates new random missions based on historical squad operations and battles etc. so it doesn't get boring or repetitive.

Anyway there are two types of these scripted missions.

There is the player scripted mission (example a Gotha historical raid mission over Britain).
There is also squadron scripted mission where the player is not involved directly (Zeppelin raids).

The data needs to be in the database format we have designed of course. If they are done this way they will assessed properly in the manager.

If someone wants to do that work contact us on support email address.

BTW you can lead a horse (AI) to water but you cannot make it drink i.e. You can set Hawker v MvR but what actually happens with the AI will be not always what you plan . We do not fake anything, no set up where one guy will always kill another etc.

PS for those that are interested C flight is already in the game, in later dates it is there, with heavy flights they are usually above you already. The flights often took off at different times and did different missions of course.

for example </AirFormation>
<AirFormation ID="6021" Directive="cap" Country="Germany" SquadName="Jasta 5-C" Skill="3" Morale="6" Payload="0" FormType="Chevron" OffsetScaleFactor="0.4">
<Unit ID="9670" Type="Alb_DIII_early_AC1" PilotFirstName="German Josef" PilotLastName="Mai (HA)" Skill="3" Morale="10" Payload="0"/> .....

Be neat to see the "orders for the day" and line-ups for all three flights when playing RFC/RAF.
Flight integrity would be awesome also.

From what I understand though they didn't often all take off together some may do dawn mission, or later etc.

Raine, offered to help me with historical research and suggested that James McCudden's accounts are very detailed and I like that idea. The more details of events, names, places, etc... I can get, the more authentic the mission will look and feel.

I'm thinking of starting a series of selected missions from his career. I'll try and make it to fit into the campaign engine, if possible.

EDIT: My thoughts are to start with two challenging missions from his Career.
1. his flight from training school to st. omer. should be hard without aids and only lou's map.
2. the voss fight.

The Voss Fight is a very complicated scenario, but not impossible.

Thanks to Raine's help with historical data, I almost have all the pieces in place, and now I need to assemble the puzzle pieces:

1. Date: 23 Sept 1917

2. Weather: Heavy Clouds at 9000 ft - I had to edit a file to get this as WOFF does not have it by default.

3. 56 sqn Pilots:
'B' flight: Captain James T.B. McCudden, 2nd-Lieutenant Arthur P.F. Rhys Davids, Captain Reginald T.C. Hoidge, 2nd-Lieutenant Keith K. Muspratt, Lieutenant Verschoyle P. Cronyn
‘C’ Flight: Captain Geoffrey H. Bowman, Captain Richard A. Maybery, Lieutenant Ralph William Young, 2nd-Lieutenant Stanley J. Gardiner, Lieutenant Charles Hugh Jeffs, Lieutenant Leonard M. Barlow,


In this first shot, the sqn is flying at just below 9000ft under heavy clouds.



Voss, with his new Fokker Triplane and his two wingmen flying slower Pfalz D.IIIas.



Albatros DVa flown by Carl Menckhoff of Jasta 3



a lone SE5a [“A flight” No. 60] RFC, pilot cpt Harold A. Hamersley) over Poelcappelle being chased by Voss at 4000 feet.



Squadrons above and below Voss:
56 Squadron – S.E.5 and S.E.5a -
60 Squadron – S.E 5 -
22 Squadron - Bristol (F.2B)Fighter's -
- R.E.8 Protected by Bristol Fighter's -
- SPADS -
- Sopwith Pup's -
- Sopwith Camel's - several thousand feet below Voss –
29 Squadron – Nieuport 23
40 Squadron – Nieuport 17 & 23





Custom Waypoints and altitudes (best guess) - all city locations are approximations based on ww1 maps of the battle:
- airfield to Bixschoote at 8000 ft
- B and C Flights diverge onto separate patrol routes at Houthoulst Forest,
- DFW near Gheluvelt heading north at 5000 feet

Fantastic work OldHat!
You know there is a skin for Karl Menckhoff's Alb. D.V...
Also the Pfalz should use the Jasta 10 generic, instead of Jasta 46...

PS: I just read that there are still some problems in the skin loading process...

OldHat we don't want our files in zips for anyone to downloads like that. Also don't forget some people may not have certain skins or bought the skins pack. Maybe write a batch file to copy the required skins (if they exist) from a users install.

Thanks for the quick reply, Pol. Support is really on the ball!

Well the fix works as you can see from the screenshots below....beautiful skins BTW.

Anyone proficient in batch file writing to assist me in making a simple batch file that will copy the skins and make it into a JSGME MOD like the pic below.

Essentially copying about 30 of the user's skins, renaming them and making it into a MOD (with a certain folder structure) inside the JSGME MOD folder.

Anyone have an idea for setting up a fictional dogfight scenario in the Swiss Alps?

Number of planes: 1 vs 1? 15 vs 3? 20 vs 20?

Nations dogfighting: Germany vs British or French or both? Germany vs British + French + USA?

Type of aircraft: underpowered or strong?

Weather and time of day: snowing? raining? thunderstorms? overcast? sunset? early dawn?

After I make it, then I will explain how I did it in the Mission Building thread.

Thanks.

what fun seeing so many great skins on the field!! love it!!!

Is it not better to use planes that were actually used in the Alpine front like a Nieuport, Spad and Albatros planes.
About countries I think it will be Germany/Austria Italian/British/French.
Weather lots of un expected winds I geuss

Your getting to be quite a pro at this OldHat...really looking good and very cool to boot.

I am speaking from total ignorance here but for us unwashed I wonder how tough it would be for some whiz to make, essentially, a Custom Mission Builder?
It would use the blank template provided and (somehow!) a point and click interface (drawing off WOFF file resources) for the information to complete all possible mission parameters.

Mighty Cheers Oldhat!

I flew your FFA62 mission last night with Oswald Boelcke.

As we started our engines, took off and started gaining altitude, a large number of BE2C's and Morane L's circled above us.

The damage and damage effects to our airfield were very dramatic.

We continued our long climb as smoke and flames could be seen below us.

I seriously damaged 1 BE2C but my evasive tactics were not good enough and my Fokker_EI suffered control cable and control surface damage and I spiraled down into the front lines.

So ended the short life of Wilhelm Kliest.

What a grand mission!

Many thanks again.

Tango

Zowie!.....that green Alb is gorgeous!!!

OldHat, would you create any Menu (Mision editor logic/tree) and I can try to make some simple Mission editor app in java.

Sure JJJ65. I'd like to work with you on this. I'll PM you tomorrow because I'm leaving home now.

....you're the man!

OldHat,

Everything you done so far is top drawer!

My preference would be for historical types, but that is why I love WOFF so much in the first place.

I really appreciate your hard work. It is exceptional.

Tango

So while this seems to work.....who could make this into a random quick mission generater? If this is possible the the problems with late 17 through 1918 (tooooo many ground objects) could be solved.

Patience, lederhosen. Let's go step by step. Mission editor first, then random (or pseudo-random - with editable waypoints, altitude and tasks) mission generator, and, finally, dynamic campaign.

Here's an update to what I'm currently working on. With the McCudden project, I was trying to wrestle with uncooperative AI in which a single DR1 will not boldly attack Aces from 56 sqn. I wonder why?? Maybe the DR1 AI didn't read Voss's story. Anyways, I'm putting that project on hold and have started working on another one which I've always wanted to learn more about.

The First Gotha Raid on England. 25 May 1917


All 22 Gothas Lined up and ready for takeoff


Chasing a Gotha off the coast

I have tried my best to get all the historical facts into this scenario from a book "Battle of Britain 1917" and the aerodrome forum members.

This scenario is working except for a few minor tweaks. Here's what I've been able to include:

- 22 Gothas taking off at around 1530 hrs into two groups from the Belgian coast. Both flights are at least 3 miles apart.
- Heavy clouds at 9,000 ft correction - was just over London and not the entire trip.
- Flying over the channel at 10,000 ft
- Entering Essex between the rivers Crouch and Blackwater at 16,000 ft
- Flying towards London, then changing course south - will add: at around Gravesend
- Bombing Folkestone and Dover at 15,000 ft (still trying to get this altitude to work correctly)
- Gothas head back to the Belgian coast flying over the channel at 18,000 ft
- Most of the Home Defense that were known to have participated in trying to attack the Gothas. No seaplanes could be inserted, but here is an example:
* Dover: 5 Pups and Leslie's Camel.
* Manston: 10 fighters - Pups, Triplane, and Bristol Scout
* No. 37 Sqd A flight taking off from Goldhanger, B flight from Stow Maries, C flight from Rochford. (8 planes)
* No. 39 Sqd B flight from Suttons Farm, C flight from Hainault, and A flight. (11 planes)
* No. 50 Sqd C flight from Bekesbourne and B flight (13 planes)
* No. 8 Sqd DH5
* RNAS 4 and 9 Sqn from France when the Gothas are returning. add - around 30 miles N to NE of Dunkirk

Will Add patrol routes:
- 37 Sqn from Detling to Goldhanger
- 39 Sqn at Eastern edge of London
- 50 Sqn from Throwly to Bekesbourne to Dover

I have made a "what if" situation where most of the RFC squads were better prepared in catching up with the Gothas as they were leaving. The outcome is interesting to watch as Gothas aren't so easy to shoot down when they are in large packs.

As always, I still have a few timing issues to solve, but this is much easier to resolve than the Voss project. The player flys with the Gothas from takeoff to landing which lasts upto 2.5 hours (a bit shorter than historical accounts). I have not noticed any frame drops while testing even with all flights in the air. Also, I was thinking of adding a shorter scenario with the player flying for RNAS 4 to intercept the Gothas along with RNAS 9. So, back to mission building....

EDIT: If anyone is interested to help with contributing a skin, I'd like the one for Hauptmann Ernst Brandenburg's Gotha.

Great job, OldHat! I was thinking about the same mission and I am looking forward to fly it. Thank you in advance.
Keep up the good work .

I bet it would be a lot of fun to put this raid on autopilot and play one of the observer/gunners.

Won't work as expected. No AA defense at Tondern and can't fly north of the city.

Oh well, maybe for WOFF3, if they allow carrier takeoffs.

Now, I'll work on one of the biggest air battles that took place on 27 July 1917. Got most all squads that were mentioned in reports to show up.

A mousetrap leading to an 80 plane dogfight over polygon wood.

Air battle over polygon wood is ready for download.

Old Hat.......Crikey!! What a slaughterfest!! Zillions of bad guys!!! No way to single out, let alone cope with, any one of the eager enemy.....great fun trying though!!! Nice work! For whatever it's worth.....if any of you are looking for SOME advantage....I beat feet toward that nearby cathedral and buzzing round it and between the spires managed to see 6 bad chaps crash into the buildings trying to follow me before cutting it too close to a bell tower myself. Splatter goggles. But there were quite a few respectable towers of smoke from crash sites all around....pretty cool! Try it!

Yep, I died in this mission several times over as the Alb pilot... nothing new for me.

Nice work OldHat! I'll give this a try, for sure!

H

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Or, for those who use maps of slightly better quality ...

(right click on image and open in new tab to view it full size)



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didnt know you could do that Lou...neet

Wow, neat stuff OldHat!

I've been biding my time delving into the modding pool; things like this and the other wonderful mods are lighting the fire in my mind to get started(Less a tree-coloring mod for fall I did in OFF phase 3, never published, just for personal use).

Guess I should start looking at where i'd like to start.

Cheers!

Old Hat.....did these go away? I don't see them in the MODS section anymore....here or on WOFF...or am I mistaken?

Sorry guys do you mean this thread?

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4237905/Scenario_Missions_MOD#Post4237905


If it wasn,t showing its because it only shows you the last 3 months by default i believe.

Boy that one is tough! Miserable weather, low over enemy territory, alone.... and then you get set upon by no less than four DIIIs!! I managed to fend them off for a bit, but eventually lost my engine and had to put her down. Apparently I escaped and rejoined my squadron!

Great stuff OldHat!

H