DCS Mission Editor Questions 2024

Flight Sims
1

Didn’t see a current thread so figured I’d start one.

Is there a way to spawn a bomb in flight in the mission editor? I’m playing with the Kiowa for spotting and lasing targets, and getting the AI to drop LGB’s without using it’s own TGP is a mess. It occurred to me if I could just instance a falling GBU-10 in right area that would solve a lot of issues.

2 Likes
2

The task you describe isn’t something I’ve had to do, yet, but I’m sure I’ve heard this asked before (somewhere): the answer was to generate an explosion where you want it (pretty sure I’ve done this but it’s been a while).

So, unless it is a new thing (very possible I missed it), no way to do this - there are of course models of bombs but the coalition.addGroup() / coalition.addStaticObject() spawn fxn’s don’t do projectiles. BUT! I haven’t tried it; you’d need the unit.type value. DCS will probably freeze up and crash, hard, however (ask me now I know :wink: )

1 Like
3

I had considered this, but I wanted to be able to engage moving targets. Short version working on a mission using the Kiowa as a spotter for aircraft engaging a moving armored column. Calling the artillery script function kinda works, but it’s a kludge to something that ought to be really simple.

4

Kludge - yes, I’m familiar. My text-to-speech lua engine is one big one, but the only way to come close to what I want; this functionality is used by DCS but not exposed.

5

Found it. And I was close [to what it was]

offsets: table defining the position and orientation of the static object relative to the center of the offset unit. Table is simply in the format: {x, y, angle)

In the wiki. Don’t know how I missed this before.

6

Was re-working my ground combat code stuff and here’s some notes on artillery and such.

Artillery, Mortars, Rockets (FROG) - Hitting Something

  • Some units have a MINimum range (green circle)
  • LOS seems is a thing even with Attack Group. Attack Group states (from the Wiki): “The targeted group becomes automatically detected for the controlled group.” . However, Attack Group doesn’t seem to work if LOS is an issue. Even though we are ‘lobbing’ shells/rockets over trees and such if a tree (or building, etc) is between the shooter and target it won’t fire - so what does ‘automatically detected’ really mean? TBD.
  • Shooter must be on level ground. This doesn’t appear to be an issue for the ‘Mortar 2B11 120MM M’ but most every other artillery unit must be on level ground. What the limits are here is unknown - experimentation required.

Spool Up Time

Can take from less than a minute to several minutes for some types to “spool up”. It varies widely. The skill of the unit seems to be a factor in this. The maximum time (seconds, presumably for the least capably Skill setting) appears to be referenced in db resources in the table:

visual = {… fire_time = 350, …}

Reliable Modes and Shooter Types

NOTE: again all times are approximate values as the actual time is based on skill level.

Fire at Point - On Level ground (won’t’ work at all if not)

MLRS M270 227MM: > 1.75 < 4 minutes

MLRS BM-21 Grad 122MM: > 1.75 < 4 minutes

SPM 259 Nona 120MM M: < .5 minutes

SPH 251 Gvozdika 122MM > 1.75 minutes

MRLS HL/LC with BRM1 80MM < .5 minutes

Attack Group

Mortar 2B11 120MM: < .5 minutes (can fire from unlevel terrain)

Non-Functional (as tested) - unable to get these to fire on level ground within range parameters.

L118 Light Artillery Gun: 10 - 15 minutes (based on db). NOTE: as of August 2024 this has been reported as a bug, to include bad texture.

4 Likes