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Full Version: DCG: An idiot's Guide
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Scharnhorst1943

It is slow going. I have no specific date yet. For the Europe Theater, I have the road networks done for 3/4 of the campaign. I still need to populate all the airfields and towns. Also, I am waiting for some mods to be released. For example ... the infantry mod. So when This comes out, I plan on having it compatible with certain mods. I will let everyone know which mods.

The thing is, I am working on an engineering degree right now, and it eats into most of my time to work on this. I will do what I can, but I won't have lots of time until December most likely.

Also, if anyone is interested, they can start populating and making master maps. The locations are already chosen. So if you are anyone else is interested, I can send a file showing the entire road network for a given map.

I would love some help on this, if anyone is willing. Pretty simple really. What needs to be done is to add static planes at airfields, add train cars to railyards, and put objects under factory buildings.

Because my time is so limited, this would get moving quicker if a few gents want to step up and help make the master map files ... if you are just PM me.

I know it is kind of dissapointing. Believe me, I want to get it done so that I can play the campaigns Confusedhock:

It is a work in progress, but like I said, I have the road networks done for alot of the Europe maps. They just need populating basically.

I guesstimate I am maybe 1/3 to 1/2 done with Europe ... I still have to make the DCG files for them too. I do have templates done, but they will change when it comes together.

I also have done work on the Pacific. Actually, the pacific is halfway done. But there are more Pacific maps coming out as well as some mods, so I am waiting for them before I get back into the PTO.

Oh, and FYI, I plan on having all the new planes available for offline campaigns. I am incorporating them, and hopefully will update the campaigns as new planes are added. :wink:

bomberburn

HI there I've been using DCG for years and it's great but I just started installing mods to my IL2 game. My question is now with mods installed I can fly previsiously unflyable airplanes like the B-17 and so on. Is there a way in starting a DCG campaign to select a non flyable airplane such as the B-17 as the players flight. Now that I can fly it with the mods installed?? Confusedhock:

Thanks for any info.

Scharnhorst1943

bomberburn Wrote:HI there I've been using DCG for years and it's great but I just started installing mods to my IL2 game. My question is now with mods installed I can fly previsiously unflyable airplanes like the B-17 and so on. Is there a way in starting a DCG campaign to select a non flyable airplane such as the B-17 as the players flight. Now that I can fly it with the mods installed?? Confusedhock:

Thanks for any info.

There certainly is!

Go to your DGen folder in your main game folder. Now you need to know which campaign you are doing. So go through the list of campaignXxX files, where the XxX represents letters like DeB. When you open up the file there will be a description at the top telling you what it is, like "off-line full auto campaign for an American fighter pilot in Europe."

Once you know the three letter prefix for the campaign, open up the corresponding planesXxX file. In that file you will see a list of maps in [Brackets], and underneath the maps will be a list of planes. Simply add the name of the plane you want correctly in that list, and when you go to start said campaign on said map, the new plane will now appear. But be ware, you have to add the new plane to DCG in order for this to work. Fly_Zo has a sticky on how to do this.

That should be it. If you still have trouble, PM me.

Avatar

Good to see you posting Scharnhorst. How's the work going? I know you said it's slow but are things moving like you want? Curious, and mildly impatient, minds would like to know. Big Grin Thanks again for the work you're doing mate!

Scharnhorst1943

Thanks for the encouraging words, avatar.

I am stuck doing work and schoolwork and cramming for engineering tests when all I really want to do is work on these campaigns, lol.

I hunt and peck at them. I had family come into town recently and it ate every last minute I had to work on it. So I am a little behind. I also was tinkering and I buggered up my install, but I got it ironed out and I am good to go now.

BTW, do you know who could tell me how to edit vehicle columns? I also plan on adding new types of columns to use in my campaigns, but when I go to add them, I can never get them to appear? Is there something more I have to add other than the cheif.ini?

Avatar

Scharnhorst1943 Wrote:Thanks for the encouraging words, avatar.

I am stuck doing work and schoolwork and cramming for engineering tests when all I really want to do is work on these campaigns, lol.

I hunt and peck at them. I had family come into town recently and it ate every last minute I had to work on it. So I am a little behind. I also was tinkering and I buggered up my install, but I got it ironed out and I am good to go now.

BTW, do you know who could tell me how to edit vehicle columns? I also plan on adding new types of columns to use in my campaigns, but when I go to add them, I can never get them to appear? Is there something more I have to add other than the cheif.ini?

Sucks having a real life at times, huh? Wink Gets in the way of all our fun!

As for the vehicle columns, wish I could give you answer but I'm pretty damn ignorant about most all of this stuff unfortunately. Hopefully one of the more enlightened ones will spot this and help you out. I've got a squadmate who might know a little about what you're trying to do so I'll ask him and post back here if he has anything to share with you. Good luck with it and thanks again for your continued work! It is appreciated.

eddie_brunette

Scharnhorst1943 Wrote:
Avatar Wrote:This is excellent news to read! I've downloaded the Italy/Greece/North Africa map and am awed at how great it is! I'd really love to have it available in DCG but after reading through this thread I'm wondering how capable I may be at trying to add it in myself... Great tutorial you've written here and it's very much appreciated, Scharnhorst!!!

Hopefully the above map will be part of your release. But if anyone else has any campaign files already made for it... Big Grin

Keep up the good work!

The Italy / Africa / Greece map absolutely is a part of my release ... but I have a lot of work to do to get there. So bear with me. What I will probably do is release the campaigns in phases. Phase one will be Europe theater ... phase two Pacific theater ... phase three Russian front. Of course I have to include all the new maps in my release in case people do not have it along with any other mods that will be required ...



This will not be done soon, but when it is, oh happy day!


This also is my latest priority. I've would love to add all these new maps to DCG, but is really alot of work.
I'm going to halt my work on my MTO career campaign and change it to DCG.
I'll gladly do the MTO theatre, I just need that damn DCG guide(my office block filefront), but I'm printing your "Idiots Guide" threat, so hopefully I'll find all my answers there

edd

Tigre_dos_Pampas

Somebody knows how to add new squadrons to DCG? I added new squadrons to the game and tried to add them to DCG, copying respective reg_info lines to squadids.dcg. The squadrons appeared in DCG, but all with russian nationality, instead of american or italian. How to assign nationalities to new squadrons?

eddie_brunette

Tigre_dos_Pampas Wrote:Somebody knows how to add new squadrons to DCG? I added new squadrons to the game and tried to add them to DCG, copying respective reg_info lines to squadids.dcg. The squadrons appeared in DCG, but all with russian nationality, instead of american or italian. How to assign nationalities to new squadrons?

Im not at my home pc, so Ill just say from top of my head.

In your Squadron Editing Panel, when you have hit the "add extra squadron" button, it will give you the squadron, then under the squadron name you'll find Unit Name. form the Unit Name dropdown menu, you can select the squadron you want to assign. I'm not sure if it is your prob, and I dont have DCg on office machine, but I'll check tonight, and let you know.

Tigre_dos_Pampas

Ok... but this squadrons on drop down box are the squadrons in squadids.dcg, and has pre-determined nationalities assigned to them. What's i want to know is how to assign nationalities to new squadrons that i created in game and want to add to DCG. For example: NewNationsAndSquadrons mod add a package of new non-stock squadrons and nationalities to the game, but i have no clue about how to add this squadrons or nationalities to DCG. All squadrons i added via squadids.dcg were assigned to russian nationality, eg. i tried to add 51 Stormo of Reggia Aeronautica and when i launched DCG and created a campaign this squadron becomes russian instead of italian.

thanks

Scharnhorst1943

Tigre_dos_Pampas Wrote:Ok... but this squadrons on drop down box are the squadrons in squadids.dcg, and has pre-determined nationalities assigned to them. What's i want to know is how to assign nationalities to new squadrons that i created in game and want to add to DCG. For example: NewNationsAndSquadrons mod add a package of new non-stock squadrons and nationalities to the game, but i have no clue about how to add this squadrons or nationalities to DCG. All squadrons i added via squadids.dcg were assigned to russian nationality, eg. i tried to add 51 Stormo of Reggia Aeronautica and when i launched DCG and created a campaign this squadron becomes russian instead of italian.

thanks

Sorry for lateness of reply, but here is my answer.

I honestly don't know. I am still working on my masterpiece, and I am just working on pupullating the maps and makeing the master map files and all the corresponding plane and campaign files to go with it. I do plan to eventually get to this, but right now, other than the squad id file, I don't have a clue.

You might go to lowengrin's websight and ask him. Although he is not a big mod supporter, I am sure he would help you out and tell you how to properly add new squadrons. It is his program after all.

Tigre_dos_Pampas

Ok... i believe some information (like pilot's names generator, squadron nationality, etc.) are encrypted inside DCG.exe and cannot be altered unless Lowengrin open the code (i noted this a few days ago)... Perhaps if someone tell him to open the code for modding work...

eddie_brunette

oh I get the question now Smile

it is actually a very good idea, I'm currently populating the Greece/Italy/North Africa map for use in DCG (with help from Scharnhorst1943) and one thing I note is that we don't have the Greek Airforce. It would be lovely to add this little airforce


edd

Scharnhorst1943

eddie_brunette Wrote:oh I get the question now Smile

it is actually a very good idea, I'm currently populating the Greece/Italy/North Africa map for use in DCG (with help from Scharnhorst1943) and one thing I note is that we don't have the Greek Airforce. It would be lovely to add this little airforce


edd

That is a very good question, one that I have considered. And I think a possible solution lies with the more squadrons and nations mod. If I could add all of those squadrons to DCG, I think we could get somewhere and that is where I am going to focus my efforts after this semester is done (I am a college student). There is alot of work to go still, but unless something better comes along ...

Now if we could only get the creator of Mat Manager to update his program to add roundels for Greece, China exc as seperate countries ... He already has all of the roundels in mat manager, now all we have to do is use them for new countries.

Tigre_dos_Pampas

This is a good idea Scharny, but to create roundels for countries of NationAndSquadrons mod is needed some guys with some knowledge in java programming. This is because these roudels are defined in encrypted class files in maddox\il2\objects\air\paintschemes##.class, and we need someone who knows how to decode, decompile, edit, recompile and reencode these files. I was working in this effort some time ago, but my engineering grade and logistics course are consuming almost all of my time Sad.

But someone can tell Lowengrin to make a mod support to DCG campaign builders, making DCG able to add new nationalities and squadrons. With this we can enrich his program building campaigns to third party maps such as ItalyAfricaGreece or Malta adding Italian squadrons not included in stock game, or adding newer nations such Vichy France or Greece.
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