DCG: An idiot's Guide - Printable Version

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+---- Thread: DCG: An idiot's Guide (/showthread.php?tid=51687)

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 27.12.2007

When you go to make the .srd and .rls files, you are going to do the same thing as with roads (.rds). you are going to make the waypts in the mission builder, save the mission files, open them up and copy the waypts into your *Mapname*.rds, *Mapname*.srd, *Mapname*.rls underneath the headings that you will make. Again, the headings each set of waypts needs to be bracketed and location names with underscores instead of spaces.

When you get to the .prd file, you will see something like this:

[Allied]
2.6985 64.5587
1.1124 28.5578
2.6985 28.5578
1.1124 64.5587
[Axis]
31.2587 13.2587
12.2365 33.2687
31.2587 33.2687
12.2365 13.2587

These are points on a map. Each point represents one of the four corners of the patrol boxes. There is an allied and an axis box. If you have a map in which only one side has a carrier, the other side MUST have a patrol box, even if they do not have a carrier. In any case, just leave the previous waypts from whatever. Since that side does not have a CV, it does not matter, but there must be a patrol box somwhere. Open up the .mis file that has your patrol box boundries, and copy the locations into the folder. Note - you will need to switch one pair of locations to get they other two corners of the bax since you only put down two corners in your .mis file.

I will copy and paste exact files of this as examples when I get home later tonight.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 27.12.2007

I was just thinking. Eventually I am going to show you guys how to incorportate any new maps into DCG. You could use the new Normandy map with British coast WITHOUT replaceing the current one or overwritting the old default one. You guys are going to learn some cool stuff. :wink:

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 28.12.2007

So in your .rds file, you should have an entry like this for every .mis file you saved while making your routes in the FMB.

[St_Vith_Factory to Veisalm_Bridge13]
52900.16 36900.19 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
52696.64 37088.23 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
52482.84 36896.87 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
51700.41 36900.37 120.00 0 13 2.3611111640930176
51500.00 36700.00 20.00
51100.00 36300.00 20.00
47900.00 36300.00 20.00
47300.00 36900.00 20.00
45900.00 36900.00 20.00
45300.00 37500.00 20.00
43500.00 37500.00 20.00
43100.00 37100.00 20.00
42300.00 37100.00 20.00
41500.00 36300.00 20.00
40700.00 36300.00 20.00
40500.00 36299.34 120.00 0 7 2.3611111640930176
40300.00 36500.00 20.00
39900.00 36900.00 20.00
39700.00 36900.00 -35.00
39300.00 36900.00 -35.00
39100.00 36900.00 20.00
38951.10 36900.49 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
38917.32 36897.47 120.00

[Veisalm_Bridge13 to Manhay_Factory_District]
52900.16 36900.19 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
52696.64 37088.23 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
52482.84 36896.87 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
51700.41 36900.37 120.00 0 13 2.3611111640930176
51500.00 36700.00 20.00
51100.00 36300.00 20.00
47900.00 36300.00 20.00
47300.00 36900.00 20.00
45900.00 36900.00 20.00
45300.00 37500.00 20.00
43500.00 37500.00 20.00
43100.00 37100.00 20.00
42300.00 37100.00 20.00
41500.00 36300.00 20.00
40700.00 36300.00 20.00
40498.30 36288.18 120.00 0 16 2.3611111640930176
40300.00 36100.00 20.00
39500.00 35300.00 20.00
39100.00 35300.00 20.00
38900.00 35300.00 -16.00
38700.00 35300.00 -16.00
38500.00 35300.00 20.00
37500.00 35300.00 20.00
37300.00 35500.00 20.00
35100.00 35500.00 20.00
34500.00 34900.00 20.00
33300.00 34900.00 20.00
32700.00 34300.00 20.00
28500.00 34300.00 20.00
28300.00 34100.00 20.00
28098.72 33899.89 120.00 0 4 2.3611111640930176
28100.00 33700.00 20.00
28100.00 33100.00 20.00
28098.55 32898.40 120.00 0 4 2.3611111640930176
27900.00 32900.00 20.00
27700.00 32900.00 20.00
27507.46 32902.20 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
27501.31 33081.97 120.00 0 2 2.3611111640930176
27441.35 33153.76 120.00

The paragraph of numbers is the waypts from the "chief_road" from the .mis file, just like I have on the first page of this thread.

A .prd should look like this:

[Pacific_Ocean] Allied
24538.59 102513.16
104919.65 87033.21
24538.59 87033.21
104919.65 102513.16
[Pacific_Ocean] Axis
-99922.77 -122.10
-99922.77 49939.73
-149740.39 -122.10
-149740.39 49939.73

.srd and.rls should look the same as .rds, except for the names of the locations.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 28.12.2007

Now that we have the roads, sea lanes, rail routes and CV patrol boxes, we can now make a master map file. In the master map file you need to put the following:

1) Static objects underneath factory buildings, aircraft hangars, or any building. Using any static object will just cause the bombers to bomb the buildings. Using static trucks will effect resupply. (like a squadron not getting any planes instead of one plane per squadron per day) Using oil trucks or oil train cars will effect the fuel supply system (causing tanks not to move or squadrons not to fly)

2) Train cars at train stations

3) Anti-Aircraft guns defending any location you want

4) Static Planes at airfields - When you put static planes at airfields, it does not matter what type you put in the map, because DCG will put the plane type stationed at that airfield in the locations of the static planes. So don't put planes inside hangars or nets because if bomber types are used, parts of the plane will be sticking out akwardly. Only do it if you can orient the largest plane type to fit inside the hangar.

5) Ships, Tanks, Vehicles - Just pick the type you want, quantity you want, and give it two waypts anywhere on the map. Any ships that are placed above a transport sail in the .prd with the carrier. Any ships below the transport ships use the sea lanes.

6) Squadrons in the campaign - Note that all the squadrons you put in the master map are all the squadrons that will be in the map other than player squadron. When choosing squadron names, remember that you need an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SQUADRON NAME for each squadron you put in the map. Also choose squadron names that you will more than likely not be selecting as your squadron when you start the campaign, otherwise a key squadron may not appear because the player squadron overwrited the other squadron. So if you put JG/I as a squadron of He111 bombers in your map, and when you select to play you choose the same squadron in a Bf109, NO bombers will appear because your squadron of BF109's overwrite them and the Germans are then dissadvantaged because they go through the campaign without any bombers ...

One more thing, there are two squadrons designated as Kamikaze squadrons only by DCG. I will tell you which ones they are when I go look it up. I think it is "Test Center" for IJAF and Kutai 601 for IJN.

Important You need to place objects for BOTH sides at EACH location. But only the side that ownes that location will have it's objects appear. If the other side captures the location, it's objects will then appear.

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- HarryM - 28.12.2007

This info is just fantastic. I was just making some mods to a campaign (adding airbases). Was able to *sort of* figure it out to get it working but this is a huge help. Some of the oddities (like put the transports after the transports, and the CV group ships before them, never could have figured that out)

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 31.12.2007

Sorry for the delay, but I have been busy with family.

Anyway, to make your own campaigns from scratch, there are some files you need to either create or copy over and empty out to start anew. All of these files you can find in your DCG/Data folder in your IL2 game folder.

Files Needed to Create Custom 3rd Party Campaigns -

offmap.dcg - this file lists all locations that are used as offmap locations. Off map locations can be airfields or supply locations at the edge of the map. They cannot be captured.

airfields.dcg - In this file, you can make waypts for specific airfields. You need the airfield name and the waypts for takeoff or landing. This is useful to get planes to take off and land without crashing into mountains ...

Maps.dcg - This file lists the mapname you thought up, and relates it to the map it actually uses. For example, if you used the Finland map as the coast of France and Britain, and called the map Britian41, then you would need to list it in the maps file, so that the game loads Finland when it encounters "Britain41"

allcampaigns.dcg - This file lists every map available for a campaign. What this file holds are the starting locations for supply zones and airfields in the map to set up the first mission.

endcampaign.dcg - This file gives conditions for victory for both sides for every map. You can trigger certain locations to end a map, or use the destruction of an object to trigger the end of a map, or you can choose a date to end the map.

grandcampagin.dcg - This file tells what order the maps are played in the campaign. So if one side wins a map, this file tells what map to advance to next. So say the Allies win the Normandy map, this file tells the game to advance to the Ardennes map. You copy the same data from the "allcampaigns.dcg" file so that when the map gets transferred it can set up the first mission of the new map.

armor.dcg - this file lists all types of tanks, and when they are available.

shipnames.dcg - You can edit the list of ship names for each class of ship

The minimum files you need to copy over are:
allcampaign
grandcampaign
maps
offmap

You will edit these files to incorporate your own data. In my next post I am going to show you how to make all these files to make a scratch campaign.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 02.01.2008

So if you had any maps in which there is an offmap location (And some maps HALF to have an off map location to work, like Coral Sea or Midway) you need to put that location into the offmap.dcg file. Just enter the names exactly how it appears, but do not bracket it. See example:

Rabaul
Rabaul_Harbor
Rabaul_Shipyard
Rabaul_Airfield

maps.dcg - For this file, you need to bracket the name of the map, give which direction the axis start at, give what two countries are fighting, and describe the map. Here is an example. Note, to get the number ID of each country, open up the "messages.dcg" file in the dcg/data folder. To get the map path to load, open your Mapname.mis file in notepad, and it will be given to you at the top.

[Burma41]
Load=Burma/load.ini
MapAxis=East
AlliedID=2
AxisID=11
Description=Burma

allcampaigns.dcg - Here is the example. What you need are the map name in brackets, the campaign is the group of maps that it belongs to. You can name this anything. Suggested names might be:

Pacific_Campaign
Europe_Campaign
USN_Campaign
IJAF_Fighter_Campaign
Scharnhorst1943's_Campaign

You can name it anything really, just as long as all the maps that you want to tie into a campaign are all grouped together (Scharnhorst1943's_Campagin). Then you will need to give the date that the map starts, which side is attacking, where the supply zones of each side are, where the main airbase for each side is, and all locations that belong to the attacker. Here is an example:

[PacificIsle42]
Campaign=Pacific_Campaign
Map=PacificIsle42
Date=02/01/1942
Attacker=Blue
Front=Pacific_Ocean
DeHome=Rabaul
RuHome=Townsville
DeBase=JA_Island_Airfield
RuBase=US_Island_Airfield
Locale1=JA_Island_Airstrip
Locale2=JA_Island_Airfield
Locale3=JA_Island_Seaplane_Base
Locale4=JA_Island_Point
Locale5=JA_Island_Point_2
Locale6=JA_Island_Beach
Locale7=JA_Island_Bunkers
Locale8=Rabaul
Locale9=Rabaul_Shipyard
Locale10=Rabaul_Harbor

As you can see, this map is named, "PacificIsle42." It is tied into the Pacific_Campaign and this map starts on 2 Feb, 1942. The Japanese are attacking and the Front lines are at the location "Pacific_Ocean." The supply zones for each side are "Rabaul" and "Townsville" (both of these are off map locations). All locations listed (1-10) belong to the Japanese. You MUST make one of these for Each and every map you do in a campaign.

One more tip about roads, if you want the front lines to be say, between two islands, you can use a ship and make the two or three waypts that seperate the two, and then save the waypts into the X.rds file and save it as a locations (Pacific_Ocean). Then you can set the front lines to be there, and each side will have the island fully belonging to them. If you don't to something like this, you might see wierd things with your front lines. There might be strange pockets of resistance.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 02.01.2008

The endcampaign.dcg file specifies how each side will win the map. The format for this file is like all the others. You put the mapname in brackets, and underneath you specify the side and victory conditions. There are many ways a side can win a map. Here are most of them:

EndDate=MM/DD/YYYY
EndLocation=Rabaul_Harbor
Destroy="object name" X%
Sunk=CV 100%
Sunk="ship name" X%

So your options are end the map on a certain date. End the map if a specific location is captured. End the map if a object or percentage of objects is destroyed. You can end the map if a percentage of carriers or ships is sunk.

When incorporating campaign ideas, here are some examples. Take the Hawaii map. You do a Pearl Harbor campaign. In your endcampaign.dcg file, you say Sunk=USSIndianapolis 80%. So the campaign keeps going until 80% of the static US ships are sunk. Or at midway, you can just say Sunk=CV 100%. Each side will battle until they have sunk all the other's carriers. The Destroy="object" X% is very usefull for daylight bombing. You can set up a static machine gun or truck under factory buildings, and the campaign will end when X% of the static objects are destroyed. Note if doing this, don't use many resupply columns, or else the game will go on indefinitely. If doing this maybe have one supply column, otherwise use a different victory condition.

When you make this, you need one for red, and one for blue. You will do two or more for each map, one for each victory condition for each side. Here is an example from one of my files:

[Britain]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Destroy=GAZ67 80%
Victor=Blue

[Britain]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
EndDate=02/14/1941
Victor=Red

As you can see here, the Germans win the Battle of Britain if they destroy 80% of the factory building objects. The British win if they can last to the date set above (14 Feb, 1941). Here is another example:

[Norway]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Sunk=HMSIllustriousCV 100%
Victor=Blue

[Norway]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Sunk=Tirpitz 100%
Destroy=Tirpitz 100%
Victor=Red

In my Norway map, the campaign goes until the Germans sink HMS Glorious, or the British either sink a static Tirpitz or the Sailing Tirpitz. If either is sunk, the map will end and the campaign will adcance to the next map. Here is another one:

[Italy]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
EndDate=09/01/1943
EndLocation=Italian_Forrest
Victor=Blue

[Italy]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
EndLocation=Sokovo_Factory_District
Destroy=MG42 90%
Victor=Red

Here the Italians win if they can push back the Americans to the start location, and the Americans win by EITHER destroying 90% of factory building objects OR capturing Sokovo_Factory_District.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 02.01.2008

Lastly there is the grandcampaign.dcg file. This file tells what order the maps are to be played. So if you are doing a Europe campaign, you would make the following maps:

France40
Dunkirque40
Britain40
Norway41
MediteraneanIslands41
Tunesia41
Lybia41
Egypt41
EnglishChannel42
Egypt42
Lybia42
Tunesia42
MediteraneanIslands42
Napoli43
Italy43
Normandy44
Ardennes44
NWEurope44
Berlin45

In the full mission builder you will have already made all of the above maps, with .rds, .rls, .srd and .prd files accordingly. I HIGHLY suggest makeing the allcampaigns.dcg file FIRST, because you will copy and paste most of the information from that file into the grandcampaign.dcg file. The only real difference is the header of the maps. In the header, you are going to say, "previous map to next map, which side wins." so using the above list of maps, you would need to make this in notepad:

[France40 to Dunkirque40] Blue

[Dunkirque40 to Britain40] Blue

[Britain40 to Norway40] Blue

..... (you get the idea) 8)

Now once you have got a header for all your maps, you simply copy every thing but the header from the all campaign file and paste it below the header in the grand campaign file. So in your allcampaign.dcg file, you need to copy what I have bolded:

[Dunkirque]
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Map=Dunkirque
Date=05/01/1940
Attacker=Blue
Front=Town_Factory_District
DeHome=Argentan_Factory_District
RuHome=Le_Havre_Shipyard
DeBase=Argentan_Airfield
RuBase=Saint-Paul_Airfield
Locale1=Argentan_Factory_District
Locale2=Argentan_Airfield
Locale3=L'Aigle_Depot
Locale4=Ecouche_Depot
Locale5=Avranches_Depot

And paste it under your header so it looks like this:

[France to Dunkirque] Blue
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Map=Dunkirque
Date=05/01/1940
Attacker=Blue
Front=Town_Factory_District
DeHome=Argentan_Factory_District
RuHome=Le_Havre_Shipyard
DeBase=Argentan_Airfield
RuBase=Saint-Paul_Airfield
Locale1=Argentan_Factory_District
Locale2=Argentan_Airfield
Locale3=L'Aigle_Depot
Locale4=Ecouche_Depot
Locale5=Avranches_Depot

[Dunkirque to Britain] Blue
Campaign=Europe_Campaign
Map=Britain
Date=07/01/1940
Attacker=Blue
Front=English_Channel_
DeHome=Tallin_Shipyard
RuHome=Helsinki_Factory
DeBase=Tallin_Airfield
RuBase=Malmi_Airfield
Locale1=Tallin_Shipyard
Locale2=Tallin_Airfield
Locale3=Rakvere_Airfield
Locale4=Iyhvi-ahtme_Airfield
Locale5=Lavansaari_Airstrip
Locale6=Seskar_Airstrip
Locale7=Krasnaia-Gorka_Airstrip
Locale8=Borki_Airstrip
Locale9=Location_2
Locale10=Location_1
Locale11=Island_1
Locale12=Island_2

Please note that in the header, it says, [France to Dunkirque], but in the block of data the map to load says =Dunkirque. You need to copy and paste the allcampaign data from the *SECOND* map in your [France to Dunkirque] Block to paste underneath it.

Are there any questions?



.

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- vonofterdingen - 02.01.2008

I have some questions. I need to start slow though because I am just starting to work through some of your examples as exercises. I got stumped early because I can't figure out how to set waypoints. I can view objects in the FMB but I can't figure out how to set them into the maps. Did I miss something, or do I need to do some basic FMB study and come back to this?

Again, I really appreciate your doing this for everyone and I don't want to hold up others if my understanding is too basic.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 03.01.2008

Not at all vonofterdingen! I can give you some basics right here, and I am absolutely sure that you are not the only one. I am willing to bet there are multiple people that have the same question. 8)

In the full mission builder, to select an object or unit to place, go to view then objects. A box will appear. Select the type of unit. In order to place static units or waypts on the map, you need to hold "Ctrl" and left mouse click. You must hit Ctrl + Click for each and every waypt.

When you place static objects, such as static aircraft, you can altar their orientation. You do this with the number pad. Hitting 4/6 is a quick rotate (I think 45 degrees). 7/9 is a slower rotation (I think 30 degrees).

If you go to your config.ini file in your IL2 game folder, scroll down and look throught it, it lists all the shortcut keys to use in the mission builder.

I hope this helps, and fire away any more questions!

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- wingflyr - 03.01.2008

8) Fabulous tutorial Scharnhorst! I printed off every thing so far that you posted, lots of info.
I did this for easier to read and follow, I must stay this is a lot of time and effort put forth here, great work . Thanks for this M8. wingflyr.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 03.01.2008

Aside from answering more questions, I think what I will do is make some maps, or use some maps I have already created, and walk everyone through how I think when I make my campaigns. So I guess I am going to ask you guys what kind of map you want me to walk you through, from beginning to end? We can do:

Pacific Map - involving off map locations, carrier only battles & Invasions
Europe Map - Involving level bombing, factories and railyards, supply locations

Which one do you guys want to do first?

.

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- wingflyr - 03.01.2008

Both :mrgreen: sorry! Both would be nice but pacific may be easier to follow.

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- Scharnhorst1943 - 03.01.2008

wingflyr Wrote:8) Fabulous tutorial Scharnhorst! I printed off every thing so far that you posted, lots of info.
I did this for easier to read and follow, I must stay this is a lot of time and effort put forth here, great work . Thanks for this M8. wingflyr.

Thank you for the encouragement! If you need any more expanation or help understanding, let me know. I am here to help all of you guys, so from now on out, I am going to help any campaign makers get on their feet :wink:

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