MISSION EDITOR
The mission editor is the heart and soul of Lock On: Modern Air Combat. You can build single missions, campaigns, and multi-player games here. You also have the option to edit mission and track files from the Editor. The different menus will be discussed first and then the general guidelines on how to build missions and campaigns will be discussed later in this section.
Mission Set Up
To enter the Mission Editor (ME), select EDIT from the Main Menu.
Before placing units and all the details that are involved in creating a mission, you first need to determine the time the mission will take place and the composition of county coalitions. The initial ME screen allows you to do this.
At the top right of the screen are the TIME fields. Enter the day, hour and minute you wish the mission to start.
Below the TIME entry is the country and coalitions list. The larger LIST field lists all countries that have not been assigned to a coalition. The two smaller fields list the countries that have been assigned to the RED and BLUE coalitions. To move a country from the LIST to a coalition side, select the country with your mouse and click the right toggle arrow of the desired coalition. To move a country from one coalition to the other, you must first move it the LIST and then the other
coalition. After you have created the desired coalitions, you may press the SAVE button. By saving, thesame coalition
open the ME. button.
To return to the Main Menu, press either the CANCEL button or X button in the top right corner of the screen.
Mission Planner Screen
The ME mission planner is a powerful tool that, while a bit intimidating at first, provides a great deal of flexibility. The screen itself is divided into functional sub-sections, some of which mirror functionality.
Menu Bar
At the very top left of the screen is a row of six pull down menus. This is the Menu Bar. Many of the Menu Bar functions have hot keys and several of them have duplicate functionality in the Tool Bar. The pull down menus includes:
File
Edit
View
Flight
Customize
About
Tool Bar
The Tool Bar, underneath the Menu Bar, is composed of 15 iconic buttons. You can place your mouse over a button to see a tool tip of the icon’s function.
NEW. Clears the current mission and starts a new one.
OPEN. Activates the OPEN mission menu.
SAVE. Saves the active mission to its default path.
FLY! Begin the active mission.
NEW
SAVE
OPEN
DELETE
COALITIONS. Returns you to the Mission Set Up screen and allows you to change the mission start time and coalition compositions.
BRIEFING. View and edit the briefing for the active mission. Most the data will be automatically entered as you create the mission. The exception to this is the EDIT DESCRIPTION field. Here you will write the briefing that players will read before flying the mission. You my also edit the START field to alter the time that the mission will begin.
DEBRIEFING. The debriefing screen is viewed at the conclusion of a mission. The debriefing displays events that transpired during the mission, unit kills, an overview the scenario and filter options. No information is entered by the mission designer on this screen.
LOG BOOK. Links you to the Pilot Log Book.
TRAINING. Link you to the Training screen.
ENCYCLOPEDIA. Link you to the Encyclopedia.
OPTIONS. Link you to the Option screen.
MAP OPTIONS. The Lock On world is large and composed of may types of structures and vehicles. To use the ME properly, you must be familiar with the man map options. These options allow a large degree of filtering and allow you to view the world as from a satellite or as a topographic map. With Map Options selected, the map functions bar is located along the right side of the screen.
COALITIONS
BRIEFING
DEBRIEFING
LOG BOOK
TRAINING
ENCYCLOPEDIA
OPTIONS
MAP OPTIONS
FAILURES
WEATHER
CLOCK
At the top of the bar is a two-position dial name MAP MODE.
When the MAP MODE dial is set to SATELLITE, we have a list of filters displayed in the box below. When the filter button is set to ON, the category of object will be displayed on the map.
These include:
Above the list of DISPLAYED filters is the SIDE drop down list. This drop down allows you to filter the list according to:
At the bottom of the list is the LIST OF HIDDEN UNITS button. If units have been hidden on the map, pressing this button displays new window that lists of all hidden units. In the large list widow, the name of the object is listed as well as its side and condition (hidden or not). Above the list, is a tool bar that allows you to sort hidden objects.
To remove the Hide list, press the LIST OF HIDDEN UNITS button a second time.
To the right of the filter list are three buttons, that when pressed, act on the entire filter list.
When the MAP MODE dial is set to GEOPHYSICS, both the SETTINGS and FILTER buttons below the dial are selectable. If select FILTER, we have the same filter options as we did with the MAP MODE set to SATELLITE. However, when we press the SETTINGS button, we have four new filters that allow us to adjust the map data. These include: RIVERS, ROADS, RAILWAYS and TOWNS.
The ALTITUDE MAP button allows you toggle elevation lines over the terrain.
FAILURES. Your aircraft might be damaged in combat as the result of a missile or shell hit. To be ready for such a situation and to be able to fly the aircraft when onboard systems have failed, the program allows you to imitate failures. Select the Failures button from the Standard Toolbar and specify in the window the failures which the program should imitate. Specify the exact failure time for the particular failure you wish to practice or a time between failure (TBF) if you wish to simulate failures without exact failure times but which will occur for sure within that specified time. For example, if you specify 00:30 in the Within field for the radar this means that your radar will fail for sure within the next 30 minutes. If you were to specify 11:30 in the After field you can be sure that exactly 11 mins 30 sec after takeoff the failure will occur. If you specify an After failure time it will have priority over the Within setting. You also have the option to make the failures random by selecting the random button (Rand) at the bottom of the System Failures window. Additionally, you can adjust the probability of the failures by adjusting the Probability slider. The Probability ranges between 0% (no chance) to 100% (certain failure).
ACS - A failure of the Automatic Control System (ACS) will cause the aircraft’s flight control system to switch to “proportional control mode” in which a control signfrom the stick delivers proportional movement of elevator. The AOA (Angle of Attack) and G limiters are disabled. However, in this situation the aircraft still benefits from a particular degree of stability augmentation unlike in direct link mode when doing a Cobra maneuver. If the ACS fails use very smooth stick movement to avoid large angles of attack and G-loads and don’t rely on the Autopilot as it will also be inoperative.
Autopilot - A failure of the autopilot leads to the aircraft’s inability to automatically follow the pre-set route or keep a given altitude in the Altitude Stabilization mode (Horizontal lock).
Radar - If the radar fails, this denies your aircraft the ability to actively search using the Zhuk-27/Miech-33 radar though you still have the EOS at your disposal.
EOS - A failure of the Electro-Optical System denies your aircraft the ability to passively search for enemies.
MLWS - If the Missile Launch Warning System fails, you will not be able to receive warnings about missiles launched in your direction.
RWS – If the Radar Warning System fails, you will not be able receive warnings when your aircraft is painted with radar.
Hydro - A failure of the hydraulic system degrades control of your aircraft and can make it uncontrollable. When hydraulics are out, don’t fly above 30 degrees bank angle and +/- 20 pitch
L-Engine - If one engine fails, you can still continue flight. If both engines fail at a stone’s throw away from a friendly airfield, you might try to land your aircraft, otherwise, eject!
R-Engine - If one engine fails, you can still continue flight. If both engines fail at a stone’s throw away from a friendly airfield, you might try to land your aircraft, otherwise, eject!
Helmet - When the Helmet Mounted Target Designator (HMTD) fails you cannot use Helmet mode.
HUD - If the Head Up Display fails, the HUD screen goes blank. You still have the option of flying on instruments.
MFD - When the Multi Function Display fails, the screen goes blank.
ECM - If the ECM system is damaged, you cannot employ active jamming using the onboard ECM system equipment and/or any external ECM system.
WEATHER. The weather screen allows you to create detailed weather and seasonal conditions. Located on the right of the screen, weather tool is divided into six sections, boxes.
The top section includes the season selection drop down and the air temperature.
Below is the wind speed and direction control. Three different altitude bands are provided and you may manually enter the speed and direction the wind comes from by clicking on the control toggles
Below the wind speed and direction settings are the air turbulence settings. Atmospheric turbulence is the movement of downward and upward traveling airstreams causing bumps. The main reasons for turbulence have to do with the friction of airstreams on the ground surface, non-uniform heating of ground, the collision of atmospheric fronts having different temperatures, speeds and directions of movement, and of course rising terrain. Turbulence may lead to reducing flight speed, inaccurate readings of flight instruments, low-amplitude jolting and shaking of the aircraft at high airspeedAs this takes place, the G-load may change chaotically with dispersion of values that may sometimes be as much as ±2 Gs during strong bumps. You can specturbulence by entering the wind speed (m/s) for three characteristic areas - inthe mountains and at altitudes from ground level up to 2000 and 8000 mNote that the strongest turbulence in mountains occurs on the lee slopes.
Second from the bottom, the visibility distance slider allows you to determine the distance at which the terrain is rendered.
The bottom section provides sliders to set cloud THCKNSS (thickness) and DENSITY.
CLOCK
Pressing the CLOCK button toggles the clock display in the upper right portion of the screen between mission time weather conditions and the day, time of your computer clock.
ADD NEW
Along the left side of the ME, are six icons. Each icon represents a category of object that can be placed in the world or a means tcreate mission goals.
After selecting an icon, the icon will be highlighted to indicate it is the active placement type.
Please review the later section on Unit Placement for greater detail.
GO Buttons
As with the Main Menu buttons, the EDIT, CAMP, FBP and NTW buttons allow you immediately jump to these portions of the game.
Zoom Controls
In the bottom left corner of the ME are the manual zoom controls. The large 100% button zooms the map out to its highest level, allowing you to view much of the Black Sea. The + amd – buttons are modal, meaning that, if they are depressed, the mouse cursor will be a + or – spy glass. Left mouse button clicking on the location under the spyglass with either zoom zoom out depending on the mode. To disable the mode, clithe appropriate + or – button again. The forward and back button toggle allows you to revert to previous zoom sele
Status Bar
Along the bottom of the program window runs the Status Bar, which shows the name of the currently loaded mission, the current geographical coordinates of the mouse pointer along with some limited data regarding the currently selected unit; heading and distance.
MISSION. The title of the active mission.
COORD. The Lat Long coordinates of the cursor’s position.
By holding down the right mouse button and dragging the mouse, you can create a line that measures the heading of the line and its distance. This can be a useful tool when measuring distances. The HDG and DIST values provide this data.
Exit
At the top right corner of the ME is a Windows standard ‘X” exit button. Click this button to return to the Main Menu.
Navigating the Mission Editor Map
When working in the Mission Editor, you will be required to intensively use the maps for identifying targets, planning routes and placing objects. While using the map, you can:
Panning
If you are interested in a particular area, which is beyond what’s on the screen, you can shift the map in the desired direction. You can do this by simply holding down your left mouse button which will change to the Pan state (hand icon) and you can then move the map in the desired direction.
Zooming
Zooming can be done by clicking on the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons on the Zoom Controls and then left clicking on the screen, or by using your wheel mouse if you have one available. To enlarge a given area to the size of the map window, first, make sure the zoom option is activated, and then left click and drag a box on the map. Release the mouse button to complete zooming. Note that Zoom In mode remains active until disabled, so you can apply zooming in repeatedly. To disable, “unpress” the Zoom In button by left clicking.
Adding an Aircraft and Helicopters
To place an air unit on the map, select either the aircraft or helicopter icons from the ADD NEW list and then left button click anywhere on the map. You will now have placed an icon at the mouse’s location. By performing a left button click and hold on the unit, you may drag the unit elsewhere on the map
Along the right side of the screen, the air unit tool bar is displayed. This is your primary interface to determine the properties, targeting, and routing of air units. At the top of the tool are four modal buttons that determine what information is provides below them on the tool. The top of the tool bar remains constant between modes, but the bottom section will vary between ROUTE, TARGETING, PAYLOAD and SUMMARY modes.
Functions of the top portion of the tool bar include:
GROUP. A group is one or more flights that are assigned the same set of waypoints. Each flight of the group can be assigned a different Type and Task with separate targets. The Group pull down menu allows you to view all Groups active in the mission. Select a Group from the drop down list to make it your active group.
SIDE. During the Mission Setup process, you have assigned at least one country to the RED side and one to the BLUE side. The countries that you have placed on a side are listed on this drop down menu. By selecting a country, you assign the active Group to the selected side.
FLIGHT. A flight consists of one to four aircraft of the same Type. Members of a flight will all have the same Task and use the same set of waypoints. However, individual flight members can be separately targeted. The two sets of toggle buttons allow you to increase or decrease the number of Flights assigned to the Group.
NAME. Each flight may be assigned a call sign from the pull down list. Call signs are used to distinguish flights during radio messages.
TASK. Tasks defines the type of mission that the Flight will carry out. A Task will determine the Types of aircraft available to you, the payloads available to the Flight, and how AI will perform to carry out the mission. From the pull down menu, the follow Tasks are available to the appropriate aircraft. Only Tasks that the selected aircraft Type are displayed. If no Type is selected, all Tasks are displayed.
By default, each new aircraft added to a mission is devoid of any specific task. Correspondingly, it will not have any weapons loaded except perhaps the cannon. Such a plane does not take part in any active actions against enemy aircraft or ground installations and just follows its route. Under the threat of an enemy attack the aircraft will try to evade it.
This is a defensive tactic whereby the aircraft must carry out an active search of incoming enemy aircraft and/or receive targeting data from ground based or airborne radar. This type of combat task is reserved for large scale defense and active patrolling and you should not use it while defending a small area or a local installation. The interceptor while chasing the enemy may deviate far from his planned route and the area he is supposed to defend will be left undefended.
The fighter sweep mission is a combat task that involves penetrating enemy air space to attack enemy fighters or other types of aircraft. The main objective of a fighter sweep is winning air superiority and to ensure unimpeded use of the air space by friendly aircraft. Since the aircraft taking part in a fighter sweep may find themselves at a considerable distance from their airfields and take part in prolonged dogfights, their fuel load will be a crucial factor. Certain aircraft can carry additional external fuel tanks.
The CAP mission implies flying a large rectangular pattern around a defined route to defend an area from enemy aircraft. This type of task does not involve spotting and destroying enemy ground targets or a significant deviation from the planned route to intercept aircraft. Be aware that high altitude CAP will make life for low level interdiction easier for your aircraft. A combination high/low CAP sandwich is the most balanced deployment. The crucial factor while patrolling will be the fuel load limiting the distance and duration of CAP. All AI aircraft in Lock On: Modern Air Combat stop patrolling and return to base in a straight route as soon as their fuel falls to the guaranteed minimum required for the return flight.
When taking part in a GAI mission, the aircraft is on alert duty on the runway with warmed-up engines. On receiving AWACS or other targeting data, the aircraft takes off and attempts an assisted intercept. In Lock On: Modern Air Combat, the GAI task can be allocated only to AI aircraft. If the enemy attacks with several aircraft, the aircraft on GAI duty will take-off one after another to intercept enemy aircraft. When planning this type of mission you don’t need to create waypoints and action points. All you have to do is just set the takeoff point on an airfield and declare it as a GAI Task. Note that when planning GAI the aircraft on hot alert don’t appear on the runway until the target data becomes available. For best results, place radars such as 1L13 and 55G6 early warning radars at the airbase.
This task is allocated to fighters and involves escorting allied aircraft (transport aircraft, bombers, or attack aircraft) and defending them in some air corridor along the route from possible attacks of enemy aircraft. In doing so the escorting fighters should not engage in fights with the enemy aircraft if the latter do not close in on them and do not display aggressiveness. Escort flights must be part of the Group they are to escort.
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) involves searching for enemy EWR stations, anti-aircraft artillery, and surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites in a given area, and attacking and destroying them with antiradar missiles. Note that you cannot use antiradar ASMs (Air to Surface Missiles) against airborne targets (for example, AWACS aircraft), as antiradar missiles are not designed to track fast moving maneuvering targets.
This task consists in actively searching for enemy surface ships in a given area then attacking and destroying them. In doing so you should use antiship missiles.
The Pinpoint strike mission involves active search for ground and surface targets in a given area and attacking and destroying them using precision or cruise missiles. In addition to the above weapons, to deliver a pinpoint strike, the aircraft can carry a wide range of laser and GPS guided bombs.
This task consists in purposely searching for enemy ground targets (plants, railroad stations, airfields) in a given area then attacking and destroying them with general purpose bombs. This type of mission usually involves using unguided bombs weighing from 250 to 1500 kg. In addition, the aircraft can destroy targets with the aid of unguided rockets.
CAS involves actively searching for enemy ground targets on the battlefield and destroying them. Here absolute precision in delivering strikes is not of crucial importance. This type of mission usually involves using unguided rockets and unguided bombs. The Su-25T and A-10 ground attack aircraft are best suited to CAS, though such planes as the Su-25, Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-27 and F/A-18 can successfully handle this task.
The AWACS aircraft flies according to a planned straight or circular route and alerts allied aircraft, SAM sites, and ships when it detects enemy aircraft. Certain SAM systems can receive targeting data directly from the AWACS even when their own acquisition radar systems have been destroyed. In order for ships to conduct shore bombardment and artillery to engage targets outside beyond their line of sight, a friendly AWACS must be present in the mission.
TYPE. This pull down lists all the available aircraft or helicopter units available to the Side you have selected. Depending on the Task selected, only those Types that are capable of carrying out the Task are listed. If no Task is selected, then all Types for the selected Side are listed. Aircraft that the player may fly are listed in gold lettering.
PILOT. The two toggle buttons allow you to determine how many aircraft or helicopters comprise the Flight. This can range between one and four.
NAME. Depending on the Side selected, a list of pilots from the Log Book are listed here.
SKILL. Skill determines the AI level of the Pilot and if the unit is controlled by the AI or a human. If the unit is a non-flyable aircraft, you map choose between five levels of AI skill level. Average being the least skilled and Excellent being the most. However, the unit is a flyable aircraft, you may also select Player and Client. If you wish the aircraft to be flown by the player during the mission, you must set the Skill to Player. Player will be highlighted in gold. To set a pilot to be flown by a client in a multiplayer game, set the Skill to Client.
HIDE button. Pressing this button hides the active Group.
CLIENT button. Below the air unit property unit selections is the Client button. If a pilot has been assigned a Skill of client, this button will flight when this pilot is selected.
ROUTE
Waypoints are navigation points on the map that guide the player and AI to reach specified locations and attack targets. Each waypoint can be assigned multiple properties that allow the unit to reach the waypoint at a defined time, speed and altitude.
To create a waypoint for a unit, you must first select the unit by clicking on it or selecting it from the GROUP drop down list. An active unit’s icon is shown in yellow along with its flight route and selected waypoint. If the ADD button is depressed in the bottom of the waypoints properties box, simply left click on the map to create a waypoint. The new, selected waypoint have a number inside it that indicates order of placement; the initial unit placement is considered waypoint 0 and the first waypoint you place is consid
Having placed a waypoint, you have several options to alter its properties.
WPNT (Waypoint). These two toggle buttons allow you to cycle through all placed waypoints of the selected unit.
TYPE. This determines the general type of action that the air unit will perform upon reaching the selected waypoint.
ACTION. Below the TYPE drop down list are the lists of Actions that you can assign according to the selected Type. Note that Actions and dependant upon the selected Type.
When in TakeOff Type, Actions include:
When in Turning Point Type, Actions include:
When in Attack Type, Actions include:
ALT (Altitude). The altitude the Group will be when it reaches the waypoint.
SPEED. The speed the Group will be traveling when it reaches the waypoint.
ETA. This indicates the estimated time of arrival at the waypoint. When the selected waypoint is 0, you may adjust this time to indicate the Groups entry time into the mission.
At the bottom of the waypoint properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new waypoint for the selected Group, this button must be depressed. To use the mouse to selected other units, select the ADD button again to unselect it. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a waypoint, select the waypoint and press the DEL key. If the selected waypoint is the 0 waypoint, the entire flight will be deleted.
EDIT. To change values in the waypoint properties box, the EDIT button must be depressed.
TARGETING
When you have set a waypoint to Attack Target, the TARGETING button becomes available at the top of the air units tool bar. After selecting this button, the waypoints properties window is replaced by the targeting properties window at the bottom of the too bar.
To designate a target, left click on the location or object you with the unit to destroy. Upon doing so, a red triangle with a yellow circle in the center will appear over the target. In the center of the yellow circle will be a number that indicates its sequence if you have placed multiple targets for a waypoint.
The Targeting properties box consists of the following options:
TARGET. If you place designated multiple targets to be attacked when the air unit reaches the waypoint, you may use the toggle button to cycle through the designated targets.
OBJECT. This field displays the name of the Target and its assigned country.
COORD. This field displays the latitude and longitudinal coordinates of the Target.
PRIMARY button. When selected a Target and setting the Primary button to on, this will set a priority for the AI to destroy such a target.
OBJ and COORD buttons. Two types of general Targets may be assigned. OBJ, object, targets are vehicle and static objects. COORD, coordinates, allow the AI to attack a specific location.
At the bottom of the waypoint properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new target for the flight, this button must be depressed. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a Target, select the waypoint and press the DEL key.
EDIT. To change Targeting values, the EDIT button must be depressed.
PAYLOAD
The Payload screen allows you to customize the payloads for all aircraft. This is a powerful tool that allows broad customization, the creation and saving of player-created payloads and allows you to visualize your efforts.
From the top tool bar, Task and Type selection are very important. By selecting Task of the Type of aircraft you select, you will determine the range of payload options available. Additionally, if you first select the Task you wish, the list of air unit Types will be limited to just those that can perform the mission.
The unique Payload screen is divided into two parts, weapon loading on the left and fuel loading on the right.
Weapons Loading. This group of option allows you to select pre-made payloads for the selected Task and also allows you to edit and create your own.
NAME. This drop down lists all pre-made and saved payloads for the selected Task. Simply click of the desired list item to load the Payload.
LIST. Once a payload has been selected, a list of all items loaded on the air unit are listed. By clicking on an item, red triangles will surround the item on the 3D view of the air unit. Additionally, the item will be the focus of the weapon viewer.
To edit or create new Payload, select a pre-made Payload from the NAME list and press the NEW button to the right. Above the weapon viewer are two drop down lists:
TYPE. This lists the general types of systems that can be mounted on an air unit.
WPN. This lists the specific weapons and other systems that apply to each Type.
By toggling the PYLON button next to weapon viewer you can select the weapon station you want to arm or modify. The four red arrows on the 3D view of the air unit indicate the selected weapon station. Press the ADD button to the left of the weapon viewer to place the selected weapon on the selected weapon station, When you have made all your changes, enter a name for the new Payload and press the SAVE button. To delete a custom Payload, selected it and press the DEL button.
COLOUR SCHEME. To selected multiple camouflage patterns for the selected aircraft, select the item from the drop down list.
ON-BOARD #. To enter number displayed on the air unit, you may either enter it directly in the field or use the toggle button to select it. After entering the number, you must press the Enter key to save it.
Fuel Loading. Except for altering the fuel load of the air unit, all field of the fuel loading box are generated automatically.
BALANCE. This scale indicates weigh distribution of the air unit. If balance is uneven, adjust your weapons payload.
FUEL. To adjust the air units fuel level, you may either left click and drag the slider button or enter the fuel percentage in the % field. Note that fuel percentage can have a significant impact on aircraft performance.
FUEL WEIGHT. Weight of loaded fuel
EMPTY. Weight of aircraft when unloaded of weapons and fuel
WEAPONS. Weight of all stores
TOTAL. Total weight of fuel and stores
Along the bottom of the fuel loading box is a slider that indicates total weight loading. Above the slider is the maximum allowable takeoff weight. To the right of the slider is the percentage of maximum takeoff weight loaded. If the slider is into the red zone, take off will be hazardous.
SUMMARY
The Summary box provides data regarding the overall flight plan of the selected air unit. These items include:
FLIGHT TIME. The total flight time of the unit’s mission assuming no changes in flight plan
DISTANCE. The total distance that the flight plan covers.
AVRG SPD (Average Speed). The average speed of the unit over the course of the mission.
RANGE. This distance between the starting waypoint and the end waypoint.
Adding Ships
To place a naval unit on the map, select the ship icon from the ADD NEW list and then left button click anywhere on the map.
Along the right side of the screen, the ship unit tool bar is displayed. This is your primary interface to determine the properties, targeting, and routing of air units. At the top of the tool are three modal buttons that determine what information is provides below them on the tool. The top of the tool bar remains constant between modes, but the bottom section will vary between ROUTE, TARGETING, and SUMMARY modes.
Functions of the top portion of the tool bar include:
GROUP. A group is one or more ships that are assigned the same set of waypoints. Each ship of the group can be assigned a different Type with separate targets. The Group pull down menu allows you to view all ship Groups active in the mission. Select a Group from the drop down list to make it your active group.
SIDE. During the Mission Setup process, you have assigned at least one country to the RED side and one to the BLUE side. The countries that you have placed on a side are listed on this drop down menu. By selecting a country, you assign the active Group to the selected side.
TYPE. This pull down lists all the available ships available to the Side you have selected.
UNIT. The two sets of toggle buttons allow you to increase or decrease the number of ships assigned to the Group.
LIST. This drop down lists off ships assigned to the Group.
SKILL. Skill determines the AI level of the unit. Choices range from average being the least skilled and Excellent being the most. Skill level will determine the range at which the unit will engage the enemy and its accuracy of fire.
HIDE button. Pressing this button hides the active Group.
ROUTE
Having placed a waypoint, you have several options to alter its properties.
WPNT (Waypoint). These two toggle buttons allow you to cycle through all placed waypoints of the selected unit.
ACTION. These are the actions that the Group may perform after reaching its waypoint.
SPEED. The speed the Group will be traveling after it reaches the waypoint.
ETA. This indicates the estimated time of arrival at the waypoint. When the selected waypoint is 0, you may adjust this time to indicate the Groups entry time into the mission.
At the bottom of the waypoint properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new waypoint for the selected Group, this button must be depressed. To use the mouse to selected other units, select the ADD button again to unselect it. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a waypoint, select the waypoint and press the DEL key. If the selected waypoint is the 0 waypoint, the entire flight will be deleted.
EDIT. To change values in the waypoint properties box, the EDIT button must be depressed.
TARGETING
When you have set a waypoint to Attack Target, the TARGETING button becomes available at the top of the air units tool bar. After selecting this button, the waypoints properties window is replaced by the Targeting properties window at the bottom of the tool bar.
To designate a target, left click on the location or object you with the unit to destroy. Upon doing so, a red triangle with a yellow circle in the center will appear over the target. In the center of the yellow circle will be a number that indicates its sequence if you have placed multiple targets for a waypoint.
The Targeting properties box consists of the following options:
TARGET. If you have designated multiple targets to be attacked when the Group reaches the waypoint, you may use the toggle button to cycle through the designated targets.
OBJECT. This field displays the name of the Target and its assigned country.
COORD. This field displays the latitude and longitudinal coordinates of the Target.
PRIMARY button. After selecting a Target and setting the Primary button to on, this will set a priority for the AI to destroy such a target.
OBJ and COORD buttons. There are two general types of Targeting. OBJ, object, targets are vehicle and static objects and COORD, coordinates, allow the AI to attack a specific location.
At the bottom of the Targeting properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new target for the Group, this button must be depressed. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a Target, select the waypoint and press the DEL key.
EDIT. To change Targeting values, the EDIT button must be depressed.
SUMMARY
The Summary box provides data regarding the overall navigation plan of the selected Group. These items include:
FLIGHT TIME. The total travel time of the unit’s mission assuming no changes in navigation plan
DISTANCE. The total distance that the Group plan covers.
AVRG SPD (Average Speed). The average speed of the unit over the course of the mission.
RANGE. This distance between the starting waypoint and the end waypoint.
Adding Ground Force Units
To place a ground force unit on the map, select the ship icon from the ADD NEW list and then left button click anywhere on the map. Ground forces include all combat and non-combat related ground vehicles that include armor, air defense vehicles, infantry, etc.
Along the right side of the screen, the ground forces tool bar is displayed. This is your primary interface to determine the properties, targeting, and routing of ground units. At the top of the tool are three modal buttons that determine what information is provides below them on the tool. As with aircraft and ships, the top of the tool bar remains constant between modes, but the bottom section will vary between ROUTE, TARGETING, and SUMMARY modes.
Functions of the top portion of the tool bar include:
GROUP. A group is one or more ground vehicles that are assigned the same set of waypoints. For indirect fire weapons such as artillery and multiple rocket launchers, each vehicle of the group can be assigned a separate target. The Group drop down list allows you to view all ground force Groups active in the mission. Select a Group from the drop down list to make it your active group.
SIDE. During the Mission Setup process, you have assigned at least one country to the RED side and one to the BLUE side. The countries that you have placed on a side are listed on this drop down. By selecting a country, you assign the active Group to the selected side.
TYPE. This pull down lists all the available ground units available to the Side you have selected. Some Types, such as surface-to-air missile systems, can be placed as an entire collection of the necessary vehicles. These are referred to as a “site.”
UNIT. The two sets of toggle buttons allow you to increase or decrease the number of ships assigned to the Group. Using this function along with the Types, you may place multiple ground unit Types within a single Group.
LIST. This drop down lists of ground units assigned to the Group.
SKILL. Skill determines the AI level of the unit. Choices range from average being the least skilled and Excellent being the most. Skill level will determine the range at which the unit will engage the enemy and its accuracy of fire.
HIDE button. Pressing this button hides the active Group.
ROUTE
Having placed a waypoint, you have several options to alter its properties.
WPNT (Waypoint). These two toggle buttons allow you to cycle through all placed waypoints of the selected Group.
ACTION. These are the actions that the Group may perform after reaching its waypoint.
FORM. Once the Group has reached a waypoint, the Form selection determines its mode of travel to the next waypoint. These choices are the same regardless of the selected Action.
SPEED. The speed the Group will be traveling after it reaches the waypoint.
ETA. This indicates the estimated time of arrival at the waypoint. When the selected waypoint is 0, you may adjust this time to indicate the Groups entry time into the mission.
At the bottom of the waypoint properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new waypoint for the selected Group, this button must be depressed. To use the mouse to select other units, select the ADD button again to unselect it. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a waypoint, select the waypoint and press the DEL key. If the selected waypoint is the 0 waypoint, the entire flight will be deleted.
EDIT. To change values in the waypoint properties box, the EDIT button must be depressed.
TARGETING
Ground force Targeting works the same as it does with Ships. To review, when you have set a waypoint to Attack Target, the TARGETING button becomes available at the top of the air units tool bar. After selecting this button, the waypoints properties window is replaced by the targeting properties window at the bottom of the tool bar.
To designate a target, left click on the location or object you with the unit to destroy. Upon doing so, a red triangle with a yellow circle in the center will appear over the target. In the center of the yellow circle will be a number that indicates its sequence if you have placed multiple targets for a waypoint.
The Targeting properties box consists of the following options:
TARGET. If you designated multiple targets to be attacked when the Group reaches the waypoint, you may use the toggle button to cycle through the designated targets.
OBJECT. This field displays the name of the Target and its assigned country.
COORD. This field displays the latitude and longitudinal coordinates of the Target.
PRIMARY button. When selecting a Target and setting the Primary button to on, this will set a priority for the AI to destroy such a target.
OBJ and COORD buttons. There are two general types of Targeting. OBJ, object, targets vehicle and static objects and COORD, coordinates, that allow the AI to attack a specific geographic location.
At the bottom of the Targeting properties box are three buttons:
ADD. To add a new target for the group, this button must be depressed. It is a modal function.
DEL (Delete). To delete a Target, select the waypoint and press the DEL key.
EDIT. To change Targeting values, the EDIT button must be depressed.
SUMMARY
The Summary box provides data regarding the overall navigation plan of the selected Group. These items include:
FLIGHT TIME. The total travel time of the unit’s mission assuming no changes in navigation plan
DISTANCE. The total distance that the Group plan covers.
AVRG SPD (Average Speed). The average speed of the unit over the course of the mission.
RANGE. This distance between the starting waypoint and the end waypoint.
Adding Static Objects
Unlike Aircraft, Ships and Ground vehicles, Static objects are 3D representations of most units but have no AI and are always stationary. Static objects are useful in creating mission objectives and populating the map. In addition to units, you have the ability to place buildings and installations such as bunkers, control buildings and check points; to just name a few.
To place a Static object, select the Static object icon from the ADD NEW list. As with units, you may left click on the map to place the objects and left button hold and drag to move it.
On the right of the screen is the Static object tool far. Like the unit tool bars, this tool bar allows you to choose the Static objects and its properties.
NAME. Each time you place a Static object on the map, a Name will automatically be generated for it and displayed in the Name field. However, you may select this name and overwrite it to create a custom Name. This can be helpful when trying to keep track of targeting lists.
SIDE. As with the aircraft, ship and ground forces tool bars; you will select the country that the Static object belongs too. This will filter the Types of objects listed.
CATEG. All Static objects are divided into five categories: Aircraft, Helicopters, Ships, Ground vehicles, and Buildings. Select the category of object you wish to place and all objects of that Type will be listed in the TYPE drop down list.
TYPE. Having set the desired CATEG (category), all objects of that category and belonging the selected SIDE are listed. To select a object left click on it and place it on the map by left clicking on the desired map location.
COORD. This field displays the latitude and longitude coordinates of the object.
HIDE button. Pressing this button hides the active Group.
Along the bottom of the Static object tool far is the orientation box. This allows you to orient the direction that the object is facing in the game world. Because Static objects never move, this will be the orientation of the object during the entire course of the mission. To alter the orientation, you may either use the toggle button to select the desired compass heading as indicated in the field; manually type in the heading; or left click and hold on the dial and drag the dial to the desired heading.
Below the orientation box is the DEL button. Press this button to remove the selected Static object from the mission.
Creating Mission Goals
In order to define a mission as a success, partial success or failure, the ME includes the Mission Goals tool that allows you to define these conditions based on the destruction or protection of designated units and objects.
To create Mission Goals, first select the Mission Goals icon from the ADD NEW bar. Upon selection, the Mission Goals too bar is displayed along the right side of the screen. The tool bar contains the following functions:
At the top of the tool bar is the OBJECTIVE field. The objective is a statement of the primary condition(s) that must be met for a successful mission. This Objective is then displayed in the Mission Briefing. To enter the Objective statement, click in the field and type the statement.
Below the Objective statement are two buttons, MAP and LIST. Regardless of the MAP button be turned off or on, you may always enter and view data in the tool bar. However, to view the Goals list, the LIST button must be on. To exit the LIST view, press the MAP button.
To create a goal, select the ADD button from the top box. This changes the mouse cursor to a cross-hair, indicating that your are in goal designation mode. You may now click on any unit, static object, or map structure to designate it as a goal. After selecting a goal, you may view the following information:
NUMB (Number). Using the forward / back button, you may cycle between created goals. When a goal is selected, data on the tool bar pertains to that goal.
TARGET. This is the name of the unit or object that you have designated as a goal.
COORD. This field lists displays the latitude and longitude coordinates of the goal.
GOAL. A goal can be set to one of two states with the drop down list:
LIST. The drop down list allows you to view all TARGETS that have been set as Goals. Upon selecting a Target, the tool data will reflect the chosen Target.
In the center of the top box, are three buttons.
ADD. To designate a unit or object as a Target associated with a Goal, the ADD button must be depressed. This is a modal button.
DEL. To delete a Goal, select the desired Goal and press the DEL button.
VIEW. If the selected Goal is an air, ship, or ground unit, pressing the View button will display the unit’s tool bar in place of the Goal tool bar.
If a unit has been assigned to destroy a Target to achieve a Goal, information about that unit is displayed in the lower box.
GROUP. The name of the Group that is assigned to destroy the Target
FL/UNIT. If multiple flights or units of a Group are assigned to destroy the target, the forward / back button allows you to cycle through these flights or units.
TYPE. The Type field indicates the type of unit that is assigned to destroy the Target.
TASK. This field indicates the type of Task that the unit will use to carry out its mission.
Mission Building Tips
Icons
When planning existing missions or building new ones, you will be placing aircraft, ships, SAM systems, possibly static objects and designing unit routes. In our terminology, all the above are objects. Some of them are active objects whereas other objects are static. Active objects have particular levels of artificial intelligence and behavior; they are marked by an individual symbol irrespective of the current map scale.
The table below contains a list of all Icons used on the map:
Aircraft
Helicopter
Ground Unit
Airfield
Take-off waypoint
Landing waypoint
Ground Alert Intercept station. This is the only waypoint of the GAI sortie.
Turning point of an unselected route. Such a waypoint is always displayed in the color of the country owning the aircraft.
Turning point of the selected route. The number indicates the waypoint’s ordinal number.
Action point of an unselected route. An action point implies a particular action associated with this waypoint (rocket attack point, start of a CAP station) action point of the selected route. The number indicates the waypoint order number.
Ship
Early Warning Radar station
Tracking radar of a SAM system
Search radar of a SAM system
SAM launcher
AAA or SAM system housing both radar and launcher/guns
Portable SAM launcher (Igla, Stinger, etc)
Static object
Primary target