My First Adventure in the Realm of DB Modding

[SeaQueen]

I wanted to see if I could make an LHD carry a compliment of MV-22 Ospreys. I was able to figure out that I'd need to click on the Ship Class dialog box, but I haven't been able to figure out what to do next.

It's not clear at all how to add more options for aircraft compliments.

[TLAM Strike]

Click the 13th button from the left, "Ship Based Aircraft Dialog", the options are fairly self explanitory.

[SeaQueen]

When I do that, though, I can only modify the existing options, I can't add new options. I see that there's two different WASP entries there. How do I add more?

[LoBlo]

Hi SeaQueen. I can tell you that most of the Database values are understood by just plain old experimentination. I haven't cracked it completely myself.

I don't know the answer to your quesiton (not sure how to add aircraft to ships) but if you try to copy what SCS has already done then perhaps that would be a good starting point.

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by LoBlo

Hi SeaQueen. I can tell you that most of the Database values are understood by just plain old experimentination. I haven't cracked it completely myself.

I don't know the answer to your quesiton (not sure how to add aircraft to ships) but if you try to copy what SCS has already done then perhaps that would be a good starting point.

Oh well... at least now I know as much as anyone else.

It's been one of my pet peeves for a while that the MV-22 isn't included on LHDs. At least now I have the capacity to fix it. It's a shame because the Marines really like to have a lot of flexibility with regards to the airplanes they pack. There's not enough options!

[LuftWolf]

Originally Posted by SeaQueen

Oh well... at least now I know as much as anyone else.

Not quite.

Click on the little airplane button to the far right.

Find the Wasp on the left hand scroll menu.

Go to the first empty option slot in the middile (should be 3)

Scroll down to entry 00268 MV-22 Osprey. Select. To the right, change the 0 to a whole number to indicate the number of planes you want on board.

The Wasp will now carry that number of MV-22 Osprey and will launch them according to the Mission Priorities set for the Osprey in the Object Dialogue, or as indicated by the mission designer.

Cheers,
David

[LuftWolf]

PS Make sure you hit "apply" before closing the dialogue AND select Save from the main File menu before closing DWedit, but you probably knew that already.

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

The Wasp will now carry that number of MV-22 Osprey and will launch them according to the Mission Priorities set for the Osprey in the Object Dialogue, or as indicated by the mission designer.

But will that add a NEW option or will it just replace the old option?

[LuftWolf]

I don't understand the question.

If you use an -EMPTY- option, then yes, it will replace the empty slot.

Using the DW engine, you could have a fishing boat carry an air wing (and launch nuclear submarines) if you wanted to.

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

I don't understand the question.

If you use an -EMPTY- option, then yes, it will replace the empty slot.

Using the DW engine, you could have a fishing boat carry an air wing (and launch nuclear submarines) if you wanted to.

There's several WASP entries, one for each option of aircraft loads for the ship. Similarly, there's several OLIVER HAZARD PERRY loads, one for the 1 helo option, the other for the 2 helo option.

I don't want to edit existing options, I want to add in more options. That would make LHDs a little more flexible.

Huuum... While I'm at it, I wonder if there's a way to make LCACs enter and leave well decks.

[LuftWolf]

Ok, in order to make a new shipbasedaircraft loadout entry, you have to create a whole new shipclass from scratch, because all the loadouts need to be associated with a given shipclass when it is created, they cannot be added later.

I know how to do it, but I've never done it before, it's quite involved, as you have to change every single entity and object from the original WASP class over to the new WASP class, so I can't give you the exact steps right now, but there are a lot of them.

I'll have to cross this bridge at some point, so give me a bit of time and I'll get back to you, but it can be done.

Cheers,
David

PS It's SO much easier just to edit one of the current loadouts... 10 seconds of work verses probably well over an hour if you haven't done it before, and who knows how long if you aren't at all familar with DWedit.

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

Ok, in order to make a new shipbasedaircraft loadout entry, you have to create a whole new shipclass from scratch, because all the loadouts need to be associated with a given shipclass when it is created, they cannot be added later.

I know how to do it, but I've never done it before, it's quite involved, as you have to change every single entity and object from the original WASP class over to the new WASP class, so I can't give you the exact steps right now, but there are a lot of them.

I'll have to cross this bridge at some point, so give me a bit of time and I'll get back to you, but it can be done.

No problem. Once we know how to do it once, I'm sure it'll be a lot faster.

I also have some public domain information about the composition of post-F-14 carrier air wings and other stuff that I'd like to add to the aircraft carrier database too. That way you could pick a 1990s CAW, a 2006 CAW, a 2010 CAW, etc... It includes everything, including the possibility of adding UCAVs, although the guy who have it to me was a little skeptical of them.

They picked a bad time to be making a database of warships. So much is changing right now :-)

The big thing I've been focusing on is having lots of options with the LHDs, because the aviation element of an MEU is a very nebulous creature. The Marines like to customize their MEU for the anticipated threat, so there's no such thing as a "standard" aviation element for a MEU the same way there's a "standard" carrier air wing. The other big thing, like I mentioned before, is that with MV-22s coming out, we're going to see more and more of them. It's a shame that one can't stick them aboard.

Right now, it looks like they just pulled some stuff off FAS, which is fine to start with, but there's a lot more flexibility in those ships than people really see.

PS It's SO much easier just to edit one of the current loadouts... 10 seconds of work verses probably well over an hour if you haven't done it before, and who knows how long if you aren't at all familar with DWedit.

That's why I figured I'd try to do it myself before I burdened you with my grand visions. :-)