Adding scripted ships to SH4
 

Hi mates: I have a couple of questions about the Mission Editor and the possibility of add new ships scripted in SH4.

My intention is to add some ships in the Caribbean (U boats, merchants...), and in the San Francisco Bay. I use TMO21 plus RSRDC, and the Map makeover mod; it add the Panama Canal; I like some traffic in the Canal and in the Caribbean, for a campaign starting in New London.

I read some threads about the SH4 ME; I have some skills in SH3 ME, but the lot of MIS files in SH4 confuse me...:damn:

My questions:

- I need to make a new mission without objetives for add the new ships scripted in RSRDC campaign...:06:

- Or I need add the traffic to some MIS file (scripted layer) existing in RSRDC...:06:

I think in the first option: make a new mission without the objetives, and add in this mission the traffic, and save the mission as scripted layer. Well done, or...:damn:

If I have success in this modification, I publish it for all the mates in beta version.

Many thanks and best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

My experience with the ME is limited, but anyway...

I think that the easiest way to do that is saving the new traffic as a normal mission and then adding it to the campaign through the campaign.cfg file.

This is how I'm doing it and it seems to work ;).

Many thanks. I think is the best option, too.

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

If you want to add ships to an existing .mis file from RSRDC, DO NOT save it as a "Scripted Layer". Almost all .mis files in a Campaign are for creating traffic that you see/attack in the game. And almost ALL of these .mis file create the traffic using "Random Generated Groups" and if you save as a Scripted layer, it will not save the "Random Generated Groups" so you will basically erase all the 'traffic' in that .mis file.

Japlance has the best idea for beginners, save as a "Normal mission". A normal mission save EVERYTHING, normal ships, groups, random groups, land units (bases, bunkers, Airbases), minefields, sub nets and so on.

One thing you need to do to save a "Campaign" .mis as a "normal mission" is go to the menu "Mission/Parameters" and check "Ignore Player submarines". If you don't, you will get an error message that there is no Player Unit found and you will not be able to save it.

A Normal mission creates a name.mis file and a name.tsr file. In a Campaign you do not need the .tsr file, but it does not seem to cause any problems either, the game just doesn't use it. If you want, you can go into the folder and delete the tsr. It is used with "Single missions/Quick mission" and "War Patrol" (a war patrol is simply a longer "Single Mission")

To add a ship to a Campaign, the best way is to right click on the map and choose "Random Generated Group" (even if you only add one ship). Doing it this way, you can have the ship spawn several times. For example every 4 days for 3 months. To do this, create the RGG, add a ship, enter. Then right click on the RGG on the map and go to "Group Properties" and set Max groups created and "Repeat Interval" (which is in hours). You can also set the % chance that it will be created. If you want it created every time set to 100%.

If you add a ship by dragging from the list on the right and drop it on the map, it will only sail ONCE. There may be times you want to do this. For example: the Battle of Midway. This only happens once so you do not NEED to create Random Generated Groups, you can just add ships by dragging and dropping, they will sail once and be done. You can do the same thing using RGG by setting them to only spawn once but it is a little harder to control the time they actually sail.

So just to possibly clear up what I found is the difficult part for most people to understand. When you think of a "Mission" (.mis file) you think of sailing your sub from a base to perform a "mission" such as patrol, sink ships etc. ALL the files created for missions, campaigns, traffic, naval bases are ALL saved as .mis files. Even if you create a mission/layer of only land units such as placing Naval Bases on the map and nothing else and save it, it is still a .mis file. So even though placing Naval bases on a map is not a "Mission" the file is still saved as a name.mis. So ignore the .mis as meaning "mission" and things will make more sense. I only say this since you commented

So don't think of them as "missions" just think of them as adding whatever is needed to the campaign and keep in mind if you do save as a "Scripted Layer", it will not save Random Generated Groups.

Also the other "Save" options:

1 Normal mission saves everything
2. RND Layer saves only Random Generated Groups
3. Scripted layer does not save RGG.
4. Mapnotes does not work in SH4.
5. Land units save only the items under the "Land" tab. (Search Light, Bunkers, AA defence, Air bases, Naval bases.) Note: Coastal Search Light is NOT the lighthouses you see in the game.

Hope some of that makes sense.

Peabody

Many thanks, and very clear your tutorial! :yeah:

Only a dude: I need to change the RSRDC campaign (or TMO, or RFB...). Then, I make a new mission file with the new traffic (with RGG, etc.). Then, I save the new MIS file...overwriting some file in the Campaign folder or merging with it? (merge function, is the way in SH3 ME).

Or simply saving the new MIS with his name (ex: "newtraffic.mis"), in the Campaign folder and that is all...

In SH3 you need to merge the new MIS file with the Campaign_XXX.mis (scripted layer, for example).

The question is: there is a huge lot of MIS files in the Campaign folder of TMO-RSRDC. What is the existing MIS for add the traffic and overwrite? Or only we need to make a new MIS file (new mission), and save it in the Campaign folder? For example: I want to add traffic to San Francisco Bay (a desert in TMO/RSRDC). Need I to search some MIS existing file or only I can create a new mission with that traffic, and save as "SanFranciscoBayTraffic.mis"?

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

It is not recommended to tinker with existing RSRD files with the Mission Editor. It is much, much easier to create the new mission with the traffic you want to add to the campaign, save it in the campaign folder (not merging it with any other file) and then add it in campaign.cfg.

That last step is important. If you only put your mission in the campaign folder, it won't work.

As Japlance said, if you create a "NEW" .mis file you must add an entry to the Campaign.cfg file or it will not get loaded into the game.
So if you take mission editor and open the .mis you want to add traffic to, add the traffic, then you save the file, it will have the new traffic and old traffic and it will already be in the campaign.cfg as long as you do not change the name of the .mis file.

I do not know how all the mods have done the .mis files. For example, the stock game does merchants and warships as separate files and they are based on dates. So you add ships in the files you want them in, most are labeled well enough to know the dates. The other MODs may do it the same or different.
You could actually put ALL the traffic from the entire war into one file using dates on the ships, groups airbases and so on, but the file would be a mess and very hard to keep track of. That is one reason they are split up into different files and dates.

I suggest making a MOD and copy the files you want to change so you don't mess up the originals. Then enable your MOD after the other one and the files with the same name will be changed.

Another suggestion to make sure your ships are working. If you create a Random Generated Group, go to group properties and set the "Contact Automatic Report" to a certain number of minutes at 100%. That will create the Red or Blue squares that show where ships are. (this is in stock, some MODs do not use it, so none of their ships will show) But setting this, you can tell if your ships are spawning correctly where and when you want them to. After you make sure it works you can go back to mission editor and change it so they don't show by setting the time to -1 and resaving it.

So to answer your basic question: You can create a new .mis and add an entry to the Campaign.cfg file for it. (Just copy an existing one and change some info)
Example from Campaign.cfg:

[Section 13]
FileName=data/Campaigns/Campaign/42a_Jap_CoastalTraffic.mis
StartDate=19420201
EndDate=19421001
GameModes=SingleMission,SinglePatrol,Career,Multip layer Cooperative
InclusionProbability=100
MinimumDifficultyRating=0
MinimumPlayerRating=-3
EntryFocalPointLong=0
EntryFocalPointLat=0
MaximumDistanceFromStartPoint=90000
ExclusiveLayer=No
ExclusiveLayerID=0

Renumber the Section, Change the file name, change the start and end dates if necessary.

Or if you don't want to do it that way, you can add traffic to an existing .mis. Just find the right one with the right dates that you want your ships in.

But as I stated, do it on a backup, NOT the original. If you don't want to create a separate mod then copy the entire Campaign folder to a safe location so you can put it back if you mess it up.

Peabody

Many thanks for the excellent help, mates. I have things clear now. Your explanations are awesome, and very clear.:woot::woot::woot:

For reasons of authorizations for the use of files of other mods (RSRDC, by Lurker, he is impossible to contact now), my option is a new MIS mission file in a mod. My primary intention is:

Add traffic to San Francisco Bay.
Add air patrols in the main allied bases (as in FOTRS; TMO-RSRDC haven´t those planes).
Add traffic to Caribbean Sea and Panama Canal. Add an start "new construction" campaign from New London.
Add U boats in Caribbean Sea, for more difficult passage to Panama Canal. (If you have read "Run Silent, Run Deep" by E. Beach, and "Silent Victory" by Clair Blair, you will know the journey fron New London to Pearl via Panama Canal was a dangerous trip because the U boats in Caribbean Sea).

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute:

create a .mis and screw up my plotter tool
 

hi man, very good post, i create a .mis only for try something, and after create a 2 routes and add the section in the campaign.cfg(follow your rules, sections dates etc.) i discover yes it works, my ships are in approch in the right bearing, units and so on, but i have a little problem, i cant plot my course in the nav map, picking a plotter and nothing happens, no lines at all, and when click right button to confirm simply my sub stopped due to last waypoint reached....another thing is when i load a savegame my WO starts yelling all torpedos i've launched, a little freezing, but the big problemm as i said is the plotter tool.

I've tried remove the .mis made by me and all come back to normality....any clue about this?????

It's a bit hard to tell from the information given. You only say you wrote a .mis file, they are all .mis files. Shipping traffic, Patrol objectives, Land units, Single missions, all the files created are .mis files.
Also are you writing a single/quick mission (it is saved in the single mission folder, but is called quick mission in the menu) or are you writing a career/campaign mission? Or possibly a patrol objective?
Any mods?

You said you can't plot the course but it reached the last waypoint, did you create a Campaign mission and leave the players sub in it? I don't know without testing if this will cause the problem you describe but any traffic or Patrol Objectives should not have a player sub in them. It will not let you save without one, so you go to the menu under mission/parameters and remove the player sub, then check "ignore player submarines" and save.

But it is hard to tell what the problem is from the very little bit of informaion you give. Be more specific about what you did.

oops im sorry, so, i save like a random generated group .mis, is not a single/patrol mission, but i played in the normal campaign/career mission.Mods, yes in this order:

tmo2
tmo update 2 to 2.2
rsrdc tmo v502
rsrdc v5xx patch1
stock map icons
tmo stock gramophone
bigger better protactors
living brething ocean vs3 new lighting
row torpedos texture vs2


for the last waypoint reached i mean when im in the nav map and try to plot my course, and confirm my plotted course with a right mouse button(even if my plotting tool dont work) my sub simply stopped with the classic "last waypoint reached, sir, stop" because the game dont recognize any plotted course...and yes, when creatin this mission i have checked "ignore subamarine player".

The thing is i cant plotting the course, i CAN picking a plotter tool, but i CANNOT tracking any course, is very frustrating, and when i delete my .mis in the campaign folder, all come back to normality like i said before...and starting a new campaign?maybe....i'll give a try now...:ping:

good news, like i said, starting a new campaign all like before....so, again, sorry...

damn, in this carreer i sunk a jap submarine:wah:...anyway, again in 1941:O:

thanks:DL

I have another question, now I want change something in rsdc, but when i change something by myself, like bearing, speed, or spawn and hours rate, all my traffic disappear, ive tryed saving like normal mission, random layer, but with no luck...why i cant modify the rsdc missions??

From the Readme files in RSRD:

Special Notes/Known Problems:

(a) For those of you who enjoy “reverse engineering”, if you use the SH4MissionEditor on the “Battle” or “Task Forces” layers, under no circumstances make changes or select “ok” in the “Group Properties” window. If you do, you will cause All the tracks within the layer to longer generate correctly. The reason is that I’m making “hand” edits to these files to ensure that the tracks generate “on time”

The mission editor has some default dates and times it uses if you don't change them. If Lurker deleted this information during a "hand edit" then the mission editor will put it back in and you will save it incorrectly. If you don't know what he means by "hand edit", the missions can be edited in notepad since they are simple text files.

oooooh I see:hmmm:, so, if I want change something, I have to do from the notepad, but I believe is better dont touch anything, right?

thanks for the answer...