DCG Guide - How to create an online campaign

Here’s a quick step by step guide to creating an online (coop) DCG campaign.

Tools:
DCG - Download from Lowengrin’s site here
QMT - (Quick Mission Tuner by Shift_E) Download from here

When creating an online coop campaign, I use DCG standalone. i.e I don’t replace IL2’s inbuilt NGEN campaign generator as I find it too restrictive and don’t have as much control.

I also use QMT which enables a quick check of the mission, so you can check flyable a/c numbers just to be sure.

First off, decide what you want to have as flyable a/c every mission. For this example I’m going to create a Normandy 1941 campaign.

I want as a minimum:
2 x Hurricane IIb’s
4 x Spit Vb’s
4 x Spit Vb’s
Some Blenheims
2 x 109 E7/B
4 x 109 F2
4 x 109 F2
2 x 110 C4’s to spice things up

Step 1: Initial setup of DCG
Online Coop mode, not replaced any of the in game generators and save a copy of the mission.

Step 2: Additional Options
I usually uncheck aircraft downgrades, for online play its not needed. Make sure the tracking losses are checked at the bottom and for this campaign “Normandy British Base” is important. The other options have an effect and are listed at Lowengrin’s place.

Step 3: General Campaign settings
Things to change here, Change the max flights per squadron to one. This limits the numbers of extra a/c. Increase the Rate of Fire options. The bigger the number, the less flak. Ming will mention reload time here, but its call RoF in game and here, so :bootyshk:

Step 4: Aircraft Class Settings
Left alone for this example, but you can change the roles of a/c. e.g Mosquito can be a fighter or bomber etc.

Step 5: Creating the campaign
Clicking the globe

Select British RAF and Normandy 41 in the drop down

Success…

Step 6: Setting the a/c
Always use the first unit in the Squadron Settings tab. Whenever I’ve changed it, I’ve had problems.
We’ll change the a/c type, the max and min we’ll set to 2 and make the flight size 2 as well

Add in two units of Spits, max, min and flight size set to 4. Active “checked”

Now for the bandits…
Two units of 109F2’s, max min and size 4. Checked…

A flight of 110’s…

I’ve also added in the E7’s and Blenheims…

The rest of the flights I’ve left inactive. This doesn’t mean they wont appear. What it means is that the “active” flights will always (depending on the Squadron density) - be present.

Going back to the campaign options screen, you can see what happens to the missions if you change the Squadron density option… (look at the QMT panel for the a/c)

Squadron density - Moderate

Squadron density - Sparse

Squadron density - None (Here only the Active a/c appear)

With the above options, its possible to change the feel of the campaign, random flights, different missions taking place at the same time etc.

If you’re still having problems with a/c numbers, there is a sledgehammer approach by deleting all the inactive units and setting density to Moderate.

I feel this leave the missions very barren and relies on manually changing a/c types if a change is needed. I’ve used DCG like this when my connection was 1Mb/s.

Step 7: Waypoint options
You can amend transit altitudes, ingress/egress altitudes to target - self explanitory really. Left alone for this campaign

Step 8: Custom mission options
Once you’re happy with a/c numbers, this is probably the main screen you’ll visit.

First time you go here, you should change the times you want your missions to be generated from. To avoid night missions, set the start and end times to dawn and dusk. Probably best to change the worst weather to Blind. I also set the Intercept chance to 100%. Totally unrealistic but reduces the risk of bland missions - and moaning from the unwashed who join.

Under the custom mission prefs, you can also select things like tank busting, bridge defense etc. This will mean DCG, where possible, will try and create this for you. e.g for the RAF Bridge Attack is possible on Normandy, Bridge defense would be for the axis.

Once your happy, click “generate mission” and check things out in QMT. Happy with the numbers, fly the mission.

Note: DCG creates a folder in your coop missions folder. You fire the game in coop mode and browse to load the mission as per normal coops. I’ll edit the post above and add that info in.

MOST IMPORTANT
As you’re using standalone, its most important that when the mission is over and your sat in the lobby, to fire up DCG and generate the next mission. If you don’t do this, depending on your eventlog settings in your conf.ini, you run the risk of losing your previous efforts.

Its not drastic if you do forget, DCG will still create a new mission on a new date, but you’ll have some odd stuff in the briefing.

Other options I’ve not covered are listed at Lowengrins site here and help out when/where possible.

Good Luck

Thankyou Keets that made things very clear.

As it happens I may not be able to attend the lecture on thursday, but will do my best to be there.

Comprehensive tutorial, ta Keets.

I’ll go through it before Thu and get questions ready for your answers

One quickie - do you just fire up the game in coop mode as opposed to campaign mode which is what I do currently in NGEN replacement?

I installed QMT last night. What a brilliant tool! Only bug was that it couldn’t find the game path and I had to edit that in the registry, gulp, as per Shift_E’s advice on his forum.

One quickie - do you just fire up the game in coop mode as opposed to campaign mode which is what I do currently in NGEN replacement

Ah yes… a key piece I forget, thanks Joe.

DCG creates a folder in your coop missions folder. You fire the game in coop mode and browse to load the mission as per normal coops. I’ll edit the post above and add that info in.

Only bug was that it couldn’t find the game path and I had to edit that in the registry, gulp, as per Shift_E’s advice on his forum.

I upgraded mine and had to do the same thing, I thought it was me and as I didn’t have to do this on the old one.

Great manual, thanks Keets!

Maybe make this one a sticky? So it wont disappear behind all new posts and much easier to find it?

WOWSA!

I just made a standalone coop campaign and it is so much easier than using the DCG as a NGEN replacement, as you said it would I now have full control over entire workings of the campaign, brilliant!

By leaving the squadrons to ‘moderate’ it also generated other flights, nice for the atmosphere, so I just ran a multiplayer but flew it with map icons on to see just what went on and where, very nice and involving mission was created. I just now want to tweak the waypoints as I noticed that the bombers were flying twice the distance that they needed to, and on the Burma map distances are fine just as they are I think.

Thanks Keets!

Worked a treat. FIRST TIME! That’s a first for DCG for me

Experimented with making a Beaufighter nightfighter campaign over the Balkans and everything just worked. Perfectly.

Why didn’t you post this a year ago!!!

Experimented last night with using the sound mod and DCG together and I got it to work. I chose to install a second copy of DCG alongside my sound mod version of IL2 so I can effectively run two campaigns simultaneously without any risks. The only trouble that occured is that the DCG automatically ticks the ‘AI only’ box for AI aircraft types ie. Blenheim IV, QMT also ticks that box but after looking at the QMT forums there is a very simple procedure to over ride what aircraft are considered to be AI, link below

http://airwarfare.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2349&sid=24d326d86c7f7b44768867b114d14b47

Joe if you are making a night fighter campaign you may be interested in using the sound mod as there is a mod out there that turns off the AI’s nav lights.

Glad you’re having some successes.

I should have added something about the “action radius” in the campaign settings. Often for online campaigns you don’t want to be flying miles and miles. Its an obvious setting and limits the action to something sensible on the larger maps.

With the Burma map, its smaller than you think. One of these maps that looks big but is fairly small, like the Ardennes map.

you may be interested in using the sound mod as there is a mod out there that turns off the AI’s nav lights.

That’s such a useful mod for online campaigns. I’m suprised this isn’t a configurable option in the game like radio chatter.

Just thought of a quick question, when running the DCG as a standalone coop campaign generator, will the front line and things move as if it were a regular DCG campaign?

Yes it will. DCG maintains a set of files in the campaign folder which track losses/frontline/supply/bridges/all the clever stuff.

I was trying this to do some off-line DCG fun but when I try to hit the globe ‘start new campaign’ it says: “warning: turn off auto-generation before creating a new campaign”.

Thanks for this Thread, very good info!!

But i have a litlle question.
We are now playing a 3rd-party-campaign, which needs to have the “NGen-replacemant” checked active.
So I need to host via campaign mode in Il2.
After loading the campaign, you get the choice between, “last” and “new”.
I tested both and both were giving me new missions. So what do I have to take?