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New mission categories

jimkeir

jimkeir

Resource contributor
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unitedkingdom
Hi,

It seems that if you want to add a new category, you don't have to alter FSCategories.xml . FSX reads all xml files in the Categories folder, so you could just create an entirely new xml file just containing your new category, and not stomp all over the original file. That should stop people blowing each others' missions out the water by providing altered copies of FSCategories.xml :)

HTH
Jim Keir
 
Thanks, Jim, for sharing this interesting information with us. I was already wondering how to solve this problem, for I never like to alter default files.
 
Hi Folks

Ooops
Hadn't realised you'd already announced this here Jim.
I was going to PM yourself & Horst first.

We have the opportunity here
to lay down a framework
to define additional category details.

Otherwise, it'll be a free-for-all,
with potentially 'stupid' category titles,
and an excessively huge UI scroll list. :stirthepo

Please find attached an example
for a suggested category's structure
for Military Operations type missions.

Might be worth creating seperate threads
for suggested master category branches.

HTH
ATB
Paul
 
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Hi,

Yes, good idea. Perhaps get some packages together like you've done and post them to wherever mission designers hang out.

Cheers,
Jim
 
Not bad, this idea. But I wonder if it will help.

For example I don't think the categories in your zip suit me at all.

Ok, military is a good one, but if we start to divide into army, navy, artillery :D we can forget the idea.

Several of the categories you suggested fit well in default categories, don't you think?

SAR=Emergency ?
Training=Tutorial ? Maybe I misunderstood the meaning of training...
Transport=commercial or Pilof for hire ?

If we give categories and want people to use them I'd add only 2 or 3 more like military, ok, maybe SAR.
 
Hi Folks

Thorsten -
Agreed partially. :)
I didn't explain that very well.

You and I may think that,
but every Tom, Dick, & Harry, ain't nescessarily going to agree.

The key point is,
the info is now out there,
and it's about controlling the granularity now,
before it gets out of hand.

I'm looking at the long term :D
e.g.
when VA's port over their current tasks/adventures,
or even their training tasks.

For example Mil VAs,
may wish to discriminate between missions for -
Airforce
Army
Naval (also covers piloting of ships/vessels)
Training
Transport Command
SAR

Where would you position helicopter based missions for ODG sceneries,
or user piloted ship/vessel missions.
in the current default mission structure ?

Every niche group or commercial developer will want their own category.

I think we should offer as broad a spectrum as possible,
particularly to ensure commercial developers utilise appropriate categories.
Otherwise we'll have hundreds of those alone.

HTH
ATB
Paul
 
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Not sure of that, maybe you're right.

I think that any commercial mission pack (like the Ryanair-Missions) will probably create a new category anyway. That is what I do, actually. If you create a pack with several missions you want a category where all those missions are stored.

So we're gonna have a lot of new categories in any way sooner or later.

But let's say every missions developer would accept our strategy I'd like to propose some categories that are interesting for me:

- scenic flights
- humanitarian flights
- airraces
- helicopter missions
- glider missions
- adventures

and of course

- scavenger hunts (yes, indeed :D)


How about that?
 
Hi Folks

Horst18519 said:
Not sure of that, maybe you're right.

I think that any commercial mission pack (like the Ryanair-Missions) will probably create a new category anyway.
That is what I do, actually.
If you create a pack with several missions you want a category where all those missions are stored.
Click to expand...

Horst -
That was understandable when only the default categories were available,
but if sufficient granularity was available,
there'd be no need for them to create their own,
(other than for Ego/Advertising sake).

Storage is a different matter,
any folder and subfolder structure under Missions will be read.

It's really the commercial developers that need curbing,
AFAIK there's already 6 new "developer's name" titled categories.

Give them the structure,
and hopefully they,
and others will then follow within that framework.

Horst18519 said:
So we're gonna have a lot of new categories in any way sooner or later.

But let's say every missions developer would accept our strategy I'd like to propose some categories that are interesting for me:

- scenic flights
- humanitarian flights
- airraces
- helicopter missions
- glider missions
- adventures

and of course

- scavenger hunts (yes, indeed :D)


How about that?
Click to expand...

Gliding/Soaring already has a 3rd party created category.

Rotorcraft as yet does not, despite a longstanding prompt, now revived.

I'll follow up later, off out now.

EDIT LATER -
Horst/Anyone
I'd be interested on you expanding on above.

I'd been thinking, (YMMV), along the lines of -

Scenic -
Possibly covered by Bushflying,
though the title is more descriptive of outback type scenarios.


Humanitarian -
I'd added the Peace Corps to the MilOps category,
before I'd realised it was USA'nian, rather than worldwide.
I was looking for the correct UN Security Council titles before substituting.


Air Races -
I'd generally accepted those as part of the existing Challenges category,
though it'll be interesting to see where MS position the multiplayer variants.


Scavenger Hunts -
I'd looked at this particularly from an Orienteering type perspective,
and incorporated convertible mechanisms in my gate based mission template,
though had only so far considered it for Challenge based categories.


Rotorcraft -
Getting some responses now,
though many will fit under the existing Emergency category,
or proposed MilOps.



Maybe also consider a dedicated Training category,
with procedural/task oriented missions,
to cover general and niche training for all types.
These would/could be un-prompted
i.e.
Different from Tutorial based category, (which are instructor/copilot led),

Maybe prefixing the titles with type -
e.g.
Fixed Wing - Approaches - STOL
Helicopter - Approaches - Elevated Pads
Generic - Approaches - ILS
etc, etc.

HTH
ATB
Paul
 
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