Working on missions?

[n4gix]

Erm, well, that depends on the point of view...

I wonder why he doesn't upload it to the usual supected sites.

I wasn't speaking so much in terms of the "mission" itself, but rather the complexity and completeness of them... up to and including audio, etc.

I suspect that it's more a matter of "quality control" than anything else. Announcements are made at major simsites as they are released, but it's much easier to maintain the download package with bug-fixes if the files are only on one server...

 

[archtx]

Jon:

Out of curiousity....was the program you previously worked on using the FS2004 Adventure language? Or was it going to output XML?

 

[scruffyduck]

Jon:

Out of curiousity....was the program you previously worked on using the FS2004 Adventure language? Or was it going to output XML?

Neither I developed my own

and before somewone asks why - Adventure language did not support weather effects among other things. I have experience of writing programming languages and compilers so wrote my own which did what I wanted including weather effects, triggers and so on.

 

[Jetliner]

Hey all!

I too have been wondering why there haven't been more missions uploaded to Avsim/FlightSim. I think it may be due to the fact that there are so many who simply will not make the switch to FSX. I used to frequent another FS board often and MANY over there want nothing to do with it. The excuses are as varied as the grammatical errors. However, I can't blame someone who has spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on addons which are incompatible with FSX, to want to stay put.

That being said, I am pushing forward with developing a mission-based title exclusively for FSX. Being built around the mission SDK, it has to be.

Anyway, I'm a little tight on details at the moment. I have the interface design pretty much nailed down and all the programming bits are scattered throughout my head, waiting for me to pull them out and enter them into the compiler. Basically, you will be able to use this mission, "outline" if you will, with any aircraft, between any destinations. It's a combination of my Pilot Career addon (for FsPassengers) and a cockpit environment. Since the mission file is a simple xml, I've written code that will alter that code based on the aircraft you are flying, fuel load, pax load, Vspeeds, flap settings, etc.

The only real headache I forsee is in the audio files. At the moment, my sounds folder is at 21MB, made up of 255 individual sounds - and I'm only halfway through the base flight! Add to that, I wwant to have voicepacks that will be used for different aircraft, different airlines, etc. For now, I'm using computer generated voices, which aren't too terribly bad but, it's harder to control the start/stop points so some of the sound is a bit jerky.

I hope to have a video together soon of a demo flight using the CRJ7 (the one I'm using for my testing as it is one of the few default FSX airliners that seems to have all systems/clickspots/etc. functioning properly).

Great forum, by the way!

John

 

[woodyhouse]

I have completed two new missions and just about to release number 3. All missions are created by "Air Bear" (my tagline) and I will be uploading to AVSIM and other sites in a couple of days...

My missions are a little larger in file size than most you see due to my large usage of voice and music to create interesting moods. No major complaints on the file sizes as yet.

Bank Heist by Air Bear
Night Flight by Air Bear
Ozzie Air Show by Air Bear

Look for these on AVSIM and other sites later this week. Appreciate your comments in the forum here, on www.fsxmission.com or by email to: dawudster@yahoo.ca

Mission number 4 coming soon... I have a great idea for this one and just working out some of the more intricate details before starting it.

Cheers
Wudman

 

[woodyhouse]

Ozzie Air Show by Air Bear

Just uploaded to AVSIM and FLIGHTSIM and also available here for a limited time...

www.onlinegraphics.ca/ozzieairshow.zip

Enjoy!

Wudman

 

[Jetliner]

I'll be the first to post a "no longer working on missions" piece. Mine was an addon program that would allow you to develop your own airline and then, take the data within and place it into a generic mission XML so that you would, in effect, generate your own missions. However, FSX has frustrated me to the point that I just cannot be bothered anymore. The numerous cockpit bugs, the performance issues and the nagging sense that MS is going to completely revamp the code again for the next version have convinced me to drop the project at near the halfway point.

Oh well...

 

[jimkeir]

Hi,

Hold on a little longer... these videos might be of interest.

ME_Wizard.wmv (4Mb)
ME_Demo.wmv (10Mb)

Cheers,
Jim

 

[EgoR64]

This is very Cool, When may this be available ??


Cheers,

 

[jimkeir]

Hi,

I'm not entirely sure, but soon with any luck. I've just posted another video: ME_DebugMode.wmv . There's more where this came from too... Best wait for the official announcement

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Jetliner]

Looks good

Jim,

That's pretty wild!

Mine was actually more of a "behind the scenes" thing. You would setup routes and flight times, etc. These would be stored in a database and when time to fly one, either you would pick one from the list or the program would select one for you. Then, all the stuff was dumped into the mission XML, including the flightplan (previously generated in FSX). Each aircraft had it's own template XML with proper checklists, callouts, etc. This file would then have the flight info added in including waypoints as proximity trigger areas to track your accuracy.

Anyway, I haven't completely given up - just transitioning into an idea that would work for FS9 and FSX, a further expansion of virtual airlines. Now, if only missions could be used in FS9...

 

[Horst18519]

Jim, very well done indeed.

I am very sorry that I wasn't any help at all for this, but I sure hope you're still not frustrated enough to stop working on this great stuff.

 

[solid]

Hi, am Gera from FSAdventureSky..
I make "Adventure Flights" basing them on a story so the flier will feel he is "an actor" within it. I think it is an important ingredient for the simmer to "involve" himself, like in a movie--it gives the pilot a goal and makes the flight an "adventure" in the sim.
I am starting to look into "missions" but time is my enemy, so I will continue with the adventures for the present. I think Missions are more of a "game" than fairly real "flights" where you have to really now how to navigate and find objects by checking a map.....anyway will see what the future paints.
Hope to come around here more often......
Good Mission making to you all.

 

[jimkeir]

Hi,

I think Missions are more of a "game" than fairly real "flights" where you have to really now how to navigate and find objects

I don't think there's any difference. It's just a different technology, what you do with it is up to you.

A lot of the default missions were fairly game-y, but only because they were written that way. There's nothing to stop you writing something entirely realistic, in fact there was one posted to AVSim recently based on a real-life crash which most people find very difficult to fly.

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Horst18519]

I'd agree with that. There are several (payware and freeware) missions out there based on real events and more challenging than thrilling, meaning they follow the flow of life which hasn't always boom bang all around but also some boring moments.

 

[Horst18519]

It has become rather quiet, not only here, but also out on the market. It seems the market does not ask for a lot of additional missions since we have Acceleration and some other nice mission addons.

Would be nice - after some 2 years of fsx now - to share some thoughts with you on how the mission-market is looking and if you're still in development.

 

[jamarogers]

Mission Development

Thorsten,
If you are still interested in "New Blood" for mission development, check out my last two at flightsimulatorxmissions.com. They are actually my 2nd (Pirate Attack of US East Coast) and 3rd (Terror in the Persian Gulf)missions. I am pretty proud of these missions and still learning the OPT lingo, but like many find it very labor intensive and poorly developed program with lots of bugs. One has to enjoy the Mission development to put up with all the frustrations endured with finally succeeding.

I am now working on a 4th mission that depicts some of the missions of the Golden Dragons Strike Fighter Squadron, SFA 192, in post WWII Korea. If you are interested in collaborating on the development of this one, let me know and we can talk strategy. I am retired and like to program to keep the mind and logic sharp. Later...
Jake

 

[Frin63]

Just started out develloping missions for FSX. I expect to spend some months learning the finer 'tricks of the trade', but will try to create some simple but interesting missions soon.
I have been developping 'missions' and occasionalky scenery since the 'FsFan' era in The Netherlands (we're talking about the eighties here!) but the last few years I've been busy as executive administrator of the virtual aerospace organisation SimNASA that has sadly ceased to exist earlier this year.

I do hope to use this experience to create some missions centered on airborne research (weather research, earth sciences, astronomy) but also historical aviation has my interest.

 

[Mr. Bascom]

I think some developers are keeping their mission development plans pretty quiet, but I'm excited to see both developers and end users excited about the possibilities.

Got me there P-12-C

Well, okay I'm working on adaptation of an old FS2002 Adventure which I took part in, back in 2002. It's the EW260 adventure Dortmund to Stansted which had way over a thousand downloads.

Just recently I bought Jim Keir's FSX Mission Creator which seems to be a pretty good program for accomplishing my goal.
However, there are still many problems and questions and I hope to find help and answers here.

By the way, if anybody of the old adventure team reads this, please get in touch with me.

My role was Dortmund Tower.

Mr.B.

 

[Ripcord]

I am also learning to build/create missions in FSX Acceleration, primarily interested in carrier ops. I just purchased Jim K's Mission Editor and I am loving life -- though I also went thru the SDK mission creation tutorials as well.

Right now working on building two types of simple missions --
1. Deployment from homeplate to carrier at sea
2. Launching from carrier and flying to airfields ashore

Not as straight-forward as flying just airport to airport, but still I think manageable. Think I am getting close now....

Ripcord