Rami's mission & scenery thread

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Athens GSL beta testing thread

Chris and Achim,

I know I'm probably the last person you'd see hit the panic button, but I'm hitting a wall here and don't know how to deal with it. Since you two are admittedly the GSL maestros of CFS2, I bow to the masters on this one.

I've been working on making a GSL Athens for more than a week, and finished it tonight to my reasonable satisfaction. I followed the usual GSL procedures, including running the GSL files through Gob check, so that there are no overlapping problems. I made sure to include the layout for Achim's Piraeus airfield so that the GSL gobs would not interfere. (In the process, I also found out that Gob check will not work on a layout file larger than 100kb)

However, when I tried to join the separate GSL files together, (I split the Athens layout file into four sections - a,b,c,d to keep the layout sizes under 100kb) the GSL gobs overwrite one another, and I have absolutely no idea how to rectify the situation!

The GSL gob files are listed as follows

Athens_a: 20210e, 20410e
Athens_b: 20010e, 20210e, 20410e
Athens_c: 20010c, 20010e, 20210c, 20210e, 20410c, 20410e
Athens_d: 20210c, 20410c

Any ideas that you have to try and save more than a week's worth of work would be profoundly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Blood_Hawk23 · Jan 30, 2013

what file are you trying to merge them into?

have you tried merging two at a time. in other words merge A and B to get 1 half. then C and D to get the other. then merge the halves together.

thats all i've got.

Athens_a: 20210e, 20410e
Athens_b: 20010e, 20210e, 20410e
Athens_c: 20010c, 20010e, 20210c, 20210e, 20410c, 20410e
Athens_d: 20210c, 20410c

it looks like A and D can merge or B and D. i'm asuming that the same number overwrite. you can't rename them, can you. hummmm....

Rami do you have the Layouts saved?

Try another Mission Builder from one of your other installs. if you have the layouts then you should be able to recreate it. maybe it will give different names to the gobs.

again i'm guessing. and it may not make a difference.

UncleTgt · Jan 30, 2013

Hi Rami,

This is from memory, it's a while since I did any gsl creation.

I would suggest trying to get a list of single gob gsl entries first.

If a single layout is more than 100kb :icon_eek:

, I think there's no option but trying to thin out the objects into multiple layout files (so you can check each with gobcheck), then combining into a large layout (no need to check thru gobcheck - all the component layouts have been checked) & create a single gob gsl file.

If you want to go merging single gob gsl files, you can then use MW gsledit to combine the single gob gsl files.

I think that'll work - eat the elephant one step at a time ...

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Reply...

Blood_Hawk23 said:
What file are you trying to merge them into?

I'm try to create one GSL file for Athens, or create multiple ones where the GSL gobs don't overlap one another.

Blood_Hawk23 said:
Have you tried merging two at a time. in other words merge A and B to get 1 half. then C and D to get the other. then merge the halves together.

Yes, several times, when that failed is when I began to sweat!

Blood_Hawk23 said:
Rami, do you have the layouts saved?

Of course! (See attachment in thread)

Blood_Hawk23 said:
Try another Mission Builder from one of your other installs. if you have the layouts then you should be able to recreate it. maybe it will give different names to the gobs.

Interesting, I may try that!

Thanks,

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Reply...

UncleTgt,

Thanks for responding, now allow me to tackle your questions...

UncleTgt said:
I would suggest trying to get a list of single gob gsl entries first.

Done, and I listed them in the thread when I posted, good buddy!

UncleTgt said:
If a single layout is more than 100kb, I think there's no option but trying to thin out the objects into multiple layout files (so you can check each with gobcheck), then combining into a large layout (no need to check thru Gobcheck - all the component layouts have been checked) & create a single gob gsl file.

Actually, you have that one back as*wards, my friend. I divided the original layout file into four parts. When I each one through Gobcheck, it would say "the objects fall into two gob areas, or three gob areas, etc.") It would then split the GSL file for me...

UncleTgt said:
If you want to go merging single gob gsl files, you can then use MW gsledit to combine the single gob gsl files.

That's the GSL proggie I swear by, she is my bread-and-butter.

Actually, you got me thinking. Since I have the layout files split up through gob check...I might be able to match the gob with the split layouts and just combine those, that way the layouts for that particular gob are not split among three different layouts. It might be a way to crack this walnut.

I'll deal with this at a normal hour...time to get up and go to work!

Thanks for getting the ol' brain working again, you guys...

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Reply...

Rami said:
Actually, you got me thinking. Since I have the layout files split up through gob check...I might be able to match the gob with the split layouts and just combine those, that way the layouts for that particular gob are not split among three different layouts. It might be a way to crack this walnut.

This idea worked in theory...but some of the coordinates were thrown WAY off...but I think I'm on the right track.

UncleTgt · Jan 30, 2013

Hi Rami,

Glad you're on the right track. I really do think the key start point is a single layout for each single gob. You already noted you have the same gob number appearing in different "athens_#.gsl" files, & each overwrites the other.

This is because the gob numbers are unique, coordinate driven numbers. I believe they are the same for all installs, as the sequence is a global sequence covering the entire planet. Rhumba would be able to explain it much better ... :blind:

I never use the splitgob tool as I've had mixed results. Quite often the split files would still have elements from different gobs in them, often just a single tree! So the split tool isn't foolproof.:mix-smi:

A more tedious way I use is to use the gobcheck screen to assess where the split is, use Mission Builder to create some split layouts (using the gob number as filename), then check each new layout with gobcheck. Eventually I have a single layout for each unique gob number. I can then review & combine into a single gsl as needed.

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Reply...

Good morning,

Before I left to go to work, combining the split layout files so that they corresponded with the appropriate gob didn't work either. Back to the drawing board... :banghead:

MaskRider · Jan 30, 2013

Hi Rami.

From time to time an odd little quirk comes up. An object will sit exactly on the line between two gobs and gets included in both split layout gobs. When this happens, even though Martin layout splitter is normally infallible, that one object will wipe out the objects in the other gob. Which gob gets wiped out will depend upon which layout gets loaded first.

What you need to do is examine the object layout near the edge of the gobs and see which object is likely causing the problem. Either tweak the position of the suspect object(s) slightly or delete them. It usually isn't too hard to find. What you will notice is that your total number of layout objects listed in the MB work screen (total number in the un-split original layout) will not match up with the total number of objects in your split layouts. The total number of the objects in the split layouts will be greater because one or more of the objects is getting counted twice. I am pretty sure that this what is happening. MR

PS I just noticed that UT has already mentioned this! ;^)

MaskRider · Jan 30, 2013

PS2 Of course you might consider working around the problem entirely and use MB's built-in GSL editor. It isn't as convenient for experimenting and playing with layout as you work toward the final product but it won't wipe out any pre-existing scenery objects either. MR

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Reply...

MaskRider,

With about 8,700 objects in total, that may take a while! :isadizzy:

MaskRider · Jan 30, 2013

Rami said:
MaskRider,
With about 8,700 objects in total, that may take a while! :isadizzy:

Hi Rami,

Understood. Yes, that is a very densely packed layout indeed!

Ok, so, you have a layout file with 8700 objects saved and you have the mission containing the layout saved- even though you can't fly it- its saved?

Forget about gob-checking and file splitting and merging and all that. The gobcheck is really more of a tool for small areas- single airfield type things where your want to be able to create and test, create and test as you go along. Like you I totally rely on it during the mini-building stage of a project when I am working on separate airfields and locals. But, for me, when it comes time to put everything together into one big final package- like the entire Solomons Chain for instance- MBs' GSL Editor is the way to go.

Try this:

The attachment below contains a file named empty.gsl
Copy and paste empty.gsl into your cfs2/gsl folder.
Make a copy of your CFS2.cfg file.
Rename the copy emptyGSL.CFG
Open emptyGSL.CFG in Notepad
Under PREFS section title add UseGSL=empty.gsl
Save and close emptyGSL.CFG
Make a copy of your CFS2 Mission Builder start-up shortcut
Rename it CFS2 MB Empty GSL
Right click on it and click properties
In the target window add: /CFG:emptyGSL.CFG to the command line
So that the whole thing reads: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /CFG:emptyGSL.CFG /BUILDER: (or whatever the correct path to cfs2.exe is on your machine)
Click ok.
Now, open open Mission Builder using the CFS2 MB Empty GSL shortcut.
Go to your Athens start location- don't open the mission with the layout- just go to Athens
Activate the MB GSL Editor by clicking (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G).
Load the Athens layout file- make sure to check the box about keeping it at its original location. Then, after it is loaded
Click (Ctrl + Alt + S), this will save the layout to the currently loaded gsl- the empty gsl.
Click (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G) to exit the MB GSL Editor.
Close CFS2
Rename empty.gsl athens.gsl (or whatever you wish) and Bob's your uncle!
Distribute the scenery with GSLMan

This sound rather complicated but once you have the empty.cfg and empty start-up shortcut set up the rest is pretty easy to repeat.

I honestly hope this helps. Do remember though that unlike Martin's GSLEdit, MBs' GSL Editor does not over-write objects already in a gob. It adds to them. So, if you aren't on your toes you might end up with 17,400 scenery objects at Athens or 26,100! Not a good thing for frame rates!

One other thing. If you want, instead of loading the entire unsplit athens.lay in one fell swoop, you can load smaller portions of it- the splits perhaps- one at a time. But don't save them to the GSL until they are all loaded.

Hope that is fairly clear!

Find attached Lindsays' MB GSL Editor Tutorial.

PS!!!: Forget what I said about the layout objects needing to be hi-lighted in order to save them to the GSL. I miss-spoke- they don't. Only when saving them as a layout do they need to be hi-lighted.

kdriver · Jan 30, 2013

Hi Rami,

Last year I tried to add some GSL scenery to Athens and encountered the exact same problem. There appears to be some strange anomaly with the GSL scenery in that part of the world.

I considered moving the aerodrome to its correct location at N37 53 E23 44 which is in a different gob area. However, I got distracted with the moving of files from the archive to the library project and never got back to it.

Perhaps you should remove the airfield GSL scenery to see if that makes a difference. If that works, it may be worth moving the aerodrome.

KD

Blood_Hawk23 · Jan 30, 2013

i use the MB built in GSL editor for mine. i create a new clean file then add my layouts and save them.

the one for belgium has all of my aerodromes. then i use the gslman to add it to my scenery. i'm using two different mission builders. one to do the GSL work and the other to do the missions and such.

Actually if you did that Rami you should be able to do all of Athens in one go.

The quick tutorial or Lindsay's abbreviated guide by Me.

--for anyone not familiar with the built in GSL editor.--
In MB hit ([CTRL] + [ALT] + [Shift] + [G]). That opens the GSL editor. When you are done adding items hit ([CTRL] + [ALT]+) to save. Then hit ([CTRL] + [ALT] + [Shift] + [G]) again to close the editor. I believe it only adds the visable area. so if its real big zoom out before you save.

To save a layout in MB hit ([Shift] + [W]). Make sure the items you want to save are all "GREEN". Then name the layout and hit Save. To load a layout hit ([Shift + [L]) find the name and load it.

Thats the basics. I haven't run into too many issues. remember to save the layout before you start another area. i actualy close MB then restart it before i go to other locations. and never save the mission when doing GSL work.

note on the MB GSL editor. if you open and old GSL location, you will have to select every item. if you run in to this, just click on the edges of the map. in the case of Rami's scenery it will take all 8700 clicks to get every item. move around the map until you get them all. DON'T MOVE THE MAP LOCATION and DON'T CLICK THE ITEM DIRECTLY. you might move it or them by mistake. you can try boxing the whole area but i've never tried that.

one last thing. If you add 5000 trees in the Editor and do everything right. then you go into your CFS2 in to free flight and they are not there. try this. in settings under the graphics set it to extremly dense. you should now see your trees. it happened to me the first time i tried.

till later
John

achim27619 · Jan 30, 2013

Athens

Rami,

check your mail. I made a gsl file but I am missing some objects.

Cheers

Achim

Rami · Jan 30, 2013

Rami · Jan 31, 2013

Reply...

Good evening,

Now that Athens is being tested, I can go back to working on missions. Achim was generous to provide five new airfields so far...Sedes, (near Thessaloniki) Argos, Almyros, Menedi, and Kalamata.

Petrich has already been made for this campaign...and the old Thessaloniki airfield across the bay from Thessaloniki has been renamed "Kitros." There are other airfields in the works, including more in Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria, which is where Fliegerkorps VIII was based in 1941.

kdriver · Jan 31, 2013

What a monumental effort Rami! Well done! :applause:

The lowest frame rates I got were 18 in free flight over the centre of the city.

It's a pity those large city blocks are a different scale to the mediterranean houses and buildings - a four storey city building is over twice as high as a three storey med building. The multi storey mediterranean buildings which you used in your Souda Bay scenery are the same scale as the med houses. I think they would blend in better, especially in the suburbs of Athens.

Rami · Jan 31, 2013

Reply...

Kevin,

I'm going to wait for a few other people to respond, but thank you. I also don't like those buildings, and may undertake your suggestion while I cut down the extremely dense areas somewhat.

Having said that, the lower-density areas I thought came out quite well...and I am very satisfied with the harbor; that really came out much better than I expected, considering its odd angles and the limited space I had to work with there.

Rami · Feb 1, 2013

A lesson on how NOT to reinvent the wheel...

To our fellow mission builders,

Here's a quick example of how not to reinvent the wheel. Do you have a mission you need to do from both sides? Here's an example of this I tackled tonight.

This "Hellas" mission was already set from the German viewpoint; defending German troops in the Monastir Gap while on fighter patrol. A flight of Blenheims, escorted by Hurricanes, might show up to give you some trouble.

When reading through my sources, Hurricanes did escort Blenheims to this location. Rather than create an entire mission from scratch, all you really have to do is replace the player flight with its German equivalent, copy the waypoints manually in the mission file so that the new AI flight corresponds exactly with the original flight path.

Once complete, do the same thing for the flight you want to "take over", in this case a flight of Hurricane escorts. Once you have done this, then delete the AI escort flight and replace it with yours. You will have to redo the dynamic elements and rewrite the mission texts, but that's really small potatoes.

Here is the German mission...

"title_string"=Hellas - Zerstörer sweep over Monastir
"summary_string"=Besatzungen, aufgepasst! This morning, we'll fly a patrol over the Monastir area. Your orders are to intercept any intruding allied air attacks, and you have free reign to strafe any available targets of opportunity which arise.
"objective_string"=Wehrmacht ground forces made excellent progress toward the Monastir Gap. From this location, they closed off the escape of Yugoslavian forces from locations further north, & penetrated to the south between the Greek armies in the west as well as the British and Anzac armies in the east. On this day a flight of Blenheims were annihilated during a raid on German ground forces.
"intelligence_string"=We have a grouping of our tanks and soldiers due southwest of the aerodrome at Gorna Dzhumayo. It seems that the British are sending out a Blenheim squadron to attack them. Your job is to stop them!
"player_aircraft_name_string"=Messerschmitt Bf-110c
"airfield_string"=Bulgaria - Gorna Dzhumayo

Here is the British mission...

"title_string"=Hurricane Vs R.A. - Protecting Monastir Gap
"summary_string"=This morning, you will once again escort Blenheim bombers back into Yugoslavia; they'll be attacking German ground units in the Monastir Gap along the Bitola-Veles road. It's your job to keep Luftwaffe fighters away from these bombers; further losses will cripple our ability to resist!
"objective_string"=On the morning of 12 April 1941, Blenheims from RAF 84 Squadron hit German tanks and vehicles in the Monastir Gap, traveling along the Bitola-Veles road. It's not known if they were intercepted, but an attack the previous day had been met by heavy ground fire, and all the Blenheims during that raid had suffered damage.
"intelligence_string"=After taking off, you'll meet up with the Blenheim bombers close to Trikala, and proceed due north toward the Monastir Gap, where Wehrmacht units are making their way along the Bitola-Veles road. Over the target area, engage any German fighters that try to engage the bombers; we cannot afford to lose any more aircraft!
"player_aircraft_name_string"=Hawker Hurricane Mk. I
"airfield_string"=Greece - Trikala

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