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[UberDemon]

Did some more GUI Logic Work, going back and fixing some Mission Aircraft, Mission Condition and DF Arena control interactions.  I need to go back and work on mission condition defaults, and of course the tougher ability to load values into the flight editor based on Mission Aircraft data (which is saved in a memory matrix).

[UberDemon]

Worked Defaults for Mission Conditions, including some differentiation based on module (DOF, TGA, WAW, etc), as well as started working Air DB interaction with FoW and DF Arena options.  Also I think I have a good idea on implementing weapon limitations when selecting planes for DF Arena.  No interesting pics though... just work...

[RealDarko]

Work is the important part, keep it up!

[UberDemon]

The work continues.  Mainly I am working on GUI logic for the main Aircraft Screen, and how that interacts with the Flight Editor.

[UberDemon]

Hey All…  Hoping things are going well for all of you.  My updates have not been the most exciting lately, and I promise this will not break the trend.  I have decided to take a different approach with this new UQMG.  The original one started an improvement to the stock release QMB, so I worked that around the more important schedule of testing IL-2 before release.  I mixed elements of the mission generation and GUI at the same time, which limited the scope of what I could do.  I remember at the first release I had a lot of criticism because it was basically a QMB with a few added features.  It was not until a few years later when I added Cloning (allowing more than 16 planes per team per mission) and other features that it became a better product, such that two different Flight Sim magazines (PC Pilot and Computer Pilot) contacted me and had my software released in their CDs.  This time I want to define the GUI before-hand.  Well, with a team of one, the decision-making is pretty easy…    (unless my wife tells me otherwise…)

At some point I’ll have another video, but I’ll tell you the progress is coming nicely and I am very pleased with a smother/intuitive approach to building missions.  Also I have been fixing some of the buggy issues in my code with a lot of research in the interwebs.  I am really appreciating the new features of Visual Studio 2022 “.NET”.

The pics below are not that exciting, but having features working correctly is something that is challenging enough in coding.  Well, let’s start.

First, there are some time-saving features to get the mission scenario started, like filling some flights with default settings. 






We’ll get Flight Groups (FGs) 5-8 filled up for both Teams



Then we’ll pick FG 5 Red as the Player flight



But I changed my mind… I want Blue FG 6, and I want to make some changes to the FG itself… maybe a different load and some clones (easy way to add many aircraft to one flight group)








Let’s change Red FG 7 to include some bombers…







Note the “ToolTip” help…  So editing a Flight Group (FG) just takes clicking on the text field for the FG you want to edit.  Of course, if you select an FG that is empty for the player FG, well, it will allow you to edit that flight group.



Well… let’s have some Ground Attack German planes in the mission… in FG 8…







And what if we wanted to add a new FG to the mission… and maybe we want to fly in that …







Maybe I want to fly now for the Stuka FG in the Blue Team… FG 8 that is…



Or maybe I don’t like the mission and I want to start from scratch…



Just as a final note.  It takes a while to have this working smoothly.  Hopefully I can do another video if I have time.  What you can’t see is that the background processing of data is working well… that is, the ability to keep up with all that is being selected and being able to keep it all saved and enabling editing.  I am pretty pleased with it, and I hope when you get a chance to use it, you will be pleased as well.

[RealDarko]

This new version is quite aamzing with a bunch of new features. Keep it up!

[UberDemon]

Thank you.

I will keep on working on the flight only features.  Once I have that, I'll probably start on the mission building engine.  That will force me to start figuring out how I will approach map templates, because of the added complexities of taxiing and the waypoint editor means I'll need to have a standard for developing the waypoints.  I have not decided yet but I want to come up with something a bit more dynamic than just fixed templates... maybe a mix of both.  That will require a lot of engine work but I think it will be worth it.

Once I have the flying part, then I'll work on the ground features.

I am still scratching my head on how to implement triggers, but I'll have to eventually figure it out.  I don't think that the Flight Editor is the place for it.  I think I'll have to have a separate interface just to assign triggers.  Whereas the text only trigger is easier, the apparition ones are harder, particularly when you start thinking how I use clones as a method of generating waves.

Anyway, I need to get a loading function for Waypoints done first, and I should be able to start working on template saving, loading functions for the planes and waypoints.  The way it will work (in my head) is that if you want some repeat plane configurations...  say Brazilian P-47s with Rockets only, you load from a file for that Flight Group.  The aircraft template will include custom Waypoint preferences, whereas the Waypoint templates will only include Waypoint preferences (not planes... I think that makes sense).  I am also going to use some GUI features in the Waypoint Editor for simple/quick mission building...

Say you want a ferry template, or a ascending template, or a descending template...  or a template with variable formations and particular landing behavior.  These will not be hard features because I already built the array format for the planes and waypoint options, and they will be MUCH, MUCH better than the UQMG classic ones.  For one thing, objects, planes in particular, and their loads, will use the JAVA code identifiers, as opposed to text in the GUI, so that as BAT and other Mods get updated, you don't run into compatibility issues with old missions you save and like to play.

Anyway, this is fun, challenging, but fun.  I hope to give back to this awesome community... well most of you... who I have not burned bridges with... yet. 

[UberDemon]

Obviously with Templates, if you click the Cancel button, it will not load the new parameters into your mission.

I know I mentioned this, but I'll also have multi-plane templates that will come with the first release...  those will have combinations of composite planes, so that a new user can quickly see how they are setup...

[UberDemon]

Adding some visual cues.

Note you will be able to select (and edit) all flights from the flight editor without returning to the main form...  if you wish.

[RealDarko]

We will need a full manual for it!

[UberDemon]

We will need a full manual for it!

Well, I did a lot of help files for the classic version...  but I am hoping once you start using it, it will be easy to follow a pattern.  Actually, I messed something with the code when I added the "Apply" button to the Flight Editor, but I think I know where I messed up.  Challenge accepted!  (I have multiple backups in different places just in case...)

[UberDemon]

Well problems solved.  All working now.  I'll keep on trucking on the code.  But now, some earned sleep!!!