Operation Dragoon (USS Tulagi CV-72) Campaign by Shadow Wolf

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 2nd, 2021, 10:46

I finally made it to the train attack and to the port facility. I was badly damaged - all my flight were shot down either over the rail yard or the train. I managed to smoke a couple f cars before moving on to the port.

You can see the train layout in the pics.
i repeatedly se them up in a column formation, spaced normally, but each time I saved and reopened the mission, the cars were aligned and spaced as you see. I'm going to set the cars up using the MB formations function, so it at least looks like a train.

Anyway, my flight was shot down (gotta reduce the FLAK a bit more) and I dove my plane into the power station in the port.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 2nd, 2021, 17:53

I am currently working on a campaign, wherein the player is flying an F6F-5 or an Avenger off a CVE with max speed of 20 kts. I had to add a headwind of 10+ knots to make it work. For those who don't know and those who do, the standard method for setting up wind in missions, the method is simple. Or is it?

The standard method is to go to Free Flight/time and weather/advanced weather and the wind tab. There you can set th wind speed and direction as well as gusts. as shown in the illustration. Then start FF session to lock it in. Next go to the CFS2.cfg file to the [Free Flight] section and you should see something like this:

wind_surface=3048.00,12.00,15.00,43.00,0.00,0,1 where 12.00 = wind speed and 15.00 - speed with gusts, 43.00 = the compass direction from which the wind is coming.

You then paste this line of data into the weather settings on tour mission;s .mis file.

I have found that if you leave it like that, the "gust !to" speed is added to the wind speed, so you get a total wind speed of up to 27 knots! No, you have to put the actual gust difference into that location so it reads:

wind_surface=3048.00,12.00,3.00,43.00,0.00,0,1 That will give you the extra 3 knot gusts. I noticed this while sitting on the flight deck and my airspeed was 20+12+15=47 kts! I made the necessary corrections.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 2nd, 2021, 20:04

Fixed the train and the FLAK..

***UncleTgt*** · October 3rd, 2021, 02:14

That's a good catch SW, I'd never noticed this difference before.

CFS 2 seems full of these little quirks (DPs using metric units, airfile entries using imperial units, etc. )

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 4th, 2021, 12:00

I still have only flight tested 5 missions and have 2 more to build. I worked quite a while in getting that train to work for me and now I move on to a search and destroy mission, originally done by Talon.

No trains, just road traffic. This is where I wish I had those horse-drawn wagons...

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 6th, 2021, 23:00

The building of 22 missions is now completed. Five of the missions are re-dos of the Talon missions mentioned by TheBookie. I have still to test and maybe fix 15 of them - about a week's work , but all the hard, tedious stuff is done.

On to the testing!

I also have to finish the downloads and installation readmes and create the campaign .cmg file.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 9th, 2021, 06:01

Some action shots from mission #22:

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 13th, 2021, 14:42

I went ahead and did 2 more mission. Here's a shot from one of them.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 16th, 2021, 16:00

I've had to re-do 2 corrupted missions.

I am test fling them now.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 18th, 2021, 07:38

Okay, here's one for the campaign builders:

I am working on the .cmg for my soon to be released work. I included a .mg video at the start IAW CC's Handbook instructions. The first few lines of the .cmg look like:

[Campaign Global Info]
version=2.0
campaign_name=%campaign_name_string%
overview=%campaign_overview%
allegiance=3

[failure]
moviefile=
soundfile=

[success]
moviefile=OpDragoon-2.mpg

[node.0]
true_branch=1
false=2
percent_true=67
filler=0

[node.1]
mission_name=OD-01_operation_dragoon_OA_F6FH
true_branch=3
percent_true=100
filler=0

[node.2]
mission_name=OD-01A_operation_dragoon_OA_TBFB
true_branch=3
percent_true=100
filler=1

I highlighted the video additions in red. The video does not play when I start the campaign. What am I omitting or doing wrong?

**kdriver** · October 18th, 2021, 08:57

Hi Greg,

I think the moviefile entry needs to be repeated under node.1 for it to work.

Cheers,
Kevin

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 18th, 2021, 09:26

Originally Posted by kdriver

Hi Greg,

I think the moviefile entry needs to be repeated under node.1 for it to work.

Cheers,
Kevin

Thank you, Kevin. I will give it a try...

PS: I edited the movie file into node = 0; no joy. I then put it into nodes 1 and 2 and now it plays.

**_486_Col_Wolf** · October 18th, 2021, 09:42

SW, if you put the movie file name under the first node , it will play when you click "Next" on the Squadron page before the first mission.

Entry should look like this:

[Campaign Global Info]
version=2.0
campaign_name=%campaign_name_string%
overview=%campaign_overview%
allegiance=2

[failure]
moviefile=
soundfile=

[success]
soundfile=
moviefile=

[node.0]
true_branch=1
percent_true=100
filler=1

[node.1]
mission_name=BoBluft1
true_branch=2
percent_true=100
soundfile=
moviefile=LuftBoB.wmv
filler=1

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 18th, 2021, 10:13

Thank you too 486_Col_Wolf! I got it now. but shouldn't I put the entry under Node 2 as well since Node 2 is a random choice with Node 1? It works, though.

**_486_Col_Wolf** · October 18th, 2021, 11:41

Yes, if nodes 1 and 2 will be randomly selected as your first mission then it needs to be under both.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 19th, 2021, 10:43

The mission building and campaign set up are completed. I have just 5 more missions to test fly. Are there any volunteers among you to test fly the missions individually or the campaign as a whole? If so, PM me with your contact info.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 24th, 2021, 05:42

I added one more mission to my total, now 25.. If everything goes as I hope, I should be uploading the campaign by next weekend.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 27th, 2021, 11:08

I have flight tested all the missions and made what I consider some necessary changes. Now I am waiting for some feedback from a colleague who is flight testing for me, make any changes he recommends and update the campaign .cmg file. I hope to put this into your Trick or Treat bags for Halloween.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 27th, 2021, 11:25

Okay, with yous guy assistance I got the video to play correctly... once. It was 26.5mb in size and I reduced it for the sake of the download size and to more closely match the other videos. Now it plays with the embedded audio but no video!

Even though the video itself plays fine independent of the game.
I will recheck my .cmg settings and try again and again until it works. FYI. The video is only 5.7mb compared to 10-12mb for the other vids in the transit folder. Too small: I will try to save it in a larger size than 5.7 but smaller than 26.5mb and maybe that will make it show again.

**_486_Col_Wolf** · October 28th, 2021, 09:37

SW, make sure the videos are saved as either an .MPEG or a .WAV file in your "Videos" folder. If they are saved in a newer format they might not work as CFS2 is from 1998.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 29th, 2021, 06:29

Originally Posted by _486_Col_Wolf

SW, make sure the videos are saved as either an .MPEG or a .WAV file in your "Videos" folder. If they are saved in a newer format they might not work as CFS2 is from 1998.

Yes sir, I did. Still, I get the embeded in video music, but no picture, either with a large (25mb), medium (13.3mb) or small (5.0mb) video.

What I currently have.

[Campaign Global Info]
version=2.0
campaign_name=%campaign_name_string%
overview=%campaign_overview%
allegiance=3

[failure]
moviefile=
soundfile=

[success]
soundfile=
moviefile=OpDragoon-7.mpg

[node.0]
true_branch=1
false=2
percent_true=67
moviefile=OpDragoon-7.mpg
filler=0

[node.1]
mission_name=OD-01_operation_dragoon_OA_F6FH
true_branch=3
percent_true=100
moviefile=OpDragoon-7.mpg
filler=0

[node.2]
mission_name=OD-01A_operation_dragoon_OA_TBFB
true_branch=3
percent_true=100
moviefile=OpDragoon-7.mpg
filler=0

**_486_Col_Wolf** · October 29th, 2021, 07:08

SW,
I sent you my email in a private message. If you can, send me the video file and I'll test it on my install just to see whether it's the file or not.

**_486_Col_Wolf** · October 31st, 2021, 10:44

SW, my AOL mail and internet have been giving me fits so I'll uplaod the new WMV version of the video here.Attachment 84896 Attachment 84896

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 31st, 2021, 11:22

Got it! Thank you 486_Col_Wolf.

**Shadow Wolf 07** · October 31st, 2021, 23:19

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Campaigns Add-Ons

Description: It is D-Day, 15 August 1944, a few minutes before dawn. USS Tulagi CVE-72 is turning into the wind, about to launch her first strikes in support of "Operation Dragoon", the Allied invasion of southern France. For the next 7 days you, one of her best pilots will fly, sometimes several sorties a day. your missions will vary from strikes on airfields, rail yards and even shipping to Close Air Support of ground forces, Search and Destroy and Combat Air Patrol. You may find yourself in an F6F-5 Hellcat, a TBF Avenger or an F6F-5N Hellcat night fighter. You will see what they AND you can do against the intense German FLAK and Luftwaffe aircraft.

The missions for this campaign, with a few exceptions are fictional but highly represent the sort of missions actually carried out by the Allies here in this theatre. The concept for some of them was based in info, gleaned from missions done by Talon (RIP).

Cheers:

Shadow Wolf 07

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Operation Dragoon (USS Tulagi CV-72) Campaign.zip
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.