CFS2 Mission Builder / Editor

[Dataman]

To All,

My apologies in per chance asking a rather simple question, but where or how do I find the CFS2 Mission Builder / Editor?

I am not so much interested in creating new missions, but rather altering planes in current ones.

Thank you for whatever guidance you can offer.

I have checked through all of my CFS2 folders and cannot seem to see it.

Data / Kris

[Captain Kurt]

Data,

The mission builder is integrated in the CFS2 program itself. To use it you create a CFS2 shortcut. Rename the shortcut to Mission Builder. Then right click on the shortcut you created and select properties. In the target window box change the target to read C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /BUILDER:

That creates the MB shortcut. When you click the shortcut it will then take you to the mission builder.

[Captain Kurt]

Data

I should have added that if all you are looking to do is swap out planes in existing missions you will want to use Morton's utility Mk_cfs2_util_v2. Some missions are hand edited and opening them up in Mission Builder erases the hand edits, spoiling the mission. If you use the utility you can swap out the planes without disturbing the mission programming. It's simple to use and much, much faster.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...tid=49&id=6207

[Allen]

It should also be in Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2

[Dataman]

Captain Kurt,

Thank you!

I have downloaded the utility you were kind enough to provide a link for.

The plane swapping I was going to do would be in reference to the built in missions that come as a default with CFS2 (in the USN and the IJN Campaings, of course backing up all originals before doing so).

Would the CFS2 Mission Builder / Editor still not be appropriate to use for it might erase the hand edits?



Allen,

Thank you but for some reason I may have deleted it after the original install as I do not have it.

[Dataman]

Captain Kurt,

Thank you again ..... I got it to work. (The shortcut to the CFS2 Mission Builder)

[Captain Kurt]

Hi Data,

Using MB for the stock campaigns isn't a problem.

Hand edited missions have been done by certain individual campaign makers like Rami, Guy Boullenger, and myself. Read the information included by the maker in the campaign file to find out if any of the missions were edited by hand. Hand editing allows things like different markings on planes in a formation, take off starts from locations other than the stock end of the runway, etc. Cody Coyote's Mission Builder Tutorial discusses some of the possibilities that hand editing can produce if you are interested in reading more about it. Most campaigns are done with only the Mission Builder so opening those missions isn't a problem.

[Dataman]

Thank you Captain Kurt! :salute:

Another question along these lines, whether using the CFS2 Mission Editor or the Morton's utility Mk_cfs2_util_v2 .....

If I wish to basically substitue planes, when I used the CFS2 Mission Editor, only a limited range of aircraft appeared, yet when I checked the airplane folders, there were many more.

I was hoping to substitute US Planes for British planes in the standard campaigns, but those planes were not available, at least using the CFS2 Mission Editor.

Would Morton's Utility provide beter luck or is what I am asking for a major overhaul / re-write?

[Rami]

Dataman,

Could you please be more specific about the planes that you intend to use and are not available? I think I have an idea of what you're driving at, but need more information.

[Dataman]

Rami,

Thank you for your response and happy to provide more information.

Using the mission builder in CFS2, load the Campaign Mission for Japan called "A Mauling over Moresby"

Down toward the botom right corner of the control panel, there are green arrow buttons that advance the flight information for the mission.

When you get to the 3rd flight, P-39 Aircobra, if you use the drop down arrow to change the plane, there are no British aircraft.

I have seen the "Hurricane_I", "Mosquito", and a couple of "Spitfire" folders under the 'AIRCRAFT' directory in CFS2, but yet they do not figure within the drop down selection list.

Is it possible to add them somehow, either using the CFS2 Mission Editor or the Morton's utility Mk_cfs2_util_v2?

I hope this makes sense.

[Rami]

Dataman,

Those aircraft are "legacy" aircraft from CFS1. There are many aircraft, as a matter of fact, that are not flyable in the original game.

The only ones that you can fly are the A6M2 Zero, A6M5 Zero, N1K2J George, P-38F Lightning, Grumman F4F Wildcat, Grumman F6F Hellcat, and the Vought F4U Corsair.

I would highly recommend replacing all the stock aircraft with overhauled models, making all aircraft in the folders for the Pacific flyable, and thus selectable in mission builder.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...rid=105&sort=d

As far as the European-based models are concerned, which ones are you interested in?

[Dataman]

Rami,

Thank you.

Do I need to make the British aircraft flyable if I will be basically flying for Japan and these planes will be AI controlled by the computer?

Please advise.

[Rami]

Dataman,

No, they will not be used...they are from CFS1 Europe. However, if you were flying certain campaigns where the British were involved..(Skylane's campaigns, for example) you might need the Hurricane.

I would recommend replacing all of those CFS1 legacy aircraft with better ones, there are a myriad of better choices out there.

[Dataman]

Thank you Rami.

So basically I will not be able to substitute those AI planes either using the CFS2 Mission Builder or the Morton's utility Mk_cfs2_util_v2, if I fly as Japan IJN and I wish to fly against British AI?

[Rami]

Dataman,

You should be able to use them as AI, it makes me wonder whether the sound files are aliased to the A6M Zero.

[UncleTgt]

Dataman,

I think there is some confusion here. I note you say above there are a/c folders, but the a/c cannot be selected. When CFS 2 installs, it creats a lot of different aircraft folders, but doesn't actually put anything in the folders - it's a quirk of the install. If these folders have no contents, the aircraft will not appear in the a/c selection screen. I think this is what you are seeing.

Now, what Rami is talking about is also true - you should look for better CFS 2 native a/c models. Once you've downloaded them & installed them in your a/c folder, they will appear in Morten's utility for selection, & you will be able to replace a/c in any of the missions without opening Mission Builder. (You can also replace ships as well)

There are a few caveats - back up the original missions, or rename the ones you're swapping a/c in BEFORE you swap. Mortens utility doesn't rename missions. In doing so, remember each mission has a .mis file & a .dyn file - change the name of both files, otherwise the mission won't work properly.
Also, remember you are just replacing the aircraft callout - so all the waypoints & speeds & loadouts will match the original mission a/c. This can sometimes give unexpected results, so it's not a perfect solution, but it's a quick way to get a new mission template you can tweak yourself in mission builder if need be.

Hope this helps.

[Dataman]

Thank you UncleTGT!

You hit the nail on the head.

The aircraft folders with the British planes are in fact empty (and many other folders for Paific planes that you would think would have information).

You also made an acute observation about the missions itself as planes would have different travelling distances / weapons / etc which of course would have to be factored in or else face those unexpected results you mentioned.

What I will need to do is find files for those aircraft folders (I guess using Rami's link) and then move forward from there.

Thank you all and my apologies if I caused confusion on what the objective was I was trying to achieve.

[jinx]

Kurt says:

The mission builder is integrated in the CFS2 program itself. To use it you create a CFS2 shortcut. Rename the shortcut to Mission Builder. Then right click on the shortcut you created and select properties. In the target window box change the target to read C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /BUILDER:

That creates the MB shortcut. When you click the shortcut it will then take you to the mission builder.


I tried to do that and I get an error message that the target name is invalid.
I have no tab for the MB in the Start menu of my PC.

This is very frustrating. The Slashes in what Kurt writes for the target data are 2 types, backslash and foreslash. Is that normal??

Does CFS2 give you a Mission Builder install option when your first install it?

My CFS2 is in K:\CFS2, and not in the usual, default address.

I run Winodws 7.

[The B24 Guy]

Jinx,

I have had trouble creating a shortcut in the past. This process has worked for me.

Try a copy and paste of this into your properties target window box.

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /BUILDER

If your drive letter is something other than C: make sure you change it.

Hope this helps,
B24Guy

[Blood_Hawk23]

get rid of the ":" at the end and it will work fine.

[jinx]

:salute:
Thanks John,

I got it now, through uninstall and reinstall of CFS2 into the default address. I made a backup first on disc and brought in all my addons and mods to the new sim. Now I have the MB ready and and I am already making a mission to refresh my memory on how it works. Last time was 4-5 years ago.

Thanks...

[jinx]

:salute: Seems like cfs2 has exhausted 7 out of my ten cat's lives, as I always have problems.
The new bug is that I have made an individual game directory at another address than the default and have installed Aerocrate's WWI 1916 campaign and missions.

Now the problem came when I flew the first mission, which had 19 waypoints, and I decided to make it simpler and cut them down to 4-5 waypoints and add credit for an enemy kill. That meant using the Mission Builder.

I tried all that has been so far said here to no avail. I get an error message (in the target properties window and in the 2nd start window below that) that typed in entries are wrong.

The forum said:
have had trouble creating a shortcut in the past. This process has worked for me.

Try a copy and paste of this into your properties target window box.

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /BUILDER

If your drive letter is something other than C: make sure you change it.

Now my new install is at: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 AEROCRATE\

After having made the shortcut of the cfs2 exe in there, I clicked on properties and tried typing in:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 AEROCRATE\ cfs2.exe" /BUILDER

and got the error messages.

I typed the above first in the top target window, got an error message.

Then I typed it in 2 places--target and start windows-- and got the error message again.:isadizzy:


Then there is the matter of the quotes (") --do I I need those--both or one of those (And if one only, which, left or right?) or none?

Then there is another matter: a blank space between cfs2.exe" and /BUILDER
Do I need that blank space or not?

If anyone can help me make the MB work here, I would be grateful.

Or else I may have to ask someone to remove 15 waypoints from that mission for me. It took me one hour to play it till landing. Torturous.

Thanks

Nick

[Talon]

Target should read like this.
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2 AEROCRATE\cfs2 AEROCRATE.exe" /BUILDER:

Start in should read like this.
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2 AEROCRATE"

[jinx]

Talon,

Thanks for the help and taking the time. I tried what you said and it did not work.

I have 2 questions here:

1.
Kurt says:

The mission builder is integrated in the CFS2 program itself. To use it you create a CFS2 shortcut. Rename the shortcut to Mission Builder. Then right click on the shortcut you created and select properties. In the target window box change the target to read C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /BUILDER:

That creates the MB shortcut. When you click the shortcut it will then take you to the mission builder.


My question is : Do I create a shortcut of the csf2.exe or one of the cfs2 directory (Root folder)?


2.

You state:

Target should read like this.
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2 AEROCRATE\cfs2 AEROCRATE.exe" /BUILDER:

Start in should read like this.
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2 AEROCRATE"


Question is do I need the two dots ( after the word BUILDER?

And:

Do I need the quotation marks on both ends of the START IN entry?

and a final question"

In which folder or subfolder should the MB shortcut be made?

Here

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 AEROCRATE\UIRES\MB

or here
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 AEROCRATE\UIRES

or here:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 AEROCRATE


Thanks

[Talon]

You have to tell us exactly what the name is of this CFS2 install.

Exactly where it is on your computer since you said it's not in the default.

Next is how the cfs2 exe is setup for target and start in.

On my mission builder exe I have the dots and quotation marks and it works fine.