DCS Mission Editor Tutorial | Creating Fun & Realistic Missions! | Part 1

[@Spudspike]

Hey guys! In Part 2 of this video, we fly through the mission we've just created to see exactly how what we have put together works from a gameplay perspective! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZOQi6mqbtF-eK8 I hope this video helps you guys out when it comes to getting started with the DCS World Mission Editor!

[@b0zz1ll4]

Thanks a lot Spud, I needed this

[@W_T.VENDETTA]

Hi. Thanks for the video. I got a question, when I made an account the password I made was not written down so I forgot it. In order to play online I have to put correct info in. Can I make a new log in with the same account that I forgot my password on?

[@Thatmaro_guy]

Whenever you entered a game WHERE IS MY PLANE? 🗿

[@Amustangguy89]

Thank you for this! I have made my first mission editor just for training, but now that I saw your video I can actually create my own missions. I was so lost before this! 😢

[@Spudspike]

Thanks awesome Man! I’m so glad this helped you!

[@JIMJAMSC]

Spent untold years messing with the DCS editor and find quantum physics is easier to understand. My ai wingmen are the 3 stooges and the "easy" ai are all Red Barons.

[@Mightymoose02]

LOL. Sometimes your AI wingman is super human too. Have seen them lobbing MK-82s and hitting perfectly on target with a F-5. Also in a mission the A-10 wingman took out most of the targets before I had time to take out one. He even went and took out the secondary target some distance away for good measure...When replaying, I had to tell him to stand down :-)

[@mahdisarrami9904]

Hey can u tell me what key was for speeding up all stuffs like 10x I forgot the key

[@WopActual]

@@mahdisarrami9904 LCtrl + Z = Speed up Shift + Z = Normal speed LAlt + Z = Slow down

[@mahdisarrami9904]

@@WopActual tnx a lot

[@SPFLDAngler]

@@mahdisarrami9904 You could literally have just looked it up yourself in the Controls...

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Damn. I had no idea about the templates. I went to Google, researched what makes up a SAM battery, say the S-400, and placed each component by hand. So many different generators, antennas, launchers, control vans, etc. lol I will tell you this: You will learn a LOT doing the research by hand! That's the beauty of watching these kinds of tutorials. You ALWAYS find a nugget that makes everything easier. Well done Spud.

[@TheBigDirty25]

We'll call them Spud Nuggets

[@advgroo]

I typically make my own missions, but I still learned plenty from your video today, I appreciate that. I think this was a great tutorial and watching it all work out in video 2 was a great idea. I would like to see more in depth if you have any more but A+ in my opinion.

[@Spudspike]

Glad you enjoyed it dude!

[@MrBarstow]

Mushroom mushroom

[@pinkfloyd7572]

I live in the editor but I'm always happy to see more tutorials. Always learn something new. Thanks.

[@laycamwd238]

Bruh this video is awesome. Created my first mission and everything worked well except I had no idea where my wingman went 😂

[@dkt2782]

New to DCS and I learned so much from this tutorial! Very informative and explained just so right..thank you!! Subscribed and will be checking all your videos!

[@gradocchio]

Excellent, clear and concise direction, thank you! Look forward to Part 2...

[@Spudspike]

Part 2 is already posted

[@gradocchio]

@@Spudspike i'm aware and already have the link on my desktop, but after spending a few hours (DCS froze up twice in the editor) getting through Part 1 I need a break! 😅

[@googletoldme2292]

1 extra tip to the list, when your placing your ground units switch the map to SAT to help with the alignment and placement of your ground based units :) Cheers spud!

[@hangar9843]

I love your videos man - I'm always learning something new. For example, finding I want to move the first unit of a group after placing all other units is something that has been causing me grief for years - Left Ctr drag and there you go! Please keep up the awesome content.

[@joneees100]

Thank you so much for this video. New F-16 Player here - struggling to find simple training. Now i can simply make my own training scenario. Keep up the good work.

[@Spudspike]

Awesome man! Glad it helped

[@AltaiiSinan]

Thank you for sharing this awesome tutorial! This is the one that helped me to put some basic way points and start from where I want!

[@bandini22221]

I've been enjoying watching these videos on KZbin and was really hyped to invest the money for a gammer PC and stick and rudder set, etc. and get started...until I watched this video. I'm almost 70, not that computer literate and this is way beyond me so I guess it's back to the casino for me. Thanks for the heads up, bro.

[@MikeTaylor-tw5wb]

Your tutorials are great - I have got so much out of them. As a nee player this game is a little overwhelming and this really helps

[@macacoa5]

I have this game for a long time now and haven't played at all, but man I'll tell yeah your videos are making me wanting to play this so bad, thanks for the videos man and congratulations on your contracts as a real pilot!! You deserve it only the best, cheers mate

[@Swanny.31]

Great Video! Fortunately I have 2 monitors set up and was able to make this mission while watching your video (Great idea BTW). This was a huge help for me so thank you for making this tutorial!

[@michaelpease2103]

Having some education in object oriented programming and game dev makes understanding triggers much much easier. Makes me happy I tried to develop games a couple years back. I may have stopped developing but the skills apply to DCS 🙃

[@thebiggestoneyouveverhad]

This is much needed for anyone wanting to get into DCS but afraid to tackle the editor. I'm still afraid of trying lua scripts...

[@MrHrannsi]

May I recommend you a KZbin channel run by a gentleman named Iain Christie, he has some fantastic tutorials about scripting in the mission editor. kzbin.info/door/4kJt_8Jw9ByL10ar6b8rQg

[@JamesTyranski]

Like anything though, just understanding the basics of the editor will help later when playing with lua scripts. It's also nice to know you don't have to touch lua scripts to have fun making your own missions.

[@iloveamerica1776]

Amazing video, I learned how to not get bored in DCS because of it

[@stefanonapoli7282]

Hey Spud, thank you for this amazing tutorial. I would love to see even more specific tutorials about mission editor, with more complex triggers explanations and something like that. Thank you also because I am italian and I am learning english so much by following you.

[@ceraunavoltalitalia7797]

Thanks ^^ was messing around with missions editor since 2 weeks with no results: A+ very nice explications and simple clarity

[@paulauton856]

Nice tutorial some good info without going overboard. Jumped into the mission editor and had a quick play around much less confusing than before.

[@31Macdog]

Awesome work Spud, many thanks for taking the time to do this video.

[@mikejames7080]

I like everything u do on here very informative and good learning topics specially for someone like me that is just getting back into flight stimulator since 1998

[@smashrulezzz6446]

Thx for very useful tutorial! Looking forward to next parts of DCS editor tutorials.

[@koreanature]

Wow, My best friend, Thank you for your hard work in making the video. I enjoyed the good video. Have a happy day.

[@Musix4me-Clarinet]

Ah. Nice. We have the same aspect ratio. I finally get to fullscreen a video and it actually fills the screen. Cool.

[@keimahane]

This was incredible entry to the editor, thank you so much for doing this. I completely followed it to the tee and it has given me the skill I needed to go and make some of my own stuff, adding different elements here and there.

[@ianhughes6123]

Awesome Spud. Thanks for taking the time and effort man.

[@darrend13]

I made this along with you in July 2024. HUGE help Thanks bunches!

[@darrend13]

Liked & Subscribed, Love this kind of content!

[@therocinante3443]

Awesome, the mission editor needs WAY more love

[@roter_milan]

Thank you spud for this great tutorial. As I watched the video I found out, mission design could not be easyer.

[@golferchin76]

New sim pilot here. Thanks for the video. Now I can design some simple missions for me to practice the A10CII !😀

[@capitancairlblandford5785]

Best tutorial for beginners. Good job spud

[@killshot0597]

Another thing Spud, at 33:40 you mention that the SA-2 needs the P-19 Search Radar to function. It actually doesn't as the SA-2 and also the SA-3 only need their respective track radars to work. They just take a lot longer to lock as they'd need to acquire the their target with the MK.1 Eyeball. It also ironically makes them deadlier as aircraft will stray into a lethal range for the SA-2 / 3.

[@stingersvirtual1956]

Hi Spudknocker ! True that the mission editor is intimidating, but thanks to your video I understand how to better use it and how to make AI do what I want it to do. Keep up the good work with your videos and I especially like the fact that for non English speaker your English is accessible. Thanks man !

[@unsaved013]

Nice tutorial. Only thing i'd add is adding custom info to the briefing, it makes life easier when you have it all in 1 place that you can check anytime during a mission and its easy to do. I like to make sure i have any relevant TACAN info there and if i have a CVN i'll include its heading and TACAN in the brief. Also i tend to make multi purpose practice missions and include the different way points in the brief like way point X - tanks - agm65/bomb practice way point Y - SAM site - SEAD way point Z - ship - AGM84 practice I like doing it this way so i don't have to close and open a new mission every time i feel like messing around with something different.

[@Fletrasen]

Fantastic, I´m starting my own beginner training mission right now.

[@jonwood8648]

thanks a lot for the tutorial. saved a lot of studying. much appreciated.

[@mitchell8671]

You have a gift for teaching my friend.

[@PLPerron1379]

Awesome, thank you for this! Very much needed!

[@Rhinozherous]

Thank you for making Editor tutorials!

[@MamboDCS]

Oh this is great! Thank you Spud!

[@Spudspike]

No Prob dude!

[@jonas_meyer_photography]

Best tutorial so far, thanks alot

[@jameswilliams1085]

This is really interesting, i 've been using the mission editor for some time now, on a very básic basis and i've learnt a los from this. Thank you for this type of video.

[@bobykim5311]

Thanks for this amazing tutorial! Finally the ME start to make sense. I really whished DCS would have a more self sustaining dynamic campaign instead of the default: hit ground or air targets which gets boring after a while. It would be nice if DCS would select a mission depending on the state of ware going on like a high altitude foto missions, or a escort missions, in which action is not necessarily. I remember Falcon 3.0 from microprose which had this awesome dynamic campaign. Destroying a bridge resulted in a change in campaign as forces had to go around. Destroying friendlies had a negative impact on the campaign etc. In the current state DCS is too static for me, including all missions that can be downloaded.

[@k_alex]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@Rabbioso88]

magnificent tutorial, thank you very much

[@Agiladcs]

I love it spud thanks for the tutorials big thumbs up!

[@jep1103]

Brilliant, well explained easy to follow.

[@danielbaunsgaard6182]

12:10 this tip literally just saved 2 hours of work when my power went out 5 min ago

[@williamwilkinson2748]

I love your tutorials. Thank you.

[@sebywest3736]

well explained, thanks a lot for the mission

[@Spudspike]

No problem!

[@aleechin]

Good video. Got me started. Thanks.

[@CollectiveFX]

oh golly jeez, whata jokster, 10:09. wow hehe. hehe wow.

[@bretonnian6844]

Thank you, very informative and useful!!

[@Pat91fr]

Great vid !! Thank you so much :)

[@rogue109]

@32:15 when I select Create Group From Template, then select Russia in the drop down, I have no units listed there at all. In fact I have no units listed for most countries in that drop down. I do have the Combined Arms module installed if that matters.

[@oneill6291]

Great video, Thank you very much!

[@docholliday1811]

Thank you, fantastic, this is great.

[@Spudspike]

I hope it helps you out!

[@dougroberts3840]

Big Thanks for this, really learned a lot

[@GlennChambers]

This helped me a bunch, thank you!

[@Buin]

Nice Video Thanks, just one remark if you put in wind in DCS the wind is always from where it is coming from not where it is blowing to. So if you take off from runway 33 and you prefer headwinds. The wind should be 330/15 iso 150/15. So in this way you don't depart with tailwinds.

[@SPFLDAngler]

There is an option in the Options Menu to have the Editor autosave at an interval you choose, from like every 1 minute to every 1 hour or something like that.

[@TheDickieP]

You are a truly great human and a fantastic asset to the community. Will definitely get involved in this later

[@Spudspike]

Thank you for the kind words man!

[@TheDickieP]

@@Spudspike just speaking the truth

[@jonridley]

Thanks so much, really helpful

[@R0knR0lla_]

Awesome job👍😁👍

[@oldmanfunky4909]

A very helpful video!

[@AlexVangeenRacing]

In my editor I can’t see the units when I place them. Anything I’m doing wrong

[@Rex-ii2yz]

The ME is my fav module in DCS, and its free!

[@gooberminium]

I have followed what you said, placed down the planes, customized them, made payload, and route, but they just aren't attacking the IL76MD? I have tried cuztomising the waypoint to make it "Perform Task" (Bombing) But it just goes there, and then turns around??

[@michaeltripplem9405]

Great video! Maybe already mentioned in the comments (can't find it though) but the wind direction IRL is where the winds comes from. On a RWY33 departure (let's say it is 330MAG) and a wind from 150MAG you would have straight tailwind. Maybe the Mission editor has a different logic?

[@Kevin-is3me]

Really nice video. What is the background music named?

[@ericzhang5313]

My mission editor doesn't show the airplane model. I can't quite figure out why 29:18

[@Spudspike]

Hit the little tank icon on the bottom of your screen

[@TLTeo]

I feel like you forgot to mention one *extremely* important thing when dealing with DCS AI: you have to be very, very specific in what you want them to do. This means a) specifying ROE, limiting afterburner use, limiting jettison, restricting or allowing a2g and a2a attack, specifying reactions to threat, etc etc, by setting options on the first waypoint (or subsequent waypoints, depending on the intended behaviour) and b) deleting the default tasking (e.g. CAP, SEAD) that units come with. That default tasking often comes with its own set of rules, and that takes priority over the commands you issue. For example, you may have some SEAD units set to search and engage SAMs in a zone, but if the SEAD tasking is still in their commands they are just as likely to go off and engage some random EWR in another point of the map.

[@Spudspike]

All good points! But maybe a bit beyond the scope of this video

[@shagrat47]

The default Task does not take priority, it is an ENROUTE action, basically the fallback what to do when there is no other Task for that specific waypoint. Still this can mess up things, when you have a very precise idea for the AI, but in general the enroute tasks are defined by the "job" (CAP, SEAD, Ground Attack), while the added Tasks define specific targets, weapons, actions, to execute. 😉

[@TLTeo]

@@shagrat47 yes, but what it can do is get the AI confused on what it's supposed to accomplish. For example, the "SEAD" tasking comes with ROE that let the AI engage pretty much any radar they find - with the result that if you have any installations beyond what is around the mission target, there is a chance that the AI will wander off and go for those instead.

[@shagrat47]

@@TLTeo that usually happens, because there is no other Task active. Tasks added and on top of the list(!) have priority over the enroute task. If you want a specific SAM/Radar installation attacked you need to specify, after it's destroyed AI falls back to the enroute task and looks for threats on its own. There is a chapter on task priorization in the Mission Editor part of the DCS user manual. If you use triggered action it gets even more important what task is pushed as priority on top of other tasks.

[@rocksteady-radio]

Superb ✈️

[@jr0815_aka_gulredrel]

Thanks for making this tutorial and showing the in-game results. Would be nice to have some tutorial for some advanced trigger stuff, but without scripting. Something like follow me cars on the airfields which actually start moving and stop and wait until in distance again. Don't know, if something is possible with unit in moving zone. This would bring some life to the ground.

[@stahlknecht7872]

Perfect man!

[@Dee-Jay]

Hi! 21:10 : Is 270Kts GS satisfying for you? ... (I would rather set something more relevant for an F-16 => 420, 480 or 540Kts GS.) Nothing about timing management? ... Realistic mission isn't possible without time management, how to make the flight Push at a given time precisely?

[@UkDave3856]

very useful, thanks 👍

[@Coreyhkh2]

Great video thanks

[@warriorsp1]

What should you do if you accidentally delete the Russian template? I pressed the minus bar during adjustment and now I don't see any templates for Russia

[@PhrysQist]

Awesome video and explanation, 'as always' ! I thought you might have put one of the IL-76s somewhat off the proper position, since it's pilot was 19th of the 20 in his class (Watch movie Lord of War for the reference). That way the GBUs dont'have it too easy, with all lined up targets!

[@MartinShorlek]

The explanation was complete and interesting. I just downloaded DCA. The escort mission is fascinating to me. What should I do if I want to fly several aircraft from the runway under my supervision and protect a large aircraft?

[@YankeeEcho]

Great Stuff!

[@ZombieGrandpa]

So guys, if you would explain what all the abbreviations mean the first time they are used in a comment thread, it would be forever appreciated by noobs like me. For instance I know what CAP means, (Continuous Air Patrol,) but not SEAD. I come from the DOS and Windows days where the best military simulation you could get was Harpoon. Heading into my golden years now and I have time to make and create for games like this. (Where is the gold again? I can't seem to find it...) I would really like to design missions for this complicated game and I have the time to fine tune and create good missions with variables and surprises. Thanks for your excellent beginners tutorials by the way!

[@bradADMaxe]

I have been messing around with ME but the problem I am running into is not being able to save my set up. It simply won’t let me save anything. “Can not write to file….” I am using ( .miz ) at the end. Any suggestions?

[@patrickdrives]

Very clear video. I guess something may have changed since this video as the only Russian template available was an SA-11 site. I've done some google, deleted the templates.lua in the mission editor folder and restarted DCS. The templates.lua gets recreated to it's supposed default, but still just the SA-11 template for Russia.

[@razrides]

Same here, was glad that there was a manual explanation for the site.

[@Waynethegunner]

Hey Spud, When creating my mission and I’m placing static targets, it doesn’t show the plane like in your video. Just the marker with the letter.

[@fcuk_youtube]

Hopefully you sorted this out by now, but for anyone else having this problem: Along the bottom bar, just left of centre, there is a little icon that looks like a tank. Click that, you want it to be highlighted enabled. Now if you zoom in you can see 2D sprites of the units. Mine was off by default.

[@zoranbrasnjo7488]

Does anyone know why I can't add some planes anymore? They are no longer in the list of aircrafts on the right, for example A10a and P51D are missing. There is only flyable f15c and other unflyables under USA coalition. I went through all task options and also no a10c and no P51D. What am I missing? I own FC and mustang and i fly it mp and sp but no access in editor.

[@jussihaila]

I made similar mission and everything worked fine but I could not lock the enemy interceptors. Very frustrating when I only can keep them locked few seconds at most. My AI wingman splashed them both easily. I wonder if the Hornet radar is bugged. This also happens on multiplayer servers.

[@elprofetaxiv]

Spudknocker: Go in with a plan so you don't get overwhelmed Me: I want to make an open world dynamic capture the island mission with active logistics, randomized unit positions, and reactive enemy AI. 🤷‍♂

[@hecrowell9771]

Hi Spudknocker...I am very new to DCS World and newer to the mission editor. In multiplayer, there is a New Server button which I assume it is used to create a new server. I do not seem to be able to find info on how to use this function. Can you point me in the direction where i can find some info on New Server? Thanks

[@madlarkin8]

Is there any way to make helicopters stop crashing into terrain? I dont care if they cant hit the broad side of a barn with their weapons. They can land with laser accuracy onto a helipad from any altitude in seconds, but if you make a gently rolling right turn through a valley they smash into a tree.

[@hecrowell9771]

I am trying to find out if it is possible to add extra aircraft parking spots in the DCS Mission Editor at an airport (Batumi) and is it possible to tweak positions of existing parking spots.

[@maxs7470]

No matter what I select in the advanced waypoint options my AI fighter always decides to land at the closest airport. Tried different tasks different waypoint actions and combinations of those, tried air as well as ground start, tried adding waypoint. Im making a mission where AV-8s attack a red airfield and I just wanna tell the ai to takeoff and engage them but they always land. Suuuuper frustrating.

[@pointblank722]

Hi, this is good!

[@mahdisarrami9904]

Hey tnx How to speed up everything? I forgot the key 10x faster

[@jordandryer116]

I really want to make an open world mission where I can pretty much do whatever whenever over and over but I am burnt out on making missions lol