A couple of questions on SEOW

[EaglePryde]

Hi all

I'm new here and have put SEOW onto my webserver.

Bevor i start up some campagins i wanted to ask a couple of Questions where i couldn't find any answers.

I just want to know them bevor i manage all this stuff by trial and error.

1.) If i setup commanders and sub commanders then how do the know when each side has completed their set of missions for the host to generate those coop missions? Is there any kind of "ready" button or so?

2.) What if a player dies in one mission. Does he have to wait until the next set of coop missions is generated or can he choose a different aircraft and/or mission to still be part of it all?

3.) If a commander orders a strike against moving ground troops it could be the case that those ground units won't sit there and have there own mission. How does this translate into a coop mission. Is there some kind of moving target marker if those ground units move or do i have to search for them if they aren't at the designated spot?

4.) Is there some kind of possibility to rearm and refuel aircraft during a mission or is this only an automatic feature outside of every mission through seow?

5.) Is there a detailed manuall on making templates? I looked at a template and it seems rather easy but a good tutorial would be nice how to make advanced stuff if something exists.

6.) I've put complete sectors and maps into one database. I suppose i can run a single campaign across all maps on one database. Is this correct? I suppose that the host who uses DCS will automaticly generate missions for every map if 1 or more are being used .

Thanks in advance and brilliant work and praise to the creators of SEOW

[II/JG77Hawk_5]

Welcome EaglePryde,

4Shades is the ulimate authority but I'll have a go at answering some of your questions. My apologies in advance for any omissions or errors I may give you. As mentioned below many of us users are always learning new features and forgetting old ones.

1.) If i setup commanders and sub commanders then how do the know when each side has completed their set of missions for the host to generate those coop missions? Is there any kind of "ready" button or so?

There is no internal mechanism for this in the mission planner and must be communicated via forums, TS etc that plans are completed and everyone is ready to build. It is common practice to run a mission at a set day and time and have all planning complete by a set time as well. It is up to how you wish to organise that.

2.) What if a player dies in one mission. Does he have to wait until the next set of coop missions is generated or can he choose a different aircraft and/or mission to still be part of it all?

This is a standard IL2 co-op not an MDS mission. If someone dies or crashes thats it. Dead is dead. Say goodnight. All that planning is for that mission and they would need to wait it out until mission is over and a new one is planned. You could have a very small campaign where you plan and fly a few missions in one night if you like but this is not how most users run SEOW campaigns.
It does put a more serious aspect to it as you have that sense of self preservation and strive to save the aircraft and yourself. It won't stop all acts of rash poor decision making and you will probably do something you'll regret that ensures you exit the mission too soon. I know I have in the past.

3.) If a commander orders a strike against moving ground troops it could be the case that those ground units won't sit there and have there own mission. How does this translate into a coop mission. Is there some kind of moving target marker if those ground units move or do i have to search for them if they aren't at the designated spot?

This is not a feature in IL2 so no there is no ground unit tracker that is visible in game. If someone has planned troops, tanks, vehicles to move then you'll have to hunt them down if you have time. SEOW tries to replicate a real battlefield and just as in real life if forces are on the move you neeed to keep up your recon levels to keep abreast of the situation on the battlefield.

4.) Is there some kind of possibility to rearm and refuel aircraft during a mission or is this only an automatic feature outside of every mission through seow?

If you are referring to human flown aircraft then no, you can't rearm and refuel during a mission. That is standard IL2 co-op format. The fuel and armaments you have at mission start is all you get for that mission. Your aircraft will be rearmed and refueled for an hour or two or even more during the subsequent missions. Depends on the aircraft type how long it takes. Usual rule is more engines, the more time to refuel. You can't plan missions for those aircraft while they are being refueled. You can however plan them in advance for the hour at which they will be ready.

5.) Is there a detailed manuall on making templates? I looked at a template and it seems rather easy but a good tutorial would be nice how to make advanced stuff if something exists.

The SEOW wiki does have some instruction as you have probably seen but feel free to ask questions in this forum. Everyone is learning all the time, even the long time SEOW campaigners. Template making can be very simple or can get quite complex. It all depends on the amount of detail you want to see in the mission planner and the game during missions. Even a simple template however can become complex and very enjoyable just by watching the battle evolve.

6.) I've put complete sectors and maps into one database. I suppose i can run a single campaign across all maps on one database. Is this correct? I suppose that the host who uses DCS will automaticly generate missions for every map if 1 or more are being used

Multi sector campaigning is probably considered a more advanced method of SEOW campaigning and requires seperate databases for each map. Units and rescources are transfered between sectors using the tools in the mission planner. Missions for each sector (map) need to be built and analyzed seperately. Read more on this at the SEOW Wiki page. Personally I recommend becoming familier with running a single sector campaign before going straight to multi sector campaigns if only to become familiar with all the steps in planning, building, running the missions, analyzing and updating statistics for a single sector SEOW campaign first.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers,
Hawk_5

[IV/JG7_4Shades]

Welcome EaglePryde,

1.) If i setup commanders and sub commanders then how do the know when each side has completed their set of missions for the host to generate those coop missions? Is there any kind of "ready" button or so?

Email or TS! No "finished" button.

2.) What if a player dies in one mission. Does he have to wait until the next set of coop missions is generated or can he choose a different aircraft and/or mission to still be part of it all?

Coops are "dead is dead" in IL-2. That depends on the IL-2 java code and SEOW cannot control it.

3.) If a commander orders a strike against moving ground troops it could be the case that those ground units won't sit there and have there own mission. How does this translate into a coop mission. Is there some kind of moving target marker if those ground units move or do i have to search for them if they aren't at the designated spot?

Just like in real life, you have to search. You never know what you might find, maybe nothing, maybe a fat target, maybe 20 hostile fighters on your 6.

4.) Is there some kind of possibility to rearm and refuel aircraft during a mission or is this only an automatic feature outside of every mission through seow?

Rearm and refuel is not possible in the IL-2 coop engine. IMHO it is a great feature for DFs, but not realistic for the vast majority of WW2 scenarios.

5.) Is there a detailed manuall on making templates? I looked at a template and it seems rather easy but a good tutorial would be nice how to make advanced stuff if something exists.

Only what is at the Wiki. It is easy, but depending on any customizations of the DB it can get tricky. At the most basic level, just put your tanks, guns etc on the map, and put your flights in the air, with landing orders at the appropriate airbases. That's it.

6.) I've put complete sectors and maps into one database. I suppose i can run a single campaign across all maps on one database. Is this correct? I suppose that the host who uses DCS will automaticly generate missions for every map if 1 or more are being used .

No, only 1 active sector (map) is allowed per database. If you want to run simultaneous campaigns across 5 sectors, then you will need 5 separate databases. The DCS can support multiple database connections (but only operates on 1 DB at a time). The MP can support a separate DB for every different sector, if need be. I would recommend you run a small test campaign opn a single sector, just to familiarize yourself with the process. Multi-sector campaigning can be the next learning curve.

Please post your experiences here. There are many quiet people reading these forums who will benefit from your discussions.

Cheers,
4S

[EaglePryde]

Thanks for your answers. Now i have a clearer picture in my head how all this fits together.

I'll write here some facts of what i'm intending to do.

I assumed that it would be like this but i wanted to be sure in advance bevor i try to run something and failing at some point.

I allready planned to start out with just one map and i want to make a template of the british channel map just to get a feeling towards how ground and air stuff is done and even beach landing operations (if i'm correct than this is possible with seow).

It may be a big map but it's good to test different situations. I'll focus more on a smaller setup and after i get a hold of it i want to utilize the map to it's full potential.

After that i'll move to multi sector capaigns and that's why i allready wanted to know if i need more than one database to properly prepare for this situation in advance.

My webserver is a 24/7 running rent server and i even have a rent ts3 server running. I still haven't decided about how i'll do the final part with a game server. It's a costly endevour. At present i'm playing with a couple of friends (currently non seow) and am acting as host with my own machine what packs some power but i really can't estimate where the limits would be in terms of maximum players.

Ok that's my plan and i've a long road ahead of me

[IV/JG7_4Shades]

Well, that sounds exciting. We have done beach landings, Channel campaigns, all of that, so yes it can be done.

Cheers,
4S

PS: Apologies to Hawk_5 for parroting his post - talk about synchronicity!