PDA

View Full Version : Anatomy of Briefing file



SoW Reddog
Mar-11-2014, 10:00
Hopefully this thread will explain exactly how to construct a briefing file and what each segment relates to what. I don't really understand it, in terms of what shows where.

92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)
Mar-11-2014, 10:13
This, I would like to know....

No.401_Wolverine
Mar-11-2014, 11:23
First thing you want to put into your mission briefing is the 'Info' brief. Click 'New' and then select 'Info'.

The first line of the Info brief is the mission name. This will replace the file name of your mission in the mission browser. So if your mission is test.mis and you'd prefer to have it show up as First Test Mission, write First Test Mission in the first line of the briefing. Your file will still be named test.mis, but it will show up in the mission browser as First Test Mission.

The second line of the Info brief is for selecting an icon picture. This will replace the little arrow icon in the mission browser. So if you have a bunch of icons that will help you identify types of missions, select the graphic file here by browsing to it. This is useful for things like icons to represent bombing missions, escort missions, sweeps, etc.

The third line of the Info brief is for the large slide or picture that will show on the right hand side of the screen when you select the mission in the mission browser. Again, this is just a visual cue to help identify your mission. Select a picture or don't. It's personal preference just like the icon picture.

*NOTE: Both the icon and the slide are dependant on having the picture file saved in the appropriate directory. If you share your mission file with someone but they don't have the icons/pictures AND have them saved in the same folder structure you do, they won't show up.

The final part of the Info brief is the 'Description' at the bottom. Here you type everything you need to know about the mission file on a glance. This info will show below the slide on the right hand side of the screen when selecting the mission in the mission browser. I like to put the version of the mission here (Defense of the Realm v1.1 for example) and a short synopsis of the goals of the mission for both RED and BLUE.

No.401_Wolverine
Mar-11-2014, 12:33
RED and BLUE Briefings

When you're ready to give the super secret RED/BLUE EYES ONLY briefings, you click 'New' on the briefings screen and then Army Red or Army Blue depending on whose briefing you're going to write.

In the line at the top you can describe the briefing, but as far as I know the only place this will display is in the briefing editor. It's possible that you can use this as a selector in order to use scripting to change the briefing mid-mission. I haven't tried it yet, but I know it's possible.

Then you have a big box to write your briefing. Describe everything that the Red/Blue side should see that the other shouldn't.

No.401_Wolverine
Mar-11-2014, 12:46
Army None

This briefing is similar to the Army Red and Army Blue briefings, except this is the briefing that will appear if a player selects the 'Briefing' button before selecting a side to play for. This is useful for putting basic information about your mission that both Red and Blue players will find useful and non-side specific. Examples are over-all mission capabilities common to both sides, aircraft sets at airfields, etc.

No.401_Wolverine
Mar-11-2014, 12:49
Slides and Sounds

As far as I'm aware, these functions only work within the single-player environment. Play with them and you'll find you can add pictures and sounds that players can review before they hit 'fly' when loading your mission as a single-player mission. Useful for creating detailed and immersive single-player campaigns. Again, these require the player to have the specific files you reference when creating the mission and to have them in the same CloD folder you had them in when you linked them.

Mission and Normal Briefings

So far, I'm not quite sure what the purpose of these are. They do not appear to provide any other functionality than the previously mentioned Army Red/Blue/None.

bolox
Mar-11-2014, 14:27
Some stuff from a SP perspective on briefings:-

INTRO
adding an intro section to a briefing adds a briefing when the mission is selected
Personally then I give the main mission brief in the MISSION section and assign it to the player in fmb(REGULAR will also work here). In this way you can write different briefings for different aircraft. Useful for missions playable from multiple points of view- eg Heinkill's
.This briefing appears just before FLY Information text in the description part of this is available from map ingame so is a good place to put waypoint info, targets etc. By using two (or 3) layers of briefings you can for instance use the first to create an atmosphere and the second more mission focused. Plenty of opportunity to use multiple slides to graphically illustrate formations, tactics, newspaper of the day etc.
Putting text in the <caption> region is a way to further differentiate certain information relevant for that picture
I see no differences between these section types and ARMY, I just choose to use one method of 'stylising' a campaign with a common theme to the briefings

For campaigns there are also two other sections to consider- success and failure. These are displayed at the end of a mission. Which one dependant on having reached success criteria in mission script (or not).

These additional sections are numbered (after the first one) by sequential numbers in square brackets eg

[1]
<Name>
Regular
[2]
<Name>
Success
<Description>
Good show
<Slide>
He 111 400830.jpg
<Caption>
Historical

Red section attacked a lone Ju88 over Folkestone, shooting it into the sea
[3]
<Name>
Failure
<Description>
better luck next time?
<Slide>
maint2.bmp
<Caption>
Historical

Red section attacked a lone Ju88 over Folkestone, shooting it into the sea

If writing briefings for a campaign I would suggest making a 'template' of the briefing file with all the 'themed' picture links a and other common features, then add mission specific text to each version.

AFAIK attaching sounds to briefings doesn't work and never has done.

1lokos
Mar-11-2014, 14:48
This above is valid for Single Players missions, for Multiplayer you are limited a text only, no?

Sokol1

No.401_Wolverine
Mar-11-2014, 20:16
Yes, I believe so 1lokos.

No601_Swallow
Mar-12-2014, 04:53
Great info. Many thanks!