IL2 Great Battles Easy Mission Generator

[Stonehouse]

7 hours ago, Esk_Pedja said:

my flight no 3

Guessing you mean "my aircraft is no 3 in the flight"? If that is what you meant, then sort of with EMG is the case. With EMG you can define up to 2 formations of aircraft per side. One flight is declared as the lead flight and one as the escort flight. The lead flight can have between 1 and 12 aircraft. You can make this random if you wish. The escort flight can have between 0 and 12 aircraft. Again, random is a choice. The player side can be allied or axis and you can pick between lead flight #1, lead flight #2, lead last and the same for the escort flight if you have assigned aircraft to the escort flight and you wish to fly in that flight. You can also make a random choice.

On top of that you can choose the level of activity for ambient vehicles, AI piloted aircraft not associated with your flight/s and whether they are passive, neutral or aggressive.

A quick google turned up a few videos. The one below was the latest I saw easily but it is EMG v74.1 so it is a couple of years out of date. It should give you the basics though. Past that I would just suggest giving it a go as it is fairly intuitive. Only thing perhaps not is the AI skill for aircraft. I believe this is more a weighting than an absolute. So choosing "veteran" for a flight will not give you a veteran pilot in every aircraft but will skew the pilot skill level across the flight towards "veteran".

 

And the other is the target location. This has choices of "in the target area" or close or intermediate or distant. Target area is the circle you see on the map. You can move this around by left clicking. Only caveat there is to try to ensure the target type you select is within the circle or you may find the mission will not generate. EG if you pick the mission type to be attack on a ship but then place the target area inland you very likely will not get a successful mission generation. EMG will basically get stuck on the mission generation stage. If you look in mission_generator.log in the EMG folder you will see a message along the lines of no valid target found if this happens. Just close EMG and try again in this case.

 

 

[Stonehouse]

3 hours ago, Stonehouse said:

try to ensure the target type you select is within the circle or you may find the mission will not generate

@SYN_Vander Actually, this might be a useful enhancement for EMG. Not sure how difficult it would be to implement but you already have the trigger (no valid target found message) in the log so perhaps it would be fairly simple.

The enhancement would be to generate a popup similar to the mission generation complete one to inform the user that mission generation has failed due to no valid target being found and exit the generation attempt at that point as well, returning control for the user to the main GUI so they can adjust things and try again.

This would prevent the current situation where EMG is simply stuck in the mission generation phase and requiring EMG be ended/closed to attempt a new generation. Also, currently EMG gives no visibility of the reason for EMG hanging unless you know to check the log file - which many people don't know about.

It is pretty easy when using the target area circle to fail mission generation due to no valid target being found because you cannot see a marker for targets on the Situation map other than active airfields. e.g. doing a bridge attack in the target circle but the template doesn't include a bridge in the target circle 

Someone else also mentioned the idea of making the radius of the target circle be user selectable - which might help with no valid targets being found as well.

Edited May 11 by Stonehouse

[Craig_AKL]

Hi all

Newb questions here so probably doing something intensely stupid / completely misunderstanding something. Trying to use EMG to set up missions so I can multiplayer dogfight which seems like the route to multicrew games with my son.

I'm trying to set up a simple ground attack mission (trains, airfields) for a flight of IL2S. I want something like a AQMB mission for multicrew.

Q1. I set it up to have 6 IL2s in the main allied flight. However when I start there's no sign of the other 5, whether I start parked, on the runway or in the air. When I look at the mission in the standard editor I can see the Axis plane objects but not the Allied ones.(I'm not sure the Axis intercept flight is working properly either but I'd like to get my flight going first).

Q2. The mission sometimes ends quite soon into the flight, when I'm just starting on my way to the target. (But sometimes I get all the way to the target...) I'm not sure if this is because the AI has completed some objective elsewhere (sometimes it follows a flurry of activity reports), but in any case I'd like the game to wait for me to play it !

Q3. What does "flight plan" do in the UI. I'd like a flight plan on the map like in AQMB though my understanding was you can't do that in multiplay.

Appreciate any hints.

[SYN_Vander]

14 hours ago, Craig_AKL said:

Hi all

Newb questions here so probably doing something intensely stupid / completely misunderstanding something. Trying to use EMG to set up missions so I can multiplayer dogfight which seems like the route to multicrew games with my son.

I'm trying to set up a simple ground attack mission (trains, airfields) for a flight of IL2S. I want something like a AQMB mission for multicrew.

Q1. I set it up to have 6 IL2s in the main allied flight. However when I start there's no sign of the other 5, whether I start parked, on the runway or in the air. When I look at the mission in the standard editor I can see the Axis plane objects but not the Allied ones.(I'm not sure the Axis intercept flight is working properly either but I'd like to get my flight going first).

Q2. The mission sometimes ends quite soon into the flight, when I'm just starting on my way to the target. (But sometimes I get all the way to the target...) I'm not sure if this is because the AI has completed some objective elsewhere (sometimes it follows a flurry of activity reports), but in any case I'd like the game to wait for me to play it !

Q3. What does "flight plan" do in the UI. I'd like a flight plan on the map like in AQMB though my understanding was you can't do that in multiplay.

Appreciate any hints.

Hi Craig,

 

Thanks for trying out EMG. Let me see if I can help you.

1) I'm guessing you select "dogfight" game type. In this multiplayer mode players can spawn repeatedly from an airfield during the game, but there are no AI wingmen. This is a limitation of the game you could say. The idea is that multiple players spawn in an organize a flight themselves. There will be friendly ambient AI patrols though and if you did not select "both" as sides than there will be an enemy flight trying to complete a mission. To fly in a multiplayer setting and still have AI that follow you or you will be part of a flight lead by an AI you should use the "cooperative" game type.

2) This is also a common question. The winning conditions are set in the(generated) missions, but the timer to end the mission after the winning conditions have been met is not in the mission, but defined in your multiplayer setting, see below screenshot. If you setup the multiplayer mission, scroll down to find the mission completion timeout timer (in seconds!). Set this to a high number so after a target has been destroyed -and this can also be the enemy completing it's objective! - you can still fly home.

3) Flight plan, by default turned on, will show waypoints on the map to the target and back. If you do an intercept mission over your own base, then you'll see a bunch of waypoints almost on top of each other. 

[Craig_AKL]

Thanks very much @SYN_Vander. I'll go do another round of experiments and see how I get on.

[kraut1]

 

[kraut1]

Hi @SYN_Vander,

I have question for Close Air Support missions (attack on fortification), when the player is the leader:

After the player has navigated / reached WP2 and flies towards the target
-when or in which approx. distance to the target the player shall command to attack?
-which command shall be used: "Attack next ground target" or "Patrol for ground targets" ?
-I assume, that it is required that the player reaches at first wp1 and wp2, is this correct?

Best regards

[SYN_Vander]

4 hours ago, kraut1 said:

Hi @SYN_Vander,

I have question for Close Air Support missions (attack on fortification), when the player is the leader:

After the player has navigated / reached WP2 and flies towards the target
-when or in which approx. distance to the target the player shall command to attack?
-which command shall be used: "Attack next ground target" or "Patrol for ground targets" ?
-I assume, that it is required that the player reaches at first wp1 and wp2, is this correct?

Best regards

If you follow the waypoints closely the I think the wingmen will automatically attack when getting close to the target. If not, I ususally use attack next ground targets. Be aware where you are at that moment or the AI may focus on some random AAA site 

Edited May 29 by SYN_Vander

[kraut1]

8 hours ago, SYN_Vander said:

If you follow the waypoints closely the I think the wingmen will automatically attack when getting close to the target. If not, I ususally use attack next ground targets. Be aware where you are at that moment or the AI may focus on some random AAA site 

Thank you very much, this works.

Just to fly very close to the target and they attack automaticly without command. I was not aware of this.

Concerning the navigation to WP1 and WP2: when flying with autopilot it is no problem.

With manual Navigation the radius 500m for wp1 and especially 1500m for wp2 is sometimes difficult to find if there are no destinctive landmarks, I am testing currently radius 2500m for wp2 (and wp4).
It seems to work.
And what I have observed additionally is that when I order "attack next ground target" it seems to me that it is not good to follow the AI wingmen to watch what they do. If I did this they returned sometimes to formation without attacking. Better to ignore them and to focus on the own attack.

@SYN_VanderAnother topic what is totally new for me: How shall I  act as a leader of a Level Bombing attack, just to drop the bombs with the bomb sight?

@jokash

[AcesDarthBubu]

Is there a way to generate mission via EMG whereby the flights (lead and/or escort) can be divided into sections ? If yes, can it be done up to 3 (group of 4s up to 12 planes). 

Idea is to be able to break away to conduct 2nd or 3rd targets without waiting for entirety of flight to do so. 

[SYN_Vander]

19 hours ago, AcesDarthBubu said:

Is there a way to generate mission via EMG whereby the flights (lead and/or escort) can be divided into sections ? If yes, can it be done up to 3 (group of 4s up to 12 planes). 

Idea is to be able to break away to conduct 2nd or 3rd targets without waiting for entirety of flight to do so. 

Unfortunately not, this is a limitation in the game itself.

[CzechTexan]

When Level Bombing as the leader, I think it's best to order, "Do Like Me", so, when you drop your bombs, wingmen will do the same.

[kraut1]

On 6/1/2026 at 11:42 PM, CzechTexan said:

When Level Bombing as the leader, I think it's best to order, "Do Like Me", so, when you drop your bombs, wingmen will do the same.

I think you have just to fly with manual control and when you drop the bombs the others do the same.

(I am currently learning to fly bomber missions)

[CzechTexan]

2 hours ago, kraut1 said:

I think you have just to fly with manual control and when you drop the bombs the others do the same.

(I am currently learning to fly bomber missions)

I recall one bomber mission where I dropped bombs on target but the others dropped on other enemies in the area.  But that was in the A-20 so it might be different with an "attack" plane.  The next time I flew the mission I ordered "Do like me" and that's when they dropped on my target.  It could also be an issue with the size of the target area.  I think maybe if I had a smaller target area, then maybe they would have dropped on the main target.  I think it might all depend on how it's all put together in the Mission Builder.  Testing is the only way to get it right.

[kraut1]

Hi @SYN_Vander,

I have released new fronts for 1942/43 long range naval missions.
-The EMG front line and the 4 new airfields are working well, maybe interesting for you for an implementation.
-Due to the lack of free space on the small islands and in Finland in general the target objectives definition is complex.

not suitable for EMG implementation:
-The rest of my settings is very individually modded / designed, and the EMG modification has to be used together with a mod for finnish ships / coastal guns.

 

Edited June 14 by kraut1

[Aapje]

@SYN_Vander Do you plan to make this for Korea as well?

[SYN_Vander]

On 6/22/2026 at 3:29 PM, Aapje said:

@SYN_Vander Do you plan to make this for Korea as well?

Yes, probably, but it will depend on how good the out-of-the box quick mission generator is.

I will first build some hand crafted missions anyway to get an understanding of what has changed/improved.

[Kapteeni45]

On 6/14/2026 at 9:15 PM, kraut1 said:

Hi @SYN_Vander,

I have released new fronts for 1942/43 long range naval missions.
-The EMG front line and the 4 new airfields are working well, maybe interesting for you for an implementation.
-Due to the lack of free space on the small islands and in Finland in general the target objectives definition is complex.

not suitable for EMG implementation:
-The rest of my settings is very individually modded / designed, and the EMG modification has to be used together with a mod for finnish ships / coastal guns.

 

Great work. As usual!

[Dusty926]

On 6/23/2026 at 1:32 PM, SYN_Vander said:

Yes, probably, but it will depend on how good the out-of-the box quick mission generator is.

I will first build some hand crafted missions anyway to get an understanding of what has changed/improved.

Very curious what your experience is - I am so incredibly looking forward to your EMG for Korea!!