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[KevinHoggard]

3) Precede your missions or campaigns (in-game) folder names with the module name they belong to
Since B.A.T. is modular but (unfortunately) the Missions folder is shared between modules, precede your missions or campaigns (in-game) folder names with the module name they belong to:
BAT-DOF Royal Mail-Sacks Bombing Run (1916-1917)
BAT-WAW Saving Private John 'JD' Doe (1944-1945)

In the same spirit there is nothing preventing you from adding a prefix to the missions files themselves.
I create test missions for my map regularly and fly them in either DGENPack, BAT or VPPack, so their names go by:

DGENP_Royal_Mail-Sacks_Bombing_Run_01.mis
BAT-WAW_Royal_Mail-Sacks_Bombing_Run_01.mis
VPPACK_Royal_Mail-Sacks_Bombing_Run_01.mis

I got into doing this because I use a single folder for all missions across my installs (with symbolic links, guys who do not know about the feature should have a look...).

Hi Zoran395, that is the whole point of this topic: I can rename and test and go back and delete and set it up again to my needs. You may decide to update your missions and/or campaigns and I would have to figure out what name I gave it and what I changed, ok no problem but I am sure a percentage of players out there do not know what to do when they unzip and find:

CoolCampaign/01.mis
CoolCampaign/01.properties
CoolCampaign/02.mis
CoolCampaign/02.properties
...

It is better for everyone if the campaign creator provides the right folder/file structure:

Missions\Campaign\GB\BAT-DOF-CoolCampaign\***files***

And then (at least for B.A.T.) a meaningful Campaign name in the info.properties:

Name BAT-DOF CoolCampaign

Once again, it puzzles me how (some) artists dedicate hours and hours creating cool campaigns for others to enjoy and zip and upload their files without a second thought.

No criticism intended, just like gmkump said:

I'll take BAT campaigns and missions anyway they come, organized nicely or not.

Wouldn't be just as good to name the campaign folder (BAT DoF Jasta 5)? I only say this because your describing the .mis and .properties files within the folder and really only needed if your going to mess with the missions. The average person will just D/L and play it...

[whistler]

Hi Kevin, I am nobody to tell anyone what to do. I would say think of someone that has little computing knowledge and manages to install Il-2 and B.A.T. for the first time. Now he/she wants some fresh campaigns or mission and downloads yours. Will this pilot manage to play it right off the bat just with the instructions/files you provide? If the answer is yes - then Mission Complete!

[SpongeBob]

Hi Whistler,
happy to be helpful.

I didn't use the pilot profile very much during the last years too. Lately, I've spent more time updating, checking, creating missions and medals sets than actually flying campaigns. However, as KevinHoggard says, I always intended to create different profiles to fly jets or vintage planes, once I had the time to focus on campaigns.

It was after your suggestion of tidying up the campaigns folder I remembered the pilot profiles feature. Nice tool for both of us!

[SAS~Monty27]

Another convention I have used for the past ten years is to name each campaign folder starting with the year then the title, or part of it, of the campaign.  You must use underscore and no spaces but my campaigns are all arranged chronologically so that even in the same folder, it is impossible to get mixed up:

I must admit I really hate to get some awkwardly named campaign folder that plonks itself randomly in the list.  I usually end up re-naming everything I download to fit this system.  Note, you can use the folder name to fine-tune its position in the order.  I wanted BLITZ to follow SCOUT chronologically through the beginning of 1917 towards the year end.  Therefore I used THE_BLITZ to move it down a space.

Done properly this allows you to shove everything into missions/campaign/(nation subfolder) and forget about it until you browse from the campaign screen.  Its really interesting to go to the Campaign start screen and select different nationalities.  From there you can quickly 'mousewheel' through the selections.  In date order of course.  No confusion, permanently organised and available.

This is also why it is important for Campaign Designers to make a proper INTRO file, with DATES and a TITLE and a bit of historical background plus any recommended settings.  I also like the title screens in a similar format, so that I can browse each one easily and get a good scenario description, with dates...

Here is part of my RFC/RAF folder for example:

GB/
1916_AIRCO
1916_SOMME
1917_BLOODY
1917_SCOUT
1917_THE_BLITZ
1917_WAR
1917_WAR2
1917_WHEELS
1918_ARTILLERY
1918_PALESTINE
1918_PALESTINE2
1918_RECKONING
1940_BATTLE
1940_DUEL
1940_SCRAMBLE
1940_SIEGE
1942_DESERT
1944_MONTE
1982_CORPORATE
1999_SERBIA

[whistler]

For future reference, it has been discussed in this topic that the only way of playing campaigns in B.A.T. in parallel in all eras without the risk of losing progress (campaigns disappearing from your career) is to either:

- Play campaigns from one era only, or
- Manage different pilots for each era/module

There is now a more elegant solution: the last version of the Random Skies Launcher implements a "Profile Manager" that allows you to safely play campaigns in parallel in all eras without any pilot management or profile maintenance. You can play in parallel as many campaigns as you want in all modules and you will never lose progress of any campaign.

You can read more about the Multiple Profiles feature in the Random Skies Mod v2.5 release post.

Happy BATting!