DCS_MissionDev/DCS_Kola/Operation_Polar_Shield/DUAL_COALITION_CHANGES.md

Dual Coalition Zone Capture - Full Analysis & Changes

Summary

The script has been refactored to provide complete parity between RED and BLUE coalitions. Both sides now have equal access to all features, information, and victory conditions.

---

✅ Changes Made for Full Dual-Coalition Support

1. Tactical Markers (Lines ~390-440)

BEFORE: Only BLUE coalition received tactical markers AFTER: Both RED and BLUE receive separate tactical markers

• Each coalition sees enemy unit positions (when ≤10 units)
• Markers are coalition-specific and read-only
• Uses TacticalMarkerID_BLUE and TacticalMarkerID_RED for tracking

2. Victory Conditions (Lines ~490-600)

BEFORE: Only checked for BLUE victory AFTER: Both coalitions can win

• BLUE Victory: All zones captured → "BLUE_VICTORY" flag set
• RED Victory: All zones captured → "RED_VICTORY" flag set
• Each side gets appropriate celebration effects (smoke colors, flares)
• Proper victory/defeat messages for both sides

3. Zone Status Reports (Lines ~710-740)

BEFORE: Only BLUE received status broadcasts AFTER: Both coalitions receive status reports

• Each coalition sees their specific victory progress percentage
• Same zone ownership data, customized messaging per coalition

4. Victory Progress Monitoring (Lines ~745-780)

BEFORE: Only warned BLUE when approaching victory AFTER: Both sides get symmetric warnings

• BLUE approaching victory (80%+) → BLUE gets encouragement, RED gets warning
• RED approaching victory (80%+) → RED gets encouragement, BLUE gets warning

5. F10 Radio Menu Commands (Lines ~840-900)

BEFORE: Only BLUE had F10 menu access AFTER: Both coalitions have identical F10 menus

• "Get Zone Status Report" - Shows current zone ownership
• "Check Victory Progress" - Shows their specific progress percentage
• "Refresh Zone Colors" - Forces zone border redraw

6. Zone Color Refresh Messages (Line ~835)

BEFORE: Only BLUE notified when colors refreshed AFTER: Both coalitions receive confirmation message

7. Mission Definitions (Lines 52-88)

BEFORE: Only BLUE mission defined AFTER: Both coalitions have missions

• BLUE: "Capture the Airfields" (offensive mission)
• RED: "Defend the Motherland" (defensive mission)

---

🎯 Features Now Available to BOTH Coalitions

Feature	BLUE	RED
Mission Objectives	✅	✅
Tactical Markers (enemy positions)	✅	✅
Zone Status Reports	✅	✅
Victory Progress Tracking	✅	✅
Victory Conditions	✅	✅
F10 Menu Commands	✅	✅
Zone Color Indicators	✅	✅
Capture/Attack/Guard Messages	✅	✅

---

🔧 Configuration

Mission makers can now set up asymmetric scenarios by configuring the ZONE_CONFIG table:

local ZONE_CONFIG = {
  RED = {
    "Kilpyavr",
    "Severomorsk-1",
    -- ... more zones
  },
  
  BLUE = {
    "Banak",  -- Example: BLUE starting zone
    "Kirkenes"
  },
  
  NEUTRAL = {
    "Contested Valley"  -- Starts empty
  }
}

---

🎮 Gameplay Impact

Balanced Competition

• Both sides can now win by capturing all zones
• Victory celebrations are coalition-specific (blue/red smoke & flares)
• Mission end triggers coalition-specific flags

Equal Information Access

• Both coalitions see enemy positions in contested zones
• Both receive periodic status updates
• Both have access to F10 menu commands

Symmetric Design

• All event handlers work equally for both sides
• Messages are dynamically generated based on zone ownership
• No hardcoded coalition bias anywhere in the code

---

📝 Technical Notes

Global Variables Used

• US_CC - BLUE coalition command center
• RU_CC - RED coalition command center
• Both must be defined before loading this script

User Flags Set on Victory

• BLUE_VICTORY = 1 when BLUE wins
• RED_VICTORY = 1 when RED wins

Storage Structure

• zoneCaptureObjects[] - Array of zone capture objects
• zoneNames[] - Array of zone names
• zoneMetadata{} - Dictionary with coalition info
• All zones accessible via table iteration (no global zone variables)

---

🚀 Migration from Old Script

If migrating from Moose_CaptureZones.lua:

1. Update zone configuration - Move zone names to ZONE_CONFIG table
2. Remove manual zone creation - The loop handles it now
3. No code changes needed for existing trigger zones in mission editor
4. F10 menus now available to RED players automatically

---

✨ Benefits of Refactoring

1. Easy to configure - Simple table instead of repetitive code
2. Coalition agnostic - Works equally for RED/BLUE/NEUTRAL
3. Maintainable - Zone logic centralized in loops
4. Extensible - Easy to add new features for both sides
5. Balanced - True dual-coalition gameplay

---

Last Updated: Analysis completed with full dual-coalition parity