Complete MOOSE CTLD System — Player & Mission Setup Guide

Welcome! This guide explains what logistics means in DCS, how the CTLD system lets players change the battlefield, and exactly how to use the in-game menus. It also includes a concise mission-maker setup section.

What is CTLD and why it matters

• CTLD (logistics & troop transport) turns helicopters and transports into force multipliers.
• You request “crates” at Supply (Pickup) Zones, deliver them, and build combat units, SAM sites, radars, FOBs, and support vehicles.
• You can also transport troops and deploy them to hold ground or attack.
• Every delivered asset can change the front line: new air defenses, JTACs, EWR coverage, armor pushes, or an FOB that shortens logistics legs.

Tip: The loop you’ll repeat is Request → Deliver → Build → Fight.

Getting started (players)

1. Spawn in a supported helicopter or transport.
2. Fly to a friendly Supply (Pickup) Zone.
3. Open F10 Other -> CTLD.
4. Use Logistics -> Request Crate to spawn crates; use Operations -> Build to assemble units/sites.
5. Use Navigation to get vectors and Hover Coach, and Field Tools to mark or create a quick Drop Zone.
6. Deliver, build, and watch the mission evolve.

Menu overview (matches in-game structure)

Below are the menu groups and the common actions you’ll see under each. Some options appear only when relevant (e.g., inventory enabled, crates nearby, zones configured).

Operations

• Troop Transport
  • Load Troops: Load infantry while inside an ACTIVE Supply (Pickup) Zone if the mission enforces this rule.
  • Deploy Troops (Defend): Unload troops to hold the current area and defend nearby.
  • Deploy Troops (Attack): Unload troops and order them to seek and engage enemies or move toward enemy-held bases (mission-configured behavior and speed). Static/unsuitable units will hold position.
  • Notes:
    • Troop loading may be restricted to Pickup Zones. The nearest zone will be shown in messages if you’re outside.
    • Deployment is blocked inside Pickup Zones when restrictions are enabled.
• Build
  • Build Here: Consumes nearby crates (within the Build Radius) and spawns the unit/site at your position. Includes a “confirm within X seconds” safety and a cooldown between builds.
  • Build (Advanced) → Buildable Near You
    • Lists everything that can be built with crates you’ve dropped nearby (and optionally what you’re carrying, depending on mission settings).
    • Per item you’ll see:
      • Build [Hold Position]: Spawns and orders the unit/site to hold.
      • Build [Attack (N m)]: Spawns and orders mobile units to seek/attack within the configured radius. Static/unsuitable units will still hold.
    • Refresh Buildable List: Re-scan nearby crates and update the list.
  • FOB-only recipes can require building inside an FOB Zone when enabled (mission-specific rule).

Logistics

• Request Crate
  • Menu is organized by categories (e.g., Combat Vehicles, AAA, SAM short range, Support, Artillery, etc.).
  • Each entry shows how many crates are required (e.g., “M1097 Avenger (2 crates)”).
  • Requests generally require being within the maximum distance to an ACTIVE Pickup Zone.
  • When inventory is enabled, stock is tracked per zone; out-of-stock types cannot be requested at that location until resupplied.
• Recipe Info
  • Browse categories and see each item’s description; use this to plan which crates you need to build a unit or a multi-crate site.
• Request Crate (In Stock Here)
  • Appears when inventory menus are enabled and the mission-maker has exposed this view.
  • Shows only items in stock at your nearest active Supply Zone and lets you spawn them directly.
  • Includes a “Refresh” option to update the list after requests.
• Crate handling tips
  • Crates are marked with smoke at spawn.
  • Use Navigation → Request Vectors to Nearest Crate if you lose sight of it.
  • Hover pickup: hold roughly 5–20 m AGL, very low ground speed, steady for a few seconds to auto-load.
  • Crates have a mission-configured lifetime and will self-cleanup if not used.

Field Tools

• Create Drop Zone (AO): Quickly creates a temporary Drop Zone around your current position for coordination or scripted objectives.
• Smoke My Location: Green / Red / White / Orange / Blue — mark your current spot with smoke to help other players find you or the build point.

Navigation

• Hover Coach: Enable / Disable: In-game guidance messages to help you nail the hover pickup window (AGL, drift, speed, “hold steady” cues).
• Request Vectors to Nearest Crate: Prints bearing and range to the closest friendly crate.
• Vectors to Nearest Pickup Zone: Bearing and range to the nearest active Supply (Pickup) Zone; if none are active, you’ll get helpful direction to the nearest configured one.

Admin/Help

• Show CTLD Status: Quick summary of active crates, how many zones exist, and whether Build Confirm/Cooldown are ON.
• Draw CTLD Zones on Map / Clear CTLD Map Drawings: Draws labeled circles for Pickup/Drop/FOB zones on the F10 map for your coalition; clear them when you’re done.
• Debug → Enable/Disable logging: Toggle detailed logging (mission maker troubleshooting).
• Player Guides: Zones – Guide; Inventory – How It Works; CTLD Basics; Troop Transport & JTAC Use; Hover Pickup & Slingloading; Build System; SAM Sites.
• Coalition Summary (if exposed by mission maker): A roll-up of coalition CTLD activity.

How players influence the mission

• Build air defenses (SAM/AAA) to protect friendly FARPs/FOBs and deny enemy air.
• Deploy armor and ATGM teams to push objectives, ambush enemy convoys, or hold key terrain.
• Build EWR/JTAC for better situational awareness and targeting support.
• Establish FOBs to create forward supply hubs and shorten flight times.

Mission setup (for mission makers)

Keep this section short and focused. You can find the defaults and toggles inside:

• Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD.lua (main CTLD implementation; see the CTLD.Config table)
• Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD_FAC.lua (optional FAC/RECCE support)
• Moose_CTLD_Pure/catalogs/ (example catalogs with ready-to-use recipes)
• Moose_CTLD_Pure/init_mission_dual_coalition.lua (ready-to-use minimal init for BLUE+RED)

Load order (Do Script File in Mission Editor)

1. Moose.lua
2. Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD.lua
3. A catalog file from Moose_CTLD_Pure/catalogs/ (optional but recommended)
4. Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD_FAC.lua (optional FAC/RECCE)
5. Your mission init block (you can use Moose_CTLD_Pure/init_mission_dual_coalition.lua as-is or adapt it)

Minimal snippet (example) — keep it to the point:

• Create a CTLD instance per coalition with: CoalitionSide, AllowedAircraft, Zones (Pickup/Drop/FOB definitions), and key toggles.
• Optionally create a FAC module instance and run it.
• Optionally merge a crate catalog.

Hint: See the shipped init_mission_dual_coalition.lua for a clean example of both BLUE and RED.

Zones you must create in the Mission Editor

• Pickup (Supply): e.g., ALPHA (BLUE), DELTA (RED)
• Drop: e.g., BRAVO (BLUE), ECHO (RED)
• FOB: e.g., CHARLIE (BLUE), FOXTROT (RED)

Use the names referenced by your init script. The example init uses flags to control active/inactive state.

Frequently configured options (where to change)

All of the following live under CTLD.Config in Moose_CTLD.lua or can be provided in the table passed to _MOOSE_CTLD:New({...}) in your init script.

• Logistics rules
  • RequirePickupZoneForCrateRequest
  • RequirePickupZoneForTroopLoad
  • PickupZoneMaxDistance
  • ForbidDropsInsidePickupZones
  • ForbidTroopDeployInsidePickupZones
  • ForbidChecksActivePickupOnly
• Building behavior
  • BuildRadius
  • BuildSpawnOffset
  • BuildConfirmEnabled + BuildConfirmWindowSeconds
  • BuildCooldownEnabled + BuildCooldownSeconds
  • RestrictFOBToZones
  • AutoBuildFOBInZones
• Inventory system (per-zone stock)
  • Inventory.Enabled
  • Inventory.ShowStockInMenu
  • Inventory.HideZeroStockMenu
  • Inventory.FOBStockFactor
• Hover & pickup quality-of-life
  • HoverCoachConfig (messages/timing/thresholds)
  • TroopSpawnOffset
• AI behavior for Attack builds
  • AttackAI.VehicleSearchRadius
  • AttackAI.MoveSpeedKmh
• Menus
  • UseGroupMenus
  • UseCategorySubmenus
  • PickupZoneSmokeColor

Crate catalog (recipes)

• Use one of the provided catalogs under Moose_CTLD_Pure/catalogs/ or your own.
• Each entry defines a display label, side, category, stock, and a build function.
• Multi-crate “SITE” entries build multi-unit groups (SAM sites or composite systems).
• Typical workflow
  • Load your chosen catalog after Moose_CTLD.lua.
  • Merge it into each CTLD instance you created.

Dual-coalition setup

• Instantiate two CTLD instances (one per side), each with its own zone names and smoke colors.
• Instantiate two FAC modules if you want auto-lase/RECCE for both sides.
• The included init_mission_dual_coalition.lua shows a minimal working setup.

FAC/RECCE (optional, from Moose_CTLD_FAC.lua)

• What it adds: Auto-lase with configurable laser codes, IR markers, map marks; manual target lists; multi-strike helper; artillery/naval/air tasking; RECCE sweeps with DMS/MGRS.
• Player usage: Look for an F10 FAC/RECCE menu in qualifying aircraft or groups.
• Mission knobs: CoalitionSide, auto-lase behavior, code reservations, marker type/color, on-station logic—see Moose_CTLD_FAC.lua or pass overrides to :New().

Sanity checks and troubleshooting

• Use Admin/Help -> Show CTLD Status to verify counts and toggles quickly.
• Draw zones to confirm names/positions match your intent.
• If crates don’t spawn: check zone active state, distance to zone, and inventory stock.
• If builds don’t trigger: check Build Radius, confirm window, cooldown, and that the crates match the recipe.

Screenshot ideas (drop your captures in the placeholders above)

• CTLD root menu with the five groups (Operations, Logistics, Field Tools, Navigation, Admin/Help)
• Request Crate with category submenus visible
• Build (Advanced) -> Buildable Near You list
• Hover Coach prompt during a near-perfect hover
• Vectors message to a crate / pickup zone
• Zone drawings on the F10 map (Pickup/Drop/FOB labeled)
• In Stock Here list (if enabled)
• Example SAM site placed after a build

Appendix: File locations and names

• Main CTLD: Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD.lua
• FAC/RECCE: Moose_CTLD_Pure/Moose_CTLD_FAC.lua
• Example dual-coalition init: Moose_CTLD_Pure/init_mission_dual_coalition.lua
• Catalogs: Moose_CTLD_Pure/catalogs/

No large code is required; most options are cleanly exposed in the config tables. Keep snippets tiny when needed.