Combined Ops Group Operations allow groups and virtual squadrons to organize DCS World missions and events, manage participant registrations, assign coalitions and roles, and connect an operation to a DCS AOC Tools project.
Group Operations are managed by the group Founders, Admins and Editors from the Group Operations section of the User Control Panel. An operation can be configured with its own date and UTC time, descriptions, visibility settings, registration deadline, and optional DCS AOC Tools project.
Creating an Operation
To create a new operation, open the Group Operations section from the User Control Panel and select New operation.
The operation form allows you to enter the main information used to publish and manage the event:
- Operation Name — the name displayed throughout Combined Ops.
- Operation Date — the date of the operation.
- Operation UTC Time — the scheduled operation time in UTC.
- Operation Short Description — a short summary of up to 150 characters.
- Operation Description — the main description of the operation.
- Operation Description (visible to participant users only) — additional information that can be provided exclusively to registered participants.
- Operation Custom Link — an optional external link to an operation page, briefing, Google Drive folder or other resources.
Operation Date and UTC Time
The operation date and time are specified in UTC. This provides a common reference for international DCS World groups and participants operating from different time zones.
The operation time can also be associated with a DCS AOC Tools project. When an AOC Tools project is selected, its mission planning information can be associated with the corresponding Combined Ops operation.
Operation Visibility
Combined Ops provides different visibility options to control who can see the operation and its details.
- Visible to all users — the operation and its details are publicly visible.
- Only logged in users see details — users must be logged in to access the operation details.
- Only participants will see details — operation details are restricted to registered participants.
- Only your group will see the operation and can participate — the operation is restricted to members of the group.
An operation can also be marked as Not listed. A not-listed operation is not included in normal operation listings but can still be accessed through its direct link according to its configured visibility settings.
Registration Limit
A registration time limit can be specified in hours. This allows the group to define how many hours before the scheduled operation time users can submit registration requests.
This is useful for groups that need to close registrations before the mission begins in order to complete their planning and participant organization.
Linking a DCS AOC Tools Project
A Group Operation can be associated with a DCS AOC Tools project belonging to the same group.
For future operations, the operation editor can display the group's available AOC Tools projects and allows the appropriate project to be selected. This creates a direct connection between the scheduled DCS World operation and its operational planning project.
The association is particularly useful when DCS AOC Tools is used to prepare the mission documentation, including the ATO, ACO, SPINS and communications plan for the operation.
Once an operation is in the past, its associated DCS AOC Tools project cannot be changed from the Group Operations editor.
Operation Registrations
Users can request to participate in an operation. Group administrators can review the registration requests from the operation management page.
Each registration provides information about the requesting user, including their country, username, group membership and selected DCS role.
Registration requests can be:
- Accepted as BLUE coalition
- Accepted as RED coalition
- Deleted
After a request has been accepted, the participant can be moved between the BLUE and RED coalitions when necessary.
Assigning DCS Roles
Registered participants can be assigned a DCS role from the roles available in Combined Ops. The assigned role can be changed directly from the operation registration management page.
This allows group administrators to organize participants according to their intended role in the DCS World mission, such as pilot or other supported operational roles.
Managing Participants
The operation management page separates pending registration requests from confirmed participants.
Group administrators and editors can therefore manage the complete registration process, accept or remove users, move participants between coalitions and update their assigned DCS role.
The operation list also provides a summary of the number of registered participants and pending requests for each operation.
Group Operations and DCS Mission Planning
Group Operations are designed to connect the organizational side of a DCS World event with the operational planning capabilities of Combined Ops. A group can create an operation on the website, associate it with a DCS AOC Tools project, organize participants and coalitions, and provide additional mission information to the registered users.
This makes Group Operations particularly useful for virtual squadrons and organized DCS World groups that need to coordinate both mission planning and participant management in a single environment.