How to assign another AI as formation leader

[wyskass 10]

How can you assign someone else as formation leader?

How can you change the unit numbers/orders in formation?

I want to be able to assign another member of my AI team to be the point man. As a reference, when you create a Stryker or Bradley group in the mission editor, the group leader is in position 2 and the IFV is the point on the formation. Have no idea how that is done, and can't find it anywhere. All I want to do is basically make the group leader in a different position then 1.

Please help.

Thanks.

---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 AM ----------

I was able to get this figured out using scripting. I thought that being able to select unit positions in a formation should be a basic feature either in game, or at least in the editor, without having to program it yourself.

[jakerod 254]

If you tell a guy to Advance (1-2 I think) he will move 50m ahead of the group. If you tell him again it will be 100m. The formation won't adjust around him but if you want someone out front it is a good way to do it. Stayback works the same way as well as flank left and flank right. 1 order of any of those tells them to move 50m in the one direction and move with you while doing it a second time goes out to 100m and I think a third and possible 4th might also work but I don't tell to like to have them that far away.

[wyskass 10]

If you tell a guy to Advance (1-2 I think) he will move 50m ahead of the group. If you tell him again it will be 100m. The formation won't adjust around him but if you want someone out front it is a good way to do it. Stayback works the same way as well as flank left and flank right. 1 order of any of those tells them to move 50m in the one direction and move with you while doing it a second time goes out to 100m and I think a third and possible 4th might also work but I don't tell to like to have them that far away.

Yes, I do use that a bit but the 50 meter granularity is a bit too much for certain situations. Integrating a vehicle for example.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I was able to get this figured out using scripting. I thought that being able to select unit positions in a formation should be a basic feature either in game, or at least in the editor, without having to program it yourself.

Editor based scripting was gonna be my suggestion. I'm sorry but it can't be a native feature since that would complicate mission making far too much. You tend to make missions where you're either leading the team or being part of the team, or taking over if the leader dies.

If you want to make missions where you can choose back and forth, then there is no problem (ehh, riiiight ;)) making it possible using scripting either. But was it a native feature, it would be hell trying to make missions that constantly checks how things are going.

If it's that important to use in other peoples mission, you might try Gaia's Debug interface which let's you type in such commands on the fly, but I guess it can be easy to break these missions.

[dmarkwick 261]

Teamswitch works though, right?

[wyskass 10]

Editor based scripting was gonna be my suggestion. I'm sorry but it can't be a native feature since that would complicate mission making far too much. You tend to make missions where you're either leading the team or being part of the team, or taking over if the leader dies.

If you want to make missions where you can choose back and forth, then there is no problem (ehh, riiiight ;)) making it possible using scripting either. But was it a native feature, it would be hell trying to make missions that constantly checks how things are going.

If it's that important to use in other peoples mission, you might try Gaia's Debug interface which let's you type in such commands on the fly, but I guess it can be easy to break these missions.

Ya, I agree, you make missions where you're either leading the team or being led. All I'm suggesting, is providing a way to designate a different formation leader other then team leader. A squad leader doesn't necessarily need to lead the formation. Say you want to be off to the side. As an example, I give the default group formation of an Stryker or Bradley squad. By default it puts the team leader as #2 and the Vehicle commander as #1 so that the vehicle is on point. This makes sense, but there is no control over this when laying down your group or connecting units to create a group.

Are you saying it would be too complicated to designate a formation leader when creating your groups in the editor?

While I agree that providing formation leader switching natively during gameplay might be too much, I think being able to do this in the editor isn't asking for too much, without having to reference API, learn to program and create scripts, just to designate a different formation leader.

Yes teamswitch works but it you switch out of team leader to get into a different formation position you lose command so you need to choose between better situational awareness and command ability. Doesn't solve the issue I brought up.

[dmarkwick 261]

There are several improvements that groups/formations could have. This thread represents some, the ability to choose "point" and "tail-end" would be linked for sure. The ability to change inter-unit spacing on the fly is sorely needed too.

[walker 0]

There are several improvements that groups/formations could have. This thread represents some, the ability to choose "point" and "tail-end" would be linked for sure. The ability to change inter-unit spacing on the fly is sorely needed too.

Hi all

This^^

You can to some extent adjust the advance function operation by addition of the stealth, stay crouched, and other awareness levels.

You can also use the numbers in a squad to arrange a forward screening formation by using the numbers to adjust spacing within a colour grouping. And then advancing a whole colour group. The lead will advance 50m giving various spacings to the rest of the colour group dependent on their Squad ID number. I agree it is a little awkward but needs must.

Be aware that even numbers and odd numbers arrange on your oposite flanks, without checking I believe it is evens on the right and odds on the left.

I would much prefer user definable formations. Idealy via the editor, with the ability to save them and export them so that formations could be shared, as with any other modable aspect of the game. Even better would be the ability to script these predifined formations. So that things like bounding overwatch or peper potting in a buddy team would be a breeze.

There is additional information on controling groups in the BIS community Wiki.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_AI_Squad_Command

Kind Regards walker

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Well you can always use selectLeader where yourself is elsewhere in the formation. But if you need to change position to get back up front again, I think you have to dissolve the group and make everyone rejoin again.

With you in front, nothing else needed.

Dissolve team and let everyone join the front guy, then selectLeader yourself.

Need to get up front again? Dissolve team, and let everyone join you.

Edit: Note that I haven't tried the above. It just kinda makes sense. Then again, all the other stuff that "kinda makes sense" never seem to work :D

[wyskass 10]

Well you can always use selectLeader where yourself is elsewhere in the formation. But if you need to change position to get back up front again, I think you have to dissolve the group and make everyone rejoin again.

With you in front, nothing else needed.

Dissolve team and let everyone join the front guy, then selectLeader yourself.

Need to get up front again? Dissolve team, and let everyone join you.

Edit: Note that I haven't tried the above. It just kinda makes sense. Then again, all the other stuff that "kinda makes sense" never seem to work :D

Yes, you can use selectLeader and you'd need to shift the unit numbers around to put whoever you want at #1 to lead. This using join command with the unit number parameter. Point is that this seems too much effort for a basic config parameter, especially since you can't do it in the editor.

---------- Post added at 02:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 AM ----------

Hi all

This^^

You can to some extent adjust the advance function operation by addition of the stealth, stay crouched, and other awareness levels.

You can also use the numbers in a squad to arrange a forward screening formation by using the numbers to adjust spacing within a colour grouping. And then advancing a whole colour group. The lead will advance 50m giving various spacings to the rest of the colour group dependent on their Squad ID number. I agree it is a little awkward but needs must.

Be aware that even numbers and odd numbers arrange on your oposite flanks, without checking I believe it is evens on the right and odds on the left.

I would much prefer user definable formations. Idealy via the editor, with the ability to save them and export them so that formations could be shared, as with any other modable aspect of the game. Even better would be the ability to script these predifined formations. So that things like bounding overwatch or peper potting in a buddy team would be a breeze.

There is additional information on controling groups in the BIS community Wiki.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_AI_Squad_Command

Kind Regards walker

Yes, I know what you mean. I tend to do various things like that myself. Sometimes I like to make two lines with a weapons team 50 meters back for covering fire and to keep them safer, with a better overview and to take advantage of weapons standoff.

Sometimes I like to break the group up by left/right to cover more area and pinch the objective.

I also tend to like to line formation in those cases, although the problem there is that it's sensitive to my direction and sometimes they line up at in incorrect angle which actually makes it worse.

I always tend to mess around with formations so that's why I'd like to have more control.

Maybe I'll write up some scripting and create a command interface to improve control and make it available for use.

How do you like to form your squads and unit type positions?