HETMAN - Artificial Commander

[Rydygier 1302]

Rydygier, can you make an example mission for the new ammo drop feature? I would like to confirm how the units are supposed to be set up.

Here you go:

AmmoDrop

(another demo for future package, I guess)

There is you, and group with member without ammo. Use ctrl+space to have maximal amount of data, go to the map, and wait. Expected:

1. Group will get Rest waypoint;

2. While group is en route, chopper gets ammo drop mission;

(now babysitting part begins, I hate this, but what to do?)

3. Group will be stopped at expected drop zone;

4. Just after drop group gets waypoint at real drop place.

Rest depends on wind and vanilla code. If box will land close enough, vanilla will make (even if this take a few minutes), that units without ammo will go to the box and rearm. If box will fall to far - then sorry. Group will stay there as lost children (perhaps ASR's rearming has bigger searcg radius...). Perhaps will try make drops from lower altitude to reduce drift, but this will look silly.

Also noted, that babysitting part not always work properly. I suspect some bug, that I'm trying to hunt currently, that's quite random effects discovered yesterday.

EDIT: I think, I fixed "lost children" problem - they will get waypoint toward supply only after ammobox will be on the ground.

---------- Post added at 11:47 ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 ----------

Lately thought about some matters and here is a conclusion:

I need to end development stage for Hetman. And I need to do it now. Each new version complexicity is increasing. Last few days what I do is mostly removing newly introduced with new features bugs. If I change one thing in one place, three other things become broken. And so on. This was always possible, but now seems, that code reached "critical mass" (on all fields: complexicity, CPU load... and manual size :) ). Simply - I'm no longer unable to keep control over consequences of any deeper change. At this stage nearly any change can have unexpected side effects. It overgrowing me currently, struggling with this takes too many time and seems to be "endless".

So from now I'll not introduce any new feature, even most brilliant or small. HAC would not be what it is without many great people with many great ideas. I'm grateful to each of them. There was more than year for ideas, and that year must be enough.

I'm going to finish current "to do", then HAC will be set to maintenance mode (only bugfixing).

Occupation&guerilla probably will become semi-independent addon, only based on HAC's code parts. Not sure yet.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Rydygier

[Rydygier 1302]

Added voice actor request here, if someone interested (and capable) in contributing HAC project. :)

[orcinus 121]

Hi Ryd

Heh, I don't think you suspected what a runaway monster you were creating!

Thank you for all your hard work & exceptional creativity in conceiving & developing HAC.

Cheers

Orc

[Vigil Vindex 64]

Rydygier, many thanks for your hard work. I totally understand the necessity to draw some lines in the sand to help manage the project and not let it get out of hand. I suggest releasing the code on Github, that way other people can fork it and add new features that could maybe help and let others contribute so it's not all just on you. Again, many thanks for your time and effort put into creating this for us all.

[euly 0]

Here you go:

AmmoDrop

(another demo for future package, I guess)

There is you, and group with member without ammo. Use ctrl+space to have maximal amount of data, go to the map, and wait. Expected:

1. Group will get Rest waypoint;

2. While group is en route, chopper gets ammo drop mission;

(now babysitting part begins, I hate this, but what to do?)

3. Group will be stopped at expected drop zone;

4. Just after drop group gets waypoint at real drop place.

Rest depends on wind and vanilla code. If box will land close enough, vanilla will make (even if this take a few minutes), that units without ammo will go to the box and rearm. If box will fall to far - then sorry. Group will stay there as lost children (perhaps ASR's rearming has bigger searcg radius...). Perhaps will try make drops from lower altitude to reduce drift, but this will look silly.

Also noted, that babysitting part not always work properly. I suspect some bug, that I'm trying to hunt currently, that's quite random effects discovered yesterday.

EDIT: I think, I fixed "lost children" problem - they will get waypoint toward supply only after ammobox will be on the ground.

---------- Post added at 11:47 ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 ----------

Lately thought about some matters and here is a conclusion:

I need to end development stage for Hetman. And I need to do it now. Each new version complexicity is increasing. Last few days what I do is mostly removing newly introduced with new features bugs. If I change one thing in one place, three other things become broken. And so on. This was always possible, but now seems, that code reached "critical mass" (on all fields: complexicity, CPU load... and manual size :) ). Simply - I'm no longer unable to keep control over consequences of any deeper change. At this stage nearly any change can have unexpected side effects. It overgrowing me currently, struggling with this takes too many time and seems to be "endless".

So from now I'll not introduce any new feature, even most brilliant or small. HAC would not be what it is without many great people with many great ideas. I'm grateful to each of them. There was more than year for ideas, and that year must be enough.

I'm going to finish current "to do", then HAC will be set to maintenance mode (only bugfixing).

Occupation&guerilla probably will become semi-independent addon, only based on HAC's code parts. Not sure yet.

Thank you for the example mission. I needed to confirm that I was setting up my mission properly.

[3inar 10]

New Custom configs for 2 new mods

1st. the "JSDF mod"

and second "VME The Chinese People's Liberation Army".

Was thinking I wold use the HAC mod to play out a simulation of WW3 so more to come from armed forces expected to be in a WW3 scenario.

Yes so I have ben doing this for the entire weekend now, pain in the as as there where no references to the chinese classnames anywhere.

you can find them in the "HAC custom configs" thread: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?130636-HAC-custom-configs&p=2289745#post2289745

Edited February 3, 2013 by 3inar

[Rydygier 1302]

Yeah, when I started wit HAC I barely knew, how to do, what I want, did it step by step. Effects was greater, than planned and expected, and code was terrible bugged and imperfect. Now, after that year and some, and many, many things learned about scripting, so many ideas implemented... well... this was for me kind of journey. Voyage of discovery. So thanks for any kind words, this monster, indeed, was shaped by many people's ideas and wishes, "born of the players' needs", so for many should serve well. Ha ha, enough of this.

Not sure, how much time I'll have in the next weeks, but I hope to have for the next release rest of "to do" except guerilla, and, hopefully, code better cleaned up of bugs (there are still several around in 1.42, I wonder, how many still hidden I'll find in the future).

I suggest releasing the code on Github, that way other people can fork it and add new features that could maybe help and let others contribute so it's not all just on you.

Never used things like Github, just googled to know, what is it, anyway code is, and from the beginning was, free. Everyone can change/improve/rework/develop it whatever he want. And thanks for this voice acting offer, I hope, that will be something cool, all this chatter background. For now I'm investigating some strange issues with sideradio, where code passed line with this command, but message is shown/heard only after several minutes (with a couple of other delayed too). Strange thing. Don't looks like overload, but who knows. Oh, well, such problems are normal stuff in scripting.

[3inar 10]

I just found out something awesome for all those who loves playing WW2 games!

The script vertion of this works with Iron Front 1944 for those who love to play that game! :)

[Rydygier 1302]

Someone checked that several versions ago with positive result, but for 1.42 I was affraid, that this will be no longer true, as are used commands from Arma2 1.62 (for snipers), so I'm glad, that this still works under IF44. :)

[sixt 26]

I have a question regarding the new Special forces array. Are the special forces only to be located here or shall i still in the infantry array also??

By the way, i have played the mod on my server with an headless client, and the ai stopping thing, is becoming more rare :-)

May it was a cou overload there were the reason, but anyway, i have hat some real cool battles the last couple of days, playing with CWR on tasmania, with 2 of my friends.

So thanks again for this Ryd.

Sixt

[Rydygier 1302]

Because of some HAC's "internal affairs", still is good to have Spec For also in all other relevant categories, so usual in infantry, but SF groups will be excluded from most of non-SF tasks anyway.

[sixt 26]

Thanks :-)

[Rydygier 1302]

BTW - succesfully implemented full voice coverage for one voice (except one lacking, forgotten, I think, sentence). Until is not set with too much density - works well, also client side, if too dense, even with controlled via script minimal intervals, so always density is reasonable, after about 20 minutes in my test sentences stop to appear. There are back, all at once (rapidly one afer another) after next dozen of minutes... This is kind of choking effect, I guess, maybe related with CPU load, not on HAC part anyway, as when sideradio is paired with sidechat, sidechat is all the time displayed properly. Perhaps sideradio command spawns additional scheduled loop, that is fragile to CPU overloads and is easy to delay? Not sure.

Anyway - still looking for several voice actors. :)

Edited February 5, 2013 by Rydygier

[3inar 10]

Someone checked that several versions ago with positive result, but for 1.42 I was affraid, that this will be no longer true, as are used commands from Arma2 1.62 (for snipers), so I'm glad, that this still works under IF44. :)

I have just done a quick 5 minutes test as for now but it seemed to work as shold, still I will try to look at the snipers a bitt more then if there is some problems with them.

Cheers!

[best2nd 10]

I have just done a quick 5 minutes test as for now but it seemed to work as shold, still I will try to look at the snipers a bitt more then if there is some problems with them.

Cheers!

It is possible that they are keeping up with the updates... Who knows?

[SavageCDN 231]

Anyway - still looking for several voice actors. :)

*raises hand*

I've done some voice work before as well so I'm setup... did the Canadian voices on Lions of Kandahar SP Campaign by headup

[Rydygier 1302]

*raises hand*

I've done some voice work before as well so I'm setup... did the Canadian voices on Lions of Kandahar SP Campaign by headup

Great! Here are details.

[sidekilla09 11]

Quick question how can I use independent forces with a independent HQ leader? Do I use LeaderHQ? as name or LeaderHQB as name For the independent Faction leader?

[Rydygier 1302]

You can use any Leader with any side. In normal mode side of Leader determines, groups of which side he will control. Independent Leader unit will control independent groups. Name of the Leader has no meaning here.

[sidekilla09 11]

Thank you Much appreciated :)

[metalcraze 290]

How to make units move faster to the objective? They just constantly walk.

[Rydygier 1302]

RydHQ_Rush = true; (shared by all Leaders - means common, defined once for all);

To speed up capturing can be used also (not shared):

RydHQ_NoRec = 10000;

RydHQ_RapidCapt = 10000;

(see manual, if interested, why such values)

Note, that this will affect also groups combat mode and formation in some cases - where was SAFE with default formation (for SAFE and CARELESS default is always forced column), there will be AWARE with default formation (wedge)

BTW they are walking because of user's request: "why they run all the time? They should walk." :) Because at target they was too tired for fighting. So by default this depends on task, distance and situation. If far and safe, or idle, they will walk. If far, but not safe (known enemy close to position, target or HQ), they will run with some break at the middle (or should - wasn't tested long time).

Edited February 7, 2013 by Rydygier

[metalcraze 290]

Hmm in that case I think it needs an additional behavior. Units will jog, but they will switch to walk once in a while to rest. Like once every minute perhaps? Then after some time they will jog again. Then walk again.

I think it can be an optimal behavior for when the mission maker wants for them to reach an objective faster, but not get tired in the process - yet there may be no enemies on their way.

Would be cool if you add this behavior and make it switchable with an additional variable. Like RydHQ_Rush = 0 (normal behavior), 1 (jog with walk intervals), 2 (always jog).

[Rydygier 1302]

Would be, but:

End of HAC development stage

There is only RydHQ_DynForm as option, which will for every group controlled by given Leader dynamically switch from safe walking to the aware running (and back), when danger is near (and gone, checked every minute).

BTW noted many times, that by deafult in Arma, when group is in move with normal/aware, will sometimes slow down to walk. Do not now, if for resting, or when one member stays too much out of formation, but it happens and gives similar effect.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Rydygier

[metalcraze 290]

It happens when some soldier falls back too much so he can catch up.

It's a pity though that you are done with HAC... Still think that that movement would be a good feature.