AI Heli Control 1.0

[fredkatz 1]

The slider for height setting is already implemented for the next version.

I also added the ability to disable the AI Target and Autotarget on the pilot of the selected chopper

As far as I know it is only client side as it only works on Player's AI units at the moment.

[fruity_rudy 16]

when i tell my guy to fly on max. height, it works fine, but on max height , when i give him waypoints via map, he#s flying in a big circle, but not to the point i told him to fly ?!

[stonehouse 2]

I had an idea for you to provide an adhoc air transport mission with perhaps less work. MSO has a support module with scripts to allow you to request a cas mission and what this does is spawn the selected aircraft as part of the players group. It gives the aircraft about 10-15 mins to be on the map before it leaves via a despawn. If this idea was used for Heli Control it might avoid some of the performance issues you mention scanning for free AI helicopters and perhaps would let the main part of the mod stay unchanged which would give you less headaches. So I guess you might have a button on the UI to request air transport which after suitable sidechat messages would spawn a helicopter as part of your group and fly to where you've clicked on the map. This would then let you use HeliControl pretty much as it is because it's part of your group. You perhaps could also have a RTB button that would send the helicopter away and despawn it as well as some sort of trigger to do the same if the fuel got below a certain level and like the cas option in MSO have limits on how often you could call it in eg once very 30 mins and how many choppers are allocated for your use. ie if it gets destroyed you have one less but if you look after them they stay available. Additionally also in the MSO casevac module if you radio in that enemy is present at the LZ some escort Cobra gunships or similar are sent with the casevac chopper.

Cheers,

Stonehouse

[fredkatz 1]

@Fruity_Rudy I have never seen that problem, but I do not fly the AI at high altitudes. It might be a bug with AI pathfinding with aircraft as I have seen this with airplanes on other maps and they circle around certain areas and towns when giving them move commands.

@Stonehouse That is a great idea, adding that would not be to hard.

[Zellfisch 1]

Thx for the great script, Fredkatz!

Regarding AI airplanes taxiing at Vybor after landing ... does it happen on purpose that they stop after vacating runway just before they take the 2nd turn to the 'main' taxiway? If so, is there a way to change that? To make them simply continue taxiing and take off again for example?

---------- Post added at 10:35 ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 ----------

Hm, after all I should maybe add that I am experiencing that in domination. Could it be that the Plane Service Point is 'in the way'? I know this might not be the right place to ask this question, but maybe you can just give me a hint where to approach the solution. Thx!

[fredkatz 1]

@Zellfisch

The AI will stop usually in the center of the taxiway unless they get close to a object sitting near the taxiway, It is just the normal AI behavior of airplanes on the runway.

The system is designed to kick the pilot out of the plane otherwise the aircraft just keeps going and takes off again, if you want to disable the boot AI pilot feature, in the script set go to

heli_extras >> airplane >> airplane_land_tn.sqf

and look near the bottom of the file and find this line

_airplane addEventHandler ["LandedStopped", {_this execVM "heli_extras\airplane\tn_stop_plane.sqf"}];

and just put a // in front of it to disable the auto boot AI Pilot feature

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

I downloaded this from SIX Updater and I can't figure out how to access the commands for the AI in a helicopter. I feel pretty silly, but there's nothing new in the action menu or anywhere I can see.

[Zellfisch 1]

Thx a lot, fredkatz. Your explanation was very helpful. I was able to solve my problem.

It was the sandbags which were placed close to the plane service point at domination btw. That prevented the AI pilots to continue taxiing to the point, where the script starts to have effect.

[dar 12]

I know this thread and mod is pretty old now but first: I love it. It is so useful that you know don't have to create a whole script or thousands of waypoints and init codes yourself when you want an AI Heli to land, pick you up, fast rope etc.

But Ive got one question and I hope someone can help me with this: Is it possible to control helicopters that are not part of your group and in which you are not sitting at the moment? Because When I for example place several helicopters and bring up the console, the selection tab on the upper right corner of the mods interface shows nothing, no list of all the helicopters placed at all. They will only appear when they are in my group. Is this always the case? Or is there a way to change that so that I can command any allied helicopter present on the map? Because for example when I want to start a mission with a fastrope instertion and stuff, and afterwards the UH60M should fly back to the base, I dont want to have the chopper pilots in my team all the time sitting around 5 klicks away and telling me that they dont know where I am. I also would have to exclude them from the commands I give to my squad as they would attempt to walk half an hour from their position if I give my team the order to move just 50 meters away.

So I hope someone can help me with that. Info: Im using ACE.

Awesome work again, keep it up.

[fredkatz 1]

At the moment, it is not possible to control other helicopters that are not in your squad, but I am working on a heli taxi system that will be able to control choppers that are not in your group. I just have been busy with other things to work on it, but it is not forgotten just slow moving.

[dar 12]

That is good to hear. Cant wait for it.

[LoupVrt 14]

Sounds like a great addon, is there anywhere to its signature files?

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

The 1.2 download link is down. I get a 404 error.

EDIT: Downloaded from armaholic just fine, but link in page one is still bad.

After playing around with this it seems quite broken. Lots of potential though.

http://youtu.be/fMdxFiUsc7A

Edited January 19, 2013 by JuggernautOfWar

[fredkatz 1]

Sorry for the broken download link, I lost my host and have not uploaded the file somewhere else yet.

With the landing system, you are supposed to move the helicopter towards the designated position then order the landing command. The designate LZ button only creates a invisible helipad on the location clicked.

I build it this way because I did not want to micromanage the AI in your squad because I was having problems with them always coming back to your position after they complete waypoints.

Maybe I will upload 1.3 soon, It is ready and adds some new features

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

No problem with the file I understand. I have an account at a few gaming file distribution sites like FileFront. If you want me to upload 1.2 (preferably 1.3 haha) I can. If not you should replace the download link with the armaholic link.

Good to know about the landing system. It would be a good idea to state how this works in the mod description. Just to clarify: When you give any of the landing commands it just tells the AI to land at the closest possible LZ (helipad)?

I remember the AI pilots always overshooting their target destinations in ArmA2 by quite a long distance. Now they seem to actually stop a few meters short of the move order. Is this changed in your mod or an ArmA patch? It has been a while since I have even attempted to use AI pilots since they were so bad before.

Thank you again for the awesome addon! Keep up the great work fredkatz! We all really appreciate it.

[fredkatz 1]

Version 1.3 has been released - Check First Post

[LoupVrt 14]

Great news!

Could you please upload it somewhere else? I just can't get logged in there (even if I do actually have an hotmail account, weird).

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

I don't have an account and I downloaded it just fine. Wasn't aware we're even supposed to have some sort of account.

I'll try this out on my dedicated server tonight.

[LoupVrt 14]

When I click on the link in OP, I have to sign in or sign up to be able to download from SkyDrive.

If there's another way, please share it. ;)

EDIT: Nevermind, I got it.

[kremator 1065]

Excellent fred .. ty mate.

[Guest]

Release frontpaged on the Armaholic homepage.

AI Heli Control v1.3



Community Base addons

Arma 2

Optional:

MP Compatible Fast Rope Addon

[Lightningstrike 10]

cool!

is it also correcting the default AI's general helicopter flying? i mean like those weird and unrealistic AoA's approaches and weird banking etc ?

[fredkatz 1]

Thanks Foxhound :D

cool!

is it also correcting the default AI's general helicopter flying? i mean like those weird and unrealistic AoA's approaches and weird banking etc ?

I believe that those problems are hard-coded into the AI inside the Engine, as far as I can tell those behaviors cannot be changed easily.

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Although this does seem to fix the AI overshooting their 'move' orders. In the past I remember the AI would go hundreds of meters past the move marker at times. They'd just keep on flying until you told them to disembark or something. Now the AI flies as they should by stopping a few meters short of the move marker. So happy!

is it also correcting the default AI's general helicopter flying? i mean like those weird and unrealistic AoA's approaches and weird banking etc ?

Yes it is very unrealistic, but these weird maneuvers are actually how to get the most efficiency out of the current flight "model". ArmA3 will thankfully have flight mechanics improved even from Take on Helicopters, so I'm hoping that will make the AI fly in a way that wouldn't shear off the rotors in real life. If the controls adjust the cyclic as they do in real life, and *not* the body of the helicopter as in every video game ever made I will be extremely happy. The helicopter body has zero control surfaces on it. The body and fuselage is essentially deadweight in a pendulum hanging below the rotating control surface.

[vendusio 1]

Hey, i really want this mod to work for me! but im really not that great at computers, but i am trying!! :D What am i doing wrong if it gives me this Error Msg.

(Include file userconfig \Heli_Extras\Heli_Extras_Settings.Hpp not found.) when i start op the game! I think ive done most steps correctly but i am however in doubt about where to put /Userconfig - and the Takistan_Heli_Extra folder! Could you please give a more detailed explanation steb by steb on how to install the mod! I really aint getting no help from the readme files!! Please Help! i see everyone else than me has this mod working, so i am sure, im just doing some stupid thing wrong...