Micro Air Vehicle Addon

[kremator 1065]

VERY impressive. Loving it.

[Meatball0311 79]

Update video time. Here's a changelog:

• Added a strobe so you can find the Raven at night.
  
• Changed around the addActions so that they are less obtrusive when not being used (the menu expands when a Raven is in flight).
  
• Added colors and more clear wording to the addActions
  
• Added more details to the normal maps for the Raven as well as the GCS
  
• Raven no longer sinks into the ground after landing
  
• Added an animation to hold the GCS when looking at the camera feed and angled the GCS so it looks like you are looking at it from 3rd person view
  
• Changed minimum and maximum altitude limits for the Raven (10 meters to 150 meters)
  

FEATURES:

• Point and click auto flight
  
• Auto landing (returns to GCS)
  
• Accurate launching of the Raven using setVelocity to simulate throwing
  
• Ability to launch the Raven while riding in vehicles
  
• Custom sounds for servos, engine noise and flight/landing complete indicator
  
• Post-landing strobe light for night retrieval of Raven
  
• Ground Control System camera with realtime date stream:
  
  • Distance of Raven from GCS
    
  • Current User-Set Altitude
    
  • Current Date and Time
    
  • Mini-Map of GCS
    
  • Map marker tracking of GCS, Raven and Raven's target positions
    

Just simply amazing.... awesome work!

[kremator 1065]

How easy is it to kill this UAV? Can AI target it ? Does it have a much reduced lock-on profile ?

[Feint 137]

Looks great! Can you take the Raven and the GCS with you in a backpack?

Not at the moment. I am not very good at configs and I don't know how to declare an object as "able to be put into a backpack". If you know how, or if anyone knows how, please let me know. I already have two versions of the Raven, one that flies and one that is static.

How easy is it to kill this UAV? Can AI target it ? Does it have a much reduced lock-on profile ?

I have disabled the Raven from being able to be shot. I can enable it, but it would create a few problems with the scripts at the moment. Do you think it should be able to be shot down?

And it doesn't have a "side" as in East, West or whatever. So AI won't target it. It's considered a nonAIVehicle like a bird or an insect by the game and its AI.

[J-Guid 10]

ha ha great start man :)! keep it up :)

[kremator 1065]

As it doesn't have a side, then don't worry.

[J-Guid 10]

O! you can use that stuf in your Diving addon, for hidden recon :)!

[GIAT industries 0]

Awasome! Feint, you're the man! btw, will it be possible to change the altitude?

[Feint 137]

Awasome! Feint, you're the man! btw, will it be possible to change the altitude?

Yes, that was in the video, actually but you have to watch at full screen to see the action menu. You can set a new target and add or subtract altitude in 10 meter increments. When in the camera view, you can not change altitude, but I'm thinking about implementing it. Unfortunately, with scope limitations being what they are and me not knowing a lot about how to bring into a scope local variables that are outside of that scope, I'm relying on global variables for some of this. I'm not sure if that will negatively impact multiplayer implementation. I hope it won't.

[GIAT industries 0]

Nice!

I've got another question... In your video, the UAV seems to be on a pick up truck... Is it possible to put on a vehicule?

[kremator 1065]

Changing altitude in camera view would be ideal, perhaps look at how LurchiderLurch does it in his AC130 (that would help I reckon).

YEAH you got my 4000th post ! Must be an omen !

[scarecrow398 43]

OMFG A UAV that actually works, when can we has!?!?

[Tankieboy2 10]

Fantastic work fella!

[Feint 137]

Nice!

I've got another question... In your video, the UAV seems to be on a pick up truck... Is it possible to put on a vehicule?

Oh, no, sorry. I just used attachTo to put it into the back of the truck for ambiance for the video. Normally, the Raven is stored in a backpack and I believe another unit stores the control stuff in another backpack. This I haven't simulated yet as I'm still learning about CfgWeapon and CfgVehicle stuff. I think I can set the static Raven as a SecondaryWeapon, which would take up as much room as a LAW. But that would remove the backpack of the unit which would suck. So instead, I think I want to set it as a PrimaryWeapon and then it could be stored inside a backpack. Right? Now I just have to figure out how to do that. Do I make the static Raven into a vehicle or a weapon or either or neither or both?

Would it be useful to change the diameter of the circle? I noticed in the video when I was approaching the lighthouse at full zoom that it was a good angle for not being noticed by the target of the Raven. Right now, the radius is 80 meters. But I could change it to anything or make it able to be controlled by the player when in-camera. Maybe shift up arrow and shift down arrow?

Changing altitude in camera view would be ideal, perhaps look at how LurchiderLurch does it in his AC130 (that would help I reckon).

I know how to do it with global variables. I have to read up on how global variables work in multiplayer. I'm usually scared to use them but maybe I'm misunderstanding the relationship or difference between global variables and public variables. Multiplayer coding is totally new to me at the moment.

OMFG A UAV that actually works, when can we has!?!?

When it's done or when I'm happy with it or when I give up on it and release it as is. Same as all of my other addons. :)

[sup3r6f0ur 2]

Great, I could use this for my Act of Valor campaign when I kick off the project this summer. Can't wait bro, keep it up! Also if you made it a magazine that took up say... 4 slots that would be Ideal. This way it would allow both ACE and Vanilla compatability with the game. (Honestly it would be great to see this work in the ACE version and the Ruck Sack's) Both ways though it would work well with the Rucks/Backpacks.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Sup3r6F0ur

[myshaak 0]

Amazing, great job! Looking forward to the release!

[glowbal 13]

So instead, I think I want to set it as a PrimaryWeapon and then it could be stored inside a backpack. Right? Now I just have to figure out how to do that. Do I make the static Raven into a vehicle or a weapon or either or neither or both?

What about a magazine or an item? With a magazine you can even have it take up multiple slots to represent the size of the thing?

[sup3r6f0ur 2]

What about a magazine or an item? With a magazine you can even have it take up multiple slots to represent the size of the thing?

Not exactly sure how but like the BIS M240 magazines, the Rockets for AT Launchers ect ect take up multiple slots. Im sure you can do the same with this thing.

[abs 2]

Not exactly sure how but like the BIS M240 magazines, the Rockets for AT Launchers ect ect take up multiple slots. Im sure you can do the same with this thing.

Here you go. I found this out through trial and error, but at least the information here is laid out clear as day for all to see.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/CfgWeapons_Config_Reference#Magazine_Sizes

Abs

[bad benson 1733]

dude u gotta cut down on the awesome! way too much awesome for one person!

[Feint 137]

Here you go. I found this out through trial and error, but at least the information here is laid out clear as day for all to see.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/CfgWeapons_Config_Reference#Magazine_Sizes

Abs

I like this line:

"Note that specific ArmA2 women can only carry magazines and smallequipment (for their boyfriends?) and nothing else."

I saw this info before in my own research and wasn't sure if I had to make a weapon for the magazines. Like, do I have to make a fake weapon and then magazines for that weapon could be the Raven (or the controller)? Or maybe the weapon could be "Put" or "Throw"?

[Baraka 10]

Hi Feint,

Great fun to see your fantastic pics and videos! This will be a awesome expansion with an high field of usability.

After all the positive feedback here, i thought about reworking the GCS. Coz it´s only a 30 min quickwork, i´m not very happy with it. You know it wasn´t planned from beginning so i didn´t put to much love in it.

I thought also to make one Raven with folded wings for the weapon\magazin-Slot. Would be cool along with the "my shoe is open"-medic Animation to unfold.

What are your thought´s about this?

[Feint 137]

Sure, I can use a folded Raven, or one in pieces (there are vids on Youtube of the assembly process). If you want to make a more detailed controller, that's fine with me but as you don't really see the controller that much, except if you drop it on the ground out of your inventory, it might not be the best use of your time. I still need to figure out gear and inventory stuff.

I will PM you with another idea.

[abs 2]

I like this line:

"Note that specific ArmA2 women can only carry magazines and smallequipment (for their boyfriends?) and nothing else."

I saw this info before in my own research and wasn't sure if I had to make a weapon for the magazines. Like, do I have to make a fake weapon and then magazines for that weapon could be the Raven (or the controller)? Or maybe the weapon could be "Put" or "Throw"?

lol...as we all know, Arma is a simulator. :p

You don't have to make a weapon to have a magazine. You can carry mags by themselves. Put/throw would be fitting, though, and may actually work for what you want to achieve.

Abs

[Feint 137]

Roger that. Thanks for the info. I'll be looking into it, but might release this before I figure it out. We'll see how the wind blows.

UPDATE:

Recent Changes:

• Added the ability to change the Raven's altitude while in camera view
  
• Removed altitude change addActions from the player menu - smoother interface
  
• Added ability to change diameter of Raven's circle around the target while in camera view
  
• Added on-screen indicators for:
  
  • Raven altitude changes
    
  • Target Circle diameter changes
    
  • Minimum and maximum values reached
    
  • Instructions for controlling the Raven while in flight
    
  • Direction Heading of Raven
    
  • Current Altitude of Raven
    
  • Current Distance of Raven from ground controller
    

Here's a video I put together using the RQ-11 Raven in the spotter role along with the Simple Support Module that comes with Arma2. It takes a little while, but by paying attention to the direction indicator of the Raven, using the map marker to mark times and locations of spotted enemy vehicles and infantry, and comparing the terrain features with the map contours, I was finally able to put some ordinance on target.

iYKZBB58jbU

FYI, the green bar on the right is probably because I'm trying out a demo version of Sony Vegas to edit this video. I'm sick of Windows Live Movie Maker failing after spending an hour editing together a video.

---------- Post added at 21:12 ---------- Previous post was at 21:07 ----------

By the way, does anyone know how to format "time" so that if it is 7:30am, it doesn't say, "7:3" ? I would prefer to have the zero in there. Same with the compass return using getDir. Instead of round (getDir player) returning 12 degrees, I'd like it to say 012. Is there a script anyone knows about that does this? Maybe I should search first. :|