Kegetys' spectator mode

[joltan 0]

Hey Kegetys,

Your spectator mode rocks. I incorporated it in three of my missions (FindTheChopper, FirstStrike and Rearguard) and it's just great. No additional lag, and much better then trying to follow the crowd with the bird. Players are happy to be able to follow the action better after they died, and they don't get bored so easy when waiting for the game to restart.

You're incredible! Wow!

Only "problem" we encountered, was the screen mask not disappearing at mission end. But by hitting ESC at the start of the next mission (ingame) we got rid of it, so no real problem there.

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

Do you have a link I can d/l this with? and can ppl who just connected in the middle of the game still go into spec mode?

[kegetys 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Hit_Sqd_Maximus @ Aug. 13 2002,05:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Do you have a link I can d/l this with?<span id='postcolor'>

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....t=14922 has discussion about it and download links to the test versions...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">and can ppl who just connected in the middle of the game still go into spec mode? <span id='postcolor'>

Of course not

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

Damn I was just hoping

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 13 2002,04:24)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Hit_Sqd_Maximus @ Aug. 13 2002,05:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Do you have a link I can d/l this with?<span id='postcolor'>

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....t=14922 has discussion about it and download links to the test versions...<span id='postcolor'>

Yeah. I knew the thread... It's just that I thought it would get lost there. Would be a pity as this is definitely interesting to all people that develop MP missions!

I think this deserves it's own thread. Good work!

[joltan 0]

Yesterday we had a game where the players were fighting in the ruins near Trosky (Find The Chopper mission) - watching the players from above (top view) and seeing how the russians were closing in on them was great. I thought afterwards that it would have been nice to be able to zoom in a bit on the poor suckers!

Maybe if you could make the FOV adjustabel (within limits)? A slider control on top would be perfect - if that is possible.

And is there a way to close the menu automatically once a mission ends?

[kegetys 2]

I'll continue discussion about this here, as its more on-topic than the other thread...

I did some online tests with 1st person view, and it seems there are problems with it, when spectating someone you can talk as him in the radio, if he's the leader you can give orders as him, etc. so its not really useable.

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 15 2002,15:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I did some online tests with 1st person view, and it seems there are problems with it, when spectating someone you can talk as him in the radio, if he's the leader you can give orders as him, etc. so its not really useable.<span id='postcolor'>

That's not good. Although it would be fun to have 1st person view, the 3rd person view is also quite a step forward compared to the birds. Now you can easily keep up with the other players even if they mount a vehicle and drive/fly away... I really hated flying across half the length of Everon on some missions - just to find that the action was almost over when I finally arived.

One question: Is there a way to get OFPR to close the dialog automatically in case the mission is aborted? I use the CloseDialog command you posted in the other thread, and it works fine if a regular mission end gets triggered (where I can put it in the on-activation field). But when aborting we are still stuck with the dialog until we disconnect or get back ingame and press ESC.

[bn880 5]

Yea, I just saw the spectator mode... very good thing.

"There is always one more bug"

i know that quote bothers Kegetys.

[Major Fubar 0]

Is there any way this could be modified or reworked into a "record mission for playback" option, like Rogue Spear uses? Or am I just asking for the impossible?

[Nagual 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (joltan @ Aug. 16 2002,05:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I use the CloseDialog command you posted in the other thread, and it works fine if a regular mission end gets triggered (where I can put it in the on-activation field). But when aborting we are still stuck with the dialog until we disconnect or get back ingame and press ESC.<span id='postcolor'>

try using an exit.sqs with the close dialog command, it should run before debrief appears.

[kegetys 2]

Here's some things that would be reeally nice in future ofp patches

a) Make all custom dialogs opened in a mission close when the mission ends (by admin command or by mission scripts)

b) This issue http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....kegetys

c) When moving camera to non-player object as internal/external view, the radio and leading commands would not be usable

d) commands that would return all units from a certain side as an array, for example unitsWest, etc.

e) Resource addons, like "config.cpp" addons but that could add (dialog) resources like resources.bin

A and B would be nice to fix bugs in it, C would make 1st person spectating possible.

D and E would be harder I think, but those two could allow totally replacing the seagull with the spectating script, without the need of adding it to each mission separately (replacing the .sqs from scripts.pbo with the spectating one, and add the dialog stuff to a resource addon. D would be needed for getting list of objects to spectate)

I hope someone from BIS is reading this thread

[bn880 5]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 16 2002,07:34)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">d) commands that would return all units from a certain side as an array, for example unitsWest, etc.<span id='postcolor'>

you can place a trigger on the entire map with settings like WEST present repeatedly, give it a name like westSide

then in a script you can access all west units (array) using list westSide

just in case you haven't noticed

[kegetys 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (bn880 @ Aug. 16 2002,14:44)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 16 2002,07:34)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">d) commands that would return all units from a certain side as an array, for example unitsWest, etc.<span id='postcolor'>

you can place a trigger on the entire map with settings like WEST present repeatedly, give it a name like westSide

then in a script you can access all west units (array) using list westSide

just in case you haven't noticed<span id='postcolor'>

Yes I know that, but the point of adding such feature would be to make the spectating script totally replace the seagull mode, without the need of doing anything to missions itself.

[bn880 5]

Yep, in that case it would be a very good feature.

wonder if there is no other way

EDIT: I can't find another way... too bad

[kegetys 2]

Here's something like an 1.0 version: http://koti.mbnet.fi/stede/flashpoint/spectatescript10.zip

Read readme.txt for installation instructions. The zip also includes a test version with 1st person view, but as it has its problems it might not be a very good version to use in all your missions

Edit: A stupid bug slipped in to the zip, I updated it

Edit 2: Duh, forgot something from the readme, another update

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 18 2002,06:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Read readme.txt for installation instructions. The zip also includes a test version with 1st person view, but as it has its problems it might not be a very good version to use in all your missions <span id='postcolor'>

Hehe, good I was away over the weekend. Saved me updating my missions more than once. They are updated now (V1.0, not the 1st person version).

The briefing text is good - I think it answers most questions users came up with (especially how to get rid of the menu on abort).

Keep up the good work - and think about the adjustable zoom.

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

This is the first thread i bumped which was on top....

... RESPECT keggy! Now make that fighter for me

m0000

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Nagual @ Aug. 16 2002,11:22)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">try using an exit.sqs with the close dialog command, it should run before debrief appears.<span id='postcolor'>

Doing that now... works fine, but for the situation, when you abort the mission.

Also I found a problem: If the menu with the selection of the different views is open, then the closeDialog command doesn't seem to work. I think that's new in V1.0 - I remember that it worked with the beta (I think).

[joltan 0]

One tip for all using the script: If you have cutscenes after a player died, he will see the cutscene and then end up in his dead body in 1st person view. Maybe this can be fixed inside the spectator script, but until then there may be a way to solve it yourself:

If you make a cutscene, first check if a player is dead, if so close the menu and after the cutscene restart the script. Haven't tried it yet myself (I don't use ingame cutscenes, only for Intro/Outro, where this is not a problem), but it may be nescessary to terminate the OnRespawnAsBird.sqs, too. Maybe it would be possible to just to create the Deathcam again or - if it wasn't destroyed - just switch back to it?

Kegetys? Any other scripting gurus?

[joltan 0]

Fix for ingame cutscenes

Now spectator mode works fine with them!

When a ingame cutscene was played, people already in spectate mode were thrown back in their dead bodies at the end of the cutscene - unable to follow the mission anymore. This was due to the fact, that OFP didn't switch back to the DeathCam camera object the script uses, but to the default camera, which is the internal player view.

This fix corrects that problem. If you are using Spectate mode, simply overwrite your OnPlayerRespawnAsBird.sqs with the one in the spectatorfix.intro.pbo.

Edit: Demo mission was updated later  - see my message below (or the included ReadMe) on how to revive spectator mode after a cutscene. The link leads to the most recent (updated) version:

Get the fixed script here!!!

For an explanation on how to include spectate mode in your own missions, see the original archive for Kegetys excellent script (included in the above zip file).

[kegetys 2]

An easier fix would be just to do

DeathCam cameraEffect ["internal","front"]

after every cutscene. If the spectate thing is active that command will move the camera back to where it belongs, if its not active then it does nothing.

[joltan 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kegetys @ Aug. 25 2002,19:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">An easier fix would be just to do

DeathCam cameraEffect ["internal","front"]

after every cutscene. If the spectate thing is active that command will move the camera back to where it belongs, if its not active then it does nothing.<span id='postcolor'>

Yes, but it's easier to set a variable then to remember the more complicated command. Well... also I didn't know it just needed that line - I'm not very good at camera scripting (but for the basic intro stuff), so I just meddled until it worked.

My fix to the OnPlayerRespawnAsBird.sqs might be a bit crude, but it works until we get Version 1.1+ from you!

Sorry, I messed with your script, but I was so fed up with watching the blood littered ground around my dead body in a certain mission. It uses many ingame cutscenes and takes quite some time to complete (a good mission I like to play very much - "POW" by Lolsav), and as we are playing it quite often, I didn't have the patience to wait for a fix from you. Also I hadn't got any reaction to the message I wrote yesterday in this thread.

[hoz 0]

I noticed the chase cam shakes quite a bit when your watching someone inside a building. Is it possible to bring the camera forward? None of the views provided helps much, except the top view, but then your viewing someone inside a building.

[kegetys 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (hoz @ Aug. 26 2002,06:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I noticed the chase cam shakes quite a bit when your watching someone inside a building. Is it possible to bring the camera forward<span id='postcolor'>

Yes it would be possible to bring it forward but it wouldnt help that, the shaking is caused by an ofp "bug" with setpos/getpos differencies on roadway lods, nothing I can do about it afaik.