[SP] Pilgrimage

[doc. caliban 34]

I must admit that I don't understand why is it a problem, because I am not a programmer and dunno how it works in Arma. But I definitely believe you in this one. If you say it would not be good for whatever reason, then fair enough. I understand that.

Thanks for the great mission anyway!

That's cool ... Rydygier has been awesome about accommodating as many things as he can for us. The game itself only allows for so many options to be programed in and he's hit that limit already. Don't stop making requests and suggestions though, because he's great about doing what he can for us!

Welcome to the mission, by the way!

- Doc

---------- Post added at 18:37 ---------- Previous post was at 18:30 ----------

In my opinion, challenge based on self-discipline does not work well. It misses that feeling of "circumstances you cannot control". It feels forced and not believable. It feels like made-up rules. I don't enjoy that.

Anyway, I don't want to go offtopic here, so... :-)

I totally understand. Really. Try as I might, I know it's very tempting to keep saving all the time ... I do it myself. When I play a game that does not allow it, it's much more stressful and realistic from that standpoint.

And as you say, it's all personal preference.

The only issue here is the game limitation of how many startup options he can program into the mission. Since not everyone wants a certain feature, he's been setting them up as options that can be chosen on personal preference at the start of the mission, allowing us to customize the mission as we see fit. Unfortunately he maxed out what the programming limitations of the game have a week ago, so the only way he'd be able to implement a new feature, such as periodic auto-saves, would be to make it a global thing that happens to everyone.

So it's not that he disagrees with your idea, he's just out of ways to accommodate things like that.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next version of the mission so I can start again!

Best,

- Doc

EDIT: Or forgetting to manually save often enough!

---------- Post added at 18:46 ---------- Previous post was at 18:37 ----------

You know what, If I'll have enough time I'll prepare especially for you version with autosaves always on, as you would like

And this is one of the big reasons why Rydygier is so awesome ... he has been very generous with us like this. This is great!

- Doc

EDIT AGAN: AND I'm excited to start a new mission because starting tomorrow I am off for 5 days! Lots of time to play.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Doc. Caliban

[Bouben 3]

-delete-

[Rydygier 1317]

Mission upgraded to 1.78. Changelog:

- fixed some problems with assassinate side missions;

- fixed some problems with artillery code;

- additional init setting for arty - multiplied x4 ammo (for mortars it is 32 HE by default and 128 HE when multiplied);

- additional six starting positions;

- "selling in hideout" setting replaced with "Landing area", where player can choose, if starting point should be fully randomized, or within pointed part of the coast (by compass directions: NESW);

- waiting 1 hour and manual bodies removing moved from radio channel to the supports (0-8-1,0-8-2), thus both no longer dependent on radio item;

- changed "phone calls" init setting - now user can set there presence of both: phone calls and/or ADM Intel offers (loot selling not affected);

- radio item is now required for phone calls, radio AND map items are required for ADM Intel offers;

- addtional modes for both caching systems, that will remove bodies and wrecks only for Ambient Combat (other bodies still may be removed via manual removal - 0-0-1). Gear of fallen AIs is still deleted for all;

- increased LONG range for aerial SAD patrols to 7500 and added VERY LONG - 12000;

- enhanced some tooltips of init settings for better explanation.

[doc. caliban 34]

Excellent!

I have never actually played through the mission with Ambient Combat, Civilians, or Artillery ... I'm looking forward to trying that out. I like that the SAD is now up to 12Km ... the island is small, so it makes sense that such an air response would simply go wherever on the island it's needed.

I have not been having any performance issues, so have always used the default caching option. Do you recommend I try a different one, or just keep going with the default?

- Doc

[Rydygier 1317]

Use default caching as long it works fine. Old, secondary caching is more conservative, does not delete anything, thus gives lesser FPS gain. It is left as an option if for someone default caching causes issues, eg due to interactions with some mod.

[Brainbug 10]

since you were begging so much for the rpt a few pages ago (http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?173058-SP-Pilgrimage&p=2676533&viewfull=1#post2676533), here you go, although I doubt it is of much help: http://www.sendspace.com/file/0pnibt (that's all the playing I did with that mission, it crashed twice, so there are the dumps too, then I resumed from the last save. you can sort it out by the file dates, I'm not sure exactly when the scripts failed, but probably within the last rpt file)

I've now started a new playthrough with the 1.78 beta, and changed a few settings, I increased ammo crates to 100% (because it said 100% would mean 1 out of 25 houses would have a crate) and set no ambient combat, no intel offers (what do you mean by "adm"?), no artillery etc. I have encountered much more ammo crates now, in basically every second house is one, nearly too much (although better to pass by hundred crates than to need one and don't find any^^). Also I have encountered some artillery (two tracked arty pieces) that shot at me and pursued me - is that the very arty I had actually turned off or is this some other random encounter? Scripts are still running fine though, so I'm going to play on and hope to find the body in the very last chapel I search so I can explore the whole island. I have now some 45.000 bucks and haven't spent anything yet. So all in all totally different than my first try.

[Rydygier 1317]

Thanks for RPTs. :)

1 out of 25 houses

1 of 25 house positions. There may be much more positions per a house...

(what do you mean by "adm"?)

Anonymous Data Market. Online service that allows buying Intel about enemy presence o empty vehicles. it allows also selling info about the loot, but this is always available.

is that the very arty I had actually turned off

Nope. You turned off additional mortars and overall ability for all artillery, also such random, you encountered, to shelling you on great distancies, if you are spotted by an enemy, that in such situation acts like FO. Quite another thing.

---------- Post added at 20:03 ---------- Previous post was at 19:36 ----------

So, considered my chances as >0, so submitted special version (GUI music replaced with A3's tracks, added more explanations to the map view entries) of this mission to the MANW contest... That version can be, I hope, dowloaded via my MANW entry page... Whatever happen, I want to say, this mission, born as humble side project, would never become, what it is without so many dedicated players and testers and so many of their requests and ideas. Thanks to all of you. :)

Edited April 30, 2014 by Rydygier

[neofit 65]

Last mission I played was with AC at Low, and I barely noticed that there was a war going on. This time on 1.78 I tried with AC on high. I was wrong. I started on the SW new spawn point, then got stuck in the very first village on the road for two hours. No way to get out. There was a war going on during the first 15 mins, then the rest were wave after wave of CSAT armor. I wouldn't have minded waves of infantry with the odd HMG APC, but this was too much so I restarted.

I restarted with AC on MED and with some new add-ons: @nap;@CAF_AG1.5;@Nato_Russian_SF_Weapons;@African_Conflict (Napoleonic Era, Aggressors, African Conflict). Two hours in no crash. Waiting to see some musket action though. "East vs West" gave me errors on some weapon/cfg so I removed them. And I saw a civilian with the typical afghan hat, so I suppose the Aggressors add-on is working too. With these new weapons, and something else that I have discovered (at least for myself), gameplay rose to a whole new level.

What I discovered is the following. There was an "Offroad(SF)" patrolling the road, it hit a fence and blew a tire, its african troops disembarked and I killed them. I repaired the offroad and started filling it up, dreading the moment when it would get full. But it wouldn't. That's what I have in there currently:

So this imported model does not comply with the new BIS rules for Arma3 that any and all vehicles would never carry more than 9 weapons or rockets. Maybe someone who knows scripting could look at this Offroad(SF) model and make a script to fix the stock Arma3 vehicles?

[doc. caliban 34]

Well, I'm very lucky that I didn't download 1.78 and start a new mission last night.

I'm sitting here looking at my Steam settings for Arma III, and they say, "Do not automatically update this game: Content for this game will not be automatically acquired."

However, it is currently downloading and applying an update automatically.

Sometimes Steam feels like the new EA.

Starting the mission once it's done doing what it claims it will not do.

LIES

- Doc

EDIT: It will be worth it if they fixed that annoying wounded sound it makes when you're tired!

EDIT2: Nnnnnope!

Edited April 30, 2014 by Doc. Caliban

[Rydygier 1317]

Maybe someone who knows scripting could look at this Offroad(SF) model and make a script to fix the stock Arma3 vehicles?

If doable, then not via scripting, but via an addon (config). As for these African weaponry note, most is ridiculously light and "small", judging by place taken in the inventory - you can have in your personal gear dozens of these rifles. Maybe that's the mystery behind "more stuff in my truck" magic?

[neofit 65]

Maybe that's the mystery behind "more stuff in my truck" magic?

Well, the 800 MB game update (with no proper patch notes) broke my mission, so I don't have that truck anymore. I don't know how soon I could acquire one in the real mission. In the meantime, I put one in the editor and filled it with 8x MX 6.5 guns and 8x PCML rockets (spawned 4 Hunters, too lazy to do more :) ). During my previous testing a real Arma3 vehicle could not hold more than 9 "units", where 1 rocket = 1 gun = 11 healthpacks = 1 unit. So it's already bigger. I can't find a huge infinite weapons dispenser in the editor, so I'd rather test more with the real vehicle in the real mission.

Edit: unless of course they've just upped the cargo hold of the Hunter in the latest patch :).

[Rydygier 1317]

EDIT: It will be worth it if they fixed that annoying wounded sound it makes when you're tired!

EDIT2: Nnnnnope!

:(

I wonder, if they are even awared about this...

[doc. caliban 34]

WOW! 20 min in my first mission with AC enabled (Medium). As you've said, it's a totally different game! I've basically just had to hunker down and watch the action.

- Doc

---------- Post added at 19:55 ---------- Previous post was at 19:46 ----------

Well, the 800 MB game update (with no proper patch notes)

I just found that I can no longer attach a suppressor to the MX LSW, so there is at least that degradation in realism with the update. (I would rather not have a conversation about what is realistic with suppressors because I have a fair amount of real world experience with them.)

IMO, games mess with weapon stats when suppressors are involved as a way to "balance" weapons, especially for multiplayer. SCREW THAT. In a game like ARMA III, they should just stick with the facts.

On the plus side, the game seems to load faster, as does the editor. Hopefully that indicates some overall performance improvements.

-Doc

[Bouben 3]

Ryd, how is the ambient combat working in practice? Is there some logic where the clashes occurs? Is there any of the HETMAN parts?

Or is it just completely random, not really considerate spawning of enemies against another?

[neofit 65]

WOW! 20 min in my first mission with AC enabled (Medium). As you've said, it's a totally different game! I've basically just had to hunker down and watch the action.

There is a lot of randomness in this too. I've had what you are describing on AC HIGH. It was unbearable so I restarted on MED + Africa. It went well, small patrols every 10 mins or so, some Striders, some action yet manageable. Then the patch made me restart, same settings, AC on med, at the same location, in a couple of hours I've seen an unarmed Strider and three 3x man patrols, as if there was no AC enabled. And of course no more African offroad truck with its singularity storage system.

[Rydygier 1317]

Ryd, how is the ambient combat working in practice? Is there some logic where the clashes occurs? Is there any of the HETMAN parts?

Or is it just completely random, not really considerate spawning of enemies against another?

No Hetman, much simplier. Indeed, there is a lot of randomness. AC does two things: makes east and resistance enemies (obvious) and spawns few groups of both sides not so close and not so far from the player (how many and how close depends on intensity, on lowest it is between 600 and 2000 meters). Each spawn there is 75% chance for infantry group, 15% for motorized, 8% for mechanized and 2% for armored group. Each such group performs random SAD patrol with few looped waypoints placed in the similar radius, but may be closer, than 600. First waypoint is placed closer to the player (100-600 meters), what increases chance for a battle between groups not far from the player. If not eliminated in combat, groups are deleted if farther from player than 2500 meters. New groups are spawned, if amount of existing AC groups drop below intensity level. That's what "warmonger" function does. There is also "gravedigger" functions guarding performance by deleting AC's bodies and wrecks in reasonable way. This is it. Rest is question of random encounters between "core" garrisons, AC groups and player...

[neofit 65]

I've just made a synthetic test in the editor, using empty car inventories and MX 6.5mm Arma3 rifles, those that we find two of in each of the default spawned Hunters.

The stock Arma3 Hunter can be loaded with 9x such rifles max.

The African Conflict Offroad(SF) 10x same rifles (I stopped there, the point was proven).

So it's not just an issue of the modded rifles being too light. I think there is something to be learned here for competent scripters and modders, may the blessings be upon them ;).

[Rydygier 1317]

Well, obviously something must control trunk capacity, most probably in the config, hopefully it's nothing hardcoded in the engine or model. For sure nothing, that could be changed via script. Scripters could provide at most some crude workarounds like sort of scripted "virtual trunk" etc. I do not know config stuff well, but I checked config once and found nothing more, than you - reported in your thread.

Asking about that author of the vehicle with bigger trunk, how he did that, may be best thing to do.

BTW checked too. Exactly 90 MX rifles may be stored in Strider of massi's UN forces, while same vanilla model, as said, hold only 9. Both values seems nave nothing to do with mentioned "transportMax" config entries. I found an old thread, where was found, so for uniforms etc. there is in the config reference to the special "supply" "vehicles" serviong as invisible reammo boxes, means inventory space. Perhaps similar is done for vehicles, but vehicles has no such entry, or I couldn't find it. One difference: UN Strider has "maximumLoad" config entry. Vanilla Strider haven't this at all. This entry have backpacks though, that also are configured as vehicles. Perhaps massi's cars are "backpacks"?

Edited May 1, 2014 by Rydygier

[neofit 65]

Asking about that author of the vehicle with bigger trunk, how he did that, may be best thing to do.

Done. Hoping it didn't happen by accident and he managed to do it on purpose :).

[Rydygier 1317]

Probably I found it - it is maximumLoad. I made very simple addon with such config.cpp:

class CfgPatches
{
class RYD_BT
{
	units[] = {};
	weapons[] = {};
	requiredVersion = 1.0;
	requiredAddons[] = {"A3_Soft_F_MRAP_01"};
};
};
class CfgVehicles
{
class MRAP_01_base_F;

class B_MRAP_01_F: MRAP_01_base_F
{
maximumLoad = 100000;
};
};

And I was able to load 909th MX rifle to the Hunter's trunk, where was already 908 such rifles. :)

Now only determine, why 909 (what controls place taken by an item in the trunk), decide, how much which vehicle should take and spend all workhours needed to alter properly config of every vanilla vehicle, perhaps much faster by altering "mother classes" at once, but then many/all vehicles will get same trunk capacity.

[neofit 65]

Awesome. Just make all vehicles carry 909 weapons, don't waste your time. Still better than all carrying 9.

[Rydygier 1317]

Nothing, I can do from mission side. This must be an addon (pbo file) - separate project. I'm not good in these things, but I'll try to find time and do such addon. Unless some better modder will...

[alky_lee 279]

Downloaded and installed 1.78 this morning. There was none of the lag that I had with 1.77. Straight into the mission with good FPS . FPS has also increased from 45 to over 50FPS. And my machine is nothing special.

I am sure rhis all down to the new version and nothing to do with yesterday's update to 1.18 on the stable branch. Good job.

[Rydygier 1317]

Good to hear, but there is nothing special to improve performance between 1.77 and 1.78. Perhaps you used lower enemy presence settings or, paradoxically, something went wrong and no AI was spawned? BTW I did not tried Pilgrimage under 1.18 yet.

---------- Post added at 15:11 ---------- Previous post was at 14:32 ----------

Awesome. Just make all vehicles carry 909 weapons, don't waste your time. Still better than all carrying 9.

OK, in your thread added experimental addon for testing.

[Brainbug 10]

well 909 because that MX is obviously config'd with a weight value of 110 (110*909=99990, i.e. no space for a 910th rifle). Good system, just the vehicles were forgotten somehow (they also lack a display of the load level, like the vests and backpacks have).

But that is something to work with. 100000 is certainly too much, maybe 50000 would be good for a big truck, 20000 for a pickup and 10000 for a hatchback or Strider etc. Maybe still too high, but you don't want to carry only rifles, but also other stuff that could be packed on the roof of the vehicle/tank in reality.

One can't however not just change the overall parent class like "car" or similar, because the actual values are certainly written in the actual public classes, so any same variable of a parent would be overwritten then. Maybe it is enough to change only the main class of several variants (e.g. MRAP without weapon, MRAP with .50, with GMG etc.), but you would have to comb through all vehicle classes. Quite tedious but doable.

I think I'll look what I can do, after all I'm a collector guy^^ so this shortcoming is the one that bothers me most in A3.