[COOP] Escape Roy

[junglenz 10]

Have been playing version dev 17 over last couple of weeks as we found Latest version: Altis to have many buys at start.

We connect, get inot prison area. Immediately guards start shooting, vehicles turn up and holy shit, chaos.

The bale walls have too many gaps between so can get killed from guards outside. Is it a setting? Is it ALtis? Has anyone else had problems.

[RoyWheels 10]

Sorry not to have answered anyone's posts. I went on holiday on the day I posted up the last version, expecting to have an internet connection where I was going. I didn't... So I've been offline for 10 days.

I'll catch up soon.

[RoyWheels 10]

Thanks, Roy :D

Here's some feedback from playing your mission on my dedicated server. (with fatigue disabled)

V4.27

Last night with 5 players, when we hacked the console in the comms center the game froze/lagged out for about 30 seconds until the "hacking complete" message came up.

Quite often on restart (after mission fail), we all spawn in the sea. That requires a server restart to fix.

7 out of 10 games seem to start with the prison on the salt flats on the NE of Altis.

Players who join late spawn in unconscious.

Sometimes on successful mission restart there are two backpacks on the ground, on pickup you get weird graphical issues on the player who picked it up, it flashes and the duplicate on the floor 'strobes' too!

Kind regards m8!

Mac

Thanks for the feedback.

Hopefully, I fixed the JIP player starting unconscious in v4.28.

The problems with freezing when hacking the terminal, starting in the sea and double backpacks are new to me.

Starting in the sea sounds like the mission hasn't actually started properly. When you start the game spawns the players in, deletes any players not being used and then moves all the players to the jail location. If you're just seeing sea it means the mission has frozen or failed to get to the start.

The terminal hacking routine shouldn't cause any issues as it's not actually doing much. It's just a small routine counting down numbers so it shouldn't cause any hiccups in performance.

Double backpack.... I've no idea. :)

So, my only guess is that it was something server side. Were you playing on a local or dedi server?

Hey Roy,

Just wanted to say your escape missions are fantastic. Ever since escape chernarus I dreamed of playing it on other maps. What you have accomplished with the maps and changes to the gamemode brings it up to date with Arma 3. If you keep adding mod support like you did with HLC and Aggressors it could be as legendary as the original Escape. I played it a couple times with some guys and had a blast. Keep up the great work :)

Yay! I'm really happy you're having fun with it.

Ideas on new mods to add are very welcome.

---------- Post added at 13:25 ---------- Previous post was at 13:17 ----------

Hey Roy, finally getting time and energy again to play this again, wanted to make quick suggestion that you should link on the OP what files like linked to armaholic

download page that can be used with this for your latest version, so new folks alike can benefit from your updates.

Good idea. I'll do that in a minute.

Hi, we had a problem during our Escape today. We are running an dedicated server and found a coms center mission. We get inside the house and try to get the action to use the satelite phone but there would never come any action. Any ideas what could be wrong?

We had this problem often some weeks ago. The last week we can't repeat it. Very strange bug. I've already prepared console command for it

[cursorTarget, player, 9999] execVM "Scripts\Escape\Hijack.sqf"

but haven't managed to test it yet.

Edit: There was no hijack action in any comm center on map.

My number 1 pain in the arse bug right there. I've also seen it happen but only on a dedicated server. It seems related to restarting as I've not seen it on first play. I will look into it again as I'd like to add some other comm centre buildings and hijack'able kit.

Also we had like 300 kills combined.. crazy night.

Nice!

---------- Post added at 13:45 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

RoyWheels,

Here are my thoughts about extraction and RunExtraction.sqf:

_spawnMarkerName = "drn_Escape_ExtractionTeamSpawnPos";
...
_waypoint = _group1 addWaypoint [getMarkerPos _spawnMarkerName, 0];

Am I right that drn_Escape_ExtractionTeamSpawnPos doesn't exist and heli's always extract to [0,0]?

40 seconds for extraction don't let feel real freedom, because you must fly some kilometers above enemy territory and even meet some AA units ;). Could you increase the extraction flight time please? Or maybe it's worth detecting current pos is in extraction marker and only then to end mission.

You sir, are a glutton for punishment. :p

Seriously though, thanks for finding that bug. It's the sort of thing that slips through because it doesn't break the game. I will sort it out though. And have a think about the 40 second flight at the end.

"!(canMove chopper1)", "chopper1 setDamage 1;...

why do you kill heli when it's hit with AA missile? Such missiles can't explode heli and crew should have evac possibility;

This is to make the choppers very vulnerable to attack. I added it when testing out the alternate extraction that occurs if the rescue choppers are downed and I kept it in as it made for a more exciting extraction. If you don't shoot down the russian chopper that appears at extraction then chances are you won't be flying out on the rescue chopper.

Tbh, I'm surprised not to have any complaints about it thus far. Now you've found me out I'll make vulnerable choppers a optional parameter. :)

it would be cool to have evac possibility for players too. For example some players take parachute from heli before extraction, and if heli is hit during flight they can eject and land alive. I could wright some code for it if you want, tell me if yes.

I tested some situations on Altis and here's results:

- heli contains many parachutes;

- 120m is a good height for ejecting (considering Altis relief);

- when eject from lower than 100m parachute can't be opened - you just fall with weapon in hands.

The more I'm thinking about this the more I like it. It also makes the alternate extraction more likely and therefore lessens the need for the vulnerable choppers. I'll look into it.

---------- Post added at 14:02 ---------- Previous post was at 13:45 ----------

First of all, I gotta say great mod. It's extremely challenging and extremely fun. I especially like that it scales well for small groups because I usually only have 3 or 4 people at the most that I can play with at any given time. There really isn't a good selection of missions designed for small groups in Arma 3 right now.

Thanks. :)

I have a few issues though. I have also gotten the issue where I can't use the satellite phone in the coms center. It seems to happen the most when the building isn't on flat terrain, but I'm not absolutely sure of that. Also, Fallujah seems to be broken. The prison always spawns off the map, and there's always a Pawnee helo that spawns right above or near the prison that's just floating in mid air and doesn't do anything. This happens with both the A3MP and the AiA mods. Has anyone else gotten these issues on Fallujah?

I'll check out Fallujah. Thanks for letting me know about it.

Very nice mission, thx a lot !

Glad you like it. :D

Uh, I'm trying to play this as a LAN multiplayer with only me on one slot... Default options for 1 player. With no mods enabled and still it runs with like 10 fps. My specs in sig. Its still only playable if hosted on a monster server, right?

I'm wondering of someone with an average computer like me can play this in this kind of single player mode. (If I put it in \missions instead \mpmissions\ I probably get no parameters...)...

BTW Roy, it's safer (at least if your players start to complain about this) to disable groundfog in tort_dynamicweather.sqf, because it may result in too thick fog. "_fogEnableGroundfog = 0;". Its a pretty old script version, maybe you should implant a newer one as there were bugs. Should be OK to replace the script file, but not sure, the call parameters changed a bit.

EDIT:

0 = [_weather, _weatherTrend, [0, 0], [0, 0.25], [0, 1, 0, 0.4, 0, 1], 0, 0, 0] execVM "Scripts\tort\tort_DynamicWeather.sqf";

is reasonable.

Played on Namalsk. Hmm, for whatever reason the enemy AI likes me. I was able to dance around them:

http://abload.de/thumb/2014-09-04_000025kstt.jpg

Not sure, maybe its bCombat...? Also met 2 mortar soldiers, they sat in their slots and did nothing. I was throwing bad words at them and they didn't respond.

BTW I was starting at normal 24h speed, but when I watched at the clock I realized, one minute was like 4 seconds.

As Dystopian1 pointed out, the mortar guys are rather stuck in their roles. I guess there might be a way to wake them up when needed but it's never seemed like something that would add to the gameplay, especially as, if implemented, the arma ai would probably make them wander off before you got anywhere near them.

RE: peace loving enemies... Do you also get friendly ai without running the bCombat mod? I've never tried it out myself.

I'll look into the weather/fog stuff. Thanks again for the feedback.

[macwireworld 10]

So, my only guess is that it was something server side. Were you playing on a local or dedi server?

Dedicated m8 :D

[alanford 27]

Yo.

I've had some problems with your branch of the mission. But first let me list my specs.

I run my arma locally (no dedicated server), and I tested the mission by myself. (1 player, local multiplayer)

I have i5-3570k and 8gb ram. No OC. Arma did run smooth, with no noticable lagging, frames per second wise, or any bullet delay or anything else. Everything was running smooth.

My probles were mostly AI based. Primarily, I could not run away from the AI. I was running down an empty river bed filled with the bamboo bushes in a valley, where, realistically, noone could have seen me. However the enemy helicopter kept following me.

Also, the enemy a-10 warthog (or however the a3 variant is called) came in the first 5 minutes, and never ever left. It just kept doing circles above my head. It didn't attack or anything, it just dwelled above. (In my second test it wasn't the warthog but a different air superiority fighter)

And than, it was pitch black, and enemies with no night vision detected me from about 50m, while I was laying prone next to a wall, in shadows.

So, in short my main gripe with this is the AI detection system. Maybe it was just in my head, but the problem is I have no way of knowing. Is there a way I could turn on some debug, showing me whether the AI knows where I am or not?

Also, is there a way I could disable the enemy spawning fighters in the first minute? They are really properly annoying since I can not escape them. How about disabling the mortars? How about disabling stock arma weapons and just enabling certain addon weapons. (in specific, the ones you've already added; Toadie's HLC Weapons)

Also, there is a smaller bug, regarding the CAS (agressors) mod. If I select pure the mission hangs after I spawn. (it doesn't get to the 'escape has started' message).

Also, is there a way I could select just the Middle Eastern dressed enemies? Is the selection contextual? I don't know how that works, since there is no documentation.

Cheers!

[RoyWheels 10]

Yo.

I've had some problems with your branch of the mission. But first let me list my specs.

I run my arma locally (no dedicated server), and I tested the mission by myself. (1 player, local multiplayer)

I have i5-3570k and 8gb ram. No OC. Arma did run smooth, with no noticable lagging, frames per second wise, or any bullet delay or anything else. Everything was running smooth.

My probles were mostly AI based. Primarily, I could not run away from the AI. I was running down an empty river bed filled with the bamboo bushes in a valley, where, realistically, noone could have seen me. However the enemy helicopter kept following me.

This mission uses the Arma ai.

Also, the enemy a-10 warthog (or however the a3 variant is called) came in the first 5 minutes, and never ever left. It just kept doing circles above my head. It didn't attack or anything, it just dwelled above. (In my second test it wasn't the warthog but a different air superiority fighter)

Surprises are not triggered for at least seven and a half minutes. It's been that way for a while now.

If you want to be attacked by a jet, get in a vehicle. The jets like shooting at vehicles.

And than, it was pitch black, and enemies with no night vision detected me from about 50m, while I was laying prone next to a wall, in shadows.

So, in short my main gripe with this is the AI detection system. Maybe it was just in my head, but the problem is I have no way of knowing. Is there a way I could turn on some debug, showing me whether the AI knows where I am or not?

You're talking about the arma ai again. Remember, this is a mission in Arma, not a total modification with super l33t ai improvements.

Also, there is a smaller bug, regarding the CAS (agressors) mod. If I select pure the mission hangs after I spawn. (it doesn't get to the 'escape has started' message).

I can confirm pure mode was broken. Very broken. It's fixed in the new version I'm just posting up.

Also, is there a way I could select just the Middle Eastern dressed enemies? Is the selection contextual? I don't know how that works, since there is no documentation.

Cheers!

Yes, the outfits reflect the location of the map.

[cyprus 16]

One thing I would like to request is having a "Arma 3 Units only" setting in addition to the "Pure" and "Mixed" modes. Not everyone I play with will always have the mod, and sometimes it's nice just to play against the default Arma 3 units only. Is this a possibility?

Also what exactly is Mechs? Is it this

Lastly why are the mechs and civilians mod autodetected now? I think it makes more sense to leave it as an option for the same reasons I posted for the first request.

[RoyWheels 10]

One thing I would like to request is having a "Arma 3 Units only" setting in addition to the "Pure" and "Mixed" modes. Not everyone I play with will always have the mod, and sometimes it's nice just to play against the default Arma 3 units only. Is this a possibility?

Lastly why are the mechs and civilians mod autodetected now? I think it makes more sense to leave it as an option for the same reasons I posted for the first request.

But the automatic detection is there so all the optional addons are, erm , optional. There's no need for a manual switch. If the server can't detect the addons, the mission will leave out the unit classes for that addon and run without them. No need for more parameters. The pure/mixed parameter is there so the CAF and/or EAST WEST mods can be used without the normal Arma 3 kit. I use arma3sync and just run with the options I want to play with.

Also what exactly is Mechs? Is it this

That is indeed the mech addon. I should add a list of the opaddons in the op.

[Belbo 462]

But the automatic detection is there so all the optional addons are, erm , optional. There's no need for a manual switch. If the server can't detect the addons, the mission will leave out the unit classes for that addon and run without them. No need for more parameters. The pure/mixed parameter is there so the CAF and/or EAST WEST mods can be used without the normal Arma 3 kit. I use arma3sync and just run with the options I want to play with.

You're thinking about it from the perspective of a very controlled hosted environment. But that's by far not the case for every player. Let's say you play on a server with a fixed modset, like a clanserver for example. If you want to play without mechs, but happen to have them in your server's modset, you can't play your mission. That was the beauty of the manual switch options. Auto-detection isn't very useful most of the time. Having a way to change options manually in your mission, will have more players be able to play your mission to their satisfaction, whereas the auto-detection will render more problems than benefits. Please, make it a manually changeable option again. :)

[RoyWheels 10]

You're thinking about it from the perspective of a very controlled hosted environment. But that's by far not the case for every player. Let's say you play on a server with a fixed modset, like a clanserver for example. If you want to play without mechs, but happen to have them in your server's modset, you can't play your mission. That was the beauty of the manual switch options. Auto-detection isn't very useful most of the time. Having a way to change options manually in your mission, will have more players be able to play your mission to their satisfaction, whereas the auto-detection will render more problems than benefits. Please, make it a manually changeable option again. :)

Sure, I can add it back in. Sorry to mess stuff up for you.

I'm still not so sure it's the best way to do things. The server is still loading the addons regardless of their use and this can result in conflicts and bugs and I prefer the auto method for that reason. Maybe I can come up with some sort of middle ground here. I'll have a think.

[Belbo 462]

Sure, I can add it back in. Sorry to mess stuff up for you.

I'm still not so sure it's the best way to do things. The server is still loading the addons regardless of their use and this can result in conflicts and bugs and I prefer the auto method for that reason. Maybe I can come up with some sort of middle ground here. I'll have a think.

Nah, no problem, mate. ;) It'd still be a great mission. Just with more editing to do. ;)

Having a conflict-free mod-set is certainly the duty of the server's provider. In my clan we made quite some effort to select mods that work well together, without interfering eachother. That's what everyone should do who assembles a mod-set. But you know how it is: You put a sci-fi-mod in your repository, just so you can play with it once in a while, but removing it everytime you want to play a specific mission just isn't suitable. And since your mission doesn't use VAS or anything like that, the amount of custom items or vehicles doesn't actually matter all that much. Or at least not for the mission itself. Of course the server will need a bit more time to load all the mods on startup. But that's not much of a problem.

[RoyWheels 10]

The middle ground has been found. :cool:

v4.33 introduces a automatic or manual parameter for addon selection. By default, manual selection will require needed addons to be selected on the parameter page.

I've not had a chance to test it thoroughly due to illness so feedback on stability/bugs is more than welcome.

The next addition will be optional weather presets based on the location of a map.

[cyprus 16]

Version 4.33 seems to be completely broken. No matter what settings I try, the mission gets stuck on a black screen where it says "Creating Mission" (or something like that in the process of typing this I forgot). It also is labeled as version 4.32 in the missions menu.

Version 4.32 also has problems. Pure mode doesn't work on Altis and Stratis. The backpack has no weapons and enemies don't load in in pure mode. Pure mode does work on addon maps however. Another issue that it has that I don't recall encountering on earlier mission versions is periodic freezing that affects all people in the mission. It's random and lasts about 5 seconds. I can't seem to figure out why it's happening. I'll see if I encounter it in version 4.28 because I'm only going to run that for now.

It seems that trying to put in options for addon factions is causing a lot of problems at the moment. I think that for now what you should do is release a stable version with only the Mechs, karts, and civilians mods because they doen't seem to be causing many problems when put in (and because the mechs are hilarious), and a second version with addon factions enabled for testing. In the version with addon factions, I like the options menu you added, but I think in addition to that you should add "Arma 3 factions only" under the pure/mixed mode options setting. I'm guessing that in version 4.33 if you select no addon factions and "mixed" it should be Arma 3 factions only, but that is kinda confusing, and I think part of what may be causing problems in version 4.33 because the "mixed" setting might be looking for mods that aren't there. Granted, that's just a guess, but clear options settings are always better than unclear options settings.

I have a couple questions though about the mod in general. What exactly do the difficulty settings do? Do they override or complement the built in Arma 3 difficulty settings? How does the AI mods difficulty settings work? Should I enable it with a mod like TPWCAS A3 - AI Suppression system even though that mod isn't a full AI mod and is designed to work with other mods? Also why is there a "clear" and a "sunny" option for the weather? There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two when testing. Is "clear" supposed to be no clouds in the sky at all, and "sunny" partially cloudy?

Edited September 16, 2014 by Cyprus

[RoyWheels 10]

Version 4.33 seems to be completely broken. No matter what settings I try, the mission gets stuck on a black screen where it says "Creating Mission" (or something like that in the process of typing this I forgot). It also is labeled as version 4.32 in the missions menu.

Sorry about that. I probably shouldn't have released 4.33 as I worked on it with severe sinus pain and fever. Not so clever. The weather system had the wrong parameters due to new code. Fixed now.

Version 4.32 also has problems. Pure mode doesn't work on Altis and Stratis. The backpack has no weapons and enemies don't load in in pure mode. Pure mode does work on addon maps however. Another issue that it has that I don't recall encountering on earlier mission versions is periodic freezing that affects all people in the mission. It's random and lasts about 5 seconds. I can't seem to figure out why it's happening. I'll see if I encounter it in version 4.28 because I'm only going to run that for now.

Pure mode was broken after I fixed it... :p It's always good to break stuff when you fix stuff... ;)

I've not seen any long pauses like you're seeing. Were you running with just the default arma setup or did you have some addons running? Is this a dedi or local server?

It seems that trying to put in options for addon factions is causing a lot of problems at the moment. I think that for now what you should do is release a stable version with only the Mechs, karts, and civilians mods because they doen't seem to be causing many problems when put in (and because the mechs are hilarious), and a second version with addon factions enabled for testing. In the version with addon factions, I like the options menu you added, but I think in addition to that you should add "Arma 3 factions only" under the pure/mixed mode options setting. I'm guessing that in version 4.33 if you select no addon factions and "mixed" it should be Arma 3 factions only, but that is kinda confusing, and I think part of what may be causing problems in version 4.33 because the "mixed" setting might be looking for mods that aren't there. Granted, that's just a guess, but clear options settings are always better than unclear options settings.

I know what you're saying about a stable version but the addon system should be very stable once the silly bugs I've added are ironed out.

Due to the time it takes to test all the variations of addon setups, on a multitude of maps, I need people to play these 'unstable' versions to help me fix bugs. Your post has been really useful and I've been able to fix the addon issues you highlighted. Once I get feedback I can fix bugs pretty quickly.

I have a couple questions though about the mod in general. What exactly do the difficulty settings do? Do they override or complement the built in Arma 3 difficulty settings? How does the AI mods difficulty settings work? Should I enable it with a mod like TPWCAS A3 - AI Suppression system even though that mod isn't a full AI mod and is designed to work with other mods? Also why is there a "clear" and a "sunny" option for the weather? There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two when testing. Is "clear" supposed to be no clouds in the sky at all, and "sunny" partially cloudy?

Yeah, the AI settings are interesting. They do indeed override the Arma settings but some maps seem to then put them back again. Weird.

You could have a go at using the suppression system in singleplayer mode. I'd imagine you'd need the script version integrated to get a dedi to use it but that's just a guess as I've not tried it. I love those TPW mods though. Top shelf ideas.

The weather system is something I've only just been looking into. As you point out, 'Clear' and 'Sunny' do seem to be a little ambiguous. Here's the 'Tort' script the mission uses - Tort Dynamic Weather

---------- Post added at 11:36 ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 ----------

Ok, v4.34 is up.

Hopefully, probably, should be, could be all working. :cool:

Edited September 16, 2014 by RoyWheels

[Gunter Severloh 4052]

Dam Roy, I have like 4 latest versions from armaholic i seen and have yet to play em, hopefully this week and ill give you some feedback,

projects and real life are keeping me away from A3 atm.

[Sov13t 10]

Hello Roy:

We have been enjoying this mission a lot! Today, we ran the latest 4.34 version on Altis. Have a few issues/bugs to report:

1. Parameters never save. I have it set to "Use below and save" and every time we restart the mission - have to reset all the parameters.

2. In version 4.34 for some reason the Karts spawn regardless of the option set in the parameters.

3. Throughout the game I, as the server, kept receiving messages about "Civilian vehicle must have a name. Script exiting"

4. We made it to the first rendezvous point, the choppers arrived and literally landed on top of each other.

5. After the rescue choppers MIA, new rendezvous point set. The new rendezvous was in the middle of the sea. South East corner of the map.

Unfortunately, I can not post screenshots yet (new forum account), but have them if you need it.

Look forward to future versions of this mission, and thank you for your work!

Regards,

-Sov13t

[RoyWheels 10]

Dam Roy, I have like 4 latest versions from armaholic i seen and have yet to play em, hopefully this week and ill give you some feedback,

projects and real life are keeping me away from A3 atm.

Being kept busy by real life is no bad thing. Also, the last few versions have been a bit broken whilst I sort out the addons integration. Hopefully v4.34 is more stable. I'm getting a bit better at scripting and quite brilliant at adding bugs. ;)

Hello Roy:

We have been enjoying this mission a lot! Today, we ran the latest 4.34 version on Altis. Have a few issues/bugs to report:

1. Parameters never save. I have it set to "Use below and save" and every time we restart the mission - have to reset all the parameters.

2. In version 4.34 for some reason the Karts spawn regardless of the option set in the parameters.

3. Throughout the game I, as the server, kept receiving messages about "Civilian vehicle must have a name. Script exiting"

4. We made it to the first rendezvous point, the choppers arrived and literally landed on top of each other.

5. After the rescue choppers MIA, new rendezvous point set. The new rendezvous was in the middle of the sea. South East corner of the map.

Unfortunately, I can not post screenshots yet (new forum account), but have them if you need it.

Look forward to future versions of this mission, and thank you for your work!

Regards,

-Sov13t

Thanks for the feedback. It's always really useful.

1. The saved parameters are something that Neo added a while back and I've never felt sure it works. I keep meaning to look into it.

2. I'll check the Karts problem out. It's probably a special Roy bug I added by accident.

3. Did the error message about the civilian vehicle mention the script it was exiting? I've not seen it before. I'll try running as a local server and see if I can trigger it.

4. The choppers are supposed to land with a small distance between them but I have seen them occasionally get a little excited and try out a double decker landing as you have experienced. It never ends well. Funny thing is, we've had times where we reach the extraction spot and think 'no way are they going to be able to land between those rocks and that forest...' and they land perfectly. :)

5. If the alternate extraction point is in the middle of the sea you have to find a boat on the shore to reach it. They are dotted along the coast.

Hold on a minute... Who is piloting the boat here??? ;)

[cyprus 16]

4.34 seems to be stable. Glad to see you ironed out the bugs.

As for your questions, I always run on a dedicated server with a bunch of addons, but most of those are maps and weapons/vehicles/gear, and community base addons. I don't run any mods that affect AI or anything else like that usually. I'm not sure how much of the long pauses are an ARMA issue rather than the mission itself, but I haven't seen them on other missions.

As for my AI question I was looking for more details. What exactly do they control? The skill and precision values in the difficulty settings? If that's all they control why not just take them out and have the player control it with the built in difficulty settings: less things that can break.

Also after playing Escape Roy many times there are several nagging issues that I hope you can address.

The most annoying is on most community-made maps you frequently spawn on or very close to the edge of the map where there is just a flat ground texture. It happens only on maps with these "out of bounds" zones. Maps like Chernarus and Utes, which have no "out of bounds" zones aren't effected. I'm guessing it has something to do with the script trying to put the prison in as open an area as possible or something? I'm not sure, but if you can try it on Bystrica or Takistan and you'll see what I mean. If it's possible you should try to make it so the script avoids going in areas that have no cover around them because it is pretty frustrating spawning in the middle of the salt lake on Altis. Reducing map size might also help on the maps with the out of bounds areas. I'm using AIA to test this, but I did test A3MP to test this issue and the AI issue described below. On A3MP maps, the prison never spawns, and the enemies seem to be moving as if their glitched, so A3MP can't be used for now. Do you adjust the parameters for the maps with A3MP or AIA in mind? I use AIA, so I don't really care about A3MP compatibility. A3MP seems to be superseded by AIA anyways.

I also get the "Civilian vehicle must have a name. Script exiting" error on longer play sessions usually. I'm not sure what causes it. It seems to happen out of nowhere. Saved parameters also don't work for me either. Not sure how they could though: is saving mission settings even possible?

Another annoying thing is the backpack with the weapons at spawn. You can't just take the weapons out of it, you have to pick it up and drop the weapons on the floor, or pick it up and put the weapons in your inventory. I know you can take weapons out of a backpack (just tested it in virtual arsenal to confirm) when the backpack is on the ground, so it has to be something in the mission.

There's also some very strange behavior in the prison after you pick up a weapon. The enemy almost seems like it sees through walls, but not quite. I've noticed that if pick up a weapon, and are facing them through a crack in the wall, even with their back turned, they will detect you and turn around. This doesn't seem to happen through a solid wall. This behavior doesn't exist in the original escape altis your mod is based on. I tested in the original escape altis and i was able to open the gate and walk behind enemies that weren't facing me and follow them for some time. The behavior in your mod doesn't seem to be consistent though, and after a couple hours of testing it's still hard to determine what exactly is going on. I think you should definitely compare the scripts that affect the AI in the beginning of the mission to the ones in the original escape altis to see what's going on. At the very least adjust the prison design to something like the one from the original escape altis (it uses a solid sheet metal wall and a open-able gate at the front) because the current prison has several large gaps that the AI can see right through, and in a group of 4 or so, it becomes very difficult to prevent the AI from seeing us through those large gaps.

Loading is also a bit a of a problem because you load into the prison before the bases are loaded and it says "Escape has Started!". Is there any way to make it so that you spawn outside the map or delay spawn, and don't spawn into the prison until everything else is loaded first, to avoid potential issues?

In addition to bug fixes, here are a few features I think you should add in. Some are easy to implement, but others might not be so easy.

A few features I would suggest though:

-Give some enemies gps, so I can disable having enemies show up on the map, but still be able to find bases and navigate the terrain. It adds a bit of challenge too.

-Put lightposts on the initial prison (like the original escape altis), so it isn't pitch black at night, also give all enemies flashlights, and put a few in the backpack by default to help when you escape from the prison. This helps especially when you turn off nvgs and thermal scopes.

-I've noticed that once you are spotted, you are relentlessly hunted, but bases never seem to be on high alert. Stuff like bigger search patterns, and faster movement would help give the sense that they know you're around and are ready for you.

-A lot of maps, and Altis in particular have a lot of large bases that are usually empty or occasionally have a few units and/or an ammo base in there, such as the large air base on the south central part of Altis. Is it possible to have a few of them fully stocked and equipped with gear and soldiers dynamically? Maybe a few unmanned tanks and helocopters that we can steal depending on the type of base. It would work great as a risk/reward type thing, along with something new.

-Along this line, towns do tend to have more enemies, but perhaps have an even larger force in towns? (Does the village patrol setting control this?) For example, a higher chance of ground vehicles patrolling around towns and some fortifications? Maybe more civilians too? If you really want to go all out though maybe have something like a riot erupt between the civilians and the occupying altis forces in towns randomly? It makes sense given the background of the mission.

-Ability to set view distance. Honestly I've never seen a single mission that actually does this right and I'm not even sure if it's fully possible. From my understanding mission view distance overrides server view distance, but no matter what settings I put, for every mission I've tried, I can't increase my view distance above 1600 in game. It would be a cool feature for long range scouting and just for immersion in general.

I know that was quite a lot, and I hope you can at least get to some of it. I've been having a lot of fun with this mode, and I only hope to see it get better. I'm going to do all I that can to help test and improve the mission.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Cyprus

[NeoArmageddon 958]

The most annoying is on most community-made maps you frequently spawn on or very close to the edge of the map where there is just a flat ground texture. It happens only on maps with these "out of bounds" zones. Maps like Chernarus and Utes, which have no "out of bounds" zones aren't effected.

Should be a finetuning problem.

I'm using AIA to test this, but I did test A3MP to test this issue and the AI issue described below. On A3MP maps, the prison never spawns, and the enemies seem to be moving as if their glitched, so A3MP can't be used for now. Do you adjust the parameters for the maps with A3MP or AIA in mind? I use AIA, so I don't really care about A3MP compatibility. A3MP seems to be superseded by AIA anyways.

There should be no difference between AiA and A3MP maps, as their terrain is identical.

Another annoying thing is the backpack with the weapons at spawn. You can't just take the weapons out of it, you have to pick it up and drop the weapons on the floor, or pick it up and put the weapons in your inventory. I know you can take weapons out of a backpack (just tested it in virtual arsenal to confirm) when the backpack is on the ground, so it has to be something in the mission.

Offically confirmed bug by BIS and they are trying to fix it in current devbranch: In MP you can't move items and weapons between some containers, like from a groundbased backpack, to your vest container.

Loading is also a bit a of a problem because you load into the prison before the bases are loaded and it says "Escape has Started!". Is there any way to make it so that you spawn outside the map or delay spawn, and don't spawn into the prison until everything else is loaded first, to avoid potential issues?

You actually do spawn somewhere else. The early "Escape has Started!" is a bug (I also had in the original Escape, but seems fixed now) and only affects the enemys awareness of the playergroup.

There's also some very strange behavior in the prison after you pick up a weapon. The enemy almost seems like it sees through walls, but not quite. I've noticed that if pick up a weapon, and are facing them through a crack in the wall, even with their back turned, they will detect you and turn around. This doesn't seem to happen through a solid wall. This behavior doesn't exist in the original escape altis your mod is based on. I tested in the original escape altis and i was able to open the gate and walk behind enemies that weren't facing me and follow them for some time.

This is caused by the early "Escape has Started!".

[RoyWheels 10]

Thanks for chipping in there Neo. I hope the galactic noise maps are going well. :cool:

And now on to mr Cyprus's issues...

4.34 seems to be stable. Glad to see you ironed out the bugs.

As for your questions, I always run on a dedicated server with a bunch of addons, but most of those are maps and weapons/vehicles/gear, and community base addons. I don't run any mods that affect AI or anything else like that usually. I'm not sure how much of the long pauses are an ARMA issue rather than the mission itself, but I haven't seen them on other missions.[/Quote]

It isn't something I've seen so I really don't know what might be causing it. Maybe try turning on the debug monitor when you play and watch what cpu and memory are being used. That might reveal what the issue is.

The most annoying is on most community-made maps you frequently spawn on or very close to the edge of the map where there is just a flat ground texture. It happens only on maps with these "out of bounds" zones. Maps like Chernarus and Utes, which have no "out of bounds" zones aren't effected. I'm guessing it has something to do with the script trying to put the prison in as open an area as possible or something? I'm not sure, but if you can try it on Bystrica or Takistan and you'll see what I mean. If it's possible you should try to make it so the script avoids going in areas that have no cover around them because it is pretty frustrating spawning in the middle of the salt lake on Altis. Reducing map size might also help on the maps with the out of bounds areas. I'm using AIA to test this, but I did test A3MP to test this issue and the AI issue described below. On A3MP maps, the prison never spawns, and the enemies seem to be moving as if their glitched, so A3MP can't be used for now. Do you adjust the parameters for the maps with A3MP or AIA in mind? I use AIA, so I don't really care about A3MP compatibility. A3MP seems to be superseded by AIA anyways.

I've added a buffer around the map for the next version that should see better installation placement.

I've only ever used A3MP for testing so I know it works. As Neo says, there's no difference between A3MP and AIA that would cause the mission not to work.

I also get the "Civilian vehicle must have a name. Script exiting" error on longer play sessions usually. I'm not sure what causes it. It seems to happen out of nowhere. Saved parameters also don't work for me either. Not sure how they could though: is saving mission settings even possible?

I will look into both of these issues.

Another annoying thing is the backpack with the weapons at spawn. You can't just take the weapons out of it, you have to pick it up and drop the weapons on the floor, or pick it up and put the weapons in your inventory. I know you can take weapons out of a backpack (just tested it in virtual arsenal to confirm) when the backpack is on the ground, so it has to be something in the mission.

Answered by Neo.

There's also some very strange behavior in the prison after you pick up a weapon. The enemy almost seems like it sees through walls, but not quite. I've noticed that if pick up a weapon, and are facing them through a crack in the wall, even with their back turned, they will detect you and turn around. This doesn't seem to happen through a solid wall. This behavior doesn't exist in the original escape altis your mod is based on. I tested in the original escape altis and i was able to open the gate and walk behind enemies that weren't facing me and follow them for some time. The behavior in your mod doesn't seem to be consistent though, and after a couple hours of testing it's still hard to determine what exactly is going on. I think you should definitely compare the scripts that affect the AI in the beginning of the mission to the ones in the original escape altis to see what's going on. At the very least adjust the prison design to something like the one from the original escape altis (it uses a solid sheet metal wall and a open-able gate at the front) because the current prison has several large gaps that the AI can see right through, and in a group of 4 or so, it becomes very difficult to prevent the AI from seeing us through those large gaps.

Any gaps are there because Arma loves to stack objects together if they come too close to one another. I spent far too long getting those blocks to be as close as they are. A solution could be to have a prison with double walls. I'll have a think.

Loading is also a bit a of a problem because you load into the prison before the bases are loaded and it says "Escape has Started!". Is there any way to make it so that you spawn outside the map or delay spawn, and don't spawn into the prison until everything else is loaded first, to avoid potential issues?

The base creation process occurs after/during the start of the mission, when players are active as it does not affect the gameplay. Unless you teleport to another location on the map, you're not going to have a problem with this. Players should be busy getting weapons from the bag and tackling the guards whilst this happens.

The way escape loads isn't ideal. Here's how I'd like to see it start:

1. Black "Escape is loading" screen - parameters and unit classes are loaded. init and early parts of the serverinit are executed. Prison is located and built and players spawned.
   
2. Briefing is shown without a map - this is tricky as the players are spawned with a map and if it's removed in the players init field (as it in the original dev 17 version) then a JIP will cause all existing players to lose their maps.
   
3. Mission starts whilst bases are built and AI is friendly until players leave the prison.
   

I'll see if that's all possible. Number 2 might be impossible but number 3 might be possible by using a trigger the size of the prison.

In addition to bug fixes, here are a few features I think you should add in. Some are easy to implement, but others might not be so easy.

A few features I would suggest though:

-Give some enemies gps, so I can disable having enemies show up on the map, but still be able to find bases and navigate the terrain. It adds a bit of challenge too.

afaik, some enemies do have gps.

-Put lightposts on the initial prison (like the original escape altis), so it isn't pitch black at night, also give all enemies flashlights, and put a few in the backpack by default to help when you escape from the prison. This helps especially when you turn off nvgs and thermal scopes.

The prison already has big lights. They don't work for you? Most strange.

-I've noticed that once you are spotted, you are relentlessly hunted, but bases never seem to be on high alert. Stuff like bigger search patterns, and faster movement would help give the sense that they know you're around and are ready for you.

That sounds overcomplicated to me. Bases are populated and depopulated as needed.

-A lot of maps, and Altis in particular have a lot of large bases that are usually empty or occasionally have a few units and/or an ammo base in there, such as the large air base on the south central part of Altis. Is it possible to have a few of them fully stocked and equipped with gear and soldiers dynamically? Maybe a few unmanned tanks and helocopters that we can steal depending on the type of base. It would work great as a risk/reward type thing, along with something new.

-Along this line, towns do tend to have more enemies, but perhaps have an even larger force in towns? (Does the village patrol setting control this?) For example, a higher chance of ground vehicles patrolling around towns and some fortifications? Maybe more civilians too? If you really want to go all out though maybe have something like a riot erupt between the civilians and the occupying altis forces in towns randomly? It makes sense given the background of the mission.

That would be possible for Altis and Neo has talked about a hybrid version where maps can be entirely dynamic in base placement whilst other maps use presexisting markers and locations. It's a clever idea but not something I've added as I'm more into creating convincing dynamic content.

-Ability to set view distance. Honestly I've never seen a single mission that actually does this right and I'm not even sure if it's fully possible. From my understanding mission view distance overrides server view distance, but no matter what settings I put, for every mission I've tried, I can't increase my view distance above 1600 in game. It would be a cool feature for long range scouting and just for immersion in general.

I'm not sure.

I know that was quite a lot, and I hope you can at least get to some of it. I've been having a lot of fun with this mode, and I only hope to see it get better. I'm going to do all I that can to help test and improve the mission.

Thanks. Your thoughts are appreciated and I'm glad you're having fun with the mission.

Wow, long post. ;)

Edited September 18, 2014 by RoyWheels

[tortuosit 486]

Also why is there a "clear" and a "sunny" option for the weather? There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two when testing. Is "clear" supposed to be no clouds in the sky at all, and "sunny" partially cloudy?

"Clear" is overcast=0 and "Sunny" is overcast between [0.3..0.38] but yes, it looks the same, ArmA engine. I think Roy should just offer a few presets and easy to understand trends. Take out "Sunny"...

Roy, also 2 recommendations, groundfog (i.e. it uses the setfog array) is a dangerous thing:

a) in fn_initserver.sqf, set "tort_groundfog = 0;" a line before the tort_dynamicweather call.

b) use latest script. http://tny.cz/95b81cee

Because I played on Zargabad and in the morning there was just too much fog. This will help.

[Belbo 462]

With 4.34 I had the problem that there's no hijack-action at the com center (to be fairly honest, last time I reached one, was 4.31 - where I had the same problem too).

I run the mission on a dedicated server (if that's of any relevance). To counteract that problem, I had to call the scripts\escape\hijack.sqf manually. But I wonder why there's no action attached to anything at the com centers (the medical building hasn't got it's action as well).

[RoyWheels 10]

"Clear" is overcast=0 and "Sunny" is overcast between [0.3..0.38] but yes, it looks the same, ArmA engine. I think Roy should just offer a few presets and easy to understand trends. Take out "Sunny"...

Roy, also 2 recommendations, groundfog (i.e. it uses the setfog array) is a dangerous thing:

a) in fn_initserver.sqf, set "tort_groundfog = 0;" a line before the tort_dynamicweather call.

b) use latest script. http://tny.cz/95b81cee

Because I played on Zargabad and in the morning there was just too much fog. This will help.

Thanks for the tips tortuosit and for the nice weather script... :)

With 4.34 I had the problem that there's no hijack-action at the com center (to be fairly honest, last time I reached one, was 4.31 - where I had the same problem too).

I run the mission on a dedicated server (if that's of any relevance). To counteract that problem, I had to call the scripts\escape\hijack.sqf manually. But I wonder why there's no action attached to anything at the com centers (the medical building hasn't got it's action as well).

It's a real git of a bug which only occurs on a dedi server and then, it only happens on the odd occasion... So it's hard to know how to fix. My only clue is that it doesn't seem to happen on the first play through. I've played the mission a fair amount recently and we've not seen it for ages. But, of course, that doesn't mean it's fixed. ARGH!

Here's the line from the script that adds it in when the comm centre is being built:

[[_generator, "Hijack", "Scripts\Escape\Hijack.sqf"], "a3e_fnc_addHijackAction", true, false] spawn BIS_fnc_MP;

_generator is obviously now a satellite phone.

And here's the a3e_fnc_addHijackAction function.

private ["_object", "_screenMsg", "_scriptToCall"];

   _object = _this select 0;
   _screenMsg = _this select 1;
   _scriptToCall = _this select 2;

   if (isNull _object) exitWith {};

   _object addaction [_screenMsg, _scriptToCall, [], 1.5, true, false, "", "_this distance _target <= 3"];

Any ideas very welcome.

[Belbo 462]

[[_generator, "Hijack", "Scripts\Escape\Hijack.sqf"], "a3e_fnc_addHijackAction", true, false] spawn BIS_fnc_MP;

First thing I'd suspect is BIS_fnc_MP being spawned instead of being called (like it's usually done). But I don't know if that really matters that much. Otherwise I don't really see a problem with that.

[cyprus 16]

Unfortunately after some testing (always on a dedicated server) the I've found that the trigger to prevent guards from firing on the prison area to be completely broken. The guards used to not fire at you until you picked up the bag or a weapon, now if a guard sees you at all in the base they will start firing at you. In one case they even called in a helicopter and it was making gun runs on me while I was still in the prison! I highly suggest removing it asap and only putting it back in after extensive testing.

4.36 also seems to have some other bugs that I don't recall happening in previous versions.

For some reason when you hijack the com center and meet the rendezvous choppers, the tasks are never actually checked off in the task list, you are only given a notification that you completed a task from what seems to be an external script. Why not just use Bohemia's built in tasks to pop up a message that you completed a task?

There's also several problems with the extraction sequence. Also, and I know this didn't happen before, when the extraction choppers landed. We got in one, but it turned off it's engines and they wouldn't turn back on. We had to bail out and get in the second one, and rather than the chopper taking off and flying for a bit before completing the mission, the helicopter stood on the ground for about 10 seconds with it's engines on, and the mission abruptly ended. The enemies also seemed to make no attempt to attack us while we were waiting for the helicopter, while in the previous 2 times we've actually made it to extraction, we've been attacked by waves of enemies supported by paratroopers, and in the other time by mraps and apcs. There were lot's of enemies in the general area, but they were just random enemies spawned for patrolling. I think the no enemies spawning might have something to do with the tasks not being completed? Maybe the enemies spawned to attack the extraction area are attached to a trigger that was accidentally removed?

Also, a big problem that I was getting was that that my friend kept dying on mission start. This has happened before, but so far only on maps from a3mp and aia. It hasn't happened in a while though, and only happened in bugged versions.

The early mission has started bug has also appeared in full force in this version, whereas in previous versions the other modules would typically load first, in 4.36 the mission always seems to load before the other modules. I think you should really take another look at the scripts from escape altis because the early mission start causes strange behaviors in the ai in the prison (as mentioned by Neo on the previous page), and those ai problems are one of most annoying issues in escape roy because it makes a well executed escape nearly impossible.

The buffer does seem to work, however, which is nice.

I also mentioned that lights in the prison didn't seem to be working, but I tested in this version and 4.34 and they're working now. Maybe it was a one time thing? Also, I did mention it before, but I since you didn't comment on it I want to say again that there should be flashlights in the bag in the prison, and enemies don't have flashlights. It's very strange to see enemies not using flashlights when it's pitch black.

Something that I'm not sure whether to call a bug or not that has been in escape roy for a while is the pawnee helo that the enemies call for support is labeled as the same faction as you on the map. Why is that? Is the pawnee only a blufor unit, and you can't make it appear as another faction?

I have a question about the general mechanics of the mission though that I've been wondering for a while. I've noticed is that when you're actually detected by the enemies they will call for backup squads, but random patrols aren't alerted. Is this intended, a limitation of the Arma scripting, or a bug? It would be really cool to see those nearby patrolling units scrambling to help their allies.

Lastly, I'd like to expand a little more on the suggestions that I made that you commented on and hopefully clarify what I mean.

You said that my idea of enemies at bases being on high alert seemed, "...overcomplicated to me. Bases are populated and depopulated as needed."

I wasn't really talking about adding more units, I was specifically saying that enemies should simply have a faster patrol pattern, maybe a more spread out patrol pattern, and more awareness (like their squad leader telling them to scan the horizon frequently) if your position becomes known to the entire enemy force. Is what I suggested not possible without spawning more units because units already spawned can't be affected by a script that modifies their AI? I only know a few things about arma scripting, and I haven't really got into it yet.

You also said that, regarding my idea of using static bases in addition to randomly generated ones,

"That would be possible for Altis and Neo has talked about a hybrid version where maps can be entirely dynamic in base placement whilst other maps use presexisting markers and locations. It's a clever idea but not something I've added as I'm more into creating convincing dynamic content."

I wasn't saying have some maps with dynamic base placment and others with pre-existing markers and locations, I was asking if it was possible to randomly fill these static locations with units and equipment randomly in addition to auto-generated stuff already in the mission. It most certainly fits in with your vision of an entirely dynamic mission.