[COOP] Zenophon's Mini Co-op Missions Pack

[Zenophon 110]

Update

Overview

Greetings fellow Armaholics, this release ports 5 missions to Chernarus (for a total of 8 missions on Chernarus).

Changelog

4/12/16

• Ambush
  • Fixed: Indfor was friendly to Blufor (Proving Grounds version)
  • Added: Chernarus version
• Checkpoint
  • Added: Chernarus version
• Convoy
  • Added: Chernarus version
• Sweep
  • Added: Chernarus version
• Vendetta
  • Added: Chernarus version
  • Improved: Escape task success now considers the position of both players

Feedback

 

Hey I just gave sweep a test and selecting loadouts seems to be nonfunctional. That and ordering AI out of the helicopter doesn't work. Lastly the server RPT is getting spammed with a message that says "Update of nonlocal object 2:38" around 20-30 times a second. It happened for over 2 minutes.

The issues with loadouts and AI don't happen to me when testing this latest version on a dedicated server. Is the problem consistently reproducible if you restart the mission without restarting the server? Is any player JIP? (the missions don't support JIP).

"Update of nonlocal object" appears in the server's log when everything works; it's just debug for BIS's recent netcode changes (I'm guessing for the remoteExec commands among other things). I don't know how to stop it from spamming the log.

[cyprus 16]

It might have been a join in progress issue, I do believe we had people joining in progress.  By join in progress, do the issues happen if someone just joins the server and stay in the lobby, or do they have to select a character.  I really wish Arma didn't have so many issues with joining in progress.

[Zenophon 110]

It might have been a join in progress issue, I do believe we had people joining in progress. By join in progress, do the issues happen if someone just joins the server and stay in the lobby, or do they have to select a character. I really wish Arma didn't have so many issues with joining in progress.

I've never actually tested having a player join but not pick a slot. I would define JIP as a player entering (i.e. having control over a unit) the mission (either taking over an AI or spawning as an unplayed slot) after the briefing. To avoid any JIP issues, every player must pick a slot and be ready during the briefing (box next to their name in the players tab is filled); the admin/host shouldn't get a message like 'Player X is not ready' when clicking start.

I didn't put in any JIP code into the missions because they have so few player slots compared to larger scale co-op missions, and most of them are fairly short. Every mission requires slightly (or sometimes significantly) customized code to support JIP properly. Even with JIP provided for, there are issues like players spawning in the middle of combat or being separated from their teammates.

[Tobur 37]

Hi, great collection of missions! Any update on the ACE medical system compatibility? Would really like to merge these two

[Zenophon 110]

Update

Overview

Greetings fellow Armaholics, this release ports 4 missions to Takistan (for a total of 7 missions on Takistan).

Changelog

5/10/16

• Ambush
  • Fixed: Insertion task did not complete in all cases
  • Added: Takistan version
• Checkpoint
  • Added: Takistan version
• Convoy
  • Added: Takistan version
• Sweep
  • Added: Takistan version

Feedback

 

Hi, great collection of missions! Any update on the ACE medical system compatibility? Would really like to merge these two

By default, the missions do not use the handleDamage EH, so there shouldn't be anything stopping ACE from working. Feel free to open the .pbo's and make an ACE version of the missions by changing the loadouts or adding ACE modules, etc..

[Variable 322]

Hi Zenophon, thanks for sharing this pack.

 

We tried Sweep (Chernarus) and encountered several problems.

1. The Pawnee insertion bird move forward a bit and at one point stopped midair before reaching the insertion point. Disembark command made it land but it was far from the intended insertion point.

2. Choosing "Select Loadout" just made my point of view stuck with a cursor but nothing else showed up. Hitting escape fixed that for me.

3. The resistance in the town was overwhelming. We had only two PCML rockets and faced three Ifrits. We where 6 guys against what seemed like a battalion. I think there's a balance issue :)

 

We also tried Shootout.

1. There were multiple error messages presented at the beginning of the mission.

2. The mission didn't end even-though we killed all the enemies.

 

Both missions had an insane enemy accuracy. I think whatever you tried to do there with the accuracy gave the opposite results.

Played on a dedicated server.

[Zenophon 110]

I don't see any errors when testing the missions on a dedicated server. I'm on stable branch with no mods. If you can post the errors or send me the log that would be appreciated. Make sure than none of the players is JIP (i.e. that they are all loaded and ready during the briefing). The way that select loadout does not work for you indicates that the dialog isn't being drawn correctly; however, I can see it in testing.

As for difficulty, on Sweep each AT soldier should have three missiles. If you are using a mod like ACE that makes the launcher disposable, it might be impossible to use the other two missiles. This is one of the reasons I enable the debug console for admins. Some enemy AI will be carrying AT weapons that you can scavenge. The mission is intended to be playable with just one AT soldier without mods.

The mission caps the number of Opfor to 8 per player and 4 vehicles (+ 1 that appears after 10 minutes) when there is a sniper team. There may be fewer than that based upon the size of the town. There is a typo in which it caps to 10 per player when there is no sniper; that should be less than if there are snipers. I will change it to 7 per player and 2+1 vehicles total with a sniper and 6 per player and 2 vehicles without.

The AI is intentionally challenging when all slots are filled with players. However, because both the number of AI and their skill increases, having an AI group flank or surprise you becomes more likely and more dangerous. Because of varying player skill levels, it makes sense to allow the host to set the AI skill based on a few presets. I'll update all missions with that for next release; the number of enemies will still scale with player count (maybe at a slightly reduced rate for some missions).

[Variable 322]

I don't see any errors when testing the missions on a dedicated server. I'm on stable branch with no mods. If you can post the errors or send me the log that would be appreciated. Make sure than none of the players is JIP (i.e. that they are all loaded and ready during the briefing). The way that select loadout does not work for you indicates that the dialog isn't being drawn correctly; however, I can see it in testing.

We are on a stable, too. I'll see to sending you the errors.

As for difficulty, on Sweep each AT soldier should have three missiles. If you are using a mod like ACE that makes the launcher disposable, it might be impossible to use the other two missiles.

No, we don't have ACE.

[Zenophon 110]

Update

Overview

Greetings fellow Armaholics, this release covers all ports to Porto and Zargabad, a rewrite of Silence (the objectives are much more random, but the mission should feel more focused), addition of AI skill as a parameter to all missions, and a few tweaks and fixes to other missions. The default AI skill is now the lowest setting (as it was always in SP), but in MP you must now change that parameter to get a different skill. Missions still scale in difficulty in terms of the number of enemies and other specific things (such as the number of vehicles in Convoy).

To equip friendly AI in Silence, order them to get in the weapons vehicle and use command menu 6 to order them to use the equip action.

Up next is ports to Sahrani, which will include most of the missions (and hopefully will not be so delayed as this release). Finally, now that CUP Terrains includes islands from ArmA : Cold War Assault (as it's now called), I will be porting missions to those terrains later.

Changelog

7/24/16

• All Missions
  • Improved: AI skill is now a mission parameter
• Abduction
  • Added: Porto version
  • Added: Zargabad version
• Blackout
  • Improved: Players should now move silently
• Lockdown
  • Fixed: The POWs dying now fails the mission
  • Added: Porto version
  • Added: Zargabad version
• Silence
  • Added: Takistan version
  • Added: Zargabad version
  • Added: Three new possible cities where the mission can randomly take place (Altis Version)
  • Improved: Rewrote mission objectives and randomization parameters
  • Improved: Friendly AI can now be equipped easily
• Specter
  • Added: Porto version
  • Added: Zargabad version
• Sweep
  • Tweaked: Adjusted the scaling of Opfor infantry and vehicles with player count

[Zenophon 110]

Update
Overview

Greetings fellow Armaholics, this release ports appropriate missions to Tanoa, for a total of 45 variants on 9 maps.

 

Changelog
6/17/17
        1. Added: Fatigue parameter for all missions
    Abduction
        1. Added: Tanoa version
    Ambush
        1. Added: Tanoa version
    Checkpoint
        1. Added: Tanoa version
    Convoy
        1. Fixed: Removed debug markers (Takistan version)
    Sweep
        1. Added: Tanoa version

 

[verstand3n 13]

So I just found your framework and it looks really nice. Before digging into the tutorials I wanted to try yours "mini-missions". However we had issues.

 

First I thought it was because of our mods, but we eventually disabled all mods.

 

Convoy worked fine. no issues at all. The missions checkpoint, vendetta and shootout all the same problem. If my mate selects another role then the team leader role he spawns as a seagull. When he selected team leader the mission started normal.

We also had issues with tfar when we were using mods. On all maps except convoy tfar was not enabled for the joining player. I was hosting the server locally and tfar was working for me.

 

Will try dedicated server next.

 

/edit: so I just gave it a quick go with the dedicated server, no mods: When I select the team leader role I spawn normally but I have no control over the AI. When I select a rifleman role I have the same problem as before: instead of map I see "cannot connect to positioning system" and Mission failes. I only tried Checkpoint.

[Zenophon 110]

I can reproduce this issue and I'll be releasing a fix shortly.  The solution, for anyone having the same issue, is to delete and recreate every playable unit in the editor (except the group leaders).  I have no idea why this fix works.

 

[Zenophon 110]

Update

Overview

Greetings fellow Armaholics, this release fixes an issue with playable slots not spawning the unit in some missions (resulting in the player controlling a seagull).

 

Changelog

8/11/17

1. Fixed: Non group leader slots could not be used

 

[verstand3n 13]

thank you!

[cyprus 16]

It's been a long time, but my group has returned to these missions and we just started doing Sweep again and we're having lots of fun with it.  One issue we've been noticing is that when starting the mission for the first time on a server the helicopter is stuck in place.  The mission has to be restarted to fix it.  It doesn't always seem to happen on the first time playing the mission after starting up the dedicated server so I'll have to do more investigation.

 

Also, I was looking through the old change logs and I noticed that there's a "Added: Random Opfor radio operator in the town, killing him will disable mortars."  Is this opfor unit identifiable in any way, or are they marked through scripting and are otherwise whatever unit they spawned as, such as a rifleman or marksmen? 

[Zenophon 110]

Having to restart the mission has been an issue for a while; the first time the mission is run there is a varying delay in the server sending messages to clients.  Having the admin use #restart in the console once the briefing is loaded will fix it.  As far as I can tell this is due to some quirk of dedicated servers that only BI can fix.

 

The radioman is chosen at random from all Opfor that aren't in a vehicle.  I was a bit lazy and didn't give him specific equipment; he might be patrolling the streets or in a building.  I think the radioman concept was meant to make the mission a little easier by having an increasing chance of stopping the mortars as the town is cleared; the difficulty of the mission is meant to decrease as players eliminate Opfor vehicles and reinforcements and secure more of the town.

[cyprus 16]

Yeah fortunately restarting works fine so it isn't too big of a deal.

As to the radioman, I was looking through the config and I did notice that it just picks a random Opfor unit.  I was thinking to add a fun little mini objective would be to give that radioman a specific backpack that no one else has (maybe an empty carryall) so he can be specifically targeted so with good recon you can take him out fast.  It could still be difficult especially if the radioman spawns indoors by chance.  Maybe even make him always spawn in a house.  As of now the mortars are extremely aggressive and seeing as there's no effective counter to it other than hide or just kill them all having a way to stop it fast would be very fun.

 

The last thing I thought of which would probably be tricky to implement, but maybe something to think about would be a way so that the sniper spawn is always near the highest point around the town that needs to be cleared.  I've noticed that sometimes the insertion team spawns on a mountain while the snipers are in a valley which can be a little annoying.

I think the radioman change is all that's really necessary, however.  I have made my own tweaks to the mission (changed loadouts and added a revive script), so it's in a pretty good state right now, but if the radioman change is added I think this would be one of the best replayable teamwork focused missions out there.  There's really not else that needs to be done I think, besides that spawn change I mentioned but if it's too difficult/time consuming then it's not really worth it.