[CTI-COOP] Dissension

[genesis92x 810]

Dissension Alpha V0.1

Pre-Release

What is Dissension?

Dissension is a grand CTI with a focus on resource collecting, character leveling, base constructing, and out thinking the enemy. Dissension offers a unique experience when it comes to capture-the-island missions by challenging the players with AI commanders that try to outsmart you at every turn. AI commanders are assigned random personalities and traits that heavily influence the course of battle

Players are just another tool that the AI commanders have in their arsenal. Players can choose to follow the orders given by their commander, assault territory, do supply runs, fortify positions, destroy enemy supply lines, or anything else they desire. The ultimate goal is destruction of the enemy commander.

 

This thread is currently to serve as a way to communicate and collaborate with the community for creative ideas to improve Dissension before its first release. Below are features that are currently implemented, followed by features that are planned before first release.

 

Hey everyone! I apologize for the silence, been working non-stop (I have 6 days off in a row coming up next week :D )

I have had time to work on Dissension and fix many, many, many bugs and problems that were reported. Such a complex and far-reaching mission is bound to be full of issues and bugs. Fortunately, a significant chunk of them have been squashed and dealt with. Although, I am sure some of the reported bugs remain, there is just so much to do :>

 

So I want to push out another improved version. I have added a few extra features but it mostly focuses on bug fixing and smoothing out.

 

GitHub Test Version of Dissension

https://github.com/genesis92x/Dissension-20Altis.Altis

Download the latest files here - be warned that this is a test version and it may or may not work!

 

A 24/7 server has been setup that has Dissension Altis loaded onto it. It currently only supports 12 people at a time, but has been loads of fun to play on with a bunch of you :)

 

Server Info:

IP : 68.232.160.85:2312

Name: [US - COOP/CTI] Task Force Ronin /Dissension Test Server

Discord Info: https://discord.gg/gxc2Wzy

 

 

Changes

 

The feedback I got from several groups was that it would be a good idea to more clearly show player/AI squads on the map and find a way to have more of a connection to them. Simply naming AI squads makes players more likely to support them/care about their progress. Keeping a squad alive longer could also have benefits in the future. In addition, letting players name their squads (and displaying their squad on the map), lets other players know where each group is and what they are doing. Making it easier to decide what group to join. The goal is to make players WANT to be in the same group and work together.

CHANGELOG

NEW: AI Groups are now assigned group names. These groups are persistent throughout the game, and maintain their group knowledge through respawn.
NEW: Player groups are now displayed on the map. Players can now press U to make/join other groups.  Players can name their group and invite others in. This will allow freshly joined players to see what each group is doing and join/ask to join that group instead of going in alone.
NEW: Squad vs Squad report system. Players are now informed of which nearby squads are fighting (EX: “EAGLE is engaging PASTA”.  This allows players to build rivalries or spread fear into opposing player groups.  When your squad is engaged by an enemy squad a more obvious message is displayed on screen (EX: PASTA vs RAWRZOR). The color of the message dictates the enemy squad’s side.
NEW: Nearby players all receive cash for one another’s kills. This will encourage players to group up and work together.
NEW: All players in vehicles are now rewarded with cash for kills.
NEW: POI’s (Points of Interest) are now capturable. POI’s are map specific locations (EX: COCOA PLANTATIONS, LUMBERMILL, SMALL PIER, RUINS, etc). These POI’s calculate their provided resources by what the POI includes inside its borders. 
NEW: Opfor Commander is fully implemented!
NEW: Side specific markers. West/East can no longer see ANY of the territory owned by the other side. The only exception to this rule is when either side takes a territory owned by the other.
NEW: Supply points will now spawn Aircraft that will attempt to retrieve supplies from supply points. However, AI piloting still seems very sketchy, so there is a good chance these will be replaced with Infantry squads that “carry” the supplies from point A to point B. Not happy about the frustration with AI doing supply runs… The other option would be forcing the players to deliver full supply points.
NEW: Private Military Contractor Militia units are now uniquely kitted out. Works for Vanilla or RHS.
NEW: Parameter for selecting wanted mod. Supported modes are Vanilla, RHS, and Iron Front
NEW: Resistance towns now have the chance to spawn light vehicles.
CHANGE: When playing with Iron Front, ARSENAL will only let you take weapons/most equipment from that ERA. (No A3 or RHS weapons when playing with Iron Front).
CHANGE: Boat transports now completely cache the group and virtualize the transportation. If the boat is destroyed while transporting the squad, the whole squad is killed. This was done to support mixed AI groups with several vehicles and AI on foot.
CHANGE: Supply points are currently using helicopters instead of trucks. The AI are not smart when it comes to picking up supplies…. This might be changed later to the commander requesting players to pick up the supplies and bring them back.
FIX: Many, many, many RPT spamming bugs
FIX: Many of the missions now respect the currently selected mod.
FIX: Iron Front forces forced to appropriate sides when spawning in….Americans are Blufor. Germans are Opfor. Russians are Resistance.
FIX: Vehicles are appropriately filtered when playing with Iron Front.
FIX: Capturing certain locations did not work properly.
FIX: Re-wrote part of the defense spawning for AI. They groups are now larger.
FIX: Arsenal bugs out on Dedicated Server
FIX: Joining in Dedicated environment would break the game :<
FIX: JIP for the server is now working. The only exception seems to a few markers not populating correctly.

KNOWN BUGS
-When playing on a dedicated server from the very beginning, it may take a while to be moved to the correct position at the commander. This is due to the server still marking all the appropriate locations and spawning in the appropriate units. For now, the players can either wait for the Barracks to be created before spawning in, or simply waiting at spawn to be correctly teleported.
-Still, sometimes the UI will randomly disappear. Respawning should now resolve this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Youtube Channel about ArmA coding and creation.

 

 

Current Features

 

Intelligent AI Commanders

Spoiler

 

 

These AI commanders are more than your "capture closest territory" formulas. They come with randomized personalities and army traits.

Personalities:Shock and Awe,Defensive,Evasive,Cautious,Private Military Contractor, Support Enthusiast, Guerrilla

Army Focus:Infantry, heavy army,light armor, helicraft, aircraft.

These traits interact with many variables to create a unique experience each game. Each of these traits can drastically change the approach the commanders take to the battlefield. Perhaps one commander prefers settings traps and ambushing enemies, while another prefers a Blitzkrieg approach, while yet another prefers to sit back and let the artillery do the talking.

 

Example of how players see the AI commander personality in-game:

 

The AI commanders will utilize their resources to the best of their abilities to conquer territory.

 

 

Map Generation and resources

Spoiler

Dissension requires a map with multiple towns and a large enough playing field, however Dissension is also capable of easily being copy-and-pasted into any map and will run just the same with very little setup.

 

Every town, every 1kmx1km grid is created into a battlefield and randomly assigned resources. Every town produces a randomize amount of all four resources (Oil,Power,Cash, and Materials). Every grid produces 1 random resource.

 

Players and AI will fight over every inch of the map.

 

AI Navigation & Deployment

Spoiler

The AI commander will dynamically utilize squads to defend, patrol, and assault areas. The AI commander will deploy structures and respawn points in new locations to keep the travel time to a minimum for troops while also generously giving out vehicles to select AI squads to traverse the distance before and after combat. Even bodies of water are not a problem as AI will automatically use boats to transport units AND vehicles across.

 

Each spawned unit takes 1 ticket and costs additional resources. It is vital that the AI commanders can quickly expand and spend resources effectively to produce a steady stream of units.

 

Easy-To-Use Interaction Menu

Spoiler

Instead of having hundreds of addactions and separate confusing dialogs, Dissension boils it all down into a single easy to use tablet. Simply click on what you want and you are off!

 

What the tablet currently features as options:

 

COMMANDER INFO

This menu contains vital information players would need to know when working with their respective AI commander. Information like army style, personality, and what it means can be found here.

 

RECENT ORDERS

The players get a brief message at the top of their screen when an order is issued, but just in case a player misses an order or would simply like more information, this menu will list out all previous orders. This menu also lists out WHY the order were given. WHO they were given to, and WHAT the orders state.

 

CURRENT MISSION

Here the AI commander will generate a list of missions that would be the most helpful, with a few random ones thrown in for flavor. After a short voting period a mission will be selected and the players will have a side objective. Completing these objectives give a boost of resources and personal income for players.

 

EQUIPMENT PURCHASE

Players can select from a slew of free loadouts upon respawn. However, they are very basic and may require more helpful modifications.

The equipment menu uses Bohemia's Arsenal for ease of use and great mod support.

 

VEHICLE PURCHASE

Here the players can purchase any vehicle they'd like as long as they are in range of a friendly structure.

 

The vehicle menu uses Bohemia's Garage function. This allows for ease of use, customization, and great mod support.

 

RANK

This menu shows the player a barrage of information about their time playing this mission. This information is saved locally and can be brought from server to server automatically.

 

GAME INFO

This menu allows for me to put tips, version information, changelogs, and other useful information or links directly into the mission! That way all players can be aware of changes or other important bits of info. This is also easily changeable for servers to add their own goodies.

 

 

Freedom of Movement

Spoiler

Just like many other CTI missions, the players are free to do just about anything. Perhaps you enjoy helping the AI take towns. Or maybe you enjoy setting up ambushes on convoys or supply lines. The sky is the limit and Dissension aims to create a fun experience no matter where you go in the world.

 

 

To Be Completed Before Release

 

Supply Lines

Spoiler

The AI, and players, will be able to run supply vehicle back and forth between towns or grids to increase their value and get paid! This will be an important way to help sustain constant fighting and disrupting enemy supply vehicles will be key.

 

OpFor Commanders

Spoiler

Currently the Opfor commander is an observer! It does not make sense to build two AI commanders at once as it effectively creates double the work. Making one work well first makes it much easier to create the 2nd.

There will be no discernible differences between the commanders (besides randomly chosen personalities) and unit compositions.

 

AI groups and Mod Support

Spoiler

Before release I would like to support mods for AI commanders to utilize. At first I will only add in RHS units and factions for spawning instead of traditional Arma 3 units.

 

Player Missions

Spoiler

Although this is started, they are not functional yet. This is something that will be key to game-play and needs to be completed first. I am currently compiling a list of creative and fun side-mission ideas for Dissension.

 

Fleshed out Personalities

Spoiler

Even though the AI personalities are implemented they are not fleshed out as deep as I would like. This is definitely something that needs to be completed before release!

 

 

So, I am writing this way to early in the morning so I just included what was at the front of my thought. Please feel free to post questions, ideas, and other comments - I enjoy working with the community to develop a more compelling experience.

 

Thank you,

Genesis

[Zakuaz 195]

You doing this = awesome!

 

Did I read this right, you plan to only offer this up using RHS and not vanilla units first?

" At first I will only add in RHS units and factions for spawning instead of traditional Arma 3 units"

 

Either way, I am looking very much forward to seeing this evolve.

[kremator 1065]

This looks VERY good indeed.  IF you need a beta tester then gimme a shout.

[cosmic10r 2331]

Cool stuff Genesis. You think you will ever make it back to degeneration. That had a ton of potential

[genesis92x 810]

2 hours ago, Zakuaz said:

You doing this = awesome!

 

Did I read this right, you plan to only offer this up using RHS and not vanilla units first?

" At first I will only add in RHS units and factions for spawning instead of traditional Arma 3 units"

 

Either way, I am looking very much forward to seeing this evolve.

There is a reason I was never an english major. I meant that RHS will be the first mod supported - so the host will have the option of selecting either RHS units or Vanilla units in the params.

 

29 minutes ago, kremator said:

This looks VERY good indeed.  IF you need a beta tester then gimme a shout.

I hope to power through this and get it to a testable state soon!

 

8 minutes ago, cosmic10r said:

Cool stuff Genesis. You think you will ever make it back to degeneration. That had a ton of potential

Thanks for reminding me Cosmic :) Degen will ALWAYS be my passion project. To date it is the largest, most complex, and difficult project I have ever done. I took a break because I hit a wall with optimization and decided that I needed to learn more.

 

So I changed to other projects to sharpen my skills so I can return to the project I love most, Degeneration.

 

I love discussing Degen, so a little news about that:

 

My current project 'workflow' is: VcomAI (Bug fixing now, no new features for awhile) -> Dissension -> Winter Survival Game (WSG)-> Degeneration

Vcom is the 2nd most challenging project I have done, while Dissension and the WSG gamemodes will be easier and easier respectively. For now, I chose this because each gamemode allows me to create functions and code that I want to use IN Degeneration. So once I approach Degen again I can start lifting code from my previous projects and transplant them into Degeneration (Ipad, AI decision making, optimized FSM's, etc.) The project I am looking forward to in terms of this would be WSG. I plan on creating a drag-and-drop UI, and a fancy world interaction menu. A system that I want Degen to have.

 

So, summed up, every mini-project I do is actually a sneaky way for me to play around with mechanics and ideas for Degen while still creating a fun product.

[cosmic10r 2331]

Noice!

 

Yeah. I still think about it cuz I had some awesome times testing it out. Particularly defending a checkpoint in a village.. pretty epic. 

 

 

[Jdownward 33]

Cannot Wait for this release 

[genesis92x 810]

On 1/18/2017 at 11:57 AM, cosmic10r said:

Noice!

 

Yeah. I still think about it cuz I had some awesome times testing it out. Particularly defending a checkpoint in a village.. pretty epic. 

 

 

Yeah, I am starting to get that itch to work on it again. I have a feeling it will be much better once I get back to it.

 

 

On 1/28/2017 at 3:54 PM, jdownward said:

Cannot Wait for this release 

Thank you. I am not working on any other project at the moment. So this is coming out as fast as I can handle. I am now working on creating the unique commander personalities...which is the last mountain to hurdle.

 

 

 

[jus61 54]

[genesis92x 810]

7 hours ago, jus61 said:

 

In terms of learning to code for ArmA...

[cosmic10r 2331]

On Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 7:43 PM, genesis92x said:

Yeah, I am starting to get that itch to work on it again. I have a feeling it will be much better once I get back to it.

 

 

No doubt!

Looking forward to it!

[Mashroom 6]

Hey mate this sounds really interesting, will it include Vcom AI/be designed around it? As much as I like Vcom we use ASR AI as it's easy to leave it default on the server (doesn't really break any missions) whereas Vcom is more extensive so causes more issues.

[BananaCheezn 0]

I pretty much only play CTI missions, So this looks amazing. Can't wait to try it!

[genesis92x 810]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 5:01 PM, Mashroom said:

Hey mate this sounds really interesting, will it include Vcom AI/be designed around it? As much as I like Vcom we use ASR AI as it's easy to leave it default on the server (doesn't really break any missions) whereas Vcom is more extensive so causes more issues.

Yes I am designing it to work with Vcom out of the gate. The reason for this is not to just promote Vcom but also to help me debug and work on Vcom at the same time. The next goal I have for Vcom will be optimization, optimization, optimization. That will be after I get a early release of Dissension up and running.

 

On ‎2‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 1:14 PM, BananaCheezn said:

I pretty much only play CTI missions, So this looks amazing. Can't wait to try it!

Thank you! I can't wait to get an initial test version up.

[law-giver 190]

Well this slipped through my radar. But not any more, added to favourites and currently watching your videos on YouTube. Looking cool there genesis92x. 

[Mashroom 6]

5 hours ago, genesis92x said:

Yes I am designing it to work with Vcom out of the gate. The reason for this is not to just promote Vcom but also to help me debug and work on Vcom at the same time. The next goal I have for Vcom will be optimization, optimization, optimization. That will be after I get a early release of Dissension up and running.

 

Okay shweet! To be fair I think Vcom promotes itself, it's easily one of the best AI mods, if not the best.

 

Looking forward to test out Dissension!

[Jdownward 33]

Hey man if you are taking suggestions, does the ai have trucks transporting supply's from towns to the base??

Makes for great missions to steal supply's from the enemy


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[celludriel 79]

Great ideas ! I hope this one will be as popular as liberation !

 

few tips as a developer:

 

- Keep script files small and consise

- Beware feature creep

- Test, Test and Test !  I'll help with that :D

[genesis92x 810]

On 2/9/2017 at 0:56 PM, law-giver said:

Well this slipped through my radar. But not any more, added to favourites and currently watching your videos on YouTube. Looking cool there genesis92x. 

I hope to not disappoint :)

 

On 2/9/2017 at 4:12 PM, Mashroom said:

 

Okay shweet! To be fair I think Vcom promotes itself, it's easily one of the best AI mods, if not the best.

 

Looking forward to test out Dissension!

Thank you! I appreciate it - I enjoy the constant process of improving Vcom.

 

On 2/15/2017 at 4:48 PM, jdownward said:

Hey man if you are taking suggestions, does the ai have trucks transporting supply's from towns to the base??

Makes for great missions to steal supply's from the enemy


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have actually been talking about a mechanic like this.

The old warfare version was Truck A delivers supplies between Town A and Base. That would be the easiest system to implement, but a friend of mine had an interesting idea:

 

Each town has a small bunker that slowly collects resources over time. Once the bunker is full of resources an AI vehicle will spawn and carry the supplies back to the main base (There will be a distance check as well as a TIME limit for delivering the supplies, because AI are terrible drivers). This system allows players to deliver supplies anytime from these bunkers to get additional cash/help out while allowing enemy players a solid target to focus on when raiding supplies.

 

On 2/16/2017 at 5:57 AM, celludriel said:

Great ideas ! I hope this one will be as popular as liberation !

 

few tips as a developer:

 

- Keep script files small and consise

- Beware feature creep

- Test, Test and Test !  I'll help with that :D

1) Definitely the best method - I need to do this more often, I tend to get lazy with optimization when I am creating something.

2) Yeah, this is something that I had to scale back with Dissension. I have already cut the research system entirely so I can focus on creating the AI personalities to the extent I want.

3) YAY! I always need testers/helpers. I NEVER turn down help but I always make sure that people are not obligated to help and can step out at any time. It's not always the most fun process...

 

[kremator 1065]

Currently helping Zonekiller with LOST, but I can help out with Dissention too.  Happy to help.

[froggyluv 2135]

This sounds like my dream mission would love to help take it for a spin as well if your still taking testers. Will def give feedback, love the sound of AO General's

[law-giver 190]

16 hours ago, genesis92x said:

I hope to not disappoint :)

 

No way mate, how can you disappoint me when i'm using your VcomAi script in my sari becti edit and it's made it a lot more fun, and bloody hard too. So i really doubt you'll disappoint me genesis92x, plus i watched all the video's of this project and i'm really looking forward to it. I'm actually looking forward to it more than my wife coming home from work. Thankfully she doesn't read these forums. 

 

Just try and disappoint me, i dare you. 

[Calden 51]

This is tremendous work, we are more coop oriented but this can be a good workshop for recruits training on some aspects.

Good luck for the next releases ! 

[genesis92x 810]

7 hours ago, law-giver said:

 

No way mate, how can you disappoint me when i'm using your VcomAi script in my sari becti edit and it's made it a lot more fun, and bloody hard too. So i really doubt you'll disappoint me genesis92x, plus i watched all the video's of this project and i'm really looking forward to it. I'm actually looking forward to it more than my wife coming home from work. Thankfully she doesn't read these forums. 

 

Just try and disappoint me, i dare you. 

Just try and disappoint me, i dare you.

 

i dare you.

 

Guys. I have decided to cancel all my projects and go pursue a career being a circus clown! Thanks!!! Bye!!!

 

15 hours ago, froggyluv said:

This sounds like my dream mission would love to help take it for a spin as well if your still taking testers. Will def give feedback, love the sound of AO General's

 

 

20 hours ago, kremator said:

Currently helping Zonekiller with LOST, but I can help out with Dissention too.  Happy to help.

 

Thanks! I will definitely need help testing in a dedi environment - I will make a post here with a test version so you will know.

@Kremator, you have been around since the first version of Vcom AI. You are like a legend in this community.

 

5 hours ago, GSRI_Calden said:

This is tremendous work, we are more coop oriented but this can be a good workshop for recruits training on some aspects.

Good luck for the next releases ! 

Thank you! I am glad to hear that there are groups that focus on CooP still :D

[law-giver 190]

32 minutes ago, genesis92x said:

Guys. I have decided to cancel all my projects and go pursue a career being a circus clown! Thanks!!! Bye!!!

 

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!