[ALiVE, SP/COOP 1-20] Battle of Sangin [Insurgency]

[drdetroit 77]

Ok, looks like the issue with the AI leaving group was due to one of the mods I listed above, that were not part of your mod list - I have not used the beta ALive release yet, I'm still using the current SW release.  Anyhow, I remove the mods and didn't have any issues after about 2-hours of campaigning.  

 

Must be a conflict of sorts with one or more of the sound mods or ambient bird mods...also removed head gore mod that I had installed as well.  I'm going to jump into it again after dinner and put a few more hours in, I'll let you know if any issues crop up.

 

One thing I noted though; we were ambushed a few times in a small village when an insurgent rush out from a mud hut and started shooting, and another (later in the patrol) was shooting from his mud hut doorway, and none of my AI responded with gunfire.  As a result two AI were killed and I was also killed both times.  We were all standing in the center of the village, I had just finished talking to and searching all the villagers, and we were about to head down the road when this happened.  All AI squad members had LOS but simply didn't return fire right away.  I don't know if they ever did because both times me a few others were killed, so I didn't get to see if they ever returned fire. 

 

Maybe they were just slow, but the one time the guy comes running out with AK in hand blasting away mere feet away from my AI squad, I was walking toward my squad after interviewing a villager and they just stood there, even after he opened fire with several bursts.  

 

I guess my question is can I adjust my squads AI settings so they are a bit more alert and quicker to return fire?  I noticed that setting is locked in the options menu.

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

ALiVE does not control low level AI behavior. It in no way alters how your AI react, or how they fire or not fire, or any other low level AI mechanics at all; nor is it designed to.

 

ALiVE does have a "AI Skill" module, but I don't use it.

 

If AI are acting odd, it has everything to do with the mods running, or Arma itself, and nothing to do with ALiVE or the mission.

 

I haven't personally witnessed anything like you're describing. But to be fair I haven't played the mission since the last platform update, mainly because I'm waiting for ALiVE to update and fix persistence.

 

I'd recommend playing without any mods other than the required mods, and perhaps taking a look at your local difficulty and AI settings (I play on default "Regular," with AI Skill and Precision at 0.6 and 0.2, but keep in mind I suck! :) ) If this behavior continues, please let me know and I'll investigate.

[drdetroit 77]

Yup, I am only running the mods from the mods list for this campaign.  I'll mess with the local difficulty as you suggested, that should help.  I'll let you know if this or any other issues persist.

 

Thanks again for your help.

[drdetroit 77]

So after many hours in this mission and Battle of Fata, gotta say these are some of the best, if not the best, campaigns out there.  I really dig the 'slow burn' of going on patrol...nothing much going on and then all of a sudden incoming RPGs and insurgents coming out of nowhere AKs blazing away...or coming around a corner right into a snipers LOS...or driving around a familiar corner and there is a enemy checkpoint that was not there before...Very well done indeed!

 

A few questions;  when finding a recruitment HQ and/or IED factory, do I simply blow it up to gain a foothold in the area and the good will of the locals?  Also, when talking to the locals and I get the 'tensions reduced in the area after negotiations' message, does that actually have an impact with the local population?  

 

One thing of note; after awhile, maybe after several server saves (local LAN game play not dedi server), I loose all the Alive markers I place on the map and then they never persist after a server save once they stop saving the first time - the scenario seems to be in the same state as when I had saved, just no map markers.  Is this just an Alive issue or something on my end?  Should I be using a dedi server for this to work in a consistent manner?  I'm not using any mods that are not in the mission description at all, so it's not that.  

 

Also building I have blown up previously (IED factory, HQ, etc.) are not persistent.  They are back to normal upon startup.

 

With the Battle of Fata I do not have the mark marker persistence issue at all (hosted LAN not dedi server).  Markers are always there after starting up the Fata mission...so I'm wondering if something specific with the Sangin mission.

 

 

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

So after many hours in this mission and Battle of Fata, gotta say these are some of the best, if not the best, campaigns out there.  I really dig the 'slow burn' of going on patrol...nothing much going on and then all of a sudden incoming RPGs and insurgents coming out of nowhere AKs blazing away...or coming around a corner right into a snipers LOS...or driving around a familiar corner and there is a enemy checkpoint that was not there before...Very well done indeed!

I appreciate the kind words! Thanks for playing and thanks for the feedback!

 

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

A few questions;  when finding a recruitment HQ and/or IED factory, do I simply blow it up to gain a foothold in the area and the good will of the locals?  Also, when talking to the locals and I get the 'tensions reduced in the area after negotiations' message, does that actually have an impact with the local population?

Yes, these HQ's are to be blown up. This is at the very heart of how to play insurgency mode. Blowing up these resources slow down the progression and resources for the insurgents. Just make sure to escort any civilians out of the immediate area before setting off the explosives.

 

As far as I'm aware, there is no benefit in talking to a civilian more than once, regardless of what his response is. In fact, asking him a question more than once can increase his hostility (to replicate 'bothering or annoying' the locals). So just talk to them once and move on. And yes, talking to them can reduce tensions. I don't know the exact formula though. Just talk to each civ once (assuming they have the option) and move on.

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

One thing of note; after awhile, maybe after several server saves (local LAN game play not dedi server), I loose all the Alive markers I place on the map and then they never persist after a server save once they stop saving the first time - the scenario seems to be in the same state as when I had saved, just no map markers.  Is this just an Alive issue or something on my end?  Should I be using a dedi server for this to work in a consistent manner?  I'm not using any mods that are not in the mission description at all, so it's not that.

This is a known issue with the release build in ALiVE. I can't recall offhand if this is fixed or refined in the test build or not. I'll have to look or ask. I was under the impression this bug was only there on a dedicated server (cloudDB) save/load only, so I'll pass this along that it impacts local saving too.

 

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

Also building I have blown up previously (IED factory, HQ, etc.) are not persistent.  They are back to normal upon startup.

Building damage state is not persistent. However, HQ state is. Meaning, if you blow up an HQ, when you load your save, it should stay gone. This is what's most important. Although the physical building itself will look rebuilt (it's a limitation of persistent saving), the HQ will still be considered destroyed (which you can see if you debug OPCOM Installations).

[drdetroit 77]

20 minutes ago, HeroesandvillainsOS said:

This is a known issue with the release build in ALiVE. I can't recall offhand if this is fixed or refined in the test build or not. I'll have to look or ask. I was under the impression this bug was only there on a dedicated server (cloudDB) save/load only, so I'll pass this along that it impacts local saving too.

 

Great!  Thanks for the heads up.  

 

FYI: I have use the most current Alive release (Steam) and the most current test build you had posted on your Battle of Lythium thread (1.37.xxx  I think).  I have the marker persistence issue with both builds.  Strange that it doesn't happen with Battle of Fata though (Steam release of Alive on hosted LAN).  Those markers have never disappeared - yet.

 

Thanks again!

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

7 minutes ago, drdetroit said:

 

Great!  Thanks for the heads up.  

 

FYI: I have use the most current Alive release (Steam) and the most current test build you had posted on your Battle of Lythium thread (1.37.xxx  I think).  I have the marker persistence issue with both builds.  Strange that it doesn't happen with Battle of Fata though (Steam release of Alive on hosted LAN).  Those markers have never disappeared - yet.

 

Thanks again!

All of this is on LAN, correct? So the issue being markers fail on certain missions/maps and not on others, while all other factors are identical? Are you playing alone or with someone else hosting?

 

Would you happen to have a rpt file from a time where you saved the mission with markers, and then a rpt file from the same mission loaded without markers? Rpt files are stored in user\appdata\local\low\arma 3

[drdetroit 77]

3 hours ago, HeroesandvillainsOS said:

All of this is on LAN, correct? So the issue being markers fail on certain missions/maps and not on others, while all other factors are identical? Are you playing alone or with someone else hosting?

 

Would you happen to have a rpt file from a time where you saved the mission with markers, and then a rpt file from the same mission loaded without markers? Rpt files are stored in user\appdata\local\low\arma 3

 

Yes, I play in MP hosting a LAN using AI recruits - I don't do co-op, just me and my AI.  I've only used markers with your Fata and Sangin missions, and my Fata markers are still persistent last time I played that one, I will check later today to see if that holds true. 

 

I've never deleted my .rpt files, so if it holds all the data from previous loads I can see if that data is still there from the last time the markers were present.  I'll dig into that later this evening.

 

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

Just now, drdetroit said:

 

Yes, I play in MP hosting a LAN using AI recruits - I don't do co-op, just me and my AI.  I've only used markers with your Fata and Sangin missions, and my Fata markers are still persistent last time I played that one, I will check later today to see if that holds true. 

 

I've never deleted my .rpt files, so if it holds all the data from previous loads I can see if that data is still there from the last time the markers were present.  I'll dig into that later this evening.

 

I asked the lead ALiVE devs about this, and they said two things:

 

1. If it occurs, try exiting the mission (without saving), and starting it again (meaning, loading the mission again) and seeing if the markers load on a second attempt.

 

2. They can't fix it without a rpt file.

 

No biggie if you don't have anything useful to send me. Just keep the stuff above in mind the next time you see it occur and I'll pass the rpt's along. If you do have them, feel free to send them to me (best thing to do would be to put the files directly on Dropbox and give me the Dropbox links).

[drdetroit 77]

I can confirm that the Battle of Fata markers save just fine.  I just did a few more patrols, placed more markers down, saved/exited the game, reloaded the game and started the Fata save game and the markers are there.  No issues.

 

I will try the above exit and reload with Sangin per your post above and see if that works.  If not I'll generate a rpt file and shoot it to Dropbox and let you know.

 

Thanks for the help! 

[drdetroit 77]

So, after about 24-hours in game, when the AO is starting to get really heated, I noticed that right as I spawn in for game play, there are dozens of explosions at the outset, I can hear explosions all over the map, and the last time I started the game play (this morning), I was killed by one such explosion and had a 'respawn' screen immediately upon entering the campaign.  

 

It seems as if it's an issue with vehicles spawning onto the map; they are possibly either dropping from the sky or spawning on top of each other and exploding.  I'll come across these wrecks as I patrol. 

 

I notice this in the previous version of FATA as well - although I haven't played more than a few hours of the most current release of FATA.  I did notice in the current release of Fata, a persistent ammo/virtual armory pallet issue.  It disintegrates within 5-min or so after spawning into the mission, after it smolders for a few minutes.  

 

Have you ever had this issue? 

 

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

So, after about 24-hours in game, when the AO is starting to get really heated, I noticed that right as I spawn in for game play, there are dozens of explosions at the outset, I can hear explosions all over the map, and the last time I started the game play (this morning), I was killed by one such explosion and had a 'respawn' screen immediately upon entering the campaign.  

 

It seems as if it's an issue with vehicles spawning onto the map; they are possibly either dropping from the sky or spawning on top of each other and exploding.  I'll come across these wrecks as I patrol. 

Hmm. Marceldev89 fixed this issue with the latest ALiVE release. Is your ALiVE up to date? 

 

1 hour ago, drdetroit said:

I notice this in the previous version of FATA as well - although I haven't played more than a few hours of the most current release of FATA.  I did notice in the current release of Fata, a persistent ammo/virtual armory pallet issue.  It disintegrates within 5-min or so after spawning into the mission, after it smolders for a few minutes.  

I noticed this too and pushed a fix for it (my fix was basically disabling damage). Or at least I think. Are you talking about a 3CB servicing (repair/refuel/rearm) or logistics object?

 

Or am I confused and you’re talking about an ammo box I set for Virtual Arsenal/Loadout Manager? Could you be more specific on the object(s) and location of where this is happening?

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

^^^ Also, if your ALiVE is up to date, did you start this mission with the old ALiVE release and load it with the new ALiVE release, or did you start over fresh (I’m asking specially about the mission with the exploding cars).

 

These are ambient civ vehicles placed around the battlefield that are exploding right?

[drdetroit 77]

2 hours ago, HeroesandvillainsOS said:

^^^ Also, if your ALiVE is up to date, did you start this mission with the old ALiVE release and load it with the new ALiVE release, or did you start over fresh (I’m asking specially about the mission with the exploding cars).

 

These are ambient civ vehicles placed around the battlefield that are exploding right?

 

Yes, some are the civ vehicles but also are British inventory on base, as well as in the field that are exploding.   The last play through, I should have spawned into base Alamo - in South Sangin - I was killed before I spawned in (or as I spawned in) and immediately had the respawn menu pop soon as I entered the map.  So that was probably a British LR I had parked near where I saved on base.

 

I'm pretty certain I started a new mission when the latest ALive was released via Steam, as I'm only into my 24-hr in game.  My prior save state was like 5-6 days.

 

As for FATA, it's the VA with the Loadout manager.  This seems to only happen on the main base in the South Western part of the map, where you spawn when you first enter the mission for the very first time.

 

PS:  I'm going to restart the mission from scratch, since I may not have restarted with the most recent Alive release.  I did restart when the first major update happened about a week/10 days ago, but I think there was another small update a few days later that I didn't restart the campaign.  Will try a new start.

 

 

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

@drdetroit Thanks for the feedback. I’ll push a quick update disabling damage on the Virtual Arsenal object in the FATA mission probably tonight (and I’ll likely do the other missions too just to be safe when I get a chance).

 

Regarding the vehicles falling from the ground, I find this very peculiar. The most recent ALiVE update fixed an issue with ambient civ vehicles, but it would have done nothing for the 3CB ones I place at the bases. One thing I will say is, last week or so I did notice almost all 3CB vehicles were stuck about an inch in the ground in the editor. I think this corresponded with the 3CB Vehicles update, but I didn’t catch it right away and mass updated all the ops to correct this when I caught it.

 

When playing though in-game, I didn’t notice it causing any problems, but just to be safe I did correct it. Although I doubt this is causing the problem you are seeing, can you make sure not to start any new saves until you download my missions fresh again just to rule that out and maybe make sure to start them over too?

 

Since the updates, I’m only an hour into a few of them. I’m focusing on FATA right now. Hopefully it doesn’t take 24 hours to see this problem because that could take awhile lol.

 

Anyway, try again with downloading the missions fresh, and starting them over fresh, and lets hope the problems are gone. I’ll push an update for FATA here tonight. 

[drdetroit 77]

Sounds good, thanks for the updates.  I will grab the latest and install the pbo's this week before my next play.  I've been playing Lythium this evening to see how that progresses.

 

Before the last FATA update I had an incident where I spawned in the base that is right off the northern part of the valley, probably about middle-ish map.  Every vehicle blew up on base by the time I spawned in.  This seems to happen about 12-hours in game, for Sangin and Fata, at dusk and in the evening.  I assumed it's due to the additional reserves spawning into the base and elsewhere on the map.

 

Anyhow, I'll update the Sangin PBO before next play.  

 

Thanks again!

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

15 minutes ago, drdetroit said:

Sounds good, thanks for the updates.  I will grab the latest and install the pbo's this week before my next play.  I've been playing Lythium this evening to see how that progresses.

 

Before the last FATA update I had an incident where I spawned in the base that is right off the northern part of the valley, probably about middle-ish map.  Every vehicle blew up on base by the time I spawned in.  This seems to happen about 12-hours in game, for Sangin and Fata, at dusk and in the evening.  I assumed it's due to the additional reserves spawning into the base and elsewhere on the map.

 

Anyhow, I'll update the Sangin PBO before next play.  

 

Thanks again!

Ah I see. So the theory being the reinforcements came in and crashed landed and destroyed everything maybe? I can see that being the case if so. I think I really just need to see this with my own eyes or get a very detailed description of what's happening. For instance, if 3CB choppers are landing in the bases or spawning above the bases and crashing, that's being caused by ALiVE Military Logistics. If not, it could be something else. 

 

The way Military Logistics reinforcements works is, when the commander (OPCOM) is low on forces, he'll make a request to the logistics commander (LOGCOM) to be replenished (called Battle Casualty Replacements, also know's as BCR's). The way this happens is, helicopters will spawn, usually above a military base, and then deliver these assets to another place on the map (usually another military base). They'll drop off the forces, fly away, and despawn. The problem is, at either the spawn generation point, or ESPECIALLY the delivery point, sometimes the choppers can get confused and collide into each other and absolutely destroy the player bases. We're discussing internally ideas for how to make this process better and cleaner, but right now it's sort of in the brainstorming (AKA me bitching) phase. :)

 

I've done a few things in my ops to help minimize this, as has the ALiVE dev team, but there's certainly still room for improvement. I'd still like to see this with my own eyes to make 100% sure we're talking about the same thing, so if you see it again before I do, let me know with as much details as possible and I'll see what I can do.