Create MP Campaign

[engima 327]

Ok, I have succeeded in creating my very first campaign in singleplayer. Now that was a first step towards creating a multiplayer campaign, so now I'm trying to convert it to MP. But I cannot find much information on how to achieve that.

 

I set the "enableMP=true" (and enableHub=true if it matters). But after making a pbo and putting it in my Campaign folder it seems I still cannot host it and invite players, so what more do I need to do?

 

I notice a difference when I click on the "Apex Protocol" campaign, being that instead of expanding to see the first mission, we get an "Open" button that leads to a first page where I can select "Host a game" or "Find a game". This is exactly what I want with my campaign to, but it was not as easy to simply set enableMP to true (well... which I did not really expect). Help anyone?

[sarogahtyp 1105]

I don't get ur request.

To get a mission working in MP-Environment usually u need very much more to do as just switch one or two options. It starts with the player slots I guess. If you 've only one player slot then you can't have more than one player in it.

But ... I'm not a mission maker.

[engima 327]

Thanks for the reply, but my question is about multiplayer campaigns (not missions), like the official "Apex Protocol".

 

The missions in my canpaign are all multiplayer ready, but the campaign I have made is in some kind of single player state. I cannot invite players to the slots, and it is currently replacing all player slots in the missions with AI.

[sarogahtyp 1105]

Okay, I'm sorry then. I misunderstood ur request.

[panicsferd 24]

I am not sure how you can make it work like how the Apex Protocol works, what I think what you may just have to do is convert every single mission in the campaign to work via multiplayer (like add more playable units if you say you only had the 1 unit as the player and or convert the ai partners to be playable?)

 

I've made SP campaigns but never once messed with converting my campaigns to become multiplayer, but I did convert a few of my singleplayer oriented missions to multiplayer. What you will want to do when you convert a singleplayer mission to mutliplayer you will need to add some sort of respawn or download like a reviving script; otherwise, what can happen is when all plays die the mission fails.

 

Here is the description.ext of my mission that was singleplayer and then converted to a co-op mp mission.

 

respawn = 5;
respawnDelay = 1; 
author="Panicsferd";
OnLoadName = "Operation Buzzard";
OnLoadMission = "Parachute in. Plant Charges on A-143 Buzzards. Get Extracted.";
loadScreen = "images\loadscreen.jpg";
overviewPicture = "images\overview.jpg";
overviewText = "Our NATO Forces station on Altis are being torn to shreads by AAF fastmovers that are in the area. Satalite imagery shows that this airport is the source of the fastmovers and we need you to parachute in then plant charges on the planes, and then we will extract you out of there.";
overviewTextLocked = "Our NATO Forces station on Altis are being torn to shreads by AAF fastmovers that are in the area. Satalite imagery shows that this airport is the source of the fastmovers and we need you to parachute in then plant charges on the planes, and then we will extract you out of there.";
disabledAI = 1;

class CfgDebriefing
{  
	class End1
	{
		title = "Mission Completed";
		subtitle = "";
		description = "You have successfully destroyed the AAF fastmovers that were tearing our NATO forces to pieces. On behalf of all NATO forces station in Altis we thank you.";
		pictureBackground = "";
		picture = "images\debriefing.jpg";
		pictureColor[] = {0.0,0.3,0.6,1};
	};
};

class Header
{
	gameType = COOP;
	minPlayers = 1;
	maxPlayers = 6;
};

And here is what that same description.ext was on the singleplayer mission.

 

respawn = 5;
respawnDelay = 1; 
author="Panicsferd";
OnLoadName = "Operation Buzzard";
OnLoadMission = "Parachute in. Plant Charges on A-143 Buzzards. Get Extracted.";
loadScreen = "images\loadscreen.jpg";
overviewPicture = "images\overview.jpg";
overviewText = "Our NATO Forces station on Altis are being torn to shreads by AAF fastmovers that are in the area. Satalite imagery shows that this airport is the source of the fastmovers and we need you to parachute in then plant charges on the planes, and then we will extract you out of there.";
overviewTextLocked = "Our NATO Forces station on Altis are being torn to shreads by AAF fastmovers that are in the area. Satalite imagery shows that this airport is the source of the fastmovers and we need you to parachute in then plant charges on the planes, and then we will extract you out of there.";
disabledAI = 1;

class CfgDebriefing
{  
	class End1
	{
		title = "Mission Completed";
		subtitle = "";
		description = "You have successfully destroyed the AAF fastmovers that were tearing our NATO forces to pieces. On behalf of all NATO forces station in Altis we thank you.";
		pictureBackground = "";
		picture = "images\debriefing.jpg";
		pictureColor[] = {0.0,0.3,0.6,1};
	};
};

class Header
{
	gameType = COOP;
	minPlayers = 1;
	maxPlayers = 6;
};

 

For me a mission like this was pretty simple since all I had to do was add like 5 more units and make them playable (since originally this was a singleplayer mission where you were on your own and had no ai partners.

 

The DisableAI makes it so that there is no AI on the playable slots while in the Mutliplayer lobby, but depending how your mission/campaign is setup maybe you might not want that option - since if you don't get enough people you may still want your playable squadmates to be filled with ai?

 

The last part works on the loadscreen thing where it will say it is Coop Mission or something.

 

I hope this was of some help, but I have no Idea how to make it where when you chose the campaign it automatically opens up the server browser like how the Apex Protocol campaign was, maybe we cannot do something like that since maybe the apex protocol system is built-in to arma itself.

 

[engima 327]

As I said: missions are already playable in multiplayer, tested and works.

 

But I'm starting to think like you write on your last line. Maybe MP campaigns can only be created by Bohemia. Can anyone confirm that?

[engima 327]

Ok, just to end the discoussion. I have now looked at other custom MP campaigns. First there are very few of them. And second, the ones that exist seem to be made as a *mission* (not campaign), divided into "sub missions" by scripts.

 

I come to the conclusion that it is not possible to create custom campaigns with player lobby and mission division that works like the Apex Protocol".

[ArmaFiend 122]

 I have been working on a campaign. From this documentation, i thought it was a drag and drop into the server.cfg.  I have not yet got to testing in MP thought so far SP is working go,eme with the normal campaign config.

 

https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/server.cfg#Arma_3:_APEX_-_mission_collection 

[redburn 20]

Has anyone already been able to create a campaign for multiplayer? as well as APEX?