Script alternative to ALiVE?

[linuxmaster9 101]

I have been told repeatedly by Exile Admins/Mods that ALiVE is very buggy and huge hog of server perf and so on (edited to remove unnecessary digs) and that a script would blow it away.

At some point, Eichie (sp?) commented on it. Little comments about CBA for example are in the script code:

 

So, I'm wondering if someone can point me to a collection of scripts that can replace ALiVE.

 

 

Personally, I think the Exile community is generally a hostile environment and not worth my time and energy but the HT Gaming community wants an Exile server and contracted me to bring it to them since I have a working version of ACE3 and ALiVE in Exile.

Speedweasel is about the only really helpful person on there I have found so far. (I also consider anyone who works with the Exile code in editing it and is a part of the Exile Official community (aka not just a user but a Mod who codes etc) to be a Dev)

[froggyluv 2136]

 

 Dont know Exile mod but their devs sound rude as fuck. Really no reason for you to have brought that garbage here- you could have asked the question without the dig.

[linuxmaster9 101]

I'm of the opinion that alive is awesome but they claim there are scripts that do better. So, I'm asking around to see what they are talking about since they won't tell me.

 

I'm told that if I run it on my server, my server fps will be 15 or lower. Not what I have experienced but then again who am I. 

[beno_83au 1369]

Generally, people with that kind of an attitude anywhere in life are probably just trying to talk themselves up. 

[BroBeans. 279]

1 hour ago, linuxmaster9 said:

I'm of the opinion that alive is awesome but they claim there are scripts that do better. So, I'm asking around to see what they are talking about since they won't tell me.

 

I'm told that if I run it on my server, my server fps will be 15 or lower. Not what I have experienced but then again who am I. 

Well this is a lie, Alive has fairly good performance for what it can create. It all comes down to the configuration. No AI behaviour script/mod is good for server performance. But Alive has it's own virtualisation which seems to work pretty well. 

 

I assume you're talking about scripts to alter AI behaviour? Alive has so much more to offer than just that, which is why it's a mod not a script. Yes there are simplified scripts out there but they will still take a toll on the server. 

 

Lets not forget Exile hardly has a good performance track record.  

[Harzach 2517]

3 hours ago, linuxmaster9 said:

...they claim there are scripts that do better. So, I'm asking around to see what they are talking about since they won't tell me.

 

They won't tell you because they are full of shit and they know it.

[linuxmaster9 101]

Well that is what I thought but any time I tried to argue my point (that ALiVE was good), I was told that I needed to learn to script and then would find that anything was better than ALiVE and that I must be lying if I didnt have poor perf.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

8 hours ago, linuxmaster9 said:

I have been told repeatedly by Exile devs that ALiVE is the biggest pile of fecal matter out there and that a script would blow it away.

 

 

So, I'm wondering if someone can point me to a collection of scripts that can replace ALiVE.

 

Please post a source of those devs saying that.

 

Whether or not they said something like that it's technically wrong.

It's no difference if you run a script as a script or load it as mod and run the script from the mod folder.

 

 

4 hours ago, BroBeans. said:

No AI behaviour script/mod is good for server performance.

 

That's a very broad, generic statement. You can have very complex scripts running without even noticing any performance drops. Then you can do stupid, redundant stuff on every frame which can cut fps in half. I've seen it all. All depends on how it's done.

 

7 minutes ago, linuxmaster9 said:

Well that is what I thought but any time I tried to argue my point (that ALiVE was good), I was told that I needed to learn to script and then would find that anything was better than ALiVE and that I must be lying if I didnt have poor perf.

 

Learning how to script/program is always a plus. Helps you debunk the myths some people try to spread.

 

 

Cheers

[Gunter Severloh 4064]

I think we get the idea that Alive isn't the most optimized mod or AI module for missions to use, based on what these guys "pointed" out in their overactive opinion.

As for your thread here looking for an alternative to Alive maybe my AI compilation list can help, i cant really suggest any alternative but at least you will have a

reference of many scripts, mods, and threads.

https://forums.bistudio.com/forums/topic/165560-ai-compilation-list-of-addonsmodsscripts-misc/

 

[linuxmaster9 101]

1 minute ago, Gunter Severloh said:

I think we get the idea that Alive isn't the most optimized mod or AI module for missions to use, based on what these guys "pointed" out in their overactive opinion.

As for your thread here looking for an alternative to Alive maybe my AI compilation list can help, i cant really suggest any alternative but at least you will have a

reference of many scripts, mods, and threads.

https://forums.bistudio.com/forums/topic/165560-ai-compilation-list-of-addonsmodsscripts-misc/

 

I appreciate it. I really dont want to drop ALiVE since it seems to work fairly well. I just have to optimize it.  Im just curious to what those guys were spouting about. It sounded like nonsense but anytime I tried to refute it, I was shouted down for not being proficient in SQF. I can edit existing SQF well enough to accomplish things but BASH and Python are more my style ^_^

[kremator 1065]

My, that RyanD sounds like a complete arse!

[linuxmaster9 101]

i think I am done with the Exile community. Im monitoring the Epoch Experimental work now. Seems more promising. has ACE3 stuff built in.

[lawndartleo 109]

ALiVE is kind of in a class of its own.  If ALiVE stopped working I would go to Dynamic Combat Generator.  If DCG stopped working I'd probably figure out the MCC campaign configuration and give that a try.

[jshock 513]

I was lazy and read past most of these posts, but as Grumpy covered, a script by itself or script in mod form does little to change it's performance. I think without a proper configuration knowledge ALiVE can be a beast and eat performance for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you set it up properly and tune it where necessary, it can be an amazing tool. Where I think the people say ALiVE is shit is because ALiVE is majorly modular, it is not taylormade for every person's mission. So in some sense, when you don't need the full functionality of ALiVE, either using a simpler system or some script of your own could be better, not to mention using a standalone script you won't have the dependency. People just think that since ALiVE is a "big name" mod that it should work with everything and make certain things possible that are not.

[SpacePilotMax 47]

Exactly what do you need ALiVe for in Exile?

[friznit2 350]

ALiVE is a bunch of scripts

[twisted 128]

IMO Alive had a bit of a resource impact a while back (a year or two ago). But recently I gave Alive another go and saw it had little impact on fps, especially when run on my dedicated server, and it provides a hugely positive impact on gameplay.

 

Alive's become a must have for me (with RHS as units) and imo brings Arma3 a lot closer to realizing the brilliance potential this game has. The Alive devs have done a great job.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

If alive had such a terrible performance the forum thread would reflect that.

 

Are there any noteworthy zombie mods that mainly provide models/textures?

Might play a bit with the setting.

 

Cheers

[tupolov 520]

Just to say ALiVE is still being developed :) We have a regular release cadence and you can see from our GitHub that there are lots of commits etc.

 

re performance with ALiVE, it's a mission making tool, if you set it up to spawn 100's of AI then your performance will tank. Like any mission making effort you need to tune it for your needs.

 

Lots of people using ALiVE without issue.

 

if the Exile devs want to let us know of any bugs feel free :)

[SpacePilotMax 47]

@Grumpy Old Man Ryan's Zombies and Demons are the "industry standart", it also adds zombie AI and modules. I have also set them up to use default ALiVE with a tolerable preformance drop once.

 

If the OP needs randomly spawned hordes or something similar, a script would probably suffice. Maybe a grid of triggers that get a bunch of zombies to spawn and give them a waypoint to player's location if one stays in the zone for over 15 or so minutes? Alive seems like overkill in this case, zombies don't need an HQ to steer them around.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

5 minutes ago, SpacePilotMax said:

@Grumpy Old Man Ryan's Zombies and Demons are the "industry standart", it also adds zombie AI and modules. I have also set them up to use default ALiVE with a tolerable preformance drop once.

Ah, I believe I already stumbled upon this some time ago.

Thanks for the tip, time to goof around, maybe a small script will emerge, heh.

 

Cheers

[linuxmaster9 101]

I have essentially given up trying to get help from the Exile community for the most part. There are a few good eggs in there but most of the time you get responded to by those who spout the "company line". "All other mods not written by us are CRAP and are asking to be hacked. CBA is full of bugs and makes you instantly hackable and our code does not." And my favorite: "Why would I submit bug reports or even help those mod developers by suggesting a fix?"

[SpacePilotMax 47]

@linuxmaster9 So, what do you need from Alive? If it's for zombies or to simulate ragtag groups of survivors, there probably are simpler ways to do it.

 

Also, Alive may behave weird with players scattered all over the map.

[autigergrad 2034]

1. The Exile devs appear to be about as rude as you can get...so there's that.

2. I've made literally hundreds of campaigns/missions with ALiVE over the last 2 1/2 years.  On average, my server FPS runs between 35-48 FPS...that's with VCOM AI, a gazillion mods, ACE, etc. all running in addition to 100+ AI spawned in.  If that's considered unoptimized...I'll take it every day of the week.

3. Given that I can have a legitimate overall AI strategy involved that looks at strategic objectives, calls in attacks, combat support, battle casualty replacements for both sides, including a complete Air combat component now..... OR....I can have a completely developed Assymetric commander who controls suicide bombers, IED planting, recruits civs to be lone gunmen, and generates weapon caches, IED factories..... please tell me what "bunch of scripts" can replicate that to the same level of detail, while still being easy to use and FPS friendly? 

4. The ALiVE devs are constantly asking for feedback, constantly working on the mod (I know firsthand) even 2+ years after release, and have a gamechanging persistent element with the ALiVE War Room, which many players have no clue even exists to the level of detail that it does today.  (I can see how many shots I've fired from a moving vehicle, what gun I use the most, etc. since I started playing).

 

**EDIT** Oh yeah...forgot to mention that not only do you get all of that..but ALiVE has created an ORBAT tool that allows scripting impaired folks like myself to literally create any factions I want to with any assets that I want to in about 1-2 hours of time.  So I can create any faction of any type that I want to if I have the available assets.  That's just a "bonus" to the mod.

 

No offense to the Exile Devs, but they are seriously underselling ALiVE and, quite frankly, don't know what they are talking about.  Just my .02.

[spyderblack723 407]

Friendly reminder that not everything people post on the internet is true :)