AI suppressing fire on command

[Eogos 24]

So I'm trying to make a mission for my community based in the Pacific during WW2 using FoW, IFA3, etc. specifically a defense mission based off this scene in The Pacific:

 

One thing I'm really trying to capture from that scene and translate into Arma is that opening part of the battle when the Marines are all looking across the river trying to spot the Japanese who are just out of sight in the treeline and then all the Jap soldiers open fire all at once. However I haven't been able to get a good way to really simulate that intense initial opening fire where it almost feels like a wall of fire.

 

I tried using the AI module from ACE in Zeus where you can tell them to suppress an area but that thing barely works (seems to be an issue of compatibility with one or more of the WW2 mods), with half or more of the AI firing in the complete wrong direction for no reason (even when they were pointed at it in the first place) and those that do fire at it are so wildly inaccurate that it's absolutely no threat. The next thing I was considering doing was using this:

to record each soldier and some mortars one by one, with me putting the playback and activation in after each one so I could better sync them up but that'd be so incredibly time consuming and a pain in the ass that it'd much better if there was an alternative way that worked almost if not just as well. So if any of you have any suggestions, that'd be lovely.

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

suppressive fire in arma is pretty basic compared to VBS.

 

In VBS suppressive fire continues until ammo is dry or order is given to stop.

 

In arma it constitutes a few extra shots for ~15 seconds.

 

the only solution is BIS_fnc_fire in a loop https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/BIS_fnc_fire

[pierremgi 4875]

Check for doSuppressiveFire command.

[Eogos 24]

9 hours ago, fn_Quiksilver said:

suppressive fire in arma is pretty basic compared to VBS.

 

In VBS suppressive fire continues until ammo is dry or order is given to stop.

 

In arma it constitutes a few extra shots for ~15 seconds.

 

the only solution is BIS_fnc_fire in a loop https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/BIS_fnc_fire

An interesting suggestions, but at this rate it might actually take longer than trying to record it with the unit capture/playback thing.

 

7 hours ago, pierremgi said:

Check for doSuppressiveFire command.

A friend suggested this to me as well, I'm going to try it but I do not have high hopes as that is what the ACE AI Zeus module for suppressing fire uses as well.

[pierremgi 4875]

10 minutes ago, Eogos said:

An interesting suggestions, but at this rate it might actually take longer than trying to record it with the unit capture/playback thing.

 

A friend suggested this to me as well, I'm going to try it but I do not have high hopes as that is what the ACE AI Zeus module for suppressing fire uses as well.

Don't trust in modules (even BI ones), if you can DIY easily.

[Eogos 24]

Just now, pierremgi said:

Don't trust in modules (even BI ones), if you can DIY easily.

fair enough, once I get time (and a little motivation) to try it out I'll post the results back here.

[Eogos 24]

@pierremgi Tried it, I think there is something with one of the mods loaded that is messing up the doSuppressiveFire command so that's out. I'm just gonna have to use the recording thing or just give up on the burst of fire at the start all together

[pierremgi 4875]

place an autorifleman, prone, and in init field something like:

0 = this spawn {

  while {alive _this} do {

    sleep 1.5;

    if (_this ammo (currentWeapon _this) == 0) then {

      _this addMagazineGlobal currentMagazine _this;

      reload _this

     };

    _this doSuppressiveFire ATLToASL getMarkerPos "tgt";

    _this suppressFor 1.5

  }

};

 

Feel free to change getmarkerpos "tgt" for any position. A target, an object can work.

Note: this position must be ASL , the reason why I added ATLToASL command.

Note2: if you want to break this suppressive fire, you need to add a condition in the while loop. If not, these units will be killed while suppressing something perhaps obsolete.

 

 

[Eogos 24]

1 minute ago, pierremgi said:

place an autorifleman, prone, and in init field something like:

0 = this spawn {

  while {alive _this} do {

    sleep 1.5;

    if (_this ammo (currentWeapon _this) == 0) then {

      _this addMagazineGlobal currentMagazine _this;

      reload _this

     };

    _this doSuppressiveFire ATLToASL getMarkerPos "tgt";

    _this suppressFor 1.5

  }

};

 

Feel free to change getmarkerpos "tgt" for any position. Note: this position must be ASL , the reason why I added ATLToASL command.

 

 

Will try tomorrow morning and post results.

[Eogos 24]

@pierremgi Seems to work well enough, less broken than what I was doing before (I assume I was just doing it wrong or something). How difficult would it be to, instead of putting it in a unit's init, make a trigger apply this to a bunch of units? Cause I don't exactly want this going at the very start of the mission, I'm giving the players a small window to setup and prepare and also to sorta throw them off.

[pierremgi 4875]

One way: Place  the trigger you want. Just add  in on activation field something like: startSuppression = true;  (then this variable will exist and set to true).

You can place a deactivation condition if you want a repeatable trigger : startSuppression = false; (this can be placed in any other trigger or server script for the event you want).

 

Then in init field of units:

0 = this spawn {

  while {alive _this} do {
    sleep 1.5;

    if (_this ammo (currentWeapon _this) == 0) then {

      _this addMagazineGlobal currentMagazine _this;

      reload _this

     };

     if (!isNil "startSuppression" && {startSuppression} ) then {

       _this doSuppressiveFire ATLToASL getMarkerPos "tgt";

       _this suppressFor 1.5;
    };

  };

};

 

tested with 2 triggers (radio A and radio B) repeatable. The cease fire is not instantaneous, but stays acceptable.

Don't forget to adapt the position.

 

 

[Eogos 24]

@pierremgi Thanks mate!