Body Detection and Info Sharing Feature for AI

[imlay 11]

2024/1/12 update

I've made an addon which enables information sharing among AI groups. Check out "Efficient Info Share" on steam workshop

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My background:

1. I used to be an OFP/Arma1 mission editor who spent 3 years on learning to design immersive singleplayer  scenarios back then.  After I went to college in 2017, I upgraded my laptop and stopped to play other games because my laptop still cannot run Arma 3 without heat problems.

Topic: 

1. During the corona-virus pandemic, I downloaded and played all ArmA installments and found 2 common issues both in Singleplayer and Multiplayer that still haven't been solved 20 years after the release of OFP. And many mission makers also ignored them (maybe for better performance).
2. First issue: No body detection. 
   1. Can you believe that a group of soldiers can walk past a dead friendly killed by player like nothing has happened?  Whatever you think of it, I think it's stupid and ridiculous, especially in an infiltration mission. They don't even change their CombatMode!
   2. Luckily I found some tutorials on youtube on how to address this issue by coding, as well as a few discussions about ways to solve it.
   3. But in many missions on Steam Workshop and Armaholic, mission makers didn't include this feature.
3. Second issue: No info share between different squad.
   1. An enemy squad is engaging player, while another squad positioned next to the first one remains idle. This is the often case in OFP. In ArmA, things improved with the second squad entering alert mode. But they still don't share hostile info (real time position of every enemy spotted) with other squads.
   2. A common scene in coop multiplayer is, player squad is engaging a hostile position. And other enemies hundreds meters away doesn't react to this event. They don' t reinforce their friendlies, they don't shoot at players, they don't even change CombatMode!

Solutions:

1. I remember I got a glimpse of some scripts in an OFP addon a few years ago about above problems. So I searched for this addon on Google and found this:
2. OFP Wizzywig tomahawk pack (I will permanently keep this addon because this site could go down anytime just like ofp.gamepark.cz . )
3. You don't have to install OFP and load the addons. Just open the second  mission folder in the archive and then you will see different scripts in different folders concerning different topics in either SQS or SQF.
4. The script author provided simple ways to include these features in your mission. Typically you just need a  few triggers to set them up. Check out author instructions in comment section of a script file.
5. I can use these scripts in OFP. Hope you guys port them to ArmA 3. (Since sqs script still work in ArmA, I don't think there will be too much work.)

Some notes: 

1. These scripts were not written by the addon maker. They date back to 2003 but similar features still don't exist in ArmA 3 without modification.
2. These scripts do have an impact on the performance. But in missions where there are not too many units, it doesn't make any difference. You need to check if it slows down your game bu yourself.
3. Hope I can see more serious missions!

Edited January 12 by imlay
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[imlay 11]

Some unique features:

1. You can specify the max distance between 2 squads within which they can share info.
2. Upon seeing a friendly on the ground, AI will walk closer to check it out before triggering any alarm.

[.kju 3239]

there are a couple of mods that implement AI info share like DAC and some other AI mods

react on dead bodies should be in various mods too

[pierremgi 4738]

Bah, that's an idea for a new home-cooked module. I never grab existing codes, it's a waste of time trying to understand the author's aim, but there are some powerful commands/functions in Arma 3. I hope the BIN functions will be accessible as public BIS soon. 

[Gunter Severloh 3948]

On 7/30/2020 at 9:45 AM, imlay said:

Can you believe that a group of soldiers can walk past a dead friendly killed by player like nothing has happened?  Whatever you think of it, I think it's stupid and ridiculous, especially in an infiltration mission. They don't even change their CombatMode!

I agree with you, it is rather stupid, whats also stupid is the hive mind of the AI, soldier in a group gets shot and everyone knows about it

i really dislike that, but i mean if the AI are communicating like bravo check, charlie check, and or have a visual of each member of the group thats one thing.

    But then when one of their own is dead and not part of their group or even just a single soldier from the same side, there is no response, its like the dead body doesn't register

or turns into something else like an inanimate object and not a soldier anymore.

 

The question to ponder, when a soldier is killed, is it still a "living" entity like it was when it was alive?

           For example,  when a unit is alive its part of a faction, a side, so hes friend or foe to someone, but when hes dead is all code, or what have you for that

unit set to null, or not running anymore that other AI cannot recognize him anymore as to what side hes on, i mean obviously AI only communicate with

their own whom are in their own groups.  

    Then when you extend that through script, or AI mod the i forget the term but the communication goes beyond individual groups

and other AI "hear" whats being said in terms of reporting an enemy is here or there if you get my point.

 

   For a dead AI what is he?, and is there any function to the unit other then being able to access his gear and weapons?

I think if you can take that of what an "Alive" ai has and extend it to a dead AI, but then for the dead AI his simulation has ended, but hes still holds the

same functions as alive AI in terms of faction or side.

 

As pierremgi said would make an ideal module for such thing as im sure having many dead AI would effect performance somehow, so

the module would be ideal for a story, or as suggested an infiltration type mission, all depends.

 Interesting subject imlay!

 

You should have a read through my AI Facts & Myths compilation list for Arma3

Should give you an idea of what the AI are capable of.

 

[imlay 11]

19 hours ago, pierremgi said:

Bah, that's an idea for a new home-cooked module. I never grab existing codes, it's a waste of time trying to understand the author's aim, but there are some powerful commands/functions in Arma 3. I hope the BIN functions will be accessible as public BIS soon. 

There are 3 key scripts in this addon and I'm sure they can offer some help for your module. They offer easy ways to use in the code comment. Usually you need to place a few triggers to define some lists required in the script.

The only problem I can come up with when porting them to ArmA 3 is classnames may be different if there are any.

[imlay 11]

10 hours ago, Gunter Severloh said:

when a soldier is killed, is it still a "living" entity like it was when it was alive?

According to the official documents on the BI community website, when a unit is killed, he will be removed from his group and changed to neutral side. I don't think the engine will regard a killed soldier as a living entity because the "alive xxx" returns false.

 

 

10 hours ago, Gunter Severloh said:

i mean obviously AI only communicate with

their own whom are in their own groups.  

Yes according to BI document, info sharing and commanding are both limited in a group. And I personally even think the reaction of the remaining squad members is linear because they just change their CombatMode. The only thing that's viable to be shared among different squads can only be enemy position via the "reveal" command.

[Play3r 143]

Well Feuerex has been working on the detection of dead bodies. i know the video is from 2017.

but maybe someone can get something out of it.

 

 

[kremator 1064]

Not clever enough to make this into an addon ... but it would be SOO cool if someone talented did 🙂

[imlay 11]

I have published an addon for sharing hostile information among specified groups. Check out "Efficient Info Share" in steam workshop.