mission Blackheart_Six Mission Making Notes

[Blackheart_Six 283]

 

 

I am going to post everything I find about mission making here. I am finding that with all these videos, wikis, and etc. each one brings something new or slightly different. I have already taken 2 items, from 2 different people, and apply it to my scenario to get it to work. 

 

Any hopefully, someone will get something out of this to help them.  

 

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Problem: When I use "FactionManager_Editor" to get all 3 factions available, it always spawns me in the water. I renamed the spawn point as recommended in one video. No help. 

 

Fix:

1. Place "FactionManager_Editor", "LoadoutManager_Editor", "GameMode_Plain", and "SpawnPoint_US" in the world. 

2. In Hierarchy, rename "SpawnPoint_US" (right click entity) to what you like. I tried this fix first but did not work with FactionManager_Editor.

3. Select "GameMode_Plain in the hierarchy pane. 

4. In the Object Properties pane, select "SCR_BaseGameMode > SCR_AutomaticRespawnHandlerComponent". 

5. Select "Respawn > Force Faction" and set to US. 

6. Select "Unsorted > Enabled" check the box. 

 

Press Play to test. 

Spawn now at the US Spawn point. 

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[HOW-TO] Create a custom character and add it to your loadout menu. 

For this example, we are going to change its indenty, add a backpack, and change it's headgear. 

 

1. Locate the character prefab in the resource browser. ArmaReforger > Prefabs > Characters > Factions > BLUFOR > US_Army > Character_US_AR.et
2. Right click and select "Inherit to Prefab to addon" . 
3. Select the given name "Character_US_AR_inherited"
4. Repeat for as many characters you want to customize. 
5. Find your inherited character in the resource browser under your project. 
6. Right click, and select "Edit prefab(s)". The current world will close, and a new world editor instance will open. 
7. In the Object Properties, find "CharacterIdentityComponent" and highlight it. 
8. In the unsorted area, check the box "Override", and expand "Identity" subcomponent.  
9. Expand "Visual Identity". 
10. Change the head and the body entities. 
11. For Head, and click on the 2 dots,  and in the "Change Head" window, select a new head, and select "OK" to close the window. 
12. For body, click on the 2 dots, and in the "Change Body" window, select a new body. 
13. Save your work. Ctrl S. 
14. In object properties, find "BaseLoadoutManagerComponent". 
15. In unsorted area, inside "Slots" expand "Helmet". 
16. Find "Prefab", and click on the 2 dots. 
17. In the "Choose Prefab" window, in the headgear directory, find "Hat_Boonie_US_01 directory, and expand it. 
18. Select "Hat_Boonie_US_01.et", and select "OK" to close the window.
19. Save your work.  
20. Collapse "Helmet', and expand "Backpack". 
21. Find "Prefab", and click on the 2 dots. 
22. In the "Choose Prefab" window, go to "ArmaReforger > Prefabs > Items > Equipment > Backpacks, and find "Backpack_ALICE_Medium_assembled.et", and select it. 
23. Save your work. 

Once you are done with all your changes, reopen your project to world, and proceed to add new characters to the loadout manager. 

 

[HOW-TO] Add a character to loadout manager. 

 

1. Add "LoadoutManager_Base.et" to the world. 
2. In object properties, there is only one sub-component, "SCR_LoadoutManager". 
3. Expand "Loadout Manager". 
4. In the "Player Loadouts", press the + button to add a loadout. 
5. Select "SCR_FactionPlayerLoadout" from the popup window.  
6. Enter a name in the "Loadout Name" text bar. 
7. Select a "Loadout Resource", click the 2 dots.
8. In the "Choose m_sLoadoutResource" window, go to your newly created characters. ProjectName > Prefabs > Characters > Factions > BLUFOR > US_Army > Character_US_TL_ProjectName.et
9. In the "Affiliated Faction", enter "US".
10. Press "Apply to prefab". 
11. Save your work. Ctrl-S. 

 

Repeat for each loadout you want to add by starting at step 4. 

 

 

[Blackheart_Six 283]

[HOW-TO] Create a red lens flashlight. 

 

In this how-to, we are going to change the light from white to red to simulate a red lens flashlight. 

 

1. Locate the entity "Flashlight_MX991" in the resource browser for ArmaReforger > Prefabs > Items > Equipment > Flashlights.
2. Right click on entity and select "Inherit Prefab in Addon" and use the default name given. I.E. Flashlight_MX991_inherited.  
3. Locate the newly inherited flashlight in your project directory. ProjectName > Prefabs > Items > Equipment > Flashlights. 
4. Right click on the newly inherited entity and select "Edit prefab". The current world will close, and a new world editor instance will open. 
5. In the object properties, find the search text bar. 
6. If "Entity Instance" is next to the search text bar, use the drop down arrow, and change it to your inherited flashlight. 
7. Under "GameEntity" component, find "SCR_FlashlightComponent" in the list and highlight it. 
8. You will see the following subitems, "Gadget", "Flashlight", "Sound", and "Unsorted". 
9. Expand "Flashlight", then expand "Lens Array", and then expand "None". 
10. Find "Lense Color", and click on the color bars. This will open the color dialog. 
11. We want the RGB values to be 255, 0, 0. Select "OK" once the values are set. 
12. Save your work. Ctrl S.  
13. Select the subcomponent "LightEntity_1" in the "Hierarchy" pane.
14. If "Entity Instance" is next to the search text bar, use the drop down arrow, and change it to your inherited flashlight. 
15. In "Object Properties" highlight "LightEntity" component. 
16. Expand "Light properties", locate "Color" and click on the color bar.
17. We want the RGBA values to be 255, 0, 0, 0. Select "OK" once the values are set. 
18. Save your work. Ctrl S. 
19. Reopen your project world. 

 

To test the flashlight, it has to be dark. Use game master, or timeandweather manager to make it dark outside. 
I replaced all white light flashlights on the characters loadout to ensure they have a red one. To do that, edit the characters "SCR_ionventoryStorageManagerComponent". See post above. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[HOW-TO] Tips on World Editor 

 

Icon Bar

• Use the "Entity Select Filter" to focus only the active layer. Use "Select from active layer only". This keeps the hierarchy tree from opening all the sub-branches. Especially the "ArmaReforger" branch. 
• Use the "Ground Manipulation Tool" to move objects already snapped to ground and oriented. 

 

Camera

• Right above the world view are 4 tabs. "Persp", "Camera", "Shading", and "Placement". 
• If you find the resolution of the scroll wheel to zoom to rough, click on the camera tab, and set FOV to 5. This will allow you to zoom in very close to an object for exact placement. 

Hierarchy Pane

• Create layers to segregate entities. Right click on world and select "Create Layer". I.E. FOB for all entities placed as an operation base. 
• Lock your layer to keep from accidently moving entities after creating the perfect FOB.
• You cannot lock active layers. 
• Hide entities by clicking on the "Eye". Useful to eliminate clutter and can't select entities. 
• You can pop out the different tabs and stack them. Select the create tab, and then in the upper right, select the "window" icon. This will pop out the create tab in its own window. Then drag below or above the hierarchy tab and pop it back in. Now have 2 viewable panes, one for hierarchy, and create. 
• Or grab the title bar of the pane and drag it. It will pop out the window. 
• To go back to tabs view, drag the pane until the whole pane is highlight blue, and drop. Rearrange the tabs by grabbing and dragging. 
• If working in one layer, IE "Tasks". Right click on layer and make active. All entities place in the world will appear in the active layer. 

 

Resource Browser

• The settings menu for the resource browser is the gear wheel icon on the right side of the search bar.  
• To change the view mode of the resource browser, select the "gear wheel > view mode > grid view or list view". 
• To see what an object looks like before placing in the world, use the "ICON SCALE" slider in setting menu to increase the size of the icon image.
• To quickly move to the top of the directory tree, press the "Up Arrow" icon (right of the search box). 
• Filter out and only show the prefabs, click on the funnel icon, and select "Prefabs". 

 

 

 

 

[Blackheart_Six 283]

[HOW-TO] Get the project name vs GUID Folder number

 

1. If you want to get the name AND the GUID of a project, without opening explorer, hover your mouse over the project icon in the icon launcher. 

 

UPDATE: BI is now putting the GUID in the folder name of the mod. You can copy it out of that as well.

 

 

[Blackheart_Six 283]

[HOW-TO] Effectively apply dependency update to user created missions. 

If a dependency of a user mission is updated, that update is not automatically detected by your project in Enfusion Workbench. Even if you use Shift-R to reload game scripts. 

 

1. Close Enfusion Workbench. 

2. Delete dependency(s) folder needing update. I.E. NightOps Dynamic Spawn Framework. 

3. Launch ARMA Reforger, and go to Workshop.

4. Download dependency deleted in step 2. 

5. Quit Reforger, and start Enfusion Workbench.

6. Open user project, and check changes were applied. 

 

[Blackheart_Six 283]

[HOW-TO] Create a separate world layer for each edited manager

 

If you create a world layer for each manager that you customize, then that manager becomes a layer file  (FactionManager.layer). And that file can be edited, copied and pasted into other missions.

For example, I always customize my SCR_FactionManager with the same settings. I maintain a library of edited managers files, and just paste them in. Saves time setting up the managers. If you put all your managers in one layer, then you get one big file. You can edit it, but it is easier to deal with several small files vs one big one. Make damn sure you have backups before editing any files.