I.C.E. - Integrated Command Environment

[froggyluv 2136]

Hi Doc, any updates on this project?

[Goldline 0]

anything new ?

Btw looking great

[dr_eyeball 16]

Hi, thanks for your query. Obviously I haven't posted an update in a long time. I'll simply reiterate my replies to earlier PM enquiries for now.

Updates/Progress:

I basically put it on hold so that I could spend time actually making some missions for once.

There are no short-term plans for an update, but I would like to release a more complete version, hopefully with new MP player comm's mentioned below. Could be a while, unless you've got a mission in mind.

Code: If you're simply after updated source files to browse, the files are included in the Devastation v0.4a mission.

• However the Command Interface is turned off since it doesn't benefit PvP missions and has been replaced purely with popup menus which serve as the MP player comm's for now.
  
• The MFD concept proved to be harder to use and read than popup menus, so that will probably be scrapped.
  
• The code has been restructured a lot to separate the popup menus into about 10 sub systems, which should allow easier inclusion/exclusion as needed.
  

AI Benefits vs Player Benefits:

So far, it's main benefit is only for SP and MP AI and that is not my main goal.

My main goal requires adding MP player communications (notifications, requests & acknowledgements).

• I added some team-level MP player comm's concepts into the Devastation misison. See screenshot of popup menus which shows: Group orders, Spotting & Requests.
  
• If I can expand that into a small hierarchy (commander, team leaders, sub-ordinates) concept with proper acknowledgements, then that may suffice for a future update.
  

Suitable Mission Types:

If someone had a suitable mission to utilise and test I.C.E. in, I would resume working on it faster. Without this, it becomes difficult to design, test and progress with it.

I have tried including I.C.E. into the various CTI's missions, but found it conflicting with CTI's automatic AI control which is of a higher level anyway, so it didn't show much benefit at that stage, without the MP player comm's part.

Interest & Usability:

Although this project is an interesting concept and has people interested, there's not much feedback and I'm really not sure if many people would seriously use it - both in terms of inclusion in a mission and secondly players utilising it during a game.

Early tests showed that players wouldn't even bother or know how to use the required acknowledgements and systems anyway. I guess you need serious players willing to learn it all.

Hope that covers it for now.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Dr_Eyeball

[delta99 34]

I'm assuming this is a dead project at this point? Or am I hopefully wrong?

[Kimmeh 0]

Wow I just stumbled into this and it sounds truly what I'd need for the ArmA 2 coop clan I'm going to make. It's got a nice official immersive way of radio communication with sitrep reports and all, and allows a combination of AI and humans, it's great.

If you would make something this big in ArmA 2 and it'd be fully functional and to my liking, I'll have my clan use it on all missions(providing it's a script, not an addon), hell I'll throw in $10 on your paypal account as a thanks!

It's too bad you had little feedback on it Dr Eyeball, it was ambitious but few people want the hassle of strategic gameplay in ArmA/ArmA 2, but it's exactly what I like to aim my missions and future clan on. Big battles just have more of an epic feel to it, and allow for so much tactical intrigue.

Please throw me a PM or something if you're planning to make this for ArmA 2, I'll subscribe to the thread for sure!

Kimmeh