Aircraft Carrier slideyness

[stilton 0]

I couldn't think of a great way to describe what's happening other than 'slideyness'.

I am trying to make a basic static house object in the shape of an aircraft carrier.. I was having problems with the collision mesh not being there on the deck, so i have divided the deck up into boxes on the collision mesh so that from my limited testing so far anyway i can now run along -parts of- the deck and land a chopper on it...

But at points my character seems to get stuck and slides across areas of the deck, which results in death as im testing the boat on land - I believe this is at the seam points of the different 'collision boxes' in using (and i have just tried overlapping these collision boxes and it didnt help - sniff)

I'm importing the basic boat model from 3dsmax and as i say it's just a basic house static object with a config taken from brrseb's tutorial on making a crate, because all the config stuff is a bit wahey

But if anyone knows a fix to what im experiencing or knows what might be causing it, i'd appreciate the help

a little more info, i dunno if its related to this problem..

despite being able to 'land' on the carrier, and turn off the engine and 'eject' the option to 'get-out' doesnt appear.

thanks if anyone can help with my slippery-deck phenomenon

[Guest RKSL-Rock]

Have you created a roadway LOD?

[stilton 0]

a roadway LOD you say...

..time to go read more i guess any references you could point me to ? if you have any at hand

(wasnt mentioned in the tutorial i was doing, but i suppose that's for opf, thanks ill start looking there)

[Guest RKSL-Rock]

a roadway LOD you say...

..time to go read more i guess any references you could point me to ? if you have any at hand

(wasnt mentioned in the tutorial i was doing, but i suppose that's for opf, thanks ill start looking there)

Yeah you will need a raodway ... his is just a simple face covering the areas that you want to walk on.

[stilton 0]

Wow, was that easier than i thought it'd be...

Right now i come to my next problem.. I've been up all night so i got an endurance thingy going on

I think because my aircraft carrier was too big, the roadway LOD hit it's limit (i appeared to drop off the end of the runway even though there was roadway polys covering that area) - So after more reading about people are talking about splitting the mesh up and combining it later using scripting.. to get around it..

So i have already sliced my mesh down the middle and seperated the 2 files, and with 2 addons... and i've put them in the editor and used a funky script in the initialization like:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">this setpos [(getpos Tc01F select 0)-63.25,(getpos Tc01F select 1)-3,(getpos Tc01F select 2)+0];

To put the rear of the aircraft carrier offset at the right place compared to whereever i place the Front of it (i suppose this will mess up if i do it this way and rotate it, but for now.)

My big problem is, if this is the right way to get around the limit of the roadway LOD /collision size, how exactly do i combine the 2 models, because when i get close to the seam inbetween the 2 statics my character just seems to drop down inbetween the 2 models.

There is no 'gap' for him to fall down however, he seems to fall into the model and i have even tried adding extra roadwayLOD's on both sides to give each side an extra cushion near the seam of the 2 giant objects, but i still fall through..

cheers to anyone who knows where im going wrong

[Bern 0]

I had the same sort of problems when I started out building my Sydney Harbour Bridge. I found (basically by trial & error) that if you make your roadway LOD any larger than about 65m in length you get problems with falling through gaps that aren't there.

I decided to stick to 50m or less, and it seems to be (more or less) working. I say "more or less" because I've still got some strange problems with one of the parts, where some vehicles get "stuck" or slightly sink into the surface - it depends on the vehicle, though - HMMWVs sink slightly and slow down, Datsun utes get completely stuck, Hilux utes don't even notice... Foot soldiers have no problem, though, and I don't know about choppers, but I suspect they'd be fine.

How big are your two "halves" of the carrier?

[[aps]gnat 28]

The limit is about 64 meters, and that includes the diagonal, so limit your sections lengths to about 50m as Bern suggested.

There is no other way around this, we had all the same problems with the OFP Nimitz carrier, and even when ported to ArmA all the same issues persist.

Use a script to place the bits, dont use the INIT field etc.

All bit must be placed in 1 run of the script, because the WAVE HEIGHT can effect the *exact* height of the deck.

** Make the ROADWAY LOD surface a little above the Decks GEO LOD "deck". This usually removed the "collision" issues for wheeled and air vehicles.

i.e. Have the RESOLUTION and ROADWAY lod "decks" at the same height, but push the GEO Lod deck down about 0.2-0.5 meters out of the way.

Ensure you check that the decks for each separate peice (p3d file) line up by copy-paste the deck from 1 to the other to see that they line up exactly (vertically), then delete what you just pasted after the check.

Have them overlap horizontally a bit (~1m). It wont cause a problem and usually stops people fall-throughs if you haven't exceeded the 64m size limits.

Best of luck

[stilton 0]

Wow thanks for your replies... it's great to hear other peoples experiences and know that i'm not the only person who's come unstuck due to this

Well, it's not great, but at least it doesnt make me feel stupid.

This does though   -  I don't know what size my 'carrier' is.. because im building it in max,  then i import the 3ds

and in the scale settings i have it set to   2  :  1

But i'm really not too clued-up on how to use O2.. i'm sure it tells you the ingame size of your models somewhere but if anyone can point me ot that  

cheers for all y'all help everyone, it's really appreicated.

[edit much]

Also, i have split it up like you suggest Gnat and it works good but i'm curious if there is a better way to have it all connected together at runtime?

Because my current way of using the script in the Init is trial and error at best and only works with having the rotation of the FrontDeck as it is, if i were to turn it 90* left i'd have to re-guesstimate that little script..

[stilton 0]

My aircraft carrier is progressing...

I've practically started again making it bigger :-)

2 issues i'm still having problems with are

- When i land the BI harriers on the deck... they seem to want to fold up their gear... and sit there on the deck parked, but not on their gear.. which is fine, i mean i can manage to take them off again - But it'd look just silghtly better if they didnt fold the gear up on touching the carrier...

What i don't understand is i am also using MAS Beta 0.2 F18.. And i can land this on the carrier (with a hella lot of practice) and it's gear dont crumple up on hitting the carrier, i can drive it around the limited parking area there is on deck.

So i'm not sure if this is something i've done.. my inability to fly the harrier, or if it's just something to do with how the BI harriers detect what is solid ground, i've never tried a VTOL landing with a harrier onto a building myself..

my 2nd problem is lighting the deck of my carrier...

I have tried lots of variations of lights and i seem to be running into a few problems..

I've searched and checked tutorials but i'm curious -

- Is it possible to have a light without having the "spotlight-cone" effect.. because this seems to be the only way to light stuff such as the surroundings..

- if so, how?

cheers

[franze 196]

Merging back with the original topic. Stilton, this thread is still good for discussing your problems.

Your first question, the F/A-18E/F is designed to be carrier compatible. It doesn't use the default gear retraction of the game, instead using it's own.

I don't know much about lighting so I can't offer more help for the second question.

[stilton 0]

ah well thanks for merging the topics...

I only posted a 2nd one as this one has a wierd title.. and it wont help when people are searching for anything to do with lighting, if you see my meaning..

..Not trying to monopolise the forums for my own personal use

So, are you saying that the default BI -gear system is pretty much incompatible with carriers?

[[aps]gnat 28]

-  When i land the BI harriers on the deck... they seem to want to fold up their gear... and sit there on the deck parked, but not on their gear..  which is fine, i mean i can manage to take them off again  -  But it'd look just silghtly better if they didnt fold the gear up on touching the carrier...

Yep, not you. Standard difference between BIS "auto-retract" gear and manual gear usually provided by Addon makers.

As I did with OFP planes, its probably possible to make a slight config change to AV8s and other planes/choppers to make a "naval" version where gear doesnt fold by itself.

Quote[/b] ]- Is it possible to have a light without having the "spotlight-cone" effect.. because this seems to be the only way to light stuff such as the surroundings..

No, not that I've seen.

[scars09 9]

use rvmat to give objects a self shining effect. looks good for position or landing lights, no light cone. but it will be always on as soon its dark enough.

f.e. yellow/orange light is something light this

ambient[]={0.930000,0.586001,0.204001,1.000000};

diffuse[]={0.930000,0.586001,0.204001,1.000000};

forcedDiffuse[]={0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,1.000000};

emmisive[]={0.930000,0.586001,0.204001,1.000000};

specular[]={0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,1.000000};

specularPower=0.000000;

PixelShaderID="Normal";

VertexShaderID="Basic";

[stilton 0]

thanks for your  help Gnat / Scars...

I have just found the material section bit and have wrote a few for my carrier,  one for the deck and one for the various lights, and it does indeed make them self illumunated...

But i'd also like to either have them give off a bit of light,  not in the 'headlight'  fashion... 'campfire' style  so the lights actually light up their surrounding fixtures and such..

Or i'm just going to have to litter my model with spotlights, but i think that'll look terrible...

My main concern is i have a radio tower /crows nest of sorts...

and you can't really see the red/green 'lights'  that are set to self illuminate/emission until you are flying into it....  Which means they don't really serve their purpose...

For example, how do the buildings and Watertower's, etc, static objects with lights on them.. how do they work, i haven't moved my character up to their lights much ingame to see if they actually light your character up... But the campfires sure do. And what about the current BI wing-fixed flashy red/green lights for planes?

Surely, with all this config-modding you have to do...  just to get a model into the game...  

You're tellin me i can't stick a Proper-light source on an external model?  It just seems so wrong, hehe

[scars09 9]

use this

Light can be created with command createVehicle with special vehicle class "#lightpoint"

for example:

_light = "#lightpoint" createVehicleLocal pos;

_light setLightBrightness 1.0;

_light setLightAmbient[0.0, 1.0, 0.0];

_light setLightColor[0.0, 1.0, 0.0];

_light lightAttachObject [_object, [0,0,0]]

or of course take a look at the position lights, a point in memory lod

[stilton 0]

Hi scars, really appreciate your help here...

this also might make me sound stupid but i gotta say it... i have done a fair bit of research and also found another topic where people mentioned a class called

MarkerLights

which i'm assuming are the same as your 'positional lights'

i tried placing a vertex in the memory LOD, giving it a selection group and then fiddling with the config...

...But it is entirely the 'fiddling with the config' part that i manage to complete mess up i think, because often it moans as soon as i hit 'Preview' in the mission editor...

Is it possible to get the game to output a script of sorts showing all the available variables for each of these 'classes'

I'm far from a programmer, so i don't know if anything above i've said makes sense... But it'd be really great if i could get some reference on how to use the markerlight/positional lights :P on my static object.

also, another stupid question.. you say the createvehicle command? does that mean i'd have to use that in the mission editor, or in my config.cpp for the model?

- Because what you've written out defiantely looks like a config.cpp sort of snippit.. what is being referenced as it's position in the model? thanks

thanks again and again you guys are a great help - i dont know where i'd be without ya

[Guest RKSL-Rock]

EDIT - Hmm didnt see that last post...

thanks for your  help Gnat / Scars...

I have just found the material section bit and have wrote a few for my carrier,  one for the deck and one for the various lights, and it does indeed make them self illumunated...

But i'd also like to either have them give off a bit of light,  not in the 'headlight'  fashion... 'campfire' style  so the lights actually light up their surrounding fixtures and such..

Or i'm just going to have to litter my model with spotlights, but i think that'll look terrible...

My main concern is i have a radio tower /crows nest of sorts...

and you can't really see the red/green 'lights'  that are set to self illuminate/emission until you are flying into it....  Which means they don't really serve their purpose...

For example, how do the buildings and Watertower's, etc, static objects with lights on them.. how do they work, i haven't moved my character up to their lights much ingame to see if they actually light your character up... But the campfires sure do. And what about the current BI wing-fixed  flashy red/green lights for planes?

Surely, with all this config-modding you have to do...  just to get a model into the game...  

You're tellin me i can't stick a Proper-light source on an external model?  It just seems so wrong, hehe

Assuming you are defining the sectiosn of your carrier as a vehicle why not use the Marker lights class?

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE"> class MarkerLights

{

class RedStill

{

name = "cerveny pozicni";

color[] = {1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.01, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

class Redflash

{

name = "cerveny blink";

color[] = {1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.01, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "true";

};

class GreenStill

{

name = "zeleny pozicni";

color[] = {0.1, 1.0, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.01, 0.1, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

class WhiteStill

{

name = "whitestill";

color[] = {1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

};

Actually it shoud work for most classes, well not guns or untis but buildings and ships/planes/cars/tanks etc should be ok.

[Bern 0]

So if I add that MarkerLights class to my config.cpp, I then add vertices in the memory LOD with the appropriate name (e.g. create a named selection called "cerveny blink" for the red flashing ones), and I should get the lights showing up?

'Cause I'm having no luck with that.

Where do I need to put the MarkerLights definition in my config.cpp? Inside the class definition for the building itself?

[scars09 9]

Quote[/b] ]class Land_watertower1 : House {

scope = protected;

model = "\ca\buildings\watertower1";

displayName = $STR_DN_WATERTOWER1;

armor = 500;

destrType = "DestructBuilding";

class DestructionEffects : DestructionEffects {

class Ruin1 {

simulation = "ruin";

type = "\ca\buildings\ruins\watertower1_ruins.p3d";

position = "";

intensity = 1;

interval = 1;

lifeTime = 1;

};

};

ladders[] = {{"start", "end"}};

class MarkerLights {

class RedBlinking {

name = "cerveny pozicni";

color[] = {1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.01, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = true;

};

};

};

dont forget that it need to be dark

[Bern 0]

Yeah, tried that.

Had a look at the BIS config.cpp for the buildings (watertower, radio mast, lighthouse, a few others with flashing lights), and copied verbatim the bits about lights.

Loaded it up in-game, with my addon next to a watertower. The watertower has a flashing red light, my addon doesn't. Spent several hours going over it, trying lots of different modifications, with no success whatsoever.

Is there anything needed anywhere other than in the config.cpp?

Does the addon need to have ": House" in it's class definition?

I'm stumped, but good.

And don't get me started about ladders...

[stilton 0]

you need to have 'sections' defined in the CfgModels..

I don't know what relevance this actually has as to how the light affects it.. but without adding the name of the 0.00 LOD's selection to that area of the config.. my light didn't show up at all.

Unless of course yours is showing up.. In which case my info probably doesnt help.

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

class CfgModels

{

class All {};

class AllVehicles: All {};

class Land: AllVehicles {};

class Static : Land {};

class Building : Static {};

class NonStrategic : Building {};

class Fence : NonStrategic {};

class WireFence: Fence {};

class House: NonStrategic {};

class ViewTower2: House{};

class TcCarrierTower: ViewTower2

{

sectionsInherit = "";

sections[] =

{

  "CarrierTow"

};

};

};

That's just an example of what i have above my CfgPatches section.. I'm not saying its right because all my stuff is guesswork and trial and error but mine show up..

so-

0.00 LOD  -  has selection named  CarrierTow

hope that helps and i've not got the wrong end of the stick

[Bern 0]

Thanks for the reply, I tried that (naming a section), but there's obviously something else not right about my configs. No lights for me.

Here are the bits from my model.cfg & config.cpp. Any suggestions for how to get lights/ladders working would be greatly appreciated! I would really like to add some red flashing lights to my bridge, along with a series of streetlights to illuminate the deck at night.

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE"> class SHB_truss_mid: House

{

skeletonName = "SHB_truss_mid";

sectionsInherit = "";

sections[] =

{

"FlagPole"

};

};

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE"> class Land_SHB_truss_mid: House

{

scope = protected;

model = "\SHB\SHB_truss_mid.p3d";

simulation = "road";

displayName = "SHB truss mid-section";

armor=1000;

RUINEFFECT(SHB_truss_mid)

class MarkerLights

{

class RedStill

{

name = "cerveny pozicni";

color[] = {1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.01, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

class Redflash

{

name = "cerveny pozicni blik";

color[] = {1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.01, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "true";

// position = navlight;

};

class GreenStill

{

name = "zeleny pozicni";

color[] = {0.1, 1.0, 0.1, 1};

ambient[] = {0.01, 0.1, 0.01, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

class WhiteStill

{

name = "whitestill";

color[] = {1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1};

ambient[] = {0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1};

brightness = 0.01;

blinking = "false";

};

};

};

[stilton 0]

you see where you've commented out its position as 'navlight'

if that's what you've named the vertex in the ... memory lod, then that's what you should name it's name..

if that makes sense..

so instead of calling it whatever it is in czech... blahby-blik ..you just 'name' it navlight .. to correspond with your named vertex..

...sorry if you've tried this and again im getting the stick wrong end thereof

[scars09 9]

simulationtype road is the problem i guess.

maybe try house, or better, since its class house allready, simply take simulationtype out for a quick test.

[[aps]gnat 28]

As I suggested Bern, you probably need to define 1-4 extra p3ds and add new config text to your existing pack.

Dont config them the same as bridge sections, config them as their own object. Mimic the street lights.

They are nothing more than a light source raised up to the right height, place right on top of your bridge sections on the map.

Bingo, it looks like your bridge sections themselves have lights attached.