Need guidance in mission editor. help? :)

[topeira 10]

hi there.

im very new to ARMA and the editor and i want to start by trying something and cant seem to understand how.

i've read some manuals on the editor and i dont think i understood what was written there so i ask.

i am using the FFN mod and sometimes the ACE mod as well. FYI

for the sake of the thread lets use these terms:

FU = friendly units

EU = enemy units

WP = waypoints

TR = triggers

i want to create a simple mission, just for starters.

mission A) a village filled with EU and i need to clean them all (all infantry)

mission B) a battle between many EU and FU that clash on a certain ground but most of the FU are not under my command. they are on their own. (all infantry)

concerning mission A:

i know how to place EU and FU and the player. i know how to place a trigger that says that once opfor is not present i get end1 so the mission ends.

i know how to link units to one character so it's the leader.

i know that i can place WP but im not sure what to do with them and what they mean, even though i read about them in some online manuals (like wiki).

so, my main issue is that even though i know how to populate a village with EU that will attack me if they see me i have this problem where the AI units do not actively search for me once im spotted by one of them. they just stay where they spawned, most of the time. sometimes they go to unexpected locations. just sometimes. the almost never really try and hunt me or my FU down.

i guess i need to set behavior via WP for the EU so they do that but i dont know how or what type of WP.

can i assign WP on myself, the player? should i?

what's the difference between search&destroy and just destroy?

there's a lot i dont know about how to make the AI search after me and my FU once one of us has been made out.

i need some guidance...

about mission B:

again, i think i need to know more about WP to make the EU and FU engage one another until all are dead. how do i make a large number of EU to try and clear a certain area from all my FU and visa versa?

gemeral questions:

what is the difference between guard and sentry?

what happens if i set guard WP on the ground? what will the AI do when they get there if the HAVE another WP after it or if the DONT have one?

what does the AI do if i set Seek & destroy on the ground if they dont or do get WP after it?

can i attach a WP to my own character? cuz it doesnt seem so. what will happen if that WP is seek & destroy?

thanks for any help.

Edited May 4, 2009 by topeira

[topeira 10]

oh man.... no help :(

what a pitty

so no one care to share the secrets? i know the answers are really easy and almost everyone here knows, but no one cares to share?

i'd really appreciate any input.

[dmarkwick 261]

Everything you need to know to accomplish the above, can be learned from this resource :)

[stilton 0]

Give each Enemy and Friendly group a 'move' or 'search and destroy' waypoint, this is where they will clash.

When you double click the waypoint, and are about to create it, try setting their behaviour as 'combat' or aware. Combat means they move slower, but are.. well, yeh. more combat focused. Aware is their default status (which you probably have now) which means that if they do spot you, they should engage you.

Now for a few minor tips that should make sure they attack you. If you want to make sure they dont run away because of one sides superior numbers/strength..

Double click on the leader of the group who you think might flee (or do this for every group, meaning no-one will flee) and in the 'Edit Unit' window that comes up, in the initialization box enter:

group this allowFleeing 0;

If you want to make sure that a group holds position/formation at a waypoint you've set, and the leader doesnt send his men in, ie: "2, ENGAGE THAT MAN" (2 then runs off and gets shot)

in the leader's initialization box put:

group this enableAttack false;

You can use both commands in the same unit's init box, just make sure it has the ';' i have included between the 2 examples. That's how id set up a quick and dirty firefight in an exact location i wanted.

---

answering specific questions:

Guard waypoints only work with 'Triggers' you put down.. i think its the activation box in the 'insert/edit trigger' screen, has a 'Guarded By' option, and you choose which side guards that tigger-area. Any units who have 'guard' waypoints will then move to that area, but in my experience messing around with them, guard waypoints/triggers arent really worth the hassle. Sentry ones are good for patrols as i believe the units only engage things they spot and if they eliminate them continue their patrol, whereas guard waypoint units apparently share information on enemies spotted, which might sound great, but its not if they end up running in the wrong direction to attack enemy that another guard-waypoint-squad has spotted, when they should be guarding their area.

Seek and destroy waypoints are what they say on the tin, units given them search an area around the waypoints centre, not sure how big an area to be honest.

..and yes, you can give your own character a waypoint. It may not be showing up because you have turned them off in the difficulty options? If you cant actually create one for your player character in the editor, you must not have the unit selected or something, because its basically the same way you create one for an AI squad.

Hope this helps

( since people are linking guides, the Biki has a great page explaining in detail each different waypoints purpose and use, just what you're after: here )

Edited May 5, 2009 by Stilton
answering specific questions

[Binkowski 26]

I'm personally a big fan of OFPEC.

www.ofpec.com

Head to the mission editors depot. The COMREF has everything you need to know about commands in the initialization etc etc.

[topeira 10]

thanks for replying, guys.

the guids u gave me are guids that i know of. havent helped me and that's why i wrote here.

stilton, special thanks to you, of course.

i still dont get a few basic things:

1) if i set a sentry WP and that unit or group is going towards that WP, if they spot an enemy, will they go out of their way to find and kill it? that's what im looking for.

2) what is the WP i need to use in order to make units stand in a certain place but leave that place to engage enemies if spotted? i need a WP i can place, so AI that will go there will stay there, but if the AI spots me than they will leave that spot and maneuver on me. not just kinda stay where they were but chase me down.

3) seek&destroy seemed nice in the beginning but it seemed like the units that reach the WP just stay there eventually instead of going after me if i leave the area, not to mention that they stay so close to where they (or should i say "I"?) decide to be that they dont take cover, even.

4) i asked if i can give WP on units. can i tell EU to destroy my own unit? like place a WP on myself? cuz it seems like it isnt possible. the WP doesnt get locked on my (or my FU's) icon...

5) what happens if i set a DESTROY WP on the ground? what will the AI do with that WP if it's just a ground or a building?

6) what will the AI do if i dont give them any WP at all? if they spot an enemy, what will they do?

7) so how can i make a group of AIs to search a certain area for enemies? is the best way is just to set a patrol that has many WP on the area i want to cover and set them to SENTRY?

if so than how can i make the AI to travel WP forever? can i make the AI back track on it's own WPs if they reach the last WP? or go from the last WP to the first and repeat it's course?

thanks again, guys

Edited May 6, 2009 by topeira

[walker 0]

Hi topeira

First off read this

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor#Waypoints_Mode_.28F4.29

Set most enemy to GUARD type waypoints. Only give them that one waypoint, unless you get into scripting you can not break out of a guard waypoint anyway. They are your reaction force. Do not alter anything else on them. Less is more with GUARD waypoints. ;) What you are doing when you set units to GUARD is placing them under the AI's control; so it is best to just let it do its thing.

Next place GuardedBy (your EU force whichever it is) triggers over the geography you wish to fight over. More than one different location works best.

Then set some other units to MOVE/SENTRY waypoints as your initiator, they will draw in the units set to GUARD. If the EU Force is attacking use MOVE waypoints and have them scout the area you want to attack. If the EU Force are defending use SENTRY and place them around the area you wish the EU Force to defend, so they can see various avenues of approach.

SENTRY units remain static until they spot the enemy, it acts as an Identify Friend or Foe sensor, altering the skill of such units alters when they will recognise the enemy as will their rank and whether they have scoped weapons or are a certain type of unit, vary their skill levels do not just slide it to the end. It is sensible for the waypoint after SENTRY waypoint to be the action such a unit would make when it spots an enemy, go hide or wait until reinforcements arrive, go to a reaction point, GUARD/SEEK & DESTROY are immediate reaction type alternatives, so some form of pause before them may be sensible, as I said as circumstances dictate.

SENTRY waypoints mean to "stand sentry", if you want patrolling groups marching around just use MOVE waypoints and alter alertness as circumstances require.

I will try to answer this more fully later I just got back from climbing for the last week and now I am off to see Star Trek.

The SEEK & DESTROY waypoint acts like a local and time limited GUARD waypoint.

Beyond this you need to get into the wonderful world of ArmA scripting.

Kind Regards walker

Edited May 9, 2009 by walker
Rushed post butter fingered typos and clarity plus additional points