Basic Briefing howto

[Redfield-77 10]

Yeah, this new briefing thing seems overly complicated. While it seems to have more flexibility, without some kind of wizard or tutorial in the editor it's very clumsy to use.

Actually the way it was done in Arma was more than flexable enough to do what you want. There was also a nice tool for doing it quick and painless. Changing the way it is done just alienates some creative people wich equals fewer quality missions from the community.

[El Mariachi 0]

I really hope someone does create a wizard for this. I am sure eventually I'll get used to the setup of the new briefing, but the Arma Edit briefing wizard made things so much easier and since the script has to be an sqf anyway, I'll definitely be waiting for some word that someone creates a briefing wizard.

Other than that, I will have to figure out this tskobj stuff and hope its tying in correctly.

If i do add images to the file, do i have to specify them in the description.ext too or just have the jpg somewhere in the pbo?

[Ghost 40]

I really hope someone does create a wizard for this. I am sure eventually I'll get used to the setup of the new briefing, but the Arma Edit briefing wizard made things so much easier and since the script has to be an sqf anyway, I'll definitely be waiting for some word that someone creates a briefing wizard.

Other than that, I will have to figure out this tskobj stuff and hope its tying in correctly.

If i do add images to the file, do i have to specify them in the description.ext too or just have the jpg somewhere in the pbo?

put the image in your missions\missionname folder. they are not specified in the description.ext file, but in the briefing script. use the old code way for adding the picture

[Dan86 10]

Well i tried it like that:

player createDiaryRecord ["Diary", ["Photo", "Yesterday", <img src="uav1.jpg" width="135" height="75">]];

is a part of briefing.sqf, but everything is working and the picture is not there where its supposed to be.

On the http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Overview_Picture they wrote:

"Define the overview.html (we not use it anymore in a2)

In your overview.html you need to call the image via an HTML tag"

will HTML code work in sqf?!

[Ghost 40]

player createDiaryRecord["Diary", ["Info", "<br/>Author - Ghost<br/>Version 3<br/><br/><img image='ghost.paa'/>"]];

thats what i have in my missions and all works great!

[Dan86 10]

Ok that helped me a lot, now its almost working

player createDiaryRecord ["Diary", ["Photo", "Yesterday <br/><br/> Intel <br/><img image='uav1.paa'/>"]];

but i encounter next problem, when img is loading to display in brief message coming up that "cannot load mipmaps..."

what options did you set in paa plugin to have it working, i tried with mipmaps/no mipmaps-still error, change img res-still nothin, dxt5/auto-same error...:confused:

[daanvs 0]

Is it possible to not have the destination marker actually show still keep the wapoint for when the task is selected?

[Ghost 40]

Ok that helped me a lot, now its almost working

but i encounter next problem, when img is loading to display in brief message coming up that "cannot load mipmaps..."

what options did you set in paa plugin to have it working, i tried with mipmaps/no mipmaps-still error, change img res-still nothin, dxt5/auto-same error...:confused:

I just used ArmA tools Text View 2. Seemed to work for me.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

What kind of tags are supported? Can we use i.e. preformatted text, or parseText or whatever for this?

[Dan86 10]

Looks like parseText working for adding the image, so it should be working.

[Pundaria 10]

createDiaryRecord

createSimpleTask

setSimpleTaskDescription

setSimpleTaskDestination

setTaskState

Where do I type these stuff????? wordpad?

[Redfield-77 10]

createDiaryRecord

createSimpleTask

setSimpleTaskDescription

setSimpleTaskDestination

setTaskState

Where do I type these stuff????? wordpad?

create new text document.

[VanhA-ICON 11]

createDiaryRecord

createSimpleTask

setSimpleTaskDescription

setSimpleTaskDestination

setTaskState

Where do I type these stuff????? wordpad?

Either that or use this:

ArmA edit

[Pundaria 10]

Where do I place the txt. file?

[PRiME 1]

Re-read this thread! Don't be lazy.

[VanhA-ICON 11]

Where do I place the txt. file?

Check the first post in this topic.

I suggest you put these commands in a file called briefing.sqf so you keep your other files clean, and then in your init.sqf write [] execVM "briefing.sqf";

Just rename the txt as sqf and place it under your mission folder.

[Pundaria 10]

thx guys

[Pundaria 10]

My file is from ARMA edit which is a briefing file. I named it "briefing" and I put it in a file called "briefing.sqf" inside the mission file.

And I write execVM "briefing.sqf" in the "init.sqf"(created by myself) that I put also inside the mission file.

Pressing Shift+preview shows fail to load the script briefing.sqf

. Dudes, help...:butbut:

Did I misunderstand something?

Edited July 11, 2009 by Pundaria

[Cellus 10]

I have a briefing half-working in MP. I have

switch (side player) do

{

case west:

{ etc.

}

case east:

{etc.

}

}

which causes the marines to have their briefing, but nothing for the Russians. Any ideas?

Ed: ah, just needed ; between cases

Edited July 12, 2009 by Cellus

[Pundaria 10]

I can only read my written tasks and notes in editor... For starting the mission in sp mission, no notes can be read... I placed it under my mission folder

[Durka-Durka 10]

Hey I really appreciate the work the OP and others put out there to help those who want to make briefings, but I'm a beginner at this stuff and the original howto seems to require previous knowlege of making briefings and such.

Is there a tutorial out there that walks us through the whole process from start to finish on how to make briefings in basic terms, explaining step-by-step how this works? For instance, I've been reading this over and over and it took me an hour just to figure out what the init.sqf file was, how to make it and where to put it. And now I'm still not sure, as I haven't read anything so far that explains it. That's not to mention the actual briefing file itself. No disrespect to the OP, as he's helped a lot of people, but my newbiness needs to figure this out in a simple manner :) Thanks for any input.

[Redfield-77 10]

Hey I really appreciate the work the OP and others put out there to help those who want to make briefings, but I'm a beginner at this stuff and the original howto seems to require previous knowlege of making briefings and such.

Is there a tutorial out there that walks us through the whole process from start to finish on how to make briefings in basic terms, explaining step-by-step how this works? For instance, I've been reading this over and over and it took me an hour just to figure out what the init.sqf file was, how to make it and where to put it. And now I'm still not sure, as I haven't read anything so far that explains it. That's not to mention the actual briefing file itself. No disrespect to the OP, as he's helped a lot of people, but my newbiness needs to figure this out in a simple manner :) Thanks for any input.

// last created entries go on top, so reverse the order
// <marker name='obj1'>here</marker>// 
//<img image='shilk.paa'/>//

// create a simple note in the briefing
player createDiaryRecord["Diary", ["Oleg V. Takarov", "<img image='olegphoto.paa'/><br/>Oleg Vidaly Takarov<br/>AKA Kowmap<br/><br/>DOB 6-17-73<br/>"]];

player createDiaryRecord["Diary", ["ROE", "You are weapons free for the duration of the operation.<br/>Try to use your best judgement Red-Tide and avoid any international incidents."]];

player createDiaryRecord["Diary", ["Situation", "XXXXX"]];
player createDiaryRecord["Diary", ["Mission Overview", "XXXXX"]];


// <br/> is a line break, forcing the text behind it to go on a new line

// create a task



tsk3 = player createSimpleTask["Extraction"]; // adds a task w/o desc or marker
tsk3 setSimpleTaskDescription["Make your way to the USS Everon offshore for extraction.", "Extraction", "USS Everon"];
tsk3 setSimpleTaskDestination (getMarkerPos "extraction"); // make sure you've added a marker!

tsk4 = player createSimpleTask["Stockpile"]; // adds a task w/o desc or marker
tsk4 setSimpleTaskDescription["Locate Takarovs weapon stockpile and destroy it. If it is not destroyed the next person to find it may be worse than Takarov.", "Destroy Stockpile", "Stockpile"];

tsk2 = player createSimpleTask["Arms Deals"]; // adds a task w/o desc or marker
tsk2 setSimpleTaskDescription["Collect Takarovs Laptop containing recent arms deals.", "Takarovs Clients", "laptop"];

tsk1 = player createSimpleTask["Capture Takarov"]; // adds a task w/o desc or marker
tsk1 setSimpleTaskDescription["Search Utes for the Arms Dealer, Oleg V. Takarov.", "Capture Takarov", "tak"];

This is from the mission im currently working on. Copy and paste it into a .txt file named briefing.txt

Change the file extension from .txt to .sqf (Now you have a briefing.sqf)

Make another sqf. file named init.sqf and paste: [] execVM "briefing.sqf" into it.

drop these 2 files into any mission folder and you will see how it works. Then just change it to whatever you need.

You will get an error about the missing image because you dont have it in your mission folder but it wont be a showstopper. Just use the template and youll figure it out.

Part 2

Make a mission in the editor drop 1 bluforce unit as the player. make a trigger a few meters away from it with the conditions BLUFOR is present. In the On Activation field of the trigger type:

tsk4 setTaskState "SUCEEDED"; hint "Stockpile Destroyed"; 

Save the mission. Drop the 2 sqf. you just made into the mission folder.

Go back into the editor.

Preview the mission and walk into the trigger area. You should get the hint message "Stockpile Destroyed" and the little box next to the Task will be checked off.

Thats how it all works. I hope that is step by step enough to understand. I am new to the editing part of Arma too so I try to help when I can.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Redfield-77

[kylania 568]

tsk4 setTaskState "SUCEEDED"; hint "Stockpile Destroyed";

To get the pretty Task Hint messages use the following:

tsk4 setTaskState "SUCCEEDED";
[objNull, objNull, tsk4, "SUCCEEDED"] execVM "CA\Modules\MP\data\scriptCommands\taskHint.sqf";

[Durka-Durka 10]

Redfield, thanks a lot! I will try that out today and see if it works for me.

EDIT: That worked like a charm, now I just gotta figure out what to edit and where. Thanks again!

Edited July 12, 2009 by Durka-Durka

[wiggum2 31]

I worked my way through all the pages here an tested some stuff allready and if i keep it simple...it works.

But two thinks i did not get to work.

1. Has anyone a full MP compatible briefing.sqs with the following:

- Some space for diary stuff.

- One task that is active at mission start

- Another task that is activatet when you finish task one.

- All with that pretty Task Hint messages

2. Is there a way to remove the SOM Description in the diary (only ingame) that comes when you use the SOM Module in your mission ?

Thanks for help !