Artillery Support System Package: Released

[soccerboy 0]

Support System Package: Artillery [1.04]

i've created this so i can edit and request artillery support during gameplay in a very dynamic way.

Features in 1.10:

-A fully functional GUI interface to customize an artillery fire mission during gameplay.

-you can chose which battery you wish to shoot.

-you can define [Mission type - Round Type - Rate of Fire - Number of Rounds].

-you can also define the dispersion field of the artillery.

-you can pre-register fire mission to be executed by the artillery and start shooting much quicker than not pre-registering the mission.

-you can set your target by either map clicking or with the help of your laser designator.

-A working diagnosis system that if any of the initialization scripts run into an error it'll trigger and show you which script and if possible give you an error report.

-Ammo Limitation of each ammo type. (once an ammo type has been depleted you can use the others until the battery is resupplied. the user can adjust the time for resupply or disable it all together in the options.sqf)

-M270 MLRS Tracking Marker Option. Basically means if you use the high command module then the marker will follow the M270 around when it moves (you can enable this in options.sqf)

the bellow has most probably been identified and eliminated as a bug/problem.

Urgent Notice: during my testing i've noticed that 1 of my 3 coop missions seem to not work properly on a dedicated server. it doesn't reset the variables for shot,rounds complete and splash radio commands so they get spammed during the next fire mission. it works fine on singleplayer and non-dedicated server play should work aswell. i'm still working on a way to fix it but i already tried everything. that mission is running the same package as the others and i've recreated it 3 times and always differently. i couldn't fully test non-dedicated multiplayer because i have no one to test it out with, so if anybody would be so kind and test that out for me i would very grateful.

i've noted any bugs into the readme.

i hope you guys won't run into any serious bugs. if so please let me know and if possible even with the error report.

Future Additions:

Graphical User Interface: Coming to 1.10.

PvP Support: Postponed.

Virtual Artillery: Postponed.

Custom Audio dialog: TBD.

[script Version]

Download V1.04 Hotfix1:

Rapidshare

Armaholic

Download V1.10:

(Coming Soon)

[Addon Version]

Download V1.10:

(Coming Soon)

any feedback or support from either scripting or otherwise would be appreciated.

i'm not a professional scripter so please forgive me if it doesn't look professional.

if you have any questions i will do my best to answer them to my knowledge.

Currently working on:

re-writing the bulk of the scripts to feel more realistic

current todo list in correct priority order:

1. Experimenting with FSM files to build a more believable FDC intelligence and if that works i'll be building an AI FSM for AI groups to call artillery on enemy contacts - 0% done
   
2. teach FDC to tell the battery to optimally use illumination based on burning time - 0% done
   
3. Construct the proper radio protocol - 30% done
   
4. reconstruct:
   target setting, - 100% done
   firing, - 100% done
   server detection and client options scripts - 100% done
   
5. update the functions and remove those not necessary - 50% done
   
6. clean up old scripts of things that aren't needed - 50% done
   
7. build new ammo limitation and deduction method with the eventhandlers - 0% done
   

note: this list is updated regularly and things will be added as i don't know everything off of the top of my head.

Changelog:

Current

V1.11

• Added: GUI interface
  
  • Added: X and Y correction areas in the GUI so that you're not punished for setting the marker wrong and having to wait forever for re-registration.
    

  [*]Added: Random fire mission solution error (the target impact zone is not 100% accurate anymore)

  [*]Added: Set your target with real map GRID coordinates

  [*]Added: Initialization Diagnostic system in the event of an error in any of the initialization scripts you can see which one failed and a possible error report is displayed.

  [*]Added: Functions to change certain options during gameplay for mission makers to be used for triggers, and to add a radio or laser designator automatically without fighting with commands like addweapon/removeweapon.

  [*]Added: JIP (Join in Progress) compatibility. when a user comes in fresh and the variables are undefined then the client will request an update from the server (i hope this will work)

  [*]Added: Compatibility for the ACE2 Radio Equipment.

  [*]Added: Ability to request artillery from inside or within 3m of a vehicle (HMMWV or MTRV). if you're inside or near a vehicle then you don't need the ACE radio if ACE mode is active.

  [*]Added: Option to define how many times the battery gets resupplied during a mission (battery won't be supplied until a certain amount of rounds have been fired already)

  [*]Added: Completely reworked Radio Dialogs.

  [*]Added: Every so often (time still unknown) you have to authenticate your request. example: Challenge: Alpha November. Response: Oscar.

  [*]Added: Various types of GUI Options for: "Number of Guns","Method of Control","Mission Types","Volleys","FDC","Target Designation Type","Mission Number", etc.

  [*]Changed: Structure of the scripts to be more generic to reduce calculation errors.

  [*]Changed: The menu item will now display if you can or can't use the GUI dialog, inability to use the dialog will be marked with a (Radio) tag.

  [*]Fixed: The Dispersion values should be used correctly now.

  [*]Fixed: Detection issue that could cause an error to the system.

  [*]Removed: Radio Sounds for Custom ones to be added later

Postponed V1.10

• Added: GUI interface
  
  • Added: X and Y correction areas in the GUI so that you're not punished for setting the marker wrong and having to wait forever for re-registration.
    
  • Added: Spot Round Ability to the GUI interface to have the battery fire a spot round without the need to change the number of rounds in the interface.
    

  [*]Added: Random fire mission solution error (the target impact zone is not 100% accurate anymore)

  [*]Added: Ability to set your target with either the traditional map clicking or with your laser designator.

  [*]Added: Pre-Registration option for less delay when calling in a fire mission.

  [*]Added: Initialization Diagnostic system in the event of an error in any of the initialization scripts you can see which one failed and a possible error report is displayed.

  [*]Added: Functions to change certain options during gameplay for mission makers to be used for triggers, and to add a radio or laser designator automatically without fighting with commands like addweapon/removeweapon.

  [*]Added: JIP (Join in Progress) compatibility. when a user comes in fresh and the variables are undefined then the client will request an update from the server (i hope this will work)

  [*]Added: Compatibility for the ACE2 Radio Equipment.

  [*]Added: Ability to request artillery from inside or within 3m of a vehicle (HMMWV or MTRV). if you're inside or near a vehicle then you don't need the ACE radio if ACE mode is active.

  [*]Added: Option to define how many times the battery gets resupplied during a mission (battery won't be supplied until a certain amount of rounds have been fired already)

  [*]Added: Support for the Virtual Artillery Modules

  [*]Added: Some additional radio text dialogs to the system to reflect different factors.

  [*]Added: East Artillery Batteries.

  [*]Changed: Structure of the scripts to be more generic to reduce calculation errors.

  [*]Changed: The menu item will now display if you can or can't use the GUI dialog, inability to use the dialog will be marked with a (Radio) tag.

  [*]Fixed: The Dispersion values should be used correctly now.

  [*]Fixed: Detection issue that could cause an error to the system.

  [*]Removed: Radio Sounds for Custom ones to be added later

V1.04 Hotfix 1

• Fixed: Dispersion values are now properly used.
  
• Changed: Dispersion values for M119 to 100m\200m\300m, M252 to 50m\100m\150m, M270 to 50m\100m\150m\200m\250m\300m.
  

V1.04

• Changed: Changed the format from SQS to SQF.
  
• Changed: Opened up the Artillery and Air Support to everybody with a first come first serve deployment
  
• Added: Option to turn off the Artillery for mission makers in the options.sqf
  
• Added: You can now either disable or enable respawn mode in the options.sqf for performace reasons. respawn mode is when the player respawns that he gets his menus back.
  
• Added: Option to limit the radio menu through execution of a script.
  
• Added: Auto Battery detection and classification through synchronization.
  
• Changed: Rate of Fire Menu chagned to Immediate\Fast\Semi-Fast\Slow which represent 0\1\2.5\5 Seconds.
  
• Changed: Mission Wording of Timed to Suppression.
  
• Changed: Duration Menu is dynamic now depending on which mission mode you're in. in Suppression the options are Short\Medium\Long\Very long which represent 10\15\25\35 Seconds. in Immediate its the traditional Add\Subtract.
  
• Changed: The duration menu for the M270 is dynamic depending on how many vehicles there are. max 15 duration.
  
• Changed: The batteries won't be resupplied until they run out of one ammo type.
  
• Changed: Now all 3 batteries can be what ever weapon you wish to choose (M119\M252\M270). example you can now have M119\M119\M252 or M270\M252\M252. etc.
  
• Changed: Dispersion Add and Subtract Menu have been replaced with set ranges of: for MLRS its 50\100\150\200\250\300 Meters. for all the others its 100\200\300\400\500 Meters.
  
• Added: Added an Option to cancel a fire mission in progress but only after the first shot.
  
• Added: A few voice Radio Dialogs for the FDC.
  

V1.03 Hotfix 1

• Fixed: Improved overall game performance caused by some scripts related to player disconnection or player respawn and now these scripts should only run in multiplayer.
  

V1.03

• Added: Ammo limitation and Ammo Resupply Interval. Resupply Interval is adjustable by the user in the options.sqs. the user can also disable resupply all together.
  
• Added: Ammo Readout to the Action Menu to view your current ammo pool for your current battery.
  
• Added: Dispersion Ability for 50m to 200m and have added the Dispersion to the Dialog on mission submission.
  
• Added: Ability to move the M270 MLRS and have the Unit Marker and Range Markers Follow it around.
  
• Added: Added Version Number to the Initialization Message so users know which version they are currently running.
  
• Fixed: Corrected some typos in the dialog.
  
• Fixed: Fix a problem with not being shown who is in charge of the battery you're trying to acquire.
  
• Changed: the Ability to set the rate of fire to 0 seconds so that all guns can fire almost all at once.
  
• Changed: increased preparation time between mission submission and shots by 2x.
  
• Removed: Reload text between fire missions.
  
• Removed: Unneeded code in some scripts.
  

V1.02

• Fixed: Fixed a Limited Detection issue with the M252 Mortars and M270 MLRS.
  

V1.01

• Changed: Removed the pings from the hints.
  

Credits:

Tester/Scripter:

Soccerboy

Testers:

Edited April 5, 2010 by soccerboy
updated todo list

[Junker 0]

Q: I keep hearing pings during the Acquireing or Reloading Proccess, what can i do against it.
A: this is related to the Music Volume. because i used the "Hint" window to display that information rather than just making a radio message. to fix it you'll have to turn the music volume all the way down. (sorry if the pings bother you.)

Hintsilent would work in this if people are complaining about the pings :)

[soccerboy 0]

oh thats a good idea. if people do complain about it i will change it. thank you for the "hint" :)

Edit: in fact i think i will change it just so everybody is happy. i'll release the next one with a silent hint after i gather more feedback from you guys.

Edited July 9, 2009 by soccerboy

[imutep 0]

Very nice! :)

Put it on our scripts section at Assault Mission Studio

Artillery Support System Package [1.04] by SoccerBoy_TW

Edited August 11, 2009 by Imutep

[Guest]

Release frontpaged at the Armaholic homepage.

Artillery Support System Package v1.01

****

Updated to version 1.02

Edited July 9, 2009 by Guest

[gunterlund21 10]

This package works great. One fun thing to do is tie the MRLS to a commander logic. Then you can drive your rocket launcher around the map and still do indirect fire all over the place. Would like to see a greater set of ammo for the launcher. Also People might comment on using sqs vs sqf. Very good job though over all.

[Smoot178 10]

Very cool.

An interesting thing to add would be a dispersion factor. Basically the accuracy (wide dispersion or more precise).

[soccerboy 0]

This package works great. One fun thing to do is tie the MRLS to a commander logic.

is a neat idea but the markers and stuff wouldn't update to the new position since the markers are tied to the module and not the unit. also the MLRS can shoot almost like 80%-85% of the map so i mean i don't know why i or anybody else would need to drive it around to hit something. if people want to be able to do it i'll look into adding that abillity.

An interesting thing to add would be a dispersion factor. Basically the accuracy (wide dispersion or more precise).

i like the dispersion idea. i think i'll do that after i've added the simulation of limited ammo and resupply of the battery.

also theres a typo in the bottom part of the options.sqs which i mixed up (isnull battery2) and (isnull battery3) those two should be reversed so (isnull battery3) should come before (isnull battery2) i'll update that and upload the next minor version again. i'm telling the people who can fix this themself what i did wrong so they don't have to redownload it again.

but now that i've updated it hopefully this is going to be the last hotfix so i can move on to expanding a working system.

Edited July 9, 2009 by soccerboy

[gunterlund21 10]

The reason to make it mobile is so counterbattery cant pinpoint your location.

is a neat idea but the markers and stuff wouldn't update to the new position since the markers are tied to the module and not the unit. also the MLRS can shoot almost like 80%-85% of the map so i mean i don't know why i or anybody else would need to drive it around to hit something. if people want to be able to do it i'll look into adding that abillity.

i like the dispersion idea. i think i'll do that after i've added the simulation of limited ammo and resupply of the battery.

also theres a typo in the bottom part of the options.sqs which i mixed up (isnull battery2) and (isnull battery3) those two should be reversed so (isnull battery3) should come before (isnull battery2) i'll update that and upload the next minor version again. i'm telling the people who can fix this themself what i did wrong so they don't have to redownload it again.

but now that i've updated it hopefully this is going to be the last hotfix so i can move on to expanding a working system.

A couple of typos on acquired.

[stephsen 79]

wohooo:yay: this script rocks thx ..so much...but not all ammotypes going ?!

gruß aus leipzig

[soccerboy 0]

The reason to make it mobile is so counterbattery cant pinpoint your location.

A couple of typos on acquired.

yeah but counter battery would mostly be PvP unless somebody scripts the AI to attack the Artillery Directly but this is mostly ment for Coop play to make small or big teams to have more firepower than they would normally have

and you're right i spelt "Acquiering" instead of "Acquiring". i don't think its worth another hotfix though since its no show stopper but i've already corrected it and i'll release it in the next few days once i get the ammo limitation simulation done unless somebody finds a serious show stopper then i'll release another hotfix version.

wohooo this script rocks thx ..so much...but not all ammotypes going ?!

gruß aus leipzig

what do you mean not all ammotypes going? they all work. some batteries don't have certain types of ammo as documented by the devs on the wiki.

the M119 Howitzer has all ammo types. the M252 only has HE,WP,Illumination. the M270 only has HE.

gruss aus bayreuther region.

Edited July 9, 2009 by soccerboy

[Smoot178 10]

Hey so I downloaded this and it works great but I have one question. If I wanted only one class of player to be able to see the "Open Menu" option, what would I need to do?

[stephsen 79]

ah ok sorry my fault ...but when i take the illumination for the howitzer m119...i dont see explosion on the ground !?

[Starlight 10]

ah ok sorry my fault ...but when i take the illumination for the howitzer m119...i dont see explosion on the ground !?

Ummmm Illumination will leave a flare descending via parachute, so hard to spot in day time.

There would not be an explosion or any kind of damage possible via this round.

Soccerboy - Damn fine script you have there, had a play on the test mission last night and loved it. Looking forward to updates and upgrades

Will be adding it to my main island game for my small games community :D

[soccerboy 0]

Hey so I downloaded this and it works great but I have one question. If I wanted only one class of player to be able to see the "Open Menu" option, what would I need to do?

i haven't look into adding that in yet because if that certain person would die then the artillery support couldn't be contacted anymore unless respawn is active. i will look into adding that though in another build.

Edit: oh you mean certain class like force recon and stuff? if so hmm that would be tough to do. without research right now i could probably limit the artillery to like maybe a few people that you would have to name inside the editor. i'll still do some research into it though if i can or can't single out a certain class.

Soccerboy - Damn fine script you have there, had a play on the test mission last night and loved it. Looking forward to updates and upgrades

thank you. i'm happy you all like my work. i'm already working on the next build and i'm currently in the testing phase of it.

heres a preview of things to come. if no show stoppers turn up i'll be able to release it today or tomorrow.

V1.03

Added: Ammo limitation and Ammo Resupply Interval. Resupply Interval is adjustable by the user in the options.sqs. the user can also disable resupply all together.

Added: Ammo Readout to the Action Menu to view your current ammo pool for your current battery.

Added: Dispersion ability from 50m to 200m in 25m increments and have added the Dispersion to the Dialog on mission submission.

Added: ability to move the M270 MLRS and have the Markers Follow it around.

Added: Added Version Number to the Initialization Message so users know which version they are currently running.

Fixed: Corrected some typos in the dialog.

Fixed: Fix a problem with not being shown who is in charge of the battery you're trying to acquire.

Changed: the ability to set the rate of fire to 0 seconds so that all guns can fire almost all at once.

Changed: increased preparation time between mission submission and shots by 2x.

i just got off my server and it seems that the first time map loading is still bugging out the system. it seems to me that none of the official artillery call commands work other than that of the m252 no matter what i do. if anybody has an idea about this please let me know. a way around this problem is once you booted your server and load a map for the first time, restart the mission and after that it should all work like it should with any mission you load after that.

Edited July 10, 2009 by soccerboy
changelog updated

[Apocal 10]

Have you considered using hte easy dialog maker to create a functional dialog setup instead of the action menu?

[soccerboy 0]

Have you considered using hte easy dialog maker to create a functional dialog setup instead of the action menu?

i have not, no. i didn't know something like that existed. can you provide me a link on where to find it and maybe i'll see if i can use that instead. i personally think a graphical interface would be a lot nicer and would work better :)

[Apocal 10]

i have not, no. i didn't know something like that existed. can you provide me a link on where to find it and maybe i'll see if i can use that instead. i personally think a graphical interface would be a lot nicer and would work better :)

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6094

[soccerboy 0]

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6094

i'm trying it right now but i don't quite understand how to use it. the tests that i've run so far totally nuked (crashed) my game and without proper documentation its gonna be really hard for me to figure this out since i'm inexperienced with dialog creation. i will continue playing around with this though but i don't see success anytime soon alone without documentation for a guideline

EDIT: i just found a nice big page on dialogs on the wiki so i'll be spending some time learning everything i can about dialogs to bring you guys a better interface. no promises about when i'll be able to implement it.

Edited July 10, 2009 by soccerboy

[gunterlund21 10]

soccerboy you are doing a terrific job with this. A couple of suggestions.

Anyway to use different charges for different ranges?

Anyway to extend range of m119. Max should be around 11.5 km.

Keep up the great work!!

[Apocal 10]

no promises about when i'll be able to implement it.

No demands here, you're doing something I can't. More power to you.

A couple of suggestions.

Anyway to use different charges for different ranges?

Anyway to extend range of m119. Max should be around 11.5 km.

Single charge is an element of the stock M119 itself. AIUI, the Arty mod just takes the range value from the weapon config itself and displays it, it doesn't actually affect the value on it's own.

[soccerboy 0]

soccerboy you are doing a terrific job with this. A couple of suggestions.

Anyway to use different charges for different ranges?

Anyway to extend range of m119. Max should be around 11.5 km.

Keep up the great work!!

i will try :)

i think that would unfortunately go beyond my abilities. i only written this as an interface to be able to call in artillery strikes with what BIS gave us as Apocal mentioned above my post.

No demands here, you're doing something I can't. More power to you.

Single charge is an element of the stock M119 itself. AIUI, the Arty mod just takes the range value from the weapon config itself and displays it, it doesn't actually affect the value on it's own.

don't worry i didn't take it as a demand. i welcome suggestions and advice from people to help me make this better. i personally would like to have a nicer layout with a graphical interface but it'll take me a bit of time to learn and play around with that but thats not going to be a big priority for me at the moment. right now the priority is mainly bug killing and feature additions.

[soccerboy 0]

i'm happy to inform you all that i've released 1.03 to you guys in my opening post.

if anybody runs into and issues or bugs please let me know, i wouldn't want anybody to have to deal with broken code of mine.

i've also updated the opening post with a remark of something odd that i've noticed. if anybody knows whats wrong with the dedicated server please enlighten me.

Note: ok i've done some research and it seems i have a build that i'll be testing and so far it looks good. if all goes well i'll have this all packed up in a nice PBO file in the next few days

Change log:

V1.03

Added: Ammo limitation and Ammo Resupply Interval. Resupply Interval is adjustable by the user in the options.sqs. the user can also disable resupply all together.

Added: Ammo Readout to the Action Menu to view your current ammo pool for your current battery.

Added: Dispersion Ability for 50m to 200m and have added the Dispersion to the Dialog on mission submission.

Added: Ability to move the M270 MLRS and have the Unit Marker and Range Markers Follow it around.

Added: Added Version Number to the Initialization Message so users know which version they are currently running.

Fixed: Corrected some typos in the dialog.

Fixed: Fix a problem with not being shown who is in charge of the battery you're trying to acquire.

Changed: the Ability to set the rate of fire to 0 seconds so that all guns can fire almost all at once.

Changed: increased preparation time between mission submission and shots by 2x.

Removed: Reload text between fire missions.

Removed: Unneeded code in some scripts.

Edited July 12, 2009 by soccerboy
changed the note

[imutep 0]

Very nice. Thx soccerboy!

I've updated the link on first site and on our scripts section ;)

[noamles 0]

Great work!

just a small question, anyone else experience a large fps drop about 3 seconds from the start of the mission?