ANNOUNCE: PVP script pack released

[mosh 0]

I messed with this for 5 days, tried everything I could think of (getting good at troubleshooting), but didn't post because I thought I was insane and just made retarded missions...

I finally post and you solve my problem 31 minutes later. :bounce3:

THANKS!!! You (and those that helped) are awesome.

It worked (at least in the big obnoxious mission so far), but why didn't it affect the others? Maybe because they have less crap in them? Because a few of them have preset crappy weather?

Anyways, thanks again. I'm still having more fun making missions right now than playing the damn game. If anyone has the slightest ambition to try making a mission, they should take advantage of these scripts.

[Taxman 10]

Anyways, thanks again. I'm still having more fun making missions right now than playing the damn game. If anyone has the slightest ambition to try making a mission, they should take advantage of these scripts.

Couldnt agree more

[sbsmac 0]

lol Mosh, you were a bit lucky with the timing to be honest - I can't always guarantee a half-hour turnaround on bugs ! ;-) Actually the moral of the story is to report stuff earlier - I take bug reports very seriously and will always try to get to the bottom of them if I can do.

It worked (at least in the big obnoxious mission so far), but why didn't it affect the others? Maybe because they have less crap in them? Because a few of them have preset crappy weather?

I really don't know. The effect seems very variable - I was playing some smaller CTF's last night and didn't really notice the problem. Although the games seemed more sluggish than normal it definitely wasn't the 'stutter' that Zordak and yourself report. I wonder if changing the date has an effect on the lighting and this then requires some kind of processing?

[Tijai 1]

Many thanks for all the time you are putting into this sbs/mac, really enjoying making the missions script pack.

[sbsmac 0]

Thanks for the feedback Tijai. Knowing that it is actually being used is what keeps me adding features. Considering the number of downloads that Armaholic shows (close to 800 but I suspect this is inflated by the frequency with which I release versions) the amount of feedback I get is surprisingly low. That could be a sign that everyone is completely happy with it of course but the other more worrying interpretation is that it is still to hard to use and people are giving up.

Anway, all feedback gratefully received - love it or hate it. :-)

[Taxman 10]

hard to use ?

It took me about 20 mins to make my first one,,,(wasnt happy with how it played but that had nothing to do with the scripts, just my choice of location etc.) I rekon people are using it matey, just keeping it to themselves :) or they are not the type to acknowledge it and give any feedback..

---------- Post added at 09:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 PM ----------

Btw, I have never even looked at the editor, either in OFP, Arma or Arma 2 until now.

[ganjaish 10]

think ill try and give this a go :)

[Tom_Anger 0]

Hey MAC!!! - I use it extensively when I have time and am very appreciative of your work

Last night I put together a TDM16 DEPOT STATION mission and will give it a go tonite into the weekend. If you run ARMA 2 and run the Close Quarter Combat mission that is the same location and gamestyle. No AI, to command, but there are patrolling AI to help reduce spawncamping.

Also Specter has been dabbling alot with CH mission making. When we have a set that we feel comfortable with we will surely send them your way. Take care and happy gaming!!!!

[sbsmac 0]

Thanks Tom. Yes, I've been working with Specter quite bit the last few days helping him add some nice special features to his maps - they look like a lot of fun!

[Tom_Anger 0]

I have a decent grasp on preventing spawn camping, but not too much where people can't attack it so the element of carefully getting out of the spawn if you are on trouble is there which is cool. Great script pack bud.:D

[sbsmac 0]

Here's the results of a morning spent fighting Windows Movie Maker. It's a tutorial/teaser for some of the upcoming V2 features. I strongly recommend watching it in HD if you are at all interested in being able to follow what's going on ! ;-)

rd0YkvOI4hc

Edited August 15, 2009 by sbsmac

[calo_mir 10]

Thanks for this. Saves me a lot of work I really didn't want to do.

Silly question, though - what needs to be done to allow AI to control

the leftover slots?

[sbsmac 0]

AI are turned off by default because, frankly, the are a PITA for PVP. If you really want to turn them back on, you can edit description.ext and change the line that says

DisabledAI=1;

to

DisabledAI=0;

[calo_mir 10]

AI are turned off by default because, frankly, the are a PITA for PVP. If you really want to turn them back on, you can edit description.ext and change the line that says

DisabledAI=1;

to

DisabledAI=0;

Ah, thanks. I didn't see it in there.

It's basically just to add some extra life to the map as our little group tend to have small games (set over large areas).

[.kju 3240]

Thanks sbsmac. Two comments. Please make the text black or sth instead of white during

ingame view (not map). Atm it is often impossible to read.

At the very end the text is too fast. :)

Hope you still have the project file for WMM.

[sbsmac 0]

Yes, but I'm not sure I can face touching it again for a while - WMM has some interesting 'quirks' such as a tendency to shrink the title text font every time you go back to edit it and it's jus about done my head in for the day ;-) (You were also kind enough not to notice the glaring typos all the way through it.)

Good points though, does make you appreciate that video-editing isn't as easy as it looks!

Edited August 15, 2009 by sbsmac

[.kju 3240]

True. That said WWM doesnt seem to be a good tool for it. :P

(from my experience as video noob too)

[deadsmell 10]

Hey mac, cool video man. Its clear and I can read all the text, i just had to skip back to see some at the end, but its all readable.

I did get a bit confused, when you set your first marker (the boathouse) you simply designate it as objective 1, and a flagpole is created, when you do your next example of the pier, it is objective two, and no flagpole is created. Kind of confusing that it created a flagpole just by entering objective 1, but not when you enter objective 2, 3, and so on. Also, the way you were able to preview, and see the scripts in action right from the editor kind of confused me because i thought the script pack wasnt added till after you complete the map, and that you could really only see the scripts in action when you actually launch the mp session.

Fear not though as I seem to be easily confused these days.

Also, Im just curios, would it be possible to make a script that makes it so you can designate certain areas that will be under artillery barrages, and howizer cannon fire? Just to add more battlefield effect and ambience to a map? Kind of like how you can use the markers to designate a minefield, could we just add constant exlpoding howitzer rounds to that?

You the man mac.

[sbsmac 0]

Thanks for the feedback.

If you're confused that's because the video doesn't bother to explain a lot of the basics - I started off with the idea of making it a tutorial and got a bit sidetracked in turning it into a promo reel for the next release!

You're right that it doesn't show the initial setup and copying of scripts etc at all, that was done before I started recording since I wanted to focus on the new keyword system. The reason that objective_1 gets a flagpole is that it was created as an 'icon' marker rather than an area marker - I should have made that clearer. Also, in case it wasn't obvious the new system means that the CTF_objectives and related variables are now history. :-)

>Im just curios, would it be possible to make a script that makes it so you can designate certain areas that will be under artillery barrages, and howizer cannon fire?

Excellent idea - yes that's a pretty easy addition.

[deadsmell 10]

Awesome, im looking forward to that, I love those howitzer explosions. :)

[sbsmac 0]

Is this the kind of thing you are thinking of ? ;-)

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[deadsmell 10]

YES!!! Wow man, that is fantastic, thats really gonna help create some "killer" atmosphere.

So im assuming that I could overlay those arty markers over an existing minefield without messing up the border/minefield script? "Fire for effect" if you will.

Thats awesome man, i cant wait to check out V2.

What youve done is great! Fantastic, A+, number 1, Awesome, you are the man! ................but.............lol.........is it possible to have sprinklings of say the howitzer explosions in with the arty? So you have both types of ordinance pounding away. The howitzer explosion will dwarf the arty's providing some nice contrast. So as the player is already in awe of the insane arty coming down around him, then the howitzer hits and really shakes things up.

I know that the howitzer isnt fired like artillery is so I dont know if the game will let you do it, that would be completely awesome though, man this is exciting.

Awesome work mac! wow. Very, Very, Cool.

[sbsmac 0]

>So im assuming that I could overlay those arty markers over an existing minefield without messing up the border/minefield script? "Fire for effect" if you will.

Yes.

>.is it possible to have sprinklings of say the howitzer explosions in with the arty?

By howitzer I assume you mean 105mm ? *Edit* actually it is the 227mm MLRS rockets which make the really big bangs.

Yes the type of shells used are selectable so you can easily overlay different kinds of incoming.

Question - has anyone noticed whether you get an incoming 'whistle' if you are on the receiving end of the BIS artillery ? Poking around in the ARTY module there is some code to play this sound-effect but none of the configs appear to contain any references to actual sound files.

I'm cheating a bit by just spawning shells in the target area but it would be nice to get the whistle as well !

*Edit* I'm pretty sure even the BIS artillery doesn't do the whistling. It's odd because there is code for it but no sound files - makes me wonder if some of this stuff was brought in from BIA ?

Edited August 16, 2009 by sbsmac

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

could you test the performance of a mission made with the script pack and this "artillery" on a dedi ?

I have witnessed the use of arty creating a lot of lag, desynch, red boxing of the server. Perhaps its different with the virtual or spawned arty types.

the script pack is " a ticking timebomb " ;)

[sbsmac 0]

Ziggy, the artillery is simulated by CreateVehicl'ing the appropriate shells at point-of-impact rather than invoking the BIS artillery module.

I would expect that any performance problems would come from the particle effects of the explosions.

>the script pack is " a ticking timebomb "

:-)