'Cipher' - full dynamic [SP & MP/Coop] with unlimited replayability

[ericfr 0]

Edit: Enemy infantry accuracy very bad, i and my team are invincible.

Few others bugs :

- Resource Dlg-cipher-options no found

- Remove all pistols to prevent bug "AI stuck"

- Team red don't follow my stance, they stay prone

Thanks

Edited June 4, 2012 by EricFr

[karphead 12]

Can you make one version with an (i know it's evil) respawn option? For when me and some friends are playing lighthearted, getting killed all the time. Something like an immediate respawn where you die?

I'll look into it. Pretty sure I can add respawn as an option in the parameters with the default being off.

Will this work with the ACE Wounds system?

As far as I know, yes. I've played tested these using ACE without any issues.

Edit: Enemy infantry accuracy very bad, i and my team are invincible.

Few others bugs :

- Resource Dlg-cipher-options no found

- Remove all pistols to prevent bug "AI stuck"

- Team red don't follow my stance, they stay prone

Thanks

Thanks for the bug list. Questions:

1. What level of difficulty were you playing on? If it was anything less than veteran then I think that's just an aspect of the game engine. I've played this mission many many times and have had no difficulty in getting shot :P (I typically play on Expert).

2. Can you tell me at what point you got the "Resource Dlg-cipher-options no found" error? Was it game breaking? I should mention that you do need to give a minute or so for the scripts to load when you're in the briefing screen - you want to wait until the Tasks load into the sidebar and the markers have moved to their positions.

3. I didn't realize pistols were the reason behind the AI Stuck issue. Is this documented somewhere? Is it now the norm for people to build missions w/o pistol loadouts?

4. Team Red initially is scripted to go prone at the beginning of the mission. Since they're advance recon they might get shot otherwise :) I have not had many issues with them not responding to to commands from the main squad team leader which is why that position always needs to be filled. It's hit or miss if they'll actually follow the Team Red Leader but again, that's an engine issue. If I'm playing the mission solo I usually navigate team red while in map mode.

Edited June 5, 2012 by karphead

[ericfr 0]

2- At start before the briefing

1- Perhaps we have no options difficulty because 2

3 - known bug never completely resolved, in your mission i saw 9 get stuck with his pistol

4 - Ok, after orders, team red can stand up or stay crouch but not copy my stance (they go prone)

[karphead 12]

2- At start before the briefing

1- Perhaps we have no options difficulty because 2

3 - known bug never completely resolved, in your mission i saw 9 get stuck with his pistol

4 - Ok, after orders, team red can stand up or stay crouch but not copy my stance (they go prone)

Thanks, I'll see if I can hunt down that briefing bug.

There is no difficulty select once you're in the briefing. You should be making that choice before you start the game (in the mission select screen). However, there is a difficulty parameter that adjusts the number of enemies (which you get to from the unit select screen).

I'm hesitant to get rid of the pistols unless there's a lot of requests for it. I assume if you drop the pistols for those units in the game it frees them up?

Not sure about the copy my stance issue but I don't think there's any scripting that is directly making them not follow yours. I've always found that to be kind of buggy anyway. If it's fixable I think it's out of my depth coding-wise...

[orcinus 121]

4 - Ok, after orders, team red can stand up or stay crouch but not copy my stance (they go prone)

Try it with Gibson's excellent "Gib_Copy_Stance" addon :)

[mrcash2009 0]

I also see this error at the start, what I was expecting was the tailored options that you get with Cypher original, IE; types, time, diffculty, unit size, inital vehicle choice beofre spawning to heli and starting which was its best feature. Is the error meaning I am not seeing this dialogue selection? or is it simply not in this version? If its not I dont think its a true reflection of the original and its flexibility TBH.

I might be wrong on this.

Edited June 5, 2012 by mrcash2009

[karphead 12]

I also see this error at the start, what I was expecting was the tailored options that you get with Cypher original, IE; types, time, diffculty, unit size, inital vehicle choice beofre spawning to heli and starting which was its best feature. Is the error meaning I am not seeing this dialogue selection? or is it simply not in this version? If its not I dont think its a true reflection of the original and its flexibility TBH.

I might be wrong on this.

All of those options should now be available through Parameters during the player selection screen (before you go into the briefing) - there's no longer a separate option screen.

One thing I think I should reiterate is that you should let the mission load in the briefing screen before you hit start - usually takes a minute - you'll know it's good to go once Tasks come up.

And just to be double sure, you guys are using A2:OA Combined Ops correct?

Edited June 5, 2012 by karphead

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Are there any plans to create Cipher for ArmA 3 after it has been launched? I love this mission.

[karphead 12]

Okay - I figured out why you all were getting the "Resource Dlg-cipher-options no found" error. It's because you're trying to play the mission in singleplayer mode and it's a multiplayer mission. Move your .pbo files into your arma 2 operation arrowhead\MPMissions folder and then start the game through multiplayer (create a new game with a LAN connection if you just want to try it out solo).

Are there any plans to create Cipher for ArmA 3 after it has been launched? I love this mission.

Depending on how easy it is to transfer missions from Arma2 to Arma3 I'll probably give it a shot (unless Wiper was planning on doing it).

Edited June 6, 2012 by karphead

[Gameqb11 10]

i play this SP and i LOVE this mission- all except for that dang death-copter! is there any way to get rid of it?? I'll have a great mission going, just to lose my entire team to that chopper.

[Kommiekat 11]

Can we agree that Cipher is the FIRST dynamic mission that came out?

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Yes I think it is.

[Gameqb11 10]

thats great and all- but is there ANY way to edit this mission so i dont have to deal with the enemy helicopter? I play this SP and its rare when i can take it out without losing my whole team

[Tonci87 163]

thats great and all- but is there ANY way to edit this mission so i dont have to deal with the enemy helicopter? I play this SP and its rare when i can take it out without losing my whole team

Dude there is a stinger missile in the crate.... Just give it to one of your guys

[kiberkiller 10]

Is there a way for someone who doesn't know scripting to port this mission to another map? I'd like to play on Zargabad.

Would just moving all modules to another map be enough or are there some other change I'd have to make?

[karphead 12]

Is there a way for someone who doesn't know scripting to port this mission to another map? I'd like to play on Zargabad.

Would just moving all modules to another map be enough or are there some other change I'd have to make?

Scripting is what makes or breaks the randomness of the mission and you'd have to do a lot of editing of those scripts so that you're referencing Zargabad locations instead of Chernarus ones. Not impossible, but it would also require a lot of testing/troubleshooting to ensure that your random spawn locations were generating properly.

In my update I pretty much didn't touch any of the scripting that dealt with location spawning because I didn't want to break anything.

[zeep 3]

It's been ported long ago. Search in armaholic.

[Kerc Kasha 102]

Hi all,

I've done an extensive update to Cipher to bring it up to date with Combined Ops. I've included two different files, one features BAF units and the other has US (in case people don't have the BAF addon). Location is still in Chernarus. No other addons required but it does play well with ACE. You can download it from here:

www.crepusculum.org:3711/domus/Cipher_CombinedOpsv0-1.zip

INSTALL NOTE: YOU NEED TO INSTALL THE PBO FILES IN YOUR "arma 2 operation arrowhead\MPMissions" FOLDER AND START THE GAME THROUGH MULTIPLAYER - IT WILL NOT WORK THROUGH SINGLEPLAYER MODE (Of course, you can play it solo within MP mode).

Some of the changes (but not all):

· US or BAF unit missions

· 3 mission modes: Task Force w/Recon Unit (10 Players, 7 in the main squad and 3 in an advance recon unit placed randomly outside the perimeter of the general's location). Task Force w/o Recon (7 Players). Solo (1 player with slightly lower enemy units)

· Default random time start (can be day or night) default (as well as selectable day/night options)

· no Addons needed (does work with ACE if you like)

· Units/vehicles/weapons have been updated to reflect Combined Ops types. Hooray for engineers!

· Randomized enemy units have been updated.

· Starting unit loadouts edited in detail to reflect optimal loadouts based on unit assignments

· Starting vehicles are selectable

· Ammo cache location now has a random support vehicle

· Storyline/briefing has been expanded upon a bit. You're now working with Chernarus National Forces who provide you with your starting vehicles and caches, so the vehicles / weapons / ammo now reflect that.

· New starting vehicle options (helicopters/armored/random)

· Initial gear selection in the briefing screen should now reflect units you've selected (BAF/US loadouts)

· Team leader now has a mortar call option in their action menu. HE or WP depending on what you choose in the parameters. To use, select the option, open the map and select where your target. One time use only.

· 4 different endings depending on your task completions (code fetched, general killed, chopper extraction)

· Extract chopper is no longer indestructable once you make the radio call - you need to be a bit more careful when calling for extraction. A bad chopper extraction will effect your score. Remember that enemy soldiers can carry AA. If the chopper goes down after you've completed the primary or secondary objective the game will end.

· Bunch of typo fixes and other small changes...

Big thanks to Wiper - as a fan of the mission I already had a lot of respect for what he accomplished in this mission with it's high level of replayability. Digging into the coding exponentially increased that respect.

Let me know if you run into any errors...

I tried to play the BAF version of this on a dedicated server running ace and the screen stayed black with intro on or off and the helicopter started on the ground + the recon unit started next to the helicopter. None of that last stuff actually mattered though because like I said,the screen stayed faded to black.

[karphead 12]

I tried to play the BAF version of this on a dedicated server running ace and the screen stayed black with intro on or off and the helicopter started on the ground + the recon unit started next to the helicopter. None of that last stuff actually mattered though because like I said,the screen stayed faded to black.

That's an error I haven't run into before. Are you actually playing with online with other people in co-op mode? That's the one thing I couldn't test for.

One other thing - are you waiting for the mission to load once you're in the debriefing screen? It takes a few seconds for the scripts to execute and the units to get placed. You'll know it's good to go once "Tasks" come up in the sidebar.

[the.d 0]

karphead, thank you so much for updating this! I can comfirm what Kerc Kasha observed, however. With the current ACE version we get a constant fade-to-black layer for both, the BAF and the US missions. This only happens on a dedicated server (listenserver seems fine), as far as I can tell. The scripts were fully loaded, "tasks" was showing. I would dearly like to see this mission back and "updated". It's one of the greatest coop missions I've played for ArmA2!

Any chance we can talk you into "fixing" this? I gladly offer you to test the missions using my dedicated server, of course!

[karphead 12]

Hey D - thanks for the offer but I should be able to set up a dedicated server myself and see if I can come up with a fix...fingers crossed.

Edited August 12, 2012 by karphead

[AL_ 10]

Are there any plans to create Cipher for ArmA 3 after it has been launched? I love this mission.

I would love to see this one, looking for it every day...Mr. Wiper, or someone else, make me happy please ;)

[minicus 1]

We need more missions like this and Flashpoint :D. These are really fun.

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Yes we definitely do. Too bad I have very limited scripting knowledge.

[H3NRY 10]

I'm attempting to do something similar in the alpha, its a but difficult to port over without arma3 having the modules arma 2 has. I am redoing all code by hand and attempting to make it as small as it is possible while still being fully dynamic... I will post it when completed!