Briefing and Decription File Help

[Door a jar 0]

I've been searching looking for tutorials on how to create a breifing for ArmA 2 missions and all the ones I've found assume I know more about editing that I really do. I have no idea how to make sure something gets activated through an init.sqf and no idea how to do the functions like group respawn that in the past was taken care of via the description file (which I understand now with AmrA 2 is defunt).

Can someone please post a tutorial for absolute dummies and morons with absolutely no real computer know how (for OFP and AmrA 1 I just used the decrip and breifing templates and added in what I needed to myself) on how to create the breifing for ArmA 2.

Also how do I tell how I want respawn -if at all- to work. In the past it was:

group

seagull

base, etc

-Thanks a million

[Andy455 11]

The search easily brings up plenty of examples of how to do what you ask, but anyway:

For briefings: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=73424.

For description.ext: http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Description.ext#Respawn..., most if not all of those apply for ArmA 2

Edited December 10, 2009 by Andy455
fixed link

[Door a jar 0]

Thanks for the attempt, but these search outcomes are the reasons why I posted here to begin with.

ArmA 2 does away with the description file does it not? My question was where does the information provided in the old description file go, if anywhere. There is such a wealth of information still out there that determining what tutorial is for OFP, ArmA 1, and ArmA 2 in itself is an issue.

As for the first link you've given to me I've stared at that one for some time and was the reason why I actually posted my request

This line right here at the very beginning:

"Ok, let's start with the simple stuff. Make a file called 'briefing.sqf' and make sure this gets executed through the 'init.sqf'. Add the following to your init.sqf:"

tripped me up from the get go. Although I mentioned that I was confused with the init.sqf stuff in my first post which leads me to believe you didn't really read it and just assumed I didn't search jack already before posting and decided to show off your knowledge.

Thanks again

[Andy455 11]

Sorry, misread what you said.

Firstly ArmA2 still uses a description.ext in its missions, not sure where you got your info from. This means you can whack the respawn stuff you had from before in there and no problems.

Ok now for the init.sqf and briefing.sqf:

1. Firstly open up notepad, then in notepad type: execVM "briefing.sqf";, don't worry if you havent created briefing.sqf yet.
   
2. Then click save with a filename of init.sqf, make sure you do NOT save it as a txt file as then it will not work.
   
3. Once you have done that save & close the file init.sqf.
   
4. Then create a new file in Notepad, then you can use the code in the briefing.sqf template that Mike84 made: http://www.ofpec.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33468.0;attach=4634.
   
5. Save the file as briefing.sqf (remember not to save as a .txt file)
   

EDIT: When creating the files make sure they go in the folder: My Document\Arma2\missions\MISSIONNAME\ or My Document\Arma2 Other Profiles\OTHERPROFILENAME\missions\MISSIONNAME\

And that should be it, say something if ive missed anything out or got it horribly wrong ^^

Andy

Edited December 10, 2009 by Andy455

[[GLT] Legislator 55]

Or you can use the GLT Framework if you want it simple.

[Door a jar 0]

Thanks for the help Andy hopefully I'll be able to get it all sorted out with this information.

Good to hear about the description files also.

[Mad_Reizka 0]

I have a bit of a problem with the Arma 2 briefing to. I need the tasks to be added in the fly, so they won't me all shown in the start of the mission. I can some how manage to get the tasks to be all there in the start with workin markers and all, but I want them to be updated as the mission evolves. And I want the markers to be shown for the tasks when the tasks comes available, not in the start. How the hell do I do that?

As the guy who started this thread said, that mumbojumbo can be quite difficult to understand.

(For me the HTML version was easy a pie)

[shuko 58]

I need the tasks to be added in the fly, so they won't me all shown in the start of the mission.

That's what you'll have to exactly. Add/create them when you needs them/they should be shown. There are multiple ways to do it. One being, cut&pasting the task(s) from briefing.sqf into a new file, which gets execvm'd from a trigger when that task should be shown.

[[GLT] Legislator 55]

@Reizka:

That's a feature too of the GLT Framework :)

HD9TX9fno7M

[shuko 58]

Or Taskmaster, which does the same, but is a one file solution instead of requiring an addon.

[Mad_Reizka 0]

Or Taskmaster, which does the same, but is a one file solution instead of requiring an addon.

Holyhell, how is that thing supposed to work. Am I to use the briefing.sqf file in my mission somehow? I opened the file and there was big block of text there that just throw me to my back.

Why does this have to be so hard? We went to the moon but making a briefing can be so goddamn hard?

Edit: GLT Framework might be nice, the zip contains 2 million files. Makes me wonder, am I to make a mod folder out of these.

Back in the day we had readme.txt file in zip files so people would know what to do with them :)

GLT comes with 2 pdf files talking about some debug-messages I know nothing about. Goddamn...

Edited December 30, 2009 by Mad_Reizka

[shuko 58]

Holyhell, how is that thing supposed to work.

You don't change the briefing.sqf at all. The tasks to be shown in briefing ingame are defined in init.sqf.

simple init.sqf example:

[[
 [true,"Task1",["Kill the general.","General","General"]],
 [true,"Task2",["Destroy it the plane.","Plane","Plane"]]
],[
 [true,["Mission overview","Bla bla bla do this and do that"]]
]] execvm "briefing.sqf";

That will create 2 tasks and 1 note, which are shown in briefing screen.

Example trigger to update Task1:

cond: !alive general

onact: nul = ["Task1","succeeded"] call TASKMASTER_upd;

Example trigger to create 3rd task after 1 and 2 are done:

cond: tskTask1Completed && tskTask2Completed

onact: nul = [true,"Task3",["Get to teh choppa!","Extraction","Extract"]] call TASKMASTER_add;

Extraction zone trigger:

activation: west present (select correct side of course)

cond: this && tskCurrent == "Task3"

alternative cond: this && tskTask1Completed && tskTask2Completed

onact: nul = ["task3","succeeded"] call TASKMASTER_upd;

Mission end trigger:

cond: tskTask3Completed

type: end1 (or whichever you wish)

It's possible to create or hide/show markers as well, but above is a simple example without them.

[[GLT] Legislator 55]

@Mad_Reizka:

You only need the gltframework.pbo file. Everything else are example missions and tutorials. Have a look at the certain chapter. You don't have to active or use the whole function package, only the stuff for the briefing. I suggest to have a look in the example missions first before investing hours of work.