WIP: JTD_Mines (discussion)

[TRexian 0]

In some ways, this project is really a couple years in the making - it began with ArmA1 and Pingu. DMarkwick helped Pingu with some of the effects for the claymores. Then, ACE came along and uses a very similar implementation. I toyed with ACE's implementation, but it is (as far as I can tell) purely player-based, which I find very limiting. Pingu had an editor-placed variation, but I found it to also be too limited.

Well, frustration is the mother of invention, or something like that. :)

Brief utube vid of my implementation:

LqaMeraV1Hw

In the video, the minefield marker is the location where claymores will spawn when the player uses that addaction. Each time the player hits that, 2 claymores will spawn in random locations within about 75m of the marker. The video also shows how with the editor-placed claymores, someone can walk right along the "safe" side of them, but then when they cross to the dangerous side.... well... bad stuff happens. :)

This is directly related to Pingu's addon, and in fact uses the core of his work. I have not been able to contact him, and hope no one is offended that I've tried to carry on his work in the absence of direction permission from him.

It is also heavily influenced by ACE's implementation, and will likely contain some sort of mechanism to prevent it from being used alongside ACE (at the very least, it will defer to ACE for player-placed mines, and only allow editor placed or spawned JTD mines).

It is still limited, and only has claymores, and to be honest, the player-placed functionality isn't even yet up to Pingu's release. But, I have enough of the basic stuff working to be able to say it'll eventually get released. :D

Also, at a theoretical level, I think I can build in some functionality to allow a mission designer to designate any object as an IED. That could be interesting. ;)

The plan is to use the same methodology to expand into most other types of mines. Long term, I'd love to have a release that includes various signs warning of minefields.

Edit:

I know the explosion is overdone. I'm hoping I can convince DMarkwick to work some of his particl-ular magic on it. ;)

[PSYCHOSIM 0]

Nice idea, looks good.

Mine fields will be cool, I miss the old CoC Mine pack from OFP

:bounce3:

[dialektiikka 10]

Opens up a lot of possibilities, especially if you manage to create some marine mines too. Objects as IEDs is really fiendish :D.

Hope you give some though on how it would be possible to dismantle the mines too. Mine removal missions would make mine fields even more interesting.

[rexehuk 16]

Only comment I have is that the explosion from the claymore is way too big.

[TRexian 0]

@ dialektiikka

Right now, the disarm mines routine is fairly rudimentary.

From the WIP readme:

Disarm: if you are close to a claymore you can disarm it (including editor-placed/spawned mines). If you are a class that does not have the ability to disarm mines, there is a (small) random chance that you will set off the mine. If you are a class that can disarm mines, there is a smaller chance that you will set off the mine while trying to disarm it (it is small, but greater than zero). Once it is disarmed, such classes have the option of placing the mine back in their inventory.

*** Caveat: a mine that is picked up will be placed in the primary magazine slots. If those slots are already full, the claymore will still be placed in the inventory. The player must then drop objects to view the claymore. This is unrealistic, but I haven't sorted out a way around it.

On the to-do list is work out how to have a better handling of what happens if a mine is destroyed. Would make Mondkalb's tractors more important, too. :)

@ rexehuk

More like this? :)

HDnRrq-pVSo

[dmarkwick 261]

Looking pretty good T :) as a PoC, I believe the flexibility of this particular implementation will bring it great success.

[kremator 1065]

Lovely work !

[TRexian 0]

Ok guys, here is basically a pre-alpha version:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/yznq52qjymx/JTD_minesPreAlpha0225.7z

I'd prefer to keep this in the discussion forum for now, partly because this has only been lightly tested, and one of the testers couldn't even get it to work correctly. This contains readmes that should explain things - if not, please post feedback here so I can make them more effective. :)

I certainly appreciate everything that the various mirror sites do for releases, but I'll say that I'm not sure this one is worthy of it at this point. I guess I would ask that anyone who wants to mirror it just wait a few days. If this seems solid, I can put out a more public release beta version then. No sense in wasting bandwidth, particularly if this has some fatal errors.

Related offsite links regarding the development of this:

http://tactical.nekromantix.com/tactical/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=22165&start=0

http://www.ofpec.com/forum/index.php?topic=34614.0

Thanks.

[TRexian 0]

With some help from The_Blink, this should be in the next release, along with some similar signs. :) (And, hopefully, the scaling issue fixed.) ;)

[TRexian 0]

A POC vid of the IED additions for the next release:

WEV-DbEh9cY

Current parameters:

Specific place

Location will be derived from position of module.

JTD_IED_magnitude = #

Magnitude 1-3, 1 being smallest, 3 being largest; default is 2

JTD_IED_objArray = [""]

Specify what types of object to make into an IED; entered as classname string; multiple entries will be randomly selected

JTD_IED_placementRadius = #

Placement radius of IED; default is 1

JTD_IED_radiusDet = #

Distance at which IEDs will be detonated; default 25

"JTD_IED_enemy" = str SIDE

Specifies target side for bomber; default is "any"

Edited March 4, 2010 by TRexian

[SwiftyBoy 0]

TRexian:

Looking brilliant mate, that IED stuff is just what I was looking for a little while ago. I like the way the rest of the convoy reacts as well...

Now, if you could somehow randomise the existence of IEDs and their placement so that I, as the mission designer, didn't know whether there actually were any IEDs or not, and where they were, that would make the whole awesome thing even more awesome...

[TRexian 0]

hehe

Dynamic stuff is what we're all about. :) And options....

Parts of this are untested, but the framework should allow for dynamic, or semi-dynamic, gameplay in several ways:

- probability of presence in the editor, so if the item/unit doesn't show up, there'll be no IED

- placement radius in the editor, same thing

- setVariable for placement radius (for some things that can't/won't be editor placed), and maybe the same thing for probability of presence

- an "object" based IED where you place several objects on the map, setVariable those objects in an array, and it will randomly pick one

- a "road" based IED where you place the GL at a location and specify a radius, and one of those road segments will have an IED, which can be an object of your choice

- there is also the chance of an IED misfire/non-detonation

I am open to other suggestions on how to push my nominal script-ability to improve the gameplay and give options for mission makers. :)

[SwiftyBoy 0]

TRexian:

a "road" based IED where you place the GL at a location and specify a radius, and one of those road segments will have an IED, which can be an object of your choice

Nearly nearly "bingo!". A little while ago, I was after a script which I could use in the editor, which could do just this. With the added wrinkle that, when I was playing the mission back, I wouldn't know a) which road the IED was on; and (more importantly) b) whether the script had actually "planted" an IED at all.

I use the editor to set up battles for myself, so using stuff like kronsky's UPS script is essential for randomising the set up. Having similar randomness in the usage of IEDs would be an enormous bonus, given the sort of meeting engagements I normally set up and play.

[TRexian 0]

Yeah, with regard to that one, I can foresee a situation where a mission maker spawns various objects - typically seen as urban trash - around a city. Easy enough to create an array of classnames, then randomly place them. Then, using one of these game logics, have a few of them (or none) become IEDs. A needle in a haystack issue. There's a good chance that one of these piles of rubble contains an IED. But, you don't know which one.

If you're interested, I'll PM you an alpha version when it is ready.

[SwiftyBoy 0]

Sounds brilliant mate, would crank up the tension no end.

Very happy to help out with playtesting it, drop it in the PM inbox when you've got a workable version and I'll take it for a spin.

[Schancky 10]

Looking forward to this one guys, especially the IEDs! Nice work :)

[TRexian 0]

Teaser vid of AI homicide bomber implementation.

3O_Nb2i_wuk

@ SwiftyBoy - may have something alpha testable soonishly.

From the readme:

4. Homicide bomber

Will attach trigger to named units.

*** required *** JTD_bomber = OBJECT

Name of unit that is bomber

JTD_bomber_radius = #

Trigger radius for bomber; default 25

JTD_bomber_enemy = ""

Specifies target side for bomber, as string; default is "ANY"

JTD_bomber_searchRadius = #

Specifies how far the bomber will look for enemy; default is 500m

JTD_bomber_magnitude = #

Magnitude 1-3, 1 being smallest, 3 being largest; default is 1

JTD_bomber_waypoint = BOOL

True has the script generate waypoints, False allows external waypoints to be used.

-- will create a monitor script to update the location of the bomber/trigger

-- will generate waypoint toward nearest enemy