PlannedAssault web based mission builder

[_William 0]

@Tonny, BlackMamba, Nokturnal1ne:

I've have PLA squads, sections, platoons almost ready, and will add them as OPFOR this weekend.

If you help me figuring out the following (and the post it here), I'll slip in Taleban fighters from SchnapsdroSel add-on. I need:

- class names and descriptions (weapons, clothing style) for the relevant characters

- class names for the most appropriate (default Arma II) 4x4s / technicals and trucks, to make the Taleban more mobile. See: http://www.armatechsquad.com/ArmA2Class/vehicles/Wheeled/

In the case SchapsdroSel doesn't document his class names, they can be retrieved by placing units in the game and reading the mission.sqm file. Alternatively, depbo'ing the add-on and debinarizing the config.cfg file will yield the same information.

With that information, I can quickly define and add sniper sections, several rifle, RPG, MG and Stinger squads, 4x4 armed vehicle units, transport units and mortar teams.

[TonnyRat 0]

William,

This is what I got from unpbo'ing and unRapping the config file. Tbh, I have no idea what any of this means since I am no scripter but hopefully this helps you out.

I can't make sense of the information but the CfgPatch files has all the class names, CfgGroups has premade (I think) sections, CfgVehicles has all the specific weapon information.

There are 3 vehicles that I saw in the editor for OPFOR call Terrorist Vehicles. They are 3 pickup trucks so I believe any of the cars or pickups in the regular ArmA library will do.

Here are the links to the documents, let me know if you have trouble opening them!

CfgPatches - http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxiTP7jxFtshMDVhMzc5ZmItNzBiMi00ZTAwLWI3OWMtMGJhNDA5MmVlMzU3&hl=en

CfgVehicles - http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxiTP7jxFtshMmZhMTY5MzEtOTk1My00Nzc0LWIyNmQtMDIzOWM2NTlmYTdl&hl=en

CfgGroups - http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxiTP7jxFtshOTVlOGYzMzEtNWMxZS00ZTNiLTlkMzItNjEzZTVkNzRiZWMx&hl=en

edit- Pictures of Units - Sorry for low quality and ignore the 'player model'. Dont know how else to take picture of units.

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6972/talivehi.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/2809/talibanp.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9254/sfdesert.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5245/sealdive.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4545/sealk.jpg

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5025/middleeast.jpg

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5791/mercso.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/7892/gangstas.jpg

Edited May 23, 2010 by TonnyRat

[_William 0]

Thanks Tonny. Solid info. Will add Taleban first.

[_William 0]

More units in this update . Bundeswehr units updated to 1.6 (desert and ISAF units), China PLA added, Taliban added (with vehicles and mortar teams), and Ka-50 and Su-33 aircraft.

Expect the middle-east fighters (from SchnapdroSels Desert Mercs and Black Ops add-on) in a next update.

Thanks to TonnyRat, Nokturnal1ne for their input.

Edited May 29, 2010 by _William
spelling

[TonnyRat 0]

Thanks a lot William, this is a great tool for us SP players!

[weedman 10]

i would love to use this tool but think its criminal it requires registration. (ever thought of making a non login version) would consider using this then. untill then i will stick with tactical builder

[_William 0]

i would love to use this tool but think its criminal it requires registration. (ever thought of making a non login version) would consider using this then. untill then i will stick with tactical builder

I'm not fond of registration myself, but it is necessary.

The reason for registration is simple, and offers some value for the user as well.

Generating a mission(*) consumes 3 to 5 minutes of CPU time from my server. PlannedAssault runs on a dedicated quad-core with 8GB of memory and thus is limited to planning at most four missions simultaneously. Technically, I could easily buy more hardware and scale up, but don't want to at the moment.

If I open up the server and let everybody (including zombie scripts) access the server, I risk the server being overloaded by intentional or malicious mission planning, with everybody suffering from poor performance. With registration, I have control over my server and over the service and the quality of service it provides.

Registration (just a login and valid email) is beneficial because it enables the user to store missions for later downloads or editing.

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback and you're welcome if you happen to change your mind.

*: mission generation is the actual process of translating the user input into an Arma mission, and is the final step in the mission editing. All preceding steps are simple web server requests and don't generate significant load.

[comradechaos 10]

I noticed the V-22 can't work with this, yet it is listed for you to choose. The MH-60 is treated as a gunship even though it should be used for transport.

[_William 0]

Again more units and a brief explanation of (failed) experiments with Isla Panthera and Helmand Valley (update).

Updated Dutch and Bundeswehr units to reflect updates from Aeneas2020 and BWMod team. Added AMT's Bundeswehr Dingo (super job!). Added Middle East freedom fighters, with pickups and mortars.

@comradechaos: Correct observation. Transport aircraft are listed in the available unit templates, but the planner today doesn't handle air transport of units. It's something I want to add, but it's a tough thing to get working reliably in Arma. Especially loading units as cargo in a helicopter.

Note that I like to stick as close to vanilla Arma as possible; reverting to, say Mandoble's scripts, might solve the problem but reduces the compatibility of generated missions with other mods.

One option I'm considering is to add 'off-map' locations to the mission editor where you can place units that need to start a mission embarked on an aircraft. It removes embarking from the mission and speeds up the action in the mission. I would only need to figure out a reliable way to get a group of choppers to land somewhere safe.

[Richey79 10]

This is a great tool, congratulations on your work.

I especially like that it provides files you can tinker with in the editor, rather than relatively 'closed' .PBOs.

My own suggestion for something to add?

Would be great if you could use Planned Assault to place simple DAC triggers ( http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=99753 ) on request, and tweak the values for how many/what size of units it generates.

Imagine a capture/hold mission as is currently generated by Planned Assault, but with the target settlement also having a randomly generated enemy force that is different every time you play the mission, all created in the space of less than ten minutes.

DAC is currently a .PBO, so would have to be integrated into your mod check-list page. A script-based version may also be released in the future.

Mind you, it's easy enough to just load Planned Assault missions in the editor after creation and add the DAC triggers yourself, so I suppose integration wouldn't add so much (other than potential simplification of the scripted initiation line - sliders would be more user friendly).

Cheers,

Edited June 3, 2010 by Richey79

[Ikaruga 10]

Hi William, and thank you for this great tool !

I really have a great time playing missions created with Planned Assault !

I have a few questions :

- When you put an artillery on your side, is it normal that you can use it only when you are the leader of your squad ?

- If you want to play Co-op or Team VS Team, do you just have to put more open spots or is it more complicated ?

- Do you plan to add Operation Arrowhead compatibility ?

Thanks in advance.

[_William 0]

Defensive counter-attacks, and additional French units.

For details see this update).

Primarily a bunch of changes 'under the hood' enabling the planner to generate defensive counter-attacks when given armor. Some minor bug-fixes in planning defensive sectors. Comments on counter-attacks are welcome.

Added French units from Hexagon (wheeled IFVs) and ADO (infantry).

Next steps

- Operation Arrowhead support (maps, default units)

- air assaults

- additional units (UK, Russian digital camo, ...)

- update Isla Duala map to latest version

- usability improvements

Next steps not necessarily in this order.

---------- Post added at 09:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 PM ----------

- When you put an artillery on your side, is it normal that you can use it only when you are the leader of your squad ?

- If you want to play Co-op or Team VS Team, do you just have to put more open spots or is it more complicated ?

Friendly artillery is used automatically as part of attacks and defense. In addition, the player is given radio calls to activate artillery. These radio calls are set for the player regardless this role. I'm not sure they survive team switches though.

Co-op / multiplayer: I simply haven't spent any time researching this. I'm afraid some of the scripts I'm using (including in the generated mission) would need rewriting to be multi-player capable.

[-acu-tech 10]

Wow that is just spectacular! Awesome work there mate!

[Ikaruga 10]

There is a problem with the french sniper : he doesn't have a laser designator, unlike all the others.

[bartkusa 10]

The sheer ambition. :eek:

I've made three missions where BLUFOR is trying to take Chernogorsk from OPFOR, but they never enter the city. What gives?

Also, do rifle squads have any AT included, or do you have to put in AT teams?

Edited July 13, 2010 by bartkusa

[_William 0]

Operation Arrowhead support

For details see this update).

This is the first step in supporting Arma2:OA (and later Arma2:CO), with one Takistan battlefield, and US, Czech and Takistani units. Further areas planned once I've adjusted the maneuver planning to better avoid steep terrain.

@Ikaruga:

good catch. Have a fix lined up for next update.

@bartkusa:

Leave me a message with the mission title, so I can look into your mission. Wrt AT in rifle squads. You can inspect the detailed configuration of a squad by clicking the unit icon in the mission review screen.

I attempt to equip rifle squads with correct weapons. In most armies, rifle squads have light (disposable) AT weapons such as AT-4s or RPG-7. Dedicated AT-teams bring heavier AT weapons, such as the Javelin and METIS systems.

Edited July 14, 2010 by _William
spelling

[Ikaruga 10]

Thanks for the update allowing to play with OA but why can't we use the addons which are available in Vanilla ArmA2 ?

[_William 0]

Thanks for the update allowing to play with OA but why can't we use the addons which are available in Vanilla ArmA2 ?

I just want to make sure all PlannedAssault scripts and logic work fine in OA, before I enable "Combined Operations".

Although I appreciate BI's support of A2 with A2:OA, the new situation is a bit confusing, with some mods having certain releases only for A2, others for OA, etc. I want to avoid having to debug problems attributed to PlannedAssault which originate from A2/A2:OA issues with mods.

I'm looking forward to cover "Combined Operations" since I suffer from the same problem (not being able to combine A2:OA mods and A2 mods in a mission.

[Ikaruga 10]

Also, I think it would be nice to automatically add a premade base on the map with Planned Assault. I've seen some of them in the addons section like this one :

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=10578&highlight=FOB

However, it might screw up your pathfinding algorithm, I don't know how hard it will be to implement ...

[_William 0]

British forces added: infantry, armo(u)r, vehicles, helicopters, jets, artillery.

For details see this update).

I've added a large set of UK add-ons, and substituted crew with StalkerGB's 3 Rifle where necessary.

Next steps

- Combined Operations / Operation Arrowhead support

- air assaults

- usability improvements

Next steps not necessarily in this order.

[Ikaruga 10]

Wrong link for some UK addons in the addon section. Thanks anyway ! :cool:

[_William 0]

Takistan's Feruz-Abad area added for Arma2:OA.

For details see this update).

Opportunities for Takistan mission generation have doubled with the addition of the Feruz-Abad area. Keep in mind that this area is hilly and not well suited to large mechanized formations.

Currently, the Arma2:OA AI tends to get stuck at rock objects, which are plentiful in Feruz-Abad area. There's little I can do about it except for filing a bug (which I did).

Ikaruga's URL problem for the UK Challenger mod was fixed as well.

Next steps

- Combined Operations support

- air assaults

- usability improvements

Next steps not necessarily in this order.

[Baker65 0]

I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not but I'm trying to create a scenario based on the OA mod with Takistan vs. US Army but all I get for units for both sides is air and artillery units. There are no squads/vehicles/armor available to pick from. Is this correct?

Oops, nevermind, found it. I always thought the bar at the top represented how far along you were in the build process not the unit browser.

Edited July 30, 2010 by Baker65
Realized mistake

[_William 0]

Arma2 Combined Operations support and Tier One operators

For details see this update.

You can now generate missions for Arma2 Combined Operations, with all mods and areas for Arma2 and Arma2OA thus far supported.

Also added McNools' Tier One operators since SF units are in high demand for your missions. I've added Tier One crewed Pickups and mortars for more flexibility.

Next steps

- air assaults

- usability improvements

[_William 0]

Swedish Forces Pack and Takistan's Chak-chak area

For details see this update.

Added a large amount of units to cover the Swedish forces. Added Chak-Chak area in southern Takistan, which is one of the few areas suitable for large armored formations.

Next steps

- air assaults (web interface done, mission planning to be done)