ACRE v1.0 - Advanced Combat Radio Environment - Official Thread (ArmA2 to TS3 Plugin)

[jaynus 10]

Version 1.0.5 of ACRE is now available!

This includes many fixes for usability, respawn, and even a new radio.

--1.0.5 Changelog--

* Added AN/PRC-117F

* Reattenuated direct chat volume curve to loose volume more quickly (previously was too loud for too far)

* Integrated latest JayArmA2Lib build supporting up to OA beta 72291

* Installer now targets OA by default instead of ArmA2 installation directory

* Changed low power on AN/PRC-119 from 500uW (microwatts) to 10mW (milliwatts)

* Added scaling for ITU terrain loss model. Set acre_sys_signal_terrainScaling between 0 and 1 to scale. 1 is default normal, 0 is no effect.

* Voice activation appears to no longer cause issues

* Fixed issues with random radio/direct speaking cut outs after respawn

* Fixed issue with respawn scripts where users would spawn with duplicate or no radios

* Fixed "Install Only For Me" issue where installer would incorrectly copy or not copy plugins

* Fixed multiple crash sources in teamspeak

* Fixed issue with respawning and not being able to broadcast. This persists though with a 10 second delay now due to respawn script compat.

* Fixed issue with low-fps/high-desync situations where coms would cut out.

* Fixed multiple race conditions, order of operations, and scope conditions related to active speaking

* Fixed issue where ACE Russian radios were not being identified as radios

* Fixed error on server side related to radio garbage collector

Enjoy!

[Fox '09 14]

great. thanks

[m1n1d0u 29]

thanks for the udapte :)

[gonk 0]

thanks for the quick updates....

[tromac 11]

What's the AN/PRC-117F do for us?

[jdmt 12]

What's the AN/PRC-117F do for us?

It's a more current radio, better than the AN/PRC-119 in almost every way. And it's 100% digital.

[ravendk 25]

Picture picture = "\x\acre\addons\sys_prc117f\Data\PRC117F_ico.paa"; is missing.

[Lzryde 10]

EDIT: Classname was simple enough to guess: "ACRE_PRC117F"

But when you look in your gear it is missing a couple images as RavenDK posted.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Lzryde

[Zacho 0]

PRC-148 is white. Any ideas why?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/zacho5/ArmA/ArmA2OA2010-07-2323-36-57-62.png

[ravendk 25]

PRC-148 is white. Any ideas why?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/zacho5/ArmA/ArmA2OA2010-07-2323-36-57-62.png

Try reinstalling the mod mate. Works fine for me..

[noubernou 77]

Picture picture = "\x\acre\addons\sys_prc117f\Data\PRC117F_ico.paa"; is missing.

Yep. We are aware of this but are waiting to release the fix. Its not a game breaker at all, but is slightly annoying the first time you open your gear.

Zacho, we are aware of the white dialogs as well. We are going to be redoing the 148. Currently its size is not an appropriate ratio and we think this might be causing the issue. It might be graphics card/driver specific as well since the bug is not affecting a lot of people.

[Zacho 0]

If it helps i have a X1950pro. atm

[Morts 0]

I get the same problem and i have an ATI Radeon X1300 PRO, my guess was that it was a graphics card error, seeing as though my latest driver update was 2007.

[jaynus 10]

Yah it could be some kind of layering issue or format issue for you guys (we save in hi-def PNG format, then convert to PAA). Perhaps try a driver update and let us know?

If that doesn't help, then we can sit and try to replicate (we havnt yet)

[Defunkt 431]

I think it's almost certainly down to it not having power-of-2 dimensions as Nou said.

[_S2_ 10]

Nou, i know this questions doesn't necessarily have to do with ACRE, only in the coding part of it...but, your radio signal works off of LOS, wouldn't there be a way to implement this into how sounds work in game as well as far as audio volume?

If a bomb explodes on the other side of a mountain, it's going to be hard to hear it, if it explodes on the other side of a valley with clear LOS, then it is quite loud. I know you have tons on your plate already but just wondering if the same code is reusable in that sense.

[Zacho 0]

The X1950pro has not got new driver updates in a few years.

[jaynus 10]

Nou, i know this questions doesn't necessarily have to do with ACRE, only in the coding part of it...but, your radio signal works off of LOS, wouldn't there be a way to implement this into how sounds work in game as well as far as audio volume?

If a bomb explodes on the other side of a mountain, it's going to be hard to hear it, if it explodes on the other side of a valley with clear LOS, then it is quite loud. I know you have tons on your plate already but just wondering if the same code is reusable in that sense.

Sorry to answer for Nou but the sound modification part of everything is my game, so I'll answer :)

Short answer: We've been looking into the possibility of these as to just completely override in-game VON as well as having AI's broadcast over radio. This is not trivial and requires a large amount of work in JayArmA2Lib to modify/read this information in A2. We determined so far the time required just isn't worth it, and are doing more 'work around' style methods for the AI behavior.

Long answer: BI doesn't provide any easily accessible methods for these types of features to the extent we need them. Because of that, I would have to go through and actually hook two different things within the arma2 process itself:

1. The 'play sound' engine

2. The audio streams themselves

I have not looked into how they implement this; but assuming its like most modern sound engines, I could hook specific sound streams (e.g. an explosion, a VON stream, or even footsteps), and then perform waveform modifications of these to do all sorts of further sound realism. The problem with this though, is two fold:

1. The time required to figure all of the engine out and its intricacies is extensive

2. Associating an in-game explosion with a sound stream is even more difficult than just the sound engine.

Edited July 28, 2010 by jaynus
clarification

[_S2_ 10]

gotcha, thanks for the reply.

[granQ 293]

Yep. We are aware of this but are waiting to release the fix. Its not a game breaker at all, but is slightly annoying the first time you open your gear.

Zacho, we are aware of the white dialogs as well. We are going to be redoing the 148. Currently its size is not an appropriate ratio and we think this might be causing the issue. It might be graphics card/driver specific as well since the bug is not affecting a lot of people.

yes for sure, once i had a texture 64x256, and it worked fine for "everyone", suddenly we notice it was the cause for crashing dedicated servers because of the ratio.

And now i haven't even mentioned your strange ratios :)

Anyway I have a question on my own, is there anyway you would use the "radio" volume ingame?

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/fadeRadio

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/radioVolume

I am currently working on making a ACRE "Custom radio" and the volume buttom is a big thing right in the middle (more or less), so i want it to have some practical functions.

Starting with the "background" image :)

EDIT2. Also I am planning doing the PRC 25, used in vietnam, in Sweden, australia and so on. If any mod wish to use this keep in touch.

Edited July 30, 2010 by granQ
EDIT. Replaced early picture with newer.

[firefly2442 6]

Would it be possible to add on to the documentation and explain the interface for both radios? Screenshots would be stellar. Thanks for the great mod. :)

[themaster303 22]

started a ace domi, and since the new ace-update acre isnt working anymore on the radios !! anybody has these bugs to ?

you can take the radios, but they are not assigned to acre, they are just in

gear without funktion,

jan / nou / xeno, did you know about that ?

greetz

masty

WORKS .. think cba was the fault, got updated !!

Edited July 30, 2010 by themaster303

[jaynus 10]

Would it be possible to add on to the documentation and explain the interface for both radios? Screenshots would be stellar. Thanks for the great mod. :)

We have just recruited a new tech writer / documentation person to assist us with this :) You'll see the wiki fill up with massive amounts of cool info shortly.

---------- Post added at 03:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:55 PM ----------

yes for sure, once i had a texture 64x256, and it worked fine for "everyone", suddenly we notice it was the cause for crashing dedicated servers because of the ratio.

We have been busy fixing the dialogs now. They should be a lot better with our next release.

And now i haven't even mentioned your strange ratios :)

Yah, we are fail at dialogs :) We are getting the hang of it though.

Anyway I have a question on my own, is there anyway you would use the "radio" volume ingame?

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/fadeRadio

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/radioVolume

I am currently working on making a ACRE "Custom radio" and the volume buttom is a big thing right in the middle (more or less), so i want it to have some practical functions.

No. We are not attached to the in-game radio at all; and this is still mission-maker/whatever dependant. We are implementing volume functionality as we speak, however, and it will be for control of radio volume from the radio interfaces.

EDIT2. Also I am planning doing the PRC 25, used in vietnam, in Sweden, australia and so on. If any mod wish to use this keep in touch.

We do not plan on implementing custom-made radio API's until at least 1.1. Our actual radio functionality in our main core addon's is not yet mature enough to allow the public to use it (e.g. it breaks unless you use it correctly, rather than error-handling).

[Morhoo 0]

Hi guys,

thanks for the great job, but i have encountered big trouble. It doesnt work correctly with Continuous Transmission option in TS3. With my firends we are used to speak directly without any need of key pushing, but when we use (and release) PTTRadio button for radio transmission in game, normal transmission stops too and we can't hear each other. And there is no way how to restore it until any random changes in TS3 capture settings are made. We tried to use voice activation as well, but radio doesnt work at all with this option.

Is there any chance how to make it work without using normal PTT key in TS3?

Thanks.

[Defunkt 431]

Works with voice activation for us, didn't do anything special, it just worked.