kronzky

The "Urban Patrol Script" has been ported to A3, and is available on my site: http://kronzky.info/ups Most of you will probably be familiar with it, but for the newcomers, here's what it does: It allows you to set up a quick mission in a couple of minutes, without having to worry about waypoints, scripts, or AI behaviour. All you need to do is place a marker over the area to be patrolled, put some OPFORs in the area, and have them call the patrol script. That's it... The script will take care of generating random movements, intelligent responses to enemy encounters, and notices when everybody's dead. It's a very easy and fun way to familiarize yourself with a new map, without having to spend hours making a mission that will only be predictable after a couple of runs. With this script every run will be totally random. And since you can set it up without even knowing the map too well, you will have a fairly realistic simulation of real-life scenarios, with unfamiliar environment and unpredictable enemy behavior. Yes, you won't be able to make a "deep", multi-subjective, and inter-dependent "save-the-world" mission with this, but for simulating normal day-to-day patrolling missions, and the unpredictability associated with it, it does the job quite nicely. Here's a rundown of the main features: Setup Options Patrol any "marker-designated" area with any unit or group, whether it's Infantry, Armored, Cars, Choppers, or even planes, using any side (east, west, resistance, civilians). Several independent marker areas (for different units) can be used on the same map. The start position of the units can be a random position anywhere in the active area - in that case some units may even end up on roofs. You can create a random number of "clones" of a unit/group you placed in the active area. [*]AI Behavior The AI will avoid "dangerous" areas, and react intelligently to attacks. If it sees a team-member being shot, or spots an enemy without themselves being detected, it will not continue on its regular path, but instead use a flanking approach to get to the shooter. The accuracy of the approach will depend on the "knowledge" the AI has about the shooter (i.e. whether the shooter was actually seen or only heard).(image) If AI units get stuck (mostly due to bad pathfinding) they will try to free themselves after a while. Units will make occasional stops of random lengths during their patrols. When independent AI groups meet each other they will share their knowledge about any enemies they might have spotted. By default units patrol in safe mode at limited speed, but they will switch to combat & full for a limited time when they encounter enemies. [*]"Intel" Options An automatic trigger is generated for each area to announce when that section has been cleared of enemies. (image) The units can be tracked via a dynamic marker on the map. Here's what the paths look like, after a car and an infantry unit have been patrolling a city for about 15 minutes:

I recently revisited some of the old Arma2 missions, and, like many people, got stuck due to faulty triggers, limited Intel and supplies, and bothered by obnoxious AI group members... So—rather than using the standard cheats and spoiling all the fun, I've decided to create a little tool that lets me modify a bit how the mission is played. One example: In the "Manhattan" mission I've reached the point where I'm supposed to destroy the Chedaki base. Only problem is—I've already used my artillery strike (since I wasn't aware I only had one available), my support team isn't showing up, and my group members keep opening fire, even though I tell them not to. Pretty frustrating... So—with this addon I can now totally immobilize my group members, request a silenced rifle and some mines, skip forward a few hours into the dark, and finish the mission nicely by myself. Certain beats using the "endmission" cheat to get to the next one! So, here's what the addon can do: Spawn vehicles, weapons, magazines: Any equipment available to your side can be air-dropped, either at the player's location, or a position defined on the map. (This includes any special equipment added by expansions or mods.) [*]Switch uniform: Change to a different unit type (either keeping the current equipment, or using the new type's default loadout). [*]Manage units: The player's group members can be totally immobilized, to keep them from moving and shooting. The player can leave (or re-join) his group, or become the leader (if he isn't yet). Other soldiers present in the mission can be recruited to the player's group. Other AI unit can freed, if they're stuck on a terrain obstacle. Vehicles of AI group members can be locked and unlocked. [*]Request Intel: Receive information about troop location and strength. (Information can be marked on the map.) Have the source of incoming shots indicated (relative to the player) on a special display. Access existing UAV/ULB video feeds anywhere on the map, or launch your own. [*]Environment options: The current mission time can be forwarded up to 12 hours, to change the time of day you would like to tackle the mission at. The weather can be set by individually controlling overcast, fog, rain and wind. [*]Other assistance: Get unstuck If stuck on some terrain obstacle, this will force the player (or his vehicle) out of it. Upright vehicle Flipped over vehicles can be put back on their wheels. Recover vehicle Destroyed vehicles can be recovered. Unlock vehicle Any existing vehicles (even the one the player may be locked into) can be unlocked and used normally. Heal player In missions where an injured player must be healed by others, he can nevertheless heal himself, if no medic or AI is responding. Turn off post-processing Post-processing effects (e.g. blurriness, color filters) can be disabled. Complete mission Missions that can't be completed due to trigger failures can nevertheless be finished "successfully". Extend deadline For missions with a deadline, this option allows playing beyond the set time limit. Create restore point: Allows you to create a game restore point at any time during the mission. Once the module has been installed, it can be used in any mission/campaign via the pause menu. Requested supplies will be air-dropped near the player: I am sure there will be some people who will protest the use of "cheats", and how it will spoil the original mission, but in my opinion it's much more of a spoiler if, due to mission failures I can't properly play it at all... I also always find that the more options you give a player on how to approach a mission, the more fun he's going to have, and the higher the replay value will be. Want to play the mission at night? No problem, just skip a few hours. Prefer a different kind of weapon? Sure thing, just ask for it. Don't want to be rushed to finish the mission within some tight deadline? Go ahead, take your time. Dowload location: http://kronzky.info/addons/supportcall

As it seems like Arma missions are getting more and more restrictive (locked vehicles, "forbidden" map areas, tight time limits), I figured my "Support Call" module was needed more than ever before, so I gave it a major overhaul, and V2 of it is now available at my site: http://kronzky.info/addons/supportcall After all, the thing we probably all loved about OFP & Arma was its unrestricted freedom — to do whatever you want in a mission, and to try as many different strategies as you could think of, without being shackled by artificial restrictions placed by the engine or mission designer. This addon tries to give you back those freedoms. See a vehicle on the map that you think could come in handy (but is, for whatever reason, locked)? Just walk up to it, and unlock it! Are you being sent on an assassination mission, but your only gun in an M4? Request a proper sniper rifle! Want to play the mission at night? In the rain? At your speed, without being rushed? As an undercover agent? All that (and much more) you can do once this addon is installed, hopefully increasing the fun and replay value of missions you've already done many times in the "proper" way... For those of you already familiar with the previous version, here's what's new and improved: Overhauled interface, to allow instant access to the different sections (for when every second counts). You can now switch into enemy uniforms, and play "undercover". Restricted zones (that drop bombs on you as soon as you enter) can be disabled. If you're alone in the mission, you can request one team-mate to be air-dropped. OPFOR skills can be adjusted (to make their shooting a bit less bot-like). Here's the full list of features (overall there are about 50 functions to help you take back control): Air-drop vehicles, weapons, magazines Any equipment available to your side can be air-dropped. Drops can be done at your location, or at any place you specify. Special equipment added by expansions or mods is available as well. [*]Switch Uniforms Change to a different unit type (either keeping the current equipment, or using the new type's default loadout). Switch to an enemy uniform for "undercover" missions. [*]Manage Units Team members can be healed, independently from the player's equipment. Player's group members can be totally immobilized, keeping them from moving or firing. Player can leave (and re-join) his current group, or become its leader. Recruit soldiers present in the mission, to join your own group. Vehicles for AI group members can be locked/unlocked. AI units stuck on obstacles can be freed. AI radio communications can be disabled. If alone on the map, one additional group member can be requested. [*]Request Intel Receive information about troop location and strength. The origin of incoming shots can be displayed on a grid. Enemy AI skills can be adjusted. Video feeds for existing UAVs can be viewed from anywhere on the map. If no UAV exists yet, you can launch your own. [*]Environment Mission time can be forwarded up to 12 hours, to your favorite time of day to tackle the mission at. Weather settings can be set independently for overcast, fog, wind and rain. Restricted zones (that kill the player upon entering) can be disabled. [*]Other assistance If you or your vehicle are stuck in the terrain, this will pull (or push) you out of there. Any vehicle in the mission can be unlocked, even the one the player might be locked into. Vehicles that have flipped over on the terrain, can be put back on their wheels. Even totally destroyed vehicles can be recovered. If an AI medic isn't coming as he's supposed to, the player can heal himself. Post-processing effects (e.g. blurriness, color filters) can be disabled. Mission can be ended (and marked successful) at any point. This will allow continuing on to the next campaign mission, and will keep it successful status upon restarts. Allows you to play for as long as you want, even if the mission has a deadline. Create a game restore point at any time during the mission. Opens debug console to execute script commands directly. Some screenshots, showing the different sections available: Vehicle drops: Intel (OPFOR info): Restricted zone removal:

The Arma2 "SupportCall" module has been ported to A3. Be aware though, that due to the limited content/functionality in the Alpha, some features will not work (e.g. objects will not be dropped from planes but placed directly in front of you, no UAVs are available, and weather settings cannot be changed), but the main functions are all there. For those of you unfamiliar with the old version, here's a quick overview. Once the SupportCall module is installed, the following actions can be performed in any SP mission or campaign, allowing you to fix issues that keep you from continuing, or modifying the way a mission is (re)played: Spawn vehicles, weapons, magazines: Any equipment available to your side can be air-dropped, either at the player's location, or a position defined on the map. (This includes any special equipment added by expansions or mods.) [*]Switch uniform: Change to a different unit type (either keeping the current equipment, or using the new type's default loadout). [*]Manage units: The player's group members can be totally immobilized, to keep them from moving and shooting. The player can leave (or re-join) his group, or become the leader (if he isn't yet). Other soldiers present in the mission can be recruited to the player's group. Other AI unit can freed, if they're stuck on a terrain obstacle. Vehicles of AI group members can be locked and unlocked. [*]Request Intel: Receive information about troop location and strength. (Information can be marked on the map.) Have the source of incoming shots indicated (relative to the player) on a special display. Access existing UAV/ULB video feeds anywhere on the map, or launch your own. [*]Environment options: The current mission time can be forwarded up to 12 hours, to change the time of day you would like to tackle the mission at. The weather can be set by individually controlling overcast, fog, rain and wind. [*]Other assistance: Get unstuck If stuck on some terrain obstacle, this will force the player (or his vehicle) out of it. Upright vehicle Flipped over vehicles can be put back on their wheels. Recover vehicle Destroyed vehicles can be recovered. Unlock vehicle Any existing vehicles (even the one the player may be locked into) can be unlocked and used normally. Heal player In missions where an injured player must be healed by others, he can nevertheless heal himself, if no medic or AI is responding. Turn off post-processing Post-processing effects (e.g. blurriness, color filters) can be disabled. Complete mission Missions that can't be completed due to trigger failures can nevertheless be finished "successfully". Extend deadline For missions with a deadline, this option allows playing beyond the set time limit. Create restore point: Allows you to create a game restore point at any time during the mission. Open debug console: Gaia's debug console has been integrated, in order to allow direct execution of script commands. Once the module has been installed, it can be used in any mission/campaign via the pause menu. Dowload location: http://kronzky.info/addons/supportcall

If you are part of the patrolling group, make sure that you're not raising your weapon, as that will switch everybody into Alert mode.

That's pretty strange, as I run the same version (and the same old addon from my site), and have no problems at all: I suspect there might be another addon conflicting with this one, but that could be a PITA to troubleshoot. I wouldn't mind fixing my addon, in case there's a conflict with some other one, but I don't really feel like downloading tons of stuff, and doing endless trial-and-error runs, to find out which particular one doesn't get along with mine (especially, since I don't really play much Arma myself anymore). So... I'll need your help here. If you experience problems, and have other addons installed, see if you can pinpoint which one is causing the problem, and let me know. I'll then try to troubleshoot what parts are incompatible, and see if I can find a solution.

It looks like you're running Arma2, but this thread is for the Arma3 version (the discussion for the Arma2 version is here). Could it be that you're perhaps also using the Support Call module for A3? They both have the same version number, but are NOT interchangeable!

Did you read the suggestions here? Could it be that you are part of the patrolling side? In that case you're probably in "Combat" mode yourself (rifle raised), and that will alert them. Try putting {this setBehaviour "SAFE"} into the player's init line (so you start with the rifle lowered), and see what happens. If you were just starting on the OPFOR side to observe them, then you can ignore this issue (it won't happen if you're of the other side). Or just spawn as a civilian or animal, and your behavior shouldn't affect theirs.

Could it be that you are part of the patrolling side? In that case you're probably in "Combat" mode yourself (rifle raised), and that will alert them. Try putting {this setBehaviour "SAFE"} into the player's init line (so you start with the rifle lowered), and see what happens. If you were just starting on the OPFOR side to observe them, then you can ignore this issue (it won't happen if you're of the other side). Or just spawn as a civilian or animal, and your behavior shouldn't affect theirs.

@Make Love Not War: Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely include that in the next build! In the meantime I guess you could execute the enableSaving command via the debug console. @Old_Painless: If a mission has zone restrictions, an appropriate action will show up in the "Environment" section (with a map showing the locked area). If there are no restricted zones, then no action is visible. To disable the time limit, select "Extend deadline" from the "Other Assistance" menu (the toolbox). @bohicafool: It took me over a year, to actually implement ONE support unit. In order to convince me to add an infinite amount of support, you'd have to give me some better arguments than "This would really help"... ;) @Alpha-Kilo: If you're under fire when opening the dialog, then it's probably too late already. So, yeah, that's on purpose that you can't just turn off the enemy when it becomes too much... The reason why you can only select an item once, is so you use it with "care", and not just use up equipment like it's free... (It should also still be on the map somewhere, even if you switch teams, so I don't really know why that should be an issue.) Keep in mind — the reason I wrote this addon was to allow you to experience different challenges — not to take them away altogether! As far as not being able to select OPFOR uniforms — I suspect you probably have some team-members? In that case you cannot change sides. When I experimented with side switching things quickly got out of control if you had team-members (and no, just switching the whole group didn't solve the problems - that just created different ones), so I had to restrict side changes to ungrouped players.

No plans on integrating that at this point. I'd rather wait a bit, and see how it develops, before jumping on that too soon... I would blame the engine for that, since these behavior modifications seem to come and go randomly (and change from build to build). I'm not experiencing it in the current version (as you can see from the image above), but if you still do, please PM me a repro mission.

I have uploaded a new version that will now support resistance/independent sides, as well as any sides that have been modified via setFriend. (As you can see on the screenshot below, where east continues their normal patrol behavior, even though a western unit is right next to them.) It also fixes an issue with the "trigger" options that gives you a message and removes the marker when the area was cleared. http://kronzky.info/ups

It looks like during the forum downtime some messages got lost, so I'll try again: There was one syntax error that was caused by the latest A3 patch, and it has been fixed by version 2.1.3 that's now available on my site. As far as the error Pergor is reporting, I can't really reproduce that (perhaps it was a temporary issue that was fixed by the latest update). Regarding bhaz's post about friend/enemy associations: I guess we finally have the tools to determine that (via getFriend), so expect an update to UPS soon, that should have this ability implemented. The issue with deleting groups/group leaders, and your suggested test for {isNull _npc} shouldn't really be necessary, as the {!alive _npc} should already catch deleted leaders. Also, if the group is deleted, then the member count should be 0, and that is tested already as well. When I tried deleting groups and leaders from the outside, while UPS was running, it always stopped without any issues or errors. If you still see problems when deleting stuff from the outside, see if you can give me a simple repro, and I'll have a look.

All of these functions ONLY work in Single Player (for obvious reasons), so — the answer is No...

Try this beta version for OA: http://kronzky.info/addons/supportcall/KRON_SupportCall_A2_beta.zip It has all the features the latest version for Arma3 has (e.g. using enemy uniforms and equipment), but should work fine in Arma2. Let me know if you run into any issues.

In case people are still playing A2 OA, then I guess I'll have a look at what's going on there, and perhaps port all the changes of the A3 version to A2. I did have a brief look at what's involved, and it shouldn't be too bad.

I'm sure somebody else would've reported the error, if it actually had been around for that long. What I suspect is perhaps a mismatch of the game save and the version of Support Call used. Try restarting the mission from scratch, and hopefully the error will be gone. As far as switching to uniforms of other sides — that ability has been implemented in the Arma 3 version, but as development of the A2 version has been discontinued a while ago, I'm afraid that won't be added there anymore.

Here are two examples of what can be done to some of the missions of the official "Survive" campaign: Patrol Here you have a 15 minute time limit that allows you to barely get out of the immediate camp area. In addition there are restricted zones all over the map, that will kill you with magical air-strikes, as soon as you step into them. The funny thing is, this mission has one of the most populated maps of the whole campaign — you just never see it... There are over 200 OPFORs on the map, some single, some in groups, some in larger clusters. Some stationary, some moving. And some on foot, and others in vehicles. So it looks like quite a challenge. But with the time and area limitations you can barely scratch the surface. So — once you remove both with the Support Call module, you should have quite a challenge at your hands, which will probably take you longer to finish than the whole campaign did before! Radio Silence Here's a very different approach, using many of the Support Call options, just as a demonstration of what's possible, when you want to get creative: Once you exist your shuttle vehicle, leave your group behind (Manage Group | Leave player group) Unlock the vehicle, and get in as driver (Other assistance | Unlock vehicle) Drive closer to the target area, until you're out of sight of either your or the opposite teams. Exit the vehicle, and change into an Independent's Engineer uniform. Walk up to the guard towers, and place some explosives. Unlock one of the OPFOR vehicles, and drive back to your team. Blow up the towers. Before getting too close to your group, change back into a BLUFOR uniform. Re-join the group, and continue. Have fun, and get creative! ;)

Ok, the issues described above have all been fixed, and whoever is interested can download a beta version of build 2.0 here: http://kronzky.info/addons/supportcall/supportcalla3_2.0beta.zip It now includes proper air-drops again, shows all variants of the different weapons, supports UAVs, and fixes some more minor compatibility issue with Arma 3. You might notice that some items have been changed a bit: The Intel troop information now isn't split into Blufor, OPFOR and independents anymore, but only into "friends" and "enemies", since the setFriend command now seems to work, and is heavily used in the campaign (where your opponents often are listed as civilians). The Intel menu also gives you an option to see the total troop counts for all sides, to get a better overview. The "Boomerang" feature (shot detector under Intel) is now always active (you don't have to go through the initialization routine anymore) — as soon as you open the Support Call dialog it will analyze incoming fire. I'm still not perfectly happy with the weapons list though, as it lists a lot of weapons that are hard to tell apart. They all have the same name, same optics, and same ammo, but do have different class names; so until I figure out a way of either properly distinguishing or filtering them, I now display their class name as a tooltip, that's shown when you hover over the preview image. I've tested the beta with a few of the new campaign missions, and it seems to work ok, but if you run into any issues, please post them here or send me a PM. P.S. In case you have problems dropping aircraft or boats, please re-download the beta again — that issue has been fixed.

A compatibility update for the A3 release has been posted on my site. It fixes the issue with unlockable vehicles, and the inability to heal yourself (and gets rid of any error messages). Air-drops are still not supported (items are placed directly on the ground), and there's no UAV support yet. Once those issues are fixed, I'll post an update here (but I can't give any timeframe on that so far). There will probably never be an artillery option in this module (that's just too much cheating), and even if, it will be very slow, and only possible after you've thoroughly scouted out an area (i.e. you've spotted the majority of OPFORs at the drop site), so it'll be fairly useless against tanks. I will look into the droppable optics issue, to see if that can be handled by the module.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty busy with other (non-Arma) stuff right now, so I'm afraid it'll be a while before I'll have a chance to get back to modding. Sorry...

The "Moveable Target Range" has been ported to A3, and is available on my site: http://kronzky.info/targetrange/index.htm As not all objects are available yet, there are no walls or flags as distance markers, and there are no popup target objects yet. For those who are unfamiliar with the original version, here's a quick feature list: Use any objects as targets. Targets can be placed anywhere on the map, and will always align with the player. Targets can be static or move at a user-defined speed & distance. Target distances can be incrementally adjusted during the mission. Target units will assume different stances. Target distances are indicated with walls & flags. (not yet) Any available weapon can be selected via a dialog. Weapons have unlimited ammo available, with automatic reloading. The distance, impact height and average speed of the projectile is displayed after each shot. Ballistics information can be shown in-game, or copied into a spreadsheet for further analysis. A bullet cam option allows following the path of the projectile. A slow-mo mode is available, to simulate a perfect aiming situation. The landing spot of the fired projectile can be indicated on the map. Fully compatible with any vehicle weapons.

My Moveable Target Range has been converted to ArmA2. For those who are unfamiliar with the original version, here's a quick feature list: Use any objects as targets. Targets can be placed anywhere on the map, and will always align with the player. Targets can be static or move at a user-defined speed & distance. Target distances can be incrementally adjusted during the mission. Target units will assume different stances. Target distances are indicated with walls & flags. Any available weapon can be selected via a dialog. Weapons have unlimited ammo available, with automatic reloading. The distance, impact height and average speed of the projectile is displayed after each shot. Ballistics information can be shown in-game, or copied into a spreadsheet for further analysis. A bullet cam option allows following the path of the projectile. A slow-mo mode is available, to simulate a perfect aiming situation. The landing spot of the fired projectile can be indicated on the map. Fully compatible with any vehicle weapons. Available here.

Any attacks and formation behavior are controlled the engine — my script doesn't intervene there at all. (Those behaviors might still be work-in-progress, considering that A3 is still in Beta). Yes, it will place some units on roofs, but only if they can be reached via ladders. So if there are no accessible rooftops around, then they will all stay on the ground. As far as the error is concerned, that was reported above — looks like BI removed the setVehicleInit command. My script was using that to process INIT strings, so I've removed that capability for now. I might re-add it at some later point, once I find a workaround, but for now it's disabled, to avoid the error popup. New version is here: http://kronzky.info/ups

How rude of them, to cover up my button! ;) While it was still possible to reach it via some tabbing, it was a bit of a pain, so I've uploaded a new version (1.8.1) that is using a different position now. (I don't really like the new place, but I guess it's only temporary.) Thanks for letting me know!