Spinor

Edit (09-22-2007): Added 0.86 Mirrors Edit (09-20-2007): New Version 0.86 Edit (09-01-2007): Added Mirrors Command Engine X for ArmA (CEX) Public Beta ------------------------------------------------------- The Chain of Command is proud to present the public beta release of the Command Engine for ArmA. WHAT IS IT FOR? --------------------- Like its predecessors in OFP, CEX is a script addon that enables players to control multiple groups. Units are organized in hierarchical command chains allowing the representation of real life military units such as platoons, companies or battalions. CEX functionality can be incorporated into any mission. Mission designers have full control over the command structures and can freely assign command capabilities to the players. CEX is designed to be fully multiplayer compatible. Players can take any position within the command structure on any side, be it commander-in-chief, squad leader or private. CEX commanders control their subordinate units via an intuitive graphical user interface which borrows elements found in real-time strategy games. Despite the intention to grant easy access, the underlying system is intended as a realistic simulation of higher-level combat in ArmA. The addon contains several fully playable missions as well as templates for mission designers to base their own missions on. IMPORTANT NOTES ----------------------- 1) Please remember that this a beta release. CEX has grown into a sizeable system, so please expect some bugs and glitches. This is especially true in multiplayer, where CEX has not received full testing yet. Currently, only the test mission is MP-enabled out of the box. 2) We will do our best to make future CEX version back-compatible. We can not guarantee, though, that missions created for the present version will work without problems with the gold release version. While you are of course free to create missions now, please be aware of this possible caveat. CREDITS ----------- - Missions by Snake Man - Template Missions by jens198 - This package contains - CoC Extended Marker Addon 1.2 by Leonardus - Network Services Addon 3.0 by Pennywise SPECIAL THANKS --------------------- Dslyecxi, Idontno, lwlooz, Pennywise, Walker, and all testers during the private beta phase. CHANGE LOG -------------- - BETA 2 (0.86): Change: CEX addon coc_cex.pbo Change: CEX_Test_Mission.Sara, old versions of this mission may not be compatible with 0.86 New: Start Menu Option CEX/Admin Tools/Restart Client ... use in MP in case a command transition was no properly recognized Fixed: Completed WPs were not deleted at commander machine (MP) New: Config Setting 'UnitServerUpdateInterval' ... refresh interval in secs of CEX server; determines unit responsiveness and server load New: Config Setting 'InterfaceUpdateInterval' ... refresh interval in secs of CEX UI New: Config Setting 'PlayerChatMessagesEnabled' ... if false, CEX will not ouptut order confirmation and status report chat messages originating from a player-controlled unit New: 4th command layer ... it is now possible to represent Battalion/Companies/Platoons/Squads in CEX New: Config Setting 'UseArmAMap' ... if true, CEX icons will also be displayed on standard ArmA map (non-interactively) Improved: Order reaction speed Fixed: Infantry sometimes disembarked from an external transport unit when changing behaviour New: Keyboard shortcuts F1-F8 -> Toggle select immediate subordinate ~ -> Toggle select all immediate subordinates Backspace -> Open/close command menu Page Up/Down -> Navigate command tree vertically Del/End -> Navigate command tree horizontally Shift+RMB -> Add WP Ctrl+RMB -> Move Ctrl+B -> Behaviour Ctrl+H -> Halt CTRL+P -> Proceed New: GUI message when switching to another unit Fixed: It was possible to switch to an already dead leader Fixed: Missing Command Engine option after dying and switching to another leader New: Config Setting 'ViewFriendlies' ... allows tracking of friendly but non-subordinate units New: Option 'Remove WPs' in unit context menu Fixed: Error when reaching 'Converge' waypoint Improved: Update interval now independent of total number of CEX units Fixed: CEX callsign was not assigned to group at mission start New: Config Setting 'Transport' ... mission editor can pre-assign a transport unit New: Config Setting 'Behaviour' ... mission editor can define initial behaviour state of unit Change: More frequent casualty reports and feedback messages Fixed: Non-CEX units could access the CEX interface Change: Many behaviour modes now use speed mode "FAST" Fixed: Landing helicopters now stay on ground New: UI Settings can now be applied on a per-unit basis in the description.ext Improved: Waypoint transition speed Fixed: Waypoint lines created by other players were visible in MP Fixed: Names of leaders commanding a vehicle were not properly handled in description.ext Fixed: Error when using CTRL+Click to move a unit - BETA 1 (0.85): First Public Release DOWNLOAD -------------- CoC CEX v0.86 @ thechainofcommand .net CoC CEX v0.86 @ Gotf.net (mirror provided by Rhodite, thanks) CoC CEX v0.86 @ Combat-Prison.net (mirror provided by Stavanger, danke) CoC CEX v0.86 @ Armaholic.com (mirror provided by Big, thanks) Old versions: CoC CEX v0.85 @ thechainofcommand .net Have Fun! Spinor CoC CEX Developer

I am not sure if thats what you mean with dropdown-menu, but I would suggest to use the right-click context menu. In the example description.ext there is an entry CEX_CustomUI/ContextMenu you can modify: Code: class CEX_CustomUI { title ="Mission Menu"; // Default Widget Title enabled ="true"; // Custom Menu enabled class ContextMenu { title ="Support"; // Title of context sub-menu width =0.15; // Screen-width of menu show ="true"; // display menu enabled="true"; // enable menu pic =""; // menu icon // Menu entries class Mortar { text = "Mortar"; // Item text action = "[_pos]exec 'mortar.sqs'"; // Item action }; }; }; This should enable a submenu "Support" within the right-click context menu with an entry "Mortar", that will execute "mortar.sqs" with the map-click position as parameter (adjust this as required by your script).

Getting troops to enter a vehicle within their own group (i.e. team or squad) is not directly possible. The boarding is governed by the group behavior setting, i.e. Aware, Combat etc. You can also specifically set it by double clicking a unit and select "Embark Infantry" from the dialog. Please note though that even then infantry might not board vehicles immediately, but only after ordering the group to move some minimum distance.

To disable the individual soldier icons, select Veteran mode or check your Difficulty options for this ArmA setting.

Select a group behaviour in which infantry boards their vehicles, such as "Travel". Check manual for appropriate behaviour modes. Alternatively, double-click a group and set "Embark Infantry" manually.

To shorten the waiting time a little bit , here is a new CEX mission created by Solomani: Chain of Command - CEX Mission: US Army Cavalry Troop Readme

Yes, next version will have no hardcoded level limit, so if your computer can handle it you can simulate a Corps if you like . In the currently released version you can already have Battalion level, with Squads at the basic level: Battalion Company Platoon Squad What portion are you interested in? Just viewing capabilities or (limited) command abilities?

New version is in the works, but I wil not give an ETA as I have been proven wrong too often .

Check "CEX.../Info.../Credits" ingame

Sorry for the lack of updates. After arriving in the UK, I continued CEX development about two weeks ago. The next version should be ready by the end of November, mostly including bug fixes but also a few new goodies. Regarding the forums: We are currently in the process of creating a new forum which should be available soon.

It works from bottom to top: 1) Information is gathered at the group (squad or fireteam) level, and new contacts are reported to the next level (usually platoon). 2) Then it just goes step by step up the ladder: Platoon leaders report to Company leader, Company leaders to Battalion leader, etc. As of now, there is no 'reporting' from top to bottom. A unit is thus only ever aware of enemies detected by its subordinates. Usually this means they do not share information with groups far away unless a platoon is far spread out.

Yes, this is already in development and should be implemented in 0.88 or so . In the beginning it will just be a replacement for using Guard waypoints to control opposing forces. The mission editor will be able to assign important locations to a CEX unit (i.e. a platoon, a company, etc.) and if that unit is not controlled by a human, the AI will kick in and try to hold these locations. The AI will produce normal orders to subordinates so if you are playing at a lower level, you are still fully immersed in the CEX chain of command. Yes, this is a known NS bug. Please post CEX bugs in this thread and NS bugs in the analogous thread here in the Addons & Mods section. These threads provide the greatest visibility to other users.

Just a quick heads-up: Development of CEX 0.87 is on hold for a few days while I am waiting for my desktop machine to arrive at my new place. I have just moved from Germany to the UK, so things are a bit busy at the moment. No, NSA can be configured to allow a longer connection timeout for slower WAN environments. This still needs to be tested before we can give any recommendations on that. For CEX itself, latency should not be a big issue, and I do not expect a big decrease in playability on WAN compared to LAN. CEX is not concerned with low-level detail like positions of individual soldiers, so split-level synchronization is not required.

Conceptually, its not a difficult concept. CEX consists , and the only question is on what machine an entity is managed (i.e. where is it local). At the moment, CEX copies ArmA so that AI controlled units are local at the ArmA server and human controlled units at their respective client. This could be easily changed, though, for example in cases with many AI units which put a lot of stress on the server. There is probably one downside in distributing entities over the network: it is likely to worsen network traffic, as the entities are communicating with each other.

Yes, response speed should be improved (there is still some potential, though ). Response speed was/is essentially independent of machine performance. No, not yet, I am still experimenting whether I can solve it via in-built ArmA functionality (addVehicle/leaveVehicle commands) or via a scripted solution. Not really measuring, just the intuitive understanding that the more code lines you try to execute within a given time interval, the higher the load will be. That time interval is essentially given by 'UnitServerUpdateInterval'.

Hi all, please check first post of this thread for CEX 0.86 mirrors.

New beta version CEX 0.86 is available for download: http://www.thechainofcommand.net/downloads/zips/CoC_CEX_0_86.zip Tip: Try out the new keyboard shortcuts, especially SHIFT+RMB for easily adding several waypoints. Change Log, BETA 2 (0.86): Change: CEX addon coc_cex.pbo Change: CEX_Test_Mission.Sara, old versions of this mission may not be compatible with 0.86 New: Start Menu Option CEX/Admin Tools/Restart Client ... use in MP in case a command transition was no properly recognized Fixed: Completed WPs were not deleted at commander machine (MP) New: Config Setting 'UnitServerUpdateInterval' ... refresh interval in secs of CEX server; determines unit responsiveness and server load New: Config Setting 'InterfaceUpdateInterval' ... refresh interval in secs of CEX UI New: Config Setting 'PlayerChatMessagesEnabled' ... if false, CEX will not ouptut order confirmation and status report chat messages originating from a player-controlled unit New: 4th command layer ... it is now possible to represent Battalion/Companies/Platoons/Squads in CEX New: Config Setting 'UseArmAMap' ... if true, CEX icons will also be displayed on standard ArmA map (non-interactively) Improved: Order reaction speed Fixed: Infantry sometimes disembarked from an external transport unit when changing behaviour New: Keyboard shortcuts F1-F8 -> Toggle select immediate subordinate ~ -> Toggle select all immediate subordinates Backspace -> Open/close command menu Page Up/Down -> Navigate command tree vertically Del/End -> Navigate command tree horizontally Shift+RMB -> Add WP Ctrl+RMB -> Move Ctrl+B -> Behaviour Ctrl+H -> Halt CTRL+P -> Proceed New: GUI message when switching to another unit Fixed: It was possible to switch to an already dead leader Fixed: Missing Command Engine option after dying and switching to another leader New: Config Setting 'ViewFriendlies' ... allows tracking of friendly but non-subordinate units New: Option 'Remove WPs' in unit context menu Fixed: Error when reaching 'Converge' waypoint Improved: Update interval now independent of total number of CEX units Fixed: CEX callsign was not assigned to group at mission start New: Config Setting 'Transport' ... mission editor can pre-assign a transport unit New: Config Setting 'Behaviour' ... mission editor can define initial behaviour state of unit Change: More frequent casualty reports and feedback messages Fixed: Non-CEX units could access the CEX interface Change: Many behaviour modes now use speed mode "FAST" Fixed: Landing helicopters now stay on ground New: UI Settings can now be applied on a per-unit basis in the description.ext Improved: Waypoint transition speed Fixed: Waypoint lines created by other players were visible in MP Fixed: Names of leaders commanding a vehicle were not properly handled in description.ext Fixed: Error when using CTRL+Click to move a unit For 0.87 we are working on (among other things): - Helmet and Unit Cam - Cycle Waypoint - Ferry action (Wait until loaded -> Move -> Unload -> Cycle) - Platoon (and above) formations

How about using the new command nearTargets ...it seems to provide a lot of useful information, namely the perceived position, type and side of known targets. Does nearTarget also use information acquired by contacting the center? For advanced applications it would be useful to prevent groups from getting external intel. Imagine simulating a group without radio connection, or in case somebody wants to model his own communication network, such as in Grouplink (I would imagine) or CEX.

Hmm, could it be that you have the CoC Extended Marker Addon installed? Any marker addon messes with the sequence of markers for ingame placement. We will try to get rid of this behavior in future versions. For now, I can only suggest to put the addon in a mod folder and only load it when necessary, if our addon is indeed the source of your problem.

Yes, thats how its designed. A strong dedicated server should help a lot as it manages all AI specific CEX code. The clients are then only concerned with the interface code. For very large missions, CEX can even be configured to distribute server load on several machines, sort of having multiple "CEX Servers", e.g. Machine A handles BLUFOR and Machine B handles OPFOR.

I just tried to solve this issue for some time now ... without success. It seems that even a custom map control forwards the default map command to ArmA (for the technically minded: this seems to be an issue with the OnMouseButtonDown EH...even putting in an EH return value of 'true' does not prevent this behavior). If somebody knows an easy solution please let me know. In any case, this important issue will be fixed. If absolutely necessary, I will disable the map and use a dummy non-map control for all user interactions. This would require the manual recreation of map-dragging and map-zooming, and would need some time, though.

We are officially releasing such a mission in the next beta (ETA 4-5 days), where the most urgent MP bugs will be fixed. No, unless, of course, the enemy units are part of a CEX command structure themselves.

Nice idea...and does not seem too difficult: A cycle/loop WP is already in the works, and the only other addition required seems to be a new WP-proceed-condition "Wait until loaded" for transport units.

Sorry, I am a bit busy with RL at the moment... It seems that, for some reason, the addon coc_cex.pbo (it contains both CoC_CommandEngineX and CoC_InterfaceEngine) is not loaded from the mod folder. All I can suggest is check your shortcut command option '-mod=@CEX' or, for a test, put all CoC addons into your main addon folder. Most of this is currently under construction, especially the ability to track friendly units which are not under your command (as an option assignable by mission designers). At the very least, a CEX commander will always see orders given to him by superiors, as well as be able to track all subordinates at all levels.

Not much to add what Nepumuk said...CEX control on opposing sides is already possible, with the 'slight' glitch that you can see what the enemy general is planning . This is already fixed for the upcoming version. BTW, there can be any number of players in CEX, each with its own set of subordinate units. CEX commanders can also be arranged in a command hierarchy. CEX is fully flexible in that regard. AAR at the group/squad level and above is not much of a problem. CEX already tracks squad positions and status.