Raddik

All, This script when called will spawn an aircraft however many times you wish, with a crew and waypoint. It's great for missions where you need to have an aircraft spawn multiple times but eventually stop. The aircraft will fly towards the named waypoint and search and destroy. Once it's destroyed it will respawn and again fly towards the waypoint. The script cleans up each cycle by deleting the units and aircraft to make it as light as possible on your rig/server. Best of all and the ultimate reason for it's creation is it's compatible with dedicated servers! That mean no multiple vehicle spawning on your dedicated box. This was only possible with a great amount of help from Wiper as he wrote the code. It's used on my Uber Air Combat mission to create a Coop & Multiplayer frenetic air combat experience. I have posted a link below as well as the code itself with some instructions on how to use it. Everything is based around spawning a Russian SU25 (SU34 for a classname) 7 times. For those of you with a lick of experience it will be self explanatory. Download Link: http://www.raddik.com/storage/arma2/SU2501.zip First, create a spawn point for the aircraft. Name it and replace 'SU2501SPAWN' in the script with it. Next, create a waypoint, name it, and again replace 'SU2501TARGET' in the script with it. Change the '7' by the 'while{SU2501Count < 7}' with the number of times you would like the aircraft to spawn. Next, replace 'SU39' with whatever vehicle classname you wish to use. Each time you duplicate this script for a different vehicle make sure you make the group name and waypoints unique. Finally, call the script from your init.sqf or a trigger and enjoy. While it's extremely simple, I decided to post it anyway since I was looking for something this noob friendly a few weeks ago. Regards, Raddik

All, 2400 meters is extreme long range shooting, even for a .50 BMG round. A 647 grain match grade bullet will be traveling at 650fps at that range. The ballistics of the impact are not what you might think...that's only 639 ft.-lb. of energy. That's reduced from the 13,144 ft.lb. of energy it starts with!! This would be close to a 55 grain 5.56mm round at 250 meters or a 200 grain .44 magnum round at 100 yards. Quality body armor would certainly be able to stop it. Hope that helps!

Had to share this brief story with you all: I was playing a custom combined operations mission in Zargabad with 3 friends last night and made my longest kill shot yet with the M107 platform. They were busying themselves with an MH6 insertion to the North and I was on the hill to far west of the Airfield. I spotted some OPFOR riflemen in the west sector of the city-they were Kronsky's UPS controlled units, walking along a wall. One of them paused, and I aimed for the extreme range and let loose the round. A little over 2 seconds later it hit him square in the back and he was incapacitated instantly. His buddies fled around the wall and I kept scanning for targets. Range was 1854 meters or 6051 feet (1.15 miles). Glad to be back playing ARMA:2 again! Out.

Looks like I need to fire up ACE my friend!

@ArmAriffic That claimed range in the video (3000m) is bogus-it's only 1250 meters, I measured it myself in the editor. Pics below: The video looked wrong as anything beyond 1500 meters gets really difficult for one shot kills.

All, I am officially starting a up a project to create a realistic Aircraft Carrier for ARMA 2...the vehicle and related ops components. Since I am a noob when it comes to modeling I am looking for some qualified help for this project. Below is a list of what I think we'll need: Modelers - 2 Animator - 1 Artists - 2 Scripting Gurus - 2 Navy Carrier Ops Expert - 1 I am willing to put some money into this, including stipends for team members and purchasing models, etc. If you are interested in helping, please PM me or reply with your skills and thoughts. Once the team is asembled we'll brainstorm features that should be included, finalize that list, and then map out a dev cycle. Please let me know if you have any questions. Cheers, Raddik

Updated 09/24/09 - See changelog Well folks, here it is...the first attempt at a Steam Catapult System for Arma 2. Below you'll find instructions on how to use the system, other info, and download links. Please let me know how it works out for you...best of luck. Video | <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOvxnAqsC0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOvxnAqsC0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> Screenshot Features: For ease of use, this is simply a collection of scripts. I had originally been designing it as an addon, but I had a change of heart. This system is built entirely around a single 'invisible' helicopter pad. Once configured, the player gets into an aircraft, selects "Deck Launch", Throttles Up, and next thing they know they're racing down the deck at 160+ knots. There is a launch area safety in place to prevent any kind of telefragging or related issues on the deck. Also, players are unable to get out of their aircraft until the launch sequence is complete...this again keeps things from getting out of hand. As of now, this is compatible with the F35B and A-10. I am working on a new method of locking down the aircraft before launch, but until it's sorted out these are the only aircraft that will work. Please do not mirror this or use it in other addons without my permission. Change Log: 1.01 (09/24/09) - Changed stop code for aircraft per tom_48_97's input. - Made countdown silent. - Removed support for Su34. I decided it didn't make sense since there is no Russian platform of any kind of launch from. - Included sample mission as a reference. - Updated installation instructions for V1.01 changes. 1.0 (09/23/09) (Beta release) - First public beta release Credits: Wiper - For help with the launch code...thanks a bunch. tom_48_97 - For rewriting the stop code and other suggestions. BI Forum Users - For answering a slew of questions. Special Thanks: Violently Happy - Testing Turk182! - Testing Lablood - Testing RedAnthrax - Testing Zac - Testing Download Link: Armaholic Mirror Instructions (Click Spoiler Button):

Operation Sky Sweeper is a dynamic and air combat focused mission that can by played solo or with others. It includes many unique features including a custom aircraft spawning script and steam catapult system, both of which I'd originally written for this mission. If you love air combat, this is the mission for you! Click the spoiler button below to view the mission briefing/details: Features: BluFor only Co-op gameplay for up to 14 players Support for Mando Missiles 3 BluFor AI controlled respawning F35B aircraft 1 BluFor AI controlled respawning A10 aircraft Fully functional & custom made steam catapult system for deck launching Scripting that creates 50+ enemy aircraft placed randomly around the map, with only 12 alive at any given moment. Dual Primary Objectives include destroying all OpFor aircraft & protecting a vital BluFor asset Full featured LHD base with respawning resources including: 12 custom outfitted F35-B aircraft with 8 Sidewinder missiles, 2 Maverick AG missiles, and 600 rounds of GAU12 cannon ammo 4 custom outfitted A-10 'Warthog' aircraft with 2 Sidewinder missiles, 6 Maverick AG missiles, and 1200 rounds of cannon ammo 2 custom outfitted AH1-Z 'Cobra' helicopters with 6 Sidewinder missiles, 8 Hellfire missiles, 38 Hydra missiles, and 1500 rounds of M197 cannon ammo 2 custom outfitted AH64D 'Apache' helicopters with 16 Hellfire missiles, 38 Hydra missiles, and 1350 rounds of cannon ammo Fuel, Ammo, and Repair trucks on BluFor friendly grass airstrip in Boalta AI guerrilla warfare team set to protect BluFor missile asset Full 3D clouds w/4.5K meter draw distance (supports up to 7k) Dynamic menu system for player controlled view distance and grass All scripting is dedicated server friendly Full briefing. Change Log: V 1.0 - 12/26/09 Initial Release V 1.01 - 12/30/09 Added – New version with support and tweaks for Mando Missiles v2.4. Added - 3 BluFor AI controlled respawning F35B aircraft to support players. Added - 1 BluFor AI controlled respawning A10 aircraft to support players. Added – (2) AH-64 Longbow helicopters. Added - Player-controlled view distance/grass settings. Removed – (1) AH1Z Cobra helicopter. Fixed - Spawn height issues with aircraft. Changed – Updated catapult system to lock player in vehicle until launch is complete. Changed – Reduced OpFor aircraft total count to 50. Changed – Moved BluFor MLRS asset away from building, on occasion it would self-annihilate. Changed – Loadouts on all vehicles to balance gameplay and encourage team work. Changed - Starting view distance to 4500 meters. Changed - Major overhaul of underlying scripting for BluFor aircraft loadouts, respawning, and positioning. Changed - Complete retooling of AI aircraft spawning scripts…they have been reduced to a single function. This adds a 5-15 fps increase over v1.0. Operation Sky Sweeper | v1.01 - Armaholic.com Thanks in advance for trying this out. Enjoy! Cheers, Raddik

@Ebden, thanks for all the input. I'm already addressing the proximity of the first T90's in the next release. @All, my GTX 295 graphics card bit the dust yesterday, so I'll be unable to do anything with the mission for a week or so. :( EVGA should ship my new one close to this next week's end. Please continue giving feedback as you have it. Cheers, Raddik

Just posted a version update, see first post for details!

@Murklor Thanks for the input. I'll tinker with this tonight and report back. Cheers, Raddik

Gentlemen, I am trying to write a script that will tell all players on a dedicated server when an enemy vehicle (created with BIS_fnc_spawnVehicle, not placed in the editor) is destroyed. i.e. if I destroy a T-72 tank, I'd like a silent hint to pop saying 'T-72 destroyed by Raddik'. I've experimented with this and I'm having a hard time making any progress...especially in the context of a dedicated server. Ideally this would be easy to edit to display that message for any or all vehicle types. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. Cheers, Raddik

@vengeance1 You need to edit the direction in the stop.sqf script as well. The particular line of code is: BL1 setDir 90; This sets the direction of the invisible wall (what holds you in place). One would think that since we're simply flipping things 180 it would still work, but it won't. Make sure you change it for both the A10 and the F35B. @All Going to release a mission update tomorrow morning with some new features and improvements.

Still working on Mando Missile integration, but I'm making some serious headway. Going to spend a significant amount of time on this tonight to try and finish it.

Kremator, We're currently working on a script to do just that. It would allow the AI to use the deck launch system! We'll update everyone on the progress when we make some. All, below is our server if you would like to play this mission w/o having to download and run it locally.

Turk, I can do the map additon for potential AA...thanks for the idea. Kremator, I tried this with Mando Missiles and since the OpFor (ai) aircraft are created with a script o couldn't figure out how to limit their range/radar to that of human players. Maybe I'll send Mandoble a pm later asking for help. Cheers, Raddik

Can someone comment on the performance of this mission on their local machine or dedicated server?

This mission has been replaced by Operation Sky Sweeper. Please see this new thread for more details: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=92542 Cheers, Raddik

Update - September 9, 2009: Hey Everyone, I've been working on adding a steam catapult on the LHD near Utes for this mission. It's been a week or so and I wanted to show what I've been able to put together thus far. <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIT0xpWgw6o&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIT0xpWgw6o&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This mission features about an hour of intense air and guerrilla combat action. Features: BluFor only Co-op gameplay for up to 20 players Dual Primary Objectives include destroying all OpFor aircraft & destroying all OpFor ground/anti-air assets. Full featured LHD base with respawning resources including: 10 custom outfitted F35-B aircraft with 8 Sidewinder missiles, 2 Maverick AG missiles, and 600 rounds of GAU12 cannon ammo. 1 custom outfitted AV-8 'Harrier' aircraft with 8 Sidewinder missiles, 2 Maverick AG missiles, and 600 rounds of GAU12 cannon ammo. 1 custom outfitted AH1-Z 'Apache' helicopter with 6 Sidewinder missiles, 8 Hellfire missiles, 38 Hydra missiles, and 1500 rounds of M197 cannon ammo. Fuel, Ammo, and Repair trucks on LHD deck. Scripting that creates 50+ enemy aircraft placed randomly around the map, with only 8 alive at any given moment. Full guerrilla warfare role w/2 5-man teams of independent soldiers tasked with helping the Americans destroy the OpFor anti-air assets. NEW OpFor infantry to guard anti-air installations and other surprises. NEW Weapons cache at independent spawn and two respawning vehicles for transport. NEW Full briefing. Future "WIP" Features: Intro and outro cinematics. LHD catapult launch effect for fixed-wing aircraft. Enemy count information on HUD. Change log: V1.7 - Added full guerrilla warfare role to mission. - Because of the later change, the max player count has been increased to 20. - Moved the waypoints for the OpFor aircraft further away to the North and East of Utes. This gives the BluFor pilots a better chance to leave the LHD unharmed. - Lowered the viewdistance to 6000m due to performance issues some players were having. v1.6 - no longer beta - new additions - bug fixes v1.3b - longer viewdistance (7500m) Available for download at Armaholic: http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6912 'How To' Video on how to do a short and fast take off using VTOL on LHD (Received many questions about this) <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqs6seia-sQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqs6seia-sQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> Short clip of some in-game action <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwON6Y0Fexc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwON6Y0Fexc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> Available to play on my server here:

All, I have an air combat mission and I'd like to have every player's name/handle show up in the HUD all the time. I know this deviates more into the realm of 'Arcade', but does anyone have any ideas? Best, Raddik

Thanks for the tip, I'll try it out! Cheers, Raddik

Gentlemen, It's been awhile since I've been around here, but I'm working on some new stuff and I need some help. I have an object, an invisible fence (invisibleFence2), created by a script run from an addaction menu. I need to find a better way of cleaning up everything at the end of the script as a simple deleteCollection or setPos command doesn't consistently work. The invisible fence has a name, BL1. But somehow things are getting junked up, and it seems random too when it happens. That said, is there a simple way for me to have every invisible fence in the mission deleted at the end of the script? Since this mission is run on a dedicated server, I suspect there are special considerations to keep in mind for this as well since the script needs to run everywhere. For the actual mission/code, please click the link below and download my steam catapult system. The invisible fence is positioned to be the 'block' that keeps the plane from taking off until the launch. Lately, on dedicated servers with multiple peoples, it stops moving down after 10-25 min and we've been unable to pin-point the reason why. This action of moving down inside the LHD a 5th of a second before the launch keeps the plane still and in place at full throttle. I'm sorry if my word use is not particularly accurate, it's been awhile since I've had my mind in all this. Thanks in advance to you all. Best, Raddik

@larsiano I am hard at work on a new version of Uber Air Combat that will include 2 decked out LHDs catapult systems, as well as some other new features. Should be done in a couple weeks!

@larsiano Sorry for the delay, I was traveling and didn't have easy access to email. I just tested the sample mission as well as the scripts themselves in a freshly updated install of 1.4 and everything works fine. Sorry I can't be of more help here. @Keshman Glad to see you found an interesting use for it, although it's a little 'out of spec.' :) Cheers all. ~Raddik ---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ---------- @ffs That would be possible with an AI pilot if I had some scripting help from the pros. I'll put it on the list to see what we can do.

@Steve, Thanks for the input, this will be important methinks. Raddik