TEMPEST.114

The utter lack of interaction between player and mission is a constant sore point and frustration in mission design. One way to mitigate this is to be able to offer the player a (timed) question where they can have two (or more) choices that they can bind to their hotas such that they can respond to a branching script or trigger system in the ME and allow missions and events to dynamically adjust.

Darn, I don't use MIST or MOOSE... But I can take a look at their code I suppose. Thanks for your help again @dark_wood

Hey @dark_wood Thanks so much for that. That's great to know. However, it seems that it toggles everything on or off. There doesn't seem to be a way to address each arrow individually. Is that correct? Is that possible somehow in scripting? Each ring has it's own name e.g.'HotZone1' etc. And depending on what's going on in the mission one of these needs to be show - not all of them at once.

In some circumstances it makes more sense for them to orbit clockwise rather than the default of anti-clockwise. Is there a way (in scripting) to enforce one direction over the other?

So each of the draw shapes (circles or ovals) have been given a name 'HotZone1' or 'HotZone2' etc, and they are all on the common layer. Because they have a 'name' they should be addressable somehow right? I have them set to hidden (not hidden on F10) but just individually toggled hidden. So there is no way to toggle that hidden 'on' for a named graphic on the common layer? If not, then whats the point of giving each one a unique name? Yeah, those are tiny orange thin things - I've defaulted to using them, but they're crappy for visibility on the map. So I made large, thick rings using the DRAW tool. Those were the ones I was hoping to toggle on and off - either in the ME or if i had to via scripting.

I am struggling to get users to turn this off, and they break the mission and rules that the mission designers spend a lot of time on. Why did this even get added? May we ask that this be removed?

I'll look into it for the next update. Thank you so much!!!

I have a tanker created in the ME that is working perfectly. It's taking off, flying to a waypoint, and starting a race-track from that waypoint to the next (it's penultimate wp - the last being land back at base). The TACAN, EPLRS etc is all set and players can tank from it. In my script I give it a new waypoint some distance away (to simulate the front of the battle moving and returning players needing fuel to get home). This new position is a waypoint with a new task of ORBIT i.e. NOT Race-Track, with a new altitude and speed and obviously, new location. Here is the task I'm creating prior to doing the 'pushTask(missionTask)' command. missionTask = { ['id'] = 'Mission', ['params'] = { ['route'] = { ['points'] = { [1] = { ['speed_locked'] = true, ['type'] = 'Turning Point', ['action'] = 'Turning Point', ['alt_type'] = 'BARO', ['y'] = -171753.07753682, ['x'] = -74403.995537434, ['speed'] = 494.08524741803, ['task'] = { ['id'] = 'ComboTask', ['params'] = { ['tasks'] = { [1] = { ['id'] = 'Tanker', ['params'] = { } }, [2] = { ['id'] = 'Orbit', ['params'] = { ['altitude'] = 6093.019511968, ['pattern'] = 'Circle', ['speed'] = 494.08524741803 } } } } }, ['alt'] = 6093.019511968 } } }, ['airborne'] = true } } And here is the Tankers default tasks as set from the mission editor (as extracted from env.mission PRIOR to any push) { ['frequency'] = 308, ['uncontrollable'] = false, ['modulation'] = 0, ['groupId'] = 27, ['tasks'] = { }, ['route'] = { ['points'] = { [1] = { ['alt'] = 6096, ['type'] = 'Turning Point', ['action'] = 'Turning Point', ['alt_type'] = 'BARO', ['y'] = -120070.2017037, ['x'] = -112581.74056971, ['speed_locked'] = true, ['formation_template'] = '', ['speed'] = 256.94444444444, ['ETA_locked'] = true, ['task'] = { ['id'] = 'ComboTask', ['params'] = { ['tasks'] = { [1] = { ['enabled'] = true, ['auto'] = true, ['id'] = 'Tanker', ['number'] = 1, ['params'] = { } }, [2] = { ['enabled'] = true, ['auto'] = true, ['id'] = 'WrappedAction', ['number'] = 2, ['params'] = { ['action'] = { ['id'] = 'ActivateBeacon', ['params'] = { ['type'] = 4, ['AA'] = false, ['callsign'] = 'TEX', ['system'] = 4, ['channel'] = 5, ['modeChannel'] = 'X', ['unitId'] = 71, ['bearing'] = true, ['frequency'] = 966000000 } } } }, [4] = { ['number'] = 4, ['auto'] = false, ['id'] = 'Orbit', ['enabled'] = true, ['params'] = { ['altitude'] = 6096, ['pattern'] = 'Race-Track', ['speed'] = 256.94444444444, ['speedEdited'] = true, ['altitudeEdited'] = true } }, [3] = { ['enabled'] = true, ['auto'] = true, ['id'] = 'WrappedAction', ['number'] = 3, ['params'] = { ['action'] = { ['id'] = 'EPLRS', ['params'] = { ['value'] = true, ['groupId'] = 2 } } } } } } }, ['ETA'] = 0 }, [2] = { ['alt'] = 6096, ['type'] = 'Turning Point', ['action'] = 'Turning Point', ['alt_type'] = 'BARO', ['y'] = -179273.68825996, ['x'] = -29021.264048868, ['speed_locked'] = true, ['formation_template'] = '', ['speed'] = 256.94444444444, ['ETA_locked'] = false, ['task'] = { ['id'] = 'ComboTask', ['params'] = { ['tasks'] = { } } }, ['ETA'] = 398.56100914256 } } }, ['hidden'] = false, ['units'] = { [1] = { ['alt'] = 6096, ['type'] = 'KC135MPRS', ['alt_type'] = 'BARO', ['psi'] = 0.61641499418087, ['livery_id'] = '100th arw', ['skill'] = 'Excellent', ['onboard_num'] = '023', ['y'] = -120070.2017037, ['x'] = -112581.74056971, ['name'] = 'KC135-MPRS_TEXACO', ['payload'] = { ['pylons'] = { }, ['fuel'] = 90700, ['flare'] = 60, ['chaff'] = 120, ['gun'] = 100 }, ['speed'] = 256.94444444444, ['callsign'] = { [1] = 1, [2] = 1, ['name'] = 'Texaco11', [3] = 1 }, ['heading'] = -0.61641499418087, ['unitId'] = 71 } }, ['y'] = -120070.2017037, ['radioSet'] = true, ['name'] = 'KC135MPRS', ['communication'] = true, ['x'] = -112581.74056971, ['start_time'] = 0, ['task'] = 'Refueling', ['uncontrolled'] = false } And here is my code for creating and pushing the new task function MoveTankerTask(playerData) local point = GetMoveToPoint() if point.x and point.y and point.z then local missionTask = BuildAircraftTaskFrom(point, playerData.selectedTanker.speed, playerData.selectedTanker.altitude, true) PushNewTaskForGroup(missionTask, playerData.selectedTanker.group) end end function BuildAircraftTaskFrom(destinationPoint, speed, altitude, isAircraft) isAircraft = isAircraft or false local missionTask = {} missionTask.id = "Mission" missionTask.params = {} missionTask.params.route = {} missionTask.params.route.points = {} if isAircraft then missionTask.params.airborne = true end missionTask.params.route.points[#missionTask.params.route.points+1] = CreateBasicOrbittingAircraftUnitWaypoints(destinationPoint, speed, altitude) return missionTask end function CreateBasicOrbittingAircraftUnitWaypoints(destinationPoint, speed, altitude) -- Goes into POINTS local waypoint = {} waypoint.x = destinationPoint.x waypoint.y = destinationPoint.z waypoint.alt = altitude waypoint.alt_type = "BARO" waypoint.speed = speed waypoint.action = AI.Task.TurnMethod.FLY_OVER_POINT waypoint.type = AI.Task.WaypointType.TURNING_POINT waypoint.speed_locked = true waypoint.task = {} waypoint.task.id = "ComboTask" waypoint.task.params = {} waypoint.task.params.tasks = {} local orbitTask = { ["id"] = "Orbit", ["params"] = {} } orbitTask.params.altitude = altitude orbitTask.params.pattern = "Circle" orbitTask.params.speed = speed waypoint.task.params.tasks[#waypoint.task.params.tasks+1] = orbitTask return waypoint end function PushNewTaskForGroup(missionTask, group) group:getController():pushTask(missionTask) end So, if I don't push the new task, the tanker just does its regular race-track pattern between two waypoints just fine. When I push this new task, it deviates from it's race-track course for a few minutes but then returns back to its racetrack course and carries on as if nothing happened. If I popTask() before I push the new one, it makes no difference. I can't see anything wrong with this. HOWEVER, if I use 'setTask' and recreate the entire Tanker Task from scratch i.e. recreate the tacan, eplrs, tanker -a and the new waypoint information and SET that - then it loses the old racetrack pattern and moves CORRECTLY to the new position and does the circular orbit as I expect. Therefore I conclude that PUSH with a correctly formatted waypoint for a tanker, at least, is broken.

You can't change the coalition of a trigger zone, and having the map show the locations of the smokes on all the trigger zones, defeats the purpose of having the players hunt for them.

I was more thinking of this type of scenario: AI Aircraft Has 4 waypoints. WP1 takes off WP2 climbs to altitude WP3 runs at best cruise WP4 descends and does a patrol orbit or something. At any point, what I wanted was the up-to-date ETA for WP 4 So AFAIK, DCS works that out on the fly depending on wind and the distance between waypoints for the climb to altitude etc... So that is a living number and not something that can easily be calculated with S = D / T But if I understand you, there is no way to get that living ETA from the back end.

i.e. I have red circles drawn over the map as 'hints' of where bandits might be lurking. I don't want them visible at the start, but when the player (via F10 Radio Menu) asks for a hint, I want to randomly show one of these circles for 60secs then turn it off again. I'm sure I can get them from env.mission and maybe toggle them via scripting, but is there a way to do this in the ME?

It's pretty easy, you can edit the life_raft_yellow.lua in DCS.openbeta\Mods\tech\Civilian Assets Pack - Navy v2.5\Database\CAP Ships. At the top (line18) you will find : GT.max_velocity = 0.20222 That's the max speed in m/s @Andrew8604 Here...

Look into SRS and STTS.

It's so hard and a time-sink to make airfields feel alive and populated... I just want to put aircraft on the airfield, and set that 'START time to be the time I want them to start up - but they still be visible and exist on the airfield until that time. I know it's possible if you make them 'UNCONTROLLED' then add a START advanced waypoint action and then CREATE A TRIGGER AT DESIRED START TIME TO SET START... but what a time wasting and overly-complicated amount of faffing for something so trivial? Just allow them to 'exist' and be visible but not start until their manually changed 'start' time.

The Life Raft already has the ability to 'simulate' drift by having a speed and waypoints. Eight Ball sorted that. Doing it to 'people' models is identical.

I know this sounds macabre, but could you please add some swimming people that we can move with waypoints, some treading water / floating people we can move with waypoints, and yes, some dead floating people - so if the SAR players don’t get to them in time, they perish?

Anyone?!

BUMP

I see in the model you're referencing there are animation states for no helmet, different faces and a regular run vs a 'panicked' run. How does one toggle or switch to these states such that they are accessible either via DCS Scripting Engine or mission editor flags/states/controls? Does a new .lua file need to be created or your pilot.lua changed to support accessing these animation states? Do you know of any guide on how to set this up?

Could that be mentioned somewhere in the 'documentation' as well as all the other 'gotchas' that no one would otherwise know. I've spent months wondering why this wasn't working and trying to fix it. What a waste of damn time...

Are you talking about making the AI do a run and break to land? Or are you talking about something for the player/clients?

1. In lua, new variables have to have local in front of them unless they are globals - but unless RTW_10 is a global defined outside of this function, then it's scope is limited to that function. 2. You're returning a variable called 'RTW' but the variable that has the random number is in is 'RTW_10'. Where is RTW coming from? They have to be the same variable. 3. Have you de-sanitised DCS? If not, you won't have access to OS level commands.

I have an AI aircraft that has two waypoints. The first, it's high and fast. The second is generated in script for it to be at a specific place, altitude and speed. This means it will do some 'linear' transition between it's current alt, speed and position to the newly created waypoint. Somewhere in the backend, that's controlling all this, it creates an 'ETA' for that waypoint. However, I can't see any way from the scripting API to 'get' that ETA once the mission task has been set on the AI Aircraft giving it the new waypoint and telling it to go there. Am I incorrect? Is there a way to get the backend generated Waypoint ETA, so that I can show that to the players?

I don't believe this is happening in script. You might want to try that.

I believe you should be using the world enum not "mark_added" e.g.