How To: Moving Trigger Zone ?

[Jel]

I was planning to do a cargo transport from point A to point B, Point B being a location on a carrier deck.

Since helos carrying their load only unload those into a specified zone, i somehow have to make a zone attached to that carrier.

But how ?

Watching some YT tutorials about how to make moving trigger zones didn´t quite work out. I placed everything exactly as shown but the zone seems to remain static.

Any ideas or information about how this is possible (without having to script my way) ? 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[dark_wood]

You can place Moving Zone wherever you want in ME, it will attach to desired unit in game only. Also, make sure you specify Unit names, and not Group names.

Hope it helps

[Jel]

vor 49 Minuten schrieb dark_wood:

You can place Moving Zone wherever you want in ME, it will attach to desired unit in game only. Also, make sure you specify Unit names, and not Group names.

Hope it helps

That´s exactly what i did. I can´t just attach a moving zone to a unit, so i watched those tutorials. According to them, you have to do it with a trigger. Both videos show a different approach on that trigger, i tried both, none works. I feel like i missed something...

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[dark_wood]

From manual:

"UNIT INSIDE MOVING ZONE.

This trigger allows you to attach a trigger area zone to a unit and the zone will move along with the assigned unit.

Note, the trigger zone can be placed anywhere on the map, but will in fact be always attached to the center of the assigned unit in-game.

When selected, you should first select the unit that the area trigger will be attached to by selecting it from the ZONE UNIT drop down list.

Next, select the area trigger zone that will be attached to the unit from the ZONE drop down list.

Lastly, you need to set the unit that will set the trigger to true when it enters the zone unit’s zone.

Do this by selecting a unit from the UNIT drop down list."

[Jel]

Yep and again: That´s exactly what i am doing.

I set my unit "carrier" as zone unit, i select the zone "cargo zone", and i select the same unit "carrier" as the unit to trigger the - trigger. As action i set "message to all: test"

Just to have any action set.

The Cargo Chopper however, when set to drop cargo inside "cargo zone" always flys to the set static location of the triggerzone (and drops the cargo into the water)...

 

I also tried to set the triggering unit to some plane flying above, same here - the triggerzone just seems to stay static and won´t stick to the "carrier".

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[Ithronwise]

10 minutes ago, Jel said:

I set my unit "carrier" as zone unit, i select the zone "cargo zone", and i select the same unit "carrier" as the unit to trigger the - trigger. As action i set "message to all: test"

You have to set the Cargo Chopper as unit to activate the trigger. Translated in a syntax: If "Cargo Chopper" is inside the moving zone "cargo zone" of the zone unit "carrier" then start action "message to all: test".

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ithronwise

[toutenglisse]

6 hours ago, Jel said:

I was planning to do a cargo transport from point A to point B, Point B being a location on a carrier deck.

Since helos carrying their load only unload those into a specified zone, i somehow have to make a zone attached to that carrier.

But how ?...

Hi, doing that with mission editor is OK (I've just tried with a small moving zone linked to a small static cargo linked to the carrier, so the moving zone stays on elevator 4. Bringing another cargo and unhook it on elevator 4 triggers a successfull "cargo dropped in zone", by detecting "cargo unhooked" + "cargo inside moving zone").

The big issue I see is that the cargo you unhook on moving ship's deck stays static in space, so it just slides off the deck...

[Jel]

vor 9 Minuten schrieb Ithronwise:

You have to set the Cargo Chopper as unit to activate the trigger. Translated in a syntax: If "Cargo Chopper" is inside the moving zone "cargo zone" of the zone unit "carrier" then start action.

 

Wow i just can´t get my head around this:

To make the chopper do a cargo transport i have to specify WHAT he sould load and WHERE to unload (zone). So if i set the chopper to the activating unit, he still doesn´t fly to the carrier but instead to thhe position the zone was placed. My problem is, that the zone should be on the carrier and not static.

I uploaded my little test, perhaps you can point me in the right direction ?

 

 

Cargo Test.miz

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[Jel]

vor 19 Minuten schrieb toutenglisse:

 

The big issue I see is that the cargo you unhook on moving ship's deck stays static in space, so it just slides off the deck...

 

 

Well that´s something i haven´t thought of yet... Makes the whole project a failure already  Thanks for the heads-up.

If only there was a trigger option to check for dropped cargo inside a zone which then connects it to a specific unit...

[Ithronwise]

43 minutes ago, Jel said:

To make the chopper do a cargo transport i have to specify WHAT he sould load and WHERE to unload (zone). So if i set the chopper to the activating unit, he still doesn´t fly to the carrier but instead to thhe position the zone was placed. My problem is, that the zone should be on the carrier and not static.

I am not at home at the moment, so I will try from my memory. First you have to create an Advanced Waypoint Action for unit Cargo Chopper to unload/unhook the cargo.

Then you have to create the following triggers:

Trigger 1:

Type: ONCE

Conditions:
UNIT INSIDE MOVING ZONE =
Unit: Cargo Chopper
Zone: cargo zone
Zone unit: carrier

Action:
FLAG ON =
Flag: 1

 

Trigger 2:

Type: ONCE

Conditions:
FLAG IS TRUE =
Flag: 1

Action:
AI TASK PUSH =
Action: unload/unhook cargo

 

Trigger 3:

Type: ONCE

Conditions:
CARGO UNHOOKED IN ZONE =
Zone: cargo zone
Cargo unit: cargo

 

Action:
MESSAGE TO ALL =
Message: Test

 

The problem is, I am not sure how long the helo needs to drop the cargo. If he takes too long time, then he drops the cargo into the sea because the carrier moves on.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ithronwise

[Jel]

Yeah but as soon as i specify the cargo zone as unloading zone for the chopper, it flys there and unloads. It doesn´t follow the moving zone with the carrier, instead the chopper unloads where the zone initially was placed - which is the core issue here. So your trigger 1 already won´t work because the chopper never enters the moving zone.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[Ithronwise]

40 minutes ago, Jel said:

Yeah but as soon as i specify the cargo zone as unloading zone for the chopper, it flys there and unloads. It doesn´t follow the moving zone with the carrier, instead the chopper unloads where the zone initially was placed - which is the core issue here. So your trigger 1 already won´t work because the chopper never enters the moving zone.

You don't need to specify the cargo zone as unloading zone, therefore you have the Advanced Waypoint Action to unhook the cargo (e.g. "cargo 1"). And Trigger 1 works, because it doesn't say any more as: If "Cargo Chopper" is in the moving zone "cargo zone" of the zone unit "carrier" then set "flag 1" to On.

Trigger 2 says: If Flag 1 is true then push AI Task unload/unhook "cargo 1" (the Advanced Waypoint Action you set)

Trigger 3 says: If "cargo 1" is unhooked in zone "cargo zone" then send message to all: "test"

To be sure that the helo is flying to the carrier you could set a waypoint task "Follow" (e.g. for a waypoint somewhere near the carrier route) and set its values that the helo hovers directly over the carrier with synchronized speed.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ithronwise

[Jel]

When i set cargo transport without any specified unloading zone (just the cargo to pick up), the chopper doesn´t even pick up anything. The cargo AND the target zone have to be specified in order for the chopper to do anything. And while doing the transport, i can´t tell him to do other tasks like "follow" to make him meet the carrier somewhere. So basically "pick up cargo XY and unload it in zone AB", then perform next task. Nothing in between.

If there´s a possibility to work around this, can you point out how to do this ?

Also "Advanced Waypoint Action to unhook the cargo" ? Where do you find this ?

Edited August 31, 2022 by Jel

[Ithronwise]

Sorry, I meant "Triggered Waypoint Action" (as I wrote I tried from my memory). Now I am at home and I tested your mission. I understand your problem and tried to solve it . But the closest I get is this what you can see attached. Unfortunately the Mission Editor is very limited and the DCS AI is artifical unintelligent. I am afraid the only or at least simpliest solution is to set the carrier speed to zero. Or you give tools like M.O.O.S.E a try.

Cargo Test modified.miz

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ithronwise

[Jel]

Thanks for the effort and trying  I´ve tested your approach, another good idea with the "leaving zone". Unfortunately, the chopper also won´t unload.

The good news however: The moving zone itself DOES work, at least for all assets EXPECT cargo transport. I´ve tested it with a plane crossing the moving zone some miles later, similar to the YT tutorial of the Reapers linked above - works fine. So i guess the zone doesn´t actually contiuously move with the linked unit but only snaps to it when the trigger condition is met.

So I´d say let´s drop this task since even IF we get it to work, the cargo wouldn´t remain static on the deck anyways.

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Jel

[Ithronwise]

20 hours ago, Jel said:

So I´d say let´s drop this task since even IF we get it to work, the cargo wouldn´t remain static on the deck anyways.

The only way to avoid this would be to deactivate the cargo as soon it is dropped on the carrier deck and then activcate another one identical cargo unit which is linked to the carrier ( but I am not sure whether static cargo can be linked to a ship). Somewhere exists a script named simpleStatics.lua. I have it in my Scripts folder and it works very well (I used it in some complex missions) but I cannot find it anymore here in the forum or in the internet. With this you can activate and deactivate static units as you wish.