StopGaps - Script to fill empty player slots with planes

[Draken35]

Thanks!

[GOZR]

 DOSCRIPT ACTION at MISSION START ?????  how ?  where?

 

we need this for dummies...  sounds great but...

[GOZR]

On 5/20/2023 at 10:57 AM, cfrag said:

DOSCRIPT ACTION ?

 

 

[cfrag]

In Mission editor, click on the "Set Rules for Trigger" tool 

A panel opens to edit your trigger rules. Ignore whatever is already there, don't panic. Note the panel is divided in three vertical panes.

Click on NEW on the left to create a new trigger, and choose TYPE "4 MISSION START" from the pop-up

Choose whatever you like for name, I recommend 'run stop gaps"

Look at the right side for 'ACTIONS' (ignore the middle "conditions" pane)

Click NEW to create a new action for this trigger, and choose 'DOSCRIPT' from the pop-up

Paste the entirety of the script in the dinky little box

You are done.

[cfrag]

Version 1.1.0 - 20240226

This version fixes a rare bug when players immediately re-spawn in their helicopters after a crash

 

Enjoy,

-ch

[Killg0re NL]

Hmz, Stopgap works for the default DCS units.
But units from mods are not displayed, any clue what i have missed?

On the local machine, the mods show. on the dedicated they don't.

[cfrag]

50 minutes ago, Killg0re NL said:

On the local machine, the mods show. on the dedicated they don't

Stopgap works by creating static objects that use the same DCS type identifier as the player model. If they do not show up on clients I’m *guessing* that this is because they create nothing on the server, and that nothing then gets synched to the clients. I propose that you try this: also install those mods on the server and all clients. This is just an educated guess, I have no experience with mods.

[Killg0re NL]

57 minutes ago, Killg0re NL said:

Hmz, Stopgap works for the default DCS units.
But units from mods are not displayed, any clue what i have missed?

On the local machine, the mods show. on the dedicated they don't.

Hmz, it seems sorted, not sure what it was.
As it was working on another machine.

(mods are/where on server, and local machine's)

[cfrag]

Version 1.1.1 - 20240318

This version adds filtering for client planes that start "From Runway"

 

Enjoy,

-ch

[Asto]

Excellent mod, thank you!

This adds much more ambience to my personal playground maps with lots of modules added.

[Killg0re NL]

Can the OH-6A be added, it works in SP, but in MP i cannot see the OH-6A.

In SP the blades are also show, like they where spinning.
Last one i am in, unit in front is the 'dummy' one. (Captured in SP)

Edited May 5, 2024 by Killg0re NL
added info

[cfrag]

Just now, Killg0re NL said:

but in MP i cannot see the OH-6A.

You need to install the stopGap GUI in MP on the server

[Killg0re NL]

Disregard i had a brainfart. ( i installed the OH-6A mod on the server in maingame, instead off saved games folder)

[tazdirector]

First off, LOVE this mod!!
Really adds a ton of immersion to spawn in at an airbase with OTHER aircraft!  

We've been running this on a MP server for a few weeks now and recently ran into a strange issue:

Two client aircraft (F18s) randomly exploded when taxing to the runway.  In the second before the explosion, they thought they might have seen a static version of the aircraft spawning on top of them.

This was a one time issue and it didn't affect the other 10 clients taxing at the time.

Quick stats:
- Sukhumi Field 
- Only client F18s spawned in
- No stopGap conditions (-sp, etc) set
- stopGapGUI.lua installed on Server

Anyone else ran into this issue?

[cfrag]

6 hours ago, tazdirector said:

Two client aircraft (F18s) randomly exploded when taxing to the runway.  In the second before the explosion, they thought they might have seen a static version of the aircraft spawning on top of them.

That's puzzling and interesting indeed. I'm hypothesizing a server glitch and something else must be wrong, so I'd love to hear more on this should it ever happen again:

• Are these single-player groups (as SG prefers) or multi-ship player groups?
• The really puzzling thing may just be a choice of words: "when taxiing to the runway": SG places the statics exactly onto the location where these planes would be when their slots are unoccupied - it can't do otherwise (it uses the information from Mission Editor, not the location of planes in real-time). If these pilots had moved their planes already and this happens (the statics dropping on top of them), the server itself has massively glitched and suddenly superimposed the statics (which do have the same unit names as the active player units) onto active units - maybe a network issue? Very interesting. So did the pilots move their plane before they got crushed by the statics?

This is not to say that SG may not be the cause - after all I know the code, and there are lots of opportunities for me to screw up. The described phenomenon seems like something caused on the server, not SG, but I'd love to get more information.

Thanks for any info and the heads-up,

-ch

[tazdirector]

Thanks for the quick response.
Replies below:

• These are multi-ship player groups to take advantage of element IFF and SA labels.  These did happen to be the 1-2 and 1-3 ships of the flight after -1 disconnected.
• Both planes had moved from their static spawn in location and were on the taxi-way itself (no where close to other potential static spawn locations).  

Based on the above, I wonder if losing the 1-1 ship of the flight/element caused some weirdness.

Again, this mod is doing some amazing things.  Might try some single-player groups to see if the problem can be re-created.

Thanks again.

 

[Stingray112]

So I just had an interesting discovery using your stopGaps script. 

I did not want to use Ground Starts because in MP, you have no way of knowing where the airframe is physically located, unless you indicate it's location in the  GroupName of the airframe.

So, I initially placed a client airframe on the map and had it set to Takeoff from parking hot. When I ran the mission, as you state in your instructions, the static airframe that got spawned in was oriented due north, instead of being lined up with the tarmac markings and being properly oriented for its parking slot.

I then changed the airframe to Takeoff from ground and properly oriented the airframe. When I restarted the mission, the static that was swapped in was in the proper orientation.

I then went back into the mission editor and changed that airframe back to Takeoff from parking hot. I noticed that the airframe remained in the same orientation that I had set it to when I had set it to Takeoff from ground. 

I then started the mission and the statics swapped in with the orientation that I had set the client airframe to when I had set it to Takeoff from ground.

Something else I wonder is.. if you use Takeoff from parking and set the very first waypoint to a point directly in front of the nose of the airframe, using the waypoint to align the airframe in the orientation desired, would that also have the same effect of providing the static a proper orientation?

 

Update: So, I placed a client airframe in the mission and set it to Takeoff from parking hot. I then created a waypoint directly in front of the nose of the airframe, with the waypoint being placed over the tarmac line, in line with how the airframe should be oriented.... and... when I ran the miz, the static swapped in was in the proper orientation for that parking slot.

I also just tested this on dedicated server and it seems to be working with airframes set to Takeoff from parking.... once you set their orientation when they are set to Takeoff from ground... it looks like that heading is stored, most likely in the Mission file inside the .miz itself.

 

Edited June 6, 2024 by Stingray112

[Mike_Romeo]

When a group of 4 aircraft is placed and a player enters one of the aircraft, the entire group gets removed. Is there a way to prevent this or do I have to set every aircraft independently ?

[cfrag]

8 minutes ago, Mike_Romeo said:

When a group of 4 aircraft is placed and a player enters one of the aircraft, the entire group gets removed.

stopGap works on a group level. In DCS, when you have multi-ship groups, all AI planes spawn in with the *first* player in the group. There is no easy way to resolve how a multi-ship group is set up (player/AI mix), and which static planes to remove. To make the script reliable and not too complex, it removes *all* static aircraft with the first group member spawning in, and only replaces all when the *last* group member disappears. That's mostly where the 'single-player group' recommendation comes from.

 

[Zarma]

Great script. Is there a way so that the place holder has the same loadout as the client ?

[cfrag]

43 minutes ago, Zarma said:

Is there a way so that the place holder has the same loadout as the client ?

I have tried, and unfortunately DCS currently seemingly does not support loadouts for static objects in the way it does for AI/player units. Maybe some fine day in the future.

 

[SteelPig]

Could it be Stopgap doesn't work with the current build?
Since the patch there are no planes anymore. Just like Stopgap is not in effect.

[cfrag]

45 minutes ago, SteelPig said:

Could it be Stopgap doesn't work with the current build?

Thank you for the heads-up. I've just verified that stopGap functions well for SP and MP with the newest DCS build from Aug-09 2024. Let's see what went wrong with your miz and try and correct it asap  

[SteelPig]

52 minutes ago, cfrag said:

Thank you for the heads-up. I've just verified that stopGap functions well for SP and MP with the newest DCS build from Aug-09 2024. Let's see what went wrong with your miz and try and correct it asap  

Thanks for quick reply!
I will reload the script into mission then, maybe that helps. When I ran out of ideas I will come back.

[Zarma]

Had a strange behaviour.

 

When trying my mission in SP or hosting myself, the helicopters on a farp popped a few meters above the ground when I spawned in and fall to the ground, damaging them.

No problem when hosting the same mission on my dedicated server....

Edited August 11, 2024 by Zarma