Slmod- multiplayer server mod for new mission logic functionality

[Speed]

Ok, this morning, I accidentally removed the Slmodv6_0 guides, they should be back up now, sorry :doh:

[chokko]

hello

 

have been using servman3 and slmod 6.1 hosting missions ok (i think)

 

trying to use slmod in mission editor for the 1st time.

 

so i've created a trigger

ONCE(no event)->TIME MORE(5)->DO SCRIPT(slmod.msg_out("hi there",10))

 

Which doesn't execute in game.

 

I note a lot of these error messages in DCS.log:

 

0100.949 ERROR Lua::Config: Call error server.on_process:[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:96: attempt to call global 'update_clients' (a nil value)

stack traceback:

[C]: in function 'update_clients'

[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:96: in function 'slmod_do_on_process'

[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:219: in function <[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodM

 

What might i have wrong?

 

cheers

[Speed]

hello

 

have been using servman3 and slmod 6.1 hosting missions ok (i think)

 

trying to use slmod in mission editor for the 1st time.

 

so i've created a trigger

ONCE(no event)->TIME MORE(5)->DO SCRIPT(slmod.msg_out("hi there",10))

 

Which doesn't execute in game.

 

I note a lot of these error messages in DCS.log:

 

0100.949 ERROR Lua::Config: Call error server.on_process:[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:96: attempt to call global 'update_clients' (a nil value)

stack traceback:

[C]: in function 'update_clients'

[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:96: in function 'slmod_do_on_process'

[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua"]:219: in function <[string "./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodM

 

What might i have wrong?

 

cheers

 

It sounds like an incorrect installation, but I can't really know anything unless I have your entire dcs.log.

 

Dumb question: this is DCS World 1.2.0, right?

Edited August 11, 2012 by Speed

[chokko]

hmm, was running my trial mission again to generate a fresh DCS.log for you...and it worked !

 

would i be correct in saying that slmod wont work if DCS single player interface is still open (for quick access to mission editor), whilst trying to test in multiplayer on same pc ?

[Speed]

hmm, was running my trial mission again to generate a fresh DCS.log for you...and it worked !

 

would i be correct in saying that slmod wont work if DCS single player interface is still open (for quick access to mission editor), whilst trying to test in multiplayer on same pc ?

 

I wouldn't think this would be a problem, but it's definitely an untested area. Every time I've tried to do something similar to what you describe, I get CTDs pretty quick.

[chokko]

what would be a recommended way to check for baseraping (well, killing people warming up on the ground) ?

 

the "units_killed_by" function tells us something of interest has occured, but doesn't confirm which unit actually died (unless we have a trigger for every combination of Blue aircraft killing Red aircraft)..and we need to knwo which died in order to do further checks that it was on the ground at airport etc.

 

the simplest (slightly tedious) way i can think of, is to use the "weapon impact in zone" function, referring to tight trigger zone(s) around where the aircraft spawn. Just tedious having to specify every possible weapon fired...

[Speed]

what would be a recommended way to check for baseraping (well, killing people warming up on the ground) ?

 

the "units_killed_by" function tells us something of interest has occured, but doesn't confirm which unit actually died (unless we have a trigger for every combination of Blue aircraft killing Red aircraft)..and we need to knwo which died in order to do further checks that it was on the ground at airport etc.

 

the simplest (slightly tedious) way i can think of, is to use the "weapon impact in zone" function, referring to tight trigger zone(s) around where the aircraft spawn. Just tedious having to specify every possible weapon fired...

 

I gotta go to bed, so I'm keeping this a little short. Hopefully not too short.

 

units_killed_by detects when specific units kill other specific units. Look at the input variables- it accepts two tables of units, "dead_units" and "killer_units". It sets the flag true when one of the "killer" units kills one of the "dead" units.

 

Just to confirm you understand how the unit table short cuts work:

The unit table short cuts (such as "[blue]") just tell Slmod to automatically add certain categories of units to those unit tables. You don't have to use them. For example, if the red team has only three total units on its side, and the names of those units are "tank1", "tank2", and "tank3", then these unit tables are exactly the same:

 

{"tank1", "tank2", "tank3"}

is the same as

{"[red]"}

when red coalition has only three total units, and they are named "tank1", "tank2", and "tank3".

 

 

As far as "base raping" goes, I think your reasoning is correct- the easiest way could be a weapons impacting in zone script.

 

However, you're wrong about it being tedious. That's my bad there, in my documentation, I forgot to note one very important thing:

 

if you set the weapons input variable equal to {"all"}, then it detects ALL types of weapons impacting in zone (in fact, the "all" shortcut should work for all functions that accept weapon names) :thumbup:

 

For example,

slmod.weapons_impacting_in_zones{ init_units = {'[red]'}, zones = {'airbase'}, weapons = {'all'}, flag = 10}

should set flag 10 to true whenever any weapon fired by any unit on the red coalition impacts inside the zone named "airbase".

 

Note however: cluster bombs will not be properly detected. If you want to detect cluster bombs, you might want to use a "weapons_in_zones" function instead. That function goes true when weapons pass inside of a zone (or zones).

Edited August 11, 2012 by Speed

[chokko]

thanks for your help, and pointing out the 'all' weapons feature.

 

I setup a first trigger (once:no event) to detect the weapon impact in zone.

then made 2nd trigger (once:on destroy) to perform the necessary action when it sees the flag set from trigger 1. This combination never seemed to work. I wanted to use 'on destroy', to reduce the amount of times it is executing.

If i make the second trigger as (once:no event), then it works.

 

I imagine this is due to when a weapon destroys a target in the zone...the 1st trigger takes a little while to complete all its processing, whilst the 2nd trigger (on destroy) executed somewhat quicker and never saw the flag change that should have been done by trigger 1?

 

No big deal, just getting my head around how the the processing/timing works ! :)

[Speed]

Because Servman has not been updated for DCS World, and because there is a need for such a tool in the squad I am in, I am considering some simple server administration tools for Slmodv6.3.

 

Basically, I'm thinking of allowing Slmod to also function as "Servman lite". Servman is geared more towards dedicated public servers, while the admin tools that I am thinking of would be geared more towards private squadron servers, or non-dedicated public servers (where the admin/admins are always present).

 

Here is what I am thinking of right now:

 

-admin menu:

 

"-admin" or "-admin help": shows listing of -admin commands

 

"-admin add <playername>": add playername to the list of admins

 

"-admin remove <playername>": remove playername from the list of admins

 

"-admin ban <playername>": bans a player by IP and UCID

 

"-admin unban <playername>": unban a player (there are some questions of how to handle name conflicts, I have to think on that one)

 

"-admin pause": pause the mission.

 

"-admin unpause": unpause the mission.

 

"-admin load <mission name>": loads mission; directory could be included in <mission name> too. Default and highest allowed working directory would be /Saved Games/DCS.

 

"-admin set dir <directory>": sets the current working directory from which missions are loaded (highest allowed directory would be /Saved Games/DCS).

 

"-admin view dir": views the contents of the current working directory from which missions are loaded (highest allowed directory would be /Saved Games/DCS).

 

Anyway, I mention all this because I'm curious if anyone has any feedback on this idea. Bad? Good? Waste of my time? Good idea and you have suggestions for more/different functionality? Again, I haven't started on this, it's just at the conceptual stage at this moment. I know that right now, I feel that an integrated ban feature into Slmod would, at least, probably be a nice addition, and it's VERY easy to add that. The load mission kinds of features would be more time consuming, but still very doable.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Speed

[Jona33]

Any progress on making that AFAC feature (to call in a JDAM strike)? If not I'll use the weapons impacting in zone.

[Speed]

Any progress on making that AFAC feature (to call in a JDAM strike)? If not I'll use the weapons impacting in zone.

 

Still the same situation as last update: I'd love to make it, but there is something preventing me from doing it. Sorry, but I can't elaborate more than that.

 

I still fully intend to create the AFAC menu system, but it's out of my control when this will be. I sure hope it's as soon as possible.

 

 

On a side note, I worry about whether anyone will ever figure out how to use the AFAC system once it does exist. I never realized how hard typing "-sol" and "-stl" into chat would be for some people- we're not talking just about people who don't read the briefing. If that was the only problem, there wouldn't be much of a problem at all. No, we're also talking about how chat is like a different keystroke for every single aircraft. Half the people I talk to don't even know how to send a chat message anymore, it's gotten so confusing. And of course, then there's the multi montior folks who can't see chat/trigger text/the UI. In my squad, when I ask if people are using the options list, 50% of folks don't know the keystroke to chat any more, 20% of them can't see chat messages/trigger text/both due to multimontior. Of the remaining 30%, only one third of them will have read the briefing. (Though, there is a mitigating circumstance there- the mission I have been using is designed to run on a dedicated server, and generally, in the past, the briefing for missions run on the server has been relatively unimportant). So if I include options items into the mission, and don't actually verbally tell people they exist and give them a quick tutorial on how to use it, maybe one in ten folks is able to figure it out/use it for themselves, at least at first.

 

Of course, the solution is just to use it more, so that the 80% of people who can actually use the feature, learn how to use the feature :)

 

Also, I tell everyone to just rebind chat message to the "tab" key on every aircraft. It's not like the tab key is used for anything.

 

Hopefully, TARS comes back soon, and everyone will be forced to rebind their chat key to something memorable ("hey, what channel are you on?").

Edited August 17, 2012 by Speed

[Jona33]

Still the same situation as last update: I'd love to make it, but there is something preventing me from doing it. Hopefully soon, this thing preventing me from making the feature will cease to be a problem. Sorry, but I can't elaborate more than that.

 

Ok no worries.

[Snoopy]

Because Servman has not been updated for DCS World, and because there is a need for such a tool in the squad I am in, I am considering some simple server administration tools for Slmodv6.3.

 

............................

 

Anyway, I mention all this because I'm curious if anyone has any feedback on this idea. Bad? Good? Waste of my time? Good idea and you have suggestions for more/different functionality? Again, I haven't started on this, it's just at the conceptual stage at this moment. I know that right now, I feel that an integrated ban feature into Slmod would, at least, probably be a nice addition, and it's VERY easy to add that. The load mission kinds of features would be more time consuming, but still very doable.

 

Good idea!

[BAntDit]

Hello,

i have a little question.

 

as you know, there are file "events.lua" in the folder "..\Scripts\net\". This file contain

several event's handlers such as on_player_slot, on_kill and etc.

 

Always you can see reports like "sombody joined RED in A-10C" - that means, event's

handlers are working in file events.lua.

 

I have installed Slmod, and now i don't see reports like "sombody joined RED in A-10C" and any other reports of events which handlers declared in events.lua.

 

Is Slmod the reason of this problem?

I don't know, maybe, exists some other reason of this problem - can someone help me?

[eric963]

Admin commands would be a good idea.

[Speed]

Hello,

i have a little question.

 

as you know, there are file "events.lua" in the folder "..\Scripts\net\". This file contain

several event's handlers such as on_player_slot, on_kill and etc.

 

Always you can see reports like "sombody joined RED in A-10C" - that means, event's

handlers are working in file events.lua.

 

I have installed Slmod, and now i don't see reports like "sombody joined RED in A-10C" and any other reports of events which handlers declared in events.lua.

 

Is Slmod the reason of this problem?

I don't know, maybe, exists some other reason of this problem - can someone help me?

 

It's possible there was a bad install, but:

 

1) Severs can disable these event reports. I usually do, they undermine the realism of DCS. Were you hosting when you saw no events, or were you on someone else's server?

 

2) Start multiplayer, host a server really fast, then upload dcs.log to the forums here. It's C:\Users\<Your User Account Name>\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\dcs.log. If there's a problem, dcs.log will show it.

[BAntDit]

Start multiplayer, host a server really fast, then upload dcs.log to the forums here. It's C:\Users\<Your User Account Name>\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\dcs.log. If there's a problem, dcs.log will show it.

 

here is my log file.

dcs.log.txt

[Speed]

here is my log file.

 

No Lua files are being loaded according to your dcs.log. dofile must be failing somehow. The most likely reason for dofile to load is that the mod is not installed correctly, but I suppose it could be failing for some other reason I can't think of.

 

First, are you sure Slmod is installed correctly?

 

server.lua in ./Scripts/net ?

 

Slmodv6_1 FOLDER in ./Scripts/net ?

 

 

A correct Slmodv6_1 (non-Servman) installation should look like:

 

./Scripts/MissionScripting.lua

 

./Scripts/net/server.lua

 

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodConfig.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMain.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodUtils.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodEvents.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodUnits.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodMenu.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodLibs.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodDebugger.lua

./Scripts/net/Slmodv6_1/SlmodTests.lua

 

Because of a problem with error reporting, reporting is messed up dcs.log, so I can't see the problem exactly, other than the files are failing to load.

 

This is non-Servman, right? I am attaching a "debug" version of ./Scripts/net/main.lua. If you replace the old ./Scripts/net/main.lua with this new file, then it should report to dcs.log what the problem is. Re-upload dcs.log after installing this file and starting multiplayer, and it SHOULD tell us exactly what is wrong.

main.lua

[BAntDit]

This is non-Servman, right? I am attaching a "debug" version of ./Scripts/net/main.lua. If you replace the old ./Scripts/net/main.lua with this new file, then it should report to dcs.log what the problem is. Re-upload dcs.log after installing this file and starting multiplayer, and it SHOULD tell us exactly what is wrong.

 

Thank you very much!

I have found the error in log.

here it is:

 

00000.460 UNKNOWN ?: dofile error: syntax error in file "./Scripts/net/events.lua", error: [string "--[[..."]:224: 'end' expected (to close 'function' at line 134) near '<eof>'

 

I've changed function on_player_del to call net.pause() when last player leaves the game, and i missed keyword 'end' in code.

Now, i've fixed the error, all works fine. Thank you.

[Speed]

Thank you very much!

I have found the error in log.

here it is:

 

 

 

I've changed function on_player_del to call net.pause() when last player leaves the game, and i missed keyword 'end' in code.

Now, i've fixed the error, all works fine. Thank you.

 

Hmm.. maybe I should release this debug version of ./Scripts/net/main.lua as a separate mod? You're not the first person who would have benefited from it. Since patch 1.2.0, you can't really make any complex modifications to ./Scripts/net scripts without something like it.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Speed

[Speed]

Ok, server administration tools are largely complete, possibly fully complete, at least, for Slmodv6.2.

 

I'm willing to give you guys access to them before I release Slmodv6.2 if you guys are willing to report any issues you have/provide suggestions.

 

This feature should allow private dedicated servers/continuously monitored public servers to forego the use of Servman entirely.

 

Here are the current commands:

 

 

Type "-admin" or "-admin help" in chat to see the list of admin commands. These commands are:

 

Type "-admin kick <player name>" to kick a player from the server.

 

Type "-admin ban <player name>" to ban a player from the server.

 

Type "-admin unban <player name>" to unban a player from the server (you could potentially unban multiple people, if they had the same name).

 

Type "-admin add <player name>" to add a player to the list of server admins.

 

Type "-admin remove <player name>" to remove a player from the list of server admins.

 

Type "-admin pause" to toggle pause on/off.

 

Type "-admin restart" to restart the current missions.

 

Type "-admin load" to view a list of missions that can be loaded (after you use this command and view the list, you can select a mission and load it).

 

 

Administrator status is determined by UCID- so there is no logging in, and even if you change your name, you will still be a server admin.

 

People are banned by both UCID and IP.

 

Currently, it is in a testing state, but everything I've tested works fine.

 

Instructions:

 

0) Download and extract the attached "Slmodv042.zip" file. You will have two files, server.lua, MissionScripting.lua, and a folder, "Slmodv042".

 

1) In <DCS Install Directory>\Scripts, rename MissionScripting.lua to MissionScripting_original.lua. Paste the new "MissionScripting.lua" file you just extracted into this location.

 

2) In <DCS Install Directory>\Scripts\net, rename "server.lua" to server_original.lua. Paste the new "server.lua" file you just extracted into this location. ALSO, paste the entire Slmodv042 folder into this location.

 

--USAGE DIRECTIONS--

 

Now that you have it installed, Slmod will need to create the necessary folder directories. Start DCS Multiplayer, and exit after you see the Master Server login. Check <Windows Install Drive>\Users\<Your User Account Name>\Saved Games\DCS - you should have a new folder, "Slmod". Inside .\Slmod\, you should have a config.lua file and a "Missions" folder.

 

Server host is by default only the initial server admin. When you add new server admins, they are added to a new file, .\Slmod\ServerAdmins.lua (similarly, banned clients are added to BannedClients.lua)

 

Thus, to load someone else's admin list, simply paste it into the <Windows Install Drive>\Users\<Your User Account Name>\Saved Games\DCS\Slmod\ folder. The same would be true if you wanted to load someone else's ban list.

 

To add missions to the list of missions that server admins can load, simply add the missions into the <Windows Install Drive>\Users\<Your User Account Name>\Saved Games\DCS\Slmod\Missions\ folder.

Slmodv042.zip

Edited September 27, 2012 by Speed

[MTrenda]

Speed,

 

Nice little tool set. This will be perfect for our sqaudron. Ran through a few tests and it appear to work great. the 76th will test it further when we all get on line. Awesome work man, nice job.

 

thanks

 

[76th]Capt. Falcon

[eric963]

Speed,

 

Ran this for a few hours tonight and everything was working just fine. Thanks !!!

 

Eric

[Traxx]

Hi,

 

i have a Problem with the hitting function, it doesen`t set the Flag to true.

 

regards

[Speed]

Hi,

 

i have a Problem with the hitting function, it doesen`t set the Flag to true.

 

regards

 

This function does work, I use it frequently.

 

Upload the mission, and C:\Users\<your account name>\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\dcs.log.