Friday, December 11, 2015

Arma 3, LMS Mission/Mod Progress... And Lots Of It!

Posted on Friday, December 11, 2015 by soul

Over the last few weeks I have been 'tinkering' away within the Arma 3 editor and running tests in a multi player environment on a dedicated Arma 3 server for my own "Last Man Standing" mission/mod. Needless to say, things are progressing rather quickly after another big learning curve.
 
What is this progress you may be asking?... Ok, I'll try to explain.


My "Care Package Run" script has been ported to a multi player environment (server side), with some code/routine optimization and enhancements.

+ Random calculations for care package drop locations are now more random, based on map grid size and current playable area (multi step custom routine).
Care Package Run - Debug Markers
+ Custom flare/smoke with any RGB color combination possible (no smoke grenades here!).
Care Package Delivery... Perty Custom Smoke
+ Changed the delivery method to a cargo helicopter. The helicopter opens the rear door whilst tilting backwards... then drops a care package out and flies off into the distance.
Cargo Helicopter... Deploy Care Package!


My "Bombing Run" script has been ported to a multi player environment (server side), with some code/routine optimization and enhancements.


+ Random calculations for bomb zone locations are now more random, based on map grid size and current playable area (multi step custom routine).
Bombing Run - Debug Markers
+ Amber markers on map "warn" you that the area will be bombed and to move away from the area (not just a red circle that pops up on map, then explosions.. smh).
Bombing Run - Amber Zone = Danger
+ Bomb zone size is random, as are the number of bombs being dropped per zone (which is relative to the bomb zone size).
Uh Ow... Bombing Plane
+ Red bombing zone markers will stay on map until the last bomb has been dropped and has exploded.
Red Zone = Bombs

My "Loot Spawn" script has been ported to a multi player environment (server side), and semi re-written for optimization.

+ More building positions for possible loot spawn (buildings that have limited amount or have no default positions now have some). See the yellow (manual positions) and red (dynamic positions) circle markers in the below screen shot.
So Many Loot Positions
Hey! Loot Never Use To Spawn There...
+ No floating loot...nope, none, nil, nadda. My custom calculations for placing loot onto (and not above or under) surfaces is 'almost' perfect, and all done without sacrificing any optimization in regards to accuracy vs speed (each possible loot spawn calculation takes a maximum 2ms to execute whilst doing it all on-the-fly).
Backpacks, Headgear, Vests Do NOT Glitch Anymore!

My "Land Vehicle Spawn" script has been ported to a multi player environment (server side), with some code/routine optimization and enhancements.

+ Vehicles are spawned on (or right next to) roads. Per map adjustments are made so that 20 vehicles do not spawn in one area... aka the airfield.
So Many Vehicles...


My "Water Vehicle Spawn" script has been ported to a multi player environment (server side), with some code/routine optimization and enhancements.

+ Water vehicles are spawned in around the map in at least 2m depth of water (to prevent beached boats that are not drivable).
No Beached Boats Here...

My "Timing Routine" script is half-way there (written from scratch), I have the initial routine done and tested. The timing routine is for the 'blue zone' calculations as well as checking to see whether each player is inside said 'blue zone' once the zone is locked, as well as making sure you are within the overall map zone ('black zone').

+ Zone timing with on screen messages are done.
At the 60 Second Warning Mark...
+ Zone checking once the zone is locked. Adjustments were made to have the player and minimap match up for zoning. Player half out of the locked zone = in the zone. Player over half out of the locked zone = out the zone (as in the screen shot below).
Ouch!

All in all, I have been very busy coding in the background, and thought it was time to do another blog post.

I have learned a lot in the last month, and continue to learn. Learning new/better ways to code my routines so that all my scripts are as optimized as they could be.

Whilst testing on my local dedicated server I have also written a script to keep a check on server FPS. The FPS of the server sits at mostly 50fps, dipping down to 30fps at times... which is decent considering the hardware that I am using to alpha test with.

 Once my mission/mod reaches Beta test stage, I already have multiple USA servers to host with, with much thanks to those who continue support me and my efforts (sorry, no name-dropping at this stage ;P).

 Watch this space... there is more to follow.

 -soul.




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