My mission doesn't work plus some questions

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AmishStrikeForce
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My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by AmishStrikeForce »

Alright, n00b mission maker here. I followed the directions on the F3 wiki to the letter and have pushed my mission to a local server and am running the local server. There are no errors. I now login locally from Arma 3 and get to the "role select" screen where one would typically pick a soldier to play. But here's where it gets crazy comrades...

THERE ARE NO SOLDIERS

So I use the handy dandy "login as admin" tidbit I discovered online and...

THERE ARE STILL NO SOLDIERS

What is the meaning of this? I've checked the damn .rpt file and there are no errors. Everything is glorious utopian bliss according to the log.

Moving right along, I come to my second question, which is not at all related to my first. When I play in an FA game, at the start of the game there is this pause that occurs where all us players are looking at a map and the CO and SLs are blathering about strategy and so forth. What "phase" (or whatever) is the game in at that point? I have looked in the F3 wiki and online and haven't come across anything that would freeze the game like that. How is that "freeze" occurring? Are all the players frozen at the map?

Thank you and may the Party-Approved-Deity bless you.
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Pooter
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by Pooter »

Make sure that the units are say to playable. If you merge in the units then they will be set to unplayable by default.

The pre-game map screen is part of the engine. I don't know exactly how it operates but I do know that timers do not run while it is up.

AmishStrikeForce
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by AmishStrikeForce »

Pooter wrote:Make sure that the units are say to playable. If you merge in the units then they will be set to unplayable by default.
You are correct sir. Apparently the part where I am told to "move" the pre-placed units to the hilltop is where it broke. Apparently, copy and pasting soldiers results in them being reset to "non playable." I suspect treason, but have no proof at this time.
Pooter wrote:The pre-game map screen is part of the engine. I don't know exactly how it operates but I do know that timers do not run while it is up.
As I'm planning a mission with said timers, knowing that timers don't run while everyone is locked at the map screen is extremely helpful, thanks! That said, I'd love it if an admin would weigh in on this. It's hard to gain comprehension of a mission if I'm unsure how it actually plays out. What method/command/etc. are the admins using that is "freezing" the game at the map screen? While everyone is staring at the map, are AI loaded and moving about in-game? I.E., is the game "on"? The reason I ask this is because sometimes it seems as if the CO/SLs are in-game whilst the rest of the players are seeing the map? Or is that just my mind filling in nonexistent blanks? Am I even making sense?
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Kasmeister
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by Kasmeister »

To quickly check if they are playable just look at the icon, playable units have a magenta/purple outline, player units have a red outline and non playable have none.

With the map it's nothing to do with us, that's just how the game works. You go into the map after 'starting' the game, but the game actually starts when you get off the map screen.

Also for mission making stuff i advice you to take a look at our discord chat, everyone here will be glad to help you out with literally everything :)

Here's a link to join it, you can use it with their app or through the browser. https://discordapp.com/channels/1014792 ... 4762157056
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darkChozo
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by darkChozo »

The premission screen appears if you have a briefing.sqf in your mission (in other words, if you have a briefing). F3 has this by default so you don't have to worry about it unless you go around randomly deleting files.

All of your init scripts will run before or during that screen, but anything time dependent (uiSleep being the one big exception) will be paused during that screen. That mostly doesn't matter, the only thing you usually have to keep in mind is that if you have any sleep statements in your init scripts the code after them won't run until the mission properly starts.

Pooter
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by Pooter »

AmishStrikeForce wrote:
Pooter wrote:Make sure that the units are say to playable. If you merge in the units then they will be set to unplayable by default.
You are correct sir. Apparently the part where I am told to "move" the pre-placed units to the hilltop is where it broke. Apparently, copy and pasting soldiers results in them being reset to "non playable." I suspect treason, but have no proof at this time.
Pooter wrote:The pre-game map screen is part of the engine. I don't know exactly how it operates but I do know that timers do not run while it is up.
As I'm planning a mission with said timers, knowing that timers don't run while everyone is locked at the map screen is extremely helpful, thanks! That said, I'd love it if an admin would weigh in on this. It's hard to gain comprehension of a mission if I'm unsure how it actually plays out. What method/command/etc. are the admins using that is "freezing" the game at the map screen? While everyone is staring at the map, are AI loaded and moving about in-game? I.E., is the game "on"? The reason I ask this is because sometimes it seems as if the CO/SLs are in-game whilst the rest of the players are seeing the map? Or is that just my mind filling in nonexistent blanks? Am I even making sense?
The game is well and truly stopped during the briefing. I think the time function will even read 0.
There is a caveat in that once in a while the host will accidentally start the game too early. If that happens then if your timers start on mission start then the CO has to rush to make a plan. This is fine for defense missions where there isn't much planning to be done, but for attack missions then it is preferred that you use a trigger just beyond where the players start to start your timers. Then if the mission starts early the CO doesn't have to rush. The CO has to know that he doesn't have to rush though.

AmishStrikeForce
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by AmishStrikeForce »

Thank you for all the awesome info! I appreciate the input from everyone! Also, I will definitely check out Discord.

One final question before the Party deletes archives this post and assassinates relocates all participants. How is the host pausing the mission during the map/briefing screen? Example: the host will ask "is everyone ready?" and when everyone nods politely, the host will start the mission. How is the host doing this? When I test or play in any mission, the mission "starts" automatically for each player when they--as individuals--push the Continue/OK button. Is there some global "continue" button that the host/admin has? I looked online and can't seem to find a reference to such a thing.
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Kasmeister
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by Kasmeister »

Probably only the player logged as admin can start the mission. You don't have to worry about that as the mission maker though.
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AmishStrikeForce
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by AmishStrikeForce »

Kasmeister wrote:Probably only the player logged as admin can start the mission. You don't have to worry about that as the mission maker though.
I suppose... I'm just kind of OCD when it comes to coding. I have to know and understand every step. :oops:
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Eagle_Eye
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Re: My mission doesn't work plus some questions

Post by Eagle_Eye »

Yo,

So most of your questions seem to have been answered, but just to clear up on the admin powers for server stuff. Usually on a server the mission will not start (that is leave the slotting phase) until everyone is "ready". When the admin is logged in, this does not happen, and instead they can start the mission at any time.

This however only brings everyone on the server to the map screen. This briefing period as mentioned occurs by default on all F3 missions, with or without admin logged in. The mission scripts begin running (and there are some articles on the wiki about what runs when in what step of the mission), but generally you can assume that the server is setting up units and initialising things, but all animation is frozen and the mission time is stuck to zero.

Once again after the briefing ends and we are ready to go, the admin clicks "ok" on their screen (or in the absence of admin I think all players have to click ok) and that boots everyone into the game. How quickly you appear "in game" after this happens can depend on your computer loading (and maybe internet im not sure). So the AI will start moving and such as soon as I click to start the mission, but players will load into the game over the next couple of seconds. This is why its usually a good idea to check everyone is in and moving and good to go if you are a team leader, so that you dont leave anyone behind to get lost.
How is the host doing this? When I test or play in any mission, the mission "starts" automatically for each player when they--as individuals--push the Continue/OK button. Is there some global "continue" button that the host/admin has? I looked online and can't seem to find a reference to such a thing.


PS: just to answer this specifically. Players can get into a mission when they press the OK button, but only when the mission has already started. So for example in the presession mission we have, one player (or admin) needs to start the mission, and others can join in later, they go to the map/briefing screen as normal and then can continue into the already running mission. For this to work one of two things has to happen:

1) Respawn is enabled in the mission (almost never in our sessions, bar the presession practice)
2) There must be a free AI soldier that is empty so that the joining player can take control of. This is because (sans respawn) all of the soldiers (both player controlled and empty AI slots) are spawned at mission start and cant be spawned in mid-way, only taken control of by a player.

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