RKSL Studios: ArmA2.PBO and Countermeasures Released [Archive]

RKSL-Rock

Aug 16 2009, 18:35

We are proud to release the first Public BETA of the RKSL-Arma2.pbo Countermeasures System

http://www.rkslstudios.info/images/stories/releasedocs/rksl-radarsys/aug16_chaffflares_splash1.jpg

This is the latest version of our popular ArmA1 countermeasures system rewritten for ArmA2.

This addon set applies chaff and flares countermeasure to all the stock BIS aircraft by default. Arma2.pbo is designed to allow all our current and future systems to be easily applied to vanilla ARMA2 addons and any other addon that inherits from them. In theory any mission that uses ARMA2 addons, can now take advantage of these features without having to be re-edited and repacked.

KEY Features
- All BIS Aircraft now have flares where appropriate
- Probability of Hit is random
- Angle of deflection is Random
- Flares can be mapped to a keypress. (http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/135-rksl-radarsys-v20-beta.html)
- Flares create IR/laser targets that the AI react to.

Installation:
Extract the contents of the rar file into the root of your ArmA2 directory:

eg: C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2

Then add the @<hidden> folder to your ArmA Startup shortcut:

"C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\arma2.exe" -mod=@<hidden>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE 25-09-09
We are pleased to release an update to the first Public BETA of the RKSL-Arma2.pbo V2.01

http://www.rkslstudios.info/images/stories/releasedocs/rksl-radarsys/aug16_chaffflares_splash2.jpg

This is the latest version of our ArmA2 countermeasures system, with the following fixes applied.

Fixed "Deleted content error".
Fixed radarflareplayer property in description.ext didn't disable automatic flares for players.
Fixed multiple audio warnings.
Fixed flares launch vectors are disrupted by terrain.

Added support for the Extended Event Handler if installed.
New description.ext property radaraudiowarning. 0 Turns audio warnings off for players, 1 reactivates them.

Project Page: Arma2.pbo Project (http://www.rkslstudios.info/a2-projects/a2-scripted-systems/arma2pbo.html)

Related Documentation:
System Core Documentation (http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/136-rksl-system-v20-beta.html)
Radar System Documentation (http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/135-rksl-radarsys-v20-beta.html)

Required Addons:
RKSL Arma2 V2.01 - Applies RKSL systems to BIS vehicles and Aircraft (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/248-rksl_arma2-beta2-01/download.html)
RKSL System V2.01 - Core system files required by all RKSL addons (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/249-rksl_core_system-beta2-01/download.html)
RKSL Flares V2.01 - Chaff and Flare system (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/251-rksl_flaresystem-beta2-01.html)

Kremator

Aug 16 2009, 18:35

SUPERB !!!! Downloading right away !

Thanks guys.

Manzilla

Aug 16 2009, 18:55

Wow fantastic. Thanks again RKSL crew for this superb AddOn

Buliwyf

Aug 16 2009, 18:56

Great work! Looks amazing! Thanks guys!!! :yay:

Binkowski

Aug 16 2009, 18:56

Yes!!! Thank you RKSL!!! You are the savior of ArmA2 and flying for me!

Defunkt

Aug 16 2009, 19:35

Woohoo! Thanks for sharing your work.

Alpha9

Aug 16 2009, 19:36

thanks alot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMDffghAumA

p75

Aug 16 2009, 19:53

Thanks, will give it a run!

Jingle

Aug 16 2009, 20:05

Great work guys, looking forward with great anticipation to other goodies from you guys too :)

Cionara

Aug 16 2009, 20:40

Very nice I'll give it a try

11aTony

Aug 16 2009, 20:51

Very nice as usual.

Binkowski

Aug 16 2009, 21:00

Just flew a UH1Y through Chernarus with MANPADS scattered throughout the area, love this RKSL thank you! I can actually fly knowing I have a reliable countermeasure system to deploy when a missile comes my way. I can't thank you guys enough, really improved ArmA2's game play and immersion for me.

Manzilla

Aug 16 2009, 21:29

GD Mast

Aug 16 2009, 21:59

Thank you sir!! :cool:

HELLFREEZA

Aug 16 2009, 22:15

i tested it out...and yeah great addon! but flares are not working on SU-34 and A-10 Thunderbolt.

RKSL-Rock

Aug 16 2009, 22:36

i tested it out...and yeah great addon! but flares are not working on SU-34 and A-10 Thunderbolt.

Works fine for me. How are you testing?

And are you aware this isnt like other countermeasures systems? Its not 100% proof against missiles. You need to maneover and fly properly once you hear the launch warning.

Zeinger

Aug 16 2009, 22:36

This seems pretty nice.
I have a couple of questions though :

1°)How does it work ? does it prevent temporarily ennemies to lock me on ? does it deviates the missiles once launched ?
2°)How am I supposed to use it ? In vanilla Arma 2 you know someone has a lock on you when you have been hit, does this addon add something to alert the player when a missile is incoming ? if no do you plan on adding such a feature ?

I may be asking to much for an addon but the dogfights and flights in vanilla Arma2 are so lame ...

RKSL-Rock

Aug 16 2009, 22:46

1°)How does it work ? does it prevent temporarily ennemies to lock me on ? does it deviates the missiles once launched ?
It depends on how you use it. If you fire off flares manually (key binding or via weapons) you can distract the AI from locking you since they lock the flares (usually).

If the SAM is launched at you and the system engages automatically then it deflects the missile at a random angle, or it may choose to let it through unaffected. Again at random

2°)How am I supposed to use it ? In vanilla Arma 2 you know someone has a lock on you when you have been hit, does this addon add something to alert the player when a missile is incoming ? if no do you plan on adding such a feature ?
Ok so you obviously haven't actually tried it then.

You get an audio warning when a missile in launched. The system itself is automatic but you can override it manually by binding the launcher to a keypress - see the documentation link)

UNN

Aug 16 2009, 22:51

In vanilla Arma 2 you know someone has a lock on you when you have been hit

This is what we are aiming for, and then a little bit more. An old OFP project:

RKSL FCSS & RWR Demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVyuecoOJ0g)

Rock is correct, you should at least give it a go. The flares are the first part.

HELLFREEZA

Aug 16 2009, 22:53

How are you testing?

i place an enemy AA Soldier and fly over it.

Stiltman

Aug 16 2009, 22:56

Thank you RKSL, this is really nice, and seem to work well from my tests.

i have a question though....

will you add, or make some possibility to add custom warning signals for addon aircrafts.
thinking of some people that work on addon crafts might want the real sound from that aircraft on incoming missile... would be nice if that could be coded into the config.

RKSL-Rock

Aug 16 2009, 22:56

i place an enemy AA Soldier and fly over it.

And the SAM is actually fired at the plane?

ArmA has a serious problem with SAMs and fast moving planes... you need to be about 250km/h for it to fire on you. Good way to test is to place an ai plane, then place yourself as the SAM launcher.

...i have a question though....

will you add, or make some possibility to add custom warning signals for addon aircrafts.
thinking of some people that work on addon crafts might want the real sound from that aircraft on incoming missile... would be nice if that could be coded into the config.

That will come with the Fire Control Script System (FCSS) stuff we're developing.

HELLFREEZA

Aug 16 2009, 23:07

i am sorry guys. flare system works great! it conflicted with some other addons i use.

Manzilla

Aug 16 2009, 23:25

i am sorry guys. flare system works great! it conflicted with some other addons i use.

How about sharing which ones were the culprit? There's probably a bunch of us that may be using the same ones.... plus RKSL and crew probably want to know, as well as the authors of the respective AddOns.

Inkompetent

Aug 16 2009, 23:26

Wow. Looks really, really nice! And seem to work like I want flares to work! Awesome! Auto-dispension upon lock detection (although it's arguable what should be able to detect one), and preemtive use of flares being beneficial but not foolproof :)

HELLFREEZA

Aug 16 2009, 23:28

How about sharing which ones were the culprit? There's probably a bunch of us that may be using the same ones.... plus RKSL and crew probably want to know, as well as the authors of the respective AddOns.

i am trying to find it out....

Zeinger

Aug 16 2009, 23:29

Abs

Aug 16 2009, 23:43

Man, I just started a twelve hour shift, and now I'm becoming impatient...I can't wait to go home and try this out!

Abs

Splikes

Aug 17 2009, 00:33

Good work with this, works perfectly.

Manzilla

Aug 17 2009, 00:40

This is a very smart "trick" to simulate a target aquiring system, and it seems pretty effective.
I am sorry, I can't test it with the crappy computer i'm using right now, but can't wait to do so, this addon is purely awsome !

I really hope the using of this addon will become something common online, it would be so great if it was included in the next crCTI :D

I would like so much that BIS get inspired by that addon of addons or even include it in the next patch.
Arma 2 lacks soOooo much that kind of immersive things, like a real aiming system for the tanks.

...anyway, thank you RKSL Studios for your hard work !

People tend to say that but I'd rather not see most of the stuff people have been asking for in a patch. RKSL countermeasures is a great example why BIS shouldn't bother with such obviously needed but not utterly necessary aspects of the game that some people argue should be included right out the box.

Countermeasures, Tank FCS, etc. would've been nice if it was included by BIS but there's so much they could put into a game that if BIS tried it would take a lot longer for a release. One thing is for sure, if BIS didn't include it the community will probably supply it. Although some people want it immediately the beauty of a game like A2 is the ever evolving and lastly play. Most likely someone will get on a much need aspect of the game and produce a much better system then BIS could. Again the RKSL stuff is a great example of this. I doubt even if BIS included countermeasures immediately, it would no doubt be no where near as rockin' as these CM's. And I'd bet on it that someone is probably working on an FCS system as we speak. We just don't know it. The one from A1 probably would've been better, more compatible and ready to port to A2 unfortunately it took us over a year to get in contact with NWD to make sure there was permission to expand on his original work. Someone tracked him down only a few months ago and last I heard they were continuing the work. I'm pretty sure they're still around too.

It just goes to show that good things come to those who wait.

God damn these things have changed the game completely. Helis are actually worth a damn again. :yay::yay::yay:

Aug 17 2009, 01:06

lol, looks like you ruined BIS's suprise for arrowhead :P

Zeinger

Aug 17 2009, 01:41

People tend to say that but I'd rather not see most of the stuff people have [...]mn again. :yay::yay::yay:

Well I get your point, but I can't agree.
For me this is an utterly necessary feature as whithout it, piloting a chopter or a plane totaly s## : you are in a copter, the guy below has a stinger and has decided to kill you ? there is NOTHING you can do about it, exept to pray for someone to kill him before he shoots.

BIS has no excuses not including such a feature in the game : it was already developped, so no developping time, or very few, with the EULA thing they don't even have to ask for permission; and also, doesn't this game untitled "the utimate military simulator" ?
Furthermore including this kind of work in a patch would allow everyboy to enjoy it in all mutliplayer games : not only a few guys who downloaded it when playing a mission includiding it on a server allowing it ...
Let's be honnest : the probabilities for us to play with this one day in a multiplayer games like CTIs are approaching zero.

Splikes

Aug 17 2009, 01:58

Hold on, tested with the SU-34 , there is no warning or flares equiped

RobertHammer

Aug 17 2009, 05:53

Very nice job RKSL :cool:

Cole

Aug 17 2009, 06:16

lol, looks like you ruined BIS's suprise for arrowhead :P
lol, I was thinking the same :D

And a big thank you to the RKSL team ofcourse! Top quality stuff as always!

RKSL-Rock

Aug 17 2009, 07:13

Hold on, tested with the SU-34 , there is no warning or flares equiped

What other addons are you using? Try it without any other addons and see if it works. If we can find out which addon is conflicting we can probably fix it.

Ive spoken directly to 14 people now and they all have no problems. So anyone that has any issues please let us know!

Cole

Aug 17 2009, 08:11

What other addons are you using? Try it without any other addons and see if it works. If we can find out which addon is conflicting we can probably fix it.

Ive spoken directly to 14 people now and they all have no problems. So anyone that has any issues please let us know!
Looks like CBA is confcliting with it. When CBA is loaded, Su-34 doesn't deploy flares at all.
Without CBA it's working just alright.

Sickboy

Aug 17 2009, 08:38

Looks like CBA is confcliting with it. When CBA is loaded, Su-34 doesn't deploy flares at all.
Without CBA it's working just alright.RKSL ArmA2 Addon is using legacy (built-in) arma2 eventhandlers. These eventhandlers do not allow multiplexing.
The Extended EventHandlers (XEH, incl in CBA) system takes care of this, but it is not used by RKSL atm.

RKSL-Rock

Aug 17 2009, 08:38

Looks like CBA is confcliting with it. When CBA is loaded, Su-34 doesn't deploy flares at all.
Without CBA it's working just alright.

Thanks i can confirm that now. We're looking into it.

UNN

Aug 17 2009, 09:06

OrdeaL

Aug 17 2009, 09:06

Fn Great mod RKSL boys! I can confirm when running all my mods that the A10 and SU-34 dont dump flares! Everything else is fine!

Once again GREAT work! flying is fun again :P

Sickboy

Aug 17 2009, 09:12

Wasn't aware that the Extended EventHandler was officaly released for Arma2. Didn't see any Extended Event Handler thread. If it is then we will support it, as we did with Arma1.

But for the time being what uses CBA? We would like to see how the flares work with just the vanilla Arma2 and MP. We can add support (if required) for the Extended Event Handler once we have enough to warrant an update.

So could someone let us know what they can't do without CBA, so we can better plan the updates.

CheersTnx UNN.
Essentially there is no requirement for CBA. CBA is a vision and set of addons, some might like it, some might not, thats a choice.
XEH is part of CBA, but there is no technical limitation to only use XEH.

Using the native eventhandlers will make any other addon that wants to use the same classes, unusable. This IMO warrants the usage of an EventHandler system that allows multiplexing.
XEH is the standard set in ArmA1 and I would highly recommend it to continue in ArmA2.

It is IMO the one thing that was finally a bit 'common' in the community. Otherwise ppl are doing whatever they like, which is everyone's freedom of course, but something as low level as Eventhandlers (something that should've been in arma out of the box!), really should be shared.

quiet_man

Aug 17 2009, 09:14

UNN

Aug 17 2009, 09:26

As I said before, we spent a lot of time to ensure our Arma1 system worked with the Extended Event Handler. Despite some of it's "extra" features, the init event handling was a perfect work around for the event handler problem and EXH provided lots of options.

But again, we would rather wait to see if bugs or any more changes crop up before updating the flares. Unless someone can point to missions or addons that won't work unless CBA is installed. If there is content out there that won't work without CBA we can plan to do the update sooner rather than later.

Edit:

Extended Eventhandlers have been merged into CBA

But it's still available as a stand alone addon isn't it? It was always conveniently small enough for people to distribute it with there own addons. It would be a shame to loose out on that functionality.

quiet_man

Aug 17 2009, 10:10

@<hidden>
you are free to make your addons how you like them to be. Thank you for your work. I don't think XEH will be availabel separately, the complete CBA is only a few bytes adding helpfull functions for addon makers. CBA is to my understanding the next evolution step of XEH.

But I'm none of the developers or active supporters, just a happy user that enjoys mixing addons without having to care (to much :p) with compability.
So anyone feel free to correct me.

QuietMan

Schilly

Aug 17 2009, 10:33

This works quite well and im quite impressed by it actually... One question though... Is there any way to use this in script form, so that mission makers can utilize this in their missions without the requirement of addons by the end user.

UNN

Aug 17 2009, 10:51

But I'm none of the developers or active supporters

Well thanks for your contribution anyway. I was talking with a developer and he assures me the XEH is stand alone. So all is well and good :)

Is there any way to use this in script form, so that mission makers can utilize this in their missions without the requirement of addons by the end user.

You can write a flare system that doesn't require additional addons. However our system does require addons to work the way we intended.

Schilly

Aug 17 2009, 10:52

Well thanks for your contribution anyway. I was talking with a developer and he assures me the XEH is stand alone. So all is well and good :)

You can write a flare system that doesn't require additional addons. However our system does require addons to work the way we intended.

So there is zero way to convert it so that it does work in script / mission form?

Manzilla

Aug 17 2009, 11:34

Well thanks for your contribution anyway. I was talking with a developer and he assures me the XEH is stand alone. So all is well and good :)

Excellent. I was just about to type that one can use XEH without any CBA .pbo's active but I see that's been cleared. I was wondering why they didn't also just release XEH by itself, detached from CBA as well. Simply because some people may not release that A.) a new XEH was released and B.) some people don't like to DL even the smallest .pbo's if they don't deem it necessary, or know what it does. My biggest gripe with CBA is the fact that I have no clue what the other .pbo's are used for or do, the documentation looks like gibberish to me. ;)

I had to tell someone the other day that a new XEH was out as well, they had no idea and were still using the tweaked A1 XEH.

Regardless, I'm glad you guys will support it in A2. Thank you gents.

Schilly,
With this particular CM system I believe the answer is yes. To be honest though, I doubt too many people will mind if they have to use the .pbo's with your mission. And if they do they are nuts, this system rocks! And it's not very large at all.

Zeinger,

Good points. Honestly though if people don't want to DL this and use it in MP they are f*&kin' nuts. It's a thing of beauty. :) The BIS CM's they included but not activated are terrible compared to these. Sorry BIS, but I'm sure they fully release this.

Defunkt

Aug 17 2009, 12:05

Let me suggest it would be well worth making a Lite-version for mission inclusion with as much commonality as possible (i.e. User Action 20) but using the BIS FX.

RKSL-Rock

Aug 17 2009, 12:38

So there is zero way to convert it so that it does work in script / mission form?

Let me suggest it would be well worth making a Lite-version for mission inclusion with as much commonality as possible (i.e. User Action 20) but using the BIS FX.

I dont understand why you would want to? Its not like having to download 300mb just to get the flares? The system doesnt actually do anything when its inactive so it doesnt use any extra resources...

As for mission scripts... i cant really see a scenerio where that would be better than an addon. What exactly are you thinking of im genuinely curious now?

Defunkt

Aug 17 2009, 12:54

Mission scripts are better than an addon when it comes to just rocking on up to a server and playing. If the flares people get to use in MP missions operate as closely as possible to the ones they might seek out or already have for SP or private MP games you have achieved a de-facto standard.

---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 AM ----------

I should add by way of explanation, I've never played BF2 but I suspect I'm of that type, I don't care for playing with or against AI; I want human adversaries. I have between now and the release of the Linux binaries to find/create enough missions to run a public P-v-P server, said server is a marginal proposition at best and I won't be requiring players to arrive with add-ons installed, just turn up and play. As such the only CM system which I'll be including will be one that can be downloaded with the mission, I just think it would be as well if it worked as similarly as possible to the best addon solution.

Eagleone

Aug 17 2009, 13:51

Defunkt
I also thought about this, and I endorse this view

InFireBaptize

Aug 17 2009, 13:56

thanks for contributing and having passion for this game. I have a question about the flare system. If my aircraft is not able to detect incoming missiles, how am i suppose to know when to use them? what is a proper scenario to when to use them?

Thanks.

da12thMonkey

Aug 17 2009, 15:19

I have a question about the flare system. If my aircraft is not able to detect incoming missiles, how am i suppose to know when to use them? what is a proper scenario to when to use them?

Thanks.

The system does detect incoming missiles, and deploys flares automatically when an AA missile is launched at the aircraft, but you also have the option to manually fire flares whenever it takes your fancy.

The manual flare release system is a preemptive defense, useful when you think there may be an anti-aircraft threat around that is waiting to engage you. Releasing a group of flares increases the number of lockable targets for the AA systems, lowering the probability them finding you within the cloud of targets and locking on.

It's particularly useful when heading into a helicopter landing zone where you will have to fly slowly or hover. For jets, releasing them on the exit of a strafing run reduces the success of follow-on attacks where the enemy ground units react to your first strafing run and try to engage your aircraft as you fly away.

On the other hand you might just want to fly low over a bunch of your mates online an dump a load of flares on them 'cus it looks cool... :D

InFireBaptize

Aug 17 2009, 16:20

The system does detect incoming missiles, and deploys flares automatically when an AA missile is launched at the aircraft, but you also have the option to manually fire flares whenever it takes your fancy.

The manual flare release system is a preemptive defense, useful when you think there may be an anti-aircraft threat around that is waiting to engage you. Releasing a group of flares increases the number of lockable targets for the AA systems, lowering the probability them finding you within the cloud of targets and locking on.

It's particularly useful when heading into a helicopter landing zone where you will have to fly slowly or hover. For jets, releasing them on the exit of a strafing run reduces the success of follow-on attacks where the enemy ground units react to your first strafing run and try to engage your aircraft as you fly away.

On the other hand you might just want to fly low over a bunch of your mates online an dump a load of flares on them 'cus it looks cool... :D

Thank you, nice read.

froggyluv

Aug 17 2009, 16:30

Just an awesome, awesome addon. Thank you.

InFireBaptize

Aug 17 2009, 16:32

so i'm supposed to put all the files from

RKSL Arma2.pbo - Applies RKSL systems to BIS vehicles and Aircraft
RKSL System V2.00 - Core system files required by all RKSL addons
RKSL Flares V2.00 - Chaff and Flare system

in one @<hidden>/addons folder?

Big Dawg KS

Aug 17 2009, 16:32

Can the lockon warning & auto deploy thing be disabled (forcefully) missionside?

th3flyboy

Aug 17 2009, 16:53

I dont understand why you would want to? Its not like having to download 300mb just to get the flares? The system doesnt actually do anything when its inactive so it doesnt use any extra resources...

As for mission scripts... i cant really see a scenerio where that would be better than an addon. What exactly are you thinking of im genuinely curious now?

rock, the reason I can see that being a superior option is because ArmA 2 can't auto download addons when connecting to a server. If you put it in a script and binarize the mission, it's in there, and it will be downloaded with the mission, you don't have to manually download an extra pbo or 3 just to play a mission. In some cases, script is a good option to have so that everyone has it in a mission, and so that they get it automatically.

Manzilla

Aug 17 2009, 17:05

Shadow.D. ^BOB^

Aug 17 2009, 17:12

Fantastic release RKSL, as always. Where would OFP/ArmA/ArmA 2 aviation be without you guys :)

Just a quick question regarding the hotkey assignment for the flares. Is this set by default to the Custom Command / User Action 20? Because i cant seem to get it to launch cm's.

Looking into the description.ext you released with the missions i can see there is the option to allow the keypress. Is this something that need to be defined for the keypress to work or just to disable (which i had assumed was the case)?

Thanks for the release and any help you can provide.

RKSL-Rock

Aug 17 2009, 17:44

rock, the reason I can see that being a superior option is because ArmA 2 can't auto download addons when connecting to a server. If you put it in a script and binarize the mission, it's in there, and it will be downloaded with the mission, you don't have to manually download an extra pbo or 3 just to play a mission. In some cases, script is a good option to have so that everyone has it in a mission, and so that they get it automatically.

OK I can see that, UNN and I briefly discussed it this afternoon. We don't think its possible to make the systems entirely script based and still retain all its functions. The flares rely on custom model objects and a script only based system you would lose a lot of the functions that make this system better than the old OFP inspired countermeasures.

I'll let UNN explain the technical aspects later but converting the scripts would diminish the performance/experience so much that it wouldn't be worth converting it in my opinion. You may as well use the BIS scripts.

Just a quick question regarding the hotkey assignment for the flares. Is this set by default to the Custom Command / User Action 20? Because i cant seem to get it to launch cm's.

Looking into the description.ext you released with the missions i can see there is the option to allow the keypress. Is this something that need to be defined for the keypress to work or just to disable (which i had assumed was the case)?

Thanks for the release and any help you can provide.
You don't need the description.ext unless you want to alter the way the system performs or disable it.

Key mapping instructions are about halfway down this page - http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/135-rksl-radarsys-v20-beta.html

Make sure the mod folder is active and the files are in the right path:

C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\@<hidden>\addons

Shadow.D. ^BOB^

Aug 17 2009, 18:00

Cheers for that Rock, pretty much what i was doing.

Entirely my fault, tried to assign Action 20 to a joystick button. All sorted now, with my profile software.

Thanks again...

Robalo

Aug 17 2009, 18:25

Until this is remade for XEH, one could use a wrapper addon to solve compatibility issues. Just a temporary fix:

http://pastebin.ca/1532818

Shadow.D. ^BOB^

Aug 17 2009, 22:07

I'm going to ask the obvious here, but is there any chance the fix could be put into a .pbo for those of us a bit :icon_wink:

Cheers...

Alex72

Aug 17 2009, 22:48

Great work Rock & co!

Noticed the KA-52's MFD's and HUD was bugged. However i use a lot of addons (not CBA though). The MFD's was green with some bunch of jibberish and the HUD was blinking on and off. Will test without other addons later. But i dont use any addons that should mess (LandTex, Mi28, SoundMod, SapClutter etc). Not really something that confilcts - or so it seems to me. But i guess someone is messing with it.

Worked flawlessly though and did its job. Good work guys and thanks!

Alex

Robalo

Aug 18 2009, 08:22

I'm going to ask the obvious here, but is there any chance the fix could be put into a .pbo for those of us a bit :icon_wink:

Cheers...

Here: http://dump.no/files/e7de72e281f2/asr_rksl_arma2_xeh.pbo

Shadow.D. ^BOB^

Aug 18 2009, 11:34

Cheers m8, appreciated.

A10 up up and away... :):):)

InFireBaptize

Aug 18 2009, 12:35

tried it, it's great. You can switch to it by using the "F" key or mount to your cyclic then employ with the fire button, i'm using it with the KA50 mod

RKSL-Rock

Aug 18 2009, 13:10

tried it, it's great. You can switch to it by using the "F" key or mount to your cyclic then employ with the fire button, i'm using it with the KA50 mod

Or just map it to a key press as per the instructions :rolleyes:

InFireBaptize

Aug 18 2009, 13:21

Or just map it to a key press as per the instructions :rolleyes:

i wish i had more buttons on my evo cyborg wireless :(, all buttons are currently assigned.

Big Dawg KS

Aug 18 2009, 14:47

Can the lockon warning & auto deploy thing be disabled (forcefully) missionside?

*Cough*

ziiip

Aug 18 2009, 18:45

Does the MP server need to have this addon if I wanna use it on one? I mean I tried using it in MP and it wasnt there (I jumped to the editor to check if its working there and it was).

Cionara

Aug 18 2009, 18:57

Of course the server needs it ^^ imagine you got an addon where you shoot nuclear bombs out of a gun and noone would be able to stop you ingame ='D

ziiip

Aug 18 2009, 19:03

Well yea but the landtex mod works on any server for me. :)

UNN

Aug 18 2009, 20:16

rock, the reason I can see that being a superior option is because ArmA 2 can't auto download addons when connecting to a server.

Yeah, in an ideal world we would support both. We had all sort of plans to implement script and addon based version of our systems. But there just isn't enough time to do both.

Apart from converting the existing system scripts and ensuring they still work alongside the addon version. We would have to drop Rock's active IR targets (which is my favourite feature) and flare launchers as a weapon. Launchers as a weapon may not seem like a big loss, given the other options. But it's intuitive, covers reloading and makes MP easier to script.

Can the lockon warning & auto deploy thing be disabled (forcefully) missionside?

You should be able to, but I just checked the scripts and realised I replaced the description.ext check, with a locality check by mistake :(

I've never had a switch for the audio warnings, but it's easy enough to add one. So next version you will be able to turn off Auto deploy and Audio warnings for either a mission with description.ext or per aircraft with functions.

Those, some other bugs logged on our tracker and XEH support, mean we almost have enough to warrant an update.

Well yea but the landtex mod works on any server for me.

The landtex mod does not provide players with an advantage over any opponent that doesn't have the addon, plus landtex is all client side so the server doesn't need it.

Our system does work if it's not installed on the server, but when I say works, it turns itself off :) I quite like this approach, as it means you don't have to swap mod folders when moving from a server that supports it to one that doesn't.

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

Mr Burns

Aug 18 2009, 20:26

Speaking of MP servers - would it be possible to make a serverside only version of this flare addon? So that users don´t need to have a special addon loaded, but the server propagates all the visual fx & missile deflection? :)

Splikes

Aug 18 2009, 20:34

Our system does work if it's not installed on the server, but when I say works, it turns itself off :) I quite like this approach, as it means you don't have to swap mod folders when moving from a server that supports it to one that doesn't.

Can you make atleast the warning work clientside on MP ? on the next release... because it will be alot more usefull than just flying around alone on the editor.

UNN

Aug 19 2009, 01:08

Speaking of MP servers - would it be possible to make a serverside only version of this flare addon?

Hmm...I'm not sure. No major obstacles spring to mind, other than an MP mission would have to be compatible server side and file checking. Can't promise anything in the near future, but it's certainly an interesting idea!

Can you make atleast the warning work clientside on MP ?

No, sorry. The last thing we would want to do is give individual players, any sort of advantage. Probably more from a case of principle, rather than it having a dramatic effect on a game, but it still stands.

But if someone wants to add that to a mission, it's easy enough without any addons.

Sgt.Slaughter

Aug 19 2009, 03:45

any way to get this great addon to work with F-16 Fighting Falcon
by Myke and others like it such as PMC Apache, etc.

svendejong

Aug 19 2009, 19:31

never mind, problem fixed

sven

gnarly_rider

Aug 20 2009, 07:01

RKSL-Rock

Aug 20 2009, 07:23

"RKSL aircraft coutnermeasures causes error"

Folks, posted this on the RKSL forums, but they are very quiet, so this looks like a better place:

I have a mission with one aircraft (whether chopper, A10 or AV8B), using this new mod, works fine and dandy. Client and sevrer have rksl-arma2.pbo, rksl-radarsys.pbo and rksl-system.pbo

however, when I copy and paste the aircraft (AV8B) to duplicate (ie have 2 AV8B's at airstrip) both empty and unlocked, upon starting the mission on a dedicated server i get a 'you cannot run this mission due to downloadable content that has been deleted. RKSL_ARMA2". Trying to start it as Host causes ARAM2 to crash to desktop.

Issue also occurs with two AH1Z's instead of the AV8s, so it doesn't seem to be unit specific

Any ideas what may be going wrong?

Note both aircraft are non-spawnable for what its worth...

driving me nuts, worked fine prior to using the mod.

It sounds like (considering you posting in the ArmA1 areas) you are using the ArmA2 system in ArmA1 which will never work.

You need to get the ArmA1 files from our site:

http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/232-arma1.html

----------------------------

Ok I've just tested this in ArmA2 and you are right there is a problem - we'll look into it thanks for letting us know.

@<hidden> can you move both Gnarly's and my own post to the ArmA2 RKSL Countermeasures thread please?

gnarly_rider

Aug 21 2009, 10:10

Ooops, apologies, didn't notice I'd posted in ARMA1, it is actually AMRA2 it's occurring in as you've discovered. Link to the BI thread was sent to me by a friend, and I didn't even stop to look at which platform it was in!

UNN

Aug 21 2009, 16:18

Folks, posted this on the RKSL forums, but they are very quiet, so this looks like a better place

Just generally busy atm with RL. But we like to investigate the possible causes before replying. We do try and post bugs up on the tracker (http://bugtracker.rkslstudios.info/my_view_page.php) asap.

What we are trying to do with the rksl_arma2.pbo is, AFAIK new ground in general. So there are things we are not aware of. Automatically trying to activate addons that may or may not be defined in a missions header is a tricky business, do it to early and you miss one lot of addons, to late you miss another.

If you unpbo your mission, you will probably see something like this:

addOns[]=
{
"cacharacters2",
"CAAir",
"rksl_arma2",
"utes"
};
addOnsAuto[]=
{
"cacharacters2",
"CAAir",
"rksl_arma2",
"utes"
};

Try removing the references to rksl-arma2 from the above sections. I actually have a hard time recreating the above, when making test missions, probably something I'm not doing. To recreate your problem, I had to manually add the references to the missions headers.

We still haven't exhausted the possible solutions to this problem, but it could turn out that what we are trying to do with rksl-arma2.pbo is just to unpredictable. So we may have to drop the idea. Best bet is to keep an eye on the tracker or this thread.

Of course if you can help us track down the problem and possible causes, then we would be more than happy. Which you already have done, by letting us know in a way we can reproduce easily :)

Cheers

Bushlurker

Aug 22 2009, 17:00

I'm having the same problem reported above on a couple of edited versions of Domination I made...
Its a puzzling problem - I made these edited versions (just a few parameters changed and a vehicle or two) well BEFORE I installed the rksl_flares - Yet in both cases they fail to run with the same "requires content that has been deleted" error reported above...

Just to be sure - I de-pbo'd both missions - of course, they DON'T have "rksl_arma2" as an addon requirement in the mission.sqm - I didn't have it installed when I made them!

I tried the stock Domination mission - from which I derived my variants - it worked fine...
I tried de-pbo'ing the stock version - changing a few things and re-pbo'ing (now with rksl mod installed) - still working fine - (and NO "rksl_etc" auto included addon dependency created in mission.sqm)...
I also thought for a few minutes it might be some kind of problem with the change from official patch 1.02 to 1.03 - but nope, I made both these variants AFTER the release of 1.03, so that can't be the issue either...

I dunno - I'm really puzzled with this one... so far, only these two edited missions are throwing the problem - I'll try some others and fool around some more - If I come up with anything more informative I'll let you guys know...

When it's working - it's working REALLY well! - So thanks for this, by the way - it almost makes flying choppers a practical proposition again!

B

UNN

Aug 23 2009, 15:37

Thanks for the report.

I tried the stock Domination mission - from which I derived my variants - it worked fine...
I tried de-pbo'ing the stock version - changing a few things and re-pbo'ing (now with rksl mod installed) - still working fine - (and NO "rksl_etc" auto included addon dependency created in mission.sqm)...

So you got the Flares to work without any errors, using the above.

de-pbo'ing the stock version - changing a few things and re-pbo'ing

Is all that done through the export to MP, in the mission editor?

Could you PM me about arranging to get the links\or pbo's (so I'm sure to use the exact same version) to the Stock Domination and your modified version?

Cheers

Bushlurker

Aug 23 2009, 17:58

PM'd with appropriate links, UNN... hope it helps...

B

rstratton

Aug 24 2009, 04:53

doesnt work on dedicated server whether its in the mission.sqm or not

Bushlurker

Aug 26 2009, 17:25

Hi again UNN & Co.!

Just a little update on this error...
I DON'T think its confined to the RKSL addon...
I've been trying to help another forum member with his mission - it works fine in the editor - but when run on a dedi server it throws EXACTLY the same error as this - except referring to an OAC component...
Same error about deleted content - despite it being an OAC required mission, and OAC being present on both client and server... exactly the same!

Not sure if this info helps much trying to track down what's causing it, but I thought you might wanna know it doesnt seem to be a flaw in your addon - more like some sort of normally acceptable scripting that maybe the netcode doesnt like... just guessing... I dunno...

P.S. Re: the mission I PM'd that was causing an RKSL error - I did it again from scratch - works fine this time! - Flares running fine - mission on dedi server - no errors - working 100% and delighted with the flares!!

B

BoxiouS

Aug 26 2009, 20:34

Thx for this. it makes a huge difference.

UNN

Aug 29 2009, 07:21

Not sure if this info helps much trying to track down what's causing it, but I thought you might wanna know it doesnt seem to be a flaw in your addon - more like some sort of normally acceptable scripting that maybe the netcode doesnt like... just guessing... I dunno...

Thanks for the info Bushlurker, what were trying to do is outside the normal game requirements so there may be things you just can't do, or things we haven't done yet with the scripts. Your info will go a long way in helping us track down what it is.

P.S. Re: the mission I PM'd that was causing an RKSL error - I did it again from scratch - works fine this time! - Flares running fine - mission on dedi server - no errors - working 100% and delighted with the flares!!

That may explain why I missed those problems. When testing, I either created a mission from scratch or tested with unedited versions of existing MP missions.

Also thanks BoxiouS, and all the others who confirmed it at least works in some cases.

If we can nail this set of problems, then it should be ok for everyone.

Seraphim2150

Aug 30 2009, 14:19

Is there anyway to add this to other addons such as the littlebirds or RAF chinook?

konyo

Aug 30 2009, 15:06

Is there anyway to add this to other addons such as the littlebirds or RAF chinook?

Yeah would love to see this on the RAF Chinook :)
Im sure you can add it in the config cant we? :confused:

Mandrake5

Aug 31 2009, 16:42

thanks this is a great mod, however it seems to either work 100% (aircraft evade EVERY missile) or 0% - every missile ignores the flares and hits.

Am I doing something wrong?
Cheers

RKSL-Rock

Sep 1 2009, 14:50

Is there anyway to add this to other addons such as the littlebirds or RAF chinook?

Yes theres is. But let us fix the first version first then we'll release a template and quick tutorial if we get time.

thanks this is a great mod, however it seems to either work 100% (aircraft evade EVERY missile) or 0% - every missile ignores the flares and hits.

Am I doing something wrong?
Cheers

Ok I'm not sure what the problem is. The system isn't meant to be perfect just like real world countermeasures. And its usually a hit or miss scenario in the real world so 100% or 0% success seems pretty accurate to me?

The system uses random values to decide if and how it deflect missiles:
- its random chance that it actually does deflect missiles.
- When it does deflect it uses a random angle, meaning that even if it misses you may take damage from a proximity explosion as the missile hits a flare.

Does this explain or am I misunderstanding your problem?

Mandrake5

Sep 1 2009, 17:20

well the problem i have is with Ka52s and Su34s, i.e. I sometimes fire 8 stingers from an Avenger at them and they evade them all....!

Other times I fire 1 stinger and it hits. There doesnt seem to be much in between.

The 2nd problem is that flares dont fire automatically when I am piloting an aircraft. I just hear a beep about 2 seconds before I am hit by a missile. Is there a way to make the flares fire automatically upon lockon?

Not bashing your mod at all here, in fact it's a real breakthough for Arma2 IMO, I juts think it may need some tweaking (or I dont' know how to use it ;) )

RKSL-Rock

Sep 1 2009, 20:46

well the problem i have is with Ka52s and Su34s, i.e. I sometimes fire 8 stingers from an Avenger at them and they evade them all....!

Other times I fire 1 stinger and it hits. There doesnt seem to be much in between.
That sounds like the random factors working to me. So it looks like its working properly.

The 2nd problem is that flares dont fire automatically when I am piloting an aircraft. I just hear a beep about 2 seconds before I am hit by a missile. Is there a way to make the flares fire automatically upon lockon?

Not bashing your mod at all here, in fact it's a real breakthough for Arma2 IMO, I juts think it may need some tweaking (or I dont' know how to use it ;) )

What other addons are you using because they should fire automatically. Thats the way they are setup.

UNN

Sep 1 2009, 23:15

If in one of your mission init lines or init.sqf you add:

RKSL_DEBUG=true;

You should get a side chat with the following:

Player SideChat Format ["Rand: %1 > %4 Count: %2 Flare Num: %3",_Rand,_Count,_FlareCount,_LockNum];

Rand: is the random number generated by Arma2. If this is greater than _LockNum (Rand: %1 > %4) it will lock onto to flare.

Count: How many times (in seconds) the random number (per missile/flare) is checked.

Flare Num: The flare index currently being checked.

You can also experiment with one of the following settings in description.ext:

radarflareprob : Corresponds to _LockNum. A random number greater than this value is a lock onto a flare. But remember a lock does not mean a miss.

See: http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/121-rksl-radarsys-v10-beta.html for more info on description.ext.

Mandrake5

Sep 2 2009, 07:14

I'm using VOPsound 2.1, afp's minimal crosshair mods as well as yours - do i need XEH installed to avoid conflicts?

Bob117

Sep 8 2009, 09:11

UNN

Sep 8 2009, 23:22

You know the GAU-8 cannon thats on the A-10 well when I select it the aiming crosshairs no longer appear when im in third or first person view. Any help/ideas?

Not atm, but I will certainly take a look.

vengeance1

Sep 9 2009, 03:28

This might be documented already but I got AddOn conflict with F16 Mod and CH Armor Mod. It kept saying they were deleted but they were not, removed RKSL and issue went away.

Do I need to do something different?

Bob117

Sep 11 2009, 23:02

Our clan has a dedicated server through art of war provider and we have all the necessary files in the proper places in the server folders and even have the target line edited but yet the add on wont work for us any advice?

UNN

Sep 16 2009, 21:13

Mod Works Perfectly it just causes one small irriating problem. You know the GAU-8 cannon thats on the A-10 well when I select it the aiming crosshairs no longer appear when im in third or first person view. Any help/ideas?

Seems ok for me, I get the green crosshair in first and third person view.

I'm using VOPsound 2.1, afp's minimal crosshair mods as well as yours - do i need XEH installed to avoid conflicts?

Don't thinks so, but I would have to check each addon to say for sure.

This might be documented already but I got AddOn conflict with F16 Mod and CH Armor Mod. It kept saying they were deleted but they were not, removed RKSL and issue went away.

Do I need to do something different?

To anyone who is getting the "Deleted Content Error". We are currently testing a fix for this. So if anyone has a mission that uses a small number of addons and generates the error, let us know. Preferable with a link if possible, so we can test it ASAP.

If all goes well, we will add support for XEH and release a patch.

Simon_M

Sep 20 2009, 19:10

RKSL-Rock

Sep 20 2009, 19:15

i also want to add it to non bis choppers n tha.... ive tried everything i know - tried putting this Call RKSL_RadarSys in the choppers init... tried syncing the choppers with rksl game logic... :confused: :(

You dont need to do any of that. As long as you have the ArmA2.pbo in your mod folder and that folder is active the BIS helos will have flares.

EDIT - DOH! Missread that. I thought you said BIS helicopters...

UNN has answered it for you anyway.

UNN

Sep 20 2009, 21:19

i also want to add it to non bis choppers n tha.... ive tried everything i know - tried putting this Call RKSL_RadarSys in the choppers init... tried syncing the choppers with rksl game logic...

Depends on what it inherits from?

For example the Mi28 Havoc 3rd party addon inherits from class Mi24_P. So it uses that configuration by default with just the RKSL addons.

Take a look at RKSLmi24System.sqf scripts in \rksl-arma2\s\ and \rksl-arma2\config.cpp if your inheriting from a base class.

Simon_M

Sep 20 2009, 23:02

thanks guys for the reply....

hmmm... i kno a bit of scripting but im not that good UNN :) it was for ad_halos pack of the blackhawks if you know it so i guess the inherit would be mh60s? how would i tell it to point to it?

ill have a snoop around in the pbo anyways...

thebonecollector

Sep 22 2009, 05:20

It's just too bad the mod have a lot of conflicting issue with other mods using cba basically make them do a dependency error when launched with the flare system.

Look like a conflict between the event handler .

Robalo_AS fix didnt work on a dedicated server

UNN

Sep 22 2009, 13:08

We are about to release a fix for the deleted content error. Works well with all the mission we tested, that previously generated this error. Bushlurker has been helping track down the errors and also tested the fix with CBA.

I suspect Robalo_AS will probably conflict with our fix, as we’ve added support for the XEH. Guess we will have to wait and see.

Bushlurker

Sep 22 2009, 16:01

As UNN says... I've been helping out in a very minor way purely with a bit of Dedicated Server testing, since that's where I was getting errors with the flares...
I had a couple of "pet" missions that freaked out with a deleted content error and consistently booted players back to the lobby... With UNN's latest version the same missions load and play just fine - no errors and flares deploy properly on all the stock BIS choppers, etc I tested.
I also tested the same and some other popular server-style missions (latest Dom, Evo, etc) with CBA... Again, NO issues whatsoever - so far...

B

vengeance1

Sep 22 2009, 16:53

Outstanding, I really wanted to use this but the conflicts had been keeping me from it. Great News! Hope to see the fix soon.

Thanks

UNN

Sep 22 2009, 20:53

Bushlurker was a big help, so thanks again.

@<hidden>

Took a look at the config. Unfortunetly ad_helos inherits from class helicopter. So you will have to add the scripts manualy. For example, add this to each helicopters init field in the editor.

[this,false] Call Compile PreProcessFile "\rksl\rksl-arma2\s\RKSLMH60System.sqf"

Or if you prefer not to use rksl-arma2.pbo, then just install rksl-system.pbo & rks-radarsys.pbo. Extract the above script and place a copy in your mission folder. Then call with:

[this,false] Call Compile PreProcessFile "RKSLMH60System.sqf"

Obviously they can be added to init.sqf. But if you respawn a heli or create one during a mission, you have to run the script again for the new vehicle.

@<hidden>

Just have to do the release documentation, quite a simple job, but somehow always a pain :(

Simon_M

Sep 22 2009, 21:24

Thnx unn for the help m8! :)

we got it running on our dedi on domination [smokin aces]... absolutly love it, because we play on expert mode it adds a lil more difficulty very realistic. kudos to rksl for all the work that they do.. cant wait for the latest veh seaking/lynx/puma/eurofighter/gr7/APACHE!!

lol put bis to shame, lol sorry bis but the truth hurts lol

UNN

Sep 22 2009, 22:25

We do appreciate your enthusiasm, enthusiasm works both ways after all.

But what BIS have to contend with, compared to the rest of us, well I can't really but it into words...but...errr...What can I say, there are plenty of us, who've been hanging round here for years, for roughly the same reason. It's a great engine!

AndresCL

Sep 22 2009, 23:28

Here: http://dump.no/files/e7de72e281f2/asr_rksl_arma2_xeh.pbo

Works like a charm in our dedicated server with CBA and this fix, thanks!:yay:

UNN

Sep 24 2009, 10:58

Works like a charm in our dedicated server with CBA and this fix, thanks!

Thats not our fix, our update includes fixes for a couple of bugs and support for XEH. If the pbo you mentioned above also adds XEH support, then there is a good chance that the same scripts will be called multiple times, if that addons present.

UNN

Sep 25 2009, 13:35

We are pleased to release an update to the first Public BETA of the RKSL-Arma2.pbo V2.01

http://www.rkslstudios.info/images/stories/releasedocs/rksl-radarsys/aug16_chaffflares_splash2.jpg

This is the latest version of our ArmA2 countermeasures system, with the following fixes applied.

Fixed "Deleted content error".
Fixed radarflareplayer property in description.ext didn't disable automatic flares for players.
Fixed multiple audio warnings.
Fixed flares launch vectors are disrupted by terrain.

Added support for the Extended Event Handler if installed.
New description.ext property radaraudiowarning. 0 Turns audio warnings off for players, 1 reactivates them.

Project Page: Arma2.pbo Project (http://www.rkslstudios.info/a2-projects/a2-scripted-systems/arma2pbo.html)

Related Documentation:
System Core Documentation (http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/136-rksl-system-v20-beta.html)
Radar System Documentation (http://www.rkslstudios.info/documentation/30-instructions/135-rksl-radarsys-v20-beta.html)

Required Addons:
RKSL Arma2 V2.01 - Applies RKSL systems to BIS vehicles and Aircraft (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/248-rksl_arma2-beta2-01/download.html)
RKSL System V2.01 - Core system files required by all RKSL addons (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/249-rksl_core_system-beta2-01/download.html)
RKSL Flares V2.01 - Chaff and Flare system (http://www.rkslstudios.info/downloads/rksl/arma2/251-rksl_flaresystem-beta2-01.html)