AAR (After Action Review - replay of your battle in Arma2)

[zvukoper]

Alpha Demo is out!

AAR Project Home at DEV-HEAVEN
Fresh AAR version
Readme\Wiki

Hi, I started this discussion some time ago for Arma1. Now it's time for A2.

What I need is help to find a way to make the following:

• Once the game is over - I can save it's replay and later watch it.
• The replay should contain every soldiers' position updated live.
• I should show every soldier on map as a marker.
• It captures all the firing, deaths, hits, movement etc. and marks the map accrodingly.
• Records weapons used, counts frags and etc.
• The replay can be paused, forwarded and rewinded.
• If possible, should place and move actual units in the game to be viewed as spectator, and change it's direction and position accrodingly. But simple map-marker visualization is enough.

Some thoughts and comments
Spoiler:

show spoiler

So, what I know is that this is possible with jayarmalib.
As far as I know one can dump the actual unit data (pos, weapon, direction, health etc.) i.e. every 0.5 second during a battle into a file with adding the precise time of adding.

Then this log can be parsed as a set of script commands which create markers on map, moves them accrodingly to current time state, generates other markers for various events. This supposes no actual units ingame, only so to say a bunch of moving markers on the map.

I also think it's possible to parse the commands to create a dummy soldier unit, and move it accrodingly using dumped data around the map ingame. I heard that someone once done it for arma1 and the units not only moved but one could even see the bullets fly and explosions. So it was a really impressive replay with shootin simulation. (In other words someone done AAR before for Arma1!)

But again, it would be awesome to at least have the moving-markers-mapside style replay with death and kills stats, and who killed whom.

I think that the idea of such feature as AAR in Arma2 is very important and I think no one needs explanations why it's useful for a serious squad.

So, any help, comments, advise would be much appreciated. Please, share any knowledge that can help us create AAR.

P.s. I'm surprized no one started this subject yet. It's so obvious! And by the way, Virtual Battlespace has it built in long time ago! And it's fantastic. Just perfect. BI implemented thermal imaging directly from VBS, so why not AAR... even if we make it with our own hands... It's still possible and will be very useful.

That's BIS AAR description in VBS2

Spoiler:

show spoiler

After Action Review ... Bookmarks can be dynamically added and all projectile paths and effects are captured and replayed. Additionally, terrain and ballistics analysis tools are included.

Video of VBS AAR in action

More relevant discussions happen on Google Wave

(Discussion in Russian - По-русски здесь)
Join our Google wave to discuss live

[Joshii]

You won't have much success doing that without vbs2fusion I guess. Still a guy I know made a replay of a 3 hour game with 80 real players or so inside. So it is possible somehow.

[zvukoper]

But you see, I'm not that naive to plan to make it as smooth as in VBS. I'll be happy if we capture at least units movements and firing\hitting and show this all on a map using markers without precise 3d world reconstruction with animations and projectiles.

That map-like replay will be enough to at least have an ability to analyze battles.

[Darkhorse 1-6]

I think Spooner created something, where you could watch a mini "map" of the current island, that was set up on a table. It would show infantry, aircraft, and vehicles, all in miniature, and you could watch the progression of the battle from the safety of your command bunker. Perhaps something similar could be made for ArmA II?

[Ebolavirus]

I think Spooner created something, where you could watch a mini "map" of the current island, that was set up on a table. It would show infantry, aircraft, and vehicles, all in miniature, and you could watch the progression of the battle from the safety of your command bunker. Perhaps something similar could be made for ArmA II?

You're referring to HoloMap for ArmA. Search the Ofpec forums for more details, but in application I don't think its really the required tool for battlefield replays.

[Hoaah]

How are you supposed to record 80x80km for 10 hours? Just general wondering. Have you found solution ?

[zvukoper]

Kilometres are not important. The unit number is the main aspect. It records all the data of AllUnits array not matter where they are.

[Kremator]

Sounds great zvukoper ..... good luck to you mate. This will be awesome.

[zvukoper]

Thank you, I will need it. Now we're a little busy with other squad business... But we'll continue AAR development soon.

---------- Post added at 11:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 AM ----------

Visit our Google Wave on that topic. More relevant discussions and updates there.

---------- Post added at 11:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------

You can help devloping AAR if you share any knowledge on using named pipes in Delphi. Esp. if you used it with JayArmaLib.

[kylania]

[/COLOR]Visit our Google Wave on that topic. More relevant discussions and updates there.[COLOR="Silver"]

Might want to find somewhere else to host that discussion...