HETMAN - Artificial Commander

[Lucidity]

HAC shouldn't interefere with addons, that do not mess with waypoints. Although I do not know much about how ASR code works. There was same problems with ASR without HETMAN? What specifically ASR should to do, and does it without HAC, but do not with it?

What exactly use of flares you mean? Isn't such usage a part of micro management AI level?

I apologize for not being clear. ASR isn't interfering with HAC (or conversely), I was questioning it's active involvement, but I realized yesterday that HAC doesn't use OA units by default, so once I added the proper arrays of OA units, suddenly, everything started working and I saw a drop in framerate (suggesting the script has more to work with now). The units ran to a nearby supply truck, then ran back to formation, so I'm guessing they grabbed some stuff, which is a component of ASR.


As for flares, I suppose I'm asking for something that you designed the script not to do, but the function of smoke grenades for retreating units is similar in nature to the use of flares. I would really like to see units fire flares into the sky (at night) when they either detect and enemy or go into battle. I'm sure some people won't want this, so maybe it could be something set to "off" or "false" by default. Group Link 4 does this and it's really annoying, but it adds a sense of realism that illuminates the battlefield. It would need to be configurable so recon units do not automatically fire flares and give away their position. I don't know, maybe it's a bad idea.


By the way, thank you for creating and maintaining HAC. Your script is one of the few reasons that pulled me back into ArmA from a long hiatus out of OFP (look at my join date). I've been looking for a decent script that controls the AI, and your's does a good job. Now I just need one for tactics. Thank you again. I cannot show the amount of appreciation I have for your work.

[Rydygier]

Hmm. I understand. So, I will think about flares used that way, and we'll se, if I'll be able to do something about that - idea is good in my opinion, thanks for it.

[SavageCDN]

I've used this flare script before with good results:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...pt-version-1-3

[Lucidity]

I understand that including flares, like smoke grenades, does steer HAC in the direction of micromanaging AI behavior, but there's really no other scripts that do that right now, at least, none that are up to date and exclusively concerned with total AI behavior. Maintaining HAC's compatibility is important, but I don't think it is necessarily an issue because the biggest problem is other scripts, so I'm willing to bet that most people use HAC without many unrelated addons.

I'd love to use HAC with GL4, but the primary function of GL4 is reinforcements and tactical movement, which means waypoint management, which will likely conflict with HAC. Plus SNKMAN aparently stopped working on GL4 in 2010.

I use ACE with everything, so that's my only compatibility concern beyond CBA. My point is that I respect your desire (Rydygier) to maintain the vanilla aspect of ArmA's base configuration, but I think HAC is highly dynamic and already overreaching in a beneficial way. I think AI micromanagement in HAC will be welcomed by the community, espeically this late in ArmA 2's life, but maybe options for HAC's tactical application can be turned off by default so the script remains true to it's intention to be unobtrusive and largely script-based (which I apprecate one less addon).

[Rydygier]

Thanks to Lucidity was nailed true and genuine syntax bug in combining groups procedure (so affects only this rare situation). This will be of course repaired in next wip, but if someone do not want to wait, shouldn't activate this feature (is off by default) or, if uses script version, can repair code for each used Leader on his own - this is trivial. Broken is 111 line of HQReset.sqf:

_ex = (RydHQ_Exhausted - _x); 

should be:

_ex = (RydHQ_Exhausted - [_x]); 

...or de-pbo addon version, do same correction and re-pbo.

[Orcinus]

From preliminary tests, there are a couple of small modules in COSLX that seem not to conflict with HAC & add some useful AI features & more realism.

The first is SLX_findcover, which makes any AI unit/group avoid crossing open spaces as far as possible. The AI will, e.g., skirt open fields in favour of cover or at least concealment, instead of taking a straight line between waypoints. SLX_findcover does not change the mission waypoints (unlike GL4). This fits very nicely with HAC IMHO.

SLX_ai_dodge has AIs moving a few paces to & fro rather than just standing still like dummies. This makes them harder targets at medium to long range, & thus extends firefights.

AFAIK, both require CBA - though I've never tried them without it, so who knows?. The two modules weigh in at a total of only 80 KB.

[Burdy]

Is there any way you could convert this over to Iron Front? That would be amazing :O

[Lucidity]

From preliminary tests, there are a couple of small modules in COSLX that seem not to conflict with HAC & add some useful AI features & more realism.

The first is SLX_findcover, which makes any AI unit/group avoid crossing open spaces as far as possible. The AI will, e.g., skirt open fields in favour of cover or at least concealment, instead of taking a straight line between waypoints. SLX_findcover does not change the mission waypoints (unlike GL4). This fits very nicely with HAC IMHO.

SLX_ai_dodge has AIs moving a few paces to & fro rather than just standing still like dummies. This makes them harder targets at medium to long range, & thus extends firefights.

AFAIK, both require CBA - though I've never tried them without it, so who knows?. The two modules weigh in at a total of only 80 KB.

Thank you for the tip. I'm going to try SLX now.

[Rydygier]

Is there any way you could convert this over to Iron Front? That would be amazing :O

I have no idea. Know nothing about IF, so can't tell, if is similar to arma enough and if supports same script language in same manner and in same degree... Even not know, if IF have editor with same possibilites. Haven't yet "financial possibility" to buy it and see (and probably will not have in near future).

If is similar enough, then this may be just matter of RHQ array for IF units... and maybe matter of some tolerance for the lack of realism, because, if I'm not mistaken, WWII tactics was different, than used by HAC (?). My guess is, that also at least some features have to be changed/removed for such "experiment".

[meltedping]

coslx do make so much diffrent with HAC since new patch for ARMA 2 Combined Operations.