Gibbet's Team Level Movement Planner

[Caxton Gibbet]

Team Level movement Planner (TLMP) V2.0

16/09/2012

By Caxton Gibbet

INTRODUCTION:

Team Level, meaning a unit or units within the players group.
Movment planner, The ability to place seperate waypoint sets for teams, in real time, within the game map.

no module placment required by the mission builder.The system is available to the player
in any mission at anytime whilst they are leader of a group with living subordinates.

NO Multiplayer support,not designed for online play.

Set up co-ordinated flanking attacks or pincer movments quickly and easily.
Move teams into position via defined routes.
Set up patrols with defined routes.

Each waypoint can be of a type.

1.Move:- Move to this position.

2.Wait:- Wait at this position for Player input.

3.Patrol:- final waypoint of a set to create a cycling patrol route.

Each waypoint Type can have a speed setting of either

Limited, Normal or Full.

A behaviour Setting of either

Stealth, Danger, Aware or Safe.

A Rules Of Engagment (ROE) setting of either

Fire At Will (Free), Defend or Never Fire.

There is no waypoint limit and no team\unit limit.Have as many teams as
men available and as many waypoints as your plans require.

Each set of waypoints is coloured in acordance with the games team assignment system,
Set one are red,set two are green and so on.If you create a sixth set of waypoints the
sequance begins again,set six are red,set seven are green,set eight are blue...you get
the picture.

A placed waypoint defaults as:- MOVE, NORMAL, AWARE, FiRE AT WILL.

Changes to TYPE are reset every time,back to 'MOVE'.
Changes to ROE are reset every time,back to 'FREE'.

Changes to SPEED are NOT reset.
Changes to BEHAVIOUR are NOT reset.

Waypoint orders are executed while traveling TOWARDS the waypoint.
For example, if waypoint 1 has speed walk and waypoint 2 has speed run and waypoint 3 has speed walk,
then the units will walk to waypoint 1 then run to waypoint 2 then walk to waypoint 3.

The orders applied to a 'wait' waypoint are the orders the units will wait under,following waypoint
orders apply once the move on order is given by the player.
For example if a 'wait' waypoint has a 'never fire' order then the units will wait with a 'never fire' order.

Pathfinding to each waypoint is controlled by the Ai.The greater the gap between waypoints the less
control you have over the route taken.

Units within a team may take different routes around smaller buildings and clutter.

Wait waypoints are useful for co-ordinating attacks.They are also useful for conducting tasks within a plan.
For example,placing a satchel, or any other actions available via the commanding system.
Once the task is complete just move the plan along.

'Never Fire' order means just that.Unlike the hold fire order available in the command system
units will not fire even if threatened.
This order sets combatmode to 'BLUE'.
A waypoint with a 'never fire' order will have an ! attached to it.

Once a plan is set it cannot be added to or altered,only cancelled.
Finish all the planning before you exit the map as exiting the map finalizes the plan.
A plan must be executed before it can be cancelled.

You may or maynot have noticed the lack of any formation setting for the waypoints.
Unfortunatly I can't find a way to assign a differnt formation at a team level,group formation
applys.

A quick word on the UI that is used in the map screen,its ugly plain and simple.
It does, however, fuction just as I want it to and so prettying it up is a low priority for me,
not least because its somthing i'd need to spend more time learning how to do.
If you are someone who is adept at this sort of thing and would like to donate a better UI
You would have my thanks, and a credit of course.

There is no real vehicle support at the moment, although, vehicles placed already manned may function
to some degree or may just go to the first waypoint and stop.

Feedback is greatly appreciated,as are bug reports ofcourse.

DOWNLOAD:

MediaFire

REQUIREMENTS:

You will need the latest version of CBA ('extended_init_eventhandlers')

find it here: Armaholic.com

SETTING UP A KEY:

The system requires you have one available key for mapping in the game options.
A second key is required for using the ingame instructions.This second key is optional.

To map your keys please follow these instructions:-

1.Start the game.

2.Goto "OPTIONS".

3.Goto "CONTROLS".

4.Set the key filter at the top to "CUSTOM CONTROLS".

5.Assign a key to "Use Action 17"

This will be your PLANNER KEY.

6.(Optional)Assign a key to "Use Action 16"

This will be your Help key.To turn on the ingame instructions
Press and hold whilst outside the map until you see the confirmation
in the top right of the screen

these instructions will now appear in the map screen.

Repeat the above to turn them off.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Open the map,Select a unit or units and press your planner key to assign them to the system.

2.Place a Waypoint by clicking on the map.

3.Set the waypoint orders using the interface.
Press DONE when you are ready to set the waypoint.

4.Repeat steps 2&3 as required.
To delete the last waypoint press your Planner Key.

5.When you've placed the last of a teams waypoints,and it is NOT a Patrol waypoint,
Click within the Orange halo (Zoom in!) of the last waypoint to finalize them.
Patrol waypoints set automaticaly.

6.Repeat steps 1 to 5 for other teams.

7.When your plan is ready EXIT THE MAP.

8.Execute your plan using your planner key with NO units selected.
To cancel your plan press your planner key again with NO units selected.
To advance a team through a 'Wait' Waypoint select that teams leader and press your planner key.

LIMITATIONS\ISSUES:

The Addon maynot initiate on some custom units.However as long as atleast
one unit within the mission is of a compatable type (eg. any vanilla units)
the addon will initiate on the players unit.

HISTORY.
--------
V.2.0
16/09/2012

Fixed-Addon breaking on some maps.

V.1.0
22/07/2012

Initial Release.


THANK YOU...

Bis for all these great games.

You,yes you buddy, for taking an interest.

The great BIS modding community.(especially The CBA team.)

DISCLAIMER ETC..

Use at your own risk.

Don't use for commercial purposes.

Only redistribute unaltered and with this readme.

Please direct all enquiries via the BIS forums thread or by PM.

[Foxhound]

Release frontpaged on the Armaholic homepage.

Gibbet's Team Level Movement Planner v2.0


Community Base Addons

[Orcinus]

Hi Caxton

This sounds very interesting - downloading now & will test asap

Thanks for sharing another great mod

BR

Orc

[Caxton Gibbet]

Updated to V.2.0

16/09/2012
Fixed-Addon breaking on some maps.

@Foxhound.
Thanks for the mirror and the news post.

@Orc
You are very welcome.

[mrcash2009]

Hi, Ive tried this vanilla CBA / this addon only utes using a USMC standard fire-squad, I assigned key (user) 17, when I goto map and select unit(s) I press the assigned key and units un select ... and, well, nothing. Also no help option comes up with assigning key16 either.

Do you have a video of it working, im unsure what im supposed to "see" once I activate with the key, "so far" nothing happens, im sure I need to do something else but im running latest patch no beta's & CBA latest IE : @cba;@cba_a2;@cba_oa;@cg red=your mod in addon folder.

From what I can tell I goto map select my unit(s) and then while they are selected press my assigned key, when I do this they just un select, I then re-select them to assign way points but I just get normal map point click and nothing else, any pointers? Am I supposed to see a dialogue of some sort?

BTW Im using V2.0 from your file share link, itching to get this running, seems like something I need for small unit control and planning/wait orders.

[Caxton Gibbet]

@MrCash
Sorry,my bad, I think I forgot to mention that to turn on the help text hold down the assigned key until you see the conformation, whilst outside the map screen.
Now when you're inside the map screen the help text will display.

When the units have deselected the system is waiting for your map clicks to place the waypoints.
This has to happen as you cannot input data via map clicks while units are selected.

Hope that helps you. Will check back in 2-3 hours (RL calls).

[mrcash2009]

When the units have deselected the system is waiting for your map clicks to place the waypoints.
This has to happen as you cannot input data via map clicks while units are selected.

EDIT, forget it, im going to try this tomorow, ive totaly made this more complicated than its needed, time to leave games.

[CuDa]

This addon is awesome!!!..It makes the single player experience so much better.

Keep up the great work.

Any chance for a future update so vehicle's work with this ?

Maybe a stance option also ?

Thank you.

[Caxton Gibbet]

There is a small error related to the in game instructions,that is, they fade out after a short time.This is fixed for the next update.
Also, I'm looking at how to handle planning across multipule Groups via any team switching within a mission.Its not supported currently, but may fuction to some degree,or just freak out
completley.

@CuDa
Thank you for your kind words and support.In answear to your questions:
Basic Vehicle support has been introduced for the next update,however, it is limited at this stage.
I am planning to add a stance option but this will also require an update to the 'Copy My Stance' addon
to prevent conflicts.

@Everyone....
I need some feed back in relation to vehicle usage.
As it stands you can pretty much take control of any surface vehicle you can get a unit into,be it manned or unmanned,have waypoints or not.(Aircraft untested!)
If it has waypoints any plan you create will overide those editor placed waypoints.
Its easy to see how this could possibly cause problems in some missions by giving the player control over assets the mission designer never intended they
have control of, or, breaking the mission by overideing editor placed waypoint sets.
Any vehicles setup as locked should be fine.

So here is my dilema, should I restrict access to the system from vehicles that meet a certain criteria, eg. vehicle has waypoints,or,vehicle is already manned by units other than the players group.
Or, should I just leave it upto the player.

Your feed back is appreciated.

[CuDa]

I tried Aircraft waypoints and the pilots did not follow the markers..but it would be pretty cool to plan a patrol route for Aircraft in real time planning...plus drop bombs on marker 4..hint hint

Ground vehicles are working...the problem is they all take off soon as you set the first marker.. but they will follow their patrol routes once the plan is all setup...

Infantry units work great..wish each group/unit had a separate planning key and could carry out orders like setting satchels on say marker 3..hint hint..hehe.

"So here is my dilema, should I restrict access to the system from vehicles that meet a certain criteria, eg. vehicle has waypoints,or,vehicle is already manned by units other than the players group.
Or, should I just leave it upto the player."

IMO ..leave it up to the player.


Looking forward to updates.

Thank you..