ME question

[Kyth]

I save the file using the "SAVE AS" function and run the test mission which plays out normally except that only the first message shows up. After checking the scripts file I find this:

cs_radio()
{

   ext, wait_tr, trigger01;
   ext, add_text, txt_test_mission_message1, 0xffffffff, 10,;
}

ext, wait_tr, trigger02()wait_time, 5ext, add_text, txt_test_mission_message2, 0xffffffff, 10,()
{

}

ext, wait_tr, trigger03()wait_time, 15()ext, add_text, txt_test_mission_message3, 0xffffffff, 10,()
{

The lines are now messed up/corrupted, the cs_radio(2) & (3) lines are missing completely. I've tried each of these separately and they work but when put together using three cs_radio() lines they don't save.

I've tried this 4-5 times now with exactly the same results. If I close out and open the file the lines are saved but running the game causes the file to change.
Anyone ever had this happen?

Cheers All!
H

A couple of comments:

- Every line in the cs_radio block has to end with a " ; "
- Add in the message sequence number in the 'add_text' lines

For example, cs_radio2:

cs_radio2()
{
        ext, wait_tr, trigger02;
        wait_time, 5;
        ext, add_text, txt_test_mission_message2, 0xffffffff, 10, 0;
}

Give it a try, and good luck!

[hemisent]

  Once more, thanks again Kyth.

As always it's the little things that bite you in the ass. I changed it as you advised and now works like a champ. 

back to work

H

[hemisent]

   Hello all.
I'm back with another question regarding triggers.
On the triggers page in the ME there are two icons on the left side. One, a little blue house shape and below it a flag. The house icon trigger "works at switching 1 and 0". When I switch it on a ! appears in the trigger line. What does this mean and how is it used?

  The flag icon I think is used for one time only trigger activation. Is it better to have the flag activated in using victory/defeat triggers? I've looked at other missions and some have it activated, others don't.


Cheers!
H

[Kyth]

   Hello all.
I'm back with another question regarding triggers.
On the triggers page in the ME there are two icons on the left side. One, a little blue house shape and below it a flag. The house icon trigger "works at switching 1 and 0". When I switch it on a ! appears in the trigger line. What does this mean and how is it used?

The status of the trigger is inverted, i.e. it starts off 'true' and becomes 'false' when triggered. It's useful if you want to combine it with something else in a Logic trigger,

  The flag icon I think is used for one time only trigger activation. Is it better to have the flag activated in using victory/defeat triggers? I've looked at other missions and some have it activated, others don't.

The one-time activation is good for intermediate goals. Again, if you want to combine it with some other trigger. Example: Task A, then wait for Trigger B, before moving on to C.
Flag off: Wait for Trigger B to kick in, only after Task A is completed
Flag on: Wait for the very 1st instance of Trigger B and remember this state - when Task A is done, you might move on immediately to C.

[hemisent]

How do I delete older missions/titles when first opening the ME screen.

Example: I have a test mission ingeniously titled... "test mission" that somehow became corrupted. Earlier today I tried opening it but got the white screen with core something error. Anyway, I deleted the mission name on the ME screen, I deleted the 3 files _loc_date.text, scripts and zones in the cm users folder but the mission still shows up as a choice in the opening window.

I have a few others I want to get rid of too but until now never really gave it much thought.

Thanks all

Cheers!
H

[Kyth]

How do I delete older missions/titles when first opening the ME screen.

Example: I have a test mission ingeniously titled... "test mission" that somehow became corrupted. Earlier today I tried opening it but got the white screen with core something error. Anyway, I deleted the mission name on the ME screen, I deleted the 3 files _loc_date.text, scripts and zones in the cm users folder but the mission still shows up as a choice in the opening window.

There's one more file to delete, the <mission_name>.level file in the cm_users folder,

[hemisent]

Kyth
 Thanks for the quick reply. I just checked the cm users folder and there are no files with the .level suffix.
The only files that exist are all _loc_data.text, scripts and zones with the appropriate mission names.

revision:
 I just checked again and there are two "cm users" folders. One is under SF/loc_rus/levels/LEVELS/SCRIPTS and the other is LEVELS/cm_users. I guess you mean delete the unwanted mission name in the LEVELS/SCRIPTS folder.

[hemisent]

Kyth
 Here's another question about triggers. Specifically "The efficiency of the division has decreased" trigger.
What I want is for a radio message to appear along the lines of "the commander is dead" or something like that. I've been testing this trigger using a single vehicle (tank and APC) as the "commander" division.

 I have set the threshold/time slider from .5 all the way to 4.0 and have "killed" the unit on purpose but cannot get the message to activate. I tried this with no enemy forces in the mission.

 Then, when I put a large enemy force (8 or 9 tanks) in the mission but far away I tried the whole drill again. When I had the slider set at 4.0 the message triggered immediately on mission start without me "killing" the unit yet.

  To cover my bases I tried the same scenario only using the "The efficiency of the object has decreased" and got nowhere too.

  In my mind if a division takes hits (or falls into a river and everyone drowns) and some part of it's complement is killed it's efficiency decreases. What am I getting wrong here? Is the slider still based on a ratio of enemy forces as we discussed earlier?

 Thanks in advance
H

[Kyth]

Kyth
 Here's another question about triggers. Specifically "The efficiency of the division has decreased" trigger.
What I want is for a radio message to appear along the lines of "the commander is dead" or something like that. I've been testing this trigger using a single vehicle (tank and APC) as the "commander" division.

 I have set the threshold/time slider from .5 all the way to 4.0 and have "killed" the unit on purpose but cannot get the message to activate. I tried this with no enemy forces in the mission.

 Then, when I put a large enemy force (8 or 9 tanks) in the mission but far away I tried the whole drill again. When I had the slider set at 4.0 the message triggered immediately on mission start without me "killing" the unit yet.

  To cover my bases I tried the same scenario only using the "The efficiency of the object has decreased" and got nowhere too.

I'd suggest taking care with the deployment of that commander unit, don't place it in trees or in a trench, it could start off upside-down 

If all else fails, please show us your script,

[Kyth]

Good evening!

I hope your scripting & triggers are okay now,

[hemisent]

Hi Kyth
  Thanks for checking in. Actually I've pretty much got everything sorted out now (I think) with the exception of the damned victory and defeat triggers. No matter what values I place I simply cannot get them to work in anything other than a very simple test mission (3 friendly v 10-18 enemy tanks) The mission I'm working on has a relatively large amount of enemy tank and infantry units attacking a lightly held village with my three tigers rushing to reinforce.

 Here's the latest triggers section in my scripts file.

triggers()
{
   breach_north, 0x12, trigger09 | trigger9.5 | trigger9.6;
   breach_south, 0x12, trigger11 | trigger11.5;
   crossroads_shell, 0x12, trigger03 | trigger03.5;
   defeat, 0x20011, 2, 2.000, 3.000;
   defeat, 0x8;
   defeat, 0xb, victory_rus2, 900.000, 0;
   defeat, 0x9;
   trigger01, 0x1, obs tank, start_siege;
   trigger02, 0x20001, single_ truck01, start_barrage1;
   trigger03, 0x2, 2, start_barrage2;
   trigger03.5, 0x1, obs tank, start_barrage2;
   trigger04, 0x1, obs tank, start_barrage3;
   trigger07, 0x1, obs tank, village;
   trigger08, 0x2000e, commander, 3.000;
   trigger09, 0x1, rus_tank_north, village;
   trigger09.5, 0x1, rus_inf_north02, village;
   trigger09.6, 0x1, rus_inf_north01, village;
   trigger10, 0x4, 2, village;
   trigger11, 0x1, rus_inf_south01, village;
   trigger11.5, 0x1, rus_inf_south02, village;
   victory, 0x10, 2, 3.000, 3.000;
   victory, 0xa;
   victory, 0x1, obs tank, village;
   victory, 0xb, victory_ger, 30.000, 0;
}

 This is only the latest version of my victory / defeat triggers. I played the mission through last night and managed to survive along with a small amount of defending troops. Wiped out all but a few enemy troops but no victory/defeat indication. At this point I'm open to any suggestions you might have.

  I was going to contact either you or Frinik to give the mission a play and critique it. It's my first one and I'd like it to be as right as possible.

 Thanks for all your help so far
H

[Kyth]

Okay! I think I see some problems here   

   victory, 0x10, 2, 3.000, 3.000; <---- Superiority of friendlies
   victory, 0xa;
   victory, 0x1, obs tank, village; <---- Your tank reaches the target area 
   victory, 0xb, victory_ger, 30.000, 0;

- There appear to be 2 separate victory conditions here, you can't combine them this way.

- I suspect the unit name 'obs tank' isn't quite acceptable either, better rename the unit and triggers something like 'obs_tank'.

- Also, better make the Victory conditions a one-time trigger each.

- I think you'll want to group the victory conditions in a 'logic trigger', for example:

   got_them_good, 0x20010, 2, 3.000, 3.000;       <----- Superiority of friendlies
   here_we_are, 0x20001, obs_tank, village;        <---- Your tank reaches the target area
   victory, 0x20012, got_them_good & here_we_are;     <-----Combination
   victory, 0xa;
   victory, 0xb, victory_ger, 3.000, 0;

Same problem with the Defeat conditions:

   defeat, 0x20011, 2, 2.000, 3.000;
   defeat, 0x8;
   defeat, 0xb, victory_rus2, 900.000, 0;
   defeat, 0x9;         <-------------- Player killed

The 'player killed' trigger is actually redundant, the game already recognizes this as 'game over'.  No need to add this in specifically.

One finer point to scripting, it's easier if your trigger names are more descriptive. Examples like 'eat_lead' or 'we_blasted_them' convey the intention more clearly  which is good if you're reviewing the script later on,

[hemisent]

Thanks Kyth
 I'll give it another go with your advice tomorrow and see what happens.

Cheers!
H

[Rends]

Kyth, are you sure sure that the "Superiority of friendlies" (or enemy) is working?
I played with the trigger a while ago but couldn´t get it working right. What i got was a mission won message the second after the mission starts or nothing.

[Kyth]

Hi,

The superiority triggers have worked so far, for me,

What settings did you use for the trigger? I usually set it at 3x or 4x.

[Rends]

Hi,

The superiority triggers have worked so far, for me,

What settings did you use for the trigger? I usually set it at 3x or 4x.

Well i played with the trigger some time ago in the early days of modding this sim so i cant remember much. But i´m pretty sure that i didn´t set any slider to 3 or 4x . Just selected the "superiority..." trigger . so this this might be the (my) fault that it wasn´t working?! 

[Kyth]

Yes that could be it,
the default value is "0.5x" which just would not make any sense for a superiority trigger, 

[Kyth]

Hello it's me again,

I hope the victory / defeat conditions are okay now,

[hemisent]

Hi Kyth
 Actually, I'm having a bit of crappy luck here. I may be forced to rewrite my entire triggers file or the entire mission.
  I have a case of my scripts.engscr file not saving data (using the "save as" function). I had this problem a few months ago and it somehow cured itself, altho I have no idea why. Anyway I have a shortcut to the Scripts file on my desktop and last night I was making changes to the cs radio blocks, saving then playing the game, changing etc etc. The messages were not happening and I found that my changes to the cs radio section never saved no matter what I did. Tonight I just played the entire mission through for kicks (victory still not working BTW) Closed out of the game, checked my scripts.engscr file and not only did the cs radio block not have my changes again, my entire triggers block disappeared. I opened up the ME and sure as hell the entire triggers section is deleted.

 I just did a system restore hoping to bring back yesterdays data but that did not bring back the missing triggers. Is there any way you can think of to get them back? At this point I'm probably going to scrap the entire mission and start from scratch. Shouldn't take too long because most of the trial and error stuff I've gone thru.

[Kyth]

Hmm quite a mystery 
I hope you're not trying to save it in a folder like 'Program Files'?

Better to start over, you don't have to scrap the whole mission, just re-do the triggers,