how do you make smokeshells work?

[headshot_snipe]

i've searched around, maybe i used the wrong search terms, but i did not find threads about how smoke shells dont work, the enemy can shoot through it, i recently download the delta rangers 1.5 + Jam 2, in one of the readmes it said the smokeshells were replaced to ones which the AI cant see through, i tried a bit, but the AI can still see me?

is there any way to overcome this?
 
[EDIT]

maybe the problem is that there is not enough smoke? i just wrote this scipt to make smoke shells "appear" but there is a problem:

Code: [Select]

_shell = _this select 0
_position = _this select 1

_shell = "_shell" camCreate [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]

exit
the _position works, but the _shell doesn't work, if i replace _shell by smokeshell it works, but i would like it to be for any shell, so that teh user can difine what he wants to appear, the wierd thing is that there is no error message, the smokeshell just doesn't appear, any one know what could make it work?

[MANVIN]

First things first:

Code: [Select]

_shell = "_shell" camCreate [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]
Will not work, because the _shell is in quotes. When something is in quotes, it's treated as a literal string, and does not replace _shell with the intended string.

In OTHERWORDS:
Remove the quotes from "_shell", and it should work. If you need any further help, I'm around somewhere.

[h-]

Furthermore, I think you're in trouble if you use it like you have:
_shell = _shell camCreate ...

Because now your are sorta trying to create the _shell within itself...
The _shell = _this select 0 is 'nulled' once you declare _shell = again (afaik...)

I hope I confused you enough...

Oh, and about that JAM... I think the BAS De/Ra do not use the AI blinding smokeShell by default... You need to search the name of the smokeshell from the JAM readme and apply it to your men... Or use men under the 'JAM-Men'; dunno if they carry the 'new' smokeshell by default...
But I can be wrong...

the enemy can shoot through it

Yes well, there's no smoke on our dear earth that would be un-penetrateable by bullets... (...rant...)

[headshot_snipe]

thx for all the replies, but when i take away the

_shell =

and just have

_shell camcreate... it doesn't work

the _shell doesn't seem to affect, because when i just name _shell as smokeshell to have

"smokeshell" camcreate... it works, any ideas why _shell doesn't work with camcreate?

The JAM grenades work alrite, but sometimes the enemies can see you because the could density is a bit too low so they shoot, mostly miss, but anyway thats one good thing those work! the only rpblem is that their ammo (for the JAM units) are arrays, so i cant see what the ammo name for the JAM smokegrenades are, anyidea?

[h-]

Use

_shellSomething = _shell camCreate ....

And remember to execute the script so that the ammo has the quotations (" ")

The ammo name for the Jam smokeshell is most likely stored in the JAM readme... Too lazy to find my copy

What arrays are you talking about?
The JAM does not modify anything else but sounds and ammo configurations and such... They are 'within' the soldier the same way that the regular BIS weapons/ammo...

[headshot_snipe]

thx,

when i make a trigger to show me the weapon names and mags of the JAM unit (with the hint format cmd) it says array, and i chekced the read me and it talks about how the grenades block the AI view, but it doesn't talk about what the name of the smokeshell is... anybody know? apparently ECP also uses those grenades but my flashpoint it busted so i can only run trhough the FDF shortcut (or else if i try to run ECP it says memorymap error) does anyone have a readme of ECP and see if it talks about the name of this smokeshell?

[h-]

I have a faint recollection of them being called JAM_MarkerGrenade or something... I doubt I'm completely wrong

And are you sure you used the hint format thingy correctly?

hint format ["Weps: %1\nMags: %2",weapons unitName,magazines unitName]


And as always, no guarantees on the syntaxes...

[headshot_snipe]

thx for reply so quickly, well, i have tried the marker grenade as well, but its kinda of a orange smoke signal, and it doesn't block enemy AI,
i'm using the same syntax, but it comes up with array, i have no idea why, but anyway thx for you help HateR_Kint. It's late so i'm gonna stop, i'll try harder tomorow

cya and thx again for all replies

[h-]

Found my copy of the JAM readme...

It says that their default JAM units do carry those AI obscuring smokeshells...

I also took a look at the JAM pbo and the above mentioned smokeshell is actually nothing else than JAM_SmokeShell / JAM_SmokeShellRed / JAM_SmokeShellGreen...

[headshot_snipe]

thx HateR_Kint, i'll try that tonite
I have tried with the delta/rangers, and found some units that have smokeshells, and it does work, but you need a hell of a lot if you don't wanna the enemies to see you too soon, anyway thx for that JAM_smokeshell, i'll try it as soon as i get home. do you know why when you fire from a AT launcher from ballistic, if it hits something there is smoke just like the smokeshell around the blast zone for a very long time? its cool, but is it what happens? cuz when you just shoot not around enemies the smoke doesn't come up, any ideas?

thx again

[h-]

do you know why when you fire from a AT launcher from ballistic, if it hits something there is smoke just like the smokeshell around the blast zone for a very long time? its cool, but is it what happens? cuz when you just shoot not around enemies the smoke doesn't come up, any ideas?

Don't have a clue... haven't been able to play around with the new BAS units yet...

[rhysduk]

do you know why when you fire from a AT launcher from ballistic, if it hits something there is smoke just like the smokeshell around the blast zone for a very long time? its cool, but is it what happens? cuz when you just shoot not around enemies the smoke doesn't come up, any ideas?

Extract the PBO files from Ballistic and check the files out.. its all to do with scripting effects i think.

[headshot_snipe]

thx for replies, the JAM_smokeshell doesn't work, i have tried, no error message comes up but the smokeshell just doesn't appear.
Any smokeshell on the rangers/deltas works, even if you add ordinary smokeshells it still works, it replaces them by the JAM ones like the readme said, but i still can find the name.
The problem ,i think, comes from the arrays which come up when i hint format on units weapons, i have tried to spawn some JAM_markergrenades, but nothing comes up... could JAM not be compatible with camcreate? any ideas?

[h-]

It seems that BAS creates the AI blocking thingy after the grenade is been thrown... That particular thing is called "JAM_SmokeBlockIR"

Both the grenade and that block thingy are created with createVehicle...

I can't give you their script since I'm no position to forward anybody elses work though it may be public...  

But if you read the JAM readme it tells you how to make your soldiers to use the AI 'blocking' smokeShells... By the use of eventHandler... Put the following in your soldiers init field:

this addEventHandler ["Fired",{if ( (_this select 1 in
[{Throw},{JAM_AT4Launcher}, {JAM_RPG7Launcher},
{JAM_M72LAWLauncher}]) or (_this select 4 in
[{JAM_MarkerGrenadeammo}]) ) then {_this exec
"\JAM_Magazines\FX\firedEH.sqs"}}]

[headshot_snipe]

thx for the event handler, thats cool, but whats not so cool is that i cant make smokeshells just appear...

anyway, i have tried with teh createvehicule command, but this time there is an error message:

'"JAM_smokeshell" createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]|#|': error type any, expected number

any idea how to use this command?

btw i tried the eventhandler in the units init field, but it doesn't work, there is something wrong with the [|#|"fired"... it says there is an invalid number in expression...

[headshot_snipe]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH i think i have cracked it!!!

by createvehicule a smokeshell + the JAM_smokeblockthinggy at the same time it works!!! i think... i'll do more testing and do an example mission  ;D

here is the script: not very professional, but it will spawn the smokeshell...

Code: [Select]

_shell = _this select 0
_position = _this select 1

_shell createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]
"JAM_SmokeBlockIR" createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]

exit
make sure you execute the script with [ "smokeshell" , position] exec ...
beware, if the smokeshell are on the enemies or near them and you shot through the smoke they will advance towards you until they can see you...

[EDIT]

if you are seen by a unit far away before you go near the smokeshell, the unit will fire shots at you randomly, and if you shoot back randomly through the smoke the unit will then fire where the shot came from, so beware of that, if you go in the smokeshell before you are seen than no worries

[EDIT]

Example mission will be updated soon   , hopefully ....

[h-]

You now have one small problem...  

The "JAM_SmokeBlockIR" seems to be now there forever... Because it's an invisible object which AI can't see through (afaik)... You should add somekind of pause in the script like

~60

and then delete the 'blocker'... The 60 seconds may be too short time so you should measure how long aproximately the smoke grenade smokes at full capacity and adjust that pause accordingly...

In that case you also need to name it when you create it so your code should look something like this:

Code: [Select]

_shell = _this select 0
_position = _this select 1
_block = ""

_shell createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]
_block = "JAM_SmokeBlockIR" createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]

~60

deleteVehicle _block
exit
I hope my syntaxes are even closely right  

[headshot_snipe]

ah yes, i hadn't thought of that, thx

ok, i've tried deleting it, and it works... thank you very much, its late, i'll continue testing tomoz

Code: [Select]

_shell = _this select 0
_position = _this select 1
_block = ""

_shell createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]
_block = "JAM_SmokeBlockIR" createVehicle [getpos _position select 0, getpos _position select 1,0]

~62

deleteVehicle _block

exit
this works, n1 with the syntax Hater, it worked except for timing