Making Civilians east or west?

[S.T.O.S]

Hi again.
just wanted to know why th command line,
side player == west
dossent work..
looked at some other topics, but didnt got much out of it.
Got the commandline from a comref.. so there ought to be right.
There has to be an easyer way then putting the units in a group..

[Baddo]

You are trying to make civilians east or west?

Well, that command will only check if the player's side is west and returns true or false.

It doesn't change the side.

[Wadmann]

All that you need to do is to place an east or west unit on the map that outranks the civ, set it's probility of presense to 0 (slider to the left IIRC), and then group (F2) the civ to the east/west unit. This works at the beginning of the mission.

During the mission, I think could preplace a unit out of the way or create them during the game and then use the group command to to group him to your civ unit(s). This is untested so maybe someone with experience can confirm if this works (@ work so I cannot test this theory).

                                                  Wadmann

[Raptorsaurus]

You can also name the civilian (something like civ1), then save the mission, then open the mission.sqm file, then search for civ1, then when you find the reference to civ1 in the mission.sqm change the side = civilian to side = west (or east).  Next, you go back into the editor and reload your mission (so the newly modified mission.sqm files loads) and presto! you have a east or west civilian.

[macguba]

Raptosaurus, I know you are trying to be helpful, and I applaud you for it, but I wish people would stop posting this overcomplicated and second rate method for changing the side of a unit.    

Once upon a time it was the only known way, and that was fine.    Now, we know a better way.    And the method described by Wadmann is better.    Not only is it quicker and easier and safer, but you can open the unit later to edit it.   With the mission.sqm editing method, you cannot subsequently open the unit without losing the side-changing edit.  

I have an old mission in the Missions Depot (Lookout!) which uses the mission.sqm method and trust me, its a totally shit way of changing a unit's side.    I strongly[/i] recommend that nobody ever uses it again.    It is obsolete.   It is not a legitimate alternative to the method described by Wadmann:  it's a  crap, stupid, pointless, worthless and outdated alternative.   It has no virtues whatsoever.   Let it be consigned to history.  

[Raptorsaurus]

Point taken, I just thought that S.T.O.S. might want to know other alternatives (even the antiquated ones), but you are right I guess we should just let this old way die.

[macguba]

:thumbsup:     Yeah ..... alternatives are often good (with this game there is usually three solutions or none) but in this particular case I don't think the alternative actually adds any value.

[itchie]

this method is good, however, in a coop, and u want civilian to have a different briefing it wont work, they will get the western briefing then for example. If i try to group a civilian to a west unit AFTER the mission has begun, he has the civilian briefing, the only problem now is, east doesnt recognize him as a west / or enemy unit