FX problem (drop command)

[Garcia]

Been working on this shit lately, and OFP is now starting to piss me off. I've managed to get the napalm explosion on showing for everyone in multiplayer and such, however, it only shows the first time you try it. If I run the mission, call in the napalm, and then restart, the explosion (use the drop command for it) don't show. If I disconnect and then connect again to the server, it shows again the first time I run the mission, then it doesn't show again if I restart...The flames at the end show all the time, as they are objects that are created. So, anyone got any idea how to fix this? If not, anyone know how I can get a object like Shoguns napalm (the small fire objects are based on that one) to look like an actual explosion?

[Mr.Peanut]

Hard to tell without the scripts to look at. So everything works fine except the explosion f/x? Planes, fire, damage all ok otherwise? The fires are addons I presume. And by restart you mean mission ends and you play it again, or admin uses #restart command? What about restarting using #reassign or #missions? Does it fail then too?

Looks nice BTW. Very apocalyse now, burning bodies running around.

[Garcia]

I've attached the scripts and, and the fire addon is in the .rar too. Though it uses Jungle Fever and Footmunchs planes (either Skyrider, F4 Phantom or A6 Intruder), but they are easy to change...

And everything works fine except the fire FX. First time you run the mission, the planes come in, drops the bomb, you get big neat fire, units start burning, you get small and big fires on the ground (the addon) etc. Then when you restart using #restart command, planes come in, drop bombs, but now you don't get the big neat fire/napalm explosion. You just get the small explosion from the bomb itself. Then after a few seconds the fires from the addon appears, and people run around and suddenly dying (no flames attached to units either). I think I got the same problem when I used the #mission command and tried starting the mission again from there...will try it again now and see if #reassign, #missions and ending the mission and starting again gives the same result...

And it does look nice, though I can't really take the honor for that. I just ripped MI_Freds napalm script and used that, along with looking at Shogun and Footmunches addons for the fires...

[edit]

ooook. Now when I tested, I tried waiting for some minutes after the bombing for the scripts to end, and when restarting then, the FX still show. So if I restart too early, the FX disappears for some reason...also, all commands give the same result. If the FX disappears, I even have to quit OFP for it to show again. If I just disconnect from the server and connect again, the FX still doesn't show

[Mr.Peanut]

Does it work okay if you play on your own PC as a non-dedicated server?

[Garcia]

Works ok in preview, can try it in MP mode to see if it works ok there too.

[Garcia]

ooook, back to this damn thing...(been busy with exams and other OFP stuff)

Just tried it in MP mode, alone (hosting myself), and it works ok. First time I call the scripts, everything works. Just after the bomb explodes I quit the mission, get back to the lobby, start the mission again, and calls in the napalm...and everything works when they arrive for the second time...

[Mr.Peanut]

I asked Planck about this one and he stated that the addon had some peculiarities, but of course I have since deleted that PM.  This problem is bizarre, almost like the server is not resetting some variables. The only other test I can think of would be a mission that calls the Napalm twice with a pause in between strikes.
If you take a look at the Napalm addon, you'll see that it is mostly particle effects. I would be tempted to chuck the addon and just use the drop script inside and camCreating a HEAT or mortar rounda for the initial explosion.

[Garcia]

Umm, I think you might have gotten me wrong. The initial explosion is the drop script. The flames after the explosion is the addon.

Anyways, I don't think we'll find any solution to this one, so I've decided to just create one of shoguns napalm fires for every bomb and that's it...that's how the script initially was, but back then I had problems deciding when to create the flames (and now I have the solution).

Though I'll leave this thread open in case someone comes up with a solution. Would rather have this version, as it's more realistic...

[Garcia]

Bah...after some more testing, I honestly think it's the drop command that just doesn't like restarting while it's being used...I tried replacing the explosion with the napalm by shogun, and delete it after 2 seconds...doesn't look as neat, but looks ok...I then tried restarting while all the AI was burning, and the second time, the bodies don't burn, they just run around and then falls dead. I then tried replacing the script I used for burning units (the explosion script and the burning units script was ripped from MI_Freds napalm scripts) with a fire effects script by General Barron. Same outcome, flames disappear after restarting the mission...

I guess the drop command simply wasn't made for MP use...might as well go back to using the drop command for the explosion too now...