SPON Attachments v0.3.0 (ACCEPTED)

[Spooner]

SPON Attachments v0.3.0
- Released: 2007-11-17
- Install size: 32k + SPON Core (Core v0.1.2 used in demo)
- 100% scripts
- No addon dependencies
- See attached README.html for full details

Attach and detatch ACOG, M203, Aimpoint, GP-25 and/or suppressors (silencers) on your weapons in-game.

Note that the effect of this script has some overlap with CSL Weapon Switching, but has significant differences that make it worth developing both scripts (his is intended to allow you to carry two primary weapons, but this allows you put any of your weapons into multiple configurations).

Requires that the SPON Core scripts package be installed in the mission (v0.1.2 or higher). Both SPON Attachments and SPON Core are script-based and do not require any addons to be installed on client or server.

Features
    * Allows some weapons to be modified by players in the field. The options available in vanilla ArmA are:
          o ACOG sights (M16A4 M203 ACOG/M16A4 ACOG).
          o Suppressor (silencer) (AKS47-UN/Makarov SD/M9 SD).
          o M203 grenade launcher (M16A2 M203/M16A4 M203 ACOG/M16A4 M203).
          o Both ACOG and M203 (M4 M203 (includes ACOG)/M4A1 M203 ACOG/M16A4 M203 ACOG).
          o GP-25 grenade launcher (AK-74 GP-25).
          o Aimpoint sights (M4 Aimpoint).
          o Both suppressor and Aimpoint (M4A1 QDS CompM4).

    * Records which weapon accessories you have removed, allowing reattachment to the same (or similar) weapon in the future.
    * Due to the fact that the mission-maker configures exactly which weapons can have accessories attached or removed:
          o New weapons from addons can easily be incorporated into this script.
          o Which vanilla ArmA weapons are modificable can be limited, both to prevent modification and to reduce workload (if the weapons aren't available in the mission).
          o There is nothing to stop you defining other types of attachable weapon accessories if you need them.

    * You can script to give player loose attachments or place them "in" non-soldier objects (picked up via action menu).
    * If the player dies (MP) or anyone dies (SP) with loose accessories that aren't on a weapon, then the player (not other players in MP) can pick them up from the corpse.
    * To allow for non-reversable attachment, the mission-designer can define whether an attachment can be detatched once attached. I don't think this is meaningful for vanilla ArmA weapons, but could be useful if using this script with addons in order to to implement field-repairs, e.g. "Attach M240 firing pin to Broken M240", which would leave you with an M240 that couldn't be broken again by the player detatching the "M240 firing pin" again.
    * Although the removal of ACOG wouldn't normally take place in the field, it is implemented since real soldiers are able to use the top edge of the ACOG as an ironsight. Since dual-action ACOGs (that offer magnification or ironsights modes on the same weapon) are available in addons, there is no reason to use this script for this purpose (detatchable ACOGs) unless you specifically wish to avoid using those addons.

Compatibility
    * SP: Yes.
    * SP Teamswitch: Yes.
    * MP: Yes, but there are limitations, below.
    * MP JIP: Yes if AI disabled, but partial if AI enabled (if you re-connect to a soldier who previously had loose attachments, they will have disappeared).

Limitations
    * When removing the ACOG from the M4 M203 (includes ACOG) or M4A1 M203 ACOG, one is left with the plain M4 or M4A1 respectively (without ACOG or M203). This is because there is no M4 or M4A1s with M203s that don't have ACOG weapon in vanilla ArmA.
    * When removing the suppressor from the M4A1 QDS CompM2, one is left with the plain M4A1 (without suppressor or aimpoint). This is because there is no non-suppressed M4A1 Aimpoint weapon in vanilla ArmA.
    * Weapons are reloaded and returned to semi-automatic fire mode, or whatever their default firing mode is, during the process of attaching or detatching accessories.
    * Can't attach/detatch in vehicles (Definitely more effort to implement this than it is worth).
    * You can't tell what attachments you are currently carrying, unless you have a weapon that could have that attachment (and then you still can't determine how many you have).
    * AI can't attach or detatch accessories (or carry them, unless they have been teamswitched to in the past).
    * MP: All accessories that are not on a weapon when a player dies are only retrievable by that player (if he respawns, of course).
    * MP: Can't transfer loose accessories between players.

Known Bugs
    * None

Design Aims
    * Allow the player to make battlefield modifications to weapons.
    * Make up for the fact that in vanilla ArmA, one cannot aim along the top of the ACOG sights, so when using weapons with ACOG one is severely disadvantaged in CQB.

Credits
    * Uses my SPON_getWeaponType and SPON_deepEquals functions, which is included in the package.
    * Testing and useful suggestions by Wolfrug.
    * Significant testing and feedback by members of the Regiment of Grenadier Guards [RGG] squad (http://www.rggsquad.co.uk). Thanks fellas!

Change Log
v0.3.0
- Added
    * Each attachment can be defined as detatchable or non-detatchable. One can always attach them though.
    * Added a second playable soldier in the demo to test team-switching.
    * Lose accessories are now retrievable from corpses (on the local machine).
    * Rather than using addAction directly, the mission-designer can use the addAction.sqf (or SPON_addAction function) to add "Take accessory" actions to non-soldier objects.

- Removed
    * No longer needed Mando getPos or Mando myWeapon.

- Fixed
    * Detatching, re-attaching and then detatching an accessory prevents the correct attachment action being shown for that weapon again.
    * Not compatible with Teamswitch in SP.
    * Sometimes you can fire a weapon other than the one you are holding after attaching or detatching an accessory.
    * Sometimes after you have attached or detatched an accessory, you cannot fire it until you press 'F' to choose a firing mode.

v0.2.0
- Added
    * Gave a lot more attachment options in the demo mission (including M203s, GP-25s and Aimpoints).
    * addAttachment.sqf and takeAttachmentAction.sqf added to allow players to get loose attachments without having to remove them from weapons.

- Modified
    * Previously, if you removed the Aimpoint and M4 suppressor from an M4A1 QDS CompM4, then you couldn't then attach just the the Aimpoint to an M4 (you were considered to have a compound accessory, rather than two separate accessories). Now each accessory is considered entirely separately (the M203/ACOG was the other compound accessory in the original version).

- Removed
    * You no longer always use the modified weapon after you attach/detatch an accessory

- Fixed
    * If there are more than one possible attachments/detatchments for a weapon, then only one of them is shown in an action.
    * If you take off more than one attachment of the same type, then you only have one available to reattach.
    * The weapon class-names in the config are case-dependent.
    * Sometimes it is possible to fire a weapon that is still holstered/slung.

v0.1.0
- First release.

Get SPON Attachments

[[seven]]

Haven't got around to trying this yet but let me get this straight, it allows the player to use an action to make an "adjustment" to his weapon in game, but that adjustment is really just swapping out one weapon for another.  Essentially the same concept armament.sqf uses, but rather than rearm vehicles it rearms soldiers, correct?

[Spooner]

Yes, it is implemented by replacing weapons, but if the player doesn't know this (or doesn't mind suspending disbelief ;P), it should feel like you are attaching or detaching the accessories.

The big difference to your plane rearmament script is that it remembers which accessories you have removed so you can use them again later. Thus, if you have an M16A4 ACOG and remove the ACOG, then you could put the ACOG back on that M16A4 or you could hold onto it and go and attach the ACOG on an M16A4 M203 to make an M16A4 M203 ACOG. The other effect of this is that if you are given just a plain M16A4 at the start, you won't be able to put an ACOG on it (because you don't have one).

[michallll]

* When removing the suppressor from the M4A1 QDS CompM2, one is left with the plain M4A1 (without suppressor or aimpoint). This is because there is no non-suppressed M4A1 Aimpoint weapon in vanilla ArmA.

O really  ?  Hmm I have an M4 Aimpoint and I have Mrs. Vanilla....

[Spooner]

Nope, we have an M4 Aimpoint, not an M4A1 Aimpoint (I was fooled for a while there too!)! I really didn't want to totally change the fire modes by removing the silencer! Still, if you are happy with that switch, the configuration is easy to change (look at the README.html for details).

[Wolfrug]

Cool stuff! Some minor niggles:

1) If you use the "detach/attach" action on your rifle while you've got your pistol selected, it'll select your rifle at the end of the animation, but won't unsling it, leading to the infamous "shoot rifle with the power of thought from your back" phenomenon. The other way around it works fine (pulls out pistol -> animation -> pistol selected).

2) Can't have more than one attachment on hand at any time? I.e., if you remove the silencer (+ aimpoint, why? -> shouldn't it be "M4AIM" as the base class?) from the QDS/CompM4, and then drop the empty M4, pick up a grenadelauncher/ACOG combo, and remove those....then the silencer disappears forever. If it's not -too- much trouble, would it be possible to script in two "inventory slots" for attachments? Since many weapons have at least two (i.e., scope + grenade launcher, silencer + scope etc). Three would be ideal (silencer + scope + grenade launcher).

But I get the point with the script: the init.sqf is very enlightening. Wonderfully modular! :-D I am definately going to cook together a wee mission with this script and some addon, methinks...

Good work!

Wolfrug out.

[michallll]

As far as I know there is no M4A1 unless I am drugged of course

[Spooner]

You are quite right about the animations; they suck, both because of BIS and because I didn't labour over them as much as I should have! I think the next version will only allow you to modify the weapon in-hand (thanks [seven] for making that obvious suggestion ;P), which will alleviate some of the issues.

You can actually hold as many detatched attachments (including multiple of the same type) at once as you want and move them about between weapons as much as you like. Attachments only ever get deleted when you die. In your example, the silencer hasn't disappeared, but you only have the option to use the M203/ACOG until you have none of those left. Something I should fix properly in a later version, so you get options to add all possible attachments if you have more than one that could go on the weapon. One related issue is that you can't ever see what attachments you are carrying, but I can't decide if it is worth making one (when most of the time you'll just be toggling the weapon you started with).

On the other hand, I'm loathe to keep things more separate than they are at the moment though (i.e. removing the M203/ACOG and making separate M203 and ACOG "attachments")  since there are limited numbers of options for actually putting the attachments back on weapons.

@michalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Believe me, there is an ironsights M4A1 as well as the M4A1 QDS CompM2 (suppressed/Aimpoint) one. Look at the COMREF or try the demo.

[Wolfrug]

Well, if I'm understanding the incredibly simple init-system correctly, to get the second request of mine (more modularity, in removing grenade launchers/silencers/scopes separately), all you need to do is

Something I should fix properly in a later version, so you get options to add all possible attachments if you have more than one that could go on the weapon.

Since then you'd just have to make a bunch of more entries. As an example in a hypothetical situation where we have an M4A1 Aimpoint that can have a silencer attached, as well as a silenced M4A1 without an aimpoint:

Code: [Select]

["M4A1", "M4AIM", "CompM4"],
["M4AIM", "M4A1AIMSD", "QDS"],
["M4A1", "M4A1SD", "QDS"],
["M4A1SD", "M4A1AIMSD", "CompM4"]

That way, when you have the base, empty-classed M4A1, you could pick either the silencer or the Aimpoint to attach, and then when you have the silenced or aimpointed M4A1, you could pick to attach either the silencer or the aimpoint (depending on which you already have attached ^^)

In short, yep. Add functionality to choose which attachment you want to add, and fix the animation issue if possible, and this script suite is teh groove! 

Wolfrug out.

[Spooner]

Yep, that config would work up to a point, though there is no such thing as the M4A1AIMSD (The M4A1 has plain iron-sights and the M4A1SD is suppressed with an Aimpoint; BIS are generally very inconsistent with their class naming schemes). The issue is that changing M4A1s to and from M4s is a bit nasty. You could use the same sort of idea to avoid having to remove the M203 and ACOG at the same time from the grenadier weapons (M4GL and M16A4_ACG_GL) too, though you'd probably end up swapping between M16A2s and M16A4s to make that possible (yak!).

I won't be changing the example config used in the demo mission, since I have been careful to only allow changes which affect the weapon accessories rather than the weapons themselves. If people want to alter the config, then that is up to them (it really is easy to do and I'm glad that Wolfrug can see the benefits of this design ;D), though unless you are using addons that offer the "missing link" weapon configurations, this will be a little kludgy for your players. Hell, if you felt the urge, you could even configure it to allow "Attach Plutonium to M9 to make Laser Derringer" (or the almost sensible, "Attach new firing-pin to Broken M16 to make M16"), but I'll leave that up to mission developers ;P

I'll add a script to allow mission developers to give attachments to the player without the player having to remove them from a weapon, so you could do this in the init (which would make someone with a base M4 very happy!):

Code: [Select]

[this, ["M203/ACOG", "Aimpoint"]] execVM "SPON\Attachments\addAttachments.sqf"

This also paves the way to me adding attachments to my shop (SPON Money).

[Spooner]

Update: v0.2.0 (see original post for changelog).

Well, in spite of what I said earlier, I split up the "compound" accessories so that they can be used separately. I also fixed the problem with having more than one of the same accessory type that I claimed worked to Wolfrug a few posts ago (oops, sorry!).

I wasn't able to limit the available actions to just the current weapon because Mando_myWeapon doesn't work perfectly (I blame BIS for not having a currentWeapon command! gah!). Anyway, it is better to show everything rather than sometimes only show the options for the non-current weapon. The animations should work better because I'm no longer using selectWeapon, but that meansyou will end up with the same weapon equipped that you started with (even if that wasn't the one you were modifying).

I'm wondering if, instead of the way it is done now, I shouldn't just have a permanent "Modify weapons" action that opens a dialog with all the weapons, accessories and options in it. A lot of work, though, just to save a couple of actions in a limited number of situations. I don't plan to change it this way in the near future though, so don't hold your breath ;P

Overall, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. They helped me get clear in my mind what I wanted/needed to do with this script (should be complete now, baring bug-fixes or MP improvements).

[Wolfrug]

EDIT: Oops! I managed to break it again.  A couple of things: 1) if you have no pistol in your inventory, you will be locked in the "crouched with pistol" anim until you stand up (upon which the avatar will unsling his rifle). 2) There seems to be some odd behaviour with retaining the attachments.  Basically, if you deattach, reattach and then deattach again (a couple of times) a single attachment, it'll disappear from your action menu. Don't know if this is the attachment actually -disappearing-, or just a bug with the add/removeaction.   

  Great job Spooner, truly! You fixed all the things that needed fixing. 

One tiny question: IF, just IF I'd suddenly decide I have a ton of free time and the will to delve into your mysterious methods of scripting...would you be terribly upset if I designed some kind of visual representation of the whole attachment-detachment deal? I.e. the dialog you mentioned that would show your "inventory" of attachments + allow you to attach/deattach stuff and whatnot? With pictures and everything  Hell - to make it really snazzy one could use the animation that puts the weapon down in front of you on the ground, and then show the actual changes as you make them 

Anyway, great work. Should be usable for quite a number of different things; unjamming weapons, field-stripping weapons, creating working weapons from non-working parts (would require addons, of course), and generally allow for all kinds of modifications depending on what addons are out there.

  Woot!

Wolfrug out.
 

[Spooner]

or I end up holding a weapon that isn't in a firing mode (I have to hit 'F' to make it fire in semi-auto mode). Neither are really good solutions and I'm not sure I know how to work around this *shrugs*. Hopefully I can release a working script very soon though...

[Spooner]

Updated: v0.3.0 (see original post for changelog).

Should have fixed all the animation issues and the other bugs from the last version. Additionally made it compatible with teamswitch and, to a limited extent, MP.

NOTE: This version and future versions require SPON Core to be installed (up to v0.2.0, SPON Core was just included in the demo for the debug log, but you could run SPON Attachments on its own).

[Robalo_AS]

Hey Spooner,

Awesome idea to make this possible, when I was playing Crysis and saw the weapon modding feature was thinking that we should have something like that in Arma. Now it's possible, thanks !

I noticed a couple issues, maybe you're already aware of them but here goes.

1. One can exploit this feature to get unlimited ammo by simply modding the weapon when the magazine is almost dry. Your current magazine gets replaced with a full one each time.
2. The animation used forces the player to kneel. That can be a problem sometimes and create frustrations, for instance you are hiding on a rooftop prone and want to attach a silencer.. oops you get up, enemy sees you, stealth broken... mission goes to hell..

Here's the fix that somewhat fixes these issues for me:

Code: [Select]

/*
switch ([_oldWeapon] call SPON_getWeaponType) do
{
case "PISTOL":
{
_move = ANIM_WITH_PISTOL;
};
case "RIFLE":
{
_move = ANIM_WITH_RIFLE;
};
default // Launcher.
{
_move = ANIM_WHEN_UNARMED;
};
};
*/

switch ([_actor] call mando_getpos) do
{
  case 0:
  {
  _move = "WeaponMagazineReloadStand";
  };
  case 1:
  {
  _move = "WeaponMagazineReloadKneel";
  };
  default
  {
  _move = "WeaponMagazineReloadProne";
  };
};

// NO NEED // reload _actor; // force a mag reload
_actor playMove _move;

[Spooner]

When you replace your weapon, you don't get a "new" ammo clip. Rather, you always automatically use the most full clip in your inventory, whenever you get a new weapon. Thus, if you have 2 clips of 30 rounds and shoot 10 from the first, when you make an attachment/detachment, you will then have the 30 rounds in the weapon's magazine (20 in the spare mag). If you then fire 20 rounds from this full magazine and attach/detach, you will then be using the clip with 20 rounds remaining (with a 10-round clip left in your inventory). This would tend to leave you with lots of half-full ammo clips which is not ideal, but I don't think you actually generate ammo this way (just rechecked this, in the Attachments demo at least, and I wasn't generating any new ammo; if you have a specific different circumstance where you can generate extra ammo, then please tell me).

One annoying issue with ArmA is that you can't remove a magazine from the player and return it without refilling it. I think this might be the effect you are thinking of, but this script never manipulates magazines, only weapons themselves.

My reasoning behind using a long kneeling (well, the medic kneeling) animation was to enforce the idea that making weapons modifications wasn't something you did every 2 minutes in the field. Yes, the case of adding or removing a silencer to a pistol might only take a couple of seconds (at least based on watching James Bond movies), but all the other modifications, although performable in the field, weren't as trivial as just replacing the magazine (and were "non-combat" activities unlike just replacing a magazine). This longer and less "convenient" animation also would tend to dissuade people from continually changing configurations, which would mean that they wouldn't have so much of a problem with the half-full magazines issue.

I should, perhaps, consider an option to allow "fast" (stance-based reload animation as you suggest) or "slow" attachment/detatchment (the current kneeling medic animation). Since I need to revisit this script when I release a new version of SPON Money, to allow "loose attachements" to be bought and sold, I'll maybe add this suggestion, since although I wouldn't personally use this faster alteration, I'm sure you are not alone in wanting more instant changes (but any case, you have made the change in your own mission anyway).

(I don't think that your reloading in the script correction you give actually has an effect. All it does is reload the weapon before it is replaced, but whatever happens, when the new weapon is given you always end up with the most full magazine in the weapon automatically, this not being affected at all by which magazine was in the "pre-change" weapon).

[Robalo_AS]

Thanks for the reply.

I should test better next time, sorry about the false report about the exploit then. I shall just play a sound instead of reload _actor;  that's redundant as you explained it.
In my mission I only used your scripts for attaching/detaching suppressors hence the need to replace the anim. It would be great to add the fast action parameter as you suggested.

[Spooner]

Not a problem. I've made dafter bug-reports in my time ;P

[He||razør]

Hey all,
I'm looking for this script, as it's no longer available on the ofpec the site here.  I lost it back since the move from ArmA to ArmA2.  What I'm really trying to do also is get this to work with ACE2 as well for a mission I've been developing.  Any help or direction would be appreciated.  Thanks!

-He||

[zonker3210]

If the script isn't available here, you can probably just un-pbo a mission that uses it and grab the script from there. I know that the Afghan Village Raid mission uses it because I used SPON Attachments when designing that one.

I'm not sure whether it works for Arma2, though. If you're looking for something for Arma2, you may want to check out shk's gear script. Even if the default loadouts aren't exactly what you need for your own missions, it's easy enough to customize them to suit your needs. It's also definitely going to work with Arma2 missions! There may be some features in SPON Attachments that aren't available in shk's gear script, but I recommend checking it out nonetheless.

Hope that helps!
 - z

[He||razør]

Hey Zonker,
Thanks a bunch man.  That is leading me in the right direction.  I really like that SHK Gear script, real streamlined for load outs. I'm having a hard time seeing where or how SPON attachments is in your Afghan map however.  I see it, but well I guess I just don't understand how it's functioning in there .  I'm a long time community player, and have just within the last few years been learning things about mission development. I'll figure out some way to do what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm really after an action menu "MP5SD" then "MP5" weapon variant switch without modifying the ammo on the player, using variants out the ACE2 ammo list to make it as realistic as possible.  From what I remember that's how the SPON attachments worked.  I'll keep on studying your map. 

Thanks Zonk   

[zonker3210]

You know what? I'm an idiot. Seriously. I just realized that we're talking about two totally different things...I was talking about SPON Kits (which is what I'm using in that Afghan mission). Meanwhile, you've been asking about SPON Attachments. They are, as I understand it, different things altogether. Both shk_gear and SPON Kits are intended to assign loadouts at the start of the mission (or when someone (re)spawns in, of course). I don't believe that either one is designed to handle situations where you're changing weapon attachments (scopes, silencers, etc.) in mid-mission, though. You might be able to get away with some clever usage of the shk_gear/SPON Kits scripts but I've not tried that myself....perhaps defining a public variable to indicate the weapon configuration currently in-use by a specific unit...? Not sure that'd work, though.

Again, I'm really sorry if I totally wasted your time with the shk gear and/or SPON Kits info...I misunderstood your original question.
 - z

[He||razør]

Hey don't be sorry man, I learned a lot about kits, which is another approach to what I'm trying to accomplish.  I got the SHK kit to go so far before it gets stuck in between weapons.  It removes the original kit in game, on an action switch, but then never delivers the new one, which would be the same rifle but a suppressed variant.  I was incredibly surprised to see I had achieved even this .  My only guess is that it has something to do with the string in the init, not being able to be re-initiated after being run through at mission startup.  I'm thinking that will possibly need a looping if else statement to keep it checking on which one the player should be carrying and then deliver the correct kit .  There's probably a more sophisticated approach to this which goes way over my head. I'm gonna keep on it, until I get this working, in some form or another. Really though Zonker, thanks again for your time, help & direction.

-He|| 

[zonker3210]

Well, I still feel like an idiot so I wrote a script that does allow one to attach/detach a silencer...basically it's a quick swap between the m4a1_aim_camo and the m4a1_aim_sd_camo. The only problem is it seems to take a minute for the client to update with the correct weapon...which can mean that silenced weapon will sometimes sound unsilenced for a few seconds after the swap. I'm going to play around a bit more with the script to see if I can come up with a good solution to that. Regardless, I'll post a copy of the mission example in a day or two. I know there is vast room for improvement of the script but it does provide a proof-of-concept at least.

[andywt]

Please can someone provide a working link for this?