ArmA Mission Browser Template (OBSOLETE)

[Loyalguard]

ArmA Mission Browser Template
by Loyalguard

UPDATE: This project has been overcome by events and is no longer under development.  It should be fully functional if there is any desire to use it.

Overview
 
The ArmA Mission Browser is a template "mission" that allows users to view detailed information about all the missions hosted on a server.  The template can be easily customized to match your desired format and the missions on your server but the information must be manually extracted from the missions and inserted into the list.  A list of over a 120 missions is included with the template to help populate a server-specific list.
 
Demo Video at YouTube: ArmA Mission Browser Template

-Release version and Date: v0.9.9 (Beta) - 10 Dec 2007
-No Addons required
-Version 1.08 or later required (compatibility with previous versions not tested)
-Fully SP, MP and JIP compatible
-Template mission and full instructions included
-Demo mission with list already populated with over 120 MP missions included
-No known bugs, errors, or issues

Description and Application for this Resource

Since ArmA's initial release, there have been hundreds of custom missions created by the player community. There are several notable ArmA websites that host missions for download and include details about the missions to help you decide which missions you might like to try. However, ArmA lacks an in-game mission browsing utility that provides important details about a mission before it is loaded or requiring a player to Alt+Tab out of the game to view an external description. To meet this need I have created the ArmA Mission Browser Template for server admins who want to give their users more information about the missions loaded on their servers..
 
The ArmA Mission Browser Template is used to create a custom multiplayer "mission" that utilizes an easy to use dialog interface designed to provide detailed information about all the missions available on your servers. Why is a "mission" necessary to do this? As noted above, there is no other in-game utility that provides this level of detail and there is no current known way to extract/display the same information in ArmA's built-in user interface. So, a custom mission that simply consists of a dialog window with all the missions listed in it was the easiest means to provide this information.

It should be noted that even though the template makes it easy to create a mission list, the data needed for that list still has to be extracted from the mission files manually and populated into the list (based on the info in this template, approx. 1 minute per mission). This could mean dozens or even hundreds of missions depending on the number of missions your server hosts.  But, if you see this as a valuable tool for the players that connect to your server, this template shows you how to put it all together step-by-step. Additionally, included with the template is a list of over 120 missions that can be used to help populate your list!

The template download consists of a template "mission" that can be immediately modified to include your mission list, packed as a .pbo, and uploaded. Full instructions are included on how to extract the data you need to populate the list and customize it as desired.
 
How to use the Mission Browser
 
Once in-game in the "mission", you will spawn inside of the "Command Tent". Inside the tent you will find a table with a computer, radio, and map. "Command Tent". Inside the tent you will find a table with a computer, radio, and map.



Approach the computer and use your action menu to access the "Mission Browser". You do not have to be right in front of the computer to access the browser (the tent can get crowded fast to make sure to leave room for others).
 


Once inside the browser dialog, you can scroll through the missions using the arrow icons at the bottom of the dialog. In the format provided in the template (which is completely customizable for your needs) each mission listing contains the following Information:mission listing contains the following Information:

-The name of the mission as displayed on the server.
-The game type
-Maximum number of players
-Respawn options (if any)
-Respawn delay (in seconds)
-Spectating options such as Kegetys Spectating Script, Seagull, etc.
-Descriptive overview of the mission derived from the mission briefing. Does not include spoilers.
 
How the Template Works
 
The template consists of the following:
 
-A template "mission" based in Sahrani for optimal loading speed.
-A custom dialog  based on Dr_Eyeball's Dialog Framework v 1.1 used to view a custom .html file.
-A MissionList.html file that is used to populate a HTML control in the dialog.
-Various other scripts to make the "mission" more interactive.
 
To view the Mission Browser, an addAction command was attached to the computer in the "command tent" as described in "How to use the Mission Browser".  The addAction executes a script that displays the dialog using the data from the list in the MissionList.html file.

The format of the list can be customized to your specifications so you can include more or less information in any presentation format.  Full instructions are presented in the download package.  The command tent and other objects are included to make the Mission Browser feel more interactive but are completely optional.  You can implement any method you desire to activate the browser dialog.

Specific Testing Objectives
 
This resources has already been heavily tested and in use in beta release on my gaming community's ArmA server so I am fairly happy with its operation but would like additional feedback on usefulness and ease of use.  I also  need feedback on how easy (or difficult) it is to customize this for use on other servers.

Acknowledgments

The dialog used to display the list in-game utilizes Dr_Eyeball's Dialog Framework v 1.1. Many thanks to Dr_Eyeball for developing this tremendous resource without which would have made developing the ArmA Mission Browser much more difficult. Many thanks also to the members of the TacticalGamer.com ArmA community who helped with the closed beta test of this project.

Thanks for testing!