SPON RearView v0.3.0 (ACCEPTED)

[Spooner]

SPON RearView v0.3.0
- Released 2008-09-20
- Install size: 32k (mission scripts) / 87k (addon version)
- (mission version) 100% scripts with no addon dependencies
- (addon version) Requires XEH (1.7 or higher), but a copy of the latest version is included in the release.
- Requires ArmA 1.09 (or higher) and SPON Core (v0.5.1 or higher).
- See attached README.html for full details

SPON RearView@YouTube (By SpetsNazCU)

Overview
Gives the driver/pilot of most vehicles working rear-view mirrors or remote cameras.

Requires that the SPON Core be installed in the mission (v0.5.1 or higher). Both SPON RearView and SPON Core are available in two versions: One is a client-side addon and the other is mission-script-based, which does not require any addons to be installed on client or server. Both require ArmA 1.09 or higher.

To remove the annoying crosshairs on the RearView, you can use TrueCrosshair-Veteran which is part of the TRUE mods. This will also disable name tags, but you could consider SPON Recognise to give you better tags anyway!

Features
    * Pressing <vehicle-turbo> with <turn-out>, <heli-rudder-left> or +<heli-rudder-right> (defaults to LEFT SHIFT + Z/X/C) will change view to looking back through the left, central or right-hand mirror. For the turned in driver of the M1 Abrams and Stryker, you get a remote camera view (left, rear or right) instead. This view will be held until <vehicle-turbo> is released.
    * Implemented for all vanilla ArmA and Queen's Gambit vehicles that have mirrors on the model (including the Mi17 helocopter). Stryker mirrors are available, but only when turned out (turned in, they get remote camera view instead). Also implemented for many vehicles that lack actual mirrors on the model (military and heavy vehicles just get left/right mirrors. Civilian vehicles get central mirror as well).
    * Automatically allows mirrors in all vehicles in mission at start, or that are created during the game (each vehicle is checked the first time that the player tries to look out the mirror).
    * Mirrors become disabled when a vehicle is badly damaged (at > 60% damage taken).
    * NOTE: For demonstration and testing purposes, the demo shows the exact mirror positions it has defined with green or red dots - this doesn't happen in the normal execution of the script!

Limitations
    * View is not actually mirror reversed, but rather the player sees from the position of the mirror looking backwards. Just pretend you are sticking your head out the window if this worries you!
    * Vehicles not present in vanilla ArmA or Queen's Gambit won't have mirrors defined (they don't inherit from standard vehicles) or may have mirrors in the wrong positions (they inherit from standard vehicles and change the model significantly).
    * Cannot use vehicle turbo or the helicopter rudders while in mirror view.
    * While using the mirror, you will hear what you would hear if you were in the position of the mirror itself, not what you would hear inside the vehicle.
    * While using mirrors, you have access to standard movement controls, but not to actions or non-movement keys.
    * Motorbike mirrors are set a bit back and always face directly backwards. This is because it isn't possible to work out the rotation of the front wheel of the bike relative to its body, and therefore the actual positions of the mirrors.
    * No night-vision in mirrors or remote cameras unless ArmALib is running on client.

Known Bugs
    * While looking in the mirror, vehicle turbo will still be engaged if moving forward (unless you use slow-forward, which defaults to Q) [Reported by USM-CPT.Dyson]

Plans
- Definite
    * Allow for "strict" mode, which disables mirrors on vehicles whose models don't show an actual mirror.
    * Allow third-party (non-BIS) vehicles to record mirror positions in config..

- Possible
    * Give gunners/passengers ability to look backwards
    * Add "look down" or "look out" view for helicopters.

Credits
    * Loki the Test-monkey!
    * Testing and feedback by members of the Regiment of Grenadier Guards [RGG] squad (http://www.rggsquad.co.uk). Thanks fellas!
    * Thanks to those who helped me out on the OFPEC forums or gave feedback on the BIS forums.
    * Thanks to Solus for allowing me to include the XEH addon in the release (and, of course, for making the great addon in the first place!)

Change Log
v0.3.0
- Added
    * External cameras for turned in M1 Abrams and Stryker drivers (left, right and rear).
    * Addition of third mirror position (central) for several civilian vehicles.

- Fixed
    * View continually switches if left/right mirror keys are held down (Sorry, introduced in v0.2.1).
    * Rearview doesn't have night vision, even if the player is using it (to get NV in mirror requires ArmALib. However, in this case, you get lots of HDR effects whenever you change view, unless you use something like Shole's S_NVG to get a controlled aperture size).

(See readme.html for full details of changes before current version).

Get SPON RearView

[Spooner]

Someone has recently pointed out to me that using the shift key to look in the mirror is a bit...foolish...since shift is used to give a "turbo boost" when you are driving. Thus, people who drive fast will keep accidentally looking in the mirror. You also have the issue that you can't turn left while looking in the left mirror or turn right while looking in the right mirror. I really need to change the keys, but there aren't a lot of options available that don't interfere with something or are too far away from where you'll have your hands while driving. Anyone have any ideas?

[Mr.Peanut]

Can't remember offhand if display event handlers read the mouse. I would use alt(left) + left/right mouse button. Alt is easy enough to press with thumb while keyboard driving. I use it for freelook.

[Spooner]

The problem with left/right mouse is that r-mouse is used for zoom (I don't think L-mouse is used for anything except horn in the vehicles that have mirrors, but I might be wrong and it could, for example, be used to hook into smoke launchers on a Stryker in the future). Thus, you wouldn't be able to zoom in free-look. Although that might not seem too bad, I'm not sure either than mouse clicks can be seen by key events. Not sure if you can hook into mouse events on the display that the global key events are put on though *ponders*.

Control has the problem that it is used for telling the gunner to fire in armed vehicles.

Ideally, I want to reuse configured ArmA keys (that is "Move-left" & "Move-right", rather than specifically "A" & "D") and was just lazy using "shift" rather than something else. Using the "freelook" (defaults to L-alt) does seem the best option right now though, but I'm still not sure what to use to look in right or left mirror.

[Trexian]

Number pad 4/6?
Maybe brackets []?

Maybe shift-1/2, that way you can look while keeping your right hand on the mouse?
Or shift q/e since you can't lean in vehicles?

Can't remember all the keystrokes... seems like I forget most of them in-game anyway.

[Mr.Peanut]

Numpad is too awkward IMO.

The best course of action is to define the keys via the user's own bindings and choose keys that are not normally used in vehicles. If this was for ground vehicles only I would suggest whatever keys are bound to rotate-left and rotate-right, but this is a problem for helicopters. There is no combination that will let a player easily look backward and steer at the same time and maybe this should not be seen as a problem. In "real-life" I don't go driving around staring in my rear-view unless I am parallel parking; I take quick glances. What about the binds for lean left and lean right? Are these used in vehicles?

If I ever make an MP mission again you can be sure I will use this script.

[Spooner]

Lean left is "up" in a helo and lean-right is "fast-forward" in land vehicles.

I haven't stopped thinking about this, but nothing seems to be perfect. My proposed keys are:
  <look> + <rotate-right> / <rotate-left (defaults to Left-alt + X/C, which is what I'll refer to them as for this post).
In land vehicles, the rotation buttons have no other keys assigned by default, except "turn in", but there is always the possibility that they have been reused manually by the player for something else. In air vehicles, you would therefore be no longer to "look" while rotating in a helo, unless you turned on free-look (double-click L-alt) , but I think that wouldn't be a massive loss (compared to not being able to "look" while turning in any vehicle if I made it "look" + A/D).

I am also planning to "lock" rear-view on with just one key, so it is easier to maneuver when using this view with less fingers than before ;P

alt down
C down (starts to look through right mirror).
C up (rear-view stays on)
use WASD to maneuver
alt up (stops rear-view)

Alternatively, alt+x/c to turn on mirror then alt+c again to turn it off.

Or double-click x/c to toggle on and double-click x/c to turn it off again (could be easy to do by mistake?)? Or alt + double-click x/c to toggle on and alt + double-click x/c to turn it off again (with the option of holding the keeps for a temporary view of course)? Either of these have some consistency with leaning and other toggling commands.

Any comments on this before I implement it?

(only Mi17 has mirrors on the model, but I think it might be reasonable to give them on Blackhawk and attack helos?)

I've considered also adding stuff like reversing lights and reversing beeps for some of the vehicles to complement the current functionality, but I'm not sure I'm that bothered going that far. I would still like to add a alternate-view for passengers in certain vehicles (such as "look over the minigunner's head in transport helo", "Look down from the open door of a helo" or "look out the back of a transport truck", but again, it is a low priority).

[Spooner]

SPON RearView v0.2.0 released!
- First version available as an addon

- Added
    * Correct mirrors added to Queen's Gambit vehicles (Technicals and civilian Humvee).

- Modified
    * Right-hand mirror in bus replaced with central aisle mirror.
    * Changed keys (now vehicle-turbo + helicopter-rudder-left/right).

- Fixed
    * Stryker mirrors are sometimes available, but often not (based on rotation of vehicle).
    * Switching directly from left to right mirror doesn't always work.
    * When turning a bike, the physical mirrors are visible in rear-view.

[loki72]

yes sir!

this should have been standard with arma.. great job!

 

[Spooner]

v0.2.1 released
- Added
    * Gamelogic, "SPON RearView (Require)" added to allow you to force SPON_RearView.pbo to be loaded before playing the mission.

- Fixed
    * You need Queen's Gambit addon to try out the demo mission (there were no QG vehicles in the demo, but I'd added them temporarily in order to set their mirrors correctly).
    * Mirror view can mess up in cutscenes or with other remote camera usage.

SpetsNazCU has made me a truely awesome video; I never knew mirrors were so exciting! Thanks!
SPON RearView@YouTube

EDIT: By the way, to remove the annoying crosshairs on the RearView, you can use TrueCrosshair-Veteran which is part of the TRUE mods. This will also disable name tags, but you could consider SPON Recognise to give you better tags anyway!

[Spooner]

v0.3.0 released!
- Added
    * External cameras for turned in M1 Abrams and Stryker drivers (left, right and rear).
    * Addition of third mirror position (central) for several civilian vehicles.

- Fixed
    * View continually switches if left/right mirror keys are held down (Sorry, introduced in v0.2.1).
    * Rearview doesn't have night vision, even if the player is using it (to get NV in mirror requires ArmALib. However, in this case, you get lots of HDR effects whenever you change view, unless you use something like Shole's S_NVG to get a controlled aperture size).

EDIT: forgot to mention that you now look left with shift+Z, centre with shift+X, right with shift+C.

[USM-CPT.Dyson]

User definable keys for the script would be nice What about default at middle mouse button and players can use Z, X, C?