SPON VBIED (Vehicle-based IEDs / car-bombs) (ACCEPTED)

[Spooner]

SPON VBIED v0.2.0
- Released: 2007-10-1
- Install size: 28k + SPON Core (Core v0.1.2 used in demo)
- 100% scripts
- No addon dependencies
- See attached README.html for full details

This script pack requires that SPON Core is installed.

Overview
Although satchel charges can be placed on the ground, they cannot be used as VBIEDs (Vehicle-Based Improvised Explosive Devices). These scripts allow anyone with a specific type of magazine in their inventory to use it to place a VBIED on a vehicle. This then allows that vehicle to be disarmed or detonated, in a fashion similar to a normal satchel charge.

Requires that the SPON Core scripts package be installed in the mission (v0.1.1 or higher). Both SPON Rangefinder and SPON Core are script-based and do not require any addons to be installed on client or server.

Features
    * If carrying the specific VBIED magazine type (e.g. satchel charges), you see a "Place VBIED" action on any unoccupied vehicles.
    * Once a VBIED has been placed
          o Can then detonate all placed VBIEDs with an action, which is available if you are inside or outside a vehicle.
          o Can disarm the VBIED if the vehicle is unoccupied.
    * Although actions appears when you are as far away as 5m from the edge of the vehicle, you need to be 4.5m from the CENTRE of the vehicle to place it (unless you have inhumanly long arms). This means you could need to move to the side of larger vehicles, like tanks, to get close enough.
    * For MP with JIP-compatibility (Works in SP, but team-switch breaks it badly).
    * Does NOT work with AI.

Known Bugs
    * When a VBIED is disarmed, player may carry more than normal allowance (sadly, the effort required to fix this is much greater than the problems the bug causes).
    * If you attach/disarm a VBIED when holding a pistol, you put the pistol away and use the animation for placing a charge as if you had a rifle. When unarmed, you still use the animation as though you were carrying a rifle.
    * Well, this is more of a side-effect, but you can tell whether a vehicle is occupied by seeing if the place VBIED action is available on it. I consider this to be a "feature" rather than a "bug", so I don't think I'll be "fixing" it, but do complain if this upsets you ;P

Plans
All are long term, so I can't guarantee they will be made soon, if ever
    * Once a VBIED is placed, open a dialog:
          o Set timer for automatic detonation (like satchel does already).
          o Allow setting of a "engine started" detonator.
          o Allow setting of a "vehicle entered" detonator.
          o Allow setting a detonator which arms when the vehicle goes over X mph and detonates when the vehicle goes beneath Y mph, unless Keano Reaves is aboard (Sorry, I'm only kidding; bit too "Speed"-specific to be worth the bother!).
    * More configuration options e.g.
          o Which of the possible detonator types to enable.
          o Which sides can set VBIEDs (Not sure about this; Should you stop American soldiers to set VBIEDs or should you allow them to do it if they want to and let them damn themselves?).

Credits
    * The script "MANDO_getPos.sqf" is included in and used by this package. Thanks go to the mighty Mandoble!
    * Thanks to Mandoble who greatly helped in fixing/improving this script.
    * Significant testing and feedback by members of the Regiment of Grenadier Guards [RGG] squad (http://www.rggsquad.co.uk). Thanks fellas!

Change Log
v0.2.0
- Added
    * Included water and air vehicles to the demo.

- Fixed
    * Aircraft in flight rarely explode when the VBIED is detonated (also occasionally happens with any vehicle).
    * VBIED explosion seems very weak.

- Removed
    * No longer able to configure exactly which explosive is used when VBIEDs are detonated (You can still decide which magazine is used to place VBIEDs though).

v0.1.1
- Modified
    * Now the normal "place satchel" animations are used, based on current player position (standing/crouching/prone) rather than the stop-gap medic one. No sound is played, though, because I didn't think the normal placement sound really made sense in this case.

- Fixed
    * When a VBIED is detonated, any crew of the vehicle who are not local to the VBIED detonator's machine, are not guaranteed to be killed.
    * When a vehicle is destroyed (except by local VBIED), the VBIED actions are still available from it.
    * When an occupied vehicle is destroyed, the VBIED actions appear on it.

v0.1.0
- Added
    * Can configure the magazine and explosive type to use.
    * "Disarm VBIED" action replaces "Place VBIED" action when a VBIED is set.

- Modified
    * Moved "Place VBIED" action onto vehicles (was on player ;P).

- Fixed
    * Errors on respawn, if satchel charges carried.

v0.0.21
    * Original release as part of SPON Scripts

OFPEC Download

[Mandoble]

Do you plan to apply the planned features in the very near future?

[Spooner]

Well, the third one (fix the animations) I really need to do as soon as I can, because it is extremely sloppy as it is. Problem is that seeking out the correct animations is a chore ;P Incidentally, since you're the one asking about this, I assume it is OK to use MANDO_getPos to work out which animation to use, when I get around to sorting this out?

The first two goals for (alternative detonation methods & more configuration) are considerably lower priority, since my main goal at the moment is to bug-fix on my released scripts and to ready some more re-releases (SPON Money and SPON Map have been significantly improved from when they were in the SPON Scripts pack and are pretty much just waiting for full testing and finished documentation).

I assume you are talking about whether I'm happy with SPON VBIED getting accepted by OFPEC; is so, then the answer is no, at least until the next release when I can get the animation sorted (and on further thought, I think there might be a rare condition that might break the option to place a VBIED which I need to test properly and fix if it happens).

[Mandoble]

Of course you are free to incorporate my getpos function there

[Spooner]

Updated to v0.1.1: Nothing major, but look at the changelog in the original post for full details.

@Mandoble: I don't intend to work on the planned improvements for the time being and I don't think the "bugs" are worth fixing, so as far as I'm concerned, this is ready for submission (You might disagree, of course ;P).

[Spooner]

Mandoble found this bug: When exploding a VBIED placed on an air-vehicle, although the vehicle is destroyed, the "bomb" actually drops to the ground and explodes!
Gah, I'll have to fix that in the next version, but he's explained where I'm going wrong (ground vehicles are fine; it is just air- and, possibly, sea-vehicles).

[Spooner]

Uploaded a new version (v0.2.0), mainly to fix the error described in my last post.