Scripting Examples

[Oudy]

I'd like to start a topic where people can post scripting examples. I'll start with providing some examples from the missions made by 1C. Please try to keep this topic limited to examples of code and not discussion of other issues.

How to attack a Rectangle

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">SetWorkArmy ( ARMY , 2 )

RunCommand ( GROUP , "Group_Ger_02" , STORM , RECT , "Rect_1" )</pre>

[Dennis50]

I think Moon or Matt needs to make a new forum for this ...This is pretty hardcore stuff, which is way out of reach of my abilities ..but I still like reading it and trying to understand what it is all about ...but it is helter skelter mixed around in with all the other posts ...Moon and Matt fix or somfink.

Regards,

Gunz

[Guest lmgroth]

Agreed... a new forum for all of this is a good idea.

The positive is that eventually many will get it. Then those of us with less programming saavy can modify what others have done. This way every new custom mission can be modded any number of ways (with less work) creating interesting new variations to challenge us and keep things fresh.

Maybe the devs can turn out some empty terrain meshes from time to time? These should contain interesting/requested topographical features, that is specifically for the community to use once the map editor is released.

[Tartari]

Thank you Oudy, it will help me a lot!

[Webwing]

Oudy,

Great idea and great bits of code!!!

Saving them for later use....

Thanks

---

[Freaky]

Thanks a lot for that

[War RaVeN]

Yea, this is very helpful :cool:

Moon, Madmatt.

Is it not time to have a dedicated section here on the board for only coding, tips, tricks, mod, etc, etc .... to build a fine community around this great game?

Regards,

War Raven

[Oudy]

How to unlimber and fire a gun using code.

This is a code of my own creation.

With this example you have to cheat because there is no way to limber or unlimber using codes. So, here is what I did as a workaround. In the mission tree I created a transport vehicle, the artillery piece and a separate crew. I put the crew in the vehicle and attached the artillery piece. When the unit spawns the vehicle is towing the artillery piece with the crew inside. The vehicle is ordered to move to a rectangle. Once it is in the rectangle the crew is ordered out of the vehicle. The vehicle and gun are then destroyed and another vehicle and gun are respawned at that spot. The crew is then ordered to man the gun. Since there is no unlimber command, you need to know in advance where you want to position the gun because you have to manually place the replacement gun and vehicle in the editor.

This example demonstrates the need for an unlimber command or at least the ability to dynamically spawn units in different locations during play. If anyone wants to improve on my meager coding attempt, please feel free.

[Call from GTank_Reinf]

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Set @group = "Group_AT_1Sect_Trans"

Set @rect = "GArt_1"

Set @army = 4

Set @crew = "Group_AT_1Sect_Crew"

Set @gun = 533

Set @SdKfz7 = 534

RunTriggerInstance ( "GArt_Unlimber" , @group , @group , @rect , @army , @crew , @gun , @SdKfz7 )</pre>

[Jeff Duquette]

This would be a nice addition to the Sealow Heights scenario. There are two German AT guns that appear early on in the scenario. They are both initially limbered. First time I played the scenario I didn't even know they were there until Soviet tank fire had already destroyed both guns and their tractors -- while the guns were still limbered up.

I played the scenario several additional times and I reckon I was able to get these dudes to unlimber and start shooting maybe 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time they were being KO'd by tank fire before my rapid click fest could get these guys out of their tractors and get the AT guns up and ready for shooting.

[Androo]

We really do need at least a sticky on this, if not a dedicated forum.

If someone hadn't posted a link to this thread in the video tutorial thread I would have missed it altogether.

Thanks for some great stuff Oudy, it's going to save me hours!

[ May 27, 2007, 09:24 PM: Message edited by: Androo ]

[SlapHappy]

Yeah, and you could always make the truck drive out of the way or reverse slightly towards the enemy. My guns always got killed because they were trying to clear the truck and got shot to pieces before they could establish a line of sight.

[Oudy]

SlapHappy

When I set up where the guns and trucks would respawn I made sure they were far enough away. I also had the guns unlimber where I thought they might be safe.

The only problem with unlimbering them this way is that you have to know beforehand where they are going to be set up, so it isn't the most flexible piece of code. But it has its use.

Oudy

[Freeboy]

It seems that making a "non command line" editer would be a big seller, I would pay for one

[Webwing]

I think if we could create some generic functions or classes to do some common stuff, that would reduce and simplify scripting quite a bit.

Oudy's code snipets are already a good help.

But I don't see TOW editor ever getting as intuitive as CM editor is, with the ability to change terrain and all. Maybe TOW2?

-

[SlapHappy]

I have a mission file that is an example of an automated script to conduct an Armored Infantry Assault. If any would like, I can email it to you. It is meant to be watched more so than played, as it is more a cinematic example. However, it is possible to control different units within the group as yours is the army being scripted.

It basically shows how you can combine different script commands to perform complex tasks. If you would like to elaborate on the script or have improvements, please feel free to do so.

[SlapHappy]

Incidentally, I'll be glad when they fix the hi-low-middle targeting thing. I see no way to put this into a script and I assume the default is always target middle.

[Broadsword]

After trying Oudy's limber-unlimber cheat workaraound code ( with a few tweaks of my own), I still can't seem to get any results. Problems:

1. The halftracks appear as reinforcements with the guns already attached, but there's no sign of the gun crews. How can I make them be in the halftrack as passengers? Doesn't the setting of the guns as "trailer" for the tractor vehicle in the Mission panel automatically make the gun crew a passenger too?

2. When the haltracks and guns appear, their little dot on the minimap (usually red for a German unit) appears as gray. How come? Does the game think the units are dead?

3. Despite all kinds of coding trial and error, the halftracks/guns never move from their arrival spot.

My code:

[in my trigger "Start_Attack" ]

Delay ( 5000 )

SetWorkArmy ( Army , 7 )

RunTrigger ( "Mobile_Art" )

[Trigger "Mobile_Art" ]

SetWorkArmy ( Army , 7 )

ReinforcementLand ( GROUP , "Group_Ger_GunTrans" )

ReinforcementLand ( GROUP , "Group_Ger_MobileGuns" )

ReinforcementLand ( GROUP , "Group_Ger_GunTrans_1" )

ReinforcementLand ( GROUP , "Group_Ger_MobileGuns_1" )

Delay ( 5000 )

Set @group = ( "Group_Ger_GunTrans" )

Set @crew = ( "Group_Ger_MobileGuns" )

Set @army = 7

Set @unit_vehicle = 591

Set @unit_gun = 607

Set @point = "Point_Mobile_Arty"

RunTrigger ( "Move_Ger_Art" , @group , @rect , @army , @crew , @unit_gun , @unit_vehicle )

Delay ( 5000 )

Set @group = ( "Group_Ger_GunTrans_1" )

Set @crew = ( "Group_Ger_MobileGuns_1" )

Set @army = 7

Set @unit_vehicle = 621

Set @unit_gun = 630

Set @point = "Point_Arty_1"

RunTrigger ( "Move_Ger_Art1" , @group , @rect , @army , @crew , @unit_gun , @unit_vehicle )

Delay ( 5000 )

Halt

[Trigger "Move_Ger_Art"]

PARAM IN @group

PARAM IN @unit_vehicle

PARAM IN @unit_gun

PARAM IN @crew

PARAM IN @army

PARAM IN @rect

SetWorkArmy ( ARMY , @army )

//fail safe to make sure units exist

LABEL begin

SET @unit_live = GetNUnits ( GROUP , @group , ARMOREDCAR , OK_ENGINE , NOT_EMPTY )

IF ( @unit_live = 0 ) Then

HALT

Endif

//move the limbered units

LABEL moving

RunCommand ( UNIT , 591 , MOVE , POINT , @point )

Delay ( 6000 )

//check to make sure units reach destination

SET @num_units = GetNUnitsInArea ( GROUP , @group , ALL , @rect )

IF ( @num_units = 0 ) Then

Delay ( 2000 )

GoTo begin

EndIF

//unload the gun crew

LABEL unlimber

RunCommand ( UNIT , 591 , OUT_CREW , PASSENGER )

Delay ( 5000 )

//make the transport with limbered gun disappear, replace with unlimbered gun

ReinforcementDestroy ( GROUP , @group )

ReinforcementLand ( UNIT , @unit_gun )

ReinforcementLand ( UNIT , @unit_vehicle )

//crew the gun

RunCommand ( GROUP , @crew , IN_CREW , UNIT , @unit_gun )

Delay ( 6000 )

//move the vehicle out of the way

RunCommand ( UNIT , @unit_vehicle , MOVE , RECT , "Halftracks_Hold" )

Delay ( 5000 )

HALT

[end of code]

Any ideas?? I'm really stumped! I changed from having the HTs move to a rect to having them move to a point, just in case that was the problem. I also tried specifying the actual unit numbers, where possible, to force them to react.

How to unlimber and fire a gun using code.

This is a code of my own creation....

[Arzok]

If the unit is in grey, perhaps it has no crew, so it won"t move.

[Broadsword]

But I gave a crew to both the transport and the gun, and I see the individual crew members of both units listed on the Mission tree.

[Sneaksie]

They are grey because they either belong to neutral army or are empty.

To place people inside halftracks or cars:

1) Make separate groups for each vehicle crew (they should contain only one infantry detachment each). Make sure that there are less or equal people to seats in the vehicle.

2) Set this group state to SLEEP.

3) After that you shpuld be able to specify this group in the 'passangers' tab of the vehicle.

[Broadsword]

Thanks everyone -- now I've got my two halftracks arriving with limbered guns, the "sleepy" gun crews wake up and board the vehicles, then they move with the german armor to an unlimber point. The gun crews dismount, and then (this is the trick) the original halftracks, with limbered guns disappear (using the ReinforcementDestroy trigger), to be instantly replaced with two identical halftracks and unlimbered guns that wake up and "land" in the same spot. The gun crews man their guns, look for visible targets, and fire away. Initially I had the unlimbered guns go into a "defend' order, but then they never shot at anything. So I did a "CreateRectByObject" trigger loop for them that has them target any visible enemy unit.

[Sneaksie]

If they didn't shoot at anything in defend - are you sure that their army isn't NEUTRAL to enemy?

You don't have to wake sleeping groups in the field and order them to border halftracks. If you set them to sleep and specify like passangers of the vehicle, they should appear together with the vehicle when you wake it.

Why you replace the halftracks with guns with the identical ones with unlimbered guns? Limber/unlimber command doesn't work?

[Broadsword]

I did it that way because I thought someone on this thread said the "attach" and "detach" commands didn't actually work in triggers. Also, I changed the "defend" command for the artillery to "attack_ground," so maybe that will make them more aggressive.