Mission Editor – ArmA: Armed Assault

Introduction

This article will take you on a brief tour of the standard Armed Assault mission editor interface, explaining the menus and how to use them.

Control Menus and Options

The control pane on the right of screen controls the many settings and editing modes of the mission editor. They are, from top to bottom:

Currently edited mission component

This drop down list allows you to choose which component of a mission you are currently editing. A single mission stores all objects and mission parameters for the intro and outro cutscenes completely separately from the gameplay component of a mission. It is not essential to use any of these other than the mission component. While each component requires a player unit if it is to be used, the player can only control the unit in the mission component. In the intro and outros, AI will control the players unit. The Intro and Outros are ended in the same way as the normal misson component.

• Mission is the default. This defines the interactive component of a mission. It is the only essential part of a mission.
• Intro plays before the briefing screen.
• Outro - Win will play after the debriefing screen in the case of a Win 1-6 trigger being activated.
• Outro - Loose will play after the debriefing screen in the case of a Lose trigger being activated.

Intel Dialogue

The Intel box is the dark grey box with the weather icon, time and date. Clicking on it will bring up the Intel dialog.

Here you can name your mission, give it a brief description, set the date and time, the current and forecast weather and which sides RACs forces are friendly to.

The mission name appears when browsing missions in the single mission list, on multiplayer mission lists, in the campaign mission list, and on the map notepad. If you do not name your mission, the missions folder name will be used. The description of the mission is only displayed in multiplayer mode, but putting in some information will help to remind you of what the mission is about when you return to it in the future.

When setting the time and date, note that Armed Assault is highly accurate in its rendering of seasonal patterns. Thus daylight hours , the suns path across the sky, star constellations and moon phases are all seasonally correct. Tides are also simulated.

In the weather section, the first slider controls the initial weather conditions. Setting the weather slide all the way to the right creates clear skies, all the way to the left is a heavy thunderstorm. The slider underneath controls the current fog levels. Fully left is no fog, fully right is maximum fog. The two 'forecast' weather sliders work in exactly the same way, with a linear transition from the initial conditions to the forecast conditions occurring over the first 30 minutes of a mission.

The initial alliance of RACs forces can be set for the mission. Note that the civilian side will also inherit the same allies and enemies of the RACs side.

Map Editing Mode

The mission editor is always in one of these six modes. Each different mode allows the creation and manipulation of different types of map entities. The required mode can be set by either clicking on the modes name, or pressing the associated function key. The modes are set out in the basic order of mission creation. For more information on using each mode, see the map editing section below.

• Units Mode (F1) allows the creation of individual objects, units or vehicles.
• Groups Mode (F2) allows the creation of predefined groups of units or vehicles, and to manipulate the group links between units.
• Triggers Mode (F3) allows new triggers to be created.
• Waypoints Mode (F4) lets the user create new waypoints for the currently selected group.
• Synchronize Mode (F5) allows the user to synchronize different waypoints and triggers.
• Markers Mode (F6) allows for map markers to be placed on the map. Markers are only visible in marker mode.

Load

Allows you to load a previously created mission. Only uncompressed missions in your current profiles missions folder can be loaded.

Merge

Merge will import all map data (units, groups, waypoints, triggers, etc) from one mission into the currently loaded mission. Other settings such as weather and mission name etc are not imported.

Save

You can save your current mission with this dialogue. Note that you save a mission under a new name, only the Mission.sqm file is written in the new folder, any supporting files such as Description.ext will not be copied. You can also choose to export your mission to either the single mission or multiplayer mission folders. This process creates a new pbo file containing the current missions folder including all files. Saving a mission also reloads files such as description.ext.

Clear

Clicking this will remove all map entities such as units, waypoints, markers and triggers. Information such as that defined in the intel dialogue are retained.

Show IDs

Every object built into the terrain you are using has an assigned ID number that can be used to refer to the object in script code. These IDs are normally hidden for clarity, and this button toggles them on or off. They are only visable at high zoom levels.

Show Textures

Clicking on this will draw the satallite map over the terrain rather than the default white. Note that the satallite map does not always correspond with the ground detail as seen at close range.

Preview

Preview will start the mission from within the editor so that you can test the results as you go along. A player unit must be on the map for the preview button to be visible.

Continue

After you have exited from the preview mode, clicking 'Continue' will allow you resume the mission. Note that continuing will not any changes made since you exited. You must click 'Preview' again to restart the updated version of your mission.

Exit

Will exit the mission editor and return to the main menu. Any unsaved work will be lost.

Map Editing

The mission map takes up the main portion of the mission editor.

Basic Controls

• Clicking and holding the right mouse button allows the map to move around the map.
• The mouse wheel controls the map zoom level.
• Left Clicking on an entity selects it.
• Double left clicking on an entity opens the appropriate editing dialogue.
• Double left clicking in an empty space will create a new entity if possible in the current editing mode.
• Clicking and holding the left mouse button on an entity allows it to be moved around the map. Note it is not possible to move units in group mode or move waypoints in synchronize mode.
• Clicking and holding the left mouse button on empty space allows a drag box to be created for selecting multiple entities.
• Holding Control and clicking on entities allows the user to select multiple entities.
• Holding Shift and clicking on an unit or waypoint will select all entities associated with that group.
• Holding Shift and clicking on and holding the left mouse button on a selected rotates the selected entities.
• Holding Shift and clicking on an object with a waypoint attached to it selects the underlaying object.
• Holding Shift and double left clicking on an entity with a waypoint on it opens the appropriate editing dialogue (rather than the waypoint).
• Delete will remove the entity the mouse cursor is currently over.
• Holding Control and pushing X will cut the selected entities to the clipboard.
• Holding Control and pushing C will copy the selected entities to the clipboard.
• Holding Control and pushing V will paste a copy of entities from the clipboard. Copy and pasted named entities automatically have a number appended to their names to avoid conflicts.

Units Mode (F1)

Unit mode is used to add individual units, vehicles and objects on the map. To do so, double click on the empty space where you would like to add a unit. This will open the unit dialogue. You can also open the unit dialogue of an existing unit while in any mode by double clicking on that unit. Note that if there is no player unit on the map, the unit dialogue will only allow valid player units may be placed.

Side - There are four 'sides' in Armed Assault which units can be assigned to: BLUFOR, OPFOR, Independent (RACS) and Civilian. BLUFOR and OPFOR will always start the mission as enemies. The Independent side's relations with the first two sides can be set on a mission by mission basis using the Intel Dialogue. The Civilian side will also inherit the friends and enemies of the Independant side. The difference is that the Civilian side are considered to be friends by all sides (killing civilians is bad!). If a player unit is on the map, Game Logic and Empty sides become available. The Game Logic side is used for abstract game logic objects, which among other uses can be used to create script like effects from within the mission editor. The Empty side includes empty versions of all vehicles, ammo crates, sound sources and objects such as tents, flagpoles and fences. The side of an entity changes the available options is many other dialogues. It is not possible to change the side of an object once it has been placed. Friendly units are represented by green icons, enemy units by red, Civilian and Game Logic units by blue, and Empty side objects by dark yellow.

Class - This is the general type of entity you wish to place. The only purpose of the class is to reduce the many hundreds of available entities into easily searched groups. It is not related to any game config classes.

Control - defines who controls the entity. Player is the unit used in single player mode (there may only be a single player controlled object on the map), and Playable units may be used in multiplayer mode. This option may not be available depending on the object chosen.

Info Age - When an enemy unit is reported to a commander an icon appears on the map. The accuracy of this position depends on the Info Age.

Vehicle Lock - If the unit is a vehicle, this defines whether the player can use it or not.

Rank - This defines the rank of the unit. The highest ranked unit in a group will be its leader. Rank also has some affect on gameplay, such as highly ranked units being less likely to flee and more intimidating to enemy forces.

Unit - This is the specific type of entity you want to place or edit. Options in the list box depend on the class chosen.

Special - defines special placement options for the unit at the start of the mission. Units will be placed 'In Formation' by default. If you wish to place them out of formation, choose 'None' from this list. Be aware that if a unit is part of a group, default behaviour is that it will try to return to formation when the mission begins. If the unit is an aircraft, selecting "Flying" will put it in the air. If the group of the unit includes a vehicle with cargo spaces, choosing "In Cargo" will place the unit in one of those cargo spaces. Remember that this control defines the starting position for the units at the very beginning of a mission. They can be manipulated during the mission.

Name - The name of a unit can be used in script code. Like all variable names, you should try to make it something meaningful and avoid conflicts. If you copy and paste a named object, the duplicate will be automatically placed with an underscore and number appended to it's name.

Skill - Highly skilled units will see farther, shoot more accurately and be generally more devious. At lowest skill units will be less observant, poor marksmen and generally stupid. Moving the slider to the right gives the unit a higher skill. Skill values set by the slider range between 0.2 and 1.

Initialization - Any code placed in this box will be executed as the mission begins. Script code is extremely powerful and useful - scripts allow you to create many effects and change aspects of the mission that would not be possible using the basic mission editor. For example, to make a soldier begin the mission unarmed, add "removeAllWeapons this" (without quotes) to his initialization string.

Description - This text will appear next to the unit in the multiplayer unit selection screen.

Health/armour - Defines how damaged the object is at the beginning of the mission. Moving the slider to the left means makes it more damaged, up to a maximum of 0.97. Fully damaged units will begin the mission alive, then die or explode.

Fuel - Defines how much fuel the object has. Only has an effect on vehicles. This does not change the amount of fuel cargo a refueling truck or petrol station holds. Use setFuelCargo for that purpose.

Ammunition - Defines how much ammunition the unit has at the start of the mission. Lowering it removes whole magazines for most units and individual rounds for single magazine weapons (such as the main tank cannon and aircraft missiles).

Azimut - Defines which direction the unit will be facing. You can drag the pointer around the circle, or type in the number of degrees.

Probability of Presence - Defines how likely it is that the entity will be present. This can be used to add a bit of randomness to missions. Moving the slider all the way to the right means the object will always be there, all the way to the left means the unit will never appear.

Condition of Presence is a script code condition which must return true in order for the entity to appear in the mission. By default this reads "true" which means it will always appear. For an example, if you wanted to have a unit appear only if the mission is being played in Veteran mode, place "!cadetMode" in it's Condition of Presence box.

Placement Radius - Changes the units starting position to a random point within this radius, in metres. This can be used to add some randomness to your mission.

Groups Mode (F2)

Groups editing mode can be used in two ways. It's primarily used to join previously placed individual units together into groups. Joining individual units together into groups can greatly improve their combat abilities. Groups will move together, share information about enemy units and can bring greater firepower to bare on a target. Each individual unit placed on the map starts as group of its own. To join units into groups, simply left click and hold on a unit, then drag a line to any unit of the group you wish to add him to. Release the button to create the join the unit into that group. Groups are displayed by light blue line drawn from the leader to each other unit in the group. Triggers can also be linked with a group in this manner. Remember that the highest ranking unit will be the group leader.

The second function of Group Mode is to place an entire group in one step. These groups have been pre-defined within the main config. Any units placed in this manner may be individually manipulated as normal. To place a group, simply double click on an empty map location. The Group Dialogue will open.

Side - Choose the side of the group you wish to place.

Type - Choose the type of group to be placed. Mechanized infantry are listed under Infantry, not Armor.

Name - Defines the specific group to be placed. Armor platoons and Air Squadrons consist of 4 vehicles, infantry squads consist of up to 9 men. Motorized squads and mechanized squads begin with only the crew in their vehicle.

Azimut - Defines which direction the group will be facing. You can drag the pointer around the circle, or type in the number of degrees. Note that the group formation will be built around the leader, using his location and facing.

Triggers Mode (F3)

A trigger is an abstract game entity that will wait until it's conditions are satisfied, then carry out a defined action. They are an essential part of mission making, as they can be used to check if objectives have been completed. Used effectively, they will make your mission seem much for more dynamic and realistic. For example, you can use a trigger to set off a siren when the enemy spot the player near their base, or to start a convoy moving when the player gives a radio command. Triggers are represented in the mission editor by either a dark blue ellipse or rectangle with a small blue flag in the centre. The location and dimension of a trigger is not always used as part of it's conditions. To add a new trigger to your mission, double left click in some empty map space. The Trigger Dialogue will open.

Axis a/Axis b - These two controls define the dimensions of the trigger, in metres. If a trigger has not been rotated (angle = 0), then Axis a is aligned East-West, Axis b is North to South.

Angle - Defines the angle of the trigger. 0 faces north, 90 faces east. Triggers can also be rotated on the map by holding down shift, the left clicking and dragging.

Ellipse/Rectangle - Choose the shape of the trigger.

Activation - Choose who or what will activate the trigger from this drop down menu. If the trigger is linked to a unit or group, only the relevant options will be available. You may choose :

• Any of the sides, which will activate the trigger when any unit of that side satisfes the chosen of one of the six conditions below.
• A radio command, which will be available to all players who are leader of a group.
• Seized by (side), which will activate when the seizing size is deemed to be in control of the area. This trigger type works with the timeout values - a low level of presence will activate the trigger after a period of time close to the max timeout, and visa versa. Depending on unit types, the seizing side can be completely outnumbered (4:1) and still satisfy the required level of presence.
• Vehicle, only available if the trigger is linked to an unit or object. Only that unit or object can activate the trigger. This uses the six conditions below.
• Whole Group, only available if the trigger is linked to an unit. The trigger will activate only when the linked unit's entire group satisfy whichever of the six conditions below is being used.
• Group Leader, only available if the trigger is linked to an unit. The trigger will activate when the linked unit's group leader satisfies whichever of the six conditions below is being used.
• Any Group Member, only available if the trigger is linked to an unit. The trigger will activate when any single unit in the unit's group satisfies whichever of the six conditions below is being used.

Once/Repeatedly - Defines how many times the trigger can be activated. Note that a repeatable trigger must be deactivated before it can be reactivated.

Present/Not Present - If the activator is a side or unit, the trigger will be activated if that side/unit is or is not present within the triggers boundaries. For example, if you want the trigger to activate when any West unit enters it, select 'West' from the Activation list, and 'Present'.

Detected By West/East/Resistance/Civilians - These side names have been left in from Operation Flashpoint. They correspond with Blufor, Opfor, and Independant (RACS). A unit is considered detected when the leader of any group on the detecting side can correctly identify the detected units side. Depending on the type of unit being detected, this may occur at various knowsAbout levels.

Countdown/Timeout - These can add a degree of randomness to triggers, and can make their activation less obvious to the player.

Next to the Countdown and Timeout buttons you will see three boxes; Min, Max and Mid. These define the period of trigger activity in seconds between the Min and Max values, gravitating towards the Mid value. If all three were 10, then the period would be 10 seconds, with no randomness. If Min was 5, Max was 15 and Mid 10, the period would be somewhere between 5 and 15 seconds, close to 10.

Choosing Countdown means that once the trigger's conditions are met (the soldier walks into the trigger area) the trigger will wait the specified amount of time before activating the consequences (the alarm is raised).

Choosing Timeout means that the trigger's conditions must be met for the duration of the specified amount of time before the trigger fires. So for example, if the soldier walks into the trigger area, and then leaves the area before the timeout is complete, the trigger will not activate.

Type - These are several types of trigger activation effects and abstract types that are generally unavailable through script code. These events will take place immediately after the On Activation code block.

• None - The trigger will have no other effects other than those listed in the On Activation block.

• Guarded by (side) - This defines the area of the trigger as an area to which the guarding side will go to when an enemy is detected within. Units or groups given a Guard waypoint will automatically support these areas.

• Switch - this is useful for breaking units or groups out of looping waypoints.

• End # - this type of trigger will end the mission once the conditions are met. There are 6 different winning endings, although which of these is used will only have consequence if the mission is part of a campaign.

• Lose - Activating a trigger of this type will end the mission in failure. Note this is not the same as the death of the player. If the mission is part of a campaign, the campaign will continue along the defined losing mission branch.

Name - Defines the name of the trigger, allowing it to be manipulated by script code.

Text - This text will be displayed within the editor when the mouse hovers over the trigger, allowing the user to quickly identify what the trigger is.

Condition - The trigger will activate when the script code block returns true. Within this block this refers to the conditions created within the trigger dialog above. Using script code based condition allows the creation of more complex activation requirements, including multiple and/or conditions. The condition block will be checked approximately twice every second for the duration of the mission.

On Act(ivation) - This script code block will be executed when the trigger is activated, irrespective of the trigger type. Any actions defined by the type of trigger will take place immediately after this activation block.

On Dea(ctivation) - A script code block that will be executed the first time the trigger conditions check fails after having been previously met. Note some trigger types do not deactivate, such as the Radio types.

Effects - Click on this to open the Trigger Effects Dialogue.

Waypoints Mode (F4)

Markers Mode (F6)