I'll give it a try. Thanks!

Wonder if this could be used to imitate asking for an escort home? Like if the player submits a patrol report while 30km away from home base a minesweeper appears and when the player closes within 5km it begins it's waypointed path back to the sub pens?

Does SH3 support triggers from range/radio actions?

Mission Editor: Update instance > spawn/delete function
 

Hello,

Can anybody confirm if this function is KO or not in SH3 1.4b ?

If not, can you tell me EXACTLY the conditions to let it work properly ?

It is the second time I try to use it, but come again to the conclusion it should be KO. I read on forums that to work, the unit or group has to be defined at a minimum distance of 20 km of the human controlled vessel. I read also that unit(s) time filter has to be "used" but no comments about how. Anyway, I do all the imaginable tests around this "Update instance" function, but all were unsuccessful.

Even the stock mission "Malta", which use this function don't work. The unit "LBSSunderlandMKIII#1", which normally should "enter in the dance" only if my sub enter into zone "Convoy air cover", in fact, always start to patrol immediately, no matter if you enter or not into this zone with your sub.

The same with the air attack unit, which normally are triggered by a time trigger. I changed the time of the trigger one year later, but all the air groups come anyway.

Thanks in forward for any informations about that.

Regards,

ACS

I do not understand the Reference KO here can you expand?

If I am Following you. You must set the beginning date of the
time filter to the month your mission is in. units will show red blue
or green as per their dispositions on relevant dates. I have
never read the bit about AI Units or groups having to be
at any distance mine often spawn within 1000 m for single units
or most often 3000 for Surface groups or convoys.

This last sounds like you are looking at Random generated groups that spawn regularily and exist for a long time or the duration of the campaign
Random Generated Groups can be set to make either defined or random
units and spawn them as fast as once an hour or assumably 96 hrs but
it may be more for the max. They can also enter on a certain date
and leave on a certain date.

You would use these to make main convoys not historical recreations.

Sorry, we say often KO (Knock Out) in french. I mean broken.

Did-you tryed practically what you explain ?

Because myself, I was never able to obtain a triggered spawn. Unit or Group are immediately in action, whatever you do with the time filter.

Look in the stock "Malta" mission. Like it is designed, the SunderlandMKIII aircraft is supposed to spawn only if your sub trigger it, by entering into a zone. But it does not work at all. The aircraft is in action from the begin of the mission. You can test this by diving your sub with engines stopped (to not be detected), then go outside (F12) and use x32. You will see it passing over the camera at regular interval.

ACS

Eureka !!!

I was finally able to spawn a vessel by a trigger:

Function Spawn is, in fact, a way to anticipate the "Entry date & time".

This mean the "Entry date & time" must be defined in the future, relatively to the "Mission start date & time" defined in "Parameters". But to occur, IT IS TRUE that the distance between the unit or group to spawn and the human controlled vessel, MUST BE of ABOUT 30 Km !!! Otherwise spawn DO NOT OCCUR unless this condition become true.

Was difficult to determine & check. To found a location, with free camera, at such a distance is not easy. Finally I used a chain of small fishboats to guide me to the place.

I suppose the "Delete" function is a way to anticipate the "Exit date & time" in the same manner, but I do not test it for now.

Hope these explanations will allow other mission designers to not loose all the time I lost myself on this, to finally found how it work.

Shame on UBISoft for the documentation of this Mission Editor.

ACS

Ive made many Random groups that spawn much much closer
but I havent used triggers much that im afraid is for a little
later.

mission building is its own art. like skinning or hexediting
but in mission building the medium for the artist is timing.

MM

Yes, but you probably don't use the function "Update instance > spawn" to generate "random groups". You just use the function "Add random generated group". So, this is simply a different feature with different behaviors.

ACS

The ship chain was a great idea. :up:

Hi ACSoft,

would you please be so kind and explain what "trigger" you're talking about?
Do you really trigger the spawn of an unit by reaching a zone or completing an objective? Or is it a "time trigger" by entry date and time?

Would you mind to post or send a small example?

Regards,

as you may have guessed from the above I myself still have limited
experience with triggers but triggers can be Geographical Temporal
or mission based

that is based on where you are when your are or what you do.

You can make a map zone and once you sail your sub into that zone
it will trigger geographically or you can set a trigger in ME parameters
to spawn a unit once youve sunk a specific target ship or a certain
amount of tonnage of a certain type etc.

triggers can spawn units groups or radio messages

I hope this helps a little the best way is to set up an labratory mission
to test on.

MM

Thanks for your answer, Mush Martin.

Maybe I didn't explain my qustions good enough.
I know the editor very well and I scripted some SinglePlayerMissions when patch 1.2 was in the line...

I did my "research" for triggering a "spawn unit" event some twenty months ago but failed to success.
ACSoft describes a solution for this problem, but I want to make sure it is a "trigger" for an "event" as the editor defines those values. If so I'd like to understand the procedure.

Is it a players action based trigger or is it a time based trigger?


ACSoft?

Yes, you can "trigger" spawn of units or groups

Here is a pratical example:

Create a test mission, let say to date 1.9.1942

In front of your submarine close to it (1 km), create a small zone you may name, for example, "SpawnMyUnit".

Now, create the unit "MyUnit" to be triggered WITH AN ENTRY DATE IN THE FUTURE, let say 30.9.1942 AND AT A DISTANCE OF MINIMUM 25 TO 30 KM OF THE POSITION YOUR SUBMARINE WILL BE, WHEN ENTERING INTO THE ZONE.

Now, create a trigger "MyTrigger" of type "Reach Zone" using zone "SpawnMyUnit".

Finally, create an Event of type "Update instance", option "Spawn", instance name "MyUnit" and triggered by "MyTrigger".

If you want to check it work, you have a problem, because to found and survey a precise location at about 25 to 30 km of the submarine is not easy, especially with an invisible unit !!! So do the following:

Create a chain of small fishing boat going to the position of your "MyUnit", with the last fishing boat close to your unit.

Now, run your test mission, follow your chain of fishing boat with external free camera, start your submarine full ahead and wait. You will see that your unit will spawn, when the submarine reach the zone. If not, your unit is probably too close.

You might improve this test by also creating a message Event, triggered by "MyTrigger", so you will know when zone is reached.

In this example, we use a "Reach Zone Trigger" to trigger the spawn, but of course any other type of trigger will also do the job, AS LONG AS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR SUB AND THE UNIT IS FAR ENOUGH, WHEN THE TRIGGER TURN ON.

Hope this help,

ACS

Thank you ACSoft, for this great explanation.
I'll give it a try.

Mittelwaechter

Great stuff ACsoft. I've been having a nightmare getting this stuff to work - only difference is I'm trying to do it in SH4. If you don't mind I'm going to post your information in the SH4 mission Designers forum. I suspect that a lot of the information for SH3 is relevent to SH4 too.

I'm going to go and try out your tip right now - thanks again.