cyncrwler

Before Arma broke the last version of VEMF I was working on a nuke  mission. Instead of a crate in a city it was a "Device" with a laptop on it and roaming AI. You had to walk up to the laptop and scroll to "hack" it and disable the nuke.
I'm not opposed to blowing up player bases but it has to be very rare and the player needs to be well informed which I'm not sure I can convey in the mission.
I also want the mission system to allow "opting out" overall. You can choose not to participate but you will have major difficulty in attempting to live inside the "infected area" that AI have taken over.
Forcing players to craft a terminal in their base to opt into the mission system is pretty close along the lines of how I would like the mission system to run. It also acts as a never-ending end-game minigame of sorts.
For small servers that are admin-oriented I'm also going to add an option that can be ran to fill the map (infect every city possible) on the first server startup so the players can play it in an invasion style instead.
Right now I'm working on an add-on unrelated to VEMF and another small script like vehicle degrade.
The main thing I'm struggling with  VEMF atm is writing the watchdog FSM which is essentially the AI brain that decides what actions get taken on the server (infect city, spawn mission, etc). After it is wrote the majority of the code is already done.
As always if anyone wishes to help send me a PM to get access to the repository.

First off, welcome back!! Secondly, the proposed changes sound fantastic. Can't wait!

Hello Everyone, I know this is long overdue, but I have enough time to begin working on VEMF.
I've been working at a full time factory job for the past year and a half, and their slow season is October to February, and it's about that time of year again. I'm hoping to find a less time consuming job related to my career path in the near future when I get my car loan paid off.
What's new with me? I have the audio equipment my former patrons provided for me, and I have changed internet providers so I now have the speeds to be able to stream reliably. I hope to stream and upload more VEMF related content this time around now that I have better speeds so I don't have the frame drops I was experiencing last time.
This means that continued development on VEMF will mostly be streamed on my twitch. I also now have a twitter instead of a website blog to try to keep you up to date.
I know that I have let down the individuals who were my patrons, and I apologize. I am closing my Patreon down until I feel like I have made it up to the community for my absence. To those that were my patrons, I am still very appreciative of the support you provided me.
I also want to thank IT07 for taking over while I was away, and he has renamed his version of my code to VEMF Reloaded to avoid confusion. I am working off of the existing code I left without his changes.
 
So where is VEMF headed from here? The Arma 1.52 FilePatching change has affected a lot of how my system works. Even just launching it requires downgrading server security in BI's eyes, and for this reason I want to change it. Changing VEMF to be ran config-based with tags requires a lot of tearing apart and reorganizing code, and all the function calls in VEMF have to be changed. The end result should function better and be more organized. This is the first reason I want to change how VEMF works.
VEMF as originally imagined and written on my Patreon and this original post was supposed to be more than a fetch-the-box mission system, and I feel like I have failed at delivering that. It could be improved farther along the way, but at it's core with the Town Invasions, it was still a fetch-the-box mission system with clear-the-town in front of it. My AI however are very aggressive and intuitive that made it unique but not unique enough to what has already been done. This is the second reason I want to change how VEMF works.
 
When I first envisioned the town-invasion missions back when I was working on DZMS, I also envisioned an infection mechanic, or hostile takeover mechanic (I prefer to use infection). The idea being that a town would be invaded lightly to begin with, but the longer the town is invaded (over real-time days) the town would become more fortified with more reinforcements, supports, and supplies.
The main drawback with this is that either a server has to run without restarting, or the information has to be stored somewhere in a Hive. With the Epoch Redis calls, this should now be possible.
The interesting part is that after a town reaches a certain level of fortification, missions in the traditional sense can be spawned nearby. One of these missions would be a scout vehicle style mission that would be heading from the infected town to a nearby one. When the scout vehicle reaches the town, and guards it for so long, the AI would also "infect" that town. Over the course of a week unchecked by the player-base of the server, AI could infect multiple towns and be quite a threat to normal day-to-day operations. There would be a users-online check to make sure a low-pop server doesn't become completely infected to ruin new-player experiences.
So where's the reward? The AI along with their fortifications will also be bringing in heavy firepower and the supplies and resources for that heavy firepower. There will also be trader based missions to attack specific locations that are "infected" that will reward crypto instead of relying on finding cache's left by the AI.
I think that this would add a great dynamic to PVE and PVP servers. For PVE servers there will be an option to spawn the server "completely infected" from the start. PVE servers players should band together to take on the AI Antagonists, and on PVP servers, players will be forced to work together to an extent or risk complete annihilation.
 
I'm interested in your feedback on this new direction VEMF is headed in! Keep an eye on my twitter and twitch for Streaming notifications, and this thread for progress updates. (You can visit my website by clicking my signature banner if you don't know my twitch or twitter)
I'm glad to be back.

Cen, this Sword was made over a year ago and as such was already in the Epoch files for around the same time. It was recently added into the game and It took me about 2 minutes. We do have a roadmap and I have been quite clear what to expect from Epoch Mod in other posts. Also, lets not forget that server admins are free to remove this or any items they choose from spawning on their server.
Epoch Mod Projects Include:
Persistent Server Framework Sandbox Gamemode @Epoch = Modders Resource Pack. We have many more assets planned and will be working with the community to add even more content, some purely cosmetic and others will have a larger impact on gameplay for the Epoch sandbox gamemode. 
Please keep an open mind after all, Epoch is mod for a game that we all choose to make in our free time.
 

Client:
[Added] Fishing Pole and ocean fishing, also added crafting recipes to allow cooking fish.
[Added] Workbench storage device added and used as a nearby crafting requirement for most Kit based crafting options.
[Added] New secure storage device: The Epoch Safe.
[Added] Totally new crafting system and UI by Raymix.
[Added] Epoch variant of the unarmed Strider vehicle. (I_MRAP_03_EPOCH)
[Added] Broad Sword Melee weapon that can chop down trees and mine rocks.
[Added] Halloween Clown mask and re-added to loot tables: Wolf/Pumpkin masks as well as Meeps Candy.
[Fixed] Unable to remove lit fireplace.
[Fixed] Group members unable to lock a Lockbox or Safe that was placed by the group leader.
[Fixed] Shadow artifact at top of Jammer.
[Fixed] Reduce client fps lag when first joining the server by preloading objects before exiting loading screen.
[Fixed] Being unable to remove a solar generator.
[Fixed] Angry Pumpkin mask was incorrectly visible in first person.
[Fixed] Issue with Headless clients being treated as players. @dayzai/Face
[Changed] Removed debug hint text for 3d rotation of objects as it was not needed.
[Changed] Re-enable Move button, this system will stay and be refined in the next few patches.
**Improved Dog AI Dog Brain by Axeman**
[FIXED] Dog not taming due to var reset in wrong place / BIS animal update.
[UPDATED] Dog text format updated.
[UPDATED] Dog whine, instead of bark, when alerting of other nearby players (When player crouched).
[UPDATED] Dog prey kills now use animal looting system. i.e. Dog will loot dead animals, and other objects, then will fetch loot.
[UPDATED] Attached weapon (loot) holder is now dropped if dog finds a new one. Needs update.
[ADDED] New Quiet dog bark and whine.
[UPDATED] Make dog sounds global and use quieter sounds to alert player once dog is tamed. Untamed dog or when attacking is still loud.
[UPDATED] Add occasional quiet dog whine when other players in the area.
[UPDATED] General Dog timeout tweaks to compensate for Arma Animals 'doing their own thing'
Server:
[Added] Example "Epoch Event" Code to provide an example on how to broadcast a message to all players using BE.
[Added] 'CfgTraderLimits' config can control stock limit per trader per item. Default is 100 per item class per trader.
[Added] storedVehicleLimit variable in CfgEpochServer can now control the total max allowed vehicles on traders. Default limit is 20.
[Fixed] Logging to the database was not working due to missing function.
[Fixed] Issue when trading vehicles that caused the trader data to save data to the wrong slot.
[Fixed] Added missing prices for female vests.
[Fixed] Error Generic error in expression in EPOCH_server_repairVehicle.
[Changed] Reworked secure data storage system to be more reliable. (NOTE: This may cause issues with existing lockboxes spawn on the ground with incorrect orientation.)
[Changed] Base building maintain option now also maintains storage devices.
[Changed] Moved vehicle spawn config that controls how many vehicles can spawn at different location types to settings pbo. See new vehicleSpawnTypes array in the (WorldName).hpp config.
[Changed] Use new sort command instead of BIS_fncSortBy.
[Changed] Use new worldSize command as default if maps worldSize setting in CfgEpoch does not exist.
[Info] Removed old .bikey and added new one for 0340.
[Info] The source code for the a3_epoch_server.pbo is now on the GitHub.
Expected Release is within 1-2 weeks.

https://github.com/GBR-Suppe/a3_epoch_HSBlackmarket/blob/master/MPMissions/epoch.Altis/trader/HS_playertraderequest.sqf#L44
should be:
["Vehicle",_vehHiveKey,_VAL]call EPOCH_fnc_server_hiveSET;https://github.com/GBR-Suppe/a3_epoch_HSBlackmarket/blob/master/MPMissions/epoch.Altis/trader/HS_playertraderequest.sqf#L107
should be:
["VehicleLock",_vehLockHiveKey,EPOCH_vehicleLockTime,[_lockOwner]]call EPOCH_fnc_server_hiveSETEX;i think thats the most important for now ...

first off you should considder what the price of hiring a programmer vs how long it will take you to learn how to do this yourself.
second i dont think people like you realize what the cost of a skilled programmer is ... heres a heads up about programmers salary:
Entry Level 
15 - 25 $ / hr or 30,000 to 55,000 / yr 
Medium experience 3 - 5 yrs - Java, J2EE, C++, php, Ruby experience 
25 - 55 $ / hr 55,000 - 100,000 / yr 
Lots of experience 10 + yrs - many languages 
60+ $/ hr 75,000/yr 
no stop being so lazy and just go learn how to install scripts yourself, its not that hard.

If you're trying to install A3EAI, then these are all the instructions you will need
1. Open "1. Installation Package"
2. Press CTRL+A
3. Press CTRL+C
4. Open your server's @EpochHive folder
5. Press CTRL+V
6. Replace all files if asked.
 

Yeah, I just set mine like this

and it seems to work just fine

just a headsup, the new epoch update did some changes, hence there are a few changes in this aswell.
i will post as soon as i fixed it.

It has been nearly one year since the initial test release of Arma 3: Epoch and I want to thank you all for your support! Just to give a quick run down on what is happening with the mod and team.

The Epoch Dev Team has also recently grown as we welcome three new team members. 
Raymix: will be working on UI and coding aspects of the mod. SteamPunkGears: will be new creating 3d models for custom epoch items. Richie: will be working on map support as well as assist the development process. We are also proud to announce that Sequisha is working with Bohemia Interactive on the new Tanoa terrain and wish him luck. Tanoa looks to be a quality terrain that we certainly look forward to supporting in Epoch.

In the next patches leading up to 0.4 large framework changes will be made so we can prep the open world Epoch sandbox gamemode code for public release. This also means that Epoch Mod will soon become more compatible with other mods because the Epoch sandbox gamemode code will then run purely from the server/mission file.

Epoch "Server" Framework project: 
Code functions that make it easier to use our callExtension calls. Full callExtension calls documentation and DLL source code. Epoch public github will accept improvements and bug fixes. Epoch "Sandbox" Gamemode project: (Requires: Epoch Server)
This is the core of the Epoch gamemode and will contain most all sqf and fsm client/server code needed for the current Epoch sandbox gamemode minus what is already in Epoch Server. The core of the gamemode code will exist purely in the mission file and will allow server admins full control over what code is running. This will allow even more freedom for server admins to customize there server. Epoch public github will accept improvements and bug fixes.  
The Epoch mod will still contain all the same great assets (models, textures, and icons, configs, code, etc.) and new custom creations will still be added as they are made ready by our content creators. What this all means, is that other mods (like wasteland, KOTH, etc.) will soon be able run @Epoch mod along side their own mods to use for example our female characters without our current gamemode code getting in the way. Alternatively, you may also soon see other mods using our Epoch "Server" framework to power totally new mods and gamemodes in the future. The Epoch "Sandbox" gamemode will be even more developed as this change will allow us to deliver faster updates and work closer with the community regarding fixes and improvements. The goal is to have all of this fully in place before 0.5 so that our team can start the work on our new custom terrain and other great additions planned for 1.0.




 

Bump for our newest developer: Raymix
Welcome to the team.

After taking a few weeks break from development, this is the current changelog for the next A3EAI version (0.8.4). I expect it to be ready for release on the 22nd.
 
 
Also after the 22nd, I will be looking into another A3 mod to see whether A3EAI can be ported to it. If this happens, A3EAI development may wind down after this point.

UPDATE!
As requested: option to disable/enable removal of AI bodies has been added as well as the option to disable/enable removal of launchers from AI's body when they die.

if you simply change the InstanceID it will allow player data to persist while resetting all map data.

For LucyDemoon and Xzempt, you guys both need to examine the rest of your RPT log for A3EAI debug info, not just the startup output. The startup output is displayed regardless of debug level. The startup output also shows nothing out of the ordinary, so you will need to follow the detailed debug info that displays whenever A3EAI does something.
 
To test whether A3EAI is having trouble spawning, you should make these changes in your config file for testing purposes:
 
Under the "Shared AI Unit Settings" section, set all spawn chances to 1.00, to remove the randomness of whether or not AI will be spawned Under the "Shared AI Unit Settings" section, set A3EAI_playerCountThreshold to 1, so that maximum spawn chance is reached even with a single online person. Consider increasing the number of Random-type spawns if you use them (~15 for an Altis-sized map is normal) Consider reducing the cooldown time for Dynamic-type spawns if you use them @NuFaN: Those AI don't sound like they were spawned by A3EAI. A3EAI's minimum distance from players is 145m, and no line-of-sight with any player within 200m.

Easy, just find the init.sqf in the custom_server.pbo and comment out the missions you don't want to spawn
 



 
Just add // before the [] execVM line and that line won't be read.

Noticed there was a slight dip in CPS every min or so when monitoring through ASM after a few weeks of testing I set max crash sites to 8 and the dip has went away. With the current state of Arma 3 and Epoch we need all we can get so I thought I would share.

Just about to start streaming the setup of loot positions for Pianosa by myself and TuBz.
 
http://www.twitch.tv/andgregor
 
A big thanks to ItsDonJon for allowing us to make his map officially supported by Epoch. Give him a shout if you like the map: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?190118-A3-Island-Alpha-Pianosa!

the top 4 are not coords but offsets for the teleporters, you need to use the last entry from that array, however the script can add these for you.
 
besides this i just exactly updated the script with positions for australia, thanks to Tophi.

A3EAI 0.8.2 has been released on Github: https://github.com/dayzai/A3EAI
 
Changelog:
 

Thanks for the info about the launchers. I will include this fix in the next update.
 
As to vehicles, I noticed that and patched it for the next update.
 
There was a request to allow one to customize the vehicle (static, armed etc) spawned at missions. That is quite possible and fits with the general approach I was taking to allow more easily and broadly configured missions. I will code it this weekend. I hope to have build 3.5 out early next week.
 
Cheers -
 
Ghost

@Scorpi: just have a little more patience :) The next update is huge so yeah it is taking me a lot longer to do ;)

A3EAI 0.8.1 has been released to Github. Anyone who has used the experimental versions of 0.8.1 will also need to update. Update at: https://github.com/dayzai/A3EAI
 
This update is especially important for servers running the Australia map, and possibly other custom maps. It seems custom map makers tend to do things less than properly compared to BIS maps, so A3EAI would not be able to detect all of the locations on the map before 0.8.1.
 
Changelog is below:
 
 

You don't owe us anything. Always remember that. We appreciate the work you've put into it so far and I look forward to any updates you choose to give us!