Behavior of NPCs

[John Doe]

We are new to ArmA3 Epoch, playing since several days, several hours a day, coop/pve, no pvp, on a rented server, password secured.

Is it usual that Zappers, for example, spawn right behind your back and explode instantly? This happened very often to us, nothing to hear, nothing to see, the next second - Booom

In the whole time we just were able to shoot drones and some of those skinny zappers, never managed to kill such a fat one, even if we blew everything we had(never that much) in it´s head, it´s body, nothing seems to stop them before killing us. We never found a toolbox or toolkit, once in the whole time a sledgehammer, till ten minutes later the next suicidal bomber spawned right behind us, leaving us no chance again. We never saw a helicopter and the traders only sell almost useless stuff.

But the worst thing, it seems that bases are completely useless. At the same second a drone spawned and a fat zapper spawned. The Zapper right in our base(doors locked), killed two of us. I got out to shoot the drone which spawned soldiers instantly after it´s spawning, so i had to go back in our base, locked the door, wanted to use a medikit, i turn around and in our base are those soldiers, killing me. Doors were locked and base intact.

My buddies decided then to go back to arma2 epoch, because they said there you can have some fun while playing, because they say it´s kind of fair and balanced. But i never tried it and to be honest, i´m really tired of that zombiestuff, and i like the graphics from arma3, don´t feel the need to do a step backwards with graphics.

So my question is:

Do we have to change the server files for a better gameplay in coop/pve(which didn´t work for us yet, wouldn´t let us upload to the server, but we will manage that)? If yes, what exactly do we have to change?

Because as it is now, we have no chance, we find a lot of weapons, but almost never the ammo for these guns and if, way to less. We can´t buy guns, tools, ammo or vehicles at none of the traders, NPCs need a huge amount of hits, most time more than we have ammo, they spawn or glitch into our base, Zappers spawn in your "trouserpockets" and explode. One of us alone can´t play on the server, because he will die in any case, and than there is nobody to save our truck or the stuff from the player.

What do we have to do, we are tired to play those alpha-crafting-gathering-building-"survival" games with their "wonderfull" graphics and minimum content, just waiting for another update that let´s you play another hour before getting bored from it again. ArmA3 Epoch has mature graphics, huge maps and enough content, and i/we don´t want to play any other game atm, but it would be fun if it would be a little more fair and playerfriendly. So that at least we have a little chance and not everything we do is useless.

I/We want to play Epoch so hard, but as it is now...

Help please... xD

[axeman]

The Sappers should never spawn near you, they are designed to sneak up on you though. There is currently a problem with them 'seeing' base parts, which I believe I have a fix for.

Boss Sappers (the fat boys) are hard to kill but should be rarer. 

There is a massive amount you can configure, including the traders, check your server PBOs for configs and your mission description.ext. Sorry, am on my phone so can't be more specific, have a look around the forum and the public github. 

This is an old thread:  http://epochmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/28890-a3-epoch-server-what-can-be-changed/ but does highlight editable configs. Locations may have changed recently so have a dig around your server PBOs. Most antagonist editing is done in description.ext. 

As you are running your own server take a look at the built in admin tools, part of the AH.

Welcome to Epoch :) 

[John Doe]

Thank you for the answer and the link, that will help us, i guess.

[Chainsaw Squirrel]

You can adjust the antagonists here X:\arma3Server\@epochhive\epochconfig.hpp 

// Antagonists
antagonistChanceTrash = 0.05; //9% chance when player loot a trash object
antagonistChancePDeath = 0.23; //33% chance when player was killed from a other player (selfkill doesn't count)
antagonistChanceLoot = 0.03; //9% chance when player click "SEARCH" on a loot object

basically adjust these numbers higher for more of them lower = less  .. play with percentages until you have the amount that is good for you 

Also in this same file is the weather, time of day, vehicles and trader items you want them to have.. I don't know what the limit is on the traders .. keep meaning to ask if there is a limit of the number of items you can add from here 

Here is what my traders have .. before items are bought and sold by players 
starterTraderItems[] = { { "ItemSodaBurst", "meatballs_epoch", "ItemMixOil", "NVG_EPOCH", "EpochRadio0", "30Rnd_556x45_Stanag", "arifle_TRG21_GL_F", "Chemlight_green", "B_AssaultPack_cbr", "MortarBucket", "CinderBlocks", "VehicleRepair", "CircuitParts", "ItemCorrugated", "PartPlankPack", "ItemRock", "U_C_Poor_1", "U_C_WorkerCoveralls", "ItemRope", "ItemStick" }, { 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 50, 50, 20, 20, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 10, 10 } }; // Starter Items for fresh spawned trader first array is classnames second is quantity.

[John Doe]

Thank you very much, Sqirrel!!!

Now i have to get my buddies away from arma2 epoch again( i tried it, they had the sauerland map, i had to run till i died of suffering, just to find hundreds of zombies, two wrecked and empty cars and some houses one can´t enter... uninstalled instantly xD) they use the server for it atm. Will open a second one to try around with the server files, now i know what to change. Think it will need a little time till it runs, it´s my first time doing something like this. The good thing is, by trying i will learn it xD

Thanks again axeman and Chainsaw Squirrel!!!

[John Doe]

Ok, i am sorry, have some new questions now.

Where exactly can i change the spawn rate and/or spawn time of NPCs, hits needed to kill NPCs and eventually where to switch off some enemies or higher others enemies rate?

Ah, and where can i find a list of the item names, how they are called as server files. For example, if i want to add the sledgehammer to the traders, is it called just sledgehammer or has it another name as a server file?

Thanks in advance!

Edited September 30, 2015 by John Doe
Too much Jane and english is not my native language xD

[John Doe]

Nobody, any helping tips for me ? xD

I made it to change many things in the epochconfig.hpp and the epoch.altis.pbo, and the server runs fine. While testing i wanted to bring a boat to the central starter traders, got out of the boat, only sea behind me, got into the menu for selling the boat to the trader, from one second to the other a fat Sapper spawned direct right to me and exploded(but i survived unharmed, somehow). Behind me was only the sea, there was no way he could sneak up to me unseen. That fat Sapper just spawned right next to me, as many times seen before ingame.

Now i read something about roaming AI and dynamic AI:

" Roaming AI is statically spawned that will run freely across the map and may never be encountered or engage a player. Dynamic AI is designed to spawn near the player and has a high probability to engage that player."

Sadly i can´t find nothing on my server where to change this, it seems that dynamic AI is running on our server, that would explain why Sappers spawn right next to us the whole time while playing. I really need to change this, who can help?

And if someone knows how i add slegdehammers, chainsaws and above all the toolbox to traders, please give me an example of how it has to look in in the files, so that i maybe just can copy and paste it(can´t find the filenames of those tools).

Any helping hand would be appreciated xD

Edited October 1, 2015 by John Doe

[Chainsaw Squirrel]

Just now saw this post .. the settings I gave you above are chances to spawn, all antagonists sappers etc .. are dynamic. cant say Ive ever had one spawn right on me , they are sneaky though .. if your not paying attention they will get u. 
AI as in AI soldiers like from the drones, can spawn almost on top of you .. but usually they do give you a little distance, then again .. the drone does give the weird little tone, if you hear that u better be looking for cover fast.

The only other AI would be if you have A3EAI installed ..or a mission system.

the Item class names are in the loots.h file , you will have to unpack the a3_epoch_server_settings.pbo  (   X:\A3_Server\@epochhive\addons  ) you'll need a pbo manager to unpack the PBO use this PBO Manager  http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=16369 and you will need  notepad++ https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Just don't edit and repack the file unless you know what your doing .. best thing is to copy the a3_epoch_server_settings.pbo to your desktop or other location such as downloads etc . then unpack the pbo

here is a video on pbo manager  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYN5wMH7oZ4

Just a heads up .. google and youtube are your friend
 

Edited October 15, 2015 by Chainsaw Squirrel