Getting started properly with F2

[tryteyker]

Hi folks,

sorry if this is the wrong subforum, but I'm fairly new around this place. So I'm looking to join ARPS' sessions regularly but at the same time I want to try myself on MP scripting (using the F2 Framework), since so far I've only done SP scripting. Well it certainly IS quite a challenge, not script-wise but getting around the Framework in the first place.
So if I understand this correctly I HAVE to use the pre-placed units (or should atleast because it's already got the right layout, with fireteams and stuff), right? If so it's certainly going to be a pain to delete all other units since, sadly, it's impossible to delete units by selecting them with a box.

How about the loadouts? I'm certainly not going to add custom loadouts since I'm just starting to get around but are there loadouts for I44 in F2 yet? I've only seen a loadouts for German units which does hint that it's there, but I haven't seen a loadout for the US for example (neither US nor US_ALT seem to be for I44).

I get along fairly well with the scripting side of things and stuff outside the editor, but I just don't want to fuck it up inside the editor. Also general tips what I should be keeping in mind would be nice.

[Anvilfolk]

Some awesome tips that Fer gave me are to download some of Wolfenswan's missions, which you can find in this forum, and checking them out. There's also the F2 website, which is amenable to reading from top to bottom if you're up for it!

You actually can delete with a box. I think it's shift-delete once they are all selected Makes life a heck of a lot easier!

Black Mamba also has a couple of nice scripts for MP, event handling and so on, but they are still beyond me

[tryteyker]

Sweet, didn't know about Shift + Delete, thanks.
So I suppose that 1 platoon is an adequate size for a regular coop mission right? Since so far I haven't seen a way to add a 2nd Platoon.

[Bodge]

You can also just cut the text out of the mission.sqm too. One platoon plus a few attachments is enough for a co-op. As for loadouts check the wiki page below:

http://www.ferstaberinde.com/f2/en/inde ... ear_Script

custom loadouts are not a real issue, just avoid giving everyone high power scopes and mk17s because it makes life a little too easy.

[tryteyker]

Alright, thanks for the help so far. Still getting my head around the whole thing, but atleast I'm making some progress.
I'm running into problems with adding another unit though. The unit is there, the gear works fine, but it isn't playable and I can't select it when starting up the mission. And yeah, it's obviously set to playable. Any ideas? :/

[harakka]

You can use mouse multi-select to remove multiple objects by first selecting them with the rectangle, and pressing Ctrl-x to cut them out.

The reason to use the preplaced units if you want to make a mission for FA is that they have all the stuff set up in the right order that we like to have in our missions: FA platoon group structure, group markers and IDs, gear, etc..

The default platoon is usually enough, but if you need more space you can add a fourth squad by copy-pasting one of the other squads, then you will need to edit all the group names in the units' properties so that the group name is unique to that group (if you copied C into a new squad, replace GrpXX_C1 with GrpXX_D1 etc.). You will also need to add new group IDs and markers by diving into the respective scripts.

If you actually want to make missions for FA to play, I would first recommend you to hang around in the sessions for a while, to get an idea of what kind of missions we are into. This, and talking with the hosts and other mission makers about your mission ideas, will improve the chances of getting your mission played one day.

[wolfenswan]

To add to harakka's suggestion:

Feel free to hop on the server, download some missions and retrieve them from your cache (select and launch a mission, then head to %APPDATA% -> A2 MPMissionCache) to dePBO them. Check the AARs or PM the hosts for a suggestion of some "classics".

The unit is there, the gear works fine, but it isn't playable and I can't select it when starting up the mission. And yeah, it's obviously set to playable. Any ideas? :/

Did you export the mission?

ARMA has a very... peculiar... way how it treats the mission you launch. Basically as long as a mission only exits in the form of a folder in your MPMission folder it'll be "compiled" fresh everytime you launch it ingame (the missions with the blue mission name).

However, once you've exported the mission once (creating a .pbo) through the editor ARMA will always launch the exported version (beige name in the mission select screen), even if the non-exported (blue) version is more recent.

To get around this I'd suggest never exporting a mission while you're actively working on it and deleting the .pbo if you're going to revise it.

[Anvilfolk]

Oh, wow, this could be the source of many of my troubles.

The scripts change and are run every time, so there's no problem on that account. Somehow I feel this would've created more errors than I have... on account of my creating new units and their names being referred to (correctly) by script files. I will check!

Thanks for the info!

[Black Mamba]

Oh hey there! A comrade from the infamous editing section! Well, don't have much to add regarding F2 right now, but I hope to see you in the next session!

[tryteyker]

ARMA has a very... peculiar... way how it treats the mission you launch. Basically as long as a mission only exits in the form of a folder in your MPMission folder it'll be "compiled" fresh everytime you launch it ingame (the missions with the blue mission name).

However, once you've exported the mission once (creating a .pbo) through the editor ARMA will always launch the exported version (beige name in the mission select screen), even if the non-exported (blue) version is more recent.

To get around this I'd suggest never exporting a mission while you're actively working on it and deleting the .pbo if you're going to revise it.

Well that explains why it never works, thanks! I'm still running into a problem though, and that is as soon as I fire my weapon Arma crashes. Any idea why this happens? It only happens when playing / previewing a mission made with F2.

Oh hey there! A comrade from the infamous editing section! Well, don't have much to add regarding F2 right now, but I hope to see you in the next session!

I'll probably join the Saturday session, if you're there, I'll see you there!