After quite an absence from Nimitz modding in November, it's now time to tackle the roadmap for future developments in December 2015 and probably in the first quarter of 2016.
First, the list of known issues is getting longer by the day. So let's go over this list, also found on http://tetet.de/arma/arma3/nimitz/KNOWNISSUES.txt
New:
o JIP players do not get auto-sync of modules
This one seems easy to fix, the remoteExec call needs to be used for JIP players. Will be fixed.
o flightdeck/hangar/simple module resets units heights upon JIP
Most likely an error in the module treatment of multiplayer on dedicated server. Both isGlobal and isPersistent are set to 1. This means that the scripts are executed on any connected system, even for
JIP players. It's probably better to execute the main sync script once on the server and use remoteExec calls for syncing player related actions. Will be fixed.
o dedicated server crashes mission when Nimitz is spawned via Zeus
May require a bisection of the init.sqf to learn which part of the Nimitz spawn process terminates the mission and in at least one case the dedicated server. With some luck I can isolate the problem, but a fix is quite unlikely.
o hangar on icon does not match hangar of model
I'm not an graphic artist, so anyone interested in a correct icon, please submit one :) I have already gotten a slightly improved version. At least a partial fix is possible.
o containers and other items are not pushed by the elevators, just vehicles
The current elevator scripts checks for AllVehicles and only pushes them. I'd like to get the upper class for the containers and other items that may be transported by an elevator and add them to the nearestObject call. Likely to be fixed.
Textures:
o new textures at times stretched, especially in hallways
o texture missing at elevator 3
o JBD 4 still has old textures o not all carrier areas freshly textured, hangar 4 for example
o missing ceiling texture in hangar 4, small room
When it comes to texturing I'm dependent largely on Odyseus and other modders help. While I know how to generate a simple procedural texture or apply a single texture to a polygon, the high art of uv mapping a complete section of the ship is beyond me. There is a small chance that the textures will be fixed in the next update though.
General:
o carrier not assembled correctly when place too far off map
This seems to be an engine problem rather than a scripting one. I plan to create a large 100x100km all water test map and see if these assembly problems occur in different spots there. Basically I'm looking for a way to reproduce the assembly problems reliably. A fix is unlikely.
o water access platform not working well yet, weird texture
The ladder going from water level to the platform is barely functional. Somehow the climb ladder marker hardly appears. I'll experiment with the memory points of the ladder some more and see if it works any better. A fix is unlikely.
o high possibility to glitch through floor at Nimitz information poster
The area from island to hangar should be moved to a p3d model of its own, so the glitching chances are greatly reduced. In general the complete hangar needs to be split into more models to prevent these glitches. For the next update however a fix is not that likely.
o towing module for Nimitz still needed for ambiance module
I will decouple the current towing module from the ambiance module, as I deem Lesh's towing module to be superior to the built-in towing. Will be fixed.
o shooter animation not mirrored on cat 4
Unfortunately we don't have the sources for the shooter animation. Will not be fixed.
o see through wall glitch in hallways
This might involve more strict geo lods. That depends on Odyseus availability to improve the model there. Most likely will not be fixed.
o rescue module boats are quite far from carrier
The range of the boats is already configurable. Already fixed.
o wires on some planes get drawn up in the air
This seems to have been a problem with the old wires script, that snatched planes even floating a few feet over the deck out of the air. Should be fixed already.
o flight operations still very experimental
This module option needs some further thoughts on where to progress it. Would be nice to add the launched plane to the BI CAS module, or even to AlIVE CAS when present. A 'fix' is not very likely, still work in progress.
o light only gets created on a client, not on all
The createVehicle command only creates lights globally, needs to be replaced by a remoteExec call. Will be fixed.
Aircraft:
o vanilla arma3 planes don't work to well with the carrier
It's unclear what makes the planes explodes at times. The best bet is that the assembly of the carrier leaves cracks between parts and the suspension from the vanilla planes get stuck there. We will experiment in adding a phsyx lod to the carrier and see if the vanilla planes work any better. A fix is unlikely, though.
o UAVs don't work at all with the carrier
This is another area of nail biting. The Greyhawk stumbles over the deck as if it would be full of holes. I'll do some experiments with towing the Greyhawk and see if that's feasible. If that's successful I'll check the cat script to launch the UAV. A fix is not very likely.
Elevator:
o weapons elevator at times not functional going up
I'll add some more bumps to the weapons elevator script, or probably even an evil setPos when the player gets stuck on the floor. A fix is unlikely, a work around likely.
o weapons elevator can be quite deadly
The path of the weapons elevator needs to be checked for colliding geo and roadway lods. A fix is likely.
Beyond these there is a wish to get a reset function for the carrier functions. The scripts can be brittle when for example aircraft are destroyed while being in the catapult or using the wires. While it will be a good practice to make the scripts more robust, some debug function for resetting various carrier pieces will be good to have. Likely to be included in the next update.
Further we might be able to add an improved version of the Mk29 sea sparrow launcher. It's unclear if it will be configured as standard arma AA asset or only be used with a custom radar script.
So it all looks like a very busy December mod wise. Let's hope for the best and a release of the 0.94 beta version in January!
First, the list of known issues is getting longer by the day. So let's go over this list, also found on http://tetet.de/arma/arma3/nimitz/KNOWNISSUES.txt
New:
o JIP players do not get auto-sync of modules
This one seems easy to fix, the remoteExec call needs to be used for JIP players. Will be fixed.
o flightdeck/hangar/simple module resets units heights upon JIP
Most likely an error in the module treatment of multiplayer on dedicated server. Both isGlobal and isPersistent are set to 1. This means that the scripts are executed on any connected system, even for
JIP players. It's probably better to execute the main sync script once on the server and use remoteExec calls for syncing player related actions. Will be fixed.
o dedicated server crashes mission when Nimitz is spawned via Zeus
May require a bisection of the init.sqf to learn which part of the Nimitz spawn process terminates the mission and in at least one case the dedicated server. With some luck I can isolate the problem, but a fix is quite unlikely.
o hangar on icon does not match hangar of model
I'm not an graphic artist, so anyone interested in a correct icon, please submit one :) I have already gotten a slightly improved version. At least a partial fix is possible.
o containers and other items are not pushed by the elevators, just vehicles
The current elevator scripts checks for AllVehicles and only pushes them. I'd like to get the upper class for the containers and other items that may be transported by an elevator and add them to the nearestObject call. Likely to be fixed.
Textures:
o new textures at times stretched, especially in hallways
o texture missing at elevator 3
o JBD 4 still has old textures o not all carrier areas freshly textured, hangar 4 for example
o missing ceiling texture in hangar 4, small room
When it comes to texturing I'm dependent largely on Odyseus and other modders help. While I know how to generate a simple procedural texture or apply a single texture to a polygon, the high art of uv mapping a complete section of the ship is beyond me. There is a small chance that the textures will be fixed in the next update though.
General:
o carrier not assembled correctly when place too far off map
This seems to be an engine problem rather than a scripting one. I plan to create a large 100x100km all water test map and see if these assembly problems occur in different spots there. Basically I'm looking for a way to reproduce the assembly problems reliably. A fix is unlikely.
o water access platform not working well yet, weird texture
The ladder going from water level to the platform is barely functional. Somehow the climb ladder marker hardly appears. I'll experiment with the memory points of the ladder some more and see if it works any better. A fix is unlikely.
o high possibility to glitch through floor at Nimitz information poster
The area from island to hangar should be moved to a p3d model of its own, so the glitching chances are greatly reduced. In general the complete hangar needs to be split into more models to prevent these glitches. For the next update however a fix is not that likely.
o towing module for Nimitz still needed for ambiance module
I will decouple the current towing module from the ambiance module, as I deem Lesh's towing module to be superior to the built-in towing. Will be fixed.
o shooter animation not mirrored on cat 4
Unfortunately we don't have the sources for the shooter animation. Will not be fixed.
o see through wall glitch in hallways
This might involve more strict geo lods. That depends on Odyseus availability to improve the model there. Most likely will not be fixed.
o rescue module boats are quite far from carrier
The range of the boats is already configurable. Already fixed.
o wires on some planes get drawn up in the air
This seems to have been a problem with the old wires script, that snatched planes even floating a few feet over the deck out of the air. Should be fixed already.
o flight operations still very experimental
This module option needs some further thoughts on where to progress it. Would be nice to add the launched plane to the BI CAS module, or even to AlIVE CAS when present. A 'fix' is not very likely, still work in progress.
o light only gets created on a client, not on all
The createVehicle command only creates lights globally, needs to be replaced by a remoteExec call. Will be fixed.
Aircraft:
o vanilla arma3 planes don't work to well with the carrier
It's unclear what makes the planes explodes at times. The best bet is that the assembly of the carrier leaves cracks between parts and the suspension from the vanilla planes get stuck there. We will experiment in adding a phsyx lod to the carrier and see if the vanilla planes work any better. A fix is unlikely, though.
o UAVs don't work at all with the carrier
This is another area of nail biting. The Greyhawk stumbles over the deck as if it would be full of holes. I'll do some experiments with towing the Greyhawk and see if that's feasible. If that's successful I'll check the cat script to launch the UAV. A fix is not very likely.
Elevator:
o weapons elevator at times not functional going up
I'll add some more bumps to the weapons elevator script, or probably even an evil setPos when the player gets stuck on the floor. A fix is unlikely, a work around likely.
o weapons elevator can be quite deadly
The path of the weapons elevator needs to be checked for colliding geo and roadway lods. A fix is likely.
Beyond these there is a wish to get a reset function for the carrier functions. The scripts can be brittle when for example aircraft are destroyed while being in the catapult or using the wires. While it will be a good practice to make the scripts more robust, some debug function for resetting various carrier pieces will be good to have. Likely to be included in the next update.
Further we might be able to add an improved version of the Mk29 sea sparrow launcher. It's unclear if it will be configured as standard arma AA asset or only be used with a custom radar script.
So it all looks like a very busy December mod wise. Let's hope for the best and a release of the 0.94 beta version in January!
