Enable AI Helicopters to Provide a Goal for SP

[DayZ_SP]

Hi,

First of all, great Mod.

My hat is off to Kodabar, and teh Unknown for continuing Kronzy's original SP work.

It's nice to play the game the way it is meant to be played, bugs and all, compared to the mess the MP has become due to hackers and players who have turned it into a CoD Deathmatch-type of game.

Second...

I have a question / request:

Will future versions of this mod enable AI vehicles such as a single helicopter that flies around overhead (and maybe crashes) and one, or two cars driving along the roads?

I think this would add to the apocalyptic immersion since you can see these things in MP DayZ, but more importantly...

If AI vehicles like Helos are activated, this would give SP players a real goal beyond just survival:

Get to a designated spot on the map for an aerial extraction.

I have a helo extraction script from Arma 2 all set up with the proper triggers, waypoints and even an ending "cut scene" ready to go, but it doesn't work because the AI vehicles are not enabled in DayZ SP.
I tried it on one of the DaiyZ Chernarus maps, but the code is missing for the AI pilots to come get the player and complete the extraction and therefore, the mission.

I placed the extraction point on the main highway approx. half way between Cherno and Electro due to the random spawning DayZ uses. This way, the player must go through either city (west to east, east to west) and all towns in order to reach the extraction. This gives him/her incentive to loot their way to the extraction point and survive, but it also rewards them if they do manage to survive... Something the current MP game play does not.

The simple nature of this basic extraction template allows for infinite mission combinations e.g. The player must go to Cherno / Electro rescue a V.I.P. (NPC Survivor) and escort them through the Zombie wasteland to the extraction. The beauty of Arma 2 scripting is you can have multiple objectives and conditions that have to be met in order for the player to successfully complete the mission e.g. rescue the V.I.P. and locate their lost backpack with the vaccine to cure the infected population before you extract, etc, etc.

Once again, thanks to all those involved with this mod (of a mod!).

I hope you guys eventually (re)enable AI vehicles because I feel this is one of the few elements remaining that will make this feel more like a goal-oriented SP survival game along with all the other features like AI Bandits, AI Survivors, etc.

[Pierry]

Actually this would be really amazing in my opinion! If any of you guys ever played MP then you surely noticed some cars passing by on a road and such..

I'm looking forward to this.Hope unknown adds it.

[Crawnight]

in the first version cars and helocpters are working fine, i dont no if its still enabled.
today i found a pbx boat in the newest beta version, so maybe its still on?

[DayZ_SP]

Well, Rocket is dead set against adding any AI other than Zombies in the official version... At least, until the stand alone retail is released... So, this is why I am hoping Kodabar and Co. will take this request seriously because it is such a small, yet vital addition that would basically complete the SP, in my opinion.

MP DayZ is great because the emphasis is on emergent game play... Whatever you and your friends decide is important at the moment becomes the goal e.g. gathering supplies, finding shelter, etc... And the whole paranoid atmosphere of "who do you trust?" whenever you encounter another human player adds another emotional layer to the experience, too.

SP DaiyZ has the emergent game play element of scavenging to survive, but it needs a larger, overall goal since there are no other human players to help shape the more free-form emotional aspects like MP has.

This is why getting to an extraction point makes sense given the scenario DayZ presents: Being stuck in a Zombie Apocalypse with very little weapons & equipment and just your wits to survive.

[Mr. 'funny']

I honestly think you're idea is in the works. It's something all of us have been craving, I think. I would love to see bandits cruising around in pickup trucks, survivors building "camps", etc... Of course all these ideas and not requests demands. I suggested the idea of adding lights to the game and now we have working street lights. I still hope generators are added to the game, and maybe even pots, pans, a cook stove, and other camping gear. Any and all work the SP crew has contributed is appreciated nonetheless, keep it coming dudes and/or dudettes.  

[DayZ_SP]

They (Kodabar, ??Uknown, etc.) don't even have to script the helicopter extractions and other events.

All they need to do is re-enable it in the DayZ (DaiyZ) code, so we can script our own "setpieces" like having multiple objectives, escort NPC missions, helo extractions, etc.

It's funny because everybody is having to go backwards and reverse engineer what Rocket did (took out) in order to make the Mod more complete. How is that for irony?

[David375]

I don't know how you would do it in other versions, but in DayZ 2017 1.1 SP, they have enemy An-2 Aeroshrot's flying above NWAF and NEAF. I think it also can shoot at you, because I have cleared the ground of the airfield many times and still been OHK'd by a bullet (And since there are no OHK snipers), I assume it is the plane shooting at me. Helluva mess dodging that thing. Actually shot it down once with the CZ550.

[Ray]

I also noticed some AI vehicle activity in one of the releases (dont remember which one) . Toggled the vehicle ESP to test stuff and found out that there were 2 AI ammunition urals driving from kamenka to random woods west of zelenogorsk. They stopped there and did not do anything at all besides driving there

[Haleks]

It usually means that the author forgot to place empty vehicles; drivers won't patrol or anything. It's easy to fix, just edit the mission in the mission editor.

[David375]

Also forgot Balota, so they can be found at all three airstrips. Another cool factoid, if you use teleport cheats to warp to one of said airstrips (I've only tried NWAF at the moment, may not be possible for others) as soon as you load the world, you can actually see the pilot take off in the 2017 Shitplane, and if you are fast, can even get in with him (when you approach him he will come to a stop to let you in). He just endlessly circles the airstrip, and occasionally stares at you with blood-red eyes (seriously, blood-red eyes. downright creepy.). Anywho, just found that out. Can't wait to see more of these flyin around in other maps!