Home   Help Search Login Register  

Author Topic: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming  (Read 2016 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Tom_Anger

  • Members
  • *
    • Shadow Company Elite (SCE_FATMAN)
Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« on: 30 Mar 2007, 13:43:14 »
What types of addons can anyone dl and install that will not effect misison makers?

As a mission maker I am not looking to take add ons and use them for map making (YET).  I am looking to get some missions for the new players unaware of addons and give them the opportunity to play without a download file error message when joining our server.

My question is are there addons that anyone can add and do no effect the mission maker's efforts?  I would like to enhance/change stuff like sounds and be safe from inadvertantly putting something in a mission only to find the joining issue from someone who doesn't have the addon.

Do anyone have advice for a mission maker so that we can install an addon to review and things to look for so that we don't add them in a map in error?  My guess is an addon will just show up different when you go to add items and stuff.  I jsut want to make sure no weird line of code gets imbedded when filing missions.

Offline Planck

  • Honoured
  • Former Staff
  • ****
  • I'm never wrong ....I'm just not always right !
Re: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« Reply #1 on: 30 Mar 2007, 14:28:29 »
You would need to find out in advance if the addon or addons you plan to use have any dependencies on other addons.

A well made and documented addon would mention this in its readme, but in the best case an addon maker will avoid introducing dependencies into an addon unless it is necessary.

Best way to check if an addon you want to use is dependent on another addon is to have only official addons in the Addon folder then introduce the addon you wish to test.

Remember to run the game without mod folders in case this affects the outcome.

Make a test mission in the editor and preview it, if it works without saying it needs another addon then chances are it will be ok.

If you test each addon you wish to use in this way, hopefully things will work smoothly in MP also, however, be aware ArmA/OFP are sneaky and can surprise you.

Reminds me of the opposite gender when.........never mind, that's a different topic.   ;)


Planck

I know a little about a lot, and a lot about a little.

Offline Chris Death

  • Former Staff
  • ****
  • Finally Death's gonna get ya
    • OFPEC
Re: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« Reply #2 on: 30 Mar 2007, 14:51:04 »
Well, the only addons which come into my mind where noone needs to download anything else but the mission
are: custom sounds/music.

Lot of people don't even count them into addons cathegory but since those aren't part of the original game,
they are simply: addons.

Same goes for scripts.

Everything else will affect others by having to download and install to be able to play a mission.

P.S: i'm feeling a little bit having understood you wrong - if so forgive me ;)

~S~ CD
Dont argue with idiots....they will bring you down to their level and beat you there with experience.

How to use Waypoint type Scripted

Offline Tom_Anger

  • Members
  • *
    • Shadow Company Elite (SCE_FATMAN)
Re: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« Reply #3 on: 03 Apr 2007, 08:29:30 »
It is just that I have seen folks swing into our Shadow Company Elite server and get rejected for having a sound mod (not too many) and we are not running mods at the moment because we want to prevent people from getting turned away until we have a grasp on how to be a better host for the players.  Being a mission designer (new to ArmA), I was basically trying to make sure that if I install a mod in the Addon section that I don't mistakenly use an addon object and continue designing for a while with the end result being people need to the mods to play it.  I am refraining from mods until I learn more on how to use them, but figured I would ask anyway.  Some addons are real cool looking.  Thanks for the input.

Offline johnnyboy

  • OFPEC Patron
  • ****
  • Matan los Pantalones!!!
Re: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« Reply #4 on: 03 Apr 2007, 19:43:13 »
Side note:

While making a mission, if you inadvertenly use an object from an addon and later remove it, your mission will still have the dependency on the addon.   So it can be easy to forget and publish the mission not knowing you have the dependency.  So its a good practice to look at your mission.sqm file under the addons section:

Code: [Select]
class Mission
{
addOns[]=
{
"cacharacters",
"map_misc",
"desert",
"CATracked"
};
addOnsAuto[]=
{
"cacharacters",
"CATracked",
"map_misc",
"desert"
};

The above mission uses one addon "map_misc" from MapFAct.  To remove this addon, I would delete the two entries for "map_misc" and save the mission.sqm file.  This mission would then be free of addons.

f you aren't familiar with the original game addons, it may be hard to spot what is an external addon...
El Cojon: "Do you like to Tango?"
You: "Only in Bagango."
Download Last Tango in Bagango and discover how El Cojon earned his name...

Offline JasonO

  • OFPEC Patron
  • ****
  • Oh no...
    • The New Life RPG
Re: Addons that doesn't negatively affect your gaming
« Reply #5 on: 04 Apr 2007, 02:44:18 »
You could always remove all the lines between { and }; if you don't know whats what.

Remove like:

Quote
"cacharacters",
"map_misc",
"desert",
"CATracked"

Go back to the editor and save the mission (don't preview until u save), the mission.sqm will then update with the addons in the map only.