MP Voting/Admin Console

[General Barron]

Current version: 0.9 (beta)
Real demo mission included

What is it? From the readme:

"The Voting/Administrator Console (VA console) is a tool for MP mission makers. It provides an easy method for players in a mission to vote on editor-created actions, such as adjusting the weather, increasing the difficulty, spawning vehicles, punishing players, or anything else the editor can imagine. Specific players can be given "admin" status, which, among other things, gives them access to extra, admin-only actions, and lets them initiate any of these without a vote.

The VA console is simple to implement, and, although it comes with a number of useful pre-made functions/settings, it is highly customizable. The editor has full control over basic settings such as how long votes stay open, how often players can initiate votes. The actions available to the players and admins are created and determined by the mission editor, and can do any scripted code desired."

-----------------------------

I originally started making this for a mission I am working on, but I decided it would make a great tool for other mission makers to use. ANY mission type can benefit from this console, to a lesser or greater extent.

Please let me know what you think of it, how I can improve it, if you ever use it, and so on.

Included in the download is the readme, scripts, and a BIS mission that has been converted to use the console ("Lost Squad").

[General Barron]

(Screenshot of the voting dialog)

[General Barron]

(Screenshot of the start new vote dialog)

[General Barron]

(Screenshot of the admin dialog)

Bear in mind that the colors, size and position of all three dialogs is easily changed by changing a few #defines in the description.ext.

[Fragorl]

That is very impressive.

Some options might seem akin to 'cheating', but they all seem like they would be useful in a range of multiplayer scenarios. How would it be implemented; would it be via a mod folder so that all players with it could participate in votes no matter what the mission/unit type?

You know, I can imagine a dungeonmaster-type scenario arising. One player/admin supervises the others, and decides if/when to send waves of enemy infantry or tanks at them, or alternatively give them reinforcements. You could even extend that concept to adding extra units to a players group, thereby deciding if you'd like to award them extra respawns or not. Or teleporting a misbehaving player to position [0,0,0]... I like these possibilities...

Would it be possible, I wonder, to also allow multiplayer voting via dialog? I mean the standard #vote or #admin type commands. You could then make life a little easier in that regard... not that it's too bad as it is. Just an idea.

[General Barron]

Thanks for the feedback!

Some options might seem akin to 'cheating', but they all seem like they would be useful in a range of multiplayer scenarios.

True, but it is entirely up to the mission designer as to what options to put in his mission. Some options could be made that just add variety/replayability to the mission, like adjusting the weather/mission time/fog, while others can be made to adjust the difficulty, or really "cheat" in one way or another (like creating vehicles).

How would it be implemented; would it be via a mod folder so that all players with it could participate in votes no matter what the mission/unit type?

The console is included in the mission itself, by the mission editor. All players then have access to the console--no addons/mods required. As for making it available in all missions via a mod folder.... it might be possible.

Would it be possible, I wonder, to also allow multiplayer voting via dialog? I mean the standard #vote or #admin type commands. You could then make life a little easier in that regard... not that it's too bad as it is. Just an idea.

I don't think there is any way to access those commands via scripting. The closest I can do with this is allow you to vote on a new VA Console admin, or to "banish" a player from the mission area (both are included by default).

I can imagine a dungeonmaster-type scenario arising. One player/admin supervises the others, and decides if/when to send waves of enemy infantry or tanks at them, or alternatively give them reinforcements...

Yup. It can all easily be done with this script.