AI units in static weapons do not take any damage

[malashin]

ACE3 Version: 3.4.2
3.3.2, 3.4.0, 3.4.1 versions were tested as well. The issue occurred on all of them.

ARMA 3 Version: 1.54.133741

Mods:

• @CBA_A3
• @ace

Placed ACE3 Modules:

• None

Description:
AI units in statics weapons do not take any damage. This does not happen with all of them and fairly rare. But it is a game-breaking bug that ruins the whole mission.

The first report the players did said that they shot the AI unit in a static weapon around 15 times with MAR-10 rifle. After that they shot him with AP Titan rocket, that did not do a thing to him.

I was able to reproduce this behavior in the Editor. But this does not happen often. I saved a simple test mission that seem to have this problem consistently.

The test mission does not have any ACE3 modules in it, my multiplayer mission does, including advanced ballistics and medicine.

Disabling ACE3 mod and running the test mission solves the problem.

Steps to reproduce:

• Place static weapon with AI units in it.
• Check if they take any damage (Does not happen all the time).

Where did the issue occur?

• Multiplayer
• Singleplayer
• Editor

The issue was reported on my multiplayer server. I was able to reproduce it the Editor and Singleplayer.

Video:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkBvbSTcAug

RPT log file:

• http://pastebin.com/Q7uDGHZW

Singleplayer Mission:

• https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B4Z2uhvLliuqSGVkZWVIRDJfdGc

[thojkooi]

Is this for all static weapon?

[VKing6]

How often do you have to test the mission to reproduce the bug?
Also:

Disabling ACE3 mod and running the test mission solves the problem.

Does it solve the problem or did the bug just not happen that time? How did you confirm this?

[malashin]

@Glowbal

Is this for all static weapon?

Yes, all of them.

@VKing6

How often do you have to test the mission to reproduce the bug?

The test mission has the bug all the time. But whenever I try to make a new one this does not happen often.

Does it solve the problem or did the bug just not happen that time? How did you confirm this?

Disabling it, means not running any mods whatsoever. I did not see myself or did not see any reports that vanilla game has that bug. Running the test mission with CBA_A3 and ACE3 has the bug every time I lunch it. The bug disappears once ACE3 is disabled.

Made a video demonstration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkBvbSTcAug

[VKing6]

So far I've been unable to replicate your results, either using your mission or placing units myself.

[jokoho48]

i can reproduce and it look like that the damage that done is not aplyed to the unit in the vehicle its aplyed to the vehicle

[nicolasbadano]

Maybe related to this?
https://github.com/acemod/ACE3/blob/master/addons/medical/functions/fnc_handleDamage.sqf#L80-L84

Does changing GVAR(enableVehicleCrashes) to false makes any difference?

[VKing6]

Still can't reproduce it. The closest I've gotten in about 20-30 tests (à 4 units) is one guy who took 5 rounds to incapacitate (with the MX) instead of the usual 1-2.

[bux]

I am able to reproduce this bug.

[commy2]

Me too.

[WadeDP]

Me three.

[shadez95]

I have noticed this while playing ALiVE and rarely happens to me, but it does happen. I didn't think anything of it before and just thought it was arma being arma.

[PabstMirror]

We've experienced this with A3 Technicals as well.

Human gunner shrugging off .50 cal

[SzwedzikPL]

We've experienced this on our last coop mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWFC_YKoodY

[Radeni]

I use a script for spawning units in an AO and 80% of static units are invulnerable(not the gun but the gunner). The only way to kill the gunner is to shoot his gun first adn destroy it which causes him to get out.Once he gets out he becomes vulnerable,at least in my case.

[PabstMirror]

Really odd behaviour from handleDamage.
On a clean game restart, I will always just get something like this when hitting a unit in a static:

22:29:23 HD [B Alpha 1-2:1 (Pabst Mirror (2)),"",5.93981,O Alpha 1-1:1 (Pabst Mirror) REMOTE,"B_762x54_Ball",-1]

Note the extreme damage done (5.94 from a basic 7.62mm to body armor at range). Then after about several mission restart, it starts returning the full hitpoints with sane damage values.

I haven't been able to track the exact conditions that make it start working. But after that magic point, it seems to work 100% of the time.

This is reproduce-able in vanilla (and in 1.56 RC).

[commy2]

What about a clean game restart where you load through all LODs of the static once? (By walking up to the static / zooming in on it)

[nicolasbadano]

LODs

Oh, that's an idea. But that'd imply vanilla may have similar problems.

[commy2]

I had problems before where turned out tank crew was invulnerable when the visual LODs proxy didn't match the FIRE GEO LOD. Maybe this is something related - a visual LOD is used for something, but is not loaded yet.

It's the only explanation I have why restarting the game would reinitiate the problem.

[nicolasbadano]

There's another thing to consider: loaded LODs may be different in client vs server, hence the client might show the bullet hitting (locally, even unit reacting) while the server doesn't register the hit.

[Orakel78]

I did a test on my system with the same mission that malashin provided. And with the same result.

The mission seem to reproduce what I've seen in multiple missions lately.
In the missions played the server definitely registers the hits as my team mate spotting for me was able to see the blood splatter.

The video shows three different tests.

1. Just vanilla.
2. ACE 3 starting at an distance and then closer
3. ACE 3 going close right away.

It seem the distance you are at when starting out has something to do with it when you look at the last two parts.
For the vanilla it doesn't seem to matter.

The mission recreated the issue for me so I'm not sure why VKing6 isn't able to recreate it.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-krGwhQulOY&feature=youtu.be

RPT log file:
Vanilla
http://pastebin.com/MfC7iJ1m

With ACE3
http://pastebin.com/6d1EM7kV

[thojkooi]

@PabstMirror created a ticket on the BI feedback tracker.

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=27801

[MaHuJa]

So, as a community that creates custom missions each week, if we simply display the "vehicles/static weapons we may encounter in the mission" at our starting location, we can avoid this bug?

Am I correct in my assessment that it's not "working" in vanilla, as much as it's failing the other way?
I.e. before it is fully loaded, vanilla will have the shots more lethal than they're supposed to be rather than less lethal with ace?

[PabstMirror]

@MaHuJa Yes!
That was my thought on a workaround; put locked/no-ammo statics and technicals at each side's starting location. Could possibly be scripted with createVehicleLocal.

And you are exactly right, it fails differently in vanilla with the unit taking more damage than they should. Less severe, but still a valid problem.

[PabstMirror]

From killzone kid on fedback tracker:

I just tried to preload object and did the trick
{1 preloadObject _x} foreach allunits
Unfortunately I'm not in a position to tell you if this is a bug or as designed.

[nicolasbadano]

I just tried to preload object and did the trick

Sounds reasonable. Maybe we could add that to static weapons init XEH