Respawn And Death Lifecycle Atlas

Respawn And Death Lifecycle Atlas

This page maps player death, custom respawn selection, gear restoration, MASH/mobile/camp spawn options and AI respawn. It also separates live respawn behavior from the dead MASH marker relay.

Source Scope

Source-refreshed 2026-06-14 on docs head a640e722; targeted diffs from 1f0b9018 through HEAD over checked Chernarus and maintained Vanilla respawn, MASH, skill, camp/threeway and AI-respawn paths returned no source changes at that checkpoint. MASH branch scope was refreshed again 2026-06-22 on docs/source HEAD@2b5139219faa: checked maintained-root MASH deploy, marker relay, init and respawn-availability paths are unchanged from db3015f18ea3. Docs/perf/Miksuu-shaped roots still keep the old deploy/relay shape, while current stable origin/master@0139a3468609, historical a96fdda28087 and current B69 origin/claude/b69@8d465fcede7f remove the maintained-root deploy/module path. Older B69 proof refs 0a1ccb4d05c5 and finalpieces 80d3267c1b2b remain provenance; diffs from both to current B69 touched Init_Client.sqf but had no MASH-related hunks. Paths below are relative to source root Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus unless a maintained-root or branch note says otherwise; use the MASH matrix below for branch-sensitive deploy/marker claims.

Why This Matters

Respawn touches client UI, action-menu recovery, skill reapply, gear economics, camp ownership, MASH/officer skills, mobile ambulances, AI team continuity, kill scoring and HQ/MHQ state. Small changes here can break player action menus after death, make gear penalties unfair, multiply kill scoring, or accidentally turn a local respawn feature into a networked authority surface.

Engine And Mission Shell

Area	Evidence	Meaning
Engine respawn mode	Rsc/Header.hpp:3-6 sets respawn = 3, respawnDelay = WF_RESPAWNDELAY and respawnDialog = false.	The mission suppresses the default engine dialog and implements its own death camera + respawn menu.
Player death handler compile	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:111,127 compiles WFBE_CL_FNC_OnKilled and WFBE_CL_FNC_UI_Respawn_Selector.	Player death and respawn marker animation are local client functions.
Initial client placement	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:471-488 chooses the newest base factory/HQ fallback and places the joining client near it.	First spawn is not the same path as post-death respawn menu selection.
Player killed EH rebind	Client/Functions/Client_OnKilled.sqf:77-89 adds a new Killed EH to the fresh player object and calls PreRespawnHandler.	Death clears EH/action state on the old unit, so rebind/reapply is a core lifecycle step.
AI respawn EH	Server/AI/AI_AddMultiplayerRespawnEH.sqf:1 attaches MPRespawn handling for non-player leaders.	AI leader respawn is server-side and separate from the player menu.

Player Flow

flowchart TD
    Killed["Player Killed EH"] --> OnKilled["Client_OnKilled.sqf"]
    OnKilled --> Cleanup["Remove old actions, close dialogs, save death position"]
    Cleanup --> WaitAlive["waitUntil alive player"]
    WaitAlive --> TeamLeader["RequestSpecial update-teamleader"]
    TeamLeader --> Rebind["Re-add Killed EH"]
    Rebind --> PreRespawn["PreRespawnHandler"]
    PreRespawn --> Menu["WFBE_RespawnMenu"]
    Menu --> Available["Client_GetRespawnAvailable"]
    Available --> Select["Map click / closest spawn"]
    Select --> OnRespawn["OnRespawnHandler"]
    OnRespawn --> Gear["Move player, apply gear/default penalty"]

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Death Handler Responsibilities

Client_OnKilled.sqf removes stale action IDs from the dead body (:25-45), closes active dialogs (:49-52), records WFBE_DeathLocation (:54), fades out (:57-58), waits for the engine to create the new player object (:60), updates the server-side team leader via RequestSpecial (:63-64), ensures local group leadership (:67-72), binds the new Killed EH (:77-84), calls PreRespawnHandler (:87-89), starts the death camera (:92-150) and opens WFBE_RespawnMenu (:155-156).

Client_PreRespawnHandler.sqf is the action/skill recovery hook. It reapplies the skill effect (:5), restarts updateactions.fsm (:6), re-adds the WF menu and player-AI actions (:8-10), re-runs WASP death/action glue (:11), recompiles RPG drop support (:12) and adds the Fired/HandleDamage hooks (:13,32). This is why the current source-only skill idempotency fix still needs respawn smoke: Skill_Init.sqf should run once, but WFBE_SK_FNC_Apply must still run after death.

Respawn Menu Responsibilities

GUI_RespawnMenu.sqf owns the custom UI loop. It focuses the map on death position (:5-7), starts or reuses WFBE_RespawnTime from WFBE_C_RESPAWN_DELAY (:12-23), refreshes available spawn locations once per second (:43-49), creates/deletes local spawn markers (:55-87), updates the countdown and selected label (:89-101), lets map clicks choose the nearest spawn within 500 meters (:103-110) and calls OnRespawnHandler after the timer (:130-156). The selector animation loop lives in Client_UI_Respawn_Selector.sqf:14-35 and sleeps every 0.03 seconds while a selected target exists.

Spawn Sources

Source	Player availability	AI availability	Notes
HQ/base factories	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:7-31 starts with HQ and adds Barracks/Light/Heavy/Air factories.	AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:77-104 and AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:65-90 fall back to HQ or closest structure.	Dead HQ is removed if another base spawn exists.
Mobile ambulance class list	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:32-45 scans WFBE_%1AMBULANCES near death location using upgraded range.	AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:44-53; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:43-51.	Player preview requires free cargo; final placement also requires alive/unlocked vehicle state in OnRespawnHandler.sqf:27-33.
Officer MASH/FARP	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:47-58 reads local WFBE_Client_Logic getVariable "wfbe_mash" and range-checks it.	No equivalent AI MASH path found in audited AI respawn scripts.	Live for the local deploying client; team-shared MASH respawn is not proven by source.
Squad leader	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:60-65 allows leader respawn if enabled and close to death location.	AI uses team wfbe_respawn object/string state instead.	WFBE_C_RESPAWN_LEADER == 2 forces default gear when chosen.
Threeway defender towns	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:67-76; Common_GetRespawnThreeway.sqf:6-8.	Not seen in AI respawn scripts except via camps.	Defender can respawn in fully-held side towns in threeway mode.
Camps	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:78-81; Common_GetRespawnCamps.sqf:11-94.	AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:37-40; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:36-39.	Modes: classic, nearby camps, defender-only; optional hostile safe-radius rules.

Mini-scout follow-up 2026-06-04 confirmed two practical spawn-table caveats:

• Service Point and Command Center base respawns are explicitly commented out in Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:23-26; the live base set is HQ plus Barracks/Light/Heavy/Air factories.
• Mobile respawn is conditional, not just object-based: Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:33-45 requires an ambulance-class vehicle inside the upgrade-gated range and with free cargo space before it enters the candidate list. The actual respawn handler then rechecks alive/unlocked state before moving the player into cargo (Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf:27-33), so a vehicle can appear in the menu and fail the stricter final placement if it dies or becomes locked before the countdown ends. Camp availability has its own hostile-safe filtering in Common_GetRespawnCamps.sqf:11-94.
• Threeway defender town respawn inherits the camp-count fallback. Common_GetTotalCamps.sqf:9-12 and Common_GetTotalCampsOnSide.sqf:15-22 both return 1 when a town has zero camps, and Common_GetRespawnThreeway.sqf:6-8 treats equality as "all camps owned." Because Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:67-75 appends that result directly, a side-owned zero-camp town can become a respawn source unless an owner confirms that the 1 fallback is intended for this caller.

No revive framework is wired in the audited source. The 2026-06-04 respawn scout found no mission-script revive/reviving/revived path under source Chernarus, and the live architecture is kill event, custom death camera, respawn menu, then Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf. Do not document MASH as a revive feature; it is a respawn candidate source with a dead marker-sharing edge.

Gear And Penalty Rules

Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf moves the player to the chosen spawn and applies custom or default gear. It forces default gear for mobile, MASH or leader respawn when the corresponding parameter equals 2 (:11-24). Mobile respawn can put the player into the vehicle if cargo is free and it is unlocked (:26-33).

Custom gear is reused from wfbe_custom_gear when WFBE_RespawnDefaultGear is false and the selected spawn allows custom gear (:35-79). Penalty mode is WFBE_C_RESPAWN_PENALTY:

• 0: no custom-gear charge.
• 2: full custom gear price.
• 3: half price.
• 4: quarter price.
• 5: intended as charge-on-mobile only.

Patch-ready edge: in mode 5, _charge becomes false for base/HQ structures (Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf:54-59), but _skip is still set when _funds < _price (:61-70). That means an unpaid base respawn can still lose custom gear if the player cannot afford the theoretical price. A future patch should gate the skip on _charge too, or explicitly define mode 5 as "custom gear requires affordability everywhere but only charges on mobile" if that was intended.

Default gear is class-specific by skill type (Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf:81-106): Spotter, Officer, Soldier, Engineer, SpecOps and Medic each map to a side-specific default gear variable.

Parameters And Defaults

Rsc/Parameters.hpp:399-447 exposes the live admin parameters:

Parameter	Mission parameter default	Fallback if nil	Notes
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_CAMPS_MODE	1	2 at Init_CommonConstants.sqf:275	Parameter wins in normal mission launch; fallback protects older/missing params.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_CAMPS_RULE_MODE	1	2 at :277	Hostile safe-radius policy.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_DELAY	30	10 at :278	Player UI and AI waits read this.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_LEADER	0	2 at :279	2 means enabled with default gear.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_MASH	1	1 at :280	Enables officer MASH action and MASH spawn option.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_MOBILE	1	2 at :281	2 means enabled with default gear.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_PENALTY	0	4 at :282	Parameter default disables penalty; fallback quarters custom gear price.
WFBE_C_RESPAWN_CAMPS_RANGE	400	550 at :276	Camp scan/range behavior.

MASH Split: Live Respawn, Dead Marker Relay

Canonical statement for docs/Miksuu/perf-shaped roots: local officer MASH respawn is source-supported; shared/JIP-safe MASH marker synchronization is orphaned in maintained roots. Current stable origin/master@0139a3468609, historical a96fdda28087 and current B69 origin/claude/b69@8d465fce are different: they remove the maintained-root MASH deploy/module path while leaving some config/classname residues. Older B69 refs 0a1ccb4d05c5 and 80d3267c1b2b are provenance for the same removal shape, not current-head proof. No Arma runtime smoke was run for this docs pass, so describe source paths as source-supported or source-removed rather than runtime-proven.

Live pieces on docs/Miksuu/perf-shaped roots:

• Officer action is added only when WFBE_C_RESPAWN_MASH > 0 in Client/Module/Skill/Skill_Apply.sqf:42-55.
• Deployment creates the side FARP/MASH type near the player and stores it as WFBE_Client_Logic variable wfbe_mash in Client/Module/Skill/Skill_Officer.sqf:7-29.
• The respawn menu reads that local wfbe_mash object in Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:47-58.
• Undeploy deletes the tent and resets cooldown in Client/Module/Skill/Actions/Officer_Undeploy_MASH.sqf:19-21.

Dead/broken marker edge:

• Server PVEH listens for WFBE_CL_MASH_MARKER_CREATED in Server/Module/MASH/MASHMarker.sqf:1-13.
• Client receiver for WFBE_SE_MASH_MARKER_SENT exists in Client/Module/MASH/receiverMASHmarker.sqf:1-29, but its compile line is commented in Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:132.
• No live deploy path was found broadcasting WFBE_CL_MASH_MARKER_CREATED.
• Branch recheck on 2026-06-22 found the orphaned marker shape in docs/source HEAD@2b5139219faa (unchanged from db3015f18ea3 for checked MASH paths), Miksuu b8389e748243 and origin/perf/quick-wins@0076040f8a5e maintained roots. Current stable origin/master@0139a3468609, historical a96fdda28087 and current B69 origin/claude/b69@8d465fcede7f have no maintained-root Client/Module/MASH or Server/Module/MASH tree entries and no MASH init hooks in the checked maintained roots; all keep a Skill_Apply.sqf:43 comment that the deploy ability was removed plus config/classname residues. The B69 deltas 0a1ccb4d05c5..8d465fce and 80d3267c1b2b..8d465fce touched Init_Client.sqf but contained no MASH-related hunks.

Scope	Local MASH respawn	Shared marker relay	Development meaning
Docs/source HEAD@2b5139219faa Chernarus and maintained Vanilla, unchanged from db3015f18ea3 for checked MASH paths	Source-supported: deploy stores local wfbe_mash; respawn availability reads it.	Orphaned: active server receiver, commented client receiver compile, no maintained deploy sender.	Decide personal/squad/team semantics before changing code.
Miksuu b8389e748243	Same source-supported local path.	Same orphaned relay.	Upstream does not prove team-shared MASH behavior.
origin/perf/quick-wins@0076040f8a5e	Same source-supported local path in Chernarus and maintained Vanilla.	Same orphaned relay.	Perf branch does not close MASH marker sharing.
Current stable origin/master@0139a3468609, historical a96fdda28087 and current B69 origin/claude/b69@8d465fce	MASH deploy/module path removed in maintained roots; class/config residues still mention MASH. Older B69 refs 0a1ccb4d05c5 and 80d3267c1b2b remain provenance for the same shape.	No maintained-root MASH module relay path found.	Treat MASH revival/removal decisions as branch-sensitive; do not port docs/Miksuu marker conclusions blindly.
Modded eden / lingor	Not maintained proof.	Sender-only drift: modded deploy sends WFBE_CL_MASH_MARKER_CREATED, but maintained clients still do not compile the receiver.	Use only as archaeology if reviving; do not cite as working maintained behavior.

Do not call MASH respawn dead on docs/Miksuu/perf-shaped roots unless specifically talking about team-shared/JIP marker synchronization. The source-backed statement there is: local officer MASH respawn exists; MASH marker sharing is dead/orphaned; team-wide MASH respawn is not proven. Deployment stores wfbe_mash on WFBE_Client_Logic, and respawn availability reads that same local variable, while the server only seeds the value to objNull. On current-stable/current-B69-shaped roots, the maintained-root deploy/module path is source-removed, so use the exact branch matrix above.

Service Points Are Support Nodes

Service points are not active respawn nodes in the old-shape audited Chernarus source. Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:23-26 still has commented command-center and service-point candidate code, but the live respawn list there continues through HQ/base, mobile ambulance, local MASH, leader, threeway and camp candidates. Keep service-point behavior in the service/EASA support lane unless an owner deliberately revives service-point respawn and smokes the UI, JIP and default-gear rules.

AI Respawn

There are two audited AI leader paths:

• AI_AddMultiplayerRespawnEH.sqf:1 adds an MPRespawn handler that calls AIAdvancedRespawn for non-player units on the server.
• AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:14-111 runs a loop watching non-player team leaders, waits for death/alive transitions, then handles respawn.

Both server AI paths:

1. Rebind Killed scoring EHs (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:24-30; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:26-30).
2. Collect camp and mobile candidates unless forced respawn is set (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:34-53; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:33-51).
3. Wait WFBE_C_RESPAWN_DELAY (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:55-63; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:53).
4. Re-equip from side AI loadout variables keyed by upgrade level (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:67-76; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:55-64).
5. Choose stored team respawn object, HQ/closest structure fallback or random available camp/mobile candidate (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:80-115; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:68-100).
6. Reset non-autonomous movement orders after respawn (AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:117-125; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:102-110).

Team respawn state is group setVariable ["wfbe_respawn", _respawn, true] via Common_SetTeamRespawn.sqf:1-8; groups are initialized with blank respawn in Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:474-483.

AI loadout tier note: both AI respawn paths currently read _upgrades select 13, which matches WFBE_UP_GEAR = 13 in Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:50. Future cleanup should use the named constant, clamp the selected tier to available WFBE_%SIDE_AI_Loadout_0..3 arrays and guard empty arrays before random count.

There are two distinct AI leader respawn implementations. AI_AddMultiplayerRespawnEH.sqf:1 routes non-player MPRespawn events to AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf, while AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:14-111 runs a loop for non-player team leaders. Treat this as parity-sensitive when changing camp/mobile/HQ fallback rules.

Kill Scoring And Cleanup

The player Killed EH sends the common kill report path through WFBE_CO_FNC_OnUnitKilled (Client_OnKilled.sqf:77-84; Common_OnUnitKilled.sqf:8-14). The server handler RequestOnUnitKilled.sqf resolves last-hit fallback for suicide/null killer cases (:16-23), logs the death (:25), exits if the killer is not alive (:27), schedules trash cleanup (:50-55), updates side casualties/vehicles lost (:57-59), awards score/bounty for enemy kills (:63-101) and sends teamkill notices for player-led friendly kills (:103-109).

Known adjacent hazard: HQ death has its own redundant client EH/JIP path and idempotency issue documented in Deep-review findings DR-20 and Server runtime. Do not mix ordinary unit kill scoring with HQ-killed processing.

Known Risks And Patch-Ready Items

Status	Item	Evidence	Next action
Patch-ready	Respawn penalty mode 5 can skip custom gear on base/HQ respawn when player lacks funds, even though _charge is false.	Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf:54-70	Patch _skip to respect _charge, or document owner-confirmed intended semantics. Smoke custom gear at base and mobile under sufficient/insufficient funds.
Owner decision	MASH is local to the deployer on old-shape audited roots; team-wide MASH respawn is not proven.	MASH split owns the deploy/read anchors and branch matrix.	Decide whether MASH should be personal, squad/team-shared, marker-only, or remain removed on current-stable/current-B69-shaped targets. If shared, design server-owned registry and explicit JIP resend/pull.
Broken/dead edge	MASH marker synchronization is orphaned on docs/Miksuu/perf-shaped maintained roots; current stable/current-B69-shaped roots have no maintained-root MASH module relay path after removing the deploy ability.	MASH split owns the receiver/server-listener anchors and current-stable/current-B69 removal note.	Revive with server-held marker records and JIP resend on old-shape targets, or finish removal/cleanup deliberately on the target branch.
Smoke pending	Source-only skill idempotency patch depends on respawn reapply still working.	Client_PreRespawnHandler.sqf:5; Client skill init idempotency	Smoke Soldier/non-Soldier cap and post-respawn skill actions after LoadoutManager propagation.
Review target	Respawn UI loop sleeps 0.01 and selector sleeps 0.03.	GUI_RespawnMenu.sqf:113; Client_UI_Respawn_Selector.sqf:19-35	Keep as bounded death-screen-only UI work; if optimizing, preserve marker responsiveness and cleanup.
Cleanup target	AI respawn loadout tier uses a literal gear-upgrade index and assumes a non-empty loadout array.	AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:68; AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:56; Init_CommonConstants.sqf:50	Replace literal 13 with WFBE_UP_GEAR, clamp/bounds-check tier selection and smoke Vanilla plus non-Vanilla AI leader respawn.
Patch-ready	Player respawn can stack HandleAT Fired handlers on a persistent vehicle.	Init_Client.sqf:18,266; Client_PreRespawnHandler.sqf:13	Store/remove handler IDs or guard attachment per vehicle/player lifecycle, then smoke death while in/on the same vehicle and ordinary infantry respawn.
Review target	Threeway defender respawn can include zero-camp towns because total-camp helpers return 1 for empty camp arrays.	Common_GetTotalCamps.sqf:9-12; Common_GetTotalCampsOnSide.sqf:15-22; Common_GetRespawnThreeway.sqf:6-8; Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:67-75	Split safe-denominator helpers from real respawn eligibility, or explicitly exclude zero-camp towns in GetRespawnThreeway; smoke threeway defender towns with 0/partial/all camps.
UI mismatch	Mobile ambulance preview checks cargo space, while final placement also requires alive and unlocked state.	Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:33-45; Client_OnRespawnHandler.sqf:27-33; GUI_RespawnMenu.sqf:43-49,130-156	Decide whether the menu should filter dead/locked vehicles too, or show the option but fall back cleanly if the vehicle changes state during the countdown.

Validation Checklist

• Player dies, old WF menu/action IDs are removed from corpse, and the menu returns on the new unit.
• Respawn menu opens, countdown runs, map click selects nearest spawn within 500 meters, and markers clean up after spawn.
• Base/factory, camp, mobile, leader and MASH spawn options appear only under their parameter/range/ownership rules.
• Custom/default gear behavior matches WFBE_C_RESPAWN_PENALTY, WFBE_C_RESPAWN_* == 2, and player funds.
• Officer deploys MASH, can respawn at own MASH within upgraded range, can undeploy it, and does not get misleading shared markers unless the marker feature is intentionally revived.
• AI team leaders respawn after configured delay, re-equip, pick sane camp/mobile/base fallback, and reset orders when not autonomous.

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Related: Feature status | Abandoned feature revival | WASP overlay | Testing workflow