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Respawn And Death Lifecycle Atlas

rayswaynl edited this page Jun 2, 2026 · 23 revisions

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 root: Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus.

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"]
Loading

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. Players require empty cargo; OnRespawnHandler.sqf:29-31 can move the player inside if unlocked.
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.

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

Live pieces:

  • 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.

Do not call MASH respawn dead unless specifically talking about team-shared/JIP marker synchronization. The source-backed statement 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.

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.

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 in audited source; team-wide MASH respawn is not proven. Skill_Officer.sqf:26; Client_GetRespawnAvailable.sqf:47-58 Decide whether MASH should be personal, squad/team-shared, or marker-only. If shared, design server-owned registry/JIP replay.
Broken/dead edge MASH marker synchronization is orphaned. Init_Client.sqf:132; MASHMarker.sqf:1-13; receiverMASHmarker.sqf:1-29 Revive with server-held marker records and deletion replay, or delete/comment the dead relay more clearly.
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.

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.

Continue Reading

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

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