Static Defense Manning Reference

Static-Defense Manning Reference

Source-verified 2026-06-21 against master 0139a346. Paths relative to Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/ unless noted. Arma 2 OA 1.64.

This page documents the AI static-defence (emplaced-gun) manning family: the helpers that put — and keep — an AI gunner in a town's M2 / MK19 / Stinger / TOW emplacement, plus the related turret-crewing and turret-rearm helpers that share the same primitives. It threads two layers:

• Lifecycle layer (server): Server_SpawnTownDefense creates the physical emplacement; Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits runs the per-town spawn/remove gunner state machine; Server_ManageTownDefenses is the (re)spawn driver invoked on the GUER recapture path.
• Manning helper layer (common): Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence is the idempotent, HC-aware gunner-creation routine the HC delegation path calls; Common_UseStationaryDefense, Common_SpawnTurrets and Common_SetTurretsMagazines are adjacent crewing/rearm helpers that share CreateUnit / EmptyPositions "gunner" / moveInTurret mechanics.

Naming note: the source spells it Defence in the Common helper filename (British) and Defense in the Server functions (American). Both are correct as cited.

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1. Town-defence gunner lifecycle (server)

1.1 Emplacement creation — Server_SpawnTownDefense (WFBE_SE_FNC_SpawnTownDefense)

Compiled at Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:83. Params [_defense_logic, _side] (Server/Functions/Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:9-11). Picks an emplacement classname and spawns it as a vehicle at the town's defense-logic object.

Step	Behavior	Citation
Read candidate kinds	_kinds = _defense_logic getVariable "wfbe_defense_kind"; exits if empty	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:15,18
Random-kind pick (multi-kind)	Loops: random kind → missionNamespace getVariable Format ["WFBE_%1_Defenses_%2", _side, kind] → random classname from that pool	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:21-28
Learn-and-adapt prune	Kinds whose WFBE_<side>_Defenses_<kind> var is nil are pushed to _nils and ArrayShift-ed out of the candidate list, then permanently removed from the logic via setVariable ["wfbe_defense_kind", ... - _nils]	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:26,36
Single-kind path	Direct default lookup, no pruning loop	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:29-33
Spawn emplacement	createVehicle [_defense, getPos _defense_logic, [], 0, "NONE"], then setDir/setPos to the logic's facing	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:41-43
Killed wiring	addEventHandler ['killed', ... Spawn WFBE_CO_FNC_OnUnitKilled] with the side ID baked into the EH string	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:44
Defender tag	setVariable ["WFBE_IsTownDefenderAI", true, true] (public — the activation scan that must ignore these runs server-side)	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:46
Store handle	_defense_logic setVariable ["wfbe_defense", _entitie] (non-public; the local town object owns the reference)	Server_SpawnTownDefense.sqf:47

Note: this function does not itself contain a GUER side gate — it spawns whatever wfbe_defense_kind resolves to for the passed side. The GUER-only behavior is structural: only the GUER recapture branch ever calls its driver (see 1.3). GUER's own kind list is intentionally sparse, so some GUER towns get fewer statics (Common/Config/Defenses/Defenses_GUE.sqf:21).

1.2 Gunner state machine — Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits (WFBE_SE_FNC_OperateTownDefensesUnits)

Compiled at Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:79. Params [_town, _side, _action] where _action is "spawn" or "remove" (Server/Functions/Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:11-13). This is the manning tri-state: it allocates a pooled gunner group, mans every emplacement in the town, or de-mans and reaps.

Pooled gunner group (group-bloat reduction). Instead of one group per gunner, it uses one group per town per side, stored on the town object:

Concern	Behavior	Citation
Group key	wfbe_gungrp_<sideID>_<idx>, read from the town object	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:27-28
12-unit cap	While the current group has >= 12 units, advance _grpIdx and try the next slot key	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:31-36
Create on miss	New group via [_side, "defense-gunners"] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateGroup, flagged wfbe_persistent so empty-group GC won't reap it mid-life, stored back on the town	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:37-43
Global fallback	If creation fails (cap reached), fall back to WFBE_<side>_DefenseTeam	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:45

"spawn" action — iterates _town getVariable "wfbe_town_defenses" and mans each emplacement whose wfbe_defense exists and whose gunner is null/dead (:48-54):

Branch	Behavior	Citation
HC delegation (WFBE_C_AI_DELEGATION == 2)	Pushes spawn position + WFBE_<side>SOLDIER template, and only if WFBE_HEADLESSCLIENTS_ID is non-empty calls WFBE_CO_FNC_DelegateAIStaticDefenceHeadless with the per-town group as _team; sets _use_server = false	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:55-67
Server fallback	WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateUnit of the WFBE_<side>SOLDIER template into the pooled group, tag WFBE_IsTownDefenderAI, assignAsGunner + orderGetIn + moveInGunner (per-gunner RevealArea 175 m was dropped in B5)	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:72-88
Operator tracking	_x setVariable ["wfbe_defense_operator", _unit] — records the original server-side gunner for later cleanup	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:83
Anti-lag stagger	sleep 0.5 between emplacements so a town doesn't spawn all gunners in one frame	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:91
Area reveal	After the loop, [_team, range, _town] Call RevealArea if the town has any defenses	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:95-97

"remove" action — de-mans and reaps (:101-138):

Step	Behavior	Citation
De-man current gunner	For each defense, if gunner _defense is non-null and alive, delete it only if its group has no wfbe_funds var (i.e. it is not a player-owned/funded squad). Dead gunners are deleted unconditionally	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:106-114
Delete original operator	If a tracked wfbe_defense_operator is still alive, deleteVehicle it and clear the var	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:116-119
Reap pooled groups	Walk every wfbe_gungrp_<sideID>_<idx>, clear wfbe_persistent to false and null the town's reference so the now-empty groups are collected by the empty-group GC	Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf:122-138

1.3 (Re)spawn driver — Server_ManageTownDefenses (WFBE_SE_FNC_ManageTownDefenses)

Compiled at Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:77. Params [_town, _side, _sideID_old] (Server/Functions/Server_ManageTownDefenses.sqf:10-12). For each entry in wfbe_town_defenses, decides whether the emplacement needs (re)spawning and calls SpawnTownDefense:

Condition	Action	Citation
wfbe_defense is nil	Spawn	Server_ManageTownDefenses.sqf:19-20
Emplacement dead, or side changed (_sideID_old != _sideID)	deleteVehicle the old one, then spawn	Server_ManageTownDefenses.sqf:22-25
Spawn needed	[_x, _side] Call WFBE_SE_FNC_SpawnTownDefense	Server_ManageTownDefenses.sqf:28-30

Call sites / GUER gate. ManageTownDefenses is invoked from Common/Init/Init_Town.sqf:138 (initial town setup) and from the town-capture FSM at Server/FSM/server_town.sqf:288. Per the comment at server_town.sqf:297, recapture re-spawns statics via ManageTownDefenses on the GUER path only — the WEST/EAST path never calls it, and capturing a GUER town as WEST/EAST deletes the GUER-era emplacements (server_town.sqf:295-304). OperateTownDefensesUnits is then called for "spawn"/"remove" from server_town.sqf:271,290 and server_town_ai.sqf:262,318.

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2. Idempotent HC-aware manning — Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence

WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateUnitForStaticDefence, compiled at Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf:114. Params [_side, _groups, _positions, _team, _defence, _moveInGunner]; returns [_teams] (the array of groups it touched) (Common/Functions/Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:14-19,205). This is the routine the HC delegation path funnels through (called from Client/Functions/Client_DelegateAIStaticDefence.sqf:30, which is the handler the HC runs after the server's WFBE_CO_FNC_DelegateAIStaticDefenceHeadless (Server/Functions/Server_DelegateAIStaticDefenceHeadless.sqf) dispatches the delegation via SendToClient). The server "spawn" path uses raw CreateUnit instead (see 1.2) — this helper is for the headless-client side.

2.1 Idempotency guards (early exits)

These run before any unit is created; each returns [_teams] (empty) so a duplicate request is a no-op:

Guard	Condition	Citation
Null defence	isNull _defence → warn + bail	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:28-31
Already crewed	!isNull (gunner _defence) → skip duplicate	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:33-36
Assigned unit alive	WFBE_StaticDefenseAssignedUnit var holds a live unit → re-issue allowGetIn/assignAsGunner/orderGetIn (+ moveInGunner if requested) and bail	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:38-50
Stale assigned unit	Assigned unit exists but dead → clear the var to objNull (public) and fall through	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:40-42
Manning in progress	WFBE_StaticDefenseManningInProgress is true → another call is already manning this gun; bail	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:52-57
Claim the lock	Set WFBE_StaticDefenseManningInProgress = true (public) before the work loop; reset to false at the end	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:58,194

Per-defence state vars (all stored on the _defence object, all broadcast public): WFBE_StaticDefenseAssignedUnit (current gunner), WFBE_StaticDefenseManningInProgress (lock), WFBE_StaticDefenseSettled (set once the gunner is confirmed in the gun, :155).

2.2 HC group-bridging (12-unit cap)

Because the delegated _team is a server-owned group (non-local on the HC), the HC cannot add units to it directly. The helper bridges to a machine-local counterpart keyed on the server group (Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:68-115):

Step	Behavior	Citation
Non-local test	!(isNull _serverTeam) && {count units _serverTeam == 0} && {!isServer} — A2 note: local on a group throws, so !isServer is the trap-free "non-local group" test	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:75-78
Lookup bridge	_serverTeam getVariable "wfbe_hc_local_grp" (machine-local, never broadcast)	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:81-82
Overflow walk	While the bridged group has >= 12 units, walk suffixed keys wfbe_hc_local_grp1, wfbe_hc_local_grp2, …	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:84-90
Create + bridge	New defense-gunners group, flag wfbe_persistent, store under the base or suffixed key	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:91-103
Standard path	On the server / for a passed local group: create the group if empty, or if the existing leader is non-local fall back to a fresh local group	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:105-114

2.3 Unit creation + the two watchdog Spawns

Per template in _groups, the unit is created via WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateUnit (:120), recorded into WFBE_StaticDefenseAssignedUnit (:127), pushed into _teams, then assigned (allowGetIn/assignAsGunner/orderGetIn, :134-136). Manning then forks on _moveInGunner, and each branch arms a watchdog Spawn to defeat the "AI walks to the gun but never mounts" stall:

Branch	Watchdog	Citation
_moveInGunner == true (instant)	moveInGunner immediately, then a Spawn that after sleep 1 retries the full assign+setPosATL+moveInGunner if gunner _defence != _unit; once seated, disableAI "MOVE" and set WFBE_StaticDefenseSettled	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:138-157
_moveInGunner == false (walk-in)	A Spawn with a 90 s deadline that waitUntil (5 s poll) the unit boards/dies/the gun dies; if still empty, force assignAsGunner → sleep 10 → moveInGunner and log a warning	Common_CreateUnitForStaticDefence.sqf:158-180

Tail: RevealArea 175 m on the gunner's group (:186), allowFleeing 0 (:187), UpdateStatistics 'UnitsCreated' if any built (:192), release the manning lock (:194), and an optional PerformanceAudit_Record scope (:198-203). Diagnostic TOWN_DEFENSE_DIAG log lines are gated on TownDefenseDiagnosticsEnabled (:26,129-131,182-184).

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3. Adjacent crewing / rearm helpers

3.1 Common_UseStationaryDefense (UseStationaryDefense)

Compiled at Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf:87. Params [_units, _range] (Common/Functions/Common_UseStationaryDefense.sqf:3-4). Sends a list of loose AI to man nearby empty emplacements:

Step	Behavior	Citation
Resolve defense whitelist	WFBE_%1DEFENSENAMES for side leader group (_units select 0)	Common_UseStationaryDefense.sqf:9
Scan nearby	nearEntities [_defenseTypes, _range] from the units' leader	Common_UseStationaryDefense.sqf:10
Empty-gunner filter	Keep only entities with EmptyPositions "gunner" > 0	Common_UseStationaryDefense.sqf:14
Assign	For each on-foot, alive unit, allowGetIn true + assignAsGunner the last empty defense, then remove it from the pool	Common_UseStationaryDefense.sqf:24-30

Status — orphan/dead in this build. UseStationaryDefense is compiled but has no call site anywhere in source (verified: the only UseStationaryDefense hit outside the function body is the compile line, Init_Common.sqf:87). The live town-defence path mans guns through sections 1–2 above, not through this helper.

WFBE_%1DEFENSENAMES is the full per-side structure whitelist (statics + buildings + ammo boxes), built and registered per faction at the bottom of each Common/Config/Core_Structures/Structures_*.sqf (e.g. Structures_USMC.sqf:200, Structures_RU.sqf:201, Structures_GUE.sqf:167; Structures_CDF.sqf:170). It is not an emplaced-gun-only list — the EmptyPositions "gunner" filter is what narrows it to manned statics here. It is also consumed by base-area scans (Server/FSM/basearea.sqf:12), the CoIn interface (Client/Module/CoIn/coin_interface.sqf:245,665,708), and defense purchase validation (Server/PVFunctions/RequestDefense.sqf:11,154,199).

3.2 Common_SpawnTurrets (SpawnTurrets)

Compiled at Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf:84. Params [_turrets, _path, _vehicle, _crew, _team] (Common/Functions/Common_SpawnTurrets.sqf:2-6). Recursively crews a vehicle's turret tree:

Step	Behavior	Citation
Walk turret pairs	while {_i < count _turrets}, stepping _i += 2 (index, then sub-turret array)	Common_SpawnTurrets.sqf:9,21
Fill empty turret	If _vehicle turretUnit _thisTurret is null, CreateUnit a crewman and moveInTurret [_vehicle, _thisTurret]	Common_SpawnTurrets.sqf:14-16
Recurse	[_turrets select (_i+1), _thisTurret, _vehicle, _crew, _team] call SpawnTurrets to descend into sub-turrets	Common_SpawnTurrets.sqf:20

3.3 Common_SetTurretsMagazines (WFBE_CO_FNC_SetTurretsMagazines)

Compiled at Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf:160 — vanilla-gated: only compiled when !WF_A2_Vanilla, otherwise set to an empty code block {}. Params [_vehicle, _turretsData] (Common/Functions/Common_SetTurretsMagazines.sqf:10-11). For each turret data row, addMagazineTurret [_mag, _turretPath] for every magazine in the row (:13-16); returns true. Sole caller: Common_RearmVehicleOA.sqf:13, which feeds it the output of WFBE_CO_FNC_GetVehicleTurretsGear after clearing the vehicle's ammo.

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Continue Reading

• Defense-Structures-Catalog — the emplacement classnames and per-faction WFBE_<side>_Defenses_<kind> pools these functions draw from
• Spawn-Primitive-Function-Reference — WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateUnit / CreateGroup primitives every manning path builds on
• Headless-Delegation-And-Failover-Playbook — the HC delegation path (DelegateAIStaticDefenceHeadless) and group-bridging context
• Town-AI-Group-Composition-Catalog — the garrison infantry/vehicle group templates that coexist with these static gunners
• Vehicle-Equip-And-Rearm-Function-Reference — Common_RearmVehicleOA, the caller of SetTurretsMagazines