Town Capture Garrison And Airfield Rebuild

Town-Capture Garrison And Airfield Rebuild

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

When a town flips owner, server_town.sqf does far more than recolor a marker. Inside the single if(_captured) block (Server/FSM/server_town.sqf:203, after TownCaptured is dispatched) it tears down the old garrison, re-seeds the new owner's defenses on three different paths, spawns a one-shot mop-up squad, and — at airfield towns — rebuilds the entire service/hangar/counter-battery stack for the new side. Towns, Camps And Capture Atlas caps its server_town.sqf coverage at the capture-detection / SV loop (:12-276) and stops its capture-branch summary at "removes old town defense units and creates new defenses if enabled"; this page documents the post-capture follow-through (:251-575) that the atlas omits.

All of these side-effects run after _newSID (numeric) and _newSide (the SIDE value) are resolved at server_town.sqf:181-182, with _side holding the old owner. Because WFBE_DEFENDER = resistance (Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf:296), the test _newSide == WFBE_DEFENDER (server_town.sqf:277) reads as "resistance just captured this town".

Capture Follow-Through Map

Stage	Lines	What fires
FM-5 active-flag clear	server_town.sqf:251-258	Clears wfbe_active / wfbe_active_air / wfbe_episode_spawned so the new owner can re-garrison immediately
Defender linger	server_town.sqf:260-273	Old gunners keep fighting WFBE_C_TOWNS_DEFENDER_LINGER s, then a fire-time-guarded cleanup deletes them
Resistance garrison (new owner = GUER)	server_town.sqf:277-293	Delayed ManageTownDefenses + optional OperateTownDefensesUnits spawn
Anti-turtle GUER-static deletion	server_town.sqf:295-303	WEST/EAST captor strips inherited GUER emplacements
Lazy garrison + mop-up squad (new owner = WEST/EAST)	server_town.sqf:305-398	T+60 s single squad, auto-despawn on 2 clear scans
Airfield rebuild	server_town.sqf:401-572	Garrison despawn, ServicePoint, hangar, CBR for the new side

FM-5: Clear The Old Garrison's Active Flags

Immediately after the TownCaptured broadcast and the SetCampsToSide spawn, the branch resets the town's activation latches (server_town.sqf:253-256):

• wfbe_active -> false
• wfbe_active_air -> false
• wfbe_episode_spawned -> false

The header comment (server_town.sqf:251-252) states the intent: without this, the new owner would face an up-to-WFBE_C_TOWNS_UNITS_INACTIVE undefended window on a rapid recapture, because the activation FSM in server_town_ai.sqf would still think the town is active and skip re-spawning. Clearing wfbe_episode_spawned also releases the episode latch so the new owner's first activation episode is not blocked.

Task 32: Defender Linger Window

The old garrison is not deleted instantly. A detached spawn thread (server_town.sqf:262-273) holds the previous-owner gunners in place for a configurable linger window so a recapture feels like a fight rather than an instant vacuum.

Element	Detail	Line
Linger duration	sleep (WFBE_C_TOWNS_DEFENDER_LINGER), default 180 s	server_town.sqf:267
Fire-time ownership guard	Cleanup only if _loc getVariable "sideID" == _newSIDAtCapture (the captor still holds it)	server_town.sqf:269
Delete lingering units	deleteVehicle every alive unit of WFBE_<oldSide>_DefenseTeam	server_town.sqf:270
De-man emplacements	[_loc, _oldSide, "remove"] Call WFBE_SE_FNC_OperateTownDefensesUnits	server_town.sqf:271

The guard at :269 is the key safety property: the _newSIDAtCapture snapshot is captured at fire time, so if the town flips back to the old owner during the linger window, the cleanup aborts and the old defenders are kept. The "remove" action hands off to the manning state machine documented in Static-Defense Manning Reference (Server_OperateTownDefensesUnits.sqf), which de-mans and reaps the pooled gunner groups.

The Three Garrison Re-Seed Paths

After the linger thread is launched, the branch forks on who captured the town (server_town.sqf:277). The FINAL spec (2026-06-12) splits resistance recapture from owned-town occupation.

Path A — Resistance recaptured (new owner = GUER)

Gated on _town_defender_enabled (WFBE_C_TOWNS_DEFENDER > 0, resolved at server_town.sqf:24, default 2). A delayed spawn thread (server_town.sqf:280-292):

1. sleeps WFBE_C_TOWNS_DEFENSE_SPAWN_DELAY (default 300 s, server_town.sqf:286);
2. aborts if the town flipped away from _newSIDAtCapture during the delay (server_town.sqf:287);
3. calls WFBE_SE_FNC_ManageTownDefenses to (re)spawn the GUER emplacements (server_town.sqf:288);
4. if WFBE_C_TOWNS_GUNNERS_ON_CAPTURE (default true, server_town.sqf:289), mans them immediately via OperateTownDefensesUnits "spawn" (server_town.sqf:290).

This is the only capture path that calls ManageTownDefenses — which is why Static-Defense Manning Reference notes the (re)spawn driver is "invoked on the GUER recapture path". The WEST/EAST occupation path (below) never calls it, so it never inherits static emplacements.

Path B — Anti-turtle: WEST/EAST stripping inherited GUER statics

When a WEST or EAST side captures a town whose old owner was GUER (_sideID == WFBE_C_GUER_ID, server_town.sqf:298), the branch deletes every GUER-era emplacement (server_town.sqf:299-303):

{ private "_def"; _def = _x getVariable "wfbe_defense";
  if (!isNil "_def" && {!isNull _def}) then {deleteVehicle _def};
  _x setVariable ["wfbe_defense", nil];
} forEach (_location getVariable ["wfbe_town_defenses", []]);

The B36 comment (server_town.sqf:295-297) explains: the captor must not be able to turtle behind inherited GUER emplacements. GUER keeps its statics because a GUER recapture re-spawns them via Path A's ManageTownDefenses, whereas the WEST/EAST occupation path deliberately never calls that driver.

Path C — Owned-town lazy garrison + mop-up squad (new owner = WEST/EAST)

Gated on _town_occupation_enabled (WFBE_C_TOWNS_OCCUPATION > 0, resolved at server_town.sqf:25, default 2). A WEST/EAST captor does not get a full garrison on capture; it gets one small squad whose only job is mop-up. Full defenses spawn later only when an enemy enters the radius (handled in server_town_ai.sqf, per the FINAL-spec comment at server_town.sqf:308).

The mop-up spawn thread (server_town.sqf:310-397):

Step	Detail	Line
T+60 s arm	sleep 60; abort with a log if the town flipped before the timer	server_town.sqf:319-322
Template pick	Squad_<barracksLevel>, where level = (GetSideUpgrades) select WFBE_UP_BARRACKS	server_town.sqf:325-326
Spawn position	GetRandomPosition (50-200 m from centre) then GetEmptyPosition	server_town.sqf:328-330
Group + team	[_side,"town-ai"] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateGroup, then WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateTeam with _probability 90	server_town.sqf:332-336
Create guard	Abort + log if isNull _squadGrp or zero units/vehicles created	server_town.sqf:338-340
Defender tagging	Every unit/vehicle gets WFBE_IsTownDefenderAI = true (broadcast) so it does not re-trigger activation scans	server_town.sqf:343
No fleeing	_squadGrp allowFleeing 0	server_town.sqf:344
Location refs	wfbe_mopup_group / wfbe_mopup_units stored on the town for deactivation hard-despawn	server_town.sqf:347-348

The WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateTeam call shape [_tplName, _spawnPos, _side, true, _squadTeam, true, 90] maps to [_list, _position, _side, _lockVehicles, _team, _global, _probability] — see Spawn Primitive Function Reference for the full signature.

Auto-despawn scan (server_town.sqf:352-387). Every 30 s the squad scans for resistance presence and stands down when clear:

Condition	Effect	Line
Scan range	600 * WFBE_C_TOWNS_DETECTION_RANGE_COEF (town activation detection range)	server_town.sqf:356
Town deactivated (and _clearCount > 0)	_scanActive = false (hard stand-down)	server_town.sqf:362-364
Town flipped away	_scanActive = false	server_town.sqf:365
Detection	nearEntities [["Man","Car",...],_townRange] unitsBelowHeight 20; count resistance units and resistance crew of mounted vehicles	server_town.sqf:368-378
Clear-count latch	_clearCount + 1 if no GUER; reset to 0 if any GUER present	server_town.sqf:378-382
Stand-down threshold	_clearCount >= 2 (two consecutive clear scans) -> _scanActive = false	server_town.sqf:384
Despawn	deleteVehicle units + vehicles, deleteGroup, clear wfbe_mopup_* refs, log	server_town.sqf:388-396

Counting resistance crew of vehicles (server_town.sqf:374-376) is deliberate — a mounted GUER patrol sitting in the town would otherwise read as zero and let the squad stand down prematurely.

Airfield Rebuild (Task 12 / Task 13)

If the captured location is an airfield (WFBE_C_AIRFIELDS > 0 and wfbe_is_airfield, server_town.sqf:403, AIRFIELDS default 1), the branch rebuilds the airfield's service infrastructure for the new owner. All work resolves the nearest LocationLogicAirport within 1500 m of the depot logic (server_town.sqf:440) and anchors new objects to it.

Item 1 — Garrison despawn broadcast

The airfield garrison (units tagged wfbe_airfield_garrison = true by server_town_ai.sqf) is torn down (server_town.sqf:407-430):

• Local survivors in wfbe_airfield_garrison_units are deleteVehicle'd directly (server_town.sqf:412-424), then the list is cleared.
• Because garrison units spawned on headless clients are not local to the server, a cleanup-airfield-garrison HandleSpecial is broadcast to all machines (server_town.sqf:427-429) so each deletes its own local units — mirroring the deactivation-cleanup pattern.

Item 2 — Side-matched ServicePoint

Element	Detail	Line
Side classname switch	west/east/default each pick a Chernarus (IS_chernarus_map_dependent) vs Takistan _EP1 ServicePoint class	server_town.sqf:433-438
Old-SP cleanup	Delete wfbe_airfield_sp and prune it from wfbe_structures on WFBE_L_BLU / WFBE_L_OPF / WFBE_L_GUE	server_town.sqf:443-454
Placement	New SP 80 m north of the airport logic (or the location if no logic)	server_town.sqf:457-462
Repair flag	WFBE_RepairTruckServicePoint = true (broadcast)	server_town.sqf:464
wfbe_side fix (A1)	Set wfbe_side = _newSide so Server_BuildingDamaged/BuildingKilled don't read nil side and throw on hit	server_town.sqf:465-467
Register	Add to the new side's GetSideLogic wfbe_structures (broadcast)	server_town.sqf:470-471
Client marker	setVehicleInit -> Init_BaseStructure.sqf + processInitCommands	server_town.sqf:474-475
Destruction EHs	hit -> BuildingDamaged, killed -> BuildingKilled (mirrors Construction_SmallSite.sqf)	server_town.sqf:478-480
Persist	Store wfbe_airfield_sp for next-capture cleanup	server_town.sqf:482

Item 3 — Exclusive hangar respawn

The old owner's hangar is deleted and a fresh one is spawned on the airport logic (server_town.sqf:485-498):

• Old hangar: deleteVehicle wfbe_airfield_hangar_obj; clear wfbe_hangar on the airport logic (server_town.sqf:485-489).
• New hangar: WFBE_C_HANGAR createVehicle (getPos _airfieldLogic), rotated by WFBE_C_HANGAR_RDIR, flagged wfbe_is_airfield_hangar = true (server_town.sqf:492-496).
• The airport logic is updated with wfbe_hangar and wfbe_airfield_side = _newSide (C-1 GUER ownership gate, server_town.sqf:497), and wfbe_airfield_hangar_obj is stored on the location (server_town.sqf:498).

The wfbe_is_airfield_hangar flag and wfbe_airfield_side are what the captured-airfield buy-menu roster swap keys off (the exclusive aircraft roster lives in GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf); Client_GetClosestAirport.sqf also requires an alive wfbe_hangar and a matching wfbe_airfield_side for resistance.

Item 4 — Counter-Battery Radar lifecycle

Gated on WFBE_C_STRUCTURES_COUNTERBATTERY > 0 (server_town.sqf:505). On recapture the old radar is removed and a new one is spawned for the new owner (server_town.sqf:505-570):

Element	Detail	Line
Old-radar cleanup	Remove from both WFBE_CBR_WEST/WFBE_CBR_EAST registries, delete its wfbe_dressing props, then delete the radar	server_town.sqf:506-517
WEST/EAST only	New radar spawned only if `_newSide == west
Class + position	Land_Antenna 60 m east of the airport logic (off the runway centerline)	server_town.sqf:521-538
Fixed 2000 m radius	wfbe_cbr_radius = 2000 (broadcast) so clients draw the fixed circle, not an upgrade tier (AF2)	server_town.sqf:537
Invincible	addEventHandler ["HandleDamage", {0}] — the codebase's only invincibility idiom	server_town.sqf:539
Side dressing	WFBE_NEURODEF_CBRADAR_<WEST/EAST> via WFBE_SE_FNC_SpawnStructureDressing	server_town.sqf:543
Client circle	setVehicleInit -> Init_BaseStructure.sqf with a local _cbrSID (0=west,1=east), not the town _newSID	server_town.sqf:546-552
Register	Append to WFBE_CBR_WEST/WFBE_CBR_EAST and store wfbe_airfield_cbr on the location	server_town.sqf:555-560
Resistance	GUER capture: no CBR registry, radar skipped; wfbe_airfield_cbr set to objNull	server_town.sqf:564-567

Because the radar is indestructible (HandleDamage {0}), the Killed EH never fires, so the lazy registry prune never runs — which is why the explicit de-register at :509-511 on recapture is required to avoid dead-object accumulation. The CBR detection/firing side of this structure (radius tiers, per-gun rate limiting, AI threat response) is owned by Counter-Battery Radar System; this section covers only the capture-time spawn/teardown lifecycle, which that page also references at server_town.sqf:508-560.

Ownership-Guard Pattern

Every detached thread launched from this branch (linger, Path A delayed defenses, the mop-up squad) snapshots _newSIDAtCapture at fire time and re-checks _loc getVariable "sideID" against it before acting:

• Linger cleanup runs only if the captor still holds the town (server_town.sqf:269).
• Path A defenses abort if the town flipped during the spawn delay (server_town.sqf:287).
• The mop-up squad aborts at T+60 if the town flipped (server_town.sqf:320) and stands down mid-scan if it flips (server_town.sqf:365).

This is the consistent re-flip-abort discipline that keeps a fast double-capture from leaving stale defenders or duplicate garrisons behind.

Continue Reading

• Towns, Camps And Capture Atlas — the capture-detection / SV loop this page picks up from
• Static-Defense Manning Reference — OperateTownDefensesUnits / ManageTownDefenses internals referenced here
• Counter-Battery Radar System — CBR detection/firing system whose airfield variant this page spawns
• Town Runtime Tuning Constants — the WFBE_C_TOWNS_* knobs gating each step
• Server Init Deadspawn And Airfield Probe — the boot-time airfield probe (distinct from this capture-time rebuild)