ArmA 3 Darkness Script

This script for ArmA 3 missions provides a means for mission curators to trigger a 'dark' weather state, at will.

This script makes some assumptions about the mission to function as intended. Notably, it's assumed that the mission is operating at night, during clear skies, with a full moon to make the maximum effect of the darkness transition. The default values under these conditions will cause a visible night sky to turn to pitch blackness, with encroaching fog that limits visibility with night vision.

This script can be used under other conditions, but the effect of 'darkness' will be greatly diminished.

Installation

To add this script to your mission file, first, create and save a mission file.
Once the mission file is saved, navigate to your ArmA 3 missions folder, typically in one of these two paths:

C:\Users\[WINDOWS USERNAME]\Documents\Arma 3\missions
C:\Users\[WINDOWS USERNAME]\Documents\Arma 3 - Other Profiles\[ARMA PROFILE NAME]\missions

Copy the SierraKomodo folder into a SierraKomodo folder in your mission folder.
Copy the contents of the addActions.sqf, Description.ext, initPlayerLocal.sqf, initServer.sqf, and onPlayerRespawn.sqf files to the existing files in your mission folder. If any of the files don't already exist, feel free to copy the entire file over, or create new files with the names. File names are case-sensitive. Your folder and file structure should look like this:

SierraKomodo\darkness\sk_darkness_start.sqf
SierraKomodo\darkness\sk_darkness_stop.sqf
addActions.sqf
Description.ext
initPlayerLocal.sqf
initServer.sqf
onPlayerRespawn.sqf

Open initServer.sqf and edit the variables defined in the CONFIGURATION OPTIONS section. See the Configuration section below for more information on this step.
In your mission, edit the group that your mission curators/zeuses will be a part of. Set the group's variable name to curators.
In your mission, go to Attributes > Environment and check Manual Override for all weather sections.

Usage

When in the game, players that have joined in a slot under the group given the curators variable name and that have the Zeus interface will be given a scroll wheel menu option labeled `Darkness Start``. Using this option will trigger the darkness to begin, first setting fog with the given transition time, then setting the weather.

Once the process is complete, the action will be replaced with Darkness Stop which will return to the default weather options defined in the configuration.

NOTE: The weather transition step currently occurs instantly and may be jarring.

Configuration

The script's functions can be configured by editing the variables defined in the CONFIGURATION OPTIONS section of the initServer.sqf file.

General Settings

sk_darkness_fog_transition
integer, positive or zero
This variable defines how long, in seconds, the fog changes will take.

Weather

Configuration for weather settings is divided into two sections - Normal Weather and Event Weather.

Normal weather is your default weather - What the script will revert to when stopping darkness. These are prefixed with sk_darkness_normal_*. It's recommended that you set these values to match the weather settings in 3den Editor.

Event weather is the darkness weather - What the script will set when darkness starts. These are prefixed with sk_darkness_*.

overcast
float. 0.00 to 1.00
The overcast percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Overcast values of 0% to 100%.

wind
float. 0.00 to 1.00. default 0.00
The wind strength percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Wind values of 0% to 100%.

rain
float. 0.00 to 1.00. default 0.00
The rain strength percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Rain values of 0% to 100%.

lightning
float. 0.00 to 1.00. default 0.00
The lightning strength percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Lightning values of 0% to 100%.

waves
float. 0.00 to 1.00. default 0.00
The wave strength percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Waves values of 0% to 100%.

fog
float. 0.00 to 1.00. default 0.05 for normal, 0.50 for event.
The fog strength percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Fog values of 0% to 100%.

fog_decay
float. -1.0 to 1.0. default 0.0.
The fog decay percentage. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Fog Decay values of 0% to 10%. NOTE: A value of 0.0 corresponds to 5% in the editor.

fog_height
integer. -1000 to 1000. default 50 for normal, 100 for event.
The fog height, in meters. Corresponds to 3den Editor's Fog Base values of -1000m to 1000m.

Integration

This script's functions can be integrated into other scripts or triggers in the 3den Editor.

Checking if darkness is active

The sk_darkness_active public variable will be defined as true while darkness is active, and false otherwise. This can be used to provide additional events or effects during darkness, i.e., using this variable as the condition for a trigger or a module.

Starting darkness

To start the darkness event, call the SK_fnc_DarknessStart function. Be aware this function does sleep, so you may need to call it with a spawn call in certain cases.

It is highly recommended that you verify the public variable sk_darkness_event_processing is false before calling this function, to avoid unintended weather effects.

Stopping darkness

To stop the darkness event, call the SK_fnc_DarknessStop function. Be aware this function does sleep, so you may need to call it with a spawn call in certain cases.