SCENERY REMOVE OBJECTS ZONE does not remove trees

[Leviathan667]

I just noticed something seems to be broken in the mission editor (in DCS 2.5.5.38040).

 

I am trying to set up road bases for the Viggen. So I have to remove trees and other objects (poles, street lighting) in the vicinity of the road runway. Removing objects works but not removing trees.

 

Here's how I proceed:

 

I create several a trigger areas on the portion of the road I want to use as a runway (width 150 ft each, side by side along the length of the runway).

 

Set rules for trigger > In triggers, I create a new trigger and select: 1 ONCE, 2 I name it, 3 NO EVENT

 

then

 

I set no conditions

 

then

 

In ACTIONS:

 

I select SCENERY REMOVE OBJECTS ZONE

In Zone: I select a trigger zone I already created

In Objects mask: I select All

 

Thanks for your help

[Tippis]

Tbh, that shouldn't even work for removing objects since there's no condition for it to ever trigger.

 

 

Granted, in general, the logic of the conditions is… murky, not just in how in this case (and for MISSION START triggers) it seems like no condition for trigger = always triggers, which makes no sense, but also in how AND and OR conditions combine in less than obvious ways.

 

 

As for your issue, is it the same if you set it to a MISSION START trigger instead?

Edited October 22, 2019 by Tippis

[Leviathan667]

I just played that same custom mission today and noticed it works on trees now...

 

I did not change anyting in the conditions though.

[Leviathan667]

Tbh, that shouldn't even work for removing objects since there's no condition for it to ever trigger.

 

 

Granted, in general, the logic of the conditions is… murky, not just in how in this case (and for MISSION START triggers) it seems like no condition for trigger = always triggers, which makes no sense, but also in how AND and OR conditions combine in less than obvious ways.

 

 

As for your issue, is it the same if you set it to a MISSION START trigger instead?

 

Hi,

 

It is on a Mission start trigger!

[MadDog-IC]

I just played that same custom mission today and noticed it works on trees now...

 

I did not change anything in the conditions though.

 

There is a random bug in the mission editor, which causes your issues, I have had same problem fixing missions, can't nail it down to a specific method of creating it though.

 

The trigger methods being discussed should work and have worked, but I have found that using:

 

1. "Mission Start Event", No Trigger = Less likely to work.
   
2. "Once Only Event", No Trigger = Less likely to work.
   
3. "Once Only Event" with Trigger -> "Time more than 5" = Greater chance of working, but not always.
   

Seems that the more you edit a mission and re-save it, the more likely that "Scenery remove feature for trees" will not actually work. If you get the problem when missions editing and testing, you have to close DCS down completely and reload and then it has a greater chance of working correctly, that is until you re-run the mission more than one, or edit the mission and run again.

 

I have no work around for fixing it either.

 

Regards, Ian.

[Tippis]

I wonder if it could be something along the lines of speedtrees taking a little while to populate the world, especially if it's an area that's not in player focus and that the trigger fires off but the area then “filled over” by a late-running tree population process.

 

As you edit and re-save the mission, the more cruft will accumulate in the save file — old object references and dictionary entries and the like — that could conceivably slow down that mission-start processing further and thus make that post-removal fill-in happen more often. It's pure speculation, of course; I'm just mulling over what could cause the pattern of behaviour you're describing. It would also fit with how scenery — fixed items built into the map — can be cleared, since that comes inherent in the map loading and shouldn't require any dynamic processing. Once the map is loaded, the scenery is ready to be removed, so to speak.

 

It would be interesting to see if you had a mission where it reliably doesn't work, and then move the removal zone right next to the player spawn and see if the generation process focuses on “immediately important” areas first, in which case the new location would be successfully cleared.

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tippis

[Grimes]

Need a mission file or track. I briefly encountered an issue where some trees were not removed but literally the next test build had it fixed. Could be related to recent changes of trees. But it would still be helpful to know where and which type of trees are getting removed.

[Leviathan667]

Find attached the mission file and a screenshot to the area where the problem lies most acutely.

 

Even after fidgeting with the triggers and following the advice of MadDog-IC, the issue of the (non) removal of trees (but not other objects) is back. It did work once after I restarted the game. But now it does not help anymore.

 

Thank you for your help in solving this issue.

Georgia_flygbassystem_template.miz

[sunski34]

Hi,

 

is it possible to remove trees from script?

 

I think Object.destroy doesn't work with scenery objects like buildings. And I can't remove any scenery object which has been found by world.searchObjects function. An idea?

[AstonMartinDBS]

There is a random bug in the mission editor, which causes your issues, I have had same problem fixing missions, can't nail it down to a specific method of creating it though.

 

The trigger methods being discussed should work and have worked, but I have found that using:

 

1. "Mission Start Event", No Trigger = Less likely to work.
   
2. "Once Only Event", No Trigger = Less likely to work.
   
3. "Once Only Event" with Trigger -> "Time more than 5" = Greater chance of working, but not always.
   

Removing trees is still randomly bugged. Tried first with medhod 1, but the trees weren't removed; got it to work with method 3 then. But sometimes it works with method 1 as well (after a fresh restart of DCS).

805 UH-1H FARP SetupTest.miz

Edited April 27, 2020 by AstonMartinDBS

[AstonMartinDBS]

Removing trees is still randomly bugged. Tried first with medhod 1, but the trees weren't removed; got it to work with method 3 then. But sometimes it works with method 1 as well (after a fresh restart of DCS).

In the current OB 2.5.6.49798 "scenery removing objects zone" doesn't work at all. :(

 

I've tried this:

 

1. "Mission Start Event", without trigger
   
2. "Once Only Event" without trigger
   
3. "Once Only Event" with trigger "Time more" 10
   

But it should even work at the "Mission Start Event"

805b UH-1H FARP SetupTest.miz

[BIGNEWY]

looks ok here

[AstonMartinDBS]

looks ok here

That's strange. Now - after a clean startup of DCS - it worked here, too. :noexpression:

 

But acutally there should be no need to use the SCENERY REMOVE OBJECTS ZONE, because FARPs should remove the trees anyway.

Screenshot 1: using SCENERY REMOVE OBJECTS ZONE trigger

Screenshot 2: without SCENERY REMOVE OBJECTS ZONE/trees removed by FARP

Edited June 1, 2020 by AstonMartinDBS

[AstonMartinDBS]

The issue occurs still randomly :(

 

1. starting mission via mission editor after starting DCS -> Trees on FARP

2. starting mission via mission editor after starting DCS again -> Trees have been removed

 

Mission file: https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4370504&postcount=2

[dorianR666]

Hi,

 

this is still broken.

I have now encountered it. Loaded a mission couple times, Scenery remove failed every time. Restarted the game, loaded the mission - suddenly it works.

 

I have to put disclaimer "restart game before playing this mission" into mission briefings of missions that use this trigger action.

 

 

 

Whats interesting is that trees remain deleted in mission editor after playing the mission! Del00 is the zone for deletion.

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by dorianR666

[dorianR666]

I have also seen Scenery remove remove only part of the zone, not the whole zone. Not sure if it is related or another bug.

 

 

 

[dorianR666]

I have also discovered that sometimes the trees remain removed across different missions. Restarting the game fixes it.

[Aarnoman]

21 hours ago, dorianR666 said:

I have also seen Scenery remove remove only part of the zone, not the whole zone. Not sure if it is related or another bug.

 

 

 

 

Replicated your findings.

Example mission attached.

 

EDIT: Per BigNewy on discord this issue is reported and the team is aware.

removeObjectsTest.miz

Edited March 7, 2021 by Aarnoman

[dorianR666]

10 hours ago, Aarnoman said:

Per BigNewy on discord this issue is reported and the team is aware.

yeah, its been reported many years ago but not much is being done about it.

 

most unfortunate, because perhaps half of the campaign missions packed with paid modules (a-10c in particular) utilize this function and often became unplayable when it fails.

 

i dont expect it to be resolved. more of a warning to fellow mission creators.

[Aarnoman]

2 hours ago, dorianR666 said:

yeah, its been reported many years ago but not much is being done about it.

 

most unfortunate, because perhaps half of the campaign missions packed with paid modules (a-10c in particular) utilize this function and often became unplayable when it fails.

 

i dont expect it to be resolved. more of a warning to fellow mission creators.

Too be fair it used to work quite recently, I utilized it myself without issue a few patches ago. 

[Griffon345]

I thought I'd broken something with adding modded trees but on switching back and forth between stock and mod I have the same problem mentioned.

It seems random, even on DCS restart, although I've only used the trigger without a condition.

I can confirm that the more one edits the worse the problem and DorianR666 finding that the removal remains in editor, additively across missions.

I'll set it to option 3 mentioned with a timed condition and hope for the best.