LHDF Encounters

# LHDF Encounters

Enemy AI encounters and missions: zones, camps, patrols, enemies at map locations, encounters near
players, missions with tasks and rewards, and directors that run sectors of the map. Part of the Lost
Hope Dynamic Framework (LHDF).

Every encounter and mission is a type. Six encounter types and 17 mission types ship with the mod, and a
server owner can change them or add new ones in JSON. Encounter groups are created asleep. They wake when
a living player character comes within the activation distance (600 m by default) and sleep again when
no player was within 900 m for 60 seconds. Game Master cameras do not count. When all its groups are
eliminated, an encounter is cleared and comes back after its respawn time, while no player is close.
Missions use vanilla tasks, objectives, waves, time limits and rewards.

## Features

- Encounter types: zone, encampment, patrol, ambush, squad, random.
- Mission types (17): clear, destroy, eliminate, defend, recon, rescue, sabotage, secure, hunt, intel,
  checkpoint, supply cache, outpost, last stand and more.
- A type sets faction, groups, compositions, radius, respawn, time limit, event mode and rewards. It can
  add named spawns, objectives (reach, hold, kill, destroy, rescue, extract), a task and actions.
- Location enemies: enemies at named map locations (base, airport, city, town, village, hill), rolled
  at start by rules. Not at locations with a player spawn point, not in no-spawn zones.
- Dynamic encounters near players and dynamic missions at locations away from players, with limits.
- Event mode: more groups and reinforcement waves while players are inside.
- Directors (sectors): overrides and a difficulty for everything in their area. They switch location
  enemies, dynamic encounters and dynamic missions of the sector on or off.
- Adaptive sectors: after a zone is cleared, the director decides what comes back there. That can be an
  event zone, the rival faction (the sector keeps near its rival share) or another type depending on
  how much players clear in the sector. A due dynamic mission can take a cleared zone.
- Missions in the vanilla task list, with child tasks and progress. They start automatically or from
  the Game Master, and can repeat.
- Rewards: reward items at the target or the centre, and money for every player group near the area at
  completion, split between its members there. Money goes through the LHDF Shop when it is loaded.
- An AI limit (`maxAI`) for new location enemies, dynamic encounters and new groups.
- Game Master: Encounter Zone, Random Encounter, Encampment, Patrol, Mission and Encounter Director under
  Systems. Their attributes on the Game Master "LHDF" tab set the type, enemy faction and every override, and has "Reset
  encounter now", "Start mission now", "Stop mission now", "Reset sector now" and "Remove sector
  enemies now". Game Master changes to placed encounters, missions and directors are saved.

## Required on server and clients

Yes. Server and all clients must load the mod.

## Dependencies

- Arma Reforger
- LHDF Core
- Optional: LHDF Shop, for money rewards.

## Configuration

Settings are in `$profile:LHDF/<namespace>/Encounters.json`. Data files are in
`$profile:LHDF/<namespace>/Encounters/`. You only write the keys you want to change. On every start the
server writes every settings key with its default and description to `_defaults/Encounters.json` and
`_defaults/Encounters.md`, and full references to `_defaults/Encounters/`: every shipped type
(`Types/<id>.json`), `Forces.json`, `Missions.json` and the detected locations (`Locations.json`). The
server never writes your own files.

Main keys of `Encounters.json`: `enabled`, `defaultFaction` (USSR), `activationDistance` (600 m),
`despawnDistance` (900 m), `despawnSeconds` (60), `minSpawnDistanceToPlayers` (120 m), `maxAI` (512),
`respawnMinutes` (45), `eventIntervalMinutes` (25), `pressureMinutes` (60), `rewardDistance` (150 m),
`locations`, `locationEncounters`, `locationRules`, `dynamicEncounters`, `noSpawnZones`, `directors`.
Their descriptions are in `_defaults/Encounters.md`.

Data files (all optional): `Types/<id>.json` (change a shipped type, add a new one, or remove one with
`"enabled": false`), `Forces.json` (groups, compositions and targets per faction), `Missions.json`
(schedule, location weights, reward items, static missions), `Areas.json` (standalone encounters,
profiles for placed ones) and `CustomLocations.json` (own locations, detected ones to ignore).

## Known limitations

- Spawned AI, compositions, tasks, mission progress and the directors' decisions are not saved. After a
  restart, encounters and missions start again.
- Money rewards need a currency provider (LHDF Shop). Without it only reward items are given.
- Above `maxAI`, waking encounters wait for their groups until there is room.

Beta: feedback welcome on the Lost Hope Survival Discord: https://discord.gg/uDzYTTdsM6