ALiVE.OS · ALiVE 3 Development
Support Artillery
Player-callable artillery and mortar fire support for the Combat Support tablet.
In development · ALiVE 3
ALiVE 3 is in active development. This briefing describes work in progress, and the behaviour it covers is subject to change as testing continues. Check the changelog at the foot of the page for what has moved recently.
On this page
Overview
What Support Artillery does
This module lets a mission maker place a specific artillery piece or mortar as a fire support asset that players can call in during the mission. It defines everything about that battery ahead of time: which vehicle it uses, how many rounds of each type it carries, its radio callsign, whether it is allowed to reposition, whether it draws resupply from the logistics system, and how soon and how often it is replaced after it is destroyed (Respawn Time and Respawn Limit, which use the Combat Support module's values when left blank). The module itself does nothing on its own; it must be synced to a Player Combat Support module, which is what actually lets players request fire missions from it.
To use it, a mission maker places the module near (or on) the gun's intended firing position, sets a unique callsign and picks the gun type from the vehicle dropdown (or types an exact classname into the override field), then fills in how many rounds of each ammo type the battery starts with. The module is then synced to a Player Combat Support module. In game, a player opens the Combat Support tablet, calls the battery by its callsign, and requests a fire mission; if the target is out of range and repositioning is allowed for that gun, the battery will radio the player asking permission to move before it can fire. An idle battery that can move also has a Relocate Battery button: click the map and press it to send the battery there for good.
Capabilities
What it handles
Use a gun you placed
Sync a static weapon or land vehicle you placed (an M109, for example) to this module and it becomes the battery where it stands, with its group. It overrides the Artillery/Mortar Type setting, and an empty gun is given a crew of the battery's side. Only the first synced gun is used. With none synced, the module builds the battery at its own position.
Pick or override the gun
The mission maker chooses an artillery or mortar type from a dropdown covering all loaded factions (sorted by side, with the side shown at the start of each row), or types an exact classname into the Custom Vehicle Classname field, which always wins over the dropdown when filled in. This covers guns that the built-in list does not show.
Set ammo counts per round type
Separate quantity fields control how many HE, illumination, smoke, white phosphorus, guided (SADARM), cluster, laser-guided, mine, anti-tank mine and rocket rounds the battery starts with. Only round types the chosen gun actually carries are offered to the player in game; most guns will show far fewer than the full list, and white phosphorus is empty unless the gun physically carries WP rounds.
Callsign and per-unit init code
Each battery gets a unique callsign used when the player calls it in on the Combat Support tablet, plus an optional code field that runs custom script on each spawned gun (using "this" to refer to it).
Optional battery repositioning
An Allow Repositioning switch lets a battery move. To a far target it never moves on its own: it radios the player and moves only if they press Get in Range on the tablet. With it on, a battery that can move also shows Relocate Battery on its page while it sits idle. Click the map and press it: a self-propelled gun drives there, and a mortar team packs its tubes, carries them and sets up again, and that spot becomes the battery's home. Only self-propelled guns and mortar teams are offered it; towed field guns and other static weapons stay put.
Military Logistics resupply
If enabled, the battery requests resupply through the Military Logistics system when ammo, fuel or damage cross set thresholds, drawing from the same force pool used for reinforcements. The resupply can be dispatched from the fixed logistics base or from one of the 2 or 3 friendly objectives nearest the battery, picked at random.
Missile launchers like the MK41
A launcher with no artillery computer that fires guided missiles, such as the MK41 VLS, works as a battery too. Its missiles are its HE and CLUSTER (no more than it carries), it reaches 100 m to 32 km, and each round is one missile fired at a laser target on the grid. It holds its fire between missions, and can't be taken over with a UAV terminal. Changing between HE and cluster takes it about 3 minutes, so the first missile of a mission can be slow to leave.
Says so when it can't fire
Rounds come off the battery only when a shell leaves, the firing and splash calls wait for the first round that actually goes, and a battery that can't fire says so on the radio and asks for another battery or round. The 3CB M270, whose launcher ignores the AI's artillery orders, is now fired for the battery by script.
Or call the AI Commander's guns
This module gives the tablet a battery of its own. If you'd rather players call the AI Commander's artillery, set Commander artillery on call on the Player Combat Support module and the Artillery list gets a Commander's guns row as well (see the Player Combat Support page).
How to use it
Getting started
- Place the module and set a callsignPlace Player Combat Support (Artillery) where the battery should set up and give it a unique Callsign (FOX SEVEN by default).
- Sync it to Player Combat SupportSync Player Combat Support (Artillery) to the Player Combat Support module. Without this sync no battery is built and players can't call it.
- Pick the gunChoose an artillery piece or mortar from Artillery/Mortar Type, or type a classname into Custom Vehicle Classname, which always wins when it's filled in.
- Or use a gun you placedPlace the gun or mortar and sync it to Player Combat Support (Artillery): that gun and its group become the battery where they stand, and the type settings aren't used. An empty gun gets a crew of the battery's side. Use one group per module; synced guns outside it aren't used.
- Set ammo countsFill in the round counts (HE, ILLUM, SMOKE, WP, GUIDED, CLUSTER, Laser Guided, MINE, AT MINE, ROCKET) with small, distinct numbers so you can check each one in game.
- Optionally enable repositioning and logisticsSet Allow Repositioning to Yes to let a gun that can move get in range of a far target. It asks first and moves only if you press Get in Range on the tablet. An idle battery that can move also gets Relocate Battery: click the map, press it, and the battery goes there for good. Set Use Military Logistics Simulation to Yes and pick a Logistics Source to have it resupplied; that needs a Military Logistics module.
- Test it as a playerIn game, open the Combat Support tablet, pick the battery by its callsign and request a fire mission. Check that only rounds the gun carries are offered, and that a self-propelled gun or static mortar asks before moving while a towed gun never offers to.
Settings
Every setting, and what it does
These settings choose the gun or mortar that players can call on from the Combat Support tablet, how many of each kind of round it has, whether it can move to get in range, and how soon and how many times a lost battery is replaced. The module only works when it's synced to a Player Combat Support module, which reads these settings at mission start and creates the battery.
Presets that use this module: Combat support: CAS, transport and artillery on call. Place one in the editor to see it set up.
Quick setups
A light mortar section with limited HE and smoke
- Custom Vehicle Classname:: B_Mortar_01_F
- Number of HE Rounds: 12
- Number of SMOKE Rounds: 6
- Number of ILLUM Rounds: 4
- Number of GUIDED Rounds: 0
- Number of Laser Guided Rounds: 0
A small round count makes every fire mission a decision, and smoke and illumination stay available for screening and night work. The Mk6 also carries guided and laser-guided magazines, so zero those two or the tablet offers 30 of each on top.
A self-propelled battery that can chase targets
- Allow Repositioning: Yes
A battery that can drive (the default M4 Scorcher) will ask over the radio to move when a target is out of range, and moves only if a player presses Get in Range. While idle it also shows Relocate Battery, for moving it to a spot you click on the map.
A battery kept topped up by the logistics system
- Use Military Logistics Simulation: Yes
- Logistics Source: Dynamic (Nearby Objective)
When ammo, fuel or damage cross their limits a resupply truck is sent from one of the nearest objectives the side's AI commander holds, as long as a Military Logistics module for the battery's side is in the mission.
A rocket artillery battery
- Custom Vehicle Classname: B_MBT_01_mlrs_F
- Number of ROCKET Rounds: 12
The rocket count is only offered on a launcher whose magazines carry rockets, so pair it with a rocket vehicle.
General
4 settings
The name this battery goes by on the Combat Support tablet and over the radio.
AffectsWhatever you type is shown in capitals. Nothing checks that it's unique, so 2 batteries with the same callsign show up as 2 identical entries on the tablet.
TryGive each battery its own name, such as "FOX SEVEN" and "FOX EIGHT", so players can tell them apart.
The gun or mortar that's created for this battery, picked from a list of suitable vehicles across every loaded faction.
AffectsA gun you placed and synced to this module is used instead of this setting. Otherwise the module creates 3 of the chosen gun, 15 m from the module and each facing a different way (a mortar team gets 1). The tablet's round types depend on the magazines the gun carries. If the class isn't in the loaded mods, the battery is dropped with a log line.
Type any vehicle class name here to use it instead of the pick above. When it's filled in, it always wins; spaces are removed before it's used.
TryType "B_Mortar_01_F" to use the Mk6 mortar without hunting for it in the list.
Choices: No / Yes
Lets the battery move. To a far target it never moves by itself: it asks over the radio and keeps asking, then moves only if a player presses Get in Range on the tablet (Don't Move refuses). When idle it also shows Relocate Battery: click the map and press it, and the battery goes there and that spot becomes its home.
AffectsOnly works on a battery that can physically move (anything that drives, or a mortar team that can carry its tubes); a towed or emplaced gun is held in place whatever you pick here. A mortar team without enough men to carry its tubes stays put and says so.
See it inCombat support: CAS, transport and artillery on call (1)
Rounds
4 settings
How many high-explosive rounds players can call from this battery before it runs dry.
AffectsThis is a count kept by the tablet, not the gun's real magazine, so it isn't limited by what the vehicle actually holds.
How many illumination rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries illumination rounds; otherwise the number is ignored.
How many smoke rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries smoke rounds; otherwise the number is ignored.
How many white phosphorus rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly a gun that carries white phosphorus offers it, and vanilla artillery has none.
Special Rounds
6 settings
How many guided (SADARM) rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries guided rounds, such as the M4 Scorcher.
How many cluster rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries cluster rounds.
How many laser-guided rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries laser-guided rounds.
How many anti-personnel mine rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries mine rounds; on any other gun the number is silently ignored.
How many anti-tank mine rounds players can call.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen gun carries anti-tank mine rounds.
How many rockets players can call from a rocket launcher battery.
AffectsOnly offered if the chosen vehicle carries rockets, such as a multiple rocket launcher.
Init Code and Respawn
3 settings
Script that runs once on each gun of the battery, whether the module built it or you synced it in; use this to refer to the gun. Statements separated by ; each run on their own.
TryType "this allowDamage false" to make the guns indestructible for a training mission.
How many seconds pass after this battery is lost before a replacement is built at its base.
AffectsLeave it empty, or enter 0, to use the Respawn Time on the Player Combat Support module (600 seconds, 10 minutes, unless changed). Any other number is used for this battery alone.
TryType 120 to get a replacement 2 minutes after a loss.
How many times this battery is replaced once it is lost. The count is kept for this battery alone.
AffectsLeave it empty to share the Artillery Respawn Limit on the Player Combat Support module (3 unless changed; empty there means no limit). 0 means this battery is never replaced, and once the count runs out it stays lost.
TryType 1 to allow a single replacement.
Logistics
2 settings
Choices: No / Yes
When on, the battery asks the Military Logistics module for a resupply truck once its ammo drops below 25%, its fuel below 15%, or its damage goes over 50%. Nothing is sent while an enemy is within 500 m, there's a 10-minute wait between requests and no more than 3 resupplies on the road at once across the mission.
AffectsEach resupply comes out of the Military Logistics force pool, the same one the AI commanders reinforce from. Nothing happens at all without a Military Logistics module in the mission for the battery's side (or a friendly side it is shared with).
See it inCombat support: CAS, transport and artillery on call (1)
Choices: Static (LOGCOM Base) / Dynamic (Nearby Objective)
Where the resupply truck sets off from. Static sends it from the Military Logistics module's own position; Dynamic picks at random from the 2 or 3 nearest objectives the side's AI commander holds, so it won't always be the closest one, and falls back to the module's position if the commander holds none.
AffectsOnly matters when Use Military Logistics Simulation is set to Yes.
Recent work
What's changed lately
- Relocate Battery from the radioA battery that can move has Relocate Battery on its page while idle. Click the map where it's to go and press it: a self-propelled gun drives there, a mortar team packs its tubes, carries them and sets up again. That spot becomes its home, so after a move into range it comes back there.
- Use a gun you placedSync a gun or mortar you placed to the module and it becomes the battery where it stands, with its group. The Code field now runs on a placed gun too, and a placed mortar team fires every round of its mission.
- A battery that can't fire says soRounds come off only when shells leave the guns, and the splash call waits for the first round that really goes. If none does, the radio says the battery couldn't fire. The 3CB M270 now fires.
- Mortar teams move into range sensiblyA team told to Get in Range now packs every tube before setting off, walks only as far as its rounds need, sets up its tube and fires. One too close to its target backs off to a safe distance. A team without the men to carry its tubes stays put and says so.
- Own respawn time and limitRespawn Time (s) and Respawn Limit on the module set how soon and how often this battery is replaced. Left empty, they use the Combat Support module's values. A replacement keeps its rounds and its Allow Repositioning setting, and a battery emptied of rounds fires again once it's resupplied.
- Artillery module iconThe artillery modules show an artillery shell in the editor, not the CAS icon.
Status
Where it stands
Configurable battery with per-round ammo counts
Mission makers can set exact quantities of HE, illumination, smoke, white phosphorus, guided, cluster, laser-guided, mine, anti-tank mine and rocket rounds; only the round types the chosen gun actually carries are offered in game.
Vehicle selection with manual override
Guns can be picked from a cross-faction dropdown or specified directly by classname, so unlisted vehicles are still usable.
Capability-aware repositioning
Batteries only offer to move if the gun can physically do so, and only move to a far target after the player approves it over the radio. An idle battery that can move can also be relocated from the tablet.
Military Logistics resupply hookup
Batteries can request ammo, fuel or damage resupply from the logistics force pool, from either a static base or one of the nearest friendly objectives.
Honest fire missions
Rounds are counted as they leave the guns, and a battery that can't fire says so instead of calling a splash.
Continued alignment with the other Combat Support modules
The wider Combat Support overhaul is not finished, so this module is expected to keep moving in step with the CAS and Transport modules as their settings and behaviour change.
Testing
How you can help
Place a Player Combat Support (Artillery) module near a firing position, sync it to a Player Combat Support module, and set a distinctive callsign. Try both the vehicle dropdown and the Custom Vehicle Classname override to confirm the override always wins when filled in. Set small, distinct round counts per type (for example 5 HE, 5 smoke) and check in game that the Combat Support tablet only offers round types the chosen gun actually carries, in the quantities set. Test a towed gun with Allow Repositioning enabled and confirm it never offers to move (a static mortar is the exception, its crew carries the tube); then test a self-propelled gun, call a fire mission out of its range, and confirm it radios asking permission before moving, and that pressing Don't Move keeps it in place. If a Military Logistics module is present, deplete ammo or damage the battery and confirm a resupply request goes out, checking both the Static and Dynamic logistics source settings. Watch the RPT for errors mentioning artillery on module init or during fire missions. With Allow Repositioning on, pick an idle self-propelled gun or mortar team, click the map and press Relocate Battery; check it moves and sets up there, and that it later returns to that spot rather than its first position.
Spotted a problem? Please report it on the ALiVE issue tracker on GitHub, with the map, rough location and what the units were doing so it can be reproduced.
Changelog
Updates to this page
- 2026-11-01In Eden the logistics source row only shows when logistics is on.
- 2026-10-27In Eden this module's settings now sit under shorter headers, at most 8 settings in a group, and the Settings section here follows the same headers. Every setting keeps its name and default, so saved missions load as before.
- 2026-10-27The Artillery/Mortar Type list now offers mortars: the game's 3 mortars are listed beside the self-propelled guns, where before the list left them out.
- 2026-10-23The MK41 VLS works as an artillery battery: call HE or cluster cruise missiles from the tablet anywhere within 32 km, one missile per round, each fired at a laser target on the grid. It used to say out of range at every distance.
- 2026-10-16The 3CB and RHS M270 MLRS can fire ROCKETS from the tablet now. Before, it was offered rockets it doesn't carry and refused them as out of range at any distance.
- 2026-10-16The tablet's round list for a battery only shows rounds the gun can fire. The vanilla MLRS no longer shows a SMOKE round.
- 2026-10-16A battery that may not move (Allow Repositioning off) and is given a target out of range is free again straight away. Before, it stayed marked busy, with no rounds to pick.
- 2026-10-16The tablet's Artillery list can now also show a Commander's guns row, which calls the AI Commander's own batteries instead of this module's. It's switched on with Commander artillery on call on the Player Combat Support module.
- 2026-10-16Sync a gun you placed to the Artillery module and it becomes the battery where it stands, with its group. An empty gun gets a crew.
- 2026-10-16Without a synced gun the battery is built at the module's own position, so move the module if the guns appeared somewhere unexpected.
- 2026-10-14New Respawn Time and Respawn Limit settings for this asset. Left blank, it uses the Combat Support module's.
- 2026-10-12The artillery battery's radio reports read in each player's language, and its "please respond" reminder, while it waits to be told whether to move into range, now actually shows.
- 2026-10-09Spearhead 81mm HE no longer offers a Cluster mission that just fires plain HE.
- 2026-10-03An Artillery module made by script without a gun type now gets the M4 Scorcher, the editor's default, rather than a Mk6 mortar.
- 2026-10-03A battery's rounds now come off only for shells that actually leave, so a mission the guns can't fire no longer empties it. The rounds complete call waits for the last shell.
- 2026-10-03A mortar team that moves into range now assembles its tube in a few seconds. Every set-up used to wait 60 s before the tube appeared.
- 2026-10-02A battery told to Get in Range now moves only as far as its rounds need, stopping just inside their reach rather than 500 m from the target, and backs off from a target too close. The tablet's range rings show that reach.
- 2026-10-02Artillery now aims at the ground on high ground. Missions used to aim above the target by its height above sea level, so shells fell long on hills and some hilltops in reach were refused.
- 2026-10-02A mortar battery told to Get in Range now packs its tubes, walks into range, sets up and fires. It used to be written off on the way and respawn at base.
- 2026-09-27Mortar teams can be picked as the artillery type again. The module builds the side's mortar with its crew and 2 men to carry it, the tablet offers HE, illumination and smoke, and the team fires every round of a mission.
- 2026-09-27A respawned battery keeps its round types and its Allow Repositioning setting. A modded gun used to come back with nothing on the tablet, and every battery lost the setting.
- 2026-09-25Logistics Source's Dynamic choice is now Dynamic (Nearby Objective), since it picks at random from the 2 or 3 nearest objectives your side holds, and its tooltip says so.
- 2026-09-22The relocation tooltip names the Get in Range button, which is what the tablet actually shows. It said Move.
- 2026-08-06The repositioning change entry now distinguishes static mortars, which do move, from towed guns and other static weapons, which do not.
- 2026-08-06The repositioning entry now says plainly that a static mortar counts as movable, since its crew carries the tube.
- 2026-08-06Planned lane no longer lists work that is already delivered.
- 2026-08-06Corrected the description of the repositioning check to include mortar crews carrying their tube.
- 2026-08-06Corrected which guns can reposition: mortar crews pack up and carry the tube, so they are not held in place.
- 2026-07-27Page first published.