Some research on main missions triggering + explanation for 2 bugs related to it.
standard_global_init: Initializes `MISSIONS_ARRAY`
flow_controller: Adds missions to `CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE_MISSIONS_ARRAY` + starts mission scripts
mission_triggerer_a-d: Performs the necessary checks for missions to actually start
standard_global_init initializes Global_82607 (MISSIONS_ARRAY) inside func_63(). It looks like this:
void func_63()//Position - 0x2C04
{
func_66();
func_65(66, "agency_heist1", "AH1", 230, 1, 1, -1, -1, 8192);
func_65(67, "agency_heist2", "AH2", 230, 2, 2, -1, -1, 8);
func_65(68, "agency_prep1", "AHP1", 231, 3, 7, -1, -1, 108608);
func_65(69, "agency_heist3A", "AH3a", 232, 1, 1, 20, 21, 134242560);
func_65(70, "agency_heist3B", "AH3b", 233, 3, 1, 0, 3, 134242304);
....
}
Let's look at func_65():
void func_65(int iParam0, char* sParam1, char* sParam2, int iParam3, int iParam4, int iParam5, int iParam6, int iParam7, int iParam8)//Position - 0x34D7
{
StringCopy(&(Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/]), sParam1, 24); //script name
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_6 = gameplay::get_hash_key(sParam1); //hash_key of script name
StringCopy(&(Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_8), sParam2, 8); //mission name in global.gxt
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_11 = iParam4; //characters that can start this mission
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_12 = iParam5; //unknown
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_10 = iParam3; //unknown
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_13 = iParam6; //mission timeframe start (-1 if none)
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_14 = iParam7; //mission timeframe end (-1 if none)
Global_82607[iParam0 /*34*/].f_15 = iParam8; //some kind of bitfield (for example contains field for `MISSION_TYPE` which dictates what is allowed during the mission (using interior garages, etc))
}
MISSIONS_ARRAY is used by various scripts to perform mission related operations.
flow_controller adds new missions to Global_88752 (CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE_MISSIONS_ARRAY) inside func_619():
void func_619(var uParam0, int iParam1, var uParam2, var uParam3, var uParam4)//Position - 0x756B2
{
//this function sets MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED (Global_88752[iVar0]) flag for mission_triggerers
//iParam1 - mission id
//uParam4 - characters that can start that mission
int iVar0;
int iVar1;
iVar0 = -1; //last mission with MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED == 0
iVar1 = 0;
iVar1 = 0;
//Global_88751 - Global_88752 size/length
while (iVar1 < Global_88751) //looking for entry with MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED == 0
{
if (Global_88752[iVar1 /*17*/] == 0)
{
iVar0 = iVar1; //entry found
}
iVar1++;
}
if (iVar0 == -1) //no missions with MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED == 0
{
iVar0 = Global_88751;
Global_88751++; //size++, will create new item in CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE_MISSIONS_ARRAY
if (Global_88751 > 8)
{
}
}
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/] = 1; //MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED = 1
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_1 = 0;
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_6 = uParam2;
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_4 = uParam3;
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_7 = -1;
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_5 = iParam1; //mission id
Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_8 = uParam4; //characters that can start that mission
if (!gameplay::is_bit_set(Global_82607[iParam1 /*34*/].f_15, 27))
{
func_285(iParam1, 1);
}
*uParam0 = iVar0;
}
Now that we have CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE_MISSIONS_ARRAY with some missions that have MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED set to 1, we need to actually check for specific conditions that will trigger mission execution.
Thats where mission_triggerers come to play.
Inside any mission_triggerer's main loop (here mission_triggerer_b is used) you'll find func_1() which will look something like this:
if (Global_101652.f_8028) //CAN_START_MISSIONS (false for directors mode and benchmark)
{
if (!Global_88749) //if(!SOME_MISSION_PASSED_THE_CHECKS)
{
if (!entity::is_entity_dead(player::player_ped_id(), 0))
{
iVar0 = 0;
while (iVar0 < Global_88751)
{
Global_88740 = Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_5;
if (Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/] == 1 && !Global_88749) //if(MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED && !SOME_MISSION_PASSED_THE_CHECKS)
{
...
else
{
switch (Global_88752[iVar0 /*17*/].f_3)
{
case 0:
func_26(iVar0, uParam0); //checks for starting missions are here
break;
case 1:
func_19(iVar0, uParam0); //probably missions that start from character switches
break;
case 2:
break;
}
}
}
iVar0++;
}
if (Global_88743 != -1)
{
//some specific missions (mrsphilips2, martin1, family6, finale_endgame)
...
}
}
}
else if (Global_88749 == 1) // if(SOME_MISSION_PASSED_THE_CHECKS)
{
//sets some variables + switches Global_88749 back to 0
...
}
...
}
What happens here is: for every mission in CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE_MISSIONS_ARRAY with MISSION_CAN_BE_STARTED == 1 mission_triggerer launches func_26() which looks like this:
void func_26(int iParam0, var uParam1)//Position - 0x12D8
{
...
iVar0 = Global_88752[iParam0 /*17*/].f_5; //mission id
...
if (func_156(iVar0)) //some missions exclusion check
{
if (!gameplay::is_bit_set(Global_88752[iParam0 /*17*/].f_10.f_1, 0))
{
Stack.Push(iVar0); //mission id
Stack.Push(&(Global_88752[iParam0 /*17*/].f_10)); //some bitfields, dunno
Stack.Push(&(uParam1->f_1[iParam0 /*13*/])); //callbacks stack
Call_Loc(*uParam1); //func_165 call from stack
func_155(&(Global_88752[iParam0 /*17*/].f_10));
}
func_150(iVar0, vVar2, &(uParam1->f_113));
if (!func_27(iParam0, uParam1)) //main check that decides if mission should start
{
return; //if conditions to start doesn't met just return
}
}
Global_88750 = iParam0; //array index for mission to start
Global_88749 = 1; //SOME_MISSION_PASSED_THE_CHECKS = 1
}
func_27() is really big and probably deserves it's own write up. All we need to know for now is that it executes the necessary
pre-mission events (spawning cars, peds, starting pre-mission dialogs, etc...) and returns true if all conditions for mission starting were met.
Those pre-mission events are set inside func_165(). It's called right before func_27() and looks like this (this one is for "stingers" mission):
void func_165(int iParam0, var uParam1, var uParam2)//Position - 0x7D60
{
switch (iParam0) //switch (mission id)
{
case 78: //stingers
func_984(uParam1, iParam0, 140f, 150f, 50f, 7, 500f, 0);
uParam2->f_1 = 447675/*func_726*/; //empty
uParam2->f_2 = 447640/*func_725*/; //request models
uParam2->f_3 = 447605/*func_724*/; //set models as no longer needed
uParam2->f_4 = 447538/*func_723*/; //checks if models are loaded
uParam2->f_5 = 446434/*func_720*/; //creates everything for mission scene in freemode
uParam2->f_6 = 446353/*func_719*/; //vehicles and peds configuration
uParam2->f_7 = 446272/*func_718*/; //deleting vehicles and peds
uParam2->f_10 = 445987/*func_715*/; //checks if player's close enough + creates a blip
uParam2->f_11 = 445944/*func_714*/; //checks if policet is alive
uParam2->f_12 = 445935/*func_713*/; //always false
uParam2->f_8 = 445927/*func_712*/; //empty
uParam2->f_9 = 445919/*func_711*/; //empty
break;
...
}
}
Those callbacks are different for every mission. Mission ids come from standard_global_init, so you can check those there to determine which mission is which.
Finally, after all the checks are done, the game needs to actually start the mission script. Here's what happens for missions that start with cutscenes:
For those missions, callback uParam2->f_5 from func_165() will call a function which looks like this:
void func_206(int iParam0, char* sParam1, int iParam2, int iParam3, int iParam4)//Position - 0x929D
{
//sets variables for mission script to start (flow_controller func_957())
// int iParam0 - mission id
// char* sParam1 - cutscene name
// int iParam2, int iParam3, int iParam4 - cutscene scenes depending on character (-1 if player can't start this mission)
if (Global_101652.f_8028)
{
if (!(Global_69700 && Global_69702 == iParam0))
{
Global_69702 = iParam0; //mission id
StringCopy(&Global_69703, sParam1, 24);
Global_69709[0] = iParam2; //player0 start
Global_69709[1] = iParam3; //player1 start
Global_69709[2] = iParam4; //player2 start
Global_69700 = 1; //start mission script = 1
Global_69701 = 0; //not really sure
func_207();
}
}
}
Global_69702 - mission id for which the script should be started
Global_69700 - SHOULD_START_MISSION_SCRIPT
All that's left is to request and start the script, flow_controller takes care of requesting scripts with func_957():
if (Global_69700)
{
if (!gameplay::are_strings_equal(&Global_69703, "NONE"))
{
if (Global_69713 == -1)
{
func_962(&Global_69713, 2);
}
else
{
switch (func_961(Global_69713))
{
case 1:
if (!cutscene::is_cutscene_active())
{
iVar0 = func_189(); //gets current character
if (func_22(iVar0))
{
if (Global_69709[iVar0] != -1) //if current character can start that mission
{
script::request_script_with_name_hash(Global_82607[Global_69702 /*34*/].f_6); //requesting mission script
...
}
}
}
...
}
}
}
}
}
Finally we need to start the script and flow_controller does that in one of three functions Flow_Do_Mission_Now, Flow_Do_Mission_At_Blip or Flow_Do_Mission_At_Switch (thanks to Parik for this info).
Those functions are pretty big but the main part for us is:
Global_82571[iVar0 /*5*/].f_4 = system::_start_new_streamed_script(iVar2, 20500); //Global_82571 - available (or running?) missions, this one is for starting after cutscenes
script::_set_streamed_script_as_no_longer_needed(iVar2);
gameplay::set_bit(&(Global_82571[iVar0 /*5*/].f_1), 2);
func_369(iParam1, iVar0, iVar1, iParam0, 1);
Global_69941 = -1;
return -1;
That's it for mission triggering logic, now let's look at some bugs.
The game doesn't want you to die during mission triggering, for this reason some of the callbacks from func_165() will call a function that will make you invulnerable.
Usually this function is called through intermediate function that also sets invulnerabilities to mission vehicles\peds\etc and sets Global_88739 to 1.
Let's look at the code:
void func_210()//Position - 0xBD9C
{
int iVar0;
int iVar1;
if (!Global_88739)
{
... //sets invulnerabilities for mission vehicles, peds, etc
func_211(1); //sets player's invulnerabilities
player::force_cleanup(8);
Global_88739 = 1;
}
}
void func_211(int iParam0)//Position - 0xBF9A
{
//set player proofs
if (!entity::is_entity_dead(player::player_ped_id(), 0))
{
entity::set_entity_proofs(player::player_ped_id(), true, true, true, true, true, false, 0, false);
ped::set_ped_config_flag(player::player_ped_id(), 157, false);
entity::set_entity_invincible(player::player_ped_id(), true);
ped::set_ped_stealth_movement(player::player_ped_id(), 0, 0);
if (iParam0)
{
weapon::set_current_ped_weapon(player::player_ped_id(), joaat("weapon_unarmed"), false);
}
ped::remove_ped_helmet(player::player_ped_id(), 0);
}
if (player::is_player_playing(player::player_id()))
{
player::clear_player_wanted_level(player::player_id());
}
player::set_max_wanted_level(0);
player::set_wanted_level_multiplier(0f);
}
Now let's look how the game removes those invulnerabilities:
if (Global_88739)
{
func_53(); // reverses func_210() and func_211()
}
As you can see, Global_88739 is crucial here because it decides if we should revert invulnerabilities that we've set before. I guess you could call this variable IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED.
Finally, let's see how "The Third Way" sets invulnerabilities:
if (func_743(&Local_1252) && interior::is_valid_interior(interior::get_interior_from_entity(player::player_ped_id())))
{
func_211(0); //sets player's proofs directly
func_732(75, 1);
object::_set_door_ajar_angle(-565026078, 0f, 1, 0);
...
}
Here's our answer, for some reason "The Third Way" calls func_211() directly, skipping func_210 and as a result doesn't set IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED to 1 preventing the script from properly removing player's proofs.
In fact, that's the only mission that does this, curious.
As we can see in the video, after starting The Merryweather Heist in an unusual way, mission failed screen for Towtruck appears for some reason.
A quick search for mission fail reason string shows that fail was triggered from fbi4_prep2 script which is the script for the towtruck mission.
This means that the script was indeed started and that checks inside func_27() from mission_triggerer_b were satisfied, strange.
Common sense tells us that there are usually only two ways to start that mission: either find a random towtruck in traffic or simply drive to mission location on the map.
Let's check mission id for towtruck mission in standard_global_init, that would be 34. Now let's head back to callbacks from func_165() and check those for this mission.
Here, we'll find callback f_10 which looks like this:
int func_851()//Position - 0x7E4AA
{
vector3 vVar0;
float fVar3;
vVar0 = { func_148(191, 0) };
if (!ped::is_ped_injured(player::player_ped_id()))
{
fVar3 = system::vdist2(entity::get_entity_coords(player::player_ped_id(), 1), vVar0);
if (fVar3 < (75f * 75f)) \\are we close enough to mission?
{
func_854();
iLocal_1114 = 1;
if (!ui::does_blip_exist(iLocal_1113))
{
iLocal_1113 = func_852(Global_88316[0], 0, 0);
}
return true;
}
else if (ped::is_ped_in_any_vehicle(player::player_ped_id(), 0))
{
func_854();
iLocal_1114 = 1;
return vehicle::is_vehicle_model(ped::get_vehicle_ped_is_in(player::player_ped_id(), 0), joaat("towtruck")); \\are we driving a towtruck?
}
}
return false;
}
Exactly what we were hoping for. But there are indeed only 2 conditions to start that mission and in the video we clearly never satisfied them.
Let's look how this callback is called:
bool func_125(var uParam0, var uParam1)//Position - 0x6441
{
int iVar0;
int iVar1;
int iVar2;
iVar0 = Global_88752[uParam0 /*17*/].f_5; //mission id
if (gameplay::is_bit_set(Global_88752[uParam0 /*17*/].f_8, func_20())) //checks if current character can start this mission
{
...
if (!gameplay::is_bit_set(Global_82607[iVar0 /*34*/].f_15, 22))
{
if (Global_88739) //IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED
{
if (uParam1->f_111 == -1) //those 2 checks are the reason why you have to do it 2 times
{
uParam1->f_111 = gameplay::get_game_timer();
}
else if ((gameplay::get_game_timer() - uParam1->f_111) > 12000) //if 12 seconds have passed
{
iVar2 = 1;
}
}
}
if (cam::is_screen_faded_in())
{
Call_Loc(uParam1->f_1[uParam0 /*13*/].f_10); //call to callback for start condition check
if (StackVal || iVar2) //if callback returned true or 12 seconds have passed
{
if (func_127(iVar1)) //requirements to start like not getting arrested etc
{
if (gameplay::is_bit_set(Global_88752[uParam0 /*17*/].f_10.f_1, 4) || Global_88741 == iVar0)
{
...
return true;
}
}
}
}
}
return false;
}
And func_125 in turn is called from func_27() like this:
if (func_125(uParam0, uParam1))
{
return true;
}
You'll be surprised but once again the culprit behind this bug is Global_88739 (IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED).
As you can see from the code above, there is actually a third way to start the mission, a very weird one: 12 seconds must pass between 2 mission start attempts. (It was probably meant to be "12 seconds must pass while IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED == 1"
but since uParam1->f_111 is not set to -1 when IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED != 1, we get the bug)
The first time you'll try to start The Merryweather Heist the way shown in the video, IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED will be set to 1 thus saving current game time to uParam1->f_111 since it is not initialized yet (== -1).
The second time you'll start the mission, IS_CLEANUP_NEEDED will be set to 1 once again while uParam1->f_111 will already have the game time we saved last time, so all that's left is to check if 12 seconds have passed.