# Base mission configuration

The independent Core scenario loads `Configs/ERR/VanillaFactions.conf` through `ERR_GameMode.m_FactionDefinition` and `Configs/ERR/EveronSites.conf` through the scenario component. Both are successor resources. Changing a configuration requires restarting the scenario; the live round is not repopulated.

## Factions and assets

The catalog explicitly selects the player faction, enemy faction, prisoner character, guard group and extraction helicopter. Current defaults are unarmed US prisoners, Soviet guards and the vanilla unarmed Mi-8 transport. Both factions must exist in the world's faction manager and consider one another hostile. Required prefab resources must resolve. The extraction resource must be a helicopter with a pilot position and at least twelve pilot/passenger seats; invalid extraction setup rolls back prepared sites before players spawn. Guard groups must have the catalog's enemy affiliation; an incompatible group is rejected rather than relabelled.

This provides an injection boundary, not automatic support for arbitrary addons. A different faction also needs matching characters, inventories, world manager configuration and companion support compositions. The current mortar crew remains a vanilla Soviet composition and rejects a different enemy faction.

Supply/guard placement and finite stock are described in [site authoring](site-authoring.md).

## Administration

Open the normal game chat and enter a command. Core provides:

| Command | Access | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `/esc status` | Server administrator | Current objective or startup failure cause; adds HQ status when Chat is loaded |
| `/esc killais` | Server administrator | Kill AI characters within 1,000 m of your living character; preserve players and vehicles |
| `/esc settings` | Server administrator | Current shared settings and values |
| `/esc mission radio show` | Server administrator | Radio defence duration in seconds |
| `/esc mission radio set N` | Server administrator | Save a whole-number duration from 30 to 1800 seconds |
| `/esc mission time show` | Server administrator | Current clock and saved next-round time/speed |
| `/esc mission time set HH:MM` | Server administrator | Save next-round start time, 00:00–23:59 |
| `/esc mission speed show` | Server administrator | Current clock and saved next-round time/speed |
| `/esc mission speed set N` | Server administrator | Save next-round time progression, 1–24× |
| `/esc spectate next` | Spectating player | Select the next surviving friendly player |
| `/esc spectate previous` | Spectating player | Select the previous surviving friendly player |

The server derives administrator status from the requesting controller's authenticated player ID. Clients cannot send an administrator flag through the RPC. Requests are limited in length and rate; malformed numbers and out-of-range values leave the previous setting intact. Saved values belong to the server profile, not client profiles. Changing radio duration affects the current defence calculation, so configure it before starting the transmission.

Clock settings apply once at the next round startup; changing them does not jump the current clock. Older valid settings files load the new defaults (14:00, 1×) without being rewritten. See [mission time](mission-time.md).

AI and Intel register their own providers with the Core command service; the full Chat scenario loads both. Existing HQ interval/squad/radius and Intel carrying/reveal aliases remain available, as do `hq show` and `hq log`. They use the same authenticated authorization path.

Additional AI commands:

| Command | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| `/esc hq memory` | Show bounded delivered-report beliefs, confidence, uncertainty and travel estimates |
| `/esc hq stinger show` | Show the saved one-in-N initial equipment chance |
| `/esc hq stinger set N` | Set 0 to disable, 1 for every eligible actor, or 2–10000 for one in N; affects actors that have not rolled yet |
| `/esc hq convoy show` | Show the finite deployment task, retained vehicles, native cargo insertion results and stop reason |
| `/esc hq convoy start` | Deploy the next unused slot in this round’s configured convoy allowance after physical force admission |
| `/esc convoys show` | Show the saved count and active fleet |
| `/esc convoys set 0..20` / `/esc convoys set random` | Save the next round’s convoy count; default 3; also available on the Mission page |

Convoys automatically deploy after prison escape by default, travel between friendly military bases, and use the original infantry dismount/flank/reboard behavior. Each has six vehicles, 25 soldiers and finite random faction-arsenal cargo. Startup and losses consume slots permanently. The existing `automaticConvoyEnabled=0` preference remains respected. See [Supply convoys](supply-convoys.md) for configuration, timing and validation limits.

The command parser and setting mutations have native service tests. Actual remote RPC ownership, chat usability and pre-spawn presentation still need multiplayer/UI acceptance.

## Failed preparation

If the faction/catalog setup or authored site preparation fails, the mode retains the reason, stops its services and refuses progression or spawning. It does not fall back to a partially prepared mission. A local hint describes the failure and `/esc status` gives administrators the cause. Correct the resource/configuration and restart the scenario. There is no automatic retry that recreates stock or forces after failure.

Waiting for normal site preparation does not consume a player's spawn retry budget. Once ready, actual failed spawn requests are bounded. This does not remove the one-life or identity requirements.

Core also provides `/esc mission abandon`: an administrator-only explicit defeat and normal restart for an active round. See [recovery policy](recovery.md).

## Mission menu

**Esc → Escapists Reintroduced** opens one administrator menu. Its top navigation
stays visible on every page:

| Page | Controls |
| --- | --- |
| Mission | Radio defence duration and next-round convoy count |
| World | Start time, Random day, time speed, date and weather |
| Factions | Escapists, enemy and independent faction choices; Random all |
| Mods | Content pack and individual faction switches |
| HQ | Report interval, support squad limit and response radius |
| Intel | Document frequency, exact-reveal chance, summary and reroll |
| Status | Scrollable live mission and service status |
| Journal | Scrollable HQ activity, pause/resume and jump to latest |

Changing pages preserves drafts and never applies them. Escape returns to Mission;
a second Escape closes the menu (an active text edit consumes Escape first).
Server authorization and capability checks still control every mutation.

## Optional content

Use **Esc → Escapists Reintroduced → Mods** for server-admin RHS and individual faction switches.
Selections apply after mission restart, while Workshop dependencies remain loaded.
See [content packs and the modder registry](content-packs.md).

## Random settings

Every editable setting on **Mission**, **World**, **HQ** and **Intel** has a
**Random** button. It selects the draft; press **Apply** to save it. You can still
enter a fixed value. The start-time row also offers **Random day**.

- Random start time: any whole minute from 00:00 through 23:59.
- Random day: a whole minute strictly between the island's sunrise and sunset,
  calculated after the selected date is applied. If no daylight interval is
  available, preparation fails rather than silently starting at night.
- Random date: any valid date in the world's authored year (1900–2050), including
  leap days where applicable.
- Random weather: clear, overcast or rain, with equal probability.
- Other fields: a uniformly selected integer within the range displayed beside
  the field, including zero where allowed. Random speed uses 1–24×.

The server retains the **Random** choice in its profile and selects a fresh value
for each mission instance. Reads and menu polling reuse that value. Applying the
same Random choice again does not reroll it; changing to a fixed value and then
back to Random does. Live settings retain their existing apply timing; clock,
calendar, weather and speed still apply only on the next round. Saved Random
values for live settings also show the resolved number in the menu.

Text commands accept `random` in place of any of these ten values, for example
`/esc hq squads set random` or `/esc mission weather set random`. Time additionally
accepts `/esc mission time set random day` (or `random-day`). Existing numeric,
clock, date and named-weather values remain supported. Storage uses `-1` for
Random and `-2` exclusively for Random day; these are saved modes, never concrete
values passed to gameplay or the world clock. Existing settings files keep their
fixed choices without migration or an automatic rewrite.

## Generated camps and map discovery

Everon generates a fresh clear-terrain prison, radio camp and four mortar sites
each round. Partial intel shows question marks; exact discoveries use site icons.
The prison is never marked. See
[generated sites and debug commands](generated-sites.md) for placement limits,
authoring fields, failure behavior and validation.

`/esc cheat intel` is an administrator-only command that places six fresh intel folders on clear ground within about 4.3 metres of the current living prisoner. It requires being on foot on terrain with enough nearby space. All six positions are checked first; a spawn failure removes the partial batch. Picking up the folders uses normal intel discovery and the configured reveal chance.

The initial prison patrol contains 3–5 soldiers, chosen once during preparation from the selected enemy faction roster. An existing RTO is retained. If that roster has no large radio, one soldier is equipped with a physical manpack (US/USAF: AN/PRC-77; otherwise R-107M). Preparation waits for that radio to be present. The guards start at separate random clear positions 12–24 m around the prison and remain frozen until it is unlocked; other site squads keep their configured size.

## Airfield extraction and site icons

Everon extraction uses the airfield pad at 4800.953 / 11487.412. Site authors set
`RequireAirfield 1` and `AircraftOffset 0 0 0` on that extraction definition.
Preparation checks airfield anchors, terrain and clearance before creating the
aircraft, and refuses an invalid pad without relocating it elsewhere.

Identified sites use helicopter, radio, artillery, building, medical and supplies
icons. Partial intel shows a question mark at an approximate position; the prison
remains hidden regardless of discovery.
The western guarded UAZ/crate site is removed; the medical stash provides the
second radio-intel source. See [implementation and validation](airfield-extraction-and-map-icons.md).

See [mortar intel, original messages and perimeter guards](mortar-intel-and-prison-map.md) for the four-site configuration and validation.

## Permanent radio security

Radio sites require a guard squad. HQ permanently reserves that squad for the
radio's 20 m defend area; it cannot be dispatched on searches, reinforcements or
courier work. The generated Everon radio and table sit inside a full-size tent,
with standing room for interaction. See [radio camp security](radio-camp-security.md).

Everon also sets `ScoutCount 10` in its scenario definition. This creates ten finite hilltop sniper/scout posts with radio-equipped ammunition packs; see [hill scouts](hill-scouts.md) for terrain criteria, loadouts and reporting. Other authored scenarios default to zero.

Search helicopter: `heliTimerMinutes` defaults to 15 minutes after prison escape
and after aircraft loss. Use `/esc hq heli show`, `/esc hq heli timer set 15`,
or `/esc hq heli return`. See [search-helicopter.md](search-helicopter.md).