This is a problem that already existed when I made a conversation about the response time of heli insertion here: [FIXED] How to speed up player combat logistics process (or is module bugged)?

The problem: occasionally an AI squad that is getting out of a transport helicopter during heli insertion disappears.

Not relevant to the problem:
So far I've been able to identify that when a player requests an AI squad to be delivered by heli insertion to a place that has a helipad available the success rate of insertion is 100% (in this case the AI squad doesn't disappear into thin air). Such places in Stratis are for example LZ Connor and Air Station Mike-26 just to name a few.

But if the player requests an AI squad to be delivered by heli insertion to somewhere else where there is no helipad available it will be a common thing that the AI squad disappears while getting out of the helicopter.

To some extent it seems to be possible to circumvent this behaviour with placing helipads by hand in the in-game editor though doing so isn't an idiot-proof solution: still occasionally the AI group disappears while doing the insertion.

This problem was first time spotted when using Arma3 1.56.134787, @CBA_A3 2.3.1.160220 and @ALiVE 1.0.2.1603251
and now again with Arma3 1.58.135656, @CBA_A3 2.3.1.160220 and @ALiVE 1.0.4.1604212 in use.

This post will ditch the aforementioned theory about helipads having something to do with the AI squad's heli insertion being successful or not.

Instead the AI group disappearing during the insertion is apparently tied to the size of the group that has been requested.

When requesting for a Team (Fire, Anti-armor, Support etc.) the group will get a successful insertion (= doesn't disappear).

But when requesting for a Squad (Rifle, Weapons) there's a distinctive chain of events that apparently lead to the AI group disappearing during the insertion:

• player requests for a Squad
• helicopter carrying the Squad begins to approach (both still virtualized)
• after getting closer the helicopter gets spawned and right in that moment the Squad gets ejected (dumped out)
• the helicopter makes its way to the insertion point and begins to unload the passengers
• when some or all have been unloaded the group disappears into thin air
• player is greeted with "Rotary wing insertion request completed"
• taking a look at the in-game map the player can see that the requested AI group actually is somewhere around the area where the helicopter was approaching from

I took a video to better show this chain of events.

at 1:04 the virtualized helicopter begins its approach
at 1:26 the helicopter gets spawned and in that moment ejects the AI group
at 3:54 begins the insertion -> AI group disappears
at 4:52 I check the map to see where the AI squad actually is and teleport next to the marker to see if they actually are there

I'd like to stress the point that what is described here for the Squad size doesn't happen with the Team sized AI groups (Team sized AI group *does not* get dumped out of the helicopter after being spawned from virtualized state).

This test can be run through the in-game editor (no need to set up a dedicated server environment).

Good to hear highhead!

As an additional info: another thing this whole problem might have something to do with is that in the case the requested Squad happens to get delivered without disappearing then usually one or two of the group's individuals never get out of the helicopter that was transporting them ->
asking for sitrep returns them KIA (which eventually leads to removal of said individuals from the group).

On top of that, occasionally one or two of the surviving individuals have been injured "during the transport" and need medical attention.

eugh! Keep at it and it will yield any time now! :)

@highhead nah spawn them on ground then reposition

What's going to happen when the virtual units spawn over water (just double-checking here so that won't have any unwanted side-effects)? :)

When any player is in range defined in Virtual AI module the unit spawn on water and start swimming.
If there no players inside, they just move as virtualized and there will be no obstacles anymore

Fixed in release 1.0.5.1605051.

Nice work on this one! Now the player combat logistics has that streamlined feeling, everything's working like a well-oiled machine!