✅ Verified in-game — deeper pass: confirmed the whole module is Create + GetType only; documented what makes a beacon differ (jammer AA level, bDesignateOnDeath=false, Beacon Designator type) and which strikes use it; cross-linked base + consumers

MrxSupportDesignatorBeacon

Module: mrxsupportdesignatorbeacon.lua

Overview

MrxSupportDesignatorBeacon is the thrown-beacon designator subtype. It’s the simplest of the five — just a Create that stamps the beacon-specific fields plus a GetType. A beacon is a persistent object the strike can track (falling ordnance re-reads its live position — see MrxArtillery.TriggerFallingMissile), and the base GetTarget returns its uGuid so callers can remove it after the strike. Used by MrxArtillery, MrxCruiseMissile, MrxStrategicMissile, and MrxHARMStrike.

Inheritance

• Inherits from: MrxSupportDesignator
• Imports: none

Instance pattern

Same class-factory pattern as MrxSupportDesignator, not per-uGuid — Create(self, oNewDesignator) builds a new table via setmetatable/__index, exactly like its parent. No OnActivate/Awake, no tInstance registry. It tracks the following key fields:

• uOwner: The owner of the designator.
• bDesignateOnDeath: Indicates whether designation should occur on death.
• bDesignationComplete: Indicates whether the designation process is complete.
• sDesignationType: The type of designator, set to “Beacon Designator”.
• fValidationFunction: The validation function for the designator, set to nil.
• tCallbackList: A list of callbacks associated with the designator.
• sAATestLevel: The AA test level, set to “jammer”.
• nX, nY, nZ: Coordinates of the designator in the world.
• uGuid: The unique GUID of the designator.

Functions

Create(self, oNewDesignator)

Stamps the beacon fields onto a fresh (or passed-in) table, then setmetatables it to this module. Beacon-specific settings vs. the base: sDesignationType = "Beacon Designator", sAATestLevel = "jammer", bDesignateOnDeath = false, fValidationFunction = nil. Everything else (owner, coords, uGuid) is copied through from the prototype.

GetType(self)

Returns "beacon".

Events

None — this module subscribes to no engine events and schedules no timers. All lifecycle is driven by the base class’s callback list.

Module constants & tunables

Set inside Create (there are no module-level locals):

• sDesignationType = "Beacon Designator" — the item Airstrike.EquipDesignator hands the player.
• sAATestLevel = "jammer" — a beacon strike is only denied by a jammer, not by ordinary AA (the strongest “always allowed unless jammed” setting among the five subtypes).
• bDesignateOnDeath = false — designation does not auto-complete if the beacon object is destroyed.

Notes for modders

• The "jammer" AA level is the beacon’s defining trait: beacon-based strikes (artillery, cruise, strategic, HARM) ignore basic/medium/advanced AA and are only blocked by a jammer. Change sAATestLevel in Create to make them AA-blockable.
• fValidationFunction is deliberately nil here — a beacon can be dropped anywhere. Assign one of the base ValidateGroundDropZone/ValidateWaterDropZone functions if you want placement restrictions.