✅ Verified in-game — deeper pass: surfaced the flare model asset (global_weapon_sw500) and the Flare Projectile Stage 2 spawn-on-complete, documented water-drop validation + AA none, and the Init/Deinit asset lifecycle; cross-linked base + Airstrike

MrxSupportDesignatorFlare

Module: mrxsupportdesignatorflare.lua

Overview

MrxSupportDesignatorFlare is the flare-marker designator subtype. Unlike a beacon (which only marks), a flare spawns its own visual on completion: when designation finishes it drops a "Flare Projectile Stage 2" ordnance at the flare’s location. It can be placed on water (its validation allows it).

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 “Flare Designator”.
• fValidationFunction: The function used to validate drop zones, set to MrxSupportDesignator.ValidateWaterDropZone.
• tCallbackList: A list of callbacks for the designation process.
• sAATestLevel: The AA test level, set to “none”.
• nX, nY, nZ: Position coordinates of the designator.
• uGuid: The unique identifier of the designator.

Functions

Init() / Deinit()

Engine lifecycle hooks (called by the module loader, not the modder). Init preloads the flare’s world model with Pg.LoadAsset("global_weapon_sw500", "model"); Deinit unloads it. This is the standard load/unload pattern for a designator that has a physical item model.

Create(self, oNewDesignator)

Stamps the flare fields: sDesignationType = "Flare Designator", sAATestLevel = "none" (never AA-blocked), bDesignateOnDeath = true, and fValidationFunction = MrxSupportDesignator.ValidateWaterDropZone (so it can be placed on water). Crucially, it registers its own completion callback: oNewDesignator:AddCompleteCallback(DesignationCompleteCallback, {oNewDesignator}) — the flare visual is self-contained, it doesn’t wait on a parent support.

DesignationCompleteCallback(self)

On completion, reads the designator’s uGuid position and spawns "Flare Projectile Stage 2" there via Airstrike.SpawnOrdnance with a tiny downward drift (0, -2, 0) and no detonation params — the lit flare effect itself.

GetType(self)

Returns "flare".

Events

None. DesignationCompleteCallback runs via the base class’s callback list (registered in Create), not an Event.Create subscription.

Module constants & tunables

Set in Create / the callback (no module-level locals):

• Model asset: "global_weapon_sw500" (loaded/unloaded by Init/Deinit).
• Spawned effect: "Flare Projectile Stage 2" (see the Airstrike template list).
• sDesignationType = "Flare Designator", sAATestLevel = "none", bDesignateOnDeath = true.
• Validation: MrxSupportDesignator.ValidateWaterDropZone (water-placement allowed).

Notes for modders

• The flare is the one designator that spawns a visual on its own (DesignationCompleteCallback) — swap "Flare Projectile Stage 2" there for a different Airstrike template to reskin the marker.
• sAATestLevel = "none" means a flare mark is never denied by anti-air; set it if you want otherwise.
• bDesignateOnDeath = true (vs. the beacon’s false) means the flare auto-completes designation if its object is destroyed — a real behavioral difference from a beacon.