✅ Verified in-game — deeper pass: surfaced the laser rangefinder model asset, documented the LaserFinished gate (AA medium/fuel/recruit checks -> SetDesignationParameters -> CompleteDesignation -> cooldown) and the custom Commence with EquipDesignator callback; cross-linked base + consumers

MrxSupportDesignatorLaser

Module: mrxsupportdesignatorlaser.lua

Overview

MrxSupportDesignatorLaser is the laser-painter designator subtype. Where a beacon or smoke marks a spot on the ground, the laser paints an object the player is aiming at: Commence equips the rangefinder and hands LaserFinished straight to Airstrike.EquipDesignator as its completion callback, and LaserFinished reads the painted object’s position. It gates completion behind AA, fuel, and recruit-availability checks before firing.

Inheritance

Inherits from: MrxSupportDesignator
Imports: MrxSupport, MrxSupportManager, MrxPmc

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.
bDesignationComplete: Indicates whether the designation process is complete.
sDesignationType: The type of designator, set to “Laser Designator”.
fValidationFunction: The validation function for the designator.
tCallbackList: A list of callbacks associated with the designator.
sAATestLevel: The AA test level required for the designator, set to “medium”.
nX, nY, nZ: Position coordinates of the designator.
uGuid: The unique identifier for the designator instance.

Functions

`Init()` / `Deinit()`

Engine lifecycle hooks (called by the loader). Init preloads Pg.LoadAsset("global_weapon_laserrangefinder", "model"); Deinit unloads it.

`Create(self, oNewDesignator)`

Stamps the laser fields: sDesignationType = "Laser Designator", sAATestLevel = "medium", and carries fValidationFunction through from the prototype (not forced like flare/smoke). No completion callback is registered here — completion is driven by LaserFinished instead.

`Commence(self, bFireImmediately)`

Overrides the base. Equips the rangefinder and passes LaserFinished as the completion callback:

return Airstrike.EquipDesignator(self.uOwner, self.sDesignationType, LaserFinished, {self}, false)

(always false for bFireImmediately). Returns nothing if uOwner isn’t a userdata handle.

`LaserFinished(self, uGuid)`

The gate that runs when the player finishes painting an object. In order, it:

Denies with "aa" if MrxSupport.TestAALevel(self.sAATestLevel) fails (medium AA present).
Denies with "fuel" if the parent support’s GetFuelCost() exceeds MrxPmc.GetFuelQty().
Silently returns if the recruit isn’t available (MrxSupportManager.IsRecruitAvailable).
Otherwise reads Object.GetPosition(uGuid), calls SetDesignationParameters(nX, nY, nZ, uGuid), CompleteDesignation() (base — fires the strike callbacks), and starts the recruit cooldown.

`ShouldSuppressIconAnimationOnDirectUse(self)`

Returns false (the HUD icon animation is not suppressed for a laser — unlike the satellite designator, which returns true).

`GetType(self)`

Returns "laser".

Events

None. LaserFinished is the EquipDesignator completion callback, not an Event.Create subscription; no timers are scheduled.

Module constants & tunables

Model asset: "global_weapon_laserrangefinder".
sDesignationType = "Laser Designator", sAATestLevel = "medium" (blocked by medium+ AA).
Denial reasons routed through MrxSupport.DenialMessage: "aa", "fuel".

Notes for modders

Unlike the other four subtypes, the laser paints a uGuid (the object under the reticle), not a ground coordinate — LaserFinished gets the object handle directly. That’s what makes it usable for “lock this specific vehicle.”
The three-step gate (AA → fuel → recruit) in LaserFinished is the whole “can I fire?” logic; drop or reorder those checks in a fork to change denial behavior.
sAATestLevel = "medium" means a laser strike is denied by medium or advanced AA (see MrxSupport.TestAALevel, where "basic" also escalates to test "medium").