Arma 3: Totally Not a Zombie Simulator

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Arma 3: Totally Not a Zombie Simulator

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

LP97S posted:

I seriously don't get people who enjoy the ArmA campaigns, I can't even get through them half of the time because they're so drat clunky.

That thing you just posted? If it weren't for you specifying that it's from Cold War Crisis/Assault, "lots of their fans in the official forum" would call it too Call of Duty :rolleyes:

Again though, Gaia said that the Arma 3 campaign is supposed to have elements of Resistance.

# ? Nov 23, 2012 04:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 18, 2024 01:52

A Sloth: Aug 4, 2010; EVERY TIME I POST I AM REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE THAT I AM A SHITHEAD.

ASK ME MY EXPERT OPINION ON GENDER BASED INSULTS & "ENGLISH ETHNIC GROUPS".

LP97S posted:

I'll just repost what I said about campaigns in the ArmA 2 thread:

I seriously don't get people who enjoy the ArmA campaigns, I can't even get through them half of the time because they're so drat clunky.

Can't you say that about ArmA in general?

# ? Nov 23, 2012 06:40

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

A Sloth posted:

Can't you say that about ArmA in general?

Until I saw the infantry videos for this one, hell yeah!

Now, as far as protective clothing goes:

InstaGoat posted:

About the infantry, I also learned that the types of protective gear you can wear will influence where and how much damage you take upon being hit. That means that bodyarmour and helmets are no gimmicks, but have actual gameplay impact. The only thing that�s not implemented right now (another nice to have but not high on the list feature) was working HUD glasses.

When I asked about diving goggles:

InstaGoat posted:

I talked about this with Gaia. The goggles, depending on the type, do not alter the UI, but give protection benefits. For example, if you remove the diving goggles while you are under water, your vision become blurry to simulate the saltwater burning in your eyes. The HUD glasses do not have any effect on the UI right now, this would be a "nice to have" feature, but low on the priority list. I would imagine protective eyewear makes you more resistant to injuries (flying shrapnel or riquochets, for example). I have seen photos of eyepro from soldiers in a-stan that deflected flying things.

Vests and Helmets already influence your protection levels, which is why I think the glasses do the same, if they don�t do anything else. I would imagine that with the new HDR and post-pro systems, we could also see working sunglasses. That�d be a nice thing.

These next two are both from the same post as the first quote in this post. Class features?

InstaGoat posted:

There�s also new general HUD features being implemented for various units, regarding their specialty professions so to speak. For example, engineers can lay mines and can (provided the difficulty feature is enabled) see where they have placed their mines via HUD overlay. Their non-engineer teammates can�t, however, so the engi will need to communicate his minefield positions with his teammates. There are a variety of mines, which apparently can also be set down in different modes, movement trigger, radio triggers and I also saw a booby trapped house door using a tripwire. All in all, those were pretty exciting to see.

READ FOR INSTAGOAT'S REPORTING ON THE AI AS OF GAMESCOM

InstaGoat posted:

I was told that one problem with developing the AI so far has been that new features had been added, while old ones basically were carried over. As old developers went and new ones came, documentation was neglected, so at times, the people currently working on the AI themselves don�t know what part does what. The result of that is the AI in Arma 2 is as clunky as it is sometimes: it�s not because it is bad, it�s just that it is made of lots of parts that were left unadjusted. So, what they are doing with Arma 3 is apparently one big spring-clean trough the AI framework, building and confirming documentation, constructing up-to-date tools to adjust and test the AI, and iron out the bugs.

To elaborate on the AI:

InstaGoat posted:

The AI in Arma 3 will not be including any new features. Devs have said this on the forums, and I�ve talked to Gaia at Gamescom who also confirmed this to me. What they are instead doing is making what they have work properly first, before trying to slap on more stuff that may break even more parts than are already in wonky shape.

Many of the AI�s general problems right now are not for lack of features, but appear to be that way because of misconfiguration. There also seem to be problems with documentation, which means that current AI devs have to work trough the system to figure out how the AI works and why first.

There are a lot of things the AI would need to do, but for basics, they should do what they�re already programmed to do properly, rather than do stupid things all the time. Snipers pulling out pistols all the time, Units not going prone or quickly taking cover when fired upon, AI using grenades properly, etc.

Vespa posted:

The documentation apparently IS incomplete, however, many problems of the AI don�t result from absent but misconfigured features. They are spring-cleaning the AI, updating, correcting and expanding documentation and stats to make everything that already exists work as intended.

Previously, the AI was continuously expanded while existing systems were left unadjusted or maladjusted. So instead of tacking on more stuff that will make the thing even more complex and convoluted, they are correcting and tweaking the existing AI to make it work as it should.

Also, even if they didn�t know the code at all, somebody could go through it and figure it out. It�s not like the Arma AI is the Voynich manuscript of coding.

And some final AI opinionating from InstaGoat here.

# ? Nov 24, 2012 09:41

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

So, yeah, wouldn't it be awesome if grenades in the Arma series didn't suck? I think so, and here's a video of a concept on how it could be done better by Dslyecxi. Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGt8QbK61aE Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HylAK_biGfk

Basically, it's not rear end, and apparently a highly skilled modder with the time to do it is looking into making it a reality. :sun:

# ? Nov 24, 2012 10:15

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Dyslecxi outright works for BISim, which is behind VBS2, and its 2.0 upgrade (basically porting VBS2 from the Arma 1 engine RV2 to the Arma 2 engine RV3) outright uses the "arc of travel and impact point/blast radius" method seen in games like Gears of War or Metal Gear Solid 4... so I'm not surprised that the depicted grenade concept is coming from him.

By the way, Mederlock, I hope that that big post of quoting was usable for the OP? Here's another...

READ FOR INSTAGOAT'S REPORTING ON THE GEAR SYSTEM AS OF GAMESCOM

InstaGoat posted:

What�s also interesting is the new gear system, which is pretty nice to see in the videos we�ve gotten from E3 and Gamescom so far. It takes a bit getting used to, but you get used to it faster than the old system, which is good. There�s new highlight features, and you can see pretty well how heavy your loadout is, and where you�re carrying your gear. For example, in the current iteration you can carry a single mag on your person, and a number of mags on your chestrig (didn�t test how many, but I would expect at least as many as you can in Arma 2). I wanted to check wether your loadout changed the look of your vest, but unfortunately I got too caught up in playing to actually pay attention to that. If they are using memory points like for the rifles, for example, one could easily imagine different ammo causing different pouches to appear on the rig. Modders could, probably, go as far as limiting which pouch can be used with which vest (ie, MOLLE compatabillity).

Encumbrance is cooked into vanilla Arma 3:

InstaGoat posted:

The weight/encumbrance system is being worked on, but was fully in place at GC. All items you carry, including your fatigues, vest, helmet, binocs, ammo, medkit, etc, counts towards your encumbrance. The fatigue system is gradual, so as you get more fatigued, you will turn unable to sprint, run, get reduced to a slow walk and possibly even collapse to the ground when you�re overloading yourself. There�s also a hard limit (representing the physical abillity of the individual). I didn�t have the time to find out wether or not this was dynamic and/or depending on Unit type, but I�d imagine that a soldier can carry more to a further distance than an untrained civilian.

Does that mean carrying capacity accounting for "volume" and weight? Maybe:

InstaGoat posted:

Amount that can be carried also seemed to be limited by the type of load bearing system (amount of slots, basically). I couldn�t play around with it enough to test different vests (Only ones available were opfor webbings and crye cage vests with full plates.) to see if it did that, but I would expect this at the level of complexity they are aiming for with Arma 3. The inventory system and its management will become more important than they have been. People kitting themselves out with a SMAW, three rounds, eight 7.62 20 round mags and a DMR, armoured vest, helmet, NVGs and Binoculars will make them virtual cripples on the battlefield. More realistic loadouts like we see from afghanistan, where people sometimes are running around with as little as three magpouches and maybe a dump-bag and trauma kit and sideplates/neck protection removed to save weight will allow people to stay more mobile. What interests me is wether or not this fatigue system will be permanent, or difficulty dependent. I hope it will be permanent, so even the arcade servers stay on the side of realism.

# ? Nov 24, 2012 10:35

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Yeah, keep them coming man. I'm going to add a good bit of stuff to the OP, probably on Sunday, so I'll see how I can work it all in. Regardless it makes for good reading, thanks for dealing with reading the BI forums so I don't have to :cheers:

# ? Nov 24, 2012 10:52

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Could you include my "new inventory" screenshot OP with maybe a description? To "wrap up" my InstaGoat posting...

CONTROLS

InstaGoat posted:

If I recall correctly, the modifiers at GC were as follows.

ctrl+w/s to switch stance increments up/down
hold shift to tactilol paec
there was a modifier too that allowed switching from tactical pace to slow walk for controlled, silent movement.
ctrl+somekeysaroundwasd for urban prone, last stand, and different types of lean. Some of these are in flux, I was told, and may or may not be in the final version of the game depending on playable alpha feedback/cost-benefit issues.

Edit: I have to add, I was at GC and played the demo for a short while. The new controls in general are smooth, but take a little bit of getting used to: you notice that I can�t completely recall anymore what did what. I also learned from the devs that they have multiple control schemes in the pipeline, and will test which one works best with the new animation system and for the players. The system used at GC was basically vanilla Arma2 + movement modifiers for Infantry.

DIALOGUE

InstaGoat posted:

At GC it was mentioned that they are using internal statistics systems to determine which sentence and segment combinations occur most often, so they can then record tailor made, non segmented sounds for those sentences. That should make them more natural. The problem is the sheer amount of information any given sentence could convey, and it�s already less complex than OFP, for example. In OFP, every vehicle was Identified individually (BMP, M113, T-80, etc) as opposed to generic "Tank" or "APC".

It has also been said (i.e. by Ivan) in Gamescom videos that the action menu and command systems are also up for revision, although the nature thereof has yet to be even hinted at; the Supports showcase and videos were still using the number row comm menu for calling in the artillery and helicopter CAS.

And finally, the list of what's new that I posted on the first page but expanded on with what I thought were important aspects now boldfaced, and (hopefully this is real and not just speculation) InstaGoat's take on the devs' behavior as of early September before Ivan and Martin's arrests:
EXPANDED LIST OF ARMA 3 FEATURES

InstaGoat posted:

3D Editor is not cancelled, it will be carried over as-is from Arma 2. Underground structures, idk why this is important. AI can�t even use buildings properly, and you want to add even MORE useless terrain that cannot be used by anyone but the player? Helicopter flight model: this is already developed in TOH, but a lot of things have been mentioned as being in flux when I talked to dev peolpe at Gamescom. They are doing proper development: instead of tacking poo poo on that ends up half-finished like they did with Arma 2, they started with a big list and now are in the process of throwing out everything they cannot get to work as it should, to AAA game standards.

Again, they will -not- implement anything they cannot get to work without hitches and falls, and things that are already in but too difficult/time consuming to develop are being left as is (ie, 3D Editor for example.).

Now, these are things I have seen at gamescom that are implemented right now.

Dynamic stances/additional movement modes.
Weapons modification.
Personal protection gear (Bodyarmour, Helmets, Gasmasks/Glasses, Rebreathers.)
Weight modelling for all equipment, fatigue and encumberance modelling, slot limitations based on type of Loadbearing equipment.
Additional difficulty selections (Hint system, class specific HUD indicators)
New Muzzleflashes and according AI changes (Flash suppressors vs Recoil compensators vs Silencers affect AI visual/audio spotting differently as far as I was told.)
Improved AI (No new features, but completely spring-cleaned build with corrected and improved settings, as well as streamlined AI navigation and world perception. This was mentioned in a devblog too.)
Obviously, vehicle physics. Physics also affect smoke (Rotor downwash, wind, blastwaves) and will probably also be used to implement stuff like fastroping/vehicle towing.
All existing Arma 2/OA features where they have not been replaced with improved/more advanced substitutes.
Improved vehicle damage system, building on the existing one. (No penetration modelling so far, I believe.)
Performance enhancements.
Improved 2D editor with new features (briefing manager, possibly gear manager and other tools.)
New features/improvements regarding mod support.

Not to mention a brand new, OFP:R styled campaign, missions, and we�ve got a fair chance of also seeing an overhauled MP, a wide range of new models, units, weapons, improved modelling for all of those too. The weapons for example use memory points for the attachments, so -any- weapon in the future will be able to take -any- attachment added to the game and allowed for use by the mission editor. I am sure the community will expand on this by adding new mounting systems that limit which sights can be mounted on which gun (Russian dovetail rails vs picatinny rail for example.), but generally, weapons packs will now only need to contain the weapons system (ie, complete rifle.) And all attachments can be added by the player. That means an M16 weapons pack will not need to contain multiple hundreds of differently configured weapons, but instead only 1 rifle for each type/weapons system setups (For example, M16A3, M16A3+M203, M16A4+Foregrip, etc) and any number of attachments, plus the native attachments from the game.

idk.

Same thing for bodyarmour, rigs, combat fatigues and helmets.

Speaking of that bit about the dev attitude and weapon attachments...

# ? Nov 24, 2012 12:08

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

A DEV ON ATTACHMENTS FOR A USER-MADE WEAPON

Vespa posted:

You take your bare weapon model, fit it with appropriate proxies in O2, define which accessories are allowed for it in config, and you're good to go.

Up to three attachment slots per weapon, and magazines will still look the same even if you're using a C-MAG:

Vespa posted:

3 slots for now, as I'm aware (not exactly my area)

Nope, the mags look the same, at least for now. Classic case of development cost / benefits ratio - more important things to focus on.

Then he confirms that he wants to implement a tools/tutorials pack for would-be modders for Arma 3 small arms, optics have their own eyepoints, and compares Arma 3 to Duke Nukem Forever:

Vespa posted:

Definitely, I would like some pack of tools and tutorials to help people with weapons modding.
rstratton posted:
what about memory points? will each optics model have its own eyepoint?
yep

http://kotaku.com/5920572/the-trouble-with-the-never+satisfied-gamer :p
We can't make all the things, or we'd end up in developer hell - together with Duke Nukem Forever.

Then when RobertHammer (yes that RH) complains that that "arma is about weapons" and "Don't tell me that those small weapon features are waste of time", then that "I never said that those features are easy to make or add ,but they are worth to the game and mainly for future mods." and that ""ArmA 3 is still missing a proper weapon resting and proper breathing simulation", Vespa pushes back against RobertHammer despite his Internet 'fame' from his Arma 2 weapon packs in one of the best posts I've ever seen from a BI dev:

Vespa posted:

RobertHammer - such games as Ground Branch are usually specialized, with narrow focus and scale. Arma3 is massive in every aspect, and people forget that. If we are to manage such project, we need to be ruthlessly effective with our time and resources.
The reason there is no daytime laser with flashlight, or "only" 3 slots on weapons, is that the cost would be too high - and that, in the end, would harm the project. It's easy to get carried away, obsess about small things and lose grip with reality - I saw it happen many times, always ending up badly. So even if it may seem twisted to an outsider, I actually am proud of dropping/not doing some features - because it means the team is healthy and focused on target.

I love how it's a BI dev talking about his player/modder base "obsess(es) about small things and lose(s) grip with reality" :allears:

I already posted Smookie's bit on Arma 3 pistol CQB, but I may post some more bits from him (the guy who mo-capped the majority of Arma 3 animations) if anyone else is interested.

# ? Nov 24, 2012 12:08

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

NielsS posted:

What do you mean by that? I find PVP to be boring, restrictive and completely against what this game is about. Freedom.
You've got this entire island or world to play in and yet you choose to play on this tiny piece of it, that plays exactly the same everytime you play it, and kill eachother.
So i would like to stay in my cocoon and create and play missions that encompass half the island, that plays differently everytime you play it, and actually forces you to play tactical. Now i know what you're going to say: "My friends and i play team deathmatch tactical". Yes the first 2 or 3 times. After that it becomes a fragfest where everyone chooses a sniperrifle and find a place to camp from. I've seen it many times with several games. It's the reason i got bored with PVP.

This is what people trying to improve PVP in ARMA have to contend with.
:negative:

As for what I promised about Smookie, there's some comments on things like how he plans to implement things such as making stepover less useless ("make sure player is no longer defence-less during stepover (gun aimed/possibility to cancel)"), while aiming down the sights will probably force you to walk just like in most regular shooters*, and this one's an oldie, but on transitioning from rifle to pistol as of post-E3 (end of June):

Smookie posted:

Have already turned down the transition time absolutely minimum of my acceptance. Current rifle to pistol swap time (full-animation) is 1,10 s (and you are able to fire from around 0,53 s). Therefore the current animation is a compromise between gameplay benefits and visual look (so it isnt just "take the grip and attach rifle to the slot")

Also, check out this Arma 3 screenshot of a Config Viewer.

I know the thread's all quiet at the moment, as has been BI since Ivan and Martin's arrests, but there was a public protest in Prague over the devs' jailing, which according to the bearded speaker guy (a dev with Warhorse Studios) was "mostly top Czech developers from Warhorse, 2K, Bohemia Interactive, Madfinger and other companies", after it was stated that the conditions had worsened for the two devs.

* I had been asking in the context of whether you could maintain a relatively high movement speed while using optics as with SMK, as well as MW3 (Stalker perk)/Black Ops II (Adjustable Stock attachment); that is, would I be able to still move at tactical pace even when aiming down the sights, the "no" to me signals that tactical pace is probably for the sake of hipfire.

# ? Nov 28, 2012 11:13

Frosty Mossman: Feb 17, 2011; "I Guess Somebody Fixed All the Problems" -- Confused Citizen

Chortles posted:

This is what people trying to improve PVP in ARMA have to contend with.

That's bizarre as gently caress. Why does he think that PVP makes all mission makers magically incapable of building anything other than deathmatch? How do you get that confused? Has he never actually played PVP in Arma before? Is he just attributing his irrational hatred of some other multiplayer shooters to all PVP ever?

quote:

I had been asking in the context of whether you could maintain a relatively high movement speed while using optics as with SMK, as well as MW3 (Stalker perk)/Black Ops II (Adjustable Stock attachment); that is, would I be able to still move at tactical pace even when aiming down the sights, the "no" to me signals that tactical pace is probably for the sake of hipfire.

This sounds really good not only for realism (you wouldn't take the time to aim through your sights in fast-paced CQC situations or the like), but also because of basic gameplay: now there's a choice between faster movement with less accurate shooting and slower movement with more accuracy.

# ? Nov 29, 2012 01:47

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Sniper Party posted:

That's bizarre as gently caress. Why does he think that PVP makes all mission makers magically incapable of building anything other than deathmatch? How do you get that confused? Has he never actually played PVP in Arma before? Is he just attributing his irrational hatred of some other multiplayer shooters to all PVP ever?

He's not the only one, there's a bunch of guys who've likely never played PVP in Arma before, though Mr. "PVP is entirely about ruining the experience for others" takes the cake; worse yet, I think the latter is this guy, so he's probably got at least some "name" in the community as well.

Then again, that's not the only terrible idea about PVP on the official forums by a long shot.

Sniper Party posted:

This sounds really good not only for realism (you wouldn't take the time to aim through your sights in fast-paced CQC situations or the like), but also because of basic gameplay: now there's a choice between faster movement with less accurate shooting and slower movement with more accuracy.

From one of my InstaGoat quotes, as of the Gamescom build, the Left Shift key now defaults to tactical pace instead of walk, but there's a modifier or toggle to switch between tactical pace and walk when in hipfire view; I took Smookie's answer to mean that "ADS" forces you into walk; considering that walk was described about the same as in Arma 2, running slower than in Arma 2 and "tactical pace is precisely inbetween walk and run", it does seem like tactical pace is indeed basically for any "fast-paced CQC" moments because there was no "faster movement with less accurate shooting" option in Arma 2, and the sheer amount of "optic bob" when moving (especially laterally) made it difficult to shoot on the move in Arma 2 anyway.

(For context, MW3 and Black Ops 2 had a perk and a shotgun/SMG/AR/LMG attachment respectively that partially raise the movement speed when aiming down the sights, though not faster than hipfire.)

# ? Nov 29, 2012 05:11

MrOnBicycle: Jan 18, 2008; Wait wat?

While the quoted PvP-haters are dumb, I must comment on the use of scoped sights on weapons. It blows. On loads of PvE missions people immediately kit themselves out with a nice sniper rifle and a good anti tank weapon. The one man army that then proceeds to camp on a hill and pick off A.I. Sure, having a sniper or two can be nice, but nothing beats going in with iron sighs.

I played Insurgency last night and while there were a couple of snipers, the majority of people didn't use em. Which lead to some great fire fights with the A.I. That's where this game really shines, RPG's and bullets flying all around in a way that even beats scripted scenes.

# ? Nov 29, 2012 12:51

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

MrOnBicycle posted:

While the quoted PvP-haters are dumb, I must comment on the use of scoped sights on weapons. It blows. On loads of PvE missions people immediately kit themselves out with a nice sniper rifle and a good anti tank weapon. The one man army that then proceeds to camp on a hill and pick off A.I. Sure, having a sniper or two can be nice, but nothing beats going in with iron sighs.

I played Insurgency last night and while there were a couple of snipers, the majority of people didn't use em. Which lead to some great fire fights with the A.I. That's where this game really shines, RPG's and bullets flying all around in a way that even beats scripted scenes.

Even having ACOG's or PSO's on sights making spotting enemies a very easy task, as well as making it really easy to engage them. I like the dynamic of just having reflex or iron sights, and then supplement leaders with binoculars for reconnaissance stuff, as it really shortens the reasonable maximum engagement ranges from somewhere in the 500-700 range to about 200-400 meters, which makes properly employing infantry tactics actually fun and tense.

# ? Nov 29, 2012 20:55

lizzyinthesky: Mar 24, 2010; Take drugs! Kill a bear!

MrOnBicycle posted:

While the quoted PvP-haters are dumb, I must comment on the use of scoped sights on weapons. It blows. On loads of PvE missions people immediately kit themselves out with a nice sniper rifle and a good anti tank weapon. The one man army that then proceeds to camp on a hill and pick off A.I. Sure, having a sniper or two can be nice, but nothing beats going in with iron sighs.

I played Insurgency last night and while there were a couple of snipers, the majority of people didn't use em. Which lead to some great fire fights with the A.I. That's where this game really shines, RPG's and bullets flying all around in a way that even beats scripted scenes.

Insurgency is really a favorite. Get a good size organized team going and then have 1-2 guys on the insurgent side and magic starts to happen. IEDs are simply the most fun

# ? Nov 29, 2012 22:25

Anveo: Mar 23, 2002

Looks like ARMA 3 has been officially pushed back to 'sometime' (my guess would be Q3/Q4) in 2013. In the meantime come play ARMA 2 with us!

# ? Dec 13, 2012 17:18

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

We're not even up to the community alpha and yet we already have official merchandise... skip to 2:20 for the other item (still image here) :stare:

EDIT: Raneman I don't see why you couldn't?

Chortles fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Dec 25, 2012

# ? Dec 25, 2012 03:34

Raneman: Dec 24, 2010; by T. Finninho

Can I still go into the editor and make gigantic militia rebellions?

# ? Dec 25, 2012 03:35

SALT CURES HAM: Jan 4, 2011

A Sloth posted:

ArmA: Cold War Assault is just Flashpoint right? Nothing ruined or changed? It is on Steam for �2.09 and I'm tempted.

Don't buy it, stick with your memories. The game has aged terribly.

# ? Dec 25, 2012 03:40

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Raneman posted:

Can I still go into the editor and make gigantic militia rebellions?

Yes, yes you can. The editor is actually basically the same as the Arma 2 one last they showed it, just with some incremental improvements to the UI and such.

# ? Dec 25, 2012 07:57

LP97S: Apr 25, 2008

Mederlock posted:

Yes, yes you can. The editor is actually basically the same as the Arma 2 one last they showed it, just with some incremental improvements to the UI and such.

The biggest change was the elimination of "novice mode" and the ability to create groups larger than 12 units.

# ? Dec 25, 2012 13:03

Sevalar: Jul 10, 2009; HEY RADICAL LARRY HOW ABOUT A HAIRCUT

****MIC TO THE WILLY***

I hope 3 has more support for dynamic missions for dumb fucks like me. Sometimes I just want to have a mission where a squad or a small batallion tries to take over a certain location and kill all the enemies.

I can do this in ARMA 2, but the best I can do is make a small text pop up saying 'YOU'RE WINNER!'. Maybe it's asking too much but it would be cool...

# ? Dec 25, 2012 14:36

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

LP97S posted:

The biggest change was the elimination of "novice mode" and the ability to create groups larger than 12 units.

Source on this? I mean, this time around the devs seem less spergy than their forums...

# ? Dec 25, 2012 18:43

LP97S: Apr 25, 2008

Chortles posted:

Source on this? I mean, this time around the devs seem less spergy than their forums...

I was talking about the changes from Operation Flashpoint editing to ArmA II editing, sorry.

# ? Dec 25, 2012 18:48

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Sure, the only news here is that Limnos got renamed Altis since "in view of recent events, the team no longer feels passionate about using the previous name, 'Limnos', and hopes that the new identity, �Altis�, will help emphasize the fictional nature of the game. A secondary, significantly smaller island in Arma 3, �Stratis� (approx. 20 km�), will keep its name."

We do get two new screenshots out of it, and "More precise details will be announced in February."

# ? Feb 1, 2013 23:06

keyframe: Sep 15, 2007; I have seen things

I can't wait for this game. From the videos it looks like it fixes the lovely controls of arma 2 and looks much more polished.

# ? Feb 1, 2013 23:08

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

keyframe posted:

I can't wait for this game. From the videos it looks like it fixes the lovely controls of arma 2 and looks much more polished.

As of Gamescom, the default keybinding preset was "Arma 2 but with Ctrl now acting as a modifier for WSADQE to perform the incremental stance adjustments"... but notice how I said preset?

Long quotes are long so as to include glimpses as the development mindset:

RoyaltyinExile posted:

Although I'm loathe to comment about control settings before actually providing the opportunity for people to try them (debating about it in theory rarely works; you really have to get the fingers-on-the-keys in action, as it were), I would make a quick point.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it previously, but we're aiming to introduce a set of Controls Presets - i.e. a feature that allows you to pick between pre-defined control assignments - so that we might offer some alternatives to the default set up, rather than "one-setup-to-rule-them-all" approach. While the idea isn't exactly revolutionary, it should enable us to be more flexible (e.g., supporting the 'classic' Arma 2 set up, while offering some choices/ moving toward 'industry standards' that other players may be comfortable with*).

Longer-term, though, it's cool to be able to think about more advanced functionality, such as, say, support for community-defined presets, which may be bundled with/ tailored to specific mods or game modes, etc, enabling quick switches and updates. While it's as yet WIP, generally, Presets fit in with our vision of Arma 3 as a flexible platform for official and community content; naturally, the approach has some disadvantages, but we feel they may be outweighed by the positives.

In addition to that, here's some of creative director Jay Crowe's personal keybindings:
Z: Prone/Stand
X: Crouch-toggle
C: Tactical Pace
LShift: Sprint
Spacebar: Context-sensitive action ("such as entering a vehicle as driver (which is probably the most 'controversial' choice of this personal set up)")

As far as the "disadvantages":

RoyaltyinExile posted:

The problems I'm thinking about are both high-level and technical.

An example of a high-level issue would be, say, if there is a whole bunch of different pre-sets, it can become confusing for people talking about their controls, say, in MP
quote:
Person A: "Hey man, just press Caps Lock to talk!"
Person B: "Wth... that's making me salute?"
Person A: "What? I'm using the 'Sparkle Pony' Preset, what about you?"
Person B: "Wait, what's a Preset?"
Developer J: "Ffffff"
But, yes, that's really just only about nit-picking for problems or, rather, predicting the worse, so we might better adapt to it.

From the technical point of view, there are still some fixes to the code needed to implement it corrextly. Fixes mean time, and time means effort not spent on, say, another feature which also requires attention (and there's always something else to fix). So, it's about finding a useful, appropriate balance of where we allocate resources.

And as far as "a first class treatment" for the keybindings screen:

RoyaltyinExile posted:

Sure, that's part of our general attempt to overhaul the wGUI, and our hope to display information in less clunky ways. Not sure what exactly classes as 'first class' treatment, though. Again, it's less about us reinventing the wheel, and more about trying to create a more sensible baseline by addressing legacy 'problems'*.

There are some simple fixes planned/in progress (such as making the name/ description of controls more semantic), some structural fixes (such as grouping controls into smaller, more logical sub-categories; e.g. 'infantry movement', 'vehicle controls', 'weapons', etc.), and some other things like adding tool-tips on hover, etc. Actually, that last one ran into some unexpected roadblock, so it seems unlikely to make it into our next build.

Best,
RiE

* The problem being, in my view, that even if the original system of displaying controls was fit-for-purpose, by - over the years - adding more and more features/ complexity to the game, whilst not thinking carefully about the effect of such features from all perspectives (e.g., 'will it need another control', 'don't you think this list is getting a bit long now?', 'ah, let's just stuff it on this key over here', etc), we dig our own 'usability grave' a litter deeper each time.

As for what "weapons" in that category might mean:

RoyaltyinExile posted:

Hm, think more like 'weapon handling'; e.g., fire, reload, fire mode, optics, alt-optics, zeroing, etc.

Maybe a couple of surprises, too.

Several people took "fire mode" to mean that the fire selector would finally no longer be the grenade select/cycle.

# ? Feb 2, 2013 00:56

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Let me just say that I think we're quite close to the alpha, but time will only tell. Soon, hopefully :v:

Mederlock fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Feb 5, 2013

# ? Feb 2, 2013 08:36

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Mederlock posted:

Let me just say that we may be quite close to the alpha, but time will only tell. Soon, hopefully

Agreed, back in mid-January Jay Crowe tweeted that "we've now locked down our internal plans" and that "I was referring to our internal plans for the Public Alpha, specifically". Considering that the community alpha was supposedly to only have Stratis anyway, this announced renaming to from Limnos to Altis shouldn't directly delay the community alpha, and in his own announcement tweet about the renaming he added, "Further details to follow in around couple of weeks."

keyframe posted:

I can't wait for this game. From the videos it looks like it fixes the lovely controls of arma 2 and looks much more polished.

keyframe, I want to link to that "Infantry Animations and shooting" video from the OP but to the time trial that starts at 7:38.

You can also go here, here, here (with a mention of "we've already improved mouse controls allowing for much fluent and faster controls and aiming") and here (skip to 22 minutes to see the character maneuvering through a stairwell and in a confined space without the old weapon collision "snag", although it's a short SMG).

Mederlock, feel free to incorporate my earlier Jay Crowe quotes on controls into the OP as you see fit -- hell, maybe the above four links/five points in time to supplement the OP's "infantry movement/weapons handling" video? -- and if it helps, I just found this E3 2012 look at the Arma 3 inventory menu.

# ? Feb 2, 2013 11:38

Jarmak: Jan 24, 2005

Mederlock posted:

Even having ACOG's or PSO's on sights making spotting enemies a very easy task, as well as making it really easy to engage them. I like the dynamic of just having reflex or iron sights, and then supplement leaders with binoculars for reconnaissance stuff, as it really shortens the reasonable maximum engagement ranges from somewhere in the 500-700 range to about 200-400 meters, which makes properly employing infantry tactics actually fun and tense.

I guess that would make sense if this was about the Vietnam war or something, but for a game taking place in 2030 its silly for anyone to be using ironsights when even non combat troops have been using optics on their weapons for years now here in 2013.

edit: edit, even reflex sights were being transitioned out in favor of 4x optics as early as 2010.

Jarmak fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Feb 2, 2013

# ? Feb 2, 2013 13:04

LP97S: Apr 25, 2008

Well the ArmA series has a history of extensive modding and fanmade addons so the ability to modify iron sights would be nice for any addon or mod that takes place before 2013.

# ? Feb 2, 2013 20:40

Jarmak: Jan 24, 2005

LP97S posted:

Well the ArmA series has a history of extensive modding and fanmade addons so the ability to modify iron sights would be nice for any addon or mod that takes place before 2013.

Oh ya, for mods absolutely, I just feel that there is a tendency among realism gamers to disparage the "over use" of optics in games, when it reality iron sights are going the way of the bayonet.

# ? Feb 2, 2013 20:48

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

In the Gamescom build I saw that when a player (I believe the other creative director Ivan Buchta, the one jailed for four months) removed the standalone reflex sight ("ACO") from his MX rifle, the model came back onscreen with iron sights already attached.

Also, the BLUFOR magnified scope ("RCO") has a top-mounted reflex sight as well -- think the MK 16/Mk 17 from OA or the HAMR Scope from Modern Warfare 3 -- but which has a smaller frame and lens than the standalone reflex sight.

For anyone who's wondering, in the second "Splendid Altis" screenshot it appears that the foremost guy is carrying the Night Vision Optical Sight, or at least an optic that uses its model (considering that this old 2011 screenshot has an EBR that uses the same optic model).

# ? Feb 2, 2013 23:50

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Jarmak posted:

I guess that would make sense if this was about the Vietnam war or something, but for a game taking place in 2030 its silly for anyone to be using ironsights when even non combat troops have been using optics on their weapons for years now here in 2013.

edit: edit, even reflex sights were being transitioned out in favor of 4x optics as early as 2010.

Jarmak posted:

Oh ya, for mods absolutely, I just feel that there is a tendency among realism gamers to disparage the "over use" of optics in games, when it reality iron sights are going the way of the bayonet.

Reflex sights are superior for CQB, you're not going to want to use the tiny backup reflex on an ACOG unless you really needed too. The funny thing about what you said regarding 'realism gamers' is that those who are milsim 'realism gamers' are going to be the ones that want the optics for the reasons you cited (the military mostly switching to ~3-4x sights, etc). Using irons or reflex sights is for the sake of making the gameplay more fun for the players involved (ie. actually having the chance to see the enemy that just killed you, instead of it being some dude in a bush at 700m with magnified optics) , not for sticking to the ~realisms~ and immersion~

edit: Chortles - When the big announcement comes out this month I'll completely overhaul the OP with the info you've provided and any new information that we become privy too in the near future.

Mederlock fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Feb 3, 2013

# ? Feb 3, 2013 03:10

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Mederlock posted:

Reflex sights are superior for CQB, you're not going to want to use the tiny backup reflex on an ACOG unless you really needed too.

So far I think that that's just the "RCO" equivalents this time around, though it'd be interesting if both the NVOS and the Sniper Optical Sight from that customization picture have the iron sights as their CQB sights... seeing as that's how ACE did it (or in the case where the model didn't have iron sights, using a "look over the top of the optic" as the point of aim) before OA officially implemented made over-and-under CQB optics part of RV3.

Mederlock posted:

edit: Chortles - When the big announcement comes out this month I'll completely overhaul the OP with the info you've provided and any new information that we become privy too in the near future.

Sounds like a plan, though honestly I would add those "time points" and links to the infantry/shooting links in the OP simply so that people can see some particularly notable points... I mean, blasphemous as it sounds, some of that had me thinking "third person COD?"

# ? Feb 3, 2013 03:26

causticBeet: Mar 2, 2010; BIG VINCE COMIN FOR YOU

Man, ArmA has always been the one game that makes me wish I had a powerful enough PC to blast it on full settings. Something about how they model their landscapes and lighting, even in ArmA2, looks so badass. I love watching stuff on YouTube like CHkilroy where it's night and the headlights illuminate stuff in such a satisfying way. Can't wait to watch some YouTube movies of ArmA3.

# ? Feb 3, 2013 05:08

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

causticBeet posted:

Can't wait to watch some YouTube movies of ArmA3.

Dude, watch those links I posted for infantry movement/weapon handling!

# ? Feb 3, 2013 05:36

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Chortles posted:

So far I think that that's just the "RCO" equivalents this time around, though it'd be interesting if both the NVOS and the Sniper Optical Sight from that customization picture have the iron sights as their CQB sights... seeing as that's how ACE did it (or in the case where the model didn't have iron sights, using a "look over the top of the optic" as the point of aim) before OA officially implemented made over-and-under CQB optics part of RV3.
Sounds like a plan, though honestly I would add those "time points" and links to the infantry/shooting links in the OP simply so that people can see some particularly notable points... I mean, blasphemous as it sounds, some of that had me thinking "third person COD?"

You know what, I'll take the 10 minutes and do that.

# ? Feb 3, 2013 08:26

Chortles: Dec 29, 2008

Interestingly enough, some people found that Arma 3 Alpha has been in the Steam database (CDR) since December 20, 2012, though of course the Steam store and Hub pages just redirect to the Steam storefront, and this is the new thumbnail for Arma 3's Steam Official Group in one's Official Groups listing, though its own page has the normal Arma 3 logo.

# ? Feb 5, 2013 00:15

Hadlock: Nov 9, 2004

So what has been happening with our Czech friends stuck in the Greek gulag? Last news I heard (mid-Nov 2012) was that they'd been in jail for 70 days and the president had personally appealed to the greek president.

# ? Feb 10, 2013 02:54

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 18, 2024 01:52

hailthefish: Oct 24, 2010

Hadlock posted:

So what has been happening with our Czech friends stuck in the Greek gulag? Last news I heard (mid-Nov 2012) was that they'd been in jail for 70 days and the president had personally appealed to the greek president.

Apparently they're back home on bail for now.

# ? Feb 10, 2013 02:58

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Arma 3: Totally Not a Zombie Simulator

«‹›285 »