Light vehicles destruction

[SPC.Spets 21]

When you shot a car it doesnt blows up whit a few shots of a normal rifle, it doesnt even catch fire sometimes, and if it does the fire is minimal and grows up slowly, and doesnt blows up neither. Im describing this because I want to use a car for cover, for example, when you are driving to a far far location and suddenly the enemy ambush you in an open field or road with no cover at all, but you cant use the car too much as cover because it blows up and kills you. Well, I know most of the bullets can pass true the car like nothing but...

[Beagle 684]

Cars dont blow up, especially those with Diesel fuel wont do it. I've seen lots of cars burning out without a explosion in many years of service with the vonluntary firebrigade.

Forget about exploding cars by small weaposn fire this is a Hollywood myth...and ArmA is not a Hollywood shooter.

Watch Mythbister instead...they had e show bout this very special Hollywood myth and it turned out to very hard to even get a gasoline tank alone burning with tracers only.

ArmA is more about reasonable combat effects not about effects at all cost of credibility

[SPC.Spets 21]

Maybe my poor english doesnt explain very well what i want, sorry.

I dont want vehicles to explode like hollywood movies, I want them NOT to explode, even I dont want them to catch fire when you shot them, that way you can use them as cover without a risk of a explosion or get hurt for fire

[Beagle 684]

Maybe my poor english doesnt explain very well what i want, sorry.

I dont want vehicles to explode like hollywood movies, I want them NOT to explode, even I dont want them to catch fire when you shot them, that way you can use them as cover without a risk of a explosion or get hurt for fire

Oh...thats another matter....the wrecks stop having secondaries after a while, but that might not help you.

[Wolfrug 0]

Agreed. The problem is twofold:

1) Gameplay-wise, it's very hard to tell when a vehicle is totalled, unless it's on flame (/burnt out), so I believe that's an aspect of it: knowing when the vehicle is no longer usable by the enemy or by yourself (not just temporarily disabled, e.g. wheels shot out but gun still functional).

2) The alternative to "total destruction" would be what? The engine works on a model whereby a vehicle is either salvageable or not (can be fixed with a repair truck or not - shows up on your radar or not), which seems fine by me. How would you signal this transition in a vehicle if not through burning/explosion?

I think a solution is what most civilian vehicles do: namely just start burning harmlessly when destroyed, rather than exploding in a terrible firestorm.

Reminds me of GTA actually :P you couldn't really hide behind vehicles there either, they'd just start blowing up all over you within moments...

Regards,

Wolfrug

[SPC.Spets 21]

I found a video I did time ago, its from GTA4 (Im not not comparing games) but look at how I use cars to get cover, those cars doesnt blows up instantly, they catch fire, they may explode soon or later or dont, and I have enough time to use it as cover

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[frederf 0]

I had a moment followed by a FPDR moment when ArmA2 first introduced secondary explosions. It was great except they kept going forever! Infinitaries make even an ancient wreck dangerous. It's weird.

[Nightrain 10]

From my experience this really only happens with grenades or higher caliber weapons. (like mgs, sniper rifles, and auto-cannons).

I do agree with you though, they shouldn't just burst into flames.

[dragon01 902]

I've also posted about this, cars in ArmA II sometimes blow up after falling, hitting a mesh fence or getting their wheels shot with an M9 (it all happened to me, really, and not in Ford Pinto). Light vechicle damage model needs some work, it would also be great to be able to change tires on vechicles and make minor repairs (Chernarussian cars seem similar to Polish ones from about 30 years ago, some of older ones could be fixed with a hammer, monkey wrench, screwdriver and some patience, like most Soviet technology:)). Also, tank crews are taught how to repair a thread or fix other minor damage to their vechicle (I don't know if M1A2 TUSK has it's reactive armor plates actually exploding, but if it does, it would also be nice to be able to replace them if they're available).

[b101_uk 10]

Its quite funny peoples perceptions.

A full petrol tank is safer then one that has lots of air space filled with freshly introduced air.

A rifle bullet or two is NOT going to set a fuel tank on fire at first, but it will leave some nice holes for petrol to leak out.

2 bullets is potentially 4 holes.

In 1min 10L of petrol could leak out of 4 holes.

10L of petrol would have quite a spread if it leaked onto a hard surface like a road.

After 1min on a warm day on a hard tarmac surface which would be hotter than the ambient temperature the air around the vehicle would be heavily saturated with petrol vapour due to the large surface area for maximum evaporation and optimum fuel/air mix.

If after the 2 initial bullets above and the passing of >1min then another volley of shots come it hitting bodywork, steel wheel rims and skipping off the road surface the chances of some sparks is quite high and if they were from a MG there may be tracers every e.g. 15th round.

If it ignites the vapour you will get a good voom as the vapours ignite which will extend across the ground well away from the spill and any petrol on the ground still in liquid form will continue to burn no doubt under the vehicle and fuel still leaking will continue to feed the fire.

When the petrol level in the tank passes beneath the highest hole lots of air will be drawn into the tank along with flames rapidly igniting the vapour/air mix in the tank, if the air space is sufficient because the holes were low down in the tank then over-pressure will happen from the expansion of gasses at best splitting the tank with a mini explosion and rapid flashover.

FYI:

The dynamics of a common vehicle fire there is little or no fuel leaking and any fuel that dose leak is instantly burnt and the vapour doesn’t spread, there is also generally to higher saturation of vapour for the amount of air in the fuel tank and also an amount of positive pressure in the tank which effectively razes the vapour and boiling points of petrol JUST like positive pressure dose for e.g. water.

So in short I would take cover behind a car for the first few bullets (its better than having nothing to hide behind) but after 1min or so and the first smell of leaking petrol I would be looking to get away from it. ;)

[NeoHazard 10]

tsktsk, its a shame our computers can't emit dynamic smells yet. Still waiting on the PCI-e Aroma Card...

[Pain0815 10]

millitary cars with guns on it and munition + equipment loaded can expode after hit, no problem, but all other civ vehicles shouldnt do that

[Tozmeister 0]

Even Military vehicles full of extra fuel and ammunition don't explode in fiery death the moment you drive them into water above the wheel arches.

[Pain0815 10]

They dont explode much on smallarms fire ingame. only when hit by any explosive at rounds. otherwise they just burn out after a while

and dont use cars as boats.

[Beagle 684]

There are no more explosions under water, at least not in OA. The car just ceases function and you can get out swimming as usual. No fire, no smoke, no explosion.

[NeoHazard 10]

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Just gotta say yes, this is pretty unrealistic. This is totally stock vanilla A2OA Edited August 11, 2010 by NeoHazard