AH-64 Pack

[nodunit 397]

The FLIR is green (though not quite that vibrant of a green) to the pilot and co pilot, the record output however is changed to monochrome, I guess to conserve on file size.

As for the picture quality that depends on the generation and weather conditions, the blurryness in the above photo's is due to fraps saving the files as jpeg and the dirty alpha texture (will be clear later)

Here is a comparison of PNVS vs Arrowhead http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/Arrowhead/ArrowheadVideo1.html As you can see the vibrations cause some distortion but in arrowhead it doesn't and the equipment is more sensitive to provide an even clearer image. I don't know yet if this can be done via post processing effects or animated image and we're still too early to be be polishing things and adding our own textures, focus is mostly elsewhere.

Also for the heck of it here are comparison shots of our CPG cockpit and Bi's.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/NodUnit/Arma2%20and%20Operation%20Arrowhead/arma2oa2011-04-3006-08-31-43.png?t=1304162197

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee200/NodUnit/Arma2%20and%20Operation%20Arrowhead/arma2oa2011-04-3006-08-57-07.png?t=1304162199

The really odd thing is how zoomed out the BI version is, I guess so you can see out the door windows some.

Also some OT, here are acrobatic videos of both helicopters.

AH-64D

AH-64A (with some misc D footage though no acrobatic)

And some maneuvers inside (detailed in video info)

Of course you'll more likely be flowing like this..

well back to work, this cockpit isn't going to finish building and optimizing itself..sigh.

Edited April 30, 2011 by NodUnit

[ESheppard 10]

I don't know if this is plausible, but I'd actually like the finished version to have blurry rotors at full speed, like the Bohemia Interactive version of the chopper. This is because at certain framerates, even spinning at full speed, the blades would look stationary.

[nodunit 397]

Something may happen, at the most it will either be as DCS black shark did it or have the blur tapering off the edge to show a sweeping motion but this depends on how tests go with stacking it to the articulated rotors. That and I hate how paper thin the default helicopter rotors are with a passion.

Edited May 4, 2011 by NodUnit

[max power 21]

That can be solved more or less by making a blurred plane for each rotor and cambering it more and more as it gets closer to the rotor head. For very thick rotors like the ones on Bell models, it might be necessary to create a thickness to the blade near the hub, but I think no blur can be present there.

Edited May 4, 2011 by Max Power

[nodunit 397]

If I'm understanding you correctly then yes possibly, in OFP we combined rotor with blur..it worked at the time but it bugged me because the fact it was there was far too obvious rather than starting solid and tapering off to a blur. http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/downloads/manual/images/wah64_ofp5.jpg but with more experience under our belt now I don't think we'll run into that problem.

What I'd really like to do is this http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/downloads/manual/images/wah64_1.jpg

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/upload/iblock/ee1/bf3050785014a8b77f9d574852aa34e6.jpg

Depending on how it effects the articulation though, using a plane would supposedly just stretch the texture but if we still use the 3D blade model and taper it to alpha, keeping the 3D model itself I think it just might work.

Edited May 4, 2011 by NodUnit

[max power 21]

Well, in the BIS arrangement, the blurred proxy is just a model that is substituted for the rotors when spinning. I guess that precludes any kind of animation (which I have heard, not speaking from experience) so it would seem that any solution will have to be a script based solution. Maybe you can do it with named selections. That would be good.

[jetherjr 12]

I've been following this incredible work that you are developing. I'm anxious for the release of these models that I'm not sleeping right :p . I wonder if you guys have planned for the release date for us mere mortals.

PS I would like to be part of the test group of Alpha Version .

Congratulations for the amazing work

[kremator 1064]

I'm anxious for the release of these models that I'm not sleeping right :p .

Aw man .... it's a game :p !

[nodunit 397]

Hey you aren't supposed to be losing sleep over the models, that's my job!

But joking aside, no full release anytime soon, but future updates will be shown as they come.

[jetherjr 12]

Any idea when it will release the Beta version? Anxious to see that model flying

Best regards

[nodunit 397]

Oh we've got it flying already, there are a few videos of it for demonstrations here. http://www.youtube.com/user/NodunitX#p/a sadly our first MPD video was joined by three other things and wound up being too long, so I'm going to wait until it is more finalized to show that.

[ray243 11]

Just thought this might help:

[purepassion 22]

hi there ray,

thanks for posting these interesting videos but believe me Nod and Franze already seeked almost every apache related video on youtube, since they both want it to be as realistic as possible

but thanks anyways ;)

[nodunit 397]

Oh not just youtube. Nonetheless I do appreciate the consideration Ray, ditto to all those who have been contributing thus far, it's been a great help and boost of determination.

Nothing new but updates are currently on hold with the model going through a few small revamps before final and Franze has his college finals coming up, best of luck with that.

Edited May 11, 2011 by NodUnit

[ray243 11]

Oh btw, I heard the newer apache's are able to communicate better together. Will you be adding that?

[nodunit 397]

I could not say what communications packages may or may not be included, at this time a dozen and a half things are pure speculation but hey TSD was and thus far it has turned out great. There are a few things I'd like to ask Franze about in the upcoming future but this weighs on how well other things come together. Once Franze has finished his finals and gotten around to...doing..something else, another update will come along.

If you have anything more specific to "communicating with each other" please let me know.

Edited May 11, 2011 by NodUnit

[ray243 11]

Thanks for replying!

[purepassion 22]

Hi Nod,

i have some quetion you or Franze could maybe answer

could you tell me what it is you see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qfYRUm0EM#t=51m24s

i dont mean that hes shooting the 70 mike, but what kind of Optical sight or attack mode is that?

do you already know if you are able to give to AH-64's the ability to taxi?

will you give the M203 a little more dispersion? ( there is already a mod for weapon dispersion but i dont know if it will affect your weaponclass)

and do you think its possible for the gunner to lock on his sight to a certain ground area like the MQ-9?

thanks a lot!

PP

[-Eddie- 10]

I *think* that sight mode is 'co-op mode' where the gunner holds his sight on the target which comes up as an 'I' in the pilot's monocle. The pilot then aligns the aircraft so that his 'I' matches up with the gunner's 'I' and then fires the rockets.

[franze 196]

The view is through TADS with rocket aiming I beam. The IHADSS system displays the I beam for both the gunner and the pilot plus targeting information. Regardless of who's utilizing the weapons, the pilot doesn't synch anything except put the I beam on the target. The fire control system typically calculates the elevation necessary for the rockets to hit the designated target.

[purepassion 22]

hey thanks a lot!

do you already have an idea if youre able to do this aswell?

[nodunit 397]

Well he was able to give the pilot control of the M230 and PNVS when pilot turrets were said to be nigh possible..so who knows :).

As for the other questions, you'll just have to wait and see, at this point I don't want to give anymore information on features or possibilities as it could wear down the "excitement". But hey for a recap of what Franze has done so far... (shown in videos)

A. Created a fully articulated user controlled rotor system

B. Allow pylons that elevate not only for looks but also effect weapon trajectory.

C. Expanded the dynamic arming system to be more versatile and steamlined.

D. Allow pilot control PNVS both optically and visually as well as the M230 (when turrets were supposedly nigh possible last I heard)

E: Had success of creating the Tactical Systems Display (TSD) page to identify, track and target assets in realtime as a MPD page.

F. Enhanced AGM-114 launch modes used from OFP's apache, though he tells me they aren't fully finished, I suspect this is in part with laser designation with TADS for when the FCR is not present.

Also some tech used on the SU-17 will be brought over, to find out what those might be you have to try it out yourself. http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=118939 (PS, if you use the Russin version but cannot read Cyrillic, check the readme, you may want to check it anyway because there is a lot there. PPS, do not take the ZIL trucks as the extent of my texturing abilities, the truck was just used a simple 'backround' vehicle.)

Who knows what is next, just know that we have discussed and still discuss what can and cannot be done, and try to think of workarounds for "what cannot be done".

Edited May 18, 2011 by NodUnit

[purepassion 22]

This is actually already very stunning!

Lets see what he can do in the future!

this is realy going to be a whole new level of realism in Arma 2

thank you Franze for all your work

[nodunit 397]

While the focus is on simulation to the best of the engines extent and the rebirth of the OFP bird.

http://operationflashpoint.filefront.com/file/AH64D_Apache_Longbow;37035

http://operationflashpoint.filefront.com/file/MAS_AH64AD_Apache_Longbow;78299

http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/screenshots/ah64_fltln1.jpg

http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/screenshots/ah64_fltln2.jpg

http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/downloads/manual/flight.htm

http://www.mechmodels.com/mas/downloads/manual/frames.htm

There will also be a separate release without scripts for it to be used as a unit part of a story larger than being the story itself.

If I may step in, I'm working on finalizing the model, adding and editing, chipping away what I can but on the cockpit I'm feeling hard headed to push the boundaries in a few tests soonish.

Also I wanted to address that UV mapping/texturing are being planned out substantially to use the fewest textures necessary but also the most needed, for example I don't want my TADS and PNVS linked to the main hull because I want next to NO reflection on the body, my aim are is this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxtribolet/4195515061/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/archangel27/4477007117/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brantgajda/3896042625/

Not this. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideagames/4176014569/

Only key parts will have high reflectivity such as chrome parts, TADS night sensor, TADS day laser designator, PNVS optic, engine lights and windows, the same goes for the cockpit, very little reflectivity and even the MPD screens won't be as reflective as the default.

Some people offered to assist with textures and it may yet come to that, but for now I'd like to think of it as a test if you will, my first goal was the model, now texture will be my second. In future however PSD's will be released so that the community will be able to better it in their own way.

Edited May 18, 2011 by NodUnit

[ArmAriffic 10]

just a question, are you going to make the M230's controls more sensitive I think the main gun moves a bit slow?