Simple DLC suggestion to make everybody a bit happier.

[nyles 11]

Simply add reskins of existing units to increase variety with very little effort. Here is a list of meaningful options I am sure many players and level designers would be super happy about:

• BMP2 reskin for Russians and TakiLocals
  
• BMP2 Ambulance reskin for Russians, Guerillas and TakiLocals
  
• BRDM2 reskins for Russians and UNO
  
• BRDM2 (ATGM) reskins for Russians, Guerillas and TakiLocals
  
• MI-8MT reskin for Russians
  
• Shilka reskin for Russians
  
• KA-60 reskin for Russians
  
• KA-60 woodland camo for Russians (already hidden in the game)
  
• Ural reskins for Russians, Guerillas, Takistan, UNO and TakiLocals (missing variants)
  
• MI-8MTV-3 reskins for Takistan and CDF
  
• MI-24P reskins for Takistan and CDF
  
• MI-24D reskin for Insurgents
  
• MI-8MT Medevac reskin for Takistan
  
• Military Offroad (unarmed) reskin for Takistan
  
• T55 reskins for CDF and Russians
  
• T72 reskin for UNO
  
• BTR-60 reskins for CDF, Guerillas, Insurgents and TakiLocals
  
• UAZ reskins for Guerillas, Russians, UNO and TakiLocals (missing variants)
  
• BTR-40 reskins for Guerillas and Insurgents
  
• AN-2 reskins for CDF, Russians and Insurgents
  
• F-35 reskin for BAF
  
• Harrier reskin for BAF
  
• C-130 reskin for BAF
  
• SCUD-B reskins for CDF, Russians, Guerillas and Insurgents
  
• UAZ (Militia) for TakiMilitia
  
• S1203 Ambulance for Guerilla, TakiMilitia and TakiLocals
  
• RHIB for Takistan (in case they are used on Chernarus or some other water map)
  
• PBX for CDF, Takistan, Guerilla, Insurgents and Civilians
  
• Desert reskins of USMC vehicles
  
• Woodland/olive drab reskins of US Army vehicles
  
• M113 with woodland camo for US Army (already hidden in the game)
  
• Desert reskins of Russian vehicles
  
• Russian infantry reskins with desert uniforms
  
• Static Metis AT-13 for CDF
  
• Static M2 MG for Takistan
  
• Motorcycle reskin for PMC
  
• MH-6 reskin for PMC
  
• Vodnik (2x PK) reskin for PMC
  
• ATV for KSK
  

I am sure there are plenty more, but I guess you got the idea.

Please add more variety to the existing range of units and improve Combined Operations balance.

I am 110% sure that people would pay for a decent vehicle pack - even without any fancy new campaign, new faction or completely new units.

In addition, here is another list that would allow creating new units very quickly from existing models to fill gaps in the current equipment range or simply to provide more variation:

• SU-25 variants with mixed loadouts for Russians, Takistan, CDF and Insurgents
  
• MI-8MTV-3 variants with mixed weapon pods for Russians, Takistan and CDF
  
• CH-47 (unarmed with old non-digital cockpit) for Takistan
  
• T72 (NSV) for CDF, Russians and Takistan
  
• BMP1 for CDF, Russians, Takistan, Guerillas, Insurgents and TakLocals
  
• BRDM (AA) for CDF, Russians, Takistan, Guerillas, Insurgents and TakLocals
  
• SU-39 for Russians
  
• Military Offroad with AGS-17 for Takistan
  
• FN-FAL with sniper scope (i.e. from Mk.17 sniper)
  
• More Russian weapon variants with NSPU night scope
  
• More Russian weapons with Goshawk thermal scope (i.e. KSVK)
  
• More Russian weapons with scope from Pecheneg
  
• Bizon SMG with aimdot
  
• Pecheneg MMG without scope
  
• SVD with high-power PSO sniper scope
  
• FN-FAL light machinegun
  
• FN-FAL shorty with HWS/Acog
  
• RPG-7 with optics
  
• RPK-74 with 45rnd magazine
  
• VSS without scope
  
• SA 61 with silencer
  
• M-14 with ACOG
  
• M4A1 with ACOG
  
• M4A1 with HWS
  
• MP5 with aimdot
  
• M4 SPR with 30rnd magazine
  
• Mk.16 with TWS/ACOG (without GL)
  
• Mk.17 with ACOG
  
• Mk.17 with Spect (without GL)
  
• MG-36 with TWS
  
• G-36C with TWS
  
• G-22 sniper rifle (based on BAF AWM)
  
• G-82 sniper rifle (based on M107)
  
• More West weapon variants with AN/PVS4 night scope
  
• More West weapon variants with IR pointer / flashlights
  

I can see at least 5 DLC packages here, BIS, and there are probably plenty more useful and cheap to produce variants.

Go make some money! :)

Edited December 8, 2010 by Nyles

[ArmAriffic 10]

another thing that would be good is being able to shoot from helo doors (sitting down feet hanging over the edge like the MH-6 but able to shoot)

[gossamersolid 155]

This should be Free IMO... I'm sorry but many of those things should have been included in the first place.

[ArmAriffic 10]

Accualy now i agree with GossamerS

Offtopic a bit - PMC was rushed, I think the should have waited longer but put more stuff in

[nyles 11]

I agree, but this is even less likely to happen than a paid DLC with perhaps some of those included at least.

I'd rather pay for some reskins than yet another meaningless DLC adding some new faction with limited and incomplete equipment set. That way at least the existing core factions will get improved further, being a million times more useful for a big part of the favored community maps pool - especially for competitive multiplayer balance.

[ACPL Jon 68]

...wait, Nyles, You were serious about that?

Duh...

And I just laughed my ass off a few seconds ago :(

PS: Community can make many of these for You. Or wait. You can even try to do it by urself ;)

[nyles 11]

...and not play on any of the public servers....no thanks.

I want stuff like that in a proper official patch so it can be played on any server and gives more freedom to mission designers without having to rely on addons, which 99% of the servers will never run.

I play ArmA2 competitively mostly, and it's already a pain very often, due to the lack of proper game balance. Mission designers can only do so much about that. Giving them more tools and equipment will help create a better MP experience and will help improve ArmA a lot.

Hell not even the new KA-60 was made available for EAST in addition. That would have been a start to make some new stuff available for WEST vs EAST scenarios, like Warfare for example.

[Laqueesha 474]

I'd like to request a DLC pack of my own: Anything and everything that ever existed in the universe/space-time continuum. All for a price of 10.00 USD/GBP, of course.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Laqueesha

[AnimalMother92 10]

Many of these should of been in from the get-go and some can't be done by mods w/o MLODs.

C'mon, where's my M60E4 with PEQ and EOtech/Elcan? Why add such a badass gun with only one variant?

[vilas 477]

I'd like to request a DLC pack of my own: Anything and everything that ever existed in the universe/space-time continuum.

in desert digital multicam of course ? and chips too ? :]

of course "official" not free, not released already, it must be new, with self-extracting installer and creating shortcut icon

request for BMP1, Pecheneg ironsight, RPK with real magazine... all is in addons, free , available since year or more, even old AN PVS 4

but don't want free addons ?

making people happier ? those who downloaded free of charge addons alredy have this stuff and are happy

Edited December 6, 2010 by vilas

[nyles 11]

Stop trolling please.

There are legit requests up in that list. As said before, community addons don't cut it here, since you will not find them on any but a few private servers. And even if you do, you are still stranded without anyone to play with since there are also only few clients having them installed.

If you want to have stuff available and used frequently online, it simply HAS to be included in a patch, DLC or through some other official channel.

The list above is of course way too extensive. There isn't even the slightest chance to get all of that. See it as a list of suggestions to pick from.

Some of them are very very easy to create (bascially just make a copy of the config, change the faction and perhaps re-arrange some of the textures used by other variants of the same model already, like for UAZ, Ural, MI24, etc); others will require a bit more work, having to do new textures for them.

As for the whole "many of these items should have been included from the start" argument. Yes, you are right they should have been. I wouldn't mind paying for some of these however. What could be interesting is a similar strategy like The Creative Assembly started doing with their Total War games. A patch introduces a dozen new units for free, and a small DLC allows purchasing another 10-15 units for a small amount of money in addition for those willing to pay for them. In the case of ArmA2, this would mean everybody gets all units, just some of them will have a lower res, unless you buy the respective DLC.

That's fair enough to me to be honest.

[vilas 477]

seeing this list i see : BMP1 - done green, soon will be in few camo versions (with 2S1, T80, T64, T55, T62, M109)

RPG7 with optics (as well as RPG 16, 22, 26, 29) , RPK with 45 rnd and NSPU2 , Pecheneg ironsight, VSS and VAL with different scopes and ironsight, many Russian weapons with many scopes (1P29, 1P21, colimator, real cobra, NSPU2, NSPU3...) are released and all is in one file, free, 100 MB to download

if clans do not use custom mods - it is shame on them

you wanna pay for things that (more than those requests) are already available

convince clans , server owners - to use addons which are released , list of weapons made in some packs made by addonmakers is even few times wider than your request for DLC

SKS , APS, MP443, RPG16 RPG7V_PGO , RPG7D_PGO, RPG2, RPO_A, :RPG22, RPG26,

PKP, PK , PKM_NSPU2, _VSS_PSO, VSS_NSPU2, VAL , VAL_Cobra, VAL_NSPU3,

Zastava M70 , Albanian ASh-82; Hungarian AMD-65and AMD-63 ;

Romanian = PMi; East German_MPi :

different series of AK-47

AKMS, AKMS silenced , AKM , AKM :, _AKM_GL :

SR3_Vikhr : 9a91 , 9a91_c ,9a91_csd : Groza in different variants, SVU_A : Abakan, Abakan_1P29 :

AK 101, 103, 105, 107, 74, 74M, S74 with 5 different scopes (PSO, 1P29, Kobra, PK-A , NSPU2, NSPU3) and grenadelaunchers GP25 or GP30 (even AK74 in plastic furniture made since 1986)

AEK-971; AEK-973 ; from different series with different scopes

different RPK and RPK74, RPK74M , RPD, SVD_S, SVD_M with different scopes, SVDK , SV_98 is just in one addon

like 8 of G3 variants with different heat guard, scopes are in other pack

BMP1 is in 20 mb addon, small to download

why clans / MP servers don't use it while addon is signed , is only weird issue

even more , BIS RPK is total mistake

first 5.45 drum mag ? receiver from AK, not RPK/Zastava one ?

AK107 bolt cover is wrong, AKS47 has receiver from AKMS not AK etc. mistakes

and you prefer more wrong detailed "official" (not saying about Russian vest collar, which should be different when it comes to modern vest)

Edited December 6, 2010 by vilas

[nyles 11]

I agree that not using some of the excellent community addons is really a shame, but this doesn't change the fact that they still are not used. So this talk doesn't help us.

Either we need units made official or we need a different way of releasing these addons in a framework that is more likely to ensure them being available on servers and used by clients.

For now, I think adding units through official channels, like DLCs or patches is the more realistic option. I am afraid, the rest is wishful thinking. If that means stuffing a couple more euros down BIS's throat, that's fine for me. There isn't much of an alternative in regard to games like ArmA2, so I am fine with financing ongoing support as long as it serves the interest of the game and the established MP community (which honestly I do not believe the PMC DLC did a great job with).

Edited December 6, 2010 by Nyles

[NoRailgunner 0]

Its a bit strange that people are able to download tons of MB/GB of music/pictures/videos etc but on the other hand they cry and moan if they have to download addons or mods, isn't it?

Sorry but supporting this kind of laziness should have imho - no priority. Maybe you should try to motivate these people on competitive public mp servers to change their lazy attitude? Perhaps some of them are even creative enough to make a nice reskin? Think that many clans are using their own set of addons/mods - public is where the average (lazy) player plays. Join the club or suffer well.

[vilas 477]

maybe instead of paying for DLC convince server owners to put addons on servers, and than you will have ability to play more vehicles, more rifles

maybe problem is not in DLC need, but in some people holding server ?

ts a bit strange that people are able to download tons of MB/GB of music/pictures/videos etc but on the other hand they cry and moan if they have to download addons or mods, isn't it?

agree , they download gigabytes of torrents, but legal 100 MB is problem

they hack, mount Alcohol, while moan that BW mod has optional config (my addon also have optional config which turns to default BIS sounds and sound mods instead of real Youtube rips of real guns)

i also don't understand moaning about custom addons quality when in fact custom addons are more real than BIS ones (in many cases)

i even know people that hear different sound when BIS sound is used (strange, both rifles have the same sound path in config, but people hear one sound as good, second as poor)

but it is offtop

downloading torrents , why problem download 100 MB of addon

regarding clans - i know that many clans rework, repack addons for clan use - so in clan you have more content than official BIS server (is this what you call public server ???) with BIS files only

Edited December 6, 2010 by vilas

[nyles 11]

Been a problem since OFP days and will continue to be in the future. This is not about supporting laziness, this is about making sure that players have a great game experience without the need to sort through gazilionbytes of addons - many with questionable game balance.

Look, here is an opportunity for BIS to make some easy money and do the community a great favor at the same time. If they agree, great, if they don't they might have their reasons. I can only present a lucrative option.

[vilas 477]

but having giga free addons is main goal since OFP times

addons are keeping OFP alive 10 years

why now kill addons (also by lazy or unfriendly MP server holders ???)

i agree when you say about balance, but only some addons are freak-configed, most of us have balance

from some addons i played i noticed only one addon not balanced , PLA tanks two times stronger than should be

it was only one case from addons i tested in SP missions

one movie in torrent is smaller than my all vehicles packs and weapons packs together (PMC is 800 MB, while it has 1 helicopter, one copy-paste car, some copy-paste soldiers reskinned to jeans wear, some copy-paste scopes on XM8 and new shotgun and small location island, that none of addonmakers would released, cause it would be treated as pre-alfa , 2 roads, 3 buidlings, 15 trees )

one DVD movie is bigger than all my addons, P85, RHS, BW Mod, FFAA mod, RACS, Old Bear islands, Namalsk , Ice' islands... and even Predator together

of course DLC have campaign, but when you look at content, PMC DLC looks very poor , BAF is great pack , but missing completeness , IFV without APC and tank, if i do army addon, like Polish, i care about every type of vehicle, not only car and IFV, army without tank, APC, AA ?, in my Polish army addon you will find light and heavy artillery, cannon and rocket AA defense system, heavy and light APC , some trucks, not only one IFV in one variant , although new soldiers models are great )

force people who hold MP servers to use more addons and you will have much more since tommorow

Edited December 6, 2010 by vilas

[nyles 11]

I fully agree, but I am playing the devil's advocate here. It's not just about the size of addons, it's about managing them.

You have to put them in the right folder, you have to constantly look for updated versions, you have to watch out for inconsistencies and conflicts.

Back when I was involved with FDFmod at least there was one single package since it was a total conversion, but having dozens of individual addons from different people in the community simply is a lot to keep up with and maintain.

I would dare to claim that it is too much to mess around with for those who just want to play some basic ArmA2 online.

A proper built-in mod manager with decentralized auto-downloading and updating might be a great thing here, but this would also have to come from BIS directly and get really integrated to be used by a broader audience.

Also don't forget the part about cheating. If players connect with modified config files or 3rd party addons, it is much harder to ensure them not bringing something nasty along that ruins everybody else's fun.

[vilas 477]

but you have signed addons from addonmakers , there is key in most of current addons

and really players should somehow force MP server owners to have there more addons for your good

[-)rStrangelove 0]

So getting something for free is 'a simple DLC solution to make everybody a bit happier' ?

Sounds great for the community. Sounds bad for BIS. And guess what? Sounds bad for the release of ArmA3. Which is bad for the community again.

Get it?

[vilas 477]

oo than you can swich to CoD style, and we all addonmakers can go and play football on fresh air , you will have no addons, you will pay for copy-paste vest on civilian and scope on rifle (with for example wrong receiver ) and you will be happy to have every year new game like CoD, MoH whatever

OFP stood so many years on addons, mods etc.

[nyles 11]

You should maybe read first, Strangelove.

The suggestion was about paid content and was later on extended to perhaps still offer a part for free.

Vilas, yes, you are right. But you also have a biased view on this since you are making addons and it comes to you second nature how to set them up, install them and maintain them.

I try to look at this topic from purely the consumer's point. This might not be perfect either, but like I tried to explain before, if people are not fed content directly, most are reluctant or less likely to take advantage of it.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Nyles

[vilas 477]

Nyles , you not understand him, he wanna pay for all to get Arma3 soon (i would more vote for Arma3 with real balistic penetration, real dammage, vests, floating helicopters) than another content-DLC , i would vote for year-payment fee to BIS, instead of something which will kill addonmaking

Arma3 with some backward compatibility (islands use) and new documentation for addonmakers (bullet proof vest, ERA, floating heli, policemen actions support, horses, old rifle reload, hand points in gun model, other dammage structure with armor sheets and not-blow-up parts etc.) would be better for me than Arma2 with all it's limitation + new mistaken RPK, killing real RPK

Arma 3 with Mi14, real vest, ERA tank , police action unit, horse, more real-life civilian simulations would be best choice, also able to use Arma2 islands

with documentation for those who wanna make soldier in vest, knight, police etc.

now you have APC - which blows up, even when you shoot 200 times from 5.56 into sheet that not explode in real and in real is inch thick (so 5.56 should go to dust or air)

thanx to DLC you will have the same limited APC , but in other color (or shape)

but the same in limitations

OFP had many limits, Arma1 had multiple turrets on tanks, but one rocket proxy

tell me, can you have B29 bomber ??? can you have rear gunner in airplane bomber ???

no, you can't like you can't have Mi14 SAR helicopter for Navy , even 14.5 mm machinegun on BTR not have flash proxy, by DLC you will get another uber-modern-new-digital soldier with vest which you shoot trough from Makarov

i can make mission where 10 of those super-uber soldiers can be killed by 30 civilians with Makarov and all will stuck in city

like till today many vehicles are getting stupid in cities (cqb AI pathfinding IQ is not good yet, so mostly field infantry missions are okay, not modern war, but WW1/WW2, Korea, Nam, and 1980 )

Edited December 6, 2010 by vilas

[NoRailgunner 0]

Its only the laziness of those people - nothing more. ;)

I have seen people who were first a bit afraid of using addons/mods but after a very short time of learning how to use them - they rarely play vanilla A2OA anymore. Damn good addon/mod makers here are making great stuff for free. Shame on those who are too lazy and want to be fed always with a silver spoon.

Edited December 6, 2010 by NoRailgunner
double with

[biggerdave 56]

You should maybe read first, Strangelove.

The suggestion was about paid content and was later on extended to perhaps still offer a part for free.

Vilas, yes, you are right. But you also have a biased view on this since you are making addons and it comes to you second nature how to set them up, install them and maintain them.

I try to look at this topic from purely the consumer's point. This might not be perfect either, but like I tried to explain before, if people are not fed content directly, most are reluctant or less likely to take advantage of it.

The issue with most of your suggestions as content is that almost all of them would require combined ops. I'm not going to claim to have any idea what the sales figures for ArmA.2 or OA are, or what degree these overlap, but I'd bet my bottom dollar the largest group is going to be combined ops users.

This brings about the obvious issue, if the content is commercial, combined ops users have to pay for something they've already brought, cue the accusations of 'milking' customers. If the content is free, combined ops users have paid for something everyone else gets free, making them question why they bother paying for it in the first place. Whichever way, BIS stands to loose money however they release some of this proposed content.

Also:

RHIB for Takistan

Where would they use it? The biggest lake on the "Takistan" island can be swum across in less than 5 minutes! It'd make no sense for them to spend hours moving a boat there! :butbut: