ARMA 2: OA beta build 77159

[pandur 10]

using this beta

1) I always have to start the game twice. when loaded for the first time it lags heavily in the menu and the cursor is jumping around. after ending the program and restarting it everything is perfect... strange?

2) the lod issue with latest ati drivers/ 5970 is MUCH better now. but especially on takistan some trees (the slim and high one mostly) sometimes don't load the highest resolution. sometimes it takes a few seconds, sometimes even more. I also think before 1.57 or so highres was loaded when the player was further away from the objects.

anyway it's getting better and better, I'll keep supporting BIS by downloading dlcs which I wouldn't do for any other game. keep it up! awesome game!

[boneboys 0]

Concerning the helicopter jitterbug when approaching a pickup. I have not tried with AI pilots.

I made a Helli training mission when OA was released ( me = pilot).

In the last official release when I approach the LZ and hit the auto-pilot button, I have complete control.

In all post beta releases, in the same situation, once auto-pilot is engaged, I got the Helli-jitter-bugs.

I'm pretty methodic about these sort of things...

Harry Harris, reporter :)

[maruk 80]

Any observations concerning infantry AI?

They should work much better now, not finding "cover" in the middle of crossroads etc. so I am curious if it really works as desired now.

[ericfr 0]

@Alwarren

You're right for the bad formation in Danger Mode

Tested (wedge formation) several times in Desert No ennemy, No object :

Run fast 100m stop and order "return in formation", my squad move and stay front of me with this Beta, with 1.57 they stay always behind me.

@Maruk

For me it's much better now but there is this bug above.

Edited January 12, 2011 by EricFr

[rübe 127]

Looks like there is a problem with AI getting stuck when they're using a handgun. They won't follow any commands anymore (per scripting!), they'll just stand there, pointing around with their stupid handgun...

For scripting,

_unit selectWeapon (primaryWeapon _unit);

usually does the trick to prevent this, though if I'm in the process of switching to the handgun as player, right before I do

selectNoPlayer

and some camera-tricks, I still manage to get the unit (now AI) stuck.

Hm, maybe I can cook up a little repro mission. Because this could be the reason for AI getting stuck at several occasions, which are otherwise hard to understand/track I guess... :/

[maturin 12]

Any observations concerning infantry AI?

They should work much better now, not finding "cover" in the middle of crossroads etc. so I am curious if it really works as desired now.

I would be thrilled if they started staying out of the open. I'd gladly test.

As always, circumstances are everything. Are you talking about a stationary squad in Danger mode? A squad given a certain waypoint type in Combat mode? A squad given a Find Cover command? In Stealth mode? Should I look at individual (ungrouped) AI behavior so as not to bother with formations? (If you made them more rigidly adhered to, it must have necessarily reduced use of cover in some situations.)

[Hanzu 10]

did anybody encountered simmilar problems?

Not really similar but maybe related problems. I just reported them to CIT. Vote if you also experince them (see bottom part for multiplayer player positioning issues):

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/16672

[nkenny 1057]

@Maruk

Frankly no. I have a series of small to medium scale missions involving small infantry and light vehicle units. The enemy is independent guerillas -- so I often run player led units of different nationalities (F2-groups UK sections, USMC fireteams, US army teams, Russian sections, and so on) through the missions.

Though tuneups to how AI soldiers keep in formation are welcome; its yet to make a very big impact on my play style. In my experience it is not formation issues that kill AI-- rather more common are-

1. Ineffective bounding Overwatch routines

2. Pathfinding failure when following the player through certain areas.

3. Unecessary convoluted User Interface and lacking vocal/text feedback from AI troopers.*

*Creating a lack of situational awareness and complicates what should otherwise be a relatively simple affair.

Eitherway I'm thrilled that the AI is getting some attention-- and I'm sure most of the regular posters here recognize that tweaking the AI isn't like dusting crops. I'm certainly going to do a little more testing on the specifics of dangermode (and I'll probably enjoy it!)

@reube

I believe there are a number of devhaven tickets related to the issue-- but yes. Its hurting!

-k

Edited January 12, 2011 by NkEnNy

[Alwarren 2767]

Looks like there is a problem with AI getting stuck when they're using a handgun. They won't follow any commands anymore (per scripting!), they'll just stand there, pointing around with their stupid handgun...

Speaking of handguns, I noticed (and that's since the first Arrowhead I think) that sometimes when you teamswitch in multiplayer, you get back to your original guy and he's got the pistol out, and when you try to switch to the rifle, he pops it up a second then gets the pistol again. Might be related, might also relate to some units using handguns instead of their main gun.

Also, if a unit has no rifle but only a launcher (stinger for example) they don't seem to get up from a crouch, instead they look like they're teabagging.

[5133p39 16]

I have some strange MP experience with at least 2 of the latest betas - huge desyncs.

...

Just reporting back after another MP session.

Tonight we were using this beta again, playing same missions as before, and we had no desync problems.

Seems like those desyncs we got previously were caused by something else.

[Isola 10]

@Maruk

Frankly no. I have a series of small to medium scale missions involving small infantry and light vehicle units. The enemy is independent guerillas -- so I often run player led units of different nationalities (F2-groups UK sections, USMC fireteams, US army teams, Russian sections, and so on) through the missions.

Though tuneups to how AI soldiers keep in formation are welcome; its yet to make a very big impact on my play style. In my experience it is not formation issues that kill AI-- rather more common are-

1. Ineffective bounding Overwatch routines

2. Pathfinding failure when following the player through certain areas.

3. Unecessary convoluted User Interface and lacking vocal/text feedback from AI troopers.*

*Creating a lack of situational awareness and complicates what should otherwise be a relatively simple affair.

Eitherway I'm thrilled that the AI is getting some attention-- and I'm sure most of the regular posters here recognize that tweaking the AI isn't like dusting crops. I'm certainly going to do a little more testing on the specifics of dangermode (and I'll probably enjoy it!)

@reube

I believe there are a number of devhaven tickets related to the issue-- but yes. Its hurting!

-k

nice feedback!

[Michael Withstand 10]

CTD when trying to exit game with this beta

[Coffeecat 10]

Any observations concerning infantry AI?

They should work much better now, not finding "cover" in the middle of crossroads etc. so I am curious if it really works as desired now.

I can see some improvements, they take cover behind more objects and are more carefull now. And yea, there is still the problem with AI getting stuck with their handguns. Mostly it happens for Chechz and Germans, rarely seen it on other Forces. I remember reading this often as really bad bug, hope you guys can reproduce it and fix it!

[Fireball 16]

Well, this is about AI and funny behavior when using handgun:

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/3168

Originally it was about "getting stuck", but right now (if server is also running beta), it looks like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3l5EhkcClU

Important to repro the issue is

a) to have it stay crouched and

b) to send it full speed to some place or to run away, so AI has to follow with full speed

c) also try out stealth/danger modes

There is a similar issue without any weapon:

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/16229

Edited January 13, 2011 by Fireball

[nkenny 1057]

@Maruk

Frankly no.

I was wrong. The tune ups seem to have made the AI significantly more willing to utilize cover and capable of ignoring some of the 'micromovement' made by player commanders. Will test more.

Key issues remain however.

1. Ineffective bounding Overwatch routines

2. Pathfinding failure when following the player through certain areas.

3. Unecessary convoluted User Interface and lacking vocal/text feedback from AI troopers.

-k

[rübe 127]

Well, this is about AI and funny behavior when using handgun:

Thanks for the overview. But I guess a new ticket is due. Here is the repro-mission as promised - and this time really small and tidy.

If your character has the main weapon selected, everything runs fine (the cam follows the AI walking a bit and returns control to the player). Now repeat as instructed in the repro mission hint; with your handgun out and the AI get's stuck immediately. Dead end! It's a trap! :D

This has the potential to break every friggin mission, unless you simply take all the pistols away from everybody. Also I guess that dead-end/lock is animation related.

What do you think Fireball? Should I open a new ticket for this or do you see a ticket that is related close enough?

[Fireball 16]

What do you think Fireball? Should I open a new ticket for this or do you see a ticket that is related close enough?

New ticket. It's not related to crouching, as it seems.

EDIT: Looks more like it's related to forceSpeed.

Edited January 13, 2011 by Fireball

[rübe 127]

EDIT: Looks more like it's related to forceSpeed.

Nope. Just updated the repro mission, offering a second radio trigger to run the script without forceSpeed. Same result.

Also crouching isn't necessary to trigger the deadend.

But fine, a new ticket is is then.

Edit: done.

Edited January 13, 2011 by ruebe
ticket

[pandur 10]

Looks like there is a problem with AI getting stuck when they're using a handgun. They won't follow any commands anymore (per scripting!), they'll just stand there, pointing around with their stupid handgun...

this is an old bug actually (I'm having this since arma2 started), there has been several reports on it in the past times. (work around: switch into them and press "V" or if you can not switch into them greet them. that helps most of the times and gets them out of their kneeing animation. Last time it happened I commanded a sniper to engage a target and he switch to the handgun and later in the game freezed suddenly.)

Concerning Ai I've never again seen them taking cover on a road. That's nice. Mostly they are acting pretty smart.

there are two more things that bug me a little bit...

1) sometimes the formation still gets mixed up http://dev-heaven.net/issues/8973 (not very often though)

2) http://dev-heaven.net/issues/15370 much better now, but in intense situations it still happens and I have to watch at block instead of a nice texture for about 2-3 seconds. (using cc10.12 ati 5970)

3) the seek cover command should imho work a bit different. first action should be AI immediately getting down to the ground and second action should be crawling into cover followed by no movement at all (that would be a reaction close to reality).

apart from that this game is the ultimate experience :-) if you try to simulate such a huge world bugs occur that's just natural, thx for working on it. Greetings and keep up the good work.

Edited January 13, 2011 by pandur

[metalcraze 290]

Any observations concerning infantry AI?

They should work much better now, not finding "cover" in the middle of crossroads etc. so I am curious if it really works as desired now.

Not sure about AI not finding "cover" in the middle of crossroads as I never had a chance to see it do that, but other than that it's much more competent now. I could see AI taking cover behind the edge of the concrete fence, getting killed and then another AI taking his position to continue putting fire on me. Among other things. Yeah they seek cover OK, although there is a space for an improvement - in many cases AI will stand behind some corner, exposing much of his body - instead of leaning with most of his body covered by the wall.

[Vipera 10]

When I send my squad soldiers to a new location one-by-one then they arrive MUCH faster than if I select all of them and send them to a new location all together. Is it normal behaviour?

[icebreakr 3159]

You can test the "pistol/rifle" behaviour with cops from Lingor Units pack. They all carry glocks and it seems they prefer lying on ground with pistol in hand and with shotguns slung on their backs :)

[rübe 127]

When I send my squad soldiers to a new location one-by-one then they arrive MUCH faster than if I select all of them and send them to a new location all together. Is it normal behaviour?

Sure. If you give all your units individual doMoves, they are a lot faster, because they do not move as team, but instead everyone moves as individual. In other words: no bounding overwatch, no "Go! I cover", just move.

[ericfr 0]

Danger Mode :

Formation is defenitly bad with this beta.

Only 8-8 and 8-9 work well and perhaps 8-6.

With the others formations, my squad stays always front of me (like a form V), it's very annoying in combat.(this not happens with 1.57)

It's a pity because i prefer this new AI behaviour.

[Vipera 10]

I think formation is important when you move until your squad has an enemy contact. Since you are in fight already it's more important to keep squad safe (find covers) than keep formation.