Improvements I believe a decent number wants

[EMERY 10]

WTF guys if ya don't like it go play Bf2 i hear you can swim in that

@ [GLT]Myke

Location: behind W0lle [i hope not to close lol]

sorry but it looks and sounds so gay :)

Edited January 21, 2011 by EMERY

[[frl]myke 14]

@ [GLT]Myke

Location: behind W0lle [i hope not to close lol]

sorry but it looks and sounds so gay :)

Mate, you better look at your forums avatar before talking about "looking gay". :D

[whisper 0]

Smtg I don't understand : If they make full DVD content during 1 year instead of DLC during 3 months, the crew doing DVD will be the same than the crew doing the DLC.

What are we supposed to win in that situation in terms of debugging / engine changes? Nothing, no more people working on that, the guys will be working on DVD content ...

[dmarkwick 261]

Smtg I don't understand : If they make full DVD content during 1 year instead of DLC during 3 months, the crew doing DVD will be the same than the crew doing the DLC.

What are we supposed to win in that situation in terms of debugging / engine changes? Nothing, no more people working on that, the guys will be working on DVD content ...

They're not the same people :)

[whisper 0]

Awww, people building a DVD sized content are not the same than the ones doing DLC sized stuff?

Why would they be different?

[dmarkwick 261]

Awww, people building a DVD sized content are not the same than the ones doing DLC sized stuff?

Why would they be different?

OK, maybe I should have cropped your post a little :) specifically I was referring to this:

What are we supposed to win in that situation in terms of debugging / engine changes? Nothing, no more people working on that, the guys will be working on DVD content ...

People that do DLC/DVD content aren't the same people who do the engine/game fixes.

[whisper 0]

Exactly, so I don't really see what is gained in terms of engine and debugging by asking for a stop in DLC release and instead BI going the full priced DVD route.

Engine and debugged is imho unrelated to DLC and how BI delivers their new content. People don't want DLC because they expect more from a released product (biggest campaign, more missions, biggest islands), or at least, they should...

Edited January 22, 2011 by whisper

[runforrest 10]

OT

@Myke

that leaning looks awsome. i wouldnt need it in a plane but it would be bloody helpful in some vehicles, especially trucks

[Ironman13 13]

I think most people are saying no more DLC because they think the content is pretty small for 1/4 of the game price. This especially rings true with the PMC DLC.

So, if BIS actually spends a decent amount of time developing a large island that is somewhat innovative. And maybe has some more vehicles or weapons, and fixes more bugs than it creates. I think many people's opinion will change about the DLC packages.

It is not that we aren't willing to pay, wanting it for free.... I think that has been proven. So, it comes down to whether the content is sufficient. And I don't know what the measuring rod would be for that. You will always have people commenting they don't like such-and-such but if a well made DLC is released I think the 850 people that say stop the DLC will decrease drastically. That is a presumption and I don't think it is rude to come to that conclusion.

Here is an idea BIS might be able to do, gunning out of the HMV windows or some other vehicles. So if you are sitting behind the driver you press the Lean Left key and it has you gunning out of the window. The Lean Right key will have you go back in the default position and the window is rolled back up. Vise versa for the passenger side. Of course you can use attachTo but that would probably be a heavy work around. Just a thought. It might be a stupid idea but I have heard many people over the years saying how that would be sweet.

Edited January 22, 2011 by {GSF} Ironman

[EMERY 10]

Myke;1839600']Mate' date=' you better look at your forums avatar before talking about "looking gay". :D[/quote']

shut up brave hart lol:p:)

[TechnoTerrorist303 10]

I think most people are saying no more DLC because they think the content is pretty small for 1/4 of the game price. This especially rings true with the PMC DLC.

Actually BAF was just about right I think, I agree PMC was not BIS finest hour.

Here is an idea BIS might be able to do, gunning out of the HMV windows or some other vehicles.

So if you are sitting behind the driver you press the Lean Left key and it has you gunning out of the window. The Lean Right key will have you go back in the default position and the window is rolled back up. Vise versa for the passenger side. Of course you can use attachTo but that would probably be a heavy work around. Just a thought. It might be a stupid idea but I have heard many people over the years saying how that would be sweet.

Yes we really should be able to shoot out of vehicles. Sniping out of helicopters would be pretty cool too.

[james mckenzie-smith 1]

Of course, once you allow shooting out of Humvee windows, as in Generation Kill, then what about air sentries in APCs and IFVs? What about crowds of people in the back of trucks, with logic for tarps up or open topped? What about a dirtbike coming to a stop, and the guerilla on the back firing off an AK or RPG, and scooting off? It's not that I am against the idea - I'm not - but there really is lots to consider.

[Mr. Charles 22]

Try shooting the minigun on infantry. The pilot has to autohover above the target, so you can hit something. Sniping out of a helicopter is just impossible. Shooting with assault rifles or MGs to hit Cars/Trucks or suppress the enemy is a whole other story.

[TechnoTerrorist303 10]

Try shooting the minigun on infantry. The pilot has to autohover above the target, so you can hit something. Sniping out of a helicopter is just impossible. Shooting with assault rifles or MGs to hit Cars/Trucks or suppress the enemy is a whole other story.

It's not impossible, it's just very very hard and requires practice. You have to compensate for the movement of the aircraft and it's actually easier if you're flying in a straight line than hovering.

[liquidpinky 11]

It's not impossible, it's just very very hard and requires practice. You have to compensate for the movement of the aircraft and it's actually easier if you're flying in a straight line than hovering.

Not only that, if you have been up in a heli for real you will know how smooth a flight it is. You would just really be compensating for the movement like shooting at a moving target.

[Mr. Charles 22]

Shite, you guys are right:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/defencenews/militaryoperations/airbornesnipersquadtargetsiraqimilitia.htm

:butbut:

[reconteam 19]

Ignoring the bickering going on, I believe the OP brings up a few good points on things that could be improved. I'm going to have to add a few (game engine related) suggestions of my own.

Vegetation optimization. Now I have a pretty good rig but some of the vegetation slows it down considerably. I don't know why but a large firefight in a desert will run fine, yet looking at some shrubs and grass through my ACOG will cause a significant drop.

Smoother movement. Though OA has improved over ArmA2 and ArmA1, much of the movement still feels rather "clunky" in my opinion, especially if you don't have a very high FPS. This can make movement in buildings especially awkward.

Draw distance adjustment. When I set my view distance to say 2000 meters, I expect to be able to see vehicles at that range or just about that range. However vehicles and many other objects don't appear until they are significantly under the max draw distance.

Rate of fire and weapon spread adjustments. It seems to me that weapons like miniguns are much less effective than they should be, a pass from a AH-6 with two M134s firing at 4000 rounds per minute should rip a technical to shreds, yet all too often everybody survives and isn't even suppressed.

BIS "featured addon of the week" or addon database. The community of modders is one of ArmA2s strongest assets in my opinion, from new islands to jetpacks, to what looks to be a simulation quality Apache in the works, I think BIS should provide some more encouragement. I would also love to see some multiplayer servers where users can use such addons with other players.

[Ironman13 13]

Draw distance and vegetation I believe have to do with the Polygons used and at what ranges they appear/switch to more detailed polys.... I could be completely wrong, but I believe that is the problem.

Also, very few, if any, bushes/grass/trees are square shaped and a Polygon no matter how many used can never form a circle. It can have the illusion but it is never quite "perfect". So in trees/bushes/objects/buildings/vehicles/units/weapons, many polygons are used meaning thousands upon thousands. I don't know how much the newest Direct X helps with drawing circles but I am under the impression BIS doesn't really like relying upon it heavily.

I really have no experience with everything I just said, so it might just all be a lie lol. If someone else knows more, please give us your input.

[[frl]myke 14]

Draw distance and vegetation I believe have to do with the Polygons used and at what ranges they appear/switch to more detailed polys.... I could be completely wrong, but I believe that is the problem.

Also, very few, if any, bushes/grass/trees are square shaped and a Polygon no matter how many used can never form a circle. It can have the illusion but it is never quite "perfect". So in trees/bushes/objects/buildings/vehicles/units/weapons, many polygons are used meaning thousands upon thousands. I don't know how much the newest Direct X helps with drawing circles but I am under the impression BIS doesn't really like relying upon it heavily.

I really have no experience with everything I just said, so it might just all be a lie lol. If someone else knows more, please give us your input.

In general this is correct. But the shaders can also help "faking" round objects. For this, edges of a 3D model can be declared either as "sharp edges" or "soft edges".

So if you have a 8 sided tube object with sharp edges, you clearly see the faces ingame and no one would say that it is round. That's also what everyone without knowledge (no offence, just fact, had to learn it myself aswell) would expect.

But now, defining the edges as soft edges will force the shaders to assume that the edges are rounded, something similar like Bézier curves. So shadowing and lighting is rendered in a way as if the tube in fact is round, not 8-sided.

The illusion only breaks there where the tube ends as there you clearly can identify all 8 sides again. But for this you would have to look explicitley and literally searching for it.

:EDITH:

Just to visualize the above: this is twice the same 8-sided tube, once with soft edges and once with sharp edges. Apologies, the preview render is a bit ugly but i guess you get the idea.

Edited January 27, 2011 by [FRL]Myke

[b00tsy 28]

Vegetation optimization. Now I have a pretty good rig but some of the vegetation slows it down considerably. I don't know why but a large firefight in a desert will run fine, yet looking at some shrubs and grass through my ACOG will cause a significant drop.

I vote for this.

I do not have a good rig, but in other games I can walk through big detailed jungles and with a 2000 draw with no problem. Just a few trees and bushes in ARMA causes a big drop in FPS. Same with buildings too up to some point.

I recently download the island fellujah and I was amazed about the fps I suddenly had on that island, I had double the amount of fps then usual! So why is it that an island like fallujah with loads of buildings gives so much better performance? I could even crank up the settings a bit and have the same fps.

[Steakslim 1]

I vote for this.

I do not have a good rig, but in other games I can walk through big detailed jungles and with a 2000 draw with no problem. Just a few trees and bushes in ARMA causes a big drop in FPS. Same with buildings too up to some point.

I recently download the island fellujah and I was amazed about the fps I suddenly had on that island, I had double the amount of fps then usual! So why is it that an island like fallujah with loads of buildings gives so much better performance? I could even crank up the settings a bit and have the same fps.

Because they are lower texture, lower poly buildings, for the very reason the map maker chose to use them if I recall. Most of them have no interiors as well and while it is a very, every impressive map for what it's doing, if you notice it is not the best looking in a lot of cases, but it's still a work in progress.

You compare this to say...Zargabad, where those buildings have newer, better textures and all have detailed interiors that have to be rendered, that cause a significant slowdown. This is why a lot of map makers like using older ArmA2 buildings, or even ArmA1 buildings or OPX buildings if they choose to. They also like to use older ground textures that do not feature the parallax occlusion as it causes a lot of the performance drops from what I've been reading.

[Ironman13 13]

thanks for the preview Myke, I think the big oil drums on Zargabad/Takistan are a great example of this concept too. You can see it has many sides and is not round. I don't think it is soft edges but just a higher poly count.

[[frl]myke 14]

thanks for the preview Myke, I think the big oil drums on Zargabad/Takistan are a great example of this concept too. You can see it has many sides and is not round. I don't think it is soft edges but just a higher poly count.

It is for sure a combination of both. Without soft edges you would clearly see all edges of the model. Of course, the more sides the better but as you already stated, there is a (logical) limit how many sides make sense. You could make barrels with 32000 sides but i guess you see that this would affect performance rapidly if this would be done with all models. So modellers do decide how many sides really make sense (goin for less sides on lower res LOD's) and let make the soft edges the rest.

[vilas 477]

2) REWORK THE WATER SYSTEM!

i agree too, but in other details

make loosing gear later than it is , why ?

in many cases soldier loose equipment by mistake (going in water when all squad is near at beach, AI should avoid watter, not go to water while squad is moving 10 meters from it ) or soldier swims too slow , he leaved boat 10 meters from beach, need minute to get there and loose equipment

just make time of equipment twice bigger, because AI behave irrational in many cases (testing SP mission in which there was water born desant... they left boat 20 meters from beach, they reached beach with no guns)

other thing is dammage of vehicles in water, exploding because of water is loltastic , i know , since OFP there were issues in this game with CQB, water , AI skills etc.

Better CQB.

agree , now pathfinding is still problematic , but probably inside buildings fight will be impossible even in Arma3 , police-type missions, road (traffic?) movement etc.

BIS "featured addon of the week" or addon database.

there should not be a "judge on addons" because for one person :

good addon is realistic addon

for second person good addon is hollywoodish addon "awsome sound and texture , no matter of model details, real rate of fire or other thing"

for third person it is "made by someone with my nationality"

another one wants addon of "metallic glossy look" etc.

but of course addons could be used at public server if it had huge space enterable by individual addonmakers (to upload last version there)

as addonmaker i know that some times in database of hosting there is older version kept, and you have older version with bugs on server, while addonmakers released 2 further versions months ago

so - for all or for noone

why ?

cause addonmakers should have right to put ther stuff , there cannot be guy who "disallow to upload here because you are not his nationality, he like Rambo, Ghost Recon, CoD (all special forces with black de-camouflaging vests) and he looks at mirrored weapons and all must have ACOG even AK47 "painted ACU" and UZI with sniper precision and 1500 rounds per minute (look at CoD SF and Polish PM63 which they made fire as rapid as Mini Uzi and made 20 rnd magazine oposite to slow fire , poor accuracy, 25 rnd in REAL)

the only problem will be "criteria of choose"

made on BIS tools or imported from other games (than BIS legal issues with using CS tex on their server as example) or ripped etc.

it is muddy ground

Edited January 28, 2011 by vilas

[Ironman13 13]

Well you could separate addons in categories. Such as "Most Realistic", "Hollywood", and "Imaginative".... Not saying those would be the exact categories, but that would eliminate the problem you brought up.

And the addon winners would remain winners until someone came out with something equal to or better. This way authors could continue to improve upon their models rather than release a crappy quality and leave it like that forever. At least, it would be an incentive to keep working on it.