About Customizable Soldier Load

[SPC.Spets 21]

What does it means?

You can set your M4, for eg, adding a flashlight, laser point, supressor, etc. and then, you cant put and put out those things anytime during the game? lets say, put out the supressor, or the grenade launcher to use a hand grip or bipod instead?

and for the soldier, its only for appearance? or you can add more pouch in your gear to carry more mags? or some ceramic plate in the armor? Because if it is only for appearance, I dont see the point :s

[SSgt Decker 4]

My interpretation is that they will implement something similar to the current ASC mod, which allows you to take scopes, silencers, grenade launchers, etc... from a weapons crate, and allows you to customize your rifle on the fly.

[Tonmeister 14]

soldier loadout or weapon loadout? i reckon soldier loadout shouldn't be construed to mean weapon loadout

[SPC.Spets 21]

well, in the arma3 official web site says

Customizable Soldier Load

Choose your uniform, assemble your weapon kit, change your loadout, get loaded up

[Steakslim 1]

You know I just thought a way to probably simplify how this will probably be. Think of the profile settings in ArmA2 where you can choose your character's face and eyewear (or headgear in some cases). Now imagine that all over. That is probably what we'll see in ArmA 3, just a loose guess. Not sure how keen I am on being able to change weapon attachments on the fly, if that is even on the table as a feature. Perhaps while at an Armory type setting or location, but once on the field?

[ArmAriffic 10]

Choose your uniform

Maybe like taking off flippers after diving?, Weapon box with uniform parts?

[metalcraze 290]

"Choose you uniform" bit worries me the most. In a bad way.

The rest sound like hype words for what we already have to a degree:

"Assemble your weapon kit" - you are able to select weapons yay! (but it can be something like ASC too which would be great)

"change your loadout" - you are able to select other stuff but weapons!

"get encumbered" - now it will be great if they will finally add ACE's encumberance system where it doesn't just slow you down while you still can run 50 kilometers and stop only because player's finger hurts holding W button despite carrying a a few heavy rocks on your back.

[Tonmeister 14]

get loaded up.

like a pack donkey no doubt. but i do like the idea of being able to change out of hot pink hotpants into canary yellow budgie smugglers and run around the battlefield like a nancy.

Edited May 21, 2011 by Ebolavirus

[kylania 567]

I've always been a fan of limited resources and the mission designer decides what you use. I really hope it's not some kind of system where your "player" has a certain uniform and weapons that you configure out of game and you always use them in game, like some console thing.

Currently you can play as basically anything. I can't see how that would connect to a "choose your own uniform" type system, but it'll be interesting to see how they work it out. Hopefully they just mean that we'll have more and varied equipment choices.

[SPC.Spets 21]

thats why im asking. We also play coops and tvt, and the editor is who decides what kind of gear to use

[dale0404 5]

get loaded up.

like a pack donkey no doubt. but i do like the idea of being able to change out of hot pink hotpants into canary yellow budgie smugglers and run around the battlefield like a nancy.

Been watching to many adverts there mate! :D ;)

[Tom1 10]

As long as the mission designer has overall control over what the basic uniform requirements and weapon loadouts it is all good. Look at the Australians at War mod, it's the same uniform, but with little things like different flag patches, goggles and helments. Maybe you can edit a character to use IF the mission maker hasnt specified what you will wear/use? IMO that would be the best way for BIS to go about it.

[metalcraze 290]

Those small uniform variations are present in original ArmA2 as well.

If BIS means that you are now able to select the soldier model of the same army "type" you use (like f.e. a marine with goggles on his helmet or without, scout's knife on the back or without it like on models in AA2) then there's nothing wrong with it.

PC Gamer wrote they will have AA3 preview in the upcoming issue. Hope we will get scans or reprint or something here

[Smurf 12]

What about something like this?

0SWU31-dGEs

I just hope that the mission designer have control on what can be choose.

[-GR-Operative 10]

Ground Branch? Is it still being developed?

That system is really nice. Are the pouches usable or only cosmetical?

[chortles 263]

Re: ASC -- the problem is that it's a "cover" for the limitations of RV3, namely that all weapon/attachment combo is its own weapon/classname in the engine, so hopefully "customizable soldier load" means something closer to true modular weapon customization (core weapon + accessories).

Operation7 does something that I haven't found anywhere else where one's "primary weapon" (SMG, AR, SR, LMG/SAW etc.) consists of the weapon's "body" (receiver, grip, trigger group, magazine well, etc.), and then you choose from different barrel lengths*, optics, "foreends" (i.e. whether there's a vertical grip, an underbarrel grenade launcher, etc.), even buttstocks, and frankly I'd love it if ARMA 3 weapon customizing/accessorizing was anything like this.

* Operation7 primary weapon suppressors are just suppressed versions of the same barrel lengths, so in this respect it's like ARMA 2, but otherwise the above holds true.

[metalcraze 290]

Obviously something like that would mean customizing the weapon pre-mission (and who will bother?) or even in your profile and then using it whenever you wish which is a big NO.

When we say ASC we mean adding stuff like silencers or optics on the fly. And that's more than enough.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Well, in my view, the mission creator is God - he gets to do the decisions. So I believe the uniform/equipment aspect should be kit oriented. Your personal preferences only lets you edit what you look like as a civilian.

Now, in free-for-all games (Domination/Warfare etc), you may be able to obtain pretty much whatever kit you want, or based on slots - at mission creators discretion. We can't have 30 ghillied up snipers running around (unless the mission creator wants to allow it).

I admit, this isn't fully thought through yet, so maybe there are bad things about it I'm not able to see at this point. But it's also important that uniform/equipment also has function differences, not only looks. Maybe only a ghillied up sniper has room for several M107 mags? Those mags are nuts huge, and not something you carry twelve of even if you have twelve slots. Maybe certain uniforms are required to carry certain equipment (ammo) on body (in backpack is allowed though).

Also, what about silencers? Put them on in the field? Commands to manipulate magazine contents would be needed for this, unless silencers modify what you have (config related).

[rye1 21]

Great thoughts, it would indeed make the backpack system much more interesting. The game would change quite a bit, more realistic and people would actually think while kitting up and specifying what to take before getting into contact.

I hope silencers will be detachable and attachable, but magazines should work around this with subsonic and supersonic linky with AI. So finally no more TAC-50 SD (with subsonic ammunition) at 1KM alerts enemy to your position within 10 seconds. It should affect wounding, range and terminal ballistics also.

@Chortles Interchangable barrels, great idea. Aslong as it effects accuracy/range.

[metalcraze 290]

Isn't TAC-50 a mod weapon? I don't remember it in vanilla

[rye1 21]

Yeah it is but even vanilla weapons are the same.

[ajsarge 10]

If it's implemented, it needs to be something that doesn't affect gameplay. When you create your character (or characters - one per faction) that is how you look, regardless of your class. Damage and inventory remain the same whether or not you wear vest A or vest B.

With weapons, it just needs to be a loadable option in your inventory. A2 currently has so many accessory slots open (the ones that hold your map, compass, radio, etc.) that they can be used to store ACOG scopes or IR lights. When you drag an addon to a slot on your weapon, the picture changes to reflect that addon. Same goes for magazines. If you have a drum magazine loaded into an M4, the model in-game needs to show that you have a drum magazine loaded.