Arma III Sniping Mechanics

[Guest Tyvern_Sniper-Elite]

I got Arma II and played it on my friends computer and I got to say I'm impressed with everything, yes I'm a new player BtW.

The thing I want to talk about is the Sniping Mechanics of Arma III and what I'd like to see..

1. Trace- it is the visible bullet flight path that sniper rifles produce that snipers use to gauge where there shots go... R.L. Snipers would know what I'm talking about and know more that I do.

2. Dynamic wind- not every place in one area has the same wind speed and direction.

3. Bullet Drop- Really good but could be tweaked a tiny bit to oil that part of the game up.

4. IDK but Dynamic Bipods- working Bipods, I forget if they are in ArmA II.

that's really all I think I can contribute right now as far as the sniping aspect of the game is concerned.

[Alex72 1]

Basically all points are in the ACE2 mod. BIS included working sights in ARMA2 which ACE1 gave us in ArmA1. So BIS might up the sniping experience again in ARMA3.

[Ians 10]

This is why even though i'll definitely buy arma3 when it's out , i'll still play Arma2 with ACE for a while because it is clearly the most realistic experience we have for sniping so far

Unless ARMA3 introduce most of ACE main features , at least the dynamic wind and more realistic fatigue and wounding system , wait and see .

[SPC.Spets 21]

ACE2 the best mod

pYhgwzSIMVs

this video is an old ACE2 version btw

[dmarkwick 261]

I've been playing a bit of old-style OFP recently and I remembered that when using the M21 you can actually see the projectile as it travels.

[4 IN 1 0]

I've been playing a bit of old-style OFP recently and I remembered that when using the M21 you can actually see the projectile as it travels.

Unrealistic tracer rounds are not the same as vapour trace:D

[Daniel 0]

Of all the ACE features, I hope ACE bipods make it into the core game this time.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Daniel

[purepassion 22]

are an key aspect of sucessful sniping and play an important role for the shooter and spotter regarding bullet observing.

Adding this phenomen to Arma 3 will not only increase the immersion and enhance the sniping experience but also add an unique feature which is enhancing the realism.

But the important question is: how might it look like in the game?

BIS always has to make a compromise in order to make Arma 3 playable, therefore adding vapor trails only for high calibre weapon systems such as the GM6 is the best solution.

The important aspect would be how to implement this in detail (especially for BIS):

Next to the initial tracer there is a trail of a certain lenght added to the bullet. This trail consists of the Blur effect (which is not an ideal solution)- I have limited knowledge regarding this but since the Motion Blur on the ground is only visible at a certain range, there might be some potential there.

But as I said above, motion blur is not an ideal solution.

Adding a new effect "Heat haze", by using displace mapping ( dont know if that is the right techique-maybe someone could briefly explain it)

would be a very valuable addition to the RV engine.

Why a new effect?

It has got a variety of important uses:

• Vapor Trails for realistic bullet simulation
  
• Heat Haze for e.g.
  and especially
  
  
• Heat distortion and heat mirage on
  
  

So adding this effect would enhance the visual quality of the RV engine on an very high level especially due to its broad use.

Would you also like to have this new effect added to RV?

I would especially be interested in an professional opinion and maybe the team even experimented with this?

[metalcraze 290]

Bipods and wind definitely should make it into AA3 by default.

[KC Grimes 79]

Your heat haze idea is actually an excellent one and I highly support it. It will add a major graphics curve when added to fire/heated ground, and a great effect for bullet trails.

[dmarkwick 261]

Well, with render-to-texture implemented, coupled with an already working distortion shader (as evidenced by looking down into water), heathaze shimmer and mirage effects become possible. Render-to-texture sounds horrendously expensive at first for such an effect - but remember the scene is already rendered, you'd use the current frame as rendered for the player. No rendering overhead.

You apply that texture to a distant particle, and add the distortion shader (tweaked for effect).

Then you float some of these particles over road segments that are between X and Y distance away, AND are between A and B angle to you. Hey presto - working heathaze.

[celery 8]

Of all the ACE features, I hope ACE bipods make it into the core game this time.

I don't, as it's way too much hassle. The vanilla game acknowledges a weapon's bipod in its prone recoil, while in ACE you have to press a specifically configured button after which you're glued to the spot with a useless rotation arc.

[metalcraze 290]

The vanilla game acknowledges a weapon's bipod in its prone recoil

You can deploy bipods not only when prone on the ground you know.

[Steakslim 1]

plus the weapon rest feature for non bipod weapons is very useful.

[dmarkwick 261]

plus the weapon rest feature for non bipod weapons is very useful.

One of the best. I always wondered why a separate addon was never made.

[celery 8]

You can deploy bipods not only when prone on the ground you know.

Yes, I know. But did you know that ACE is not the be-all end-all answer, especially in terms of user friendliness? The devs should make a weapon resting feature that isn't as cumbersome as the ACE feature.

[Archosaurusrev 12]

I don't, as it's way too much hassle. The vanilla game acknowledges a weapon's bipod in its prone recoil, while in ACE you have to press a specifically configured button after which you're glued to the spot with a useless rotation arc.

Oh noes, I have to press a button!

Jesus Christ....

[celery 8]

Oh noes, I have to press a button!

Jesus Christ....

Two buttons, to be exact, which at least for me conflicts with fire mode changing. In Red Orchestra, for example, your weapon rests automatically and setting up a bipod on a sandbag, window, wall or the ground requires one button press.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Celery

[dmarkwick 261]

Oh noes, I have to press a button!

Jesus Christ....

Personally, as much as I like ACE2, I would like to have this ability without all the other stuff. I don't always use ACE2, in fact I use it less than half of my gaming time. Like most of my addons.

[neokika 62]

Oh noes, I have to press a button!

Jesus Christ....

I don't think that's what he means at all, although it is a nice feature in ACE2, obviously one would expect something much better in Arma 3. Not a workaround.

Well, with render-to-texture implemented, coupled with an already working distortion shader (as evidenced by looking down into water), heathaze shimmer and mirage effects become possible. Render-to-texture sounds horrendously expensive at first for such an effect - but remember the scene is already rendered, you'd use the current frame as rendered for the player. No rendering overhead.

Render-to-texture? I don't see any relation between that and heat haze effect. Here's a

showing this feature in a Alpha version of rFactor 2.

_neo_

Edited July 18, 2011 by neokika

[dmarkwick 261]

Render-to-texture? I don't see any relation between that and heat haze effect. Here's a

showing this feature in a Alpha version of rFactor 2.

That's how heathaze is done, you render the background, then apply that image to the particle, then distort the particle's image.

[neokika 62]

That's how heathaze is done, you render the background, then apply that image to the particle, then distort the particle's image.

To me, that makes no sense, heat haze effect should be possible with a simple particle effect. For all I know, Render-to-texture (Picture-in-Picture) simply adds the possibility for multiple rendering scenes at once.

_neo_

[dmarkwick 261]

To me, that makes no sense, heat haze effect should be possible with a simple particle effect. For all I know, Render-to-texture (Picture-in-Picture) simply adds the possibility for multiple rendering scenes at once.

_neo_

It is a simple particle effect, but that's how it's done. I would guess that it's not a whole RTT procedure though, seeing as the image to be rendered is in fact already rendered. But the inclusion of RTT into A3 must mean that advanced particle effects are at least now feasible.

*edit*

There is the issue of rendering order though, part of the procedure is that the rendered background is rendered first, then applied to a particle, then the fore elements rendered. It entirely depends on how A3 renders its scenes.

Edited July 18, 2011 by DMarkwick

[ghostnineone 10]

vapor trails would be sweet but i know that realistic wind is going to piss people off if its not able to be turned off, ranging the target, sighting in your scope and then adjusting for wind only to have it change right after you shoot (or right before, or during), is frustrating as hell especially if you have to do it by yourself, its realistic, but its still can be hard. (although will there be vapor trails available for lower spec computers? do you not get them if your post process is set to very low? etc and will the vapor trails actually be able to follow a bullet as it moves to its target (moving up and down, or left to right or an S shape depending on the wind)

[Windexglow 10]

It is a simple particle effect, but that's how it's done. I would guess that it's not a whole RTT procedure though, seeing as the image to be rendered is in fact already rendered. But the inclusion of RTT into A3 must mean that advanced particle effects are at least now feasible.

*edit*

There is the issue of rendering order though, part of the procedure is that the rendered background is rendered first, then applied to a particle, then the fore elements rendered. It entirely depends on how A3 renders its scenes.

I don't read a lot of the technical behind rendering, but I always thought refractions were done by rendering the full image out, than manipulating it through uv.