TKOH Patch 1.03 - Release Candidate

[DnA 5155]

Today we present you with a Release Candidate of our second Patch (1.03 Bainbridge) :xmas_o: Please help us test it before we release the final patch into the wild. This RC is not compatible with Steam versions

WARNING :eek:

This update will modify your existing game installation.

Rollback to previous version is not possible.

Upgrading to the final 1.03 patch also may not be possible.

It is recommended to back up your full installation folder and profile folder first (you can restore those before applying the final patch).

As always, use at your own risk. Thanks a lot for your support!

Highlights:

• Reduced Ground Effect strength - engine-based improvements
  
• Small flight model tweaks - based on community / internal feedback
  
• Heliport character animations – mission briefings include new animations
  
• Czech language support – more languages to be added asap
  
• Benchmark added - challenge your hardware!
  
• Picture-in-Picture quality setting - select the quality of PiP (performance)
  

Direct download from bistudio.com (142 MB ZIP)

Multiupload mirrors: http://www.multiupload.com/EWH8SW61FK

MD5: 2674bde3e0ec21ba1bc9cbcd7075a967

ReadMe:

====================================

-- TAKE ON HELICOPTERS PATCH 1.03 --

====================================

>>> www.takeonthegame.com <<<

!!!RELEASE CANDIDATE WARNING!!!

-------------------------------

THIS UPDATE WILL MODIFY YOUR EXISTING GAME INSTALLATION.

ROLLBACK TO PREVIOUS VERSION IS NOT POSSIBLE.

IT IS RECOMMENDED TO BACK UP YOUR FULL INSTALLATION FOLDER AND PROFILE FOLDER FIRST.

THIS IS A RELEASE CANDIDATE AND THE FINAL UPDATE MAY DIFFER.

AS ALWAYS, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

This free update is sponsored by Sprocket http://www.sprocketidea.com/, the online store where you can buy Take On Helicopters and other games directly from the developers.

Copyright © 2011 Bohemia Interactive. All rights reserved.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

--------------------

- AN ORIGINAL VERSION OF TAKE ON HELICOPTERS FROM 1.02 (Steam and other digital platforms will update their game files through auto-updating once available)

- DirectX February 2010 is required and should be updated during the patching process automatically (if required).

- In case of problems it can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/directx

HOW TO INSTALL THE PATCH:

-------------------------

- Run the patch setup executable, which will apply the patch automatically.

- It will install the entire contents of the patch to a folder within your Take On Helicopters installation (the default is C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\Take On Helicopters).

- Please note that it is not possible to rollback to a previous version after the installation of this patch; only a full reinstall of the game is possible. If you want to keep your previous version you may want to backup the entire game installation folder before applying this patch.

- It is not recommended to use any savegames created in previous versions (1.01, 1.02).

USEFUL LINKS:

-------------

- Main website: www.takeonthegame.com

- Developed by: www.bistudio.com

- Forums: forums.bistudio.com (English Only)

- Community wiki: community.bistudio.com (English Only)

VERSION 1.03 HIGHLIGHTS

-----------------------

* Reduced Ground Effect strength

* Small flight model tweaks

* Heliport character animations

* Czech language support

* Benchmark added

CHANGELOG

---------

ENGINE

------

* Reduced extreme ground effect.

* Picture-in-Picture video setting extended to include levels of quality.

Value - Viewing distance (km) - Average time per frame (ms)

Disabled - 0 - 0

Very Low - 1 - 8

Low - 2 - 10

Normal - 4 - 13

High - 6 - 15

Very High - 10 - 22

* FXAA support added.

* Better multiplayer support for vehicle doors opening / closing.

* Helicopter animation states could mismatch when running on the server.

* Custom memory allocator support added (http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_2:_Custom_Memory_Allocator).

* Ambient traffic was not drawn in PiP RenderTargets.

* There now is zero fuel consumption when only starters are on.

* The engine no longer stops when you take control from the AI on the ground.

* Dedicated server armed helicopter models would change (http://dev-heaven.net/issues/26298).

DATA

----

* Seattle performance benchmark added (Challenges > Benchmark (Seattle)).

* Czech language support added.

* Japanese character support added (not the translation itself).

* More character animations added and implemented into Heliport (de)briefings.

* Main menu online news feed added.

* Medium: improved torque 3D instrument ranges.

* Medium: flight model tweaked.

* Light: flight model tweaked (also thanks to community efforts!).

* Helicopter head movement limits tweaked.

* Helicopter ground contact points tweaked (also thanks to community efforts!).

* Special shadow LOD added for interior views of helicopters.

* Doors closed by default for luxury helicopters.

* Ambient traffic cars now have head and tail lights.

* Ambient boats and aircraft have lights at night now.

* Roadway LODs added to military ships.

* Improved materials for water surfaces.

* Various unlocalized texts localized (training scenarios, Time Trials and MP).

* Spelling error reported by wOMAC fixed.

* Type column in MP server browser was too narrow.

* Logitech G940 controller scheme tweaked.

* TrackIR scheme improved.

* Career Free Flight is no longer ended when disembarking. Instead use "Skip" from the interrupt menu (Esc).

* Scenarios would not terminate correctly when an important NPC was killed.

* Automatic savegame system tweaked to avoid saving in dangerous situations.

* Crashing in training scenarios after failing a stage is now handled better.

* Career 08: player was able to get in as copilot.

* Career 09: one of the tasks was not marked as completed.

* Government 01: suspect lookout would sometimes be on the ground.

* Training 07: feedback and IGUI indicators tweaked.

* Memory 02: CAS task now is canceled when CSAR takes over.

* Memory 02: OPFOR forces now correctly move to the crash site.

* Memory 02: CSAR takes longer to get to the crash site, allowing more time to provide CAS.

* Memory 02: Crashed crew does not try to complete its mission on foot.

* Memory 03: the player now dies when landing on the water surface.

* Memory scenarios can now be more easily skipped ("Skip" from the interrupt menu - Esc).

* Memory scenarios can now be reverted to a savegame after failing a task.

* MP 03: host is now forced to be the pilot.

Edited March 5, 2012 by DnA
Mirrors taken down - expired

[sickboy 13]

Nice!!

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

I have Steam, and I downloaded and installed this patch, and it gives me this error!

no, this never happened :D

[celery 8]

I'm proud of you, DD. :p

[[evo] dan 79]

I assume we will have to wait till next patch to see the MP performance improvements from arma 1.6?

[boneboys 0]

Sorry, I've just got to say that DirTyDeeDs made me laugh.

I will wait for Steam to do its own thing...

Thanks for the :D

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

alright, downloaded and installed patch, after backing up the aforementioned files, and my game did not crash unexpectedly nor explode my computer.

I tried shortcut parameter -malloc=tbb4malloc_bi, but am unsure exactly what to look for as far as performance improvements because I haven't (gasp) been participating in the latest Arma2 1.60 betas or Release Candidates.

Free Flight in the Light helicopter was okay. Much different flight model than in 1.02.86094, for the better, I suppose. Keyboard and Mouse on Expert is no walk in the park, and needs significant manual trimming to fly comfortably. I was able to perform Ninja-like maneuvers around and between the tall buildings of Seattle without too much trouble, so all is not lost :p.

I figure you went to the trouble of releasing this, I can manage to let you borrow the 25gb of Harddrive space it took to backup the 1.02.86094 version. ;)

more feedback once the game and changes are explored in more depth. :cool:

[jedra 11]

I have so many versions of Arma2, some Steam, some not, some mixed that I had convinced myself that I had the Steam version of ToH! I just remembered I got it from Sprocket! Backing Up/Downloading now.

If I am not picking up crates in 30 minutes with ease, I deem the ground effect to be still too strong ;-)

[DnA 5155]

-Ziggy-;2072843']I have Steam' date=' and I downloaded and installed this patch, and it gives me this error![/quote']

Haha, well played Sir. I almost summoned Captain Picard to deal with you ;)

I assume we will have to wait till next patch to see the MP performance improvements from arma 1.6?

You should not have to as this RC already includes all of those improvements :)

[maddogx 13]

You should not have to as this RC already includes all of those improvements :)

Does it also include the mythical new scripting tech we've all been pining for? :D

[themaster303 22]

Does it also include the mythical new scripting tech we've all been pining for? :D

Updated the OP and roadmap again, with the patch 1.03 RC and initial info on the scripting upgrade (which was pushed to the next patch).

__________________

Bohemia Interactive

Take On Helicopters - Project Lead

Watch us, tweet us, poke us

is this the answer :D

nice patch !

[Fergus 1]

Ground effect is much better with the Beta patch. I can hover IGE, transition to forward flight and climb with transitional lift then return to low speed which causes a decent and return to ground effect hover without moving the collective from it's original position. No bouncing in and out like before.

I'm still not mad about the perceived CofG and some other flight characteristics but I appreciate they are planned for patch 3.

I am going to try the community release with the current beta patch and see how things go.

(I'm using expert setting and light helicopter)

The benchmark feature is also very useful.

[OMAC 254]

http://forums.bistudio.com/showpost.php?p=2073253&postcount=77

I strongly suggest/hope that a real beta program will be implemented in the future as promised. RCs are more of a hassle for users.

Edited December 16, 2011 by OMAC

[OMAC 254]

RiE mentioned that modifications to several Career missions (Bullseye, Arrowhead) were in the works. Are they in this RC?

On Expert with kb/mouse, touching down softly with no autohover is almost impossible, even when moving very slowly in all 3 axes. Are you sure that ground effect wasn't reduced too much? Or is there something else that could be tweaked just a little bit? I'm getting the ol' crunch 'n' rollover 90% of the time. :(

And again, I had mastered this in 1.02.

Note: I'm a little surprised at the dearth of comments and suggestions on this RC. If this was an easy-to-install beta rather than a hassle RC, you'd have more posts, I'll bet.

Edited December 17, 2011 by OMAC

[jedra 11]

I haven't had the chance to test this a lot (Real Life, Work, Arma RC3...), but I have noticed that the ground effect difference. I can still land all of the time, but it is harder. Also missions like BeePee's cowboy missions are now a lot harder as it is not so easy to use the ground effect to hover close to the ground.

I am not a pilot so I feel uncomfortable commenting on the flight model as I know one of the aims is to make it more realistic. However I have noticed that the collective now seems to be a bit more brutal than it was. It is harder to find a 'sweet spot' in between descending/ascending very quickly. I am using the throttle control on a G940, and it seemed less brutal in the vanilla (and previous modded flight models released in the forums by AS, NS and B101 ).

Also, I am still having problems with attaching crates etc, there seems to be quite a strong ground-force still apparent when over buildings or objects. It seems to be no different in the RC than in vanilla though - and I can't work out if it is just my imagination or not!

So far I have only flown the light helicopter, but I will test more over the weekend.

To test multiplayer properly I guess I will have to install the RC on my dedicated server?

EDIT---->

Some (non scientific) tests of PiP.

Flyng over the highrises in Seattle I get around 48fps with PiP off. If I set this to VERY LOW it immediately drops to 28fps, then there is no fps difference between Very Low and Very High (around 28fps regardless). As soon as I turn off PiP I get back to 48 fps.

Flying around Southern Asia I get hardly any performance hit with PiP - but then again, that island is easier on my setup anyway.

So, at the moment I can see no real reason to select anything other than very high or off. I will contimue testing...

Tried to be more scientific and run the benchmark, but PiP obviously does not affect the camera script as I got identical 15/38/60 results all the way through from PiP off to PiP Very High.

More EDITs ---->

Just checking out the medium helicopter and again it seems a bit more feisty generally than it was before. It actually feels lighter than the light helicopter. It seems to require a lot more pedal than it did before - there seems to be much more of a right spin when applying collective than there was, requiring quite a heavy left pedal? Again the collective is more immediate and brutal than previously. I can still land, but I think my passengers may be flying another airline next time!

Edited December 17, 2011 by Jedra

[Fergus 1]

I notice an improvement with ground effect. I can hover IGE transition to forward flight and climb using transitional lift then reduce speed to a hover and decsend back into ground effect all without touching the collective. There is no bouncing in and out like before. This is using the light helicopter.

I too struggle over crates and buildings but thought it was down to poor skill. Lol

The benchmark test is also a good feature.

[OMAC 254]

Just played the Emergency Response challenge, and the medium heli flew well and smooth, had fun! :)

In the last part, when I am rushing to the hospital with timer ticking down, I get comments from the passenger telling me to fly faster ("Ummm, are you trying to fly slowly?"), even though I am cranking at around 250 kph! ?? I think the the trigger for such comments may have a problem. I also saw that happen in 1.02, I'm pretty sure.

I do think that the medium heli feels too light, especially when compared to the light heli.

I also like the FM for the heavy heli better than the one in 1.02: less twitchy.

Edited December 18, 2011 by OMAC

[Philosoma 10]

Can I use my Steam key on a physical copy if I got the disc so I can try this patch?

[jedra 11]

Can I use my Steam key on a physical copy if I got the disc so I can try this patch?

I don't understand what it is you are trying to do? If you have the Steam version you can't use this RC patch unfortunately (not sure why - perhaps the exe has been locked to Steam?).

If you have bought a physical copy as well, you could always delete the Steam copy and install the physical copy instead and then patch that.

I am not sure if you can install a second copy to co-exist with the Steam version as the registry entries are not Steam specific.

[Philosoma 10]

Well the Steam version comes with a key, was wondering if that key works on the DVD version too, then I could un-install the Steam version, borrow a disc and use this patch. Have been waiting for some fixes for quite awhile.

[armored_sheep 56]

Well the Steam version comes with a key, was wondering if that key works on the DVD version too, then I could un-install the Steam version, borrow a disc and use this patch. Have been waiting for some fixes for quite awhile.

Steam key is different, you cannot use it for DVD version.

[Philosoma 10]

Steam key is different, you cannot use it for DVD version.

OK thanks, I shall have to be patient then

[DnA 5155]

Thanks for your testing. It seems this RC has survived through to the final release of patch 1.03 :xmas_o: