Underwater element. What is the point?

[Pummel 10]

Just wondering what made you decide to add this underwater stuff? It's very cool, but I just wonder what the point of it is, and is it really worth the extra development time?

The latest video talks about underwater shipwrecks and stuff, but what would they be used for? Will there actually be any combat under water? Harpoon guns or something? Personally I can only imagine underwater combat in an RPG or MMORPG where exploring is fun, and you might find a giant squid and sea monster and kill it and get its treasure chest or magical rings while avoiding pirate marauders on the surface or whatever. I've done similar in other games, but I just can't imagine how it would fit in to a FPS. Please enlighten me!

[antoineflemming 14]

Underwater combat. Sorry, I don't consider harpooning a giant squid to be combat. You can do underwater missions, like placing a satchel on a boat or something. And, if there are underwater weapons (not just harpoons, actually weapons that shoot underwater), then there'd be underwater combat. I bet that the Iran faction has divers as well, not just NATO.

[cozza 24]

I might wanna sneak onto Stratis underwater and storm a beach

[Maio 293]

It's a game design aspect. The developers challenged themselves from both the technical and visual point of view. It adds a new layer to the sanbox, a.k.a more stuff to do.

The developers are also experimenting (or finishing) the underwater combat.

Quote Vespa, a BIS dev:

Diving, most obviously. We presented some of that at last year’s Gamescom. Meanwhile, we've also added an 'armed diving' variant, where you can shoot from an appropriate weapon. That being said, the whole underwater combat thing is completely new and undergoes its 'trial by fire' right now. As for movement on land, in addition to the existing movement modes (walk, run, sprint), there'll be additional one - what we're calling the 'tactical pace' - which is essentially a jog with weapon raised.

[purepassion 22]

Next to the underwater combat, this offers a completely new dimension that has been missing almost completely until now. Since Arma's maps are full scale islands, adding propper approach via the ocean is a very logical conclusion. This is a very important element of special forces operations and thus should not be missed in Arma 3.

Other than that it is yet another innovation and to be honest, I think I will find diving with SDV's, sabotaging ships and subs extremely cool :cool:

:)

[Pummel 10]

Yeah that does sound pretty good. I just hope they saved enough time to tidy some of the things from Arma2 like rubber banding in multiplayer and whatnot.

[mr. bravo 17]

+1 on Purepassion's post!

Keep in mind that it's not the same people working with everything in the game. While level-designers work on levels, coders work on the code and engine itself. So I doubt it's slowing things down much, also considering the massive and detailed landmasses they have managed to make already. A big part of the underwater-environments are also probably mostly generated, which saves a lot of time.

Personally I'm very excited about everything about the water, diving and boats in ArmA 3. Like PurePassion said, it will really add a completely new dimension to the game. Water in previous ArmA-titles has kind of been like water in Super Mario. No one wants to step in it :P And therefore water has also been more or less non-existent on original islands, which is really boring whenever you think of it.

[Smurf 12]

Cuz COD did it.

Herp derp.

[NoRailgunner 0]

Many people did request proper diving/swimming features since OFP/CWA to be implemented as part of the game. Seems that in default A3 you can't be anymore sure that you are safe on ships/boats or on the beach.

[AlexVestin 24]

Cuz COD did it.

Herp derp.

CoD just made an underwater rail-shooter/cutscene :D

Oh, and Pummel: Atmosphere, More freeworld gameplay possibilities, Realism, Engine development! You name it. Lots of great stuff :)

Edited April 20, 2012 by AlexVestin

[antoineflemming 14]

CoD just made an underwater rail-shooter/cutscene :D

Oh, and Pummel: Atmosphere, More freeworld gameplay possibilities, Realism, Engine development! You name it. Lots of great stuff :)

Basically, even more of a sandbox.

[Undeceived 392]

I hope that Limnos also has something like rivers, so we could enter them from the ocean and thus even approach inland targets without being seen... :)

[Derbysieger 11]

Yeah that does sound pretty good. I just hope they saved enough time to tidy some of the things from Arma2 like rubber banding in multiplayer and whatnot.

Did you try Arma 2 MP in the last months? It's some time since I last played Arma 2 MP but I don't remember any rubberbanding when I played PR: Arma 2 around christmas ...

I hope that Limnos also has something like rivers, so we could enter them from the ocean and thus even approach inland targets without being seen... :)

I doubt it.

[Smurf 12]

No rivers. But IA will manage to cross a bridge in custom maps? Or BIS gave up on that subject? :P

[Choki 10]

Basically, even more of a sandbox.

basically in one 2 words "more Sandbox"

No rivers. But IA will manage to cross a bridge in custom maps? Or BIS gave up on that subject? :P

IS a problem from the map editor? Or the engine? streams would be beautiful

[wipman 1]

Hi, IMO is a bit pointless or at least bad if you can't fire from the cargo possitions, same than for the land vehicles; the water/underwater thing is ovbious as is how it's IRL, you can't swim and you can dive, you can also drown, sunk and float. But i'll allow to fire from the cargo possition to defend the zodiak that you're in before use it as a far release/entry point to the NME territory. I think that the underwater thing is good, but they should (IMO) allow to fire from the cargo possition first, which is much more important. Let's C ya

[Choki 10]

I hope It something like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kodNKq0pWx4

[antoineflemming 14]

What do we mean by rivers? A strip of non-moving water (not really a river), or water that is actually running (a real river)?

Because there is this:

Click the image for a large view

So couldn't a map maker make something similar, but just make the "cut" longer and thinner? A river good enough for approaching targets??

[PuFu 4591]

a river, by definition means it is flowing, and that the water line has different hights. Which is NOT possible in A2, and it seems in A3 as well. Designing a map like you suggested is possible, as long as you keep the overall topology low, otherwise that cut in the island you call river would have only steep ridges on its sides.

[antoineflemming 14]

a river, by definition means it is flowing, and that the water line has different hights. Which is NOT possible in A2, and it seems in A3 as well. Designing a map like you suggested is possible, as long as you keep the overall topology low, otherwise that cut in the island you call river would have only steep ridges on its sides.

Yeah, it was more a question of what people are hoping for. Because you don't need a "river" to have sea infiltration. You just need such a "cut" in the island.

[b00ce 160]

That looks like an outlet for a small stream. If you follow it inward, you can see a clear path of vegetation.

[Defunkt 431]

I just hope they saved enough time to tidy some of the things from Arma2 like rubber banding in multiplayer and whatnot.

Warping in multiplayer is already fixed in the current A2 release.

[Undeceived 392]

By saying river I didn't necessarily mean running water which comes from a higher point. :) Thus I said "something like a river".

Because there is this:

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8458/limnosriverthumb.jpg

Yeah, something like this would be enough for an underwater infiltration of the inland. The "cut" could be a bit longer though. ;)

But IA will manage to cross a bridge in custom maps? Or BIS gave up on that subject? :P

A bit offtopic but: In

of Iron Front (beta) the AI crosses bridges without problems. They even do it in two lanes. So I say that the engine itself of course is capable of it. It's up to the island editor I would say - or the addon editor, in this case, as the bridge in the video is a mobile one.

[james2464 176]

I don't think we realize how freakin fun it will be to use a squad submersible to drive up through a bay or where ever.

I think the next major technically challenge for BIS is water, how do you make a stream or river of water cascading down a mountain side, swamped by vegetation and rocks etc.

[Clarkey1 10]

Why do we need rivers to infil from when there is a gigantic bay?!:D That said I'm sure we'll see some awesome user made maps in the future with rivers for underwater insertions. It would be cool if the new engine was capable of actual flowing water though.:)