ScopeFX - Dynamic scopes - including TrackIR support

[das attorney 858]

Overview:

ScopeFX is a clientside mod to provide extra dynamic effects when using scopes.

There is a new UI display for zeroing scopes and changing firemodes.

Also included is a hotkey command to perform a quick magazine check.

TrackIR users also have visual dynamic feedback on where their head is pointed while they are zoomed into a scope.

It is intended as a successor to the basic TrackIR Scope mod I released, which was a test-bed for this.

Please see low quality video for further information:



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Dependancies:

CBA

Arma 2 Combined Operations (must be at least 1.62).

Userconfig:

The userconfig file included with the download can be edited.

Modded weapons are sorted into arrays based on the shape/size of scope.

You can move weapons into different arrays or remove them if you wish.

You can add modded weapons to the arrays as well.

Currently, there is in-built support for ACE, UKF, Lennard L119, R3F, FHQ Remington, Robert Hammer, CWR2, BIS ACR and FFAA weapon packs. Mod is also compatible with TGW Zeroing.

The userconfig is currently set up for vanilla.

If you are using ACE, you will need to move some of the weapons in the userconfig to another scope size for better compatibility.

The guns that need to be (re)moved are commented.

The hotkey for checking magazines can also be assigned in the userconfig (set to P by default). Here is the value you will need to change:

class horde_tir_sys_core
{
class horde_tir_check_magazine      // This changes the key used to check magazine
{
	key = 25;  // << P
	shift = 0;
	ctrl = 0;
	alt = 0;
};

class horde_tir_reset_cqb_sights    // Debug command (only need to use in the rare event of
                                       // teamswitching into someone who is in a different opticsMode)
{
	key = 25;  // << P
	shift = 1; // press Shift
	ctrl = 1; // press Ctrl
	alt = 0;
};
};

Multiplayer:

Tested in dedicated and hosted environment. Please report any issues if they arise.

Keys included in download. No need to install on dedicated server, only need to add key.

Issues:

Please report any issues here.

If you have any issues with your screen size, please let me know what resolution size/monitor size/interface size you have and I'll check into it for you.

Known issues:

You need to have Interface Size set to "Normal". The UI might move if not. Should be okay with custom aspect ratios though.

If you press the opticsMode button when the weapon you have does not have a secondary sight, you will switch off the overlay.

Just press the opticsMode button again to bring the overlay back.

One of the ACE G36's (can't remember the one) has issues if you open the grenade sight. Just fold the sight away if any problems occur.

Request:

I'd like to add in glare/glints from scopes/binos if the sun is in the right position but I'm having some issues with the maths.

If you can advise, please go here: Linky

Thanks:

CBA/ACE team for their help.

Lord Jarhead for sounds.

Changelog

v1.13 Changelog 14/02/2013:

[NEW] - ACR DLC now supported. (ACE users need to delete "CZ805_A1_ACR" and "CZ805_A1_GL_ACR" from userconfig).

[REMOVED] - horde_tir_mousespeed_max_threshold variable removed - will be replaced after code rework.

[CHANGED] - Default value for horde_tir_opticslag_rate changed to 0.125 for smoother parallax effect.

[FIXED] - Optics blocking out ACE MOA/MILDOT readouts.

[FIXED] - Some of the UI text would not scale correctly.

[NEW] - Weapon mode selector now works with ACE.

[FIXED] - Overlays not centering when breath held.

[NEW] - Added new scope size for M16s and SA58.

[FIXED] - Optics blocking out ACE wind indicator.

[NEW] - CWR2 Rearmed mod now supported.

[CHANGED] - Userconfig updated.

v1.12 Changelog 03/02/2013:

[FIXED] - Firemode UI, Magazine UI and Zeroing UI now positioned with SafeZones to fit all screen resolutions.

[CHANGED] - Zeroing scripts updated so will work with non-standard zeroing.

[FIXED] - Variable corrupted in setScope script (led to zero divisor error).

[CHANGED] - Recoil for single shots made snappier.

[CHANGED] - More changes to code for efficiency.

[CHANGED] - Userconfig updated.

v1.11 Changelog 30/1/2013:

[FIXED] - Script error introduced in last version.

v1.1 Changelog 30/1/2013:

[CHANGED] - Made some adjustments to internal scripts - should be slightly more efficient for user.

[FIXED] - On larger resolutions, ammo counter will show up at edge of screen.

[CHANGED] - Zeroing UI now displays for 3 seconds before disappearing.

[FIXED] - Fire mode selector shows up when gunner in vehicles.

[CHANGED] - Scope resources now preloaded.

Traducción Española:



Thanks to Denzer05 and the CAA news team.

Download:









Enjoy and please leave feedback here. Thanks

Edited February 15, 2013 by Das Attorney

[LordJarhead 1725]

Hey,

dude, I love you! Very nice indeed. I really like that one. Its a nice little detail again giving the immersion an edge! Also the other features are quit nicely, and useful!

Btw, what about those click sounds, you use "dry" sounds now? Or was that the sound I provided? If you need anything else, just let me know.

Thanks for this NICE piece man!

LJ

Edited January 25, 2013 by LordJarhead

[das attorney 858]

Thanks man, kind words, much appreciated :)

I ended up using the default dry sound for the weapon mode, as the click you gave me was perfect for the zeroing sounds :)

Got in a bit of a muddle with the sound for a while but it was all cool in the end (I think).

EDIT: Loving the new JSRS (as you can see in the video)

Edited January 25, 2013 by Das Attorney

[EvenLease 11]

So this works without Track IR right? Looks great!

[das attorney 858]

Yep, no need for TrackIR :)

[Sakai 1]

This is amazing! Definitely going to use it!

[law-giver 190]

Das, i was at work last night and thought i'd logon to BI Forums with my Nexus 7 and thought lets have at look at this then, if LJ's commented it must be interesting. Instead of working i sat and watched your video and was blown away by it. What a cracking addon mate, it's a must must must have. I'm home now and instead of going to bed i'm gonna have to have a play. If i don't go into work tonight i'm blaming you, i'll just say "It's Das Attorney's fault!". ;)

[domokun 515]

Top quality mate!

Great mod you've developed there.

I love your attention to detail, e.g. post-proc.

You made me laugh with your idea of scope reflecting - I know it's something you often see in films and read out about but how common is it really? Urban myth?

Your video is equally impressive, very instructive. If more mods went this "extra mile", I'm sure they'd be more popular.

I can't wait to try it out.

Has anyone tried it yet with the I44 mod?

Edited January 26, 2013 by domokun

[Guest]

Thanks for informing us about the release :cool:

Release frontpaged on the Armaholic homepage.

ScopeFX - Dynamic scopes - including TrackIR support v1.0



Community Base Addons

Arma 2

[lao fei mao 21]

@Das Attorney,

Thanks for sharing. Cool stuff.

And I suggest the zeroing UI stay displaying for a little bit longer, currently it hides too fast. You know sometimes there is a hesitation while zeroing

[dar 12]

Awesome mod!

But unfortunatly the black box layer you made to lay it over the scope screen doesnt fill my 1920x1080 monitor completely, so that there are about 3cm on each side left. Because of that I also only see half of the name of the weapon I'm just using and no ammo counter or firemode etc. This is kind of annoying. Maybe you could take a look at that issue?

Btw, kinda offtopic but are you using any fov mod? No matter which stance or if I zoom out (numpad minus), I will never be able to see even the scope screw of the G36 without using freelook. So is this a mod?Is this an advantage of track IR?

[kllrt 154]

It looks so amazing, I think this should be feature in ACE directly! Downloading now!

But I think, when you have ACE on, there should be only one method for checking mags, your seems faster, because you don't have there any animation which take out mag and put it in again. And your mag check dialog(it's right word?) disappear really fast, maybe you could add 1-1,5 secs.

@Dar I think it's because you can zoom out more with Track IR.

//EDIT: You can't see message in left top corner when you are switching range on sniper rifles (meters or MOA), only when you press Shift-V for range table. This happens with some rocket (SMAW and MAAWS) launchers too, but with them you can't Shift-V, you have to go from optics. And last one, I can't see that picture when you switch fire mode.

//EDIT2: I think that your scopes have "smaller diameter" than ACE scopes (You can see it on RPO-M, M107 or KSVK)

Edited January 26, 2013 by kllrt
found some bugs. (or it's by design?)

[Tonci87 163]

This reminsd me of the ACE Reticles but they sometimes had problems

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?129084-ACE-for-OA-1-13&p=2284943&viewfull=1#post2284943

especially in missions with lots of scripts running, may the same happen with this mod?

[Dwarden 1125]

very neat mod

[panimala 25]

You did a great job with this. I really like what you made out of the TrackIR scope thing you made a while ago. It's fluid and I love the addition of a userconfig file! :) I upped the recoil force and the head tracking sway a bit to suit my needs.

There is just one bug that I found when using it. I'm om a 1920 x 1080 monitor and when I sway my mouse I see the edges of the black background piece not being able to keep up with my movements. I simply changed HORDE_TIR_mousespeed_max_threshold = 3; from 4 and it didn't cause the problem anymore.

I'm also curious about how hard it would be for you to edit the background of the scope? Seeing ArmA is a military simulator, and soldiers are trained to use both eyes while using scopes you could explore ways to implement some situational awareness. This has always been a gripe of mine with how ArmA does RCO's and other scopes.

One simple option would be to let people be able to change the opacity of the black background to at least 80% visibility.

Another would be to get rid of the black background completely, and instead add post processing effects like blur or motion blur to cover the surrounding part of the scope. This would still simulate focusing on what's going on inside the scope while keeping some situational awareness, say if a large vehicle or squad is right outside of your field of view. With this solution you could add simple blurry parts to distinguish various scopes from one another, say a knob on the top and right side for scopes on sniper rifles.

I made a really simple concept image to show what I'm talking about.

I'm probably getting ahead of myself, so I'll just say thanks for the mod and keep up the good work!

[Variable 322]

This is great, thank you Das attorney!

[domokun 515]

Awesome work!

BTW why do only some scopes benefit from this mod?

[das attorney 858]

I think I've covered all of the scopes in vanilla and also a lot of popular mods.

Which ones aren't working for you?

Also thanks to everyone for comments - will be collating them later today and will come back to you all with some more answers and poss fixes/plans for future. :)

[Denzer05 1]

Published in spanish on the CAA forum.

[doveman 7]

I'm also curious about how hard it would be for you to edit the background of the scope? Seeing ArmA is a military simulator, and soldiers are trained to use both eyes while using scopes you could explore ways to implement some situational awareness. This has always been a gripe of mine with how ArmA does RCO's and other scopes.

I think I read on another thread that soldiers are trained to close the other eye when using scopes, although obviously they can quickly open it to get some situational awareness and then close it again to take the shot. So perhaps what would be best is if the scope was on the right of the screen, with the black background on the left to simulate closing the left eye but a way to toggle this background off and on (either turning it off whilst holding the key or press once for off, press again for on). I'm afraid I'm not as clever as you and able to make a mock-up but hopefully you get what I mean. Alternatively, you could have the scope stay center screen (perhaps a bit larger) with the black background and only when pressing the "open left eye" key would it then move the scope view to the right of the screen and show the normal left-eye view on the left

Perhaps another option would be to simulate holding the rifle in place but taking the eye away from the scope and scanning in front with both eyes. Perhaps this could be done by holding the freelook key (Alt for me) and moving the mouse to turn the head. It might be that real soldiers never do this though, so forget it if that's the case.

Anyway even if none of that is practical, thanks Das Attorney for this cool mod :D

[RSF TheCapulet 59]

Either way, we can't have a zoomed scope view in addition to an unzoomed situational awareness view without render to texture, correct? I'm sure everyone 'wants' to do it, but we'll have to wait a bit longer.

I wasn't military trained (indoctrinated), but I shoot regularly, and I personally leave my left eye slightly open while focusing with my dominant right while shooting. It took practice, but I prefer it that way now for sure. But even considering that, situational awareness is still next to zero when it comes to sight. You'll see light and some movement (maybe a max of 30 degrees), but without focus, that's the extent of what you'll be situationally aware of.

[law-giver 190]

@Das

The only gripe i have with this at present is when in a helicopter and cycling the fire rate your weapon fire rate switch animation comes on. Hope you can fix it, if not it's no biggie, but thought i'd point it out. ;)

[das attorney 858]

Oh wow lots of replies, thanks one and all for posting on here, this is good for me as I can see at the very least there is interest in the mod. I'll try and address all the issues, but if I miss something out, it's not personal :)

Re fixes (first on the list of to-do):

Yes I will definitely do something about the objective lens resource not covering up the edges on the screen on large monitors. I have a 1680 x 1050 res monitor so I couldn't check bigger prior to release. For now, if you have this problem, please try this:

There is just one bug that I found when using it. I'm om a 1920 x 1080 monitor and when I sway my mouse I see the edges of the black background piece not being able to keep up with my movements. I simply changed HORDE_TIR_mousespeed_max_threshold = 3; from 4 and it didn't cause the problem anymore.

Thanks to Panimala for that :)

The issue with the firemode displaying in vehicles I can fix, just need to add a check in the script for (vehicle player) == player. I can't fix it so it displays if you've got ACE running easily. To do that, I'd need to depbo the ACE content, as they have changed how firemodes work from vanilla. I'll ask them if it's okay to look into their code, but will need that confirmation before doing anything.

@Tonci, I think the issues you're referring to are to do with FOV (ACE reticles don't like custom FOV). But yes, you are correct that if there is a heavy script load running and FPS slows to say 20 FPS over an extended period of time, the functionality of the script begins to break down as Arma script scheduler slows the execution. Due to the nature of the mod, I have to run the scripts multiple times a second for everything to look smooth. I guess the golden rule is to try and adjust settings to keep FPS high at all times. Maybe if the end user can't keep a good framerate, then this mod won't be good for them. If this sort of thing could be hard coded, then it wouldn't have these problems that scripted solution has to endure.

@Lao Fei Mao - Thank you, yes I will leave the zeroing on screen for a little longer in the next version. Thinking 3 - 4 seconds?

Re: future development.

There's some good discussion here about how scopes could look. I did some work on the DMR prior to releasing the mod as a test. I didn't pursue it because of the workload in upgrading all of the Arma 2 scoped weapons to look like this and also because of possible compatibility problems with ACE and other mods.

Have a look though and tell me what you think.

DsQgXH4_Eks

EDIT: Extra wide FOV is just me sitting back in my chair when I've got TrackIR running (somebody asked I think).

[law-giver 190]

The issue with the firemode displaying in vehicles I can fix, just need to add a check in the script for (vehicle player) == player. I can't fix it so it displays if you've got ACE running easily. To do that, I'd need to depbo the ACE content, as they have changed how firemodes work from vanilla. I'll ask them if it's okay to look into their code, but will need that confirmation before doing anything.

I wasn't using ACE at the time mate, I don't use it that much to be honest. Thanks for fixing it though......er when you do that is. ;)

I did some work on the DMR prior to releasing the mod as a test. I didn't pursue it because of the workload in upgrading all of the Arma 2 scoped weapons to look like this and also because of possible compatibility problems with ACE and other mods.

Have a look though and tell me what you think.

That's so cool Das.............i wants it! ;)

Edited January 29, 2013 by Law-Giver

[purepassion 22]

Absolutely stunning! The work you have put into that is more than paying off! Thanks for the existing WIP code:) If it's in a reasonable scale for you, I can only encourage you to add support for as many (popular) weapons as possible.

The combination of the movement sway and the recoil is already a immense immersion factor. Couple that with the "3D" scopes and you'll get one hell of a fun scopeview as seen with your lovely DMR.

If possible, go for it!