SITREPs

[DnA 5133]

In this thread we'll post updates in the form of quick SITREPs about ongoing work during on Arma 3. These will include things like high-profile fixes, content additions, focus areas, announcements, and general development chatter.

Keep an eye on the Dev Hub for all the details.

---------- Post added at 16:09 ---------- Previous post was at 16:06 ----------
 

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Alpha Users
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION
The Arma 3 Alpha was released, and our team is actively monitoring all feedback flooding in. We’re prioritizing and starting work on fixes deployed onto the Steam Development branch.

Full SITREP

 

Edited August 3, 2015 by DnA

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Positive Alpha feedback, focus on stability fixes, Alpha Lite this week.

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Our entire team has received a big morale boost from the positive reception of the Alpha! Many of us have been collecting feedback from all channels and are making sure it ends up with the appropriate developers. We realize there is a long road ahead towards Beta and full release, but we are confident we are on the right track.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Alpha Lite program started and Development branch updating.

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Last week was busy with a more hidden release: Arma 3 Alpha Lite. There should already be plenty of codes available for it via people who purchased the Alpha earlier, via social channels and via many organized giveaways. The team is now working on two major parallel paths of development: Alpha maintenance and internal work on content such as the full game's campaign and the Altis environment. It's quite a different approach to how we are used to working, so we're still ironing out the kinks.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: First big update and Community Focus.

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Yesterday we deployed the first update on the default branch of both the Alpha and the Alpha Lite (same changes). Next to a set of miscellaneous fixes, tweaks and additions, it also included some work-in-progress shadow improvements. The main idea was to make them look more soft, hide artifacts and also optimize the shaders powering them a little. We've also learned new lessons from this first 'patch', which we'll incorporate into our processes for the next one. We do have to keep stressing that we are in Alpha, meaning even pre-Beta. This means some updates will be a step forward in various areas, and potentially a step back in certain others (temporarily we hope). It also causes a lot of maintenance for creators of custom content and server administrators. Please remain patient as updates propagate into everyone's game, their servers and the mods.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Development branch updates, code scams, SA80 mod

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

As maintenance on the Alpha proceeds (see the Development branch changelog), we are also pushing towards an internal project milestone. It deals with having all the content for our Q3 full game release available in the game (not in the public Alpha!) so we can measure project progress. Primarily this means a lot of work for our campaign designers and the Altis environment team. Recently seeing some of the vistas shown in the campaign scenarios blew us away: stunning and varied locations aplenty! The team also enjoyed a modest Alpha release celebration after work last Thursday. This involved teams in two cities drinking beer 'competitively' with the establishment providing real-time rankings. No casualties were reported and we're all back to work refreshed and rested.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Pending Alpha update, Supporter Editions

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

This is a busy week for the team. We are pushing hard for the internal milestone mentioned last week, but we have also begun preparing another Alpha and Alpha Lite update (default branch). The exact release timing by means of the second SPOTREP depends on whether we find major showstoppers or not. Meanwhile there have been some cool fixes in the Development branch, which will make it into this update. There are fixes to the simulation of speed of sound and delays for weapons and explosions, as well as the synchronization of character rotations in multiplayer. There has also been a fix in the combat AI, which means groups (who do share target info) will no longer have all members fire on targets which cannot be seen at all. Do note that certain other AI technologies can confuse you as to who knows about what: sight, hearing, 'guessing' and suppression are all factored in.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: 0.54 update, fog of war, Play withSIX

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Yesterday we did another update of both Alpha versions: full and Lite via SPOTREP #00002. There are many changes to the animations: extending the adjustable stance system to sidearms, new sideways prone movements and a long list of fixes. Updates in the areas of optimization and AI are also included, such as better performance when using the Picture-in-Picture feature within vehicles. Stability was targeted by fixing crashes reported on Feedback Tracker, but also by finding and solving a problem related to the implementation of PhysX. With the aid of NVIDIA, our programmers were able to fix a collision crash that was widely reported, but hard to reproduce. At the same time we have closed our first iteration of the internal project milestone, and are working on the second iteration - keeping the scenario designers quite busy!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Splendid screenshots, localization, Dedicated Servers

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Development is proceeding as planned: perhaps a little more focused on the internal milestone this week. There are a lot of big tasks which you may not immediately see in the game, but they are mandatory and time-consuming. One of these is localization for different regions. The development team has to constantly prepare data so that it can be translated towards the end of the project. Configuration files and scripts usually contain thousands of literal strings, which must be moved to a localization database. Translation agencies can then do their thing and deliver the resulting texts. Those still need to be re-tested and tweaked within the game for context and length. Among others, designer Jiří Zlatohlávek has been working hard on cleaning the database and finding unlocalized texts, while Vladimír Hynek has started to prepare the font for languages such as Russian and Japanese with their character sets.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: MP security, Dedicated Server files, audio and lighting tweaks

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

For most of our Alpha testers, last week has mostly been about the multiplayer service being interrupted by servers manipulated with scripting exploits. The situation was worse than single servers being hacked, since it easily spread to clients, who would then also bring it to the next server they connected to. In the Operations section I've detailed some of the steps we've taken so far, and those we'll take from now on to improve the situation. A lot can be said about the root of the problem we're facing here - perhaps a good topic for a blog at some point. It boils down to the concepts of freedom and security and how badly they often mix.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Hotfix release, audio changes, community

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Late last week we published an unscheduled hotfix (SPOTREP #00003) to default branch of both Alpha and Alpha Lite. Although the changes did not affect Lite, we want to keep them the same on the data-side. In no way do we feel this fully 'solved' the multiplayer security issues. The efforts described last week will surely continue.

The second big thing which dominated past week was the audio overhaul. Our audio team and audio programmer František Novák in support, made large changes to the sounds of most assets (and the tweaking will be in progress for the coming weeks). Ondřej Matějka took some time to explain the changes related to volume, sample normalization, distance versus loudness and the WSS file format. The current state on Development branch is known to have a number of errors, missing sounds and unfinished volume settings. In the end this will benefit the way the game sounds, which is of similar importance as how it looks.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Beta preparations, combat radio protocol, respawn system

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

This week our grand Beta mobilization has begun in earnest. As such, this SITREP will be quite light on Intel - too busy rallying the troops. We are putting a lot of effort into getting the selected content working well. Understandably you would like to know already what this content will be, but we'll not specify for a few more weeks. This is not (entirely) to torment you, but we want to make sure we can deliver. Be patient a little longer and you'll be rewarded with a cool upgrade to the Arma 3 sandbox with more variety and firepower. Hints of specifics may start dropping in the coming weeks, but look towards a certain large annual game expo for all the details!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: incoming Alpha update, Sniper Package

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

The majority of the team is now prepping the Arma 3 Beta content in weekly iterations. Of course we do also have an Alpha to support, and things are looking good for a new large Alpha update tomorrow (*insert the usual catastrophe disclaimer here*). Seeing how last SPOTREP was mostly a hotfix, this one will have a long list of Development branch changes - including recent tweaks to lighting and audio. It's also possible it contains things that had not yet made it to Development branch. This is a full snapshot of the game, unlike Development branch, which only contains manual requests from any developer on the team.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: E3 2013, BattlEye, particles

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Another week has passed and our E3 2013 build (very similar to the Beta) has seen huge progress. Today we are plugging in the voice-acting recorded last week for the new scenarios. This always gives them that extra boost towards completion. Stay tuned for designer Thomas Ryan getting twitchy with Beta content ahead of the expo. Also keep checking the social channels (Facebook, Twitter). Korneel van 't Land has a tendency to post E3 materials there before they are fully released - like this screenshot!

Full SITREP

Edited May 28, 2013 by DnA

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: Livestreams, Beta reveals, final Alpha patch

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Our last week before E3 2013 and the build is pretty much ready to go. Then there are a few mad weeks of tweaks, fixes and polish before the Beta release. We're feeling good about the package. There will be no Altis just yet, but you're getting a load of new firepower and logistical assets: 4 helicopters, 2 wheeled armored units, trucks, a whole bunch of new weapons and the first part of the Green faction. Next to that 4 showcases and more playable content to be shown at E3.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Alpha Users

INFO: E3 2013, video options, stream-safety

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

The E3 team is back from Los Angeles: tired but proud. We had a good show, nice booth and many great visitors! And let's not forget the lads on the home front doing the second pre-E3 livestream while we were airborne. They showed the Combined Arms Beta Showcase twice, failing miserably both times! To top it off they included a very nice presentation of the full game's Altis terrain. Community Intelligence Officers set to purpose to piece together all shown frames of the strategic map, arriving at a rather 'unique' version of the map.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Beta release, content additions, BattlEye and Workshop

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Last Tuesday we transitioned from Arma 3 Alpha to Beta, and it went quite smoothly. This was yet another simulation of the release in Q3, letting us improve the processes. As with the Alpha release a few months back, this second major public milestone helps lift our spirits for the final sprint. We enjoy reading your positive comments and take your feedback and criticism to heart. We followed up with several days of significant changes and fixes on Development branch and will continue to do so. While we do not yet want to reveal the specific Beta additions we are planning, we think you'll be very happy to receive them. Two content packages are being readied with priority and they are both larger than the Sniper Package for Alpha.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Beta patching, MP invites, Fatigue effects

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Later this week we are wanting to release the first Beta patch on the main branch. There is a long list of cool updates that many of you have already seen on Development branch (a few are highlighted in the full report). This first patch will not yet contain the bigger additions you are no doubt waiting for. As we stated before, we will stage and test those on dev branch first. This patch release is the starting signal for that deployment. We will begin with BattlEye, Workshop integration and content package #1. This package is to feature two brutal new heavy vehicles - one for BLUFOR and one for OPFOR. They both embody the firepower and logistics themes we're exploring in the Beta perfectly. Before the assets appear on the branch, we'd like to share a teaser shot of these beasts via our usual channels - stay tuned!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: BattlEye, APC Package

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

SPOTREP #00007 and therefore the first Arma 3 Beta patch, was released last Thursday. It had a long list of additions, fixes and changes. However, we were mostly keen to get this patch released so that we can now focus on bringing content additions. Development branch has finally received the first deployment of BattlEye anti-cheat integration. Its creator Bastian Suter is working with us closely to gather server administrator feedback and to keep improving it. One of the goals for the Arma 3 version is a more seamless integration. You do not have to install anything separate. When first connecting to any BattlEye-enabled server, you can accept its End-User License Agreement once and you're good to go. Hopefully this is a big step towards a more stable multiplayer environment.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Upcoming patch, AI tweaks, Firing Drill improvements

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

As the working days slowly start to melt together, we are preparing the release of the second Arma 3 Beta patch. This update will bring the BattlEye anti-cheat implementation and tracked APCs to the main game branch. Speaking of these armored vehicles: in the full version of the game, both will have Anti-Air variants as well. Sneaking up on us after that is the next content addition, which you probably have spotted a glimpse of in the

. Another huge focus is the full game and its release. All personnel is being mobilized, we are working with our external partners, and finalizing the release schedule. Within weeks you should know the specifics of the Arma 3 Q3 release, as well as some of our plans beyond that.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Patch released, Dev branch highlights, Early release prep

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

After last week's release of the second large Beta patch, we are now storming towards what is likely our last patch opportunity ahead of release. The goal for that patch is still to include the second content package (sporting various aerial and ground-based drones), as well as Workshop support. The latter is ready to release from a technical point of view, but we are getting the publication side set up with our partners at Valve. Read more about how the final stages of development and patching will work further on in this report. Oh, and later in the week we should have the first episode of a new season of Community Guide videos ready for you; a spectacular look at rotary wing flight!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Release plans, Workshop, Fixed-wing aircraft

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Wow! Lots of things to go through this week, so let's get to it. We dropped some intense bits of news on everyone, including our campaign release plan and the primary release of the game on September 12th. It was hard to say all we wanted to say in one (rather lengthy) blog. We hope it answered some of your questions, and helped explain the situation we are coming from. We like the contents of the release package and look forward to unleashing it in exactly one month.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Gamescom, Altis staging

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Right after releasing last week's final Beta patch, the team dove into preparing a solid build for Gamescom 2013. By burning some weekend midnight oil, yesterday we had a build we were happy with - and it flew to Germany last night. Today the Bohemia crew is setting up the business and public booths: installing the games, configuring the settings, and running through their presentations. Representing Arma 3 are designers Jiří Zlatohlávek and Karel Mořický. They'll be showing off the cool release package starting tomorrow, so expect plenty of coverage. Both Arma 3 and DayZ standalone are hands-on playable at the public booth. Visit us in Hall 9.1 (booth 32) if you're there!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Altis deployed, Sandbox staging

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Yesterday we finally pushed the Altian homeland to development branch. It was great to see a lot of players jump into multiplayer and take a road trip together to explore the vast terrain. The rather sizable update came in over two gigabytes of data, because it did not only contain the Altis terrain data, but supporting objects as well. Included were its vegetation, rocks, roads and many static objects, such as the unique landmarks and other structures.

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Sandbox staging, Review version, Radio Protocol

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Release prep continues and we're carefully juggling what changes we will still update the September 12 release version with. Today we're also sending the press review build to the global games media. We're excited to learn what they think about the game and Arma 3 as a long-term platform. The current version on development branch is not representative of this review version entirely - that branch contains experimental changes and of course still lacks content. That is about to change however; tomorrow's devbranch update will add all sandbox release content - a week before the rest of the world gets to enjoy it all!

Full SITREP

[DnA 5133]

FROM: Project Lead

TO: Beta Users

INFO: Release week!

PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Welcome to Arma 3 release week! In two days we are transitioning from Beta to full release. For some of you Alpha and Beta veterans this is almost like any patch that has come before, albeit a huge one. For others this is going to be the starting point of their Arma 3 experience. For all of us, this is the first step on a hopefully long journey - as the platform grows and matures. This Thursday, 09:00 GMT+1 (Prague), is our target time for the switch from Beta to full version on Steam. Things are prepared and staged, so it should be feasible. We'll keep you posted via our (social) channels - including unveiling the splendid launch trailer!

Full SITREP