Arma 2 attachments project

[slatts 1978]

Currently I'm trying to port the as many Arma 2/OA optics as I can.

List of items.

Optics: West/Blue

CompM2

CompM4

Acog

Acog/rds

Acog with NV optic

Eotech

Thermal optic

East/opfor for ported AK-74 (plus WIP RIS version) (trying to get permission for some)

Kobra

NSPU

Goshawk

PSO-1

As well as,

PEQ-2 and 15 IR lasers

Sure fire M900 flashlights

I don't think I need to post pictures of what they are ;) But when I do get most of them working as well as the M4/16 and AK-74 ported I'll post a few pictures of the possibilities :)

For now here's a look at the RIS AK (will recolour the wood to plum/black)

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm180/guitaro-man/arma2oa2013-03-0420-27-48-51_zpsa60f8d4c.png

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm180/guitaro-man/arma2oa2013-03-0420-28-36-45_zpsbce01ace.png

[R0adki11 3949]

Sounds a great concept :)

[Scorch052 1]

do want!

[granQ 293]

Slatt, you do know you need to overwrite the Bis weapon in order to make your stuff working with a3 guns right?

just so you consider how you will handle that.

[slatts 1978]

Are you talking about Bis Arma 3 weapons?

[granQ 293]

i mean scopes are like "magazines", you need to define in the weapons config which scopes/magazines it can use or define new weapons. (! I am not 100% sure of this, but 86% sure).

So if you do this you need to consider if you want to mod the bis in config or do new ones.. but hey, dont trust me. Try it first because I havent and could be wrong :)

[slatts 1978]

i mean scopes are like "magazines", you need to define in the weapons config which scopes/magazines it can use or define new weapons. (! I am not 100% sure of this, but 86% sure).

So if you do this you need to consider if you want to mod the bis in config or do new ones.. but hey, dont trust me. Try it first because I havent and could be wrong :)

Ah I see what you mean now, slight dint in my plans so :p I'll bring over the M4/16s (and AK-74 if I get the models from BIS) along with these optics.

[AlexVestin 24]

Can't the newly added attachments just be named right to also work?

I mean if you make a new EOTech sight, can't it somehow go under the same name/category as the ArmA3 reddot without replacing something?

If not, this whole new attachment system implemented is not going to get as good as it should be able to.

If a modder can't just release a sight that all weapons can use, it's a little dissapointing.

I can just imagine the community working together and gathering models of all the different sights to make a really great addon.

We just need a list of all the worlds known attachments then start crossing them of one by one as it goes along.

Edited March 6, 2013 by AlexVestin

[jsmuk 13]

Can't the newly added attachments just be named right to also work?

I mean if you make a new EOTech sight, can't it somehow go under the same name/category as the ArmA3 reddot without replacing something?

If not, this whole new attachment system implemented is not going to get as good as it should be able to.

If a modder can't just release a sight that all weapons can use, it's a little dissapointing.

I can just imagine the community working together and gathering models of all the different sights to make a really great addon.

We just need a list of all the worlds known attachments then start crossing them of one by one as it goes along.

At the moment it seems like the gun config specifies an exact class name it can have mounted on it. I haven't actually poked around with it yet (just about to) but I would be surprised if it really is implemented like this. Would be a massive shame, I was hoping for the ability to just add any optic of a supported type onto a gun.

[da12thMonkey 1943]

i mean scopes are like "magazines", you need to define in the weapons config which scopes/magazines it can use or define new weapons. (! I am not 100% sure of this, but 86% sure).

So if you do this you need to consider if you want to mod the bis in config or do new ones.. but hey, dont trust me. Try it first because I havent and could be wrong :)

Because of this I've been wondering whether a kind of "centralised/shared/community attachment pack" would ever work; where rather than listing every attachment specific classname that you want for a given weapon model, you could simply add a set of 'macros' to the relevant section in cfgweapons.

The macros, would relate to a list of classes in the cpp/hpp files of separate .pbo where all the sights/lasers/lights etc are configed, in categories with common characteristics (e.g 7.62mm suppressors, optics with reticles that match 5.56mm ballistics, Picatinny rail compatible optics, Russian 'side bracket' compatible optics etc. etc.) and which could regularly be updated with new attachment etc. without the config in the weapon model .pbo having to be manually updated to include new attachment classes.

I reckon something like that would allow weapons to be quite readily customisable with content from a broad range of addon makers, without making weapon packs dependable on lots of other separate weapon packs, or having to include tons of .p3ds for attachment proxies.

[slatts 1978]

For now I'll make them all for a M4 and see how that goes and how flexible we can be :)

[cifordayzserver 119]

Just from a real world perspective what is the point of defining scope types???

There should AT LEAST be a "rail compatible" class for scopes/guns so that those are universal...

Then modders could just focus on those... Most modern weapons have at least one standard rail mount anyway right?

Seems silly to class them like mags, they don't have the same compatibility issues magazines and ammo do...

This should get sorted sooner rather than later IMO alpha is the time.

[Bee8190 10]

At the moment it seems like the gun config specifies an exact class name it can have mounted on it. I haven't actually poked around with it yet (just about to) but I would be surprised if it really is implemented like this. Would be a massive shame, I was hoping for the ability to just add any optic of a supported type onto a gun.

And that's how I imagined it would work but it would be massive shame if what I read here is how it works :(

[da12thMonkey 1943]

Just from a real world perspective what is the point of defining scope types???

...

Seems silly to class them like mags, they don't have the same compatibility issues magazines and ammo do...

Well, some optics have a reticle pattern that features a set of stadia lines to represent the typical drop of a bullet at certain distances. These sights are designed to be used with a 'fixed' zero throughout combat, and use 'hold over' shooting techniques to hit targets at longer ranges, rather than utilising an adjustable elevation drum to change the main zero point of the sight to match the range of the engagement.

These lines are calibrated to match the particular ballistic characteristics of certain ammunition (in real life there are other factors taken into account such as barrel length and other characteristics of the weapon the sight will be mounted on, but Arma doesn't simulate these differences between weapons - unless things were radically changed in Arma 3...). So if you use a sight designed to work with one particular calibre, on a weapon with ammunition that displays completely different ballistic characteristics, the various range markings next to the stadia lines don't mean shit - they just become arbitrary horizontal lines; which can makes accurate shooting at range more problematic for players than it would sensibly be.

For example here are two real life ACOG sight variants:

TA31H

TA31H-68

Both have the same magnification, recommended zero distance, price, and overall design of both the sight body and the aiming device; but the difference is one has stadia lines that are calibrated for 5.56(.223 cal) rifles where the other is calibrated for 6.8 SPC rifles.

Now, in Arma you could allow players to mount sights on their rifle that simply wont work properly, for the sake that people can do so in real life if they're daft enough; but it's probably better to have some limitations to help people make gear selection choices that'll allow them to play effectively.

[instagoat 133]

For the limitation on sights you can put on a rifle, technically it makes sense, for example if somebody makes an AK using the soviet dovetail rail, you want people to be unable to just throw on eotechs that would randomly hover in the air above the gun because they do not have the dovetail mounting arm attached to them.

Maybe there is a way to get the new stuff in, anyhow?

[slatts 1978]

Anyway, M4 is ported and looking good. Just need to sort out the attachments. And BIS have agreed to give me the AK optics so expect them at some stage when I get this all figured out :)

EDIT: If anyone fancies the job texturing the new hand guard for the AK drop me a PM :)

Edited March 8, 2013 by Slatts

[akm74 1]

For the limitation on sights you can put on a rifle, technically it makes sense, for example if somebody makes an AK using the soviet dovetail rail, you want people to be unable to just throw on eotechs that would randomly hover in the air above the gun because they do not have the dovetail mounting arm attached to them.

Maybe there is a way to get the new stuff in, anyhow?

Notice standard rail on top of AK12. It's 2030... I sure BIS will make something more modern then AK47/74. And i'm totally agree. If attachments have to be linked to weapon class (instead of rail type) it will kill whole idea to have optics/attachments interchangeable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AK-12_Engineering_technologies_international_forum_-_2012_01.jpg

[lsp 10]

I hope the ak12 never makes it in the game, a ugly version of a sexy gun. I can't wait till something like ace comes along and makes arma3 what it should have been, in the modern time frame with a believable conflict. Not super power iran(LOL) with American firearms, and space alien equipment. And get rid of the firearms the U.S. Army would never use to begin with, along with things like the Israeli tanks(give me a break, they're junk only suitable for one role) And the cancelled helicopter.

[instagoat 133]

Because of the current troublesome way that attachments are managed by the game, as far as Modders are concerned, I´ve made a ticket here:

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=2766

I would love to use all these new optics on the vanilla guns, or any addon weapon even if its made by people who don´t have/want to include the classnames of these. With the current system, that´s impossible: these addon scopes will not even be able to be mounted on the vanilla guns. :/

I hope BI will consider digging into this and changing it to something more sensible.

[slatts 1978]

I'm considering making this a "Common Community Modern Atachments Pack". This way you'll have modern optics to mount on your gun without the need to unbin them (as it is against the agreement I signed to have these) simply config them to your weapon. However an consulting the agreement to see if others could use these even in Binarized form.

Anyway...must stop thinking about things like that and start figuring out how to get them in game ;p

[cross888 10]

I hope the ak12 never makes it in the game, a ugly version of a sexy gun. I can't wait till something like ace comes along and makes arma3 what it should have been, in the modern time frame with a believable conflict. Not super power iran(LOL) with American firearms, and space alien equipment. And get rid of the firearms the U.S. Army would never use to begin with, along with things like the Israeli tanks(give me a break, they're junk only suitable for one role) And the cancelled helicopter.

+1

Off topic i know but he's right.

On topic

really looking forward to all you modders making this the game I love.

[AmericanFAC 1]

Have you gotten custom attatchments to work. For an m4 mod I made I tried to make a new attatchment for the muzzle slot.

I defined a new proxy, defined the new attatchment, put the proxy on the gun but it wouldn't show.

Is there something in the acc file as far as memory points that needs to be made?

This would be so much easier if they'd just make everything visible and not under Super Secret Binarized Code Lockdown

[kocrachon 2]

I too am working on making just attachments, that I specifically want to work with the current default BIS guns. I want to work on an EOTECH, and make AN/PSQ-19A and AN/PVS-17A for them as well, for better night time operations in the game. It will be a shame if there is no easy way to incorporate attachments to existing guns.

[bigpickle 0]

SUSAT :) pleeeeeease

[scajolly 14]

I can think of no greater step forward for infantry weapons, for this and future Arma generations, than if you succeeded with this. A community-centered model sounds the very best in my ears as well. It would be interesting to see the relatively rigorous addon structure of today receive a revolutionary alteration to enable easier additions of not just attachments, but textures and more.