Would weapons lowered as default be good for the game?

[Wolfstriked 11]

Judging by the post that asked to always have weapon raised already after using the map I ask this with hesitation. :D One click of the fire button and the weapon is at the ready.:cool:

I have always found that the weapons in your face aspect of Arma jarring and immersion breaking but I very rarely met a person online who actually lowered their weapons.And the new animations are great and add a sense of adrenaline as the players look like they are now moving at a brisk pace while A2 had them looking like in slow motion always.But I find it immersion breaking when I am traveling with my squad at this fast pace when we are nowhere near an objective.The game is more immersive when the characters are not always moving like they are under fire.And when you spot enemies or come under fire and the characters start moving faster it just looks better IMO.So I propose that after you exit a vehicle,leave the map,rise from the prone position,even entering the game that weapon is lowered and you have to press fire button to raise if you dictate its needed.

Also,I think a way to counter this non use of weapon lowering key is to force the weapon lowered by giving some incentive to do so other than it looks bad for the other players as that never worked.So maybe a sort of realistic aspect can be added to it?One way I think that could bring some benefit of actually lowering ones weapon is to change the exhaustion rate for running with weapon lowered.In game I have sprinted to exhaustion (takes 25secs on level ground).I then found that running with weapon up or lowered had no effect on stamina gain.Once you get exhausted sprinting you can never sprint again unless you stop to catch your breath by at the least walking.Now I may be wrong here but a trained soldier can jog for miles and then be able to sprint for a little bit when under fire etc.So I propose that if you move around with weapon lowered you gain back the full 25 secs of sprint ability though this should take a long time to recover but you get 12 secs of sprint after a short while.May not be fully realistic as I never jogged with military equipment but it will feel real in a game.

Just throwing this out there to see what are peoples thoughts on this and to maybe get some new ideas......

Also,even if this idea goes nowhere can we at least have it so that SP squads follow your weapon stance?

Edited April 1, 2013 by Wolfstriked

[Wolfstriked 11]

Another reason to use weapon lowering is to issue commands to AI.Just lowering your weapon and you shout "at ease" and squad goes into safe mode while raising weapon and you shout "danger" and squad goes into combat mode.

Just playing around with the SP squad game for first time and it obvious that it can be streamlined.Great system that does so much but its clunky in execution.Should be more in the first menu that pops up that's important.One is an "eyes on" option with an arrow like when you saying move there that you can point on the enemy you locate.Then when you press ~ again this option should become fire at will for ease of play.

[Sarlac 1]

I'm a fan of starting my missions with weapons unloaded. This is easy to accomplish by manipulation of item order in the units init field. It allows you to have a safe weapon until entering a hot area.

[Igitur 43]

Also,even if this idea goes nowhere can we at least have it so that SP squads follow your weapon stance?

I fully support the idea of having weapons lowered as default, and yes the sight of people running everywhere, everytime, with their weapons raised is one of the major reasons I never play online.

However, your last idea wouldn't do the trick imo, as your AI squadmates can always spot a hostile you're unaware of, and have their own good reason to raise their weapon. So I would prefer by far the AI keep their weapons low as long as there is no known hostile in the area, if not in "COMBAT"mode, at least in the "AWARE" mode, and raise them as soon as any danger is spotted.

What bothers me the most in this respect with the current AI behaviour is that they ALWAYS have the weapons raised when they WALK, AWARE, IN FORMATION. I spend much time walking in my solo playing ArmA, and so do the guys I place in the editor, be them under my command or not. To see them indefinitely targeting nothing is totally immersion killing for me. Switching to "SAFE" is not a solution, since they then break their formation, what I do not want.

Strangely enough, that feature was right in Arma 2. Or was it due to a mod I used ?

Cheers.

[PFC Magician 10]

agree having weapons lowered as default, but I would like to be new animations, holding the gun in one hand, (rifle up or down) relax stances

PD:would also be nice to shake the gun on the head animation to use online, we always sit on the floor after completing a mission

[-=seany=- 5]

Unsurprisingly I voted no. I think this would be extremely frustrating and awkward to keep having to raise your weapon manually every other minute.

Currently the animation for soldiers running and jogging has the weapon lowered anyway, so it looks fine from what I have seen.

Some actions that you perform in real life don't need to be simulated in a game, as in real life they are second nature and a reflex action. When you try to simulate these things in a game they just frustrate the player and make the game feel clunky an unintuitive. Having to manually raise your gun all the time is one of these type of actions, I feel.

It would be like making the player use a command to put their weapon on their back before they could board a vehicle. Or making the player lower their gun before they could use the "M" key to open the map, it's just unnecessary.

[Fuse 1]

The people who play with ACE will probably like it. Vanilla players might not. I say leave it as it is and let the player lower their weapon if they want. Hasn't bothered me having to do it manually.

[Wolfstriked 11]

I'm a fan of starting my missions with weapons unloaded. This is easy to accomplish by manipulation of item order in the units init field. It allows you to have a safe weapon until entering a hot area.

Thats good to know.

I fully support the idea of having weapons lowered as default, and yes the sight of people running everywhere, everytime, with their weapons raised is one of the major reasons I never play online.

However, your last idea wouldn't do the trick imo, as your AI squadmates can always spot a hostile you're unaware of, and have their own good reason to raise their weapon. So I would prefer by far the AI keep their weapons low as long as there is no known hostile in the area, if not in "COMBAT"mode, at least in the "AWARE" mode, and raise them as soon as any danger is spotted.

What bothers me the most in this respect with the current AI behaviour is that they ALWAYS have the weapons raised when they WALK, AWARE, IN FORMATION. I spend much time walking in my solo playing ArmA, and so do the guys I place in the editor, be them under my command or not. To see them indefinitely targeting nothing is totally immersion killing for me. Switching to "SAFE" is not a solution, since they then break their formation, what I do not want.

Strangely enough, that feature was right in Arma 2. Or was it due to a mod I used ?

Cheers.

Yeah the safe mode is them on a leisure stroll thru the park.Oh well you can't have everything.

agree having weapons lowered as default, but I would like to be new animations, holding the gun in one hand, (rifle up or down) relax stances

PD:would also be nice to shake the gun on the head animation to use online, we always sit on the floor after completing a mission

There are two jogging stances.One is both hands on weapon the other is just one hand.One handed happens as you transition to lowered weapon jog but usually goes away.

Unsurprisingly I voted no. I think this would be extremely frustrating and awkward to keep having to raise your weapon manually every other minute.

Currently the animation for soldiers running and jogging has the weapon lowered anyway, so it looks fine from what I have seen.

Some actions that you perform in real life don't need to be simulated in a game, as in real life they are second nature and a reflex action. When you try to simulate these things in a game they just frustrate the player and make the game feel clunky an unintuitive. Having to manually raise your gun all the time is one of these type of actions, I feel.

It would be like making the player use a command to put their weapon on their back before they could board a vehicle. Or making the player lower their gun before they could use the "M" key to open the map, it's just unnecessary.

The people who play with ACE will probably like it. Vanilla players might not. I say leave it as it is and let the player lower their weapon if they want. Hasn't bothered me having to do it manually.

I see your points.Choice is always good as some players wanna jump in and run and gun while not really caring if the AI is shouldering their weapon or not to worry about stamina.And for me,seeing players with weapons lowered just looks right and I think that having to consciously think about my stamina and hence lower weapon to gain some back is great for immersion.The gasping sounds you make after sprinting would be a cue to lower weapon for awhile but you have to debate whether you can take the slightly slower speed for the slow stamina regain.When the gasping sounds disappear you are ready to sprint all over again.With weapon lowered during combat then I can see a bit of clumsiness as you have to first raise weapon and then press optics.In a way it simulates the lowered ready aspect where you have weapon ready to be sighted.A bit slower raising of weapon could add to this effect.

[PFC Magician 10]

by default and would be better by idle state, and return to combat stance by hitting mouse buttons.(have the chance to move in relaxed postures)

I wish different postures of relaxation even for the AI to improve immersion.

could be a relaxed postures cycle then begins to move(even running or sprinting) to stay in that particular posture.

Edited April 2, 2013 by PFC Magician