Altis: Criticism and Suggestions

[grillob3 11]

+1! Oil drilling platforms would be awesome!

some more of those bamboo swamps would be cool :)

(over 100kb) http://i.imgur.com/vIaV3Gl.jpg

maybe with some old abbandonned shack's/shed's in there

+1000000000000000000

[progamer 14]

I was impressed.

While I didn't encounter the dreaded 1FPS performance problem, I did have some concerns that FPS might get uncomfortably low near the waterfront of some of the larger towns. Many area's felt like the FPS was really good, but time will tell when players start playing missions in them.

There are too many "wrecks" and general debris around the island. Would it not be better to keep these sort of pieces of thematic decor as separate props? For examples, don't pre-place so many burned out vehicles on the island. Let mission designers add them separately to decorate the area of their missions and add atmosphere as they see fit. Fewer pre-placed and fixed objects on the island would improve framerate, especially in area's that are already pretty build up with world objects.

Is there an offshore "base" of some sort? The island is just begging for seaborne invasion scenario's... but my initial tour didn't reveal a suitable staging area out at sea. For example: ArmA 1 had the Aircraft Carrier off of Sahrani island. Some suitable staging areas could be useful to scenario builders could be useful to scenario builders.

We need a static aircraft carrier in editor for this like Arma 2.

[Simas 12]

The main airport terminal building is a good example of a fully-enterable building. Lots of mission possibilities there. Can we have the same attention to detail for other larger buildings? Some of the larger buildings are partially enterable, while some are non-enterable at all (like that power plant and factory building).

[shurik_spb 10]

Can you please make the off-road surface less tiled and add a bit of tire marks like they are in Chernarus or PR Fata maps? Thank you! :)

Ref pics below

Edited August 27, 2013 by shurik_spb

[raven_jj 1]

It would be nice to have a module which fills houses with furniture in certain area (set by radius or x, y). The furniture placement would be based on a house type, so devs wouldn't have to spend time decorating the whole map, maybe a couple of different presets for one house type, so it wouldn't look the same.

[unknown03 2]

So far Altis is amazing! Good job BI!

I guess if I had a suggestion it would be this:

#1) Building interiors.

I can't imagine the amount of work it took to create Altis, and adding interiors to buildings seems like an impossible task. But currently every building is empty and doesn't looked lived in by any sort of populace. It feels as though right before the military arrived a cleaning service came by and made billions from clearing out all the buildings, sweeping the floors, and shipping away all the T.V.'s, computers, couches, tables, pictures, chairs, microwaves, toasters, beds, mirrors, dressers, etc. I wonder if something "procedural" could be implemented to save on FPS performance?

#2) Tides(?)

I see a missed opportunity to raise/lower the sea level for certain times of day to fill the river channels and overflows near the beaches. It would make things REALLY interesting to know that attacking at a particular time of day is better for a scuba team to infiltrate more in land.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Unknown03

[Sneakers O'Toole 2]

there is only 1 tarmac airfield/base, which takes care of blufor, and you could share it with independant

But all that leaves is a few mud runways each with a single hangar. How is Oppfor going to take off in jets?

needs another military airfield

[Zerke 10]

Also on the subject of the hospital. The ladder coming down from the roof has it's controls reversed. If you hit S for coming down it actualy makes you walk forward and you fall. At the bottom, W will not make you go up, S makes you go up.

[Smurf 12]

That whole landmass south of Zaros\AAC arifield could have some love; Add at least one village, maybe a small port and a industrial complex (that could use the windfarms). Farms (read: flora; meidum\low vegetation) wouldn't hurt.

At east of Xirolimni Dam, few offroad trails, maybe some more buildings (the hilly terrain at north of it its really nice).

The area near to Koroni could have some improvments to go with the nice vegetation you have just south of it.

That whole area from Ammolofi Bay to Cap Agrios (nortwest) deserves a point of interest; a military outpost, field base, some factory. IMO, one of the coolest parts of the whole terrain is there with all its hills.

Wazzup with all the square roads leading to Agia Triada and the shore there? You even have a pavement road that leads to nothing.

Kalithea Bay: Hotel (a la east Sahrani), some commerce buildings; It really feels like it could be a touristic site. Don't think the wrecks and destroyed buildings belong there (but I don't know the lore of the game)

Why the tarmac road leading to Iraklia? It would fit better just south of it in the military complex with the Dome and all.

An excuse for a large forest would be a private reforestation area. Next to a highway, maybe annexed to some workers houses and a storage\shipping area (for the wood).

The Farohaki area feels incomplete.

[horrorview 10]

With these items being destructible would also be a bonus :)

But of course!! :P

[Reaper_Jackal 10]

Love the map! Best so far.

My few suggestions are along the same line as most.

1) Less wrecks in public spaces (e.g airport carpark) I would love to see the wrecks moved to "vehicle graveyards" much like those around Chernobyl. I believe this fits the atmosphere of the island as well as providing for some awesome battlefields at the same time as cleaning up the streets.

2) Less of the GIANT floating guard towers at check points and around bases. I love the design of all the prefab military structures but I feel the majority of those giant towers are unfeasible and don't fit in with the idea of the other rapidly deplorable/removable structures. At any sort of distance they also seem to float in the air.

3) More large enterable buildings like the terminal and hospital, perhaps a few small apartment blocks,large shopping centers and some unique ones such as police/fire stations

Thank you all for the beautiful map.

[kylania 568]

The most important thing to do is to give map objects proper classnames and not just p3ds. This would allow us to customize the map to our hearts content. Don't like all the wrecks? hideObject them. Want to replace the rusty tower with a gleaming new one? Easy swap. Want to clear the parade ground of all those containers? One line of code.

But as long as they remain p3ds with no proper classname doing those things becomes a huge chore instead of something quite easy.

[progamer 14]

there is only 1 tarmac airfield/base, which takes care of blufor, and you could share it with independant

But all that leaves is a few mud runways each with a single hangar. How is Oppfor going to take off in jets?

needs another military airfield

With most fixed wing aircraft being STOLs and VTOLs these days large runways are not needed as much.

[kecske 46]

First off great job, Altis is one of the most immersive maps in gaming. Now I'm less interested in Los Santos :P

The few things I'd change:

1) Kavala could use some variety with different types of larger buildings (shopping center/fire and police station/hotels etc.)

2) One of the runways on the main airport doesn't have any lights, and the other one have them misaligned.

3) There is no industrial port on the island, which would be vital for the Altian economy. The one south of the solar plants could be extended and with some cranes it would be perfect.

4) The main (two lane) roads doesn't have center stripes. Not sure if this is intended.

[frostwyrm333 1]

I noticed that while the satellite texture shows lots of farmland, the actual game has only grass and weeds. Seems really strange.

[kylania 568]

1) Less wrecks in public spaces (e.g airport carpark) I would love to see the wrecks moved to "vehicle graveyards" much like those around Chernobyl. I believe this fits the atmosphere of the island as well as providing for some awesome battlefields at the same time as cleaning up the streets.

Place a gamelogic near the wrecks you don't want with this as it's init. Adjust 200 to cover the area you want.

{_x hideObject true} forEach (nearestObjects [this, ["Wreck_base_F"], 200]); 

2) Less of the GIANT floating guard towers at check points and around bases. I love the design of all the prefab military structures but I feel the majority of those giant towers are unfeasible and don't fit in with the idea of the other rapidly deplorable/removable structures. At any sort of distance they also seem to float in the air.

Place a gamelogic near the tower(s) you don't want with this as it's init.

{_x hideObject true} forEach (nearestObjects [this, ["Cargo_Tower_base_F"], 200]); 

Number 3 is up to BIS. :)

[dale0404 5]

First of all, I'd like to say it is my favorite island so far just because of the variety all around it :D

One of my few criticisms would be that a few larger buildings like the hospital don't have enterable second and third floors. I understand you can't model every single room, but I would like to see maybe a few hallways and a some rooms upstairs.

Another might be that some of the vacant buildings are completely empty, one would think there might be some garbage or furniture left behind.

This and get those damn doors to the church opened. Bribe the Arch Bishop or something...

[nmdanny 22]

I think houses are too empty, I understand there are size constraints on the amount of detail Altis can have, but more major and unique buildings should have some stuff inside, such as the hospital and the apartment blocks. They need more accessible rooms too. A site/module which populates houses within a certain radius with furniture and household items would be nice.

The destruction of wind turbines and solar towers is too bland, they just fall and disappear, we need at least some rubble and slightly more realistic destruction, such as the wind rotor being cut off.

Wind turbines should also have an ambient sound and not be silent.

Some kind of naval static vehicles are a must in my opinion, such as a destroyer, a carrier, an amphibious assault ship or a submarine.

[zatoichi 10]

Any chance inlets like the one in Ammolofi Bay (093221) could be extended farther inland?

It's a really nice atmosphere going up a water-way with that tall vegetation on either side.

[Tyl3r99 41]

make the hospital fully accessible ;) he he

[bvrettski 10]

I have to say I'm not impressed with Altis after a 10 minute flyover / tour. Lots of open ground, Pretty barren for the most part but I was never a big desert map fan. I know this is supposed to be like a mediteranian island but I can imagine I'll get tired of dry empty terrain really fast. I was hoping for more forests and some areas of thick vegetation.

I didnt see any large buildings to speak of either. I was hoping for some urban combat in a downtown Altis City. I didnt spot any areas where I said to myself....Wow I want to go explore that!! Thats new. It just looks and feels like something I've already played.

Right now I can't imagine playing this map for 3-5 years enjoying it. I can see myself missing Chernarus even though I'm tired of it too and know it like the back of my hand.

I'm wondering if maybe the Arma engine just can't handle a map with lots of underbrush, overgrowth and dense forests. *shrugs* Thats what I'd like to see but maybe its not even possible without the engine crapping out.

Lets me end this by saying I could be totally wrong but first impressions are known to be important.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Bvrettski

[giorgygr 61]

Very nice work on the island guys.

I would really love to see *some more buildings variations (especially big-ones)

[five_seven5-7 56]

Congratulations :)

Altis has everything a Mediterranean island should have. Reminds me Nogova in certain ways. My only complaint is about the only stadium that I thought was completed and not under construction.

[GottyPlays 10]

By flying with a chopper the first thing that i noticed is how ugly the textures were, please take a look at them! :P the map itself is quite good but i miss the forests a lot. i expected more enterable buildings, at least the big ones and i noticed something that punches me in the eye everytime: the swamp/salt lake thingy, it has 4 meters large white shorelines all around with even the "sound" of the ocean even if it's 20 cm deep xD that made me lol

However the map is exellent.

[bullet purveyor 85]

I have come across several spots on Altis that clearly are designed with the idea of it being filled with water, small ponds and a dammed lake etc.

Will inland water be added at a later stage?

Also +1 for Huberts suggestions:

I hope its the proper place for this request:

-ambient civilian module

-ambient civilian vehicles modul

-ambient combat modul