Altis: Criticism and Suggestions

[Victim9l3 11]

THANK YOU Reaper_Jackal --"Would be great to see the Military camps get as much love and attention as those on Statis. They lack the character and detail of camp Rogan/Maxwel and just feel terribly rushed and poorly set out (huge gaps between cover, no razorwire, etc), it would take hours of work for mission makers to get these to a usable state. "

I keep saying that and I don't get the best response. Like how dare I say that. Those FOB's are garbage and after seeing what they did on Stratis it's like a different game. Thank you thank you thank you. I used a few more words than that a page or a few ago back. I keep pointing out some of the major problems and it seems I get the cold shoulder but now after some time has passed I see more and more people saying the same things. Arma is above so much that is out there, and yet as cool as things are in arma 3, they are dropping a lot of balls. They have been pushing this "look of the game" and how awesome chemlights are, or dynamic lighting, or the perfect blue sky, and picture perfect oceans with perfect water and colors. Blue and Pink fog. They have been wasting time pushing this in the wrong direction.

We want many good working vehicles, uniforms, guns, buildings that we can go inside more than just the stairway, buildings that aren't still standing after a nuke is dropped on it, aircraft, lots of them, fighters not just ground attack, etc. We want variety and we want it to look real not like a dream.

Sorry, I saw your post after I posted this, so I had to edit and include a piggy back on what you said. Now back to my original message. :j:

The more I see it, the more ridiculous it seems. What is the point of the coffin towers? Stratis had guard towers but Altis has these 50 meter high HQ's. They are bad ass and I love them, well I would love them if they weren't waving to the enemy waving a shoot me sign. Why do they exist? A guard tower doesn't need 2 floors and a rooftop. They are in most FOB's and those FOB's are usually on top of hill or something. So its redundant. You already are higher than everything else and you want to go even higher. They are guaranteed to get everyone inside killed. Why put a base on the ground, protected behind walls and barriers and sandbags when you can put it 50 meters in the air with no protection, no real windows for defense just a roof top. Who, in their right mind would ever stay in one of those? 2 inside floors. What were you planning on doing in those 2 floors? I hate to say this, because I really, really do like them, but they need to go. And it is kind of weird that you have them color coated to their environment. Yellow ones, green ones, etc.. They are from cargo containers, made to be assembled quickly why would they paint them different colors on the same island? You're not going to hide a base. I understand the rusted ones and regular ones but not anything else, UNLESS, it was on a separate island.

It took forever, years, before we started painting things tan in Iraq and desert countries. Even now no matter where you go things are always green. Why would they paint the HQ's at an FOB that has 3 h barriers and one cargo house. They can't build proper defenses but they put on those coveralls (which are the worst looking uniforms bi has ever made) and paint.

One last thing. Why is the trash shiny? the trash on the island looks like it's been polished. I refer to the heeps. And why are so many things pastel colored. the Cargo containers, for example. Every single one is pastel. The red one is almost pink. The blue a sky blue. It's those little thing that are everywhere on the islands and combined with the sky color, fog color etc.. that keeps making the game look unrealistic. I'm sure everyone is tired of me complaining about this but it's a big thing on a subconscious level if not in plain sight. There is too much playing around with colors in this game. the island themselves look ok but the environment and colors set a mood and it's like war in paradise. I can't put my finger on it but please no pastel colors.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Victim9l3

[b00tsy 28]

I have a little suggestion as for the ambience (also goes for stratis). I would like to see some birds flying around, may even flocks of birds. It looks now like they ate all the birds on the island. Also, I really really miss seagull sounds on the shore line and seagulls walking and flying on the docks. So far I have been adding my own seagull sounds, but that uses up triggers and resources.

[clifdenhill 1]

I think some more hedgerows/brush separating the big open fields and some of the roads might make firefights more interesting. Also might help if the brush and hedgerows are thicker and longer.

Also making some of the buildings that are already there more enterable. I don't think any of the buildings are to big to be fully enterable even the hospital.

The big open fields could maybe have some crops growing.

And then there's those mid range textures :(

Edited September 5, 2013 by clifdenhill

[jgbtl292 0]

delete the carwracks on the streets the ki cannot handle this for drive. and i can not clean the street . the wrack are more big stones on the street .

many harbors have no ladders for climb on land.

maby more big bushes on the forest edges , for more hide.

[b00tsy 28]

Now that I have flown the jet a bit I have my first Altis criticism. Well, I already had this fear long before the release. It is almost impossible to use the soft airstrips with the jet. First of all you are doing a rally cross on the runway (taking away vital speed) and thus the airstrips are to short for proper takeoff. I have tried all the small strips and except one strip it usually ends up the jet crashing in to trees and bushes or straight against the hil, just can't get enough speed! Can't the airstrips get concrete floors that fits the surrounding? Dirty cracked concrete floor with some grass between the concrete plates.

[2nd ranger 282]

An issue somewhat related to non-enterable buildings: the bell tower object has no entrance whatsoever. I'm not saying I want to go inside the bell tower, though it would be welcome, but there isn't even a locked door, or even a painted-on door. How does anyone get inside?

[daveallen10 35]

I would really like to see a bit more detail in the terrain. It seems very copy/paste in some places (understandable as that is)

1) I would like to see water! There are no ponds, streams, creeks or even muddy puddles in the game (and I haven't seen any rain so far but maybe there is rain). Please, make the marshy areas have some water, even if it is just static and not running water. Add some ponds around Altis and up in the mountains. It's too dry!

2) More farms, fences, farm vehicles, crops, and animals. From the air, Altis seems like it is covered in farmland and feilds, but they are all barren! Spruce it up with a little Mediterranean crops! Add some real fences and more livestock, evidence of people working the land.

3)More civilian "life".

4) Improved interiors. Some basic furniture or something would be nice in some places.

5) Improved destructibility of environemnt (trees, buildings, ground)

[Indeoent 10]

Also no hospital interior is another issue. Every building room should be enterable.

I agree with the ProGamer: we really want to see the hospital inside, as well as these big towers too (inside of the solar power plant).

And the performance of Altis, especially while flying on the jet, is terrifying at the moment - hope you, guys gonna fix it :)

[clydefrog 3]

I would really like to see a bit more detail in the terrain. It seems very copy/paste in some places (understandable as that is)

1) I would like to see water! There are no ponds, streams, creeks or even muddy puddles in the game (and I haven't seen any rain so far but maybe there is rain). Please, make the marshy areas have some water, even if it is just static and not running water. Add some ponds around Altis and up in the mountains. It's too dry!

2) More farms, fences, farm vehicles, crops, and animals. From the air, Altis seems like it is covered in farmland and feilds, but they are all barren! Spruce it up with a little Mediterranean crops! Add some real fences and more livestock, evidence of people working the land.

3)More civilian "life".

4) Improved interiors. Some basic furniture or something would be nice in some places.

5) Improved destructibility of environemnt (trees, buildings, ground)

If you want all this stuff you should find another game, because Arma won't be getting it while it's using this engine.

Regarding water, they've based this map on what it's actually like there, I doubt they will add things like ponds when there shouldn't be any just to make it less dry, it's meant to be dry. I'm pretty sure running water must be impossible in the RV engine because I've never seen it done. I've never seen a puddle in any arma game either.

All the farm stuff and extra objects like furniture would probably just make the performance even worse.

I doubt the engine is capable of the destruction stuff, the best it can do with that is make an object disappear through the ground while spawning a damaged version of it in the same place, that's as good as you're going to get in this game. And maybe a 2D crater on the ground when something explodes.

Edited September 8, 2013 by clydefrog

[dale0404 5]

If you want all this stuff you should find another game, because Arma won't be getting it while it's using this engine.

Regarding water, they've based this map on what it's actually like there, I doubt they will add things like ponds when there shouldn't be any just to make it less dry, it's meant to be dry. I'm pretty sure running water must be impossible in the RV engine because I've never seen it done. I've never seen a puddle in any arma game either.

All the farm stuff and extra objects like furniture would probably just make the performance even worse.

I doubt the engine is capable of the destruction stuff, the best it can do with that is make an object disappear through the ground while spawning a damaged version of it in the same place, that's as good as you're going to get in this game. And maybe a 2D crater on the ground when something explodes.

You been to Chernarus? I am saying that ponds etc can be done, not the fact that there aren't any on Altis, just to clarify.

[Sealife 22]

thre are already Ponds in the folders, likelyhood is they wil be added or configged or Custom Built for custom terrains if not for Altis .

[clydefrog 3]

thre are already Ponds in the folders, likelyhood is they wil be added or configged or Custom Built for custom terrains if not for Altis .

Possibly, like I said I don't think they will ruin an authentic environment by adding water features to it that shouldn't be there, but you never know what they're going to do these days.

You been to Chernarus? I am saying that ponds etc can be done, not the fact that there aren't any on Altis, just to clarify.

Never seen any puddles on chernarus, where are they? I'm sure they could make them though with the same type of water that the ponds use.

Edited September 8, 2013 by clydefrog

[artemas 1]

I don't know what you're talking about dude, the real island has a big lake (with dam), and several streams. You can even find them in-game, they're all just missing the water.

So its not so much "wanting to change whats there" and far more "adding the things that ARE and SHOULD BE there"

[Bashka_IF 1]

Possibly, like I said I don't think they will ruin an authentic environment by adding water features to it that shouldn't be there, but you never know what they're going to do these days.

Never seen any puddles on chernarus, where are they? I'm sure they could make them though with the same type of water that the ponds use.

Iron Front Libeartion 44 (Arma 2 engine)

have ponds, swamps, rivers. Forests (nice trees, not arma 2 Trees) and fields with high crops (although not rendered at distances).

I dream of Iron Front maps be ported to Arma 3

[clydefrog 3]

I don't know what you're talking about dude, the real island has a big lake (with dam), and several streams. You can even find them in-game, they're all just missing the water.

So its not so much "wanting to change whats there" and far more "adding the things that ARE and SHOULD BE there"

Well in that case they should add it. But I'm pretty sure it would all be static water if they did put it in as it seems like the engine can't do running water.

Iron Front LIbeartion 44 (on Arma engine)

gave ponds, swamps, rivers.

I dream of Iron Front maps be ported to Arma 3

Did the rivers actually have running water or was it still?

[Fulcrum90 10]

Im also a bit disappointed by Altis. Its not diverse, no big forests which I always like about Operation Flashpoint and ArmA, no rivers, only desert.

I think in their desire to create an exact copy of a real island, they unfortunatly copied a rather boring island into the game :D

[Bashka_IF 1]

Did the rivers actually have running water or was it still?

Rivers are still (small waves make illusion of some movement),

I think it is possible to emulate drift when a soldier or boat is in water.

Rivers are deep, not shallow. you must swim, tanks cant pass it without a bridge.

No waterfalls was seen )

Found screenshots

(not most beautiful because of bad weather) )

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=121797525

BTW from airplane sometimes it is not so easy to spot tanks because of nice textures )

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=148781078

Edited September 8, 2013 by Bashka

[artemas 1]

On the subject of forests, I feel that its a bit odd that the area north of Finri (where most of the logging occurs) doesnt actually have as much of a forest as you'd think. Its really just a few separated copses of trees, not a large forest.

[insumsnoy 4]

The only real criticism I can give is that the buildings could do with some furniture in them. That is all, Altis is the best map you have made so far.