Tactical Battlefield - A PvP Gameplay Modification

[grillob3 11]

Yes it was me!Ch3v4l13r !!!lol and where is swedge and mastercaution? They have to be in it! ;)

[Ch3v4l13r 1]

Mastercaution left RGG a while ago, but Swedge is still around and helping us with TacBF. Same goes for Mad Rabbit and a bunch of other PR guys who are helping with the mod in some way or another be it mission making, beta testing etc...

[mad rabbit 0]

Orb! Grillo!

I'm glad to see the interest from both you veterans and I can't wait to have a game with ...or against... you guys soon.

[grillob3 11]

We will! and i hope very soon!

[t3mp 11]

i send you a beta-test request.

[spanishsurfer 58]

Hey guys looking forward to see what you can come up with. I played PR and PR:A2 quite a bit and I've played with Swedge quite a bit on A2.

Some questions, have you guys looked into integrating mods like:

1) JSRS2.0 - Sound mod - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...2-0-WIP-Thread

2) Blastcore A3 - Explosion FX mod - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...8-Blastcore-A3

3) Advanced Cockpit Interaction - cockpit switches actually work - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...it-Interaction

4) Enhanced Movement & More - Ability to climb, jump (all based on weapon loadout) - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...ement-and-more

5) TMR Weapon Mod - allows bipod use, weapon resting on windows/objects and more - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...w-recoil-more)

6) Shacktak Fireteam HUD - Easy HUD that shows where your units are - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...HUD-for-Arma-3

7) Mid Range Texture Replacement - Replaces blurry midrange textures - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...re-replacement

One of the griefs I had with PR:A2 was that I couldn't add on great mods like the ones above to up the realism and immersion. Especially mods like JSRS and mid-range texture replacements which really suck you into the game.

[Ch3v4l13r 1]

The goal is to include as many 3rd mods into the TacBF mod as possible as long as they can be properly implemented, although they might not be included yet when TacBF is released. Also as stated before people will be allowed to setup their own servers with their own mods. If you go back a couple of pages you will see a posts from Dale with some of the mods we are looking at. But some of the mods you mentioned are also being looked at.

Remember to sign-up on our forum to discuss which mods you like and to make any other suggestions. You can even sign-up as a beta testers and help with the development.

[Atkins.A 10]

Will the crate-hassle at the base be addressed in TacBF? I mean all the unpacking of AA/mortars etc, arming them and loading them back to crates and then to vehicles which just created a lot of (unnecessary imo) work in PR:A2?

Anyway, I am happy to see activity in the public PVP atmosphere and I am eager to try this mod when it is released.

[Ch3v4l13r 1]

TacBF will still has a cargo system similar to the one you found in PR:A2. Reason for that is that some people actually like the whole logistics part of the game and the other being a balance issue. It has to take some work to bring these heavy weapons to the front-line. We can't have people throwing AA system into a truck, drive it up to a hill, take it out and start shooting straight away. Also i don't really remember the routine of arming and putting them back in crates in PR:A2 like you described. The AA/Mortar systems were all packed and ready to go, you took them out of the static weapons crate and put them into a vehicle and drove to where you wanted it and their you could arm it etc.. There were of course people who wanted more ammo than the standard boxes had and they took out two boxes and put everything into one box at base, if that is what you mean.

[galzohar 31]

You are missing the point. In PR:A2, the reload time was long, but once reloaded you could load in the armed weapon back into a crate (though not all crates, as some were bugged, which resulted in quite a bit of frustration when you find out in the field everything you did was for nothing), and save a lot of time in the field when you actually need it. In fact, the reload timer would trigger as soon as the static weapon was armed, so by the time you got to your position it would finish reloading (the PR action would only insert the magazine, but the weapon would still need to be "reloaded" like most other weapons' magazines). In the end it was an annoying mechanic that was simply out of place and had nothing to do with realism.

If you want a certain action to be slower, make that specific action slower. Don't implement something which we will then need to work around. Implement something we will need to work with.

PR:A2 had some nice concepts, but in the long run there were too many issues. I really hope TacBF plans to address them rather than continue to ignore them. Once you get the mission out for the public, the feedback will be a lot less forgiving than what you are getting from your beta testers, and any annoying little flaw might be what makes the difference between players quitting to players sticking around to play and learn how to take full advantage of the mod.

I know you guys have been working on ArmA PvP stuff for years, but in the end while some concepts are good, some simply are not good enough and need to be re-desiged/remade. I'm not saying you should completely re-do everything, but I'm suggesting that you re-consider each feature/rule/script/design/etc and think whether it's there because it's actually needed or if it's just there because it had always been there.

[Atkins.A 10]

I as well like(d) the logistics in PR series and would often carry around stuff with truck to ppl who asked it in the command channel. But like galzohar described very well, there was a loop hole in the system and (I think) many used it cos there was always a lot of empty crates (with just sandpacks left) around the supply area. Imo some logistics is good but too demanding logistics might be just frustrating in the long run and I was just wondering if there was going to be any changes in that area. If not, I am cool with that too. I think there was discussion about this (and other good feedback) in the PR:A2 forums, but those messages are not archived afaik.

Anyway, I am still glad that you are making this mod and will be happy to play it when it is released.

[dale 11]

Agreed upon and we are working towards making the system more streamlined, also we aren't PR:A2 we are TacBF so nothing that happened in PR:A2 now has a bearing on TacBF, also the Beta Testers are hammering into us I guarantee you that.

And unless you are able to see what's happening behind the lines I wouldn't make assumptions ;), because we are working on new systems and our own system currently is a lot more complex than you think, which will be improved upon and when it comes out for open beta it will be polished.

[emmo2gee 1]

Better get this up and running soon, with the release of ArmA 3! Hopefully it's a little better optimized than most of the missions and servers we see currently. Give us a hoot when it's released, eh?

[RGG.DaFreak 10]

Theres no possibility to not see it when its gettin released emmo!

When people are interested in testing they can also go to our TS:85.25.99.104

But all beta testers gotta see its in testing and not playing mode for ppl who wanna have a fun game and not serious testing which also often leads into a fun game but ye basically it can be just work!

Edited September 27, 2013 by RGG.DaFreak
typo

[Atkins.A 10]

Hey guys looking forward to see what you can come up with. I played PR and PR:A2 quite a bit and I've played with Swedge quite a bit on A2.

Some questions, have you guys looked into integrating mods like:

1) JSRS2.0 - Sound mod - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...2-0-WIP-Thread

2) Blastcore A3 - Explosion FX mod - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...8-Blastcore-A3

3) Advanced Cockpit Interaction - cockpit switches actually work - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...it-Interaction

4) Enhanced Movement & More - Ability to climb, jump (all based on weapon loadout) - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...ement-and-more

5) TMR Weapon Mod - allows bipod use, weapon resting on windows/objects and more - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...w-recoil-more)

6) Shacktak Fireteam HUD - Easy HUD that shows where your units are - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...HUD-for-Arma-3

7) Mid Range Texture Replacement - Replaces blurry midrange textures - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthrea...re-replacement

One of the griefs I had with PR:A2 was that I couldn't add on great mods like the ones above to up the realism and immersion. Especially mods like JSRS and mid-range texture replacements which really suck you into the game.

I really like the list you made.

I wonder if TacBF team can incorporate some of the functions of some of those mods (nr.3 to 7 perhaps) directly in to the mod, just like the past development version had their own fireteam hud. And I don't mean stealing the code but rather make their own code/version or perhaps do some cooperation with the makers of the above mentioned mods so you don't have to invent the wheel again.

Iirc JSRS and Blastcore (and ACRE) were on requested a lot in the past development version as well but now there is a real chance to see them in action. Can't wait to see what the future brings...

[dale 11]

I really like the list you made.

I wonder if TacBF team can incorporate some of the functions of some of those mods (nr.3 to 7 perhaps) directly in to the mod, just like the past development version had their own fireteam hud. And I don't mean stealing the code but rather make their own code/version or perhaps do some cooperation with the makers of the above mentioned mods so you don't have to invent the wheel again.

Iirc JSRS and Blastcore (and ACRE) were on requested a lot in the past development version as well but now there is a real chance to see them in action. Can't wait to see what the future brings...

In regards to Shacktak Fireteam HUD we have our own hud so we won't be using theirs.

Mid Range Texture Replacement really depends on a lot of factors, we are concerned about the looks of the game sure, but we must more be concerned with the playability and gameplay aspects of such mods.

Some examples would be FPS changes between computers (is it better or worse/whats the average between our population), and camoflage of course, if the units are more easily seen compared to the original Arma 3 system then this could also be a problem.

Other mods such as JSRS and Blastcore must be consistent within the server, so either everyone or no one has it, this is due to gameplay factors again which could be unbalanced if people have different mods enabled.

[Predator.v2 10]

About midtex, we have been using this addon on our server (community addon pack) since its release back on stratis/arma 3 alpha and even after extensive tests on a low level cpu (q9550 with around 13fps on a domination mp mission) i didn't see a big change of fps at all. When i started the game in the editor and just watch empty stratis the difference of fps would be 1fps (at around 30-40 fps). So almost not measurable. If you use the correct one, you get a way better structured ground texture, which increases the concealment of troops by a lot. When ever i join another public server and disable our addon pack, i am stunned how people can play with the crappy, plain default textures.

Here some of my comparison shots back on stratis:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/1/orig.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/1/sharp21.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/2/orig%202.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/2/sharp22.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/3/orig%203.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/3/sharp23.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/4/orig%204.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/4/sharp24.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/5/orig.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/arma3%20midtex/midtex_final/orig_midtex_sharp2/5/sharp25.png

About the addon consistency. I thought your mission/mod had downloadable content? So if you include these addons in your download, then everyone should have the same base?

[Atkins.A 10]

Oh, btw Spanishsurfer's link didn't work.

Is this the addon you are using (Babe_midTex):

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?150645-midrange-terrain-texture-replacement

Predator, thanks for the pics. The difference is huge. I don't get it why BIS won't fix this for good.

[Predator.v2 10]

Some of my favorite shots with midtex and sweetfx:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/GBB%20Files/SweetFX/heli%20sweet.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/GBB%20Files/midtex_sharp_and_sweetFX.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/GBB%20Files/SweetFX/1%20on.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/106806270/GBB%20Files/SweetFX/3%20on.png

I know you want to separate yourself from PR:A2, but i remember the missing jsrs and blastcore were one of the biggest drawbacks in terms of immersion for me back then.

[St. Jimmy 272]

Wouldn't those mid-range textures destroy the feel of other maps? Those might not fit in Chernarus or some community map and maps can change in sessions. Not a practical thing.

[giorgygr 61]

Wouldn't those mid-range textures destroy the feel of other maps? Those might not fit in Chernarus or some community map and maps can change in sessions. Not a practical thing.

I can say for sure without midtex (vanilla way) it's way far-easy to spot/distinguish a figure in the environment..something

that is eventually un-realistic and cheap.

(I have noticed also midtex gives the impression of grass in greater distances..something that is good)

I would be afraid to play PvP with midtex knowing the pther player plays "Vanilla".

If both of us running midtex..then it would be "another level of experience".

[RGG.DaFreak 10]

Been following and playing with your work for years. Very excited about this! Hopefully, we'll see players during North American prime-time playing this instead of the crappy COD-like deathmatch stuff that seems to be popular right now. C'mon kids, time to wear your big-boy pants now.

Congrats on the release, gentlemen.

Creating a full realism mod is a bit more complicated to do and thats the reason why this as you say COD missions are out yet but time brings stuff i dont see any COD like missions in Arma anyway sure there a re a few which are more arcade but as i said such missions are dropped very fast and fullrealism takes time for development!

[St. Jimmy 272]

I can say for sure without midtex (vanilla way) it's way far-easy to spot/distinguish a figure in the environment..something

that is eventually un-realistic and cheap.

(I have noticed also midtex gives the impression of grass in greater distances..something that is good)

I would be afraid to play PvP with midtex knowing the pther player plays "Vanilla".

If both of us running midtex..then it would be "another level of experience".

Seems like midtex didn't affect on islands that it wasn't made of so you can ignore my worries. Though this needs to be fixed before Bad Benson's midtex are good to go. I can't stand that and that's the reason I don't use those replacements.

[galzohar 31]

You can always configure the core mod to require all required mods, so the game is not playable if you don't have all required mods. In a PvP environment there really shouldn't be any optional mods.

Distributing the extras along with the mod itself will help ease of installation, but make updating and version control a nightmare. Play withSIX is the best solution (especially if dependencies are properly configured so all you need is to set it to install your mod and dependencies will install and run automatically), but then again some people just can't seem to run it properly...

[hiddengearz 1]

From what i understand there will be a @tacbfmod's folder (name may vary) but the official mod's will be in there or integrated into the core folder, i could be wrong. One thing that was mentioned in the announcement is that all official servers will run the same missions and mods.

To be on the official list of server hoster's you would need to configure the server using TB preferred settings and run only supported mods and missions

In a sense it isn't 100% clear but it makes no sense otherwise and someone like dale, wormy or eyeball are more qualified to give a definite answer.