ArmA 2 C-130J and MV-22 Redux

[BlackViperGaming 3]

Great Work! Can't wait for this to be released. Quick question. This was probably already stated but will there be a folding animation for the V-22? And if there is I suggest you make it about 45 seconds to make it a bit more realistic. I have played around with other MV-22 port-overs and one has the folding animation but it takes less than a second. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[sakura_chan 9]

Glad everyone likes it so far. I have run into a rather nasty problem with the co-pilot seat though. There is some sort of bug that removes engine control from the copilot when the stupid thing is not moving. This means the copilot cannot take off, but if given control mid-flight, everything works. You can still start the engines, so the throttle still works but there seems to be a throttle limit that prevents it from getting enough power to lift off. This is only using "airplaneX" class, switching to "airplane" class fixes the problem. So I am torn between the two simulation classes:

AirplaneX class

----------------

Pros

-less bouncy ground movement

-physics always active so it can be moved by other vehicles and sits correctly on the ground

-the 'flaps' act as huge airbrakes that slow down the Osprey due to airplaneX specific flapsFrictionCoef variable

Cons

-severe stuttering in certain situations, it looks like MP lag. Maybe caused by BIS's separation of the simulated and visual models. After the switch to PhysX this system seems to be broken and causes jumpiness on all 'X' class vehicles

-unusable copilot

Airplane class

----------------

Pros

-always appears to move smoothly

-seems slightly more responsive and can ascend more quickly in hover mode

-copilot works perfectly

-improved ground turning capabilities, it can rotate 360º on the ground without forward speed

Cons

-fairly bad ground control: bouncy, looks like an RC toy when it lands on an uneven or sloped surface. It seems to have no weight to it. When the rear wheels make contact first, the nose comes down and bounces like a lowrider.

-physics are only working when the engines are on or if it is hit with a weapon. Due to the way the landing gear is set up, this means the front wheel is 1/2 ft off the ground at start up.

To address some of the above posts:

-rotor mounted lights are YES

-door window is fixed, as is the whole door system. The osprey's upper door does not open outwards like a hatch, it retracts inwards and then slides upwards, bringing it to the roof behind the cockpit bulkhead

-packing animation has been preserved and improved, but there probably won't be a built in option to pack it, due to trolls, AI not being able to use it and the fact that it only works on a Osprey that hasn't had its engine turn. The script will be included for manual use though.

-armed version is not impossible but not planned and won't be in the first release for sure.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Sakura_Chan

[x hunter33 10]

Great Work! Can't wait for this to be released. Quick question. This was probably already stated but will there be a folding animation for the V-22? And if there is I suggest you make it about 45 seconds to make it a bit more realistic. I have played around with other MV-22 port-overs and one has the folding animation but it takes less than a second. Thanks and keep up the good work.

I agree with you but 45 seconds is a bit over the top, remember its still a game. 5 to 10 seconds should be well enough.

[DJankovic 401]

To address some of the above posts:

-rotor mounted lights are YES

THANK YOU!!!! Cant wait man..realy. Thank you for your effort and time,swet and tears :)

[scarecrow398 43]

As to quote a small Mexican child: ¿por qué no los dos?

While the bouncy ground movement is a problem I personally think the performance (both FPS and flying wise) is a better trade in, perhaps either include both and let the player choose or choose one and continue working out bugs on the PlaneX version (As I assume this is for the foreseeable future where as Airplane isn't).

On the note of FPS are we talking like 1-2 frames or 5-10? and maneuverability is there a dramatic difference? (IMO the biggest problem the V-22 had in A2 was yaw which is why I'm more interested in performance.)

[SxepTicon 10]

I agree, maybe let player choose - could be a way to test it for you?

If that's not an option - go FPS smooth game would be more enjoyable?

Edited March 25, 2014 by SxepTicon

[PVT Watt.J 14]

I would definitely like to try the AirplaneX variant, Sakura. I don't believe I've noticed any of the stuttering issues which you've had with the Buzzard (which you mentioned in another thread) or with any of the Arma 3 planes so I'm not sure I'll have any issues with the Osprey here either.

Perhaps I just haven't looked closely enough, but then again, if I have to look that closely to noticed it does the issue really matter?

As always, thanks for working on this. Very much looking forward to it even if it has a few kinks.

[SxepTicon 10]

Maybe a bit OT but may help pinpointing the issue.

I get a stutter when I kiss the dirt flying low altitude - the mome t I get the stuttering is, when I fly over hilltops. After that it's gone until i reach the next one. No matter if it's a heli or airplane.

Same problem or am I guessing wrong?

[BlackViperGaming 3]

I agree with you but 45 seconds is a bit over the top, remember its still a game. 5 to 10 seconds should be well enough.

Yes it is a game but it is also a milsim in some ways, 45 seconds is actually quite a lot shorter than it takes in real life, I think I read somewhere that it actually takes a good 10 minutes to do but I could be wrong, anyways I think 30 seconds to a minute would work quite well.

[byohzrd 10]

Really looking forward to both of these and your work looks superb!

[x hunter33 10]

Yes it is a game but it is also a milsim in some ways, 45 seconds is actually quite a lot shorter than it takes in real life, I think I read somewhere that it actually takes a good 10 minutes to do but I could be wrong, anyways I think 30 seconds to a minute would work quite well.

I understand what you mean but even 30 secs is still pretty long to wait, its not like you have actual interactions other than the initial command during the process. What if you hit it by mistake? Then youll have to wait for a full minute for a full cycle. Even for being a milsim, you still have to think gameplay-wise and i dont think many players will appreciate such delay.

[R. Brown 10]

I understand what you mean but even 30 secs is still pretty long to wait, its not like you have actual interactions other than the initial command during the process. What if you hit it by mistake? Then youll have to wait for a full minute for a full cycle. Even for being a milsim, you still have to think gameplay-wise and i dont think many players will appreciate such delay.

Well "I think" That "i" would like it very much, But "I" can only speak for "myself".

[x hunter33 10]

Well "I think" That "i" would like it very much, But "I" can only speak for "myself".

Fine with me <3

[BlackViperGaming 3]

I would also like to suggest that you can only fold when the engines are stopped and the speed is 0.

[sakura_chan 9]

oh look an update worthy of April Fools day

I spent a few free hours on the hardest to draw, most difficult to animate thing on almost any model: windshield wipers

(still missing a few details like the pivot arms and wiper rests)

What makes them so difficult is that they are always "off axis" ie rotated at some arbitrary angle. Lining them up on the model is difficult in and of itself, but it is a real pain to animate them for 2 reasons. One, because they are off axis you pretty much have to guess where the axises go and "walk it in" to get them to rotate correctly. Two, wipers move in three axis: the rotating "motor" axis as it goes up and down; the arm's vertical spring loaded axis as the arm follows the uneven curved surface of the wind screen; the wiper blade pivot axis as the actual wiper conforms to the window. It is pretty finicky to line everything up, but ArmA's animation system is pretty robust and I was able to get a fairly decent result. There is a great command in o2 called "look at face" that rotates the view to look directly at a face, which can then be used to rotate an object along its relative axis even if it is off axis in the model. It made lining up the wiper downright easy compared to the repeated trial and error technique.

I've been doing a lot of reading and researching on the Osprey, and I have changed or removed almost every detail and animation on the original model at this point. I've also got trackIR working well with it, it is neat to lean over and look down the cargo area behind you, especially when you have a troop load. More later!

bee tee dubs:

Check out this article, it gives a great impression of what flying an Osprey would feel like.

http://breakingdefense.com/2012/09/flying-the-osprey-is-not-dangerous-just-different-veteran-pilo/

Its really interesting about how the center of gravity changes as it switches flight modes.

I applied some of the techniques from the article to my flying, and it really helped with my crashing and slow takeoff. basically the trick is to keep the nose up when you accelerate in flight mode, otherwise it just sinks or slows down. Using a rolling landing also makes it easier, if you have the room of course. The Osprey has a plane-based cockpit so there isn't any visibility beneath you. If you have trackIR you can look to the side,there is a small window by your feet that gives you a little better view, but generally I just use the flir.

[mistyronin 1181]

Wow, that is detail!

Can't wait to fly it!

Edited April 1, 2014 by MistyRonin

[raptor 6 actual 13]

Great news there Sakura Chan, keep up the great work.

[SxepTicon 10]

Good news thanks!

Did you choose what flightmodel you use? (PhysX)

Great artikel btw thanks for sharing.

[JamesSaga 1]

Interesting read, cant wait to use this.

Thank you for your hard work. :)

[LykosMactire 298]

Cant wait to see how you have improved this and AI functionality with it

[Laqueesha 474]

Looking good! Who needs Flight Simulator X when you've got this! :)

[BlackViperGaming 3]

Quick question; will the wipers actually have any effect on visibility? I haven't tested it yet but does rain actually create an effect on glass or windshields? Would be really cool if it actually did.

[PVT Watt.J 14]

My level of anticipation for this simply could not be any higher, with or without weapons systems/windshield wipers.

[AveryTheKitty 2626]

Hey could I use the MV22 and C130 for my mod, Joint Operations, once you are finished?

I plan to use them for my US faction.

[BlackViperGaming 3]

Have you been able to implement a fold rotor useraction yet? With a certain timer on it? Just curious.