Weapon sounds affected by suppressors change in 1.23

[pettka 694]

Dear community members.

We are planning to release quite a big change to current muzzle accessory system in Arma 3 and it requires some changes in configs.

Weapons are not going to have any sound nor animation (including muzzle flash) if they are not configured properly. The configuration is pretty easy, it's just about copying sound parameters into a subclass of the weapon.

I have tried to document it to the best of my abilities on Community wiki, let me, please, know if there is anything missing :icon_twisted:

The point of this change is that, we are going to be able to define weapon-specific sounds for silenced weapons and it is going to solve some strange issues with weapon fire modes changing with suppressors. The change is going to take place on Monday 23. 6. 2014 in development branch; I am sorry for such a short notice but we wanted to let you know well before the Bootcamp update so that you can prepare your mods :icon_twisted:

/// Edit: Made clear that the change is going to hit development branch first.

Edited June 19, 2014 by pettka

[maturin 12]

Awesome! Any chance we could get subsonic ammo brought back, with different sounds for suppressed supersonic and suppressed subsonic?

[roberthammer 582]

Hmm , sounds cool

also this means that - 1 suppressor will be enough for 5 types of 5.56 rifles that uses different recoils and fire rates? and that will be more universal and realistic?

also what about flash hiders? this command sets the ambient light from muzzle flash> fireLightCoef = 0.1f; ?

Edited June 19, 2014 by RobertHammer

[da12thMonkey 1943]

fireLightCoef =

dispersionCoef =

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!

Seriously, I've been dreaming of these parameters being added since the Alpha - They could offer up a great deal of flexibility for having things like carrying spare MG barrels and having modular weapons that can have changable barrel lengths, rather than just making the muzzle slot more or less only useful for suppressors

Ed:-

I'm guessing there is a significance to the lower case "f" placed at the end of the config values?

Such as:

recoilCoef = 1.0f;

recoilProneCoef = 1.0f;

Is it needed there in addition to the plain old numerical multiplier?

Edited June 19, 2014 by da12thMonkey

[pettka 694]

I'm guessing there is a significance to the lower case "f" placed at the end of the config values?

Such as:

recoilCoef = 1.0f;

recoilProneCoef = 1.0f;

Is it needed there in addition to the plain old numerical multiplier?

It just denotes that it's a float value, our programmers use it all the time to make us sure :icon_twsited:

[seba1976 98]

Whatever you do, please don't render suppressed weapons useless again like in A2.

[Brisse 78]

Thanks for letting us know pettka. Looks like I have a lot of work to do. Better get to it :)

[maturin 12]

Whatever you do, please don't render suppressed weapons useless again like in A2.

All you had to do was change magazines and A2's suppressed weapons suddenly had no drawbacks.

[Kerc Kasha 102]

This is an amazing change. But will this fix Muzzle devices always remove the lighting caused by the muzzle flash? While it's fine for suppressor stuff like flash hiders or other devices should still have some sort of light created

[x3kj 1247]

Nice change... now the only thing that is missing for weapons are proxies for magazines, so we can have different looking magazines...

[maddogx 13]

The key seems to be this part:

soundTypeIndex = SilencerSound; // index of sound in sounds[] in weapon modes (inherited 1 from parent class)

Presumably we can define more indexes than just SilencerSound, right?

[da12thMonkey 1943]

This is an amazing change. But will this fix Muzzle devices always remove the lighting caused by the muzzle flash? While it's fine for suppressor stuff like flash hiders or other devices should still have some sort of light created

I can't imagine BIS would add a class MuzzleCoef parameter like 'fireLightCoef', if there was no firelight effect to modify when the muzzle device was attached.

It's quite obviously a coefficient to modify the base weapon's fireLightIntensity value (the value that determines how bright the weapon's flash is to begin with). So I guess for a full suppressor that totally kills all light emitted from the muzzle, one could add fireLightCoef = 0.0f; (behold the floaty 'f' :icon_twisted:), fireLightCoef = 1.0f; for a muzzle device that has no effect on the muzzle flash, and for a muzzle device that reduces muzzle flash (maybe a B.E. Meyer type flash eliminator) you could just have fireLightCoef = 0.5f; and it would cut the intensity in half over the weapon's initial fireLightIntensity setting.

I suppose if it's possible to set fireLightCoef > 1; it may also be possible to increase the flash for things like muzzle brakes, which tend to have the effect of increasing the amount of light and noise emitted from the muzzle in addition to reducing the felt recoil IRL. Ingame one would now reduce recoil with the new recoilCoef and recoilProneCoef floats added in class MuzzleCoef).

If MadDogX is correct in his assumptions and you can add more indexes for weapon sounds[] array in addition to the two suggested entries for unsuppressed and suppressed sounds, you might also be able to add an index to increase the amplitude of the muzzle's sound signature, and simulate that effect of the muzzle brake as well. So long as both the host weapon and the attachment are properly configured.

I guess after Monday there are lots of ideas to test on how the function of the weapon's muzzle slot can be utilised.

[roberthammer 582]

@da12thMonkey

if it will be working as you saying then it will be amazing :cool:

Nice change... now the only thing that is missing for weapons are proxies for magazines, so we can have different looking magazines...

I would love to have that magazine proxy - got alot unused magazine models so all ar15 rifles could use them all in full glory (like in dayz sa)

[pettka 694]

Presumably we can define more indexes than just SilencerSound, right?

As many as You like, as far as I know, there may be some limit for the numeric format, size of array or wazzit, but tens of indexes should be safe :icon_twisted:

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Nice change... now the only thing that is missing for weapons are proxies for magazines, so we can have different looking magazines...

+1. Srsly.

[kiory 405]

This is a fantastic addition, much love!

I was wondering though, are you guys looking into adding more ammo/magazine coef options like maybe changing the tracer p3d's etc, also maybe a similar system as the new sound system to change particle effects?

But yea, seriously guys, this is a step in the right direction, thanks so much!

Edited June 20, 2014 by Kiory

[bigpickle 0]

Much needed for weapon makers and simplifying config layout is always a bonus, very good news indeed. Also I'm looking forward to seeing progression with the sound engine.

[Brisse 78]

Okay, so I tested this on todays dev-branch update. All the old configs are now silent but the new ones I made during the weekend with pettka's instructions works as expected. Now I have a few more to do :)

I wonder if vehicles are also affected? Hmm... In that case I have a lot of work to do.

[gossamersolid 155]

Nice change... now the only thing that is missing for weapons are proxies for magazines, so we can have different looking magazines...

Would love to see this finally imemented. It seems like it's in dayz, so maybe we can get it in a3?

[da12thMonkey 1943]

Okay, so I tested this on todays dev-branch update. All the old configs are now silent but the new ones I made during the weekend with pettka's instructions works as expected. Now I have a few more to do :)

I wonder if vehicles are also affected? Hmm... In that case I have a lot of work to do.

Hehe, I'm expecting a few tantrums about this from the non-addonmaking playerbase in the interval where those addon makers take time to update their favourite weapons, soundmods etc. for them, to use the new system.

"Gamebreaker"/"gamebreaking" may be uttered once or twice in the dev branch thread by those ignorant of what the change means :D

It's definitely been a change worth making by BIS in the long run though, so I hope the majority understand and endorse it. And it's not like BIS haven't given everybody sufficient notice before the change is gonna hit stable.

[Kerc Kasha 102]

Okay, so I tested this on todays dev-branch update. All the old configs are now silent but the new ones I made during the weekend with pettka's instructions works as expected. Now I have a few more to do :)

I wonder if vehicles are also affected? Hmm... In that case I have a lot of work to do.

Yeah this is going to be a painful week for me. A lot of busy work ahead

[seba1976 98]

Would someone be kind enough to explain the benefits of this change? I believe the "the non-addonmaking playerbase" is eager to know :).

[Brisse 78]

It is explained in the first post.

"The point of this change is that, we are going to be able to define weapon-specific sounds for silenced weapons and it is going to solve some strange issues with weapon fire modes changing with suppressors."

[seba1976 98]

It is explained in the first post.

"The point of this change is that, we are going to be able to define weapon-specific sounds for silenced weapons"

I thought we already had different sounds for different weapons... So according to that explanation, once suppressed the sound were the same for all, and with this change, every weapon could have a different one, am I correct?

[pettka 694]

Okay, so I tested this on todays dev-branch update. All the old configs are now silent but the new ones I made during the weekend with pettka's instructions works as expected. Now I have a few more to do :)

I wonder if vehicles are also affected? Hmm... In that case I have a lot of work to do.

I am sorry to say that, but it affects both hand weapons and vehicle ones :icon_evil:

On the other hand, the changes are rather easy to do, it just takes some time (took me about two hours to do all A3 weapons in one go) :icon_twisted: