Arma 3 Roadmap for 2015. Likes & Dislikes.

[esfumato 75]

I have read the roadmap for Arma III about what are the future plans for the game. So lets take a look about what do you guys likes and dislike.

http://arma3.com/news/scanning-the-horizon-arma-3-in-2015

Marksmen DLC.

1.) we plan to introduce 7 new weapons: 5 rifles and 2 machine guns, new attachments and ghillie suits.

-Good!

2.) brand new MP mode.

-Even better!

3.) Virtual Arsenal will be extended to include vehicles.

-Not a big deal, but good.

4.) Weapon Resting describes the 'passive' benefit of a player's weapon above a stable surface.

-SoOoOoO GoOoOoOod!. But! in my opinion, this will need the redo of the windows of all buidlings.

5.) Weapon Deployment describes an 'active' choice. Using attachments like bipods, players create a dynamic pivot point, around which their weapon is aimed and discharged, within an arc of fire.

- Finally!

6.) "...improvements to certain aspects of audio, AI, and the handling of recoil more broadly."

-They are on it! but maybe it is not finall so :(

7.) "...scripted solutions to common multiplayer needs, such as incapacitation and revival."

-I'm fine with BTC revive mod but lets see.

Platform Updates.

1.)"...addon 'dependencies'"

-good

2.)"Improving the experience of identifying and, ultimately, automating the installation of required addons.

-Good, but needs some kind of control because mods and addons can be huge downloads.

3.) "...has officially started on a 3D editor."

-Great! GREAT!

4.) Backwards compatibility, too, is a priority.

- Great, but out of time. there are out there some mods with similar content as old games that are already done and released that are superior to the old content. for example, http://www.rhsmods.org/. Will be good only for the terrains.

5.) overhauling the server browser.

-Better Filters for servers please!

6.) in-game interactions and controls, and communications. Yes! no more planting bombs while trying to open a door!. And, the comunication menus are horrible and useless in multiplayer. Should be nice to use the game voices in multiplayer as red orchestra.

7.) addressing existing issues, including the continued optimization of servers, network traffic, and multi-threading.

I can't believe it

Expansion

1.)A new terrain remains our main priority.

Good, but in my opinion that is a very basic feature to make an expansion worth buying. I haven't almost played on altis!, and some features off ArmA III haven't been used like diving... The expansion needs boats as vehiclesor something like that.

[Westonsammy 1]

Were there any dislikes in the list? I couldn't find them xD

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

Were there any dislikes in the list? I couldn't find them xD

Theoretically, you can't dislike additions to the game, especially if those additions are designed to make It better. However I can list one thing someone is going to bring up regardless, being the price of the DLC/Expasnion. That'll need get old. I like everything I've heard so far, and apparently, what they've mentioned to us is only, "tip of the Iceberg". That'd be a major like in my opinion.

[gibonez 18]

Platform Updates.

1.)"...addon 'dependencies'"

-good

[/i]

Anyone care to explain to me what that means ?

[Sniperwolf572 758]

Anyone care to explain to me what that means ?

It's said in context of the launcher. A dependency is "Addon A requires addon B to work".

This is usually handled in a way so when you download addon A, addon B is also automatically downloaded because addon A depends on it to work. Currently, this is not the case within the launcher.

[gibonez 18]

It's said in context of the launcher. A dependency is "Addon A requires addon B to work".

This is usually handled in a way so when you download addon A, addon B is also automatically downloaded because addon A depends on it to work. Currently, this is not the case within the launcher.

Ic that is fantastic. It could hopefully make mods far more accessible to the Arma community.

The amount of people that only play vanilla arma is sad.

[chortles 263]

3.) Virtual Arsenal will be extended to include vehicles.

-Not a big deal, but good.

I disagree with the idea that it's not a big deal, you left out the part about how Virtual Arsenal will be also extended to support DLC contents, without the notorious notifications... a pretty important one in my book! It really sounds like a new Armory! (Albeit with the Challenges being in a separate Play category.)

4.) Weapon Resting describes the 'passive' benefit of a player's weapon above a stable surface.

-SoOoOoO GoOoOoOod!. But! in my opinion, this will need the redo of the windows of all buidlings.

Presumably BI's got some far less work-intensive method, considering just how many surfaces could possibly be used for resting a weapon?

5.) Weapon Deployment describes an 'active' choice. Using attachments like bipods, players create a dynamic pivot point, around which their weapon is aimed and discharged, within an arc of fire.

- Finally!

Hopefully this also means that BI will "break" the old hardcoded limit of only three attachment slots to finally support underbarrel attachments, which should finally allow the separation of UGLs. (I say this because I've noticed that existing mods have used the "side" attachment slot, which prevented simultaneous use of laser or light attachments.)

6.) "...improvements to certain aspects of audio, AI, and the handling of recoil more broadly."

-They are on it! but maybe it is not finall so :(

Two words: "no promises". On the other hand, the audio changes are already available to try on dev branch, there was an OPREP about it. :) (A Redditor posted a text version with direct links to the included Mk20 samples.) Also, the 21 January 2015 dev branch build added a new "aiRateOfFireDispersion" parameter which affected AI shooting behavior (apparently more noticeable at longer ranges than close).

7.) "...scripted solutions to common multiplayer needs, such as incapacitation and revival."

-I'm fine with BTC revive mod but lets see.

Personally it sounds like BI's got their schedule more organized than they did in 2013 (when they were very, very obviously prioritizing "medical system" far less than vocal community members did) and so have decided to finally get around to the idea, perhaps an Editor module successor to the A2 medic module? (It should be admitted that some of said members had been asking that BI to at least include the old A2 module, even if it wasn't improved.)

Platform Updates.

1.)"...addon 'dependencies'"

-good

2.)"Improving the experience of identifying and, ultimately, automating the installation of required addons.

-Good, but needs some kind of control because mods and addons can be huge downloads.

Hopefully this is will be expanded to both the Launcher and Steam Workshop as well, to say nothing of other improvements such as multi-PBO support. We're two years removed from the decision to go Steamworks, and we might as well get the maximum benefit out of that arrangement!

3.) "...has officially started on a 3D editor."

-Great! GREAT!

Like I crowed almost a year ago, I knew that Zeus was going to pay dividends down the line! :D That is to say, although creative director Jay Crowe (RoyaltyinExile here) declared up-front that Zeus was a real-time-only thing, I predicted early on that if the devs got around to a 3D editor, it would be at least somewhat descended from Zeus, and the roadmap (not this "Scanning the Horizon" devblog) specifically says that this was "Building on our experience with Zeus". (I'll note as well that in lieu of this quite a few people had been calling for the devs to at least allow saving of Zeus compositions or they were using MCC+Zeus, so well was the Zeus UI set up.)

4.) Backwards compatibility, too, is a priority.

- Great, but out of time. there are out there some mods with similar content as old games that are already done and released that are superior to the old content. for example, http://www.rhsmods.org/. Will be good only for the terrains.

I believe that you're mistaking what the devblog meant -- this presumably has nothing to do with A2 content and everything to do with ensuring that missions/templates created with the existing 2D editor can be loaded/previewed/edited/exported with the 3D editor.

6.) in-game interactions and controls, and communications. Yes! no more planting bombs while trying to open a door!. And, the comunication menus are horrible and useless in multiplayer. Should be nice to use the game voices in multiplayer as red orchestra.

What do you mean as far as the game voices?

While this is more about commanding than about "interaction" (of self with objects), let me point you to the 20 January 2015 dev branch build, which included "config support for the dehardcoding of the number keys and function keys" (which caused the RMB issue that you may see mentioned, as "key bindings are stored in your profile and can't be influenced by the devs"; one dev's suggested fix was to select the Arma 3 keybinds preset, though manually deleting the keybind in the profile also resolved a player's case). This stands out to me in no small part because it sounds like the "dehardcoding" was the first step needed to make a group command UI overhaul happen.

Heck, from back in the early days of Zeus here was a waypoint menu that could hopefully be repurposed as a basis for real-time group commanding; as-is it'd be all options-clicking but at least they'd all be right there and not nestled inside menus...

Expansion

1.)A new terrain remains our main priority.

Good, but in my opinion that is a very basic feature to make an expansion worth buying. I haven't almost played on altis!, and some features off ArmA III haven't been used like diving... The expansion needs boats as vehiclesor something like that.

I can't agree -- it makes sense for BI to prioritize the terrain in promoting the Expansion because it's the only confirmed new item in said Expansion... project lead DnA already admitted that some stuff's gone back or forth between inclusion in Marksmen (presumably meaning the platform update) and Expansion, so it seems to me that Expansion isn't set in stone enough yet, unfortunately. It seems that features improvement will be a "core game" thing since the Expansion is not standalone (and therefore not essentially a "Arma 2 do-over" like OA), so what else can BI promote about it but content? And if the only "definitely in Expansion" content is the terrain...

I'd like to see the maritime dimension expanded too, but right now the current dev leadership seems to have the same biases as they did in previous games towards the infantry scale (IRL the range of "short"-range air-to-air missiles can exceed an Arma map's length!) and towards infantry-related platforms... the more directly-related the better, it seems. At least if the game supported (or the new terrain includes) airtight underwater buildings, then there'd be both more to do underwater and reason to use unmodded SDVs (in a scenario concept) besides simulating a landing...

Theoretically, you can't dislike additions to the game, especially if those additions are designed to make It better. However I can list one thing someone is going to bring up regardless, being the price of the DLC/Expasnion. That'll need get old. I like everything I've heard so far, and apparently, what they've mentioned to us is only, "tip of the Iceberg". That'd be a major like in my opinion.

The price of Marksmen is already set at $15.99 by itself with the DLC Bundle being $24.99, so only the Expansion is unknown.

[dnk 13]

1.) we plan to introduce 7 new weapons: 5 rifles and 2 machine guns, new attachments and ghillie suits.

Is this 5 rifle PLATFORMS or just 5 rifles total? What I mean is that the MX platform has several variants, so would we be getting like a G36 platform, an HK41x platform, an M-x platform, an AK platform, or just 5 specific guns only?

Just 7 guns would be quite a letdown. And what attachments are left other than bipods and a handgrip? I guess those two would be nice to have. Maybe a masterkey?

2.) brand new MP mode.

Well, okay, that will be open to everyone right?

5.) overhauling the server browser.

Yes thank you finally.

6.) in-game interactions and controls, and communications.

Please do it right this time.

1.)A new terrain remains our main priority.

I'm preparing to be fully let down by this, so meh. It seems they want to do Altis Part II in Albania.

[gibonez 18]

Just 7 guns would be quite a letdown. And what attachments are left other than bipods and a handgrip? I guess those two would be nice to have. Maybe a masterkey?

.

I would assume its new optics and bipods as attachments.

If they go this route they can come up with cool attachments such as a Fire controlled airbursting under barreled grenade launcher like the ISraeli MPRS program.

I just hope they dont add anything cheesy like tracking point scopes .

http://m.mirtesen.ru/groups/30102772888/blog/43090016304

http://i.imgur.com/B2orIoW.jpg (185 kB)

This also begs the 2nd question I have. It is the year 2030 yet medium velocity 40mm grenades are not in service yet ?

Those are set to enter service soon increasing the max range to over 800m.

Edited January 30, 2015 by gibonez

[jakerod 254]

I'm preparing to be fully let down by this, so meh. It seems they want to do Altis Part II in Albania.

Why do I keep hearing Albania from people?

I think it is far more likely to be in Asia. Don't know for sure but there are more hints pointing to Asia/Oceana than Albania that I have seen but I don't pay that much attention these days. So why does everyone think Albania?

[drebin052 324]

Why do I keep hearing Albania from people?

Probably because of that "leak" on reddit from a former BI employee...take that as you will.

Complete bollocks if you ask me.

[gibonez 18]

Say the game takes place in Albania what is wrong with Albania ?

The environment looks quite nice.

[drebin052 324]

Say the game takes place in Albania what is wrong with Albania ?

The environment looks quite nice.

There isn't anything wrong with Albania.

It's just that a Pacific island or SCS country would make far more sense since it would be more in line with the 2035 Armaverse setting. I know this might not sound important to MP-exclusive players, but I'm sure there's plenty of SP players who want an expansion campaign that actually continues the storyline and settings in a proper manner instead of deviating.

But then again this is just speculation at the end of the day. We'll find out soon enough when BI decides gives us some official hints.

[the_demongod 31]

There isn't anything wrong with Albania.

That's not entirely true, from what I've heard, Albania's terrain is quite similar to Altis's and people are tired of fighting on such flat ground.

[Von Quest 1163]

Would love to see some fictional DLC Maps from Bohemia Interactive.

Atmospheric archetype maps like Jungle/Swamps and Arctic Map.

Both complete with weather and unique features specific to the maps.

[Ckrauslo 12]

Agreed with goblin

[il_padrino 1530]

That's not entirely true, from what I've heard, Albania's terrain is quite similar to Altis's and people are tired of fighting on such flat ground.

Uhm, not exactly true. Besides the southern coast which has somewhat Mediteranian look, most of Albania looks like this.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Albania_pasture.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YQWdXB7.png

So yeah, I'm all for a terrain set in Balkans :)

[KeyCat 131]

That's not entirely true, from what I've heard, Albania's terrain is quite similar to Altis's and people are tired of fighting on such flat ground.

I would say they are wrong ;)

/KC

[Janez 531]

Atmospheric archetype maps like Jungle/Swamps

And reduce MP FPS from 10 to 5? :couch:

[Smokey101 10]

Wouldn't mind a proper precision rifle like the L115 from the CUP pack in the marksman dlc, pretty sure I saw another anti-material rifle though.

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

Wouldn't mind a proper precision rifle like the L115 from the CUP pack in the marksman dlc, pretty sure I saw another anti-material rifle though.

That would be the MRAD. One can dream.

---------- Post added at 20:51 ---------- Previous post was at 20:49 ----------

Uhm, not exactly true. Besides the southern coast which has somewhat Mediteranian look, most of Albania looks like this.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Albania_pasture.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YQWdXB7.png

So yeah, I'm all for a terrain set in Balkans :)

I absolutely LOVE it. I would love flying fast and making hard turns in the mountains with some fixed wing. Feel kinda like the Mach loop but more intense, and would bring a massive dynamic to combined arms, setting up FOB's and and doing operations, scouts in the mountains, patrol boats for the rivers, it would be insanely cool. Not to mention the new fog, and low clouds would look STULLER on a map like this.

[dnk 13]

That's not entirely true, from what I've heard, Albania's terrain is quite similar to Altis's and people are tired of fighting on such flat ground.

Bingo.

Uhm, not exactly true. Besides the southern coast which has somewhat Mediteranian look, most of Albania looks like this.

Except that's not where they're setting it. The leak had it set in Lushnje/Fier/Kavaje area, which is pretty much EXACTLY like Altis.

It's a large, flat farmland area with small towns and villages spread out, the largest of which is still just mostly 2- and 3-story Mediterranean style houses, with a long coast, and a few hills in the middle, plus a really neat-o floodplain in one spot, and a few mountians in one corner in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate around the 40th parallel in Europe. Sound familiar?

[chortles 263]

That's not entirely true, from what I've heard, Albania's terrain is quite similar to Altis's and people are tired of fighting on such flat ground.

The good news is that Jay/RoyaltyinExile wrote over a year ago that "we'll build a new terrain. Our objective is to produce something truly distinctive: an entirely different feeling to that of Altis, Takistan or Chernarus."

Bingo.

Except that's not where they're setting it. The leak had it set in Lushnje/Fier/Kavaje area, which is pretty much EXACTLY like Altis.

Depends on how much you believe that the "leak" came from an actual (much less in-the-know) dev; Nullrick called "definitely crap" on it back at the beginning of October, and there was even some accompanying discussion on that page.

[Sterlingarcherz101 15]

The good news is that Jay/RoyaltyinExile wrote over a year ago that "we'll build a new terrain. Our objective is to produce something truly distinctive: an entirely different feeling to that of Altis, Takistan or Chernarus."Depends on how much you believe that the "leak" came from an actual (much less in-the-know) dev; Nullrick called "definitely crap" on it back at the beginning of October, and there was even some accompanying discussion on that page.

From when I read royals mail I figured Asia just like single player missions might suggest.

[chompster 29]

we did it guys, it only took about 10 years.. but we did it! finally we're getting some of the basic/no-brainer features to arma we've always wanted and other games have had for just as long!!

Wonder if you'll be able to rest launchers..

Edited March 6, 2015 by Chompster