Community Upgrade Project - CUP

[IndeedPete 1038]

Yeah, that's true. The civillian assets are poor if anything. It's impossible to create believable background scenes for mission creators. All the buildings are empty and the few civies look like they're on vacation 365 days a year (aside from that one worker jumpsuit guy). Even the official campaign fells dead empty when it comes to interactions with civillians. Unlike Arma 2 where both in OA (PMC)) and the vanilla campaign civillians were encountered in various missions. And sometimes took minor roles in the story.

I don't really know if it's a bad thing that the different sides share similiar vehicles (parts). I.e., considering that today's car manufacturers use modular approaches as well to save cost while offering a large variety of configurable vehicles with standard parts produced en masse why shouldn't arms manufacturers do the same? I know, it was probably not BI's intention to draw that particular picture but it's what I tell myself to justify the similarity between the factions' vehicles. Still, there's few vanilla content compared to A2. And some questionable choices as well: The AAF does not have AA or Arty vehicles. Doesn't make much sense in my opinion. NATO and CSAT both have no dedicated AA planes. Therefore we got that diving stuff but that's also just one suit, a vest, goggles and a submarine - all in different paint jobs. (Hell, divers from all sides share exactly the same rifle...) And rarely used in user missions from what I can see. Diving doesn't offer much potential for longer missions and even in the East Wind there was not a single underwater combat (even worse when considering that diving was sold as key feature for Arma 3).

Guerillas are compared to NAPA a disappointment as well. Indeed, BI could just give them repainted "captured" AAF vehicles. Easiest solution and a believable one as well. Even the campaign would have profited from that idea by adding some more combined arms / vehicle aspects to it.

And lets not talk about the drones. A huge potential wasted. They could have done so much with the future setting in combination with drones and cyber warfare. Yet, Arma 3 plays like Arma 2. Game mechanics and content don't really live up to that futuristic setting. It's still the best Arma game up to this day though and I have happily "wasted" over 1500 hours with it. :)

[drebin052 323]

Therefore we got that diving stuff but that's also just one suit, a vest, goggles and a submarine - all in different paint jobs. (Hell, divers from all sides share exactly the same rifle...)

The next stable branch update will at least give us unique tracer colours for each side's static HMGs and UGVs. Hopefully this will lead to faction-specific static weapons/drones (and diver gear) further down the track sometime before the expansion hits.

[Alwarren 2767]

I don't really know if it's a bad thing that the different sides share similiar vehicles (parts). I.e., considering that today's car manufacturers use modular approaches as well to save cost while offering a large variety of configurable vehicles with standard parts produced en masse why shouldn't arms manufacturers do the same?

Because arms manufacturing isn't a market like cars. I mean, granted, the AAF is an independent faction that would probably go and buy (and actually receive) weapons from around the world. But CSAT? If you look at the world today, it's basically a large western weapons industry, eastern industry, and a few scattered, smaller industries. China for example uses some Russian but mostly their own equipment. A lot of middle-eastern nations use Russian equipment. CSAT would, given the projected economical situation, developed their own program. They do have their own vehicles. They are just using the same turrets, and the same ammunition, and i find that more than questionable.

Therefore we got that diving stuff but that's also just one suit, a vest, goggles and a submarine - all in different paint jobs. (Hell, divers from all sides share exactly the same rifle...) And rarely used in user missions from what I can see. Diving doesn't offer much potential for longer missions and even in the East Wind there was not a single underwater combat (even worse when considering that diving was sold as key feature for Arma 3).

There are a number of major flaws with the underwater stuff. For one thing, the AI doesn't see the water, but it sees you. Everyone will immediately detect you, even if you are swimming in deep water, because the water doesn't limit their detection. There is also no real point in underwater combat, since the ranges are too short. There are no shoulder-launched torpedos, or any sort of submarines to mention. There are no boardable ships, no off-shore oil rigs, but it would all be wasted anyway since a covered approach underwater is simply impossible.

Guerillas are compared to NAPA a disappointment as well. Indeed, BI could just give them repainted "captured" AAF vehicles. Easiest solution and a believable one as well. Even the campaign would have profited from that idea by adding some more combined arms / vehicle aspects to it.

My point exactly. Recently I was doing a mission were players are AAF and the opponents are FIA. It is hard to balance that because the AAF has IFV's while the best that the FIA can offer are technicals. FIA doesn't even have static machine guns, I used the NATO ones.

It's still the best Arma game up to this day though and I have happily "wasted" over 1500 hours with it. :)

Almost at 2000 hours myself. People tend to call me a hater for criticism on some aspects of the game. I still love it :) And the content gap is my major motivation for sinking a load of time into CUP.

[serjames 357]

but... but.. we have bipods....

;-)

[chortles 263]

NATO and CSAT both have no dedicated AA planes.

To be fair, this one is perfectly consistent with both BI's stance for over a decade (in the sense that it's not worse than Arma 2) and arguably justifiable within gameplay, as has been discussed more than once outside of this thread...

Guerillas are compared to NAPA a disappointment as well. Indeed, BI could just give them repainted "captured" AAF vehicles. Easiest solution and a believable one as well. Even the campaign would have profited from that idea by adding some more combined arms / vehicle aspects to it.

Campaign spoilers and cynicism follow:

Maybe the reason that NATO was going to drawdown was because they thought that FIA sucked 'enough' that AAF could definitely take care of them, if they didn't even have captured armor by this point? 'Course, then AAF itself became the problem... :p But yeah, I tended to interpret the FIA's Editor-available classes as implying "they are that screwed".

Because arms manufacturing isn't a market like cars. I mean, granted, the AAF is an independent faction that would probably go and buy (and actually receive) weapons from around the world. But CSAT? If you look at the world today, it's basically a large western weapons industry, eastern industry, and a few scattered, smaller industries. China for example uses some Russian but mostly their own equipment. A lot of middle-eastern nations use Russian equipment. CSAT would, given the projected economical situation, developed their own program. They do have their own vehicles. They are just using the same turrets, and the same ammunition, and i find that more than questionable.

Agreed on the turrets, even if they only differed in outward appearance/displayName and were otherwise identical for gameplay purposes (i.e. same stats), while I'm admittedly not bothered by similar-to-practically-identical ammo considering that the PRC has an arms industry that could make 5.56 mm weapons and ammo if the PLA wanted them to replace 5.8 x 42 mm, so there's no reason to imagine that CSAT would be incapable of following suit with 6.5 mm in the Armaverse timeline.

[Varanon 892]

To be fair, this one is perfectly consistent with both BI's stance for over a decade ...

Yeah, everything can be explained, argued, understood and what have you. I understand the decisions, but that doesn't mean I have to cheer them

[R0adki11 3949]

off topic posts removed, the troll has also been removed from the forums permanently.

Edited May 8, 2015 by R0adki11

[ineptaphid 6413]

Hey guys I just came here from the AiA forum.i didnt know it had shut down!i hope you are not having them same awful financial/workload strainand if you are please let us know so we can up the donations.Now that AiA is finished -is anyone working on porting A2's campaign?I know it is not on your agenda but I thought this was the place to ask.I never finished playing it and find it hard to go back to A2 from 3 now.

Also I totally agree with earlier posts about the civilian issue-it really breaks immersion when you see a load of tourists strolling around a war zone lol.A2's civi's were believable-i remember talking to that woman at the bus stop in Chernagorsk when looking for the war criminal.

[evromalarkey 150]

No porting campaigns is not planned, but once the previous Arma content is ported, there is a big possibility that someone will do it. Because campaigns and missions highly relies on Arma 2 content and classnames.

Btw AiA TP is not gone, the work continues under CUP Terrain Pack - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?190329-Community-Upgrade-Project-CUP_Terrains

[ineptaphid 6413]

Thanks for the quick reply.thats great to hear about CUP terrain pack-was not aware.I do hope someone makes A2's campaign.it was started on the steam workshop-just the first mission,but I'm not sure if that is continuing.Thanks again!

[breeze 0]

Are there any plans to port over the terrorist models from OA??

[Alwarren 2767]

Are there any plans to port over the terrorist models from OA??

As has been said repeatedly, we're aiming at porting everything that was in Arma 2, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, Arma 2: British Armed Forces, Arma 2: Private Military Company and Arma 2: Army of the Czech Republic.That means, yes, if it was in any of those, the plan is to port it over.

[mdtorch 39]

Simply love your mod and the whole project, thx a lot to you guys! But... is it just me or is there a bug since the marksmen-DLC, causing my rifleman to sink under the surface when I try to make use of weapon deployment (resting on the ground) wit CUP-weapons? Is there a hotfix around? And another question... (hope you guys won't be mad with me) - I see the CUP weapons thread here, and a CUP-mappack thread in the discussionsection of the forum, but no CUP vehicle thread? I simply cant wait for the release of the CUP vehicles and kept looking for some information - but didnt find any. Is it on hold?

[motherfuckerjones 10]

No porting campaigns is not planned, but once the previous Arma content is ported, there is a big possibility that someone will do it. Because campaigns and missions highly relies on Arma 2 content and classnames.

Btw AiA TP is not gone, the work continues under CUP Terrain Pack - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?190329-Community-Upgrade-Project-CUP_Terrains

Im actually willing to port the campaigns and/or help with porting them once CUP is updated

[Alwarren 2767]

Simply love your mod and the whole project, thx a lot to you guys! But... is it just me or is there a bug since the marksmen-DLC, causing my rifleman to sink under the surface when I try to make use of weapon deployment (resting on the ground) wit CUP-weapons? Is there a hotfix around?

This is a general problem with weapons that don't have bipods. We're currently updating the pack to the new Marksmen DLC features like the bipods, but that takes a while - it's just a lot of them.

And another question... (hope you guys won't be mad with me) - I see the CUP weapons thread here, and a CUP-mappack thread in the discussionsection of the forum, but no CUP vehicle thread? I simply cant wait for the release of the CUP vehicles and kept looking for some information - but didnt find any. Is it on hold?

That thread will come. The current plan is:

- Update the weapons to Marksmen DLC

- Split the dummy infantry off the weapons into a separate pack (Infantry Pack), and start adding the ported units (we have a couple of them finished already that we will add

- Release the weapons pack, infantry pack and vehicle packs basically at the same time, containing everything we have done up to that point.

Hope that answers it.

[ineptaphid 6413]

Im actually willing to port the campaigns and/or help with porting them once CUP is updated

Oh please do!I never finished A2's campaign and I keep trying to go back but the weird postproccessing blur gives me a headache and I have been spoiled by A3's smoother controls:) that said A2's campaign was much more interesting.

[Varanon 892]

Im actually willing to port the campaigns and/or help with porting them once CUP is updated

I was also considering it. If you're still interested, I suggest we coordinate once the assets are ported so we can work on different campaigns and do not duplicate the work.

[Jona33 51]

Im actually willing to port the campaigns and/or help with porting them once CUP is updated

I've actually remade (and expanded) Into the Storm (finished most of it, needs playing to sort out various bugs) and I started on First to Fight (and a little bit on Manhattan) for RHS, however the way it's set up makes it quite easy to switch to CUP stuff, if you'd like those feel free to let me know, as it is I've got such little ability to finish projects (easily distracted :D) I've no idea if I'd ever get them done.

[ineptaphid 6413]

Hey guys-Im not sure whether to ask this here but I really like your Mk16 EGLM-it handles and looks great and when suppressed it sounds great too.However i cant use it unsuppressed because it's firing sounds are insanely loud and echoing.It sounds like a 50cal. sniper round evry time I pull the trigger with the sound reverberating and echoing.Any plans to tweak this?Thanks again for your hard work!

[Alwarren 2767]

Hey guys-Im not sure whether to ask this here but I really like your Mk16 EGLM-it handles and looks great and when suppressed it sounds great too.However i cant use it unsuppressed because it's firing sounds are insanely loud and echoing.It sounds like a 50cal. sniper round evry time I pull the trigger with the sound reverberating and echoing.Any plans to tweak this?Thanks again for your hard work!

Audio updates for the weapons are in the works, but they will take a while and will certainly not be part of the next update. Sorry 'bout that, the loudness is a general issue but currently there is no easy solution other than to remake all the sounds, which, as I said, is WIP.

[IndeedPete 1038]

I've actually remade (and expanded) Into the Storm (finished most of it, needs playing to sort out various bugs) and I started on First to Fight (and a little bit on Manhattan) for RHS, however the way it's set up makes it quite easy to switch to CUP stuff, if you'd like those feel free to let me know, as it is I've got such little ability to finish projects (easily distracted :D) I've no idea if I'd ever get them done.

That sounds great, chaps! Loved the first missions of Harvest Red (and still play them occasionally). Would love to assist but sadly my time is very limited with the Arma projects I already have on my plate... Anyway, can't wait to see these ported to A3!

[ineptaphid 6413]

Audio updates for the weapons are in the works, but they will take a while and will certainly not be part of the next update. Sorry 'bout that, the loudness is a general issue but currently there is no easy solution other than to remake all the sounds, which, as I said, is WIP.

no problem-i wasnt aware it was an issue.Keep up the good work guys!

[veloxz 15]

I lurked around Alwarrens Steam Workshop page for a bit now and watched this thread from time to time. The work you are accomplishing is astonishing.

I'm mostly hyped for the revamped ChDKZ, British and Russian forces. No doubt.

But most of all i truely hope that you receive adequate credit for your hard work. Thanks to you that ARMA 3 will be the most complete game of the entire series with the CUP project and it's content / further potential!

[breeze 0]

You are right there are so many modders and games that without modders I would not even play anymore. But you are correct they never really recieve the credit they do indeed deserve

[kocrachon 2]

Hey all, I am curious for "sync" purposes, but will the update that makes it work with marksman/bipods be out in the next two weeks? I ask because I like to limit how often I sync my mods with my squad, and I was going to update them here soon unless this is coming out soon, because its one of our main mods. If its a few weeks out I will just push my squads update out soon otherwise.

Not to say "you are not working fast enough" purely out of curiosity.