New terrain reveal - Tanoa

[badluckburt 78]

Thermal Vision, Backup Ironsights, IR Lasers, Gestures, Firing from Vehicles (Or rather a much better analogue).

Thanks, I came in pretty late to the series so I'm not too familiar with most features that were added later. But I can see the merit in bringing up VBS in discussions if these enhancements came from there.

*snort* No kidding, that's why I prefaced my links with "I'd hate to say "VBS has it"" and made sure to point out that it's a third-party thing and not vanilla ("baseline") VBS3, which would be like mistaking community content for vanilla Arma. That, and it's a mission maker/runner thing instead of something that directly changes the user interactive experience except via "my immersion!", and some such third-party 'apps could indeed be essentially shiny GUIs for something that could be meticulously scripted... though after considering Zeus, those are hardly reasons to not want those capabilities!

Alternately, this video highlights how individual AI civilians can be customized via a separate third-party program; the first minute after that roughly corresponds to placing civilians in the Arma series' Editor other than the selection of a "behavior template", but at 1:48 and at 4:25 it goes in a really different direction... and in between those at 2:50 is the use of a GUI for creating/defining conversations and thresholds for specific conversation answers, which is rather different from both VBS3's "vanilla" conversation system (trivia: the GUI is reused for the medical treatment interface), and that used in Arma 2.

Yeah, it was more of an observation. Any discussion on this forum that goes on long enough will get a mention of VBS sooner or later :D

The modules do look impressive but I bet their pricetag does as well :/ Developing a good AI and dialogue system takes so much time, especially if you want to take all the parameters into account. At some point this year I'll have to build one myself for a 2D game engine I'm working on, I may try my hand at an Arma one after that. It's a shame that Arma lacks a variety of civilian animations (maybe the expansion will address some of it) or it could add a lot to the authenticity.

Edited June 15, 2015 by BadLuckBurt

[HorbeySpector 164]

Thermal Vision, Backup Ironsights, IR Lasers, Gestures, Firing from Vehicles (Or rather a much better analogue).

Yep, and fog, clouds and the upcoming water reflections seem to be derived from VBS as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they had help from someone at BIS Simulations. They may be different companies, but eventually they're using a (somewhat) similar engine. No need for BI to re-invent the wheel.

[oggoeg 3]

Good and accessible PVP mp would be great, but machetes and such?

[zukov 483]

there is a jungle environment without machetes and KA Bar? :D

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

Well, just spawn in the APC Gorgon, and you get an entrenching tool and a couple other tools on the side. It's shame you can't grab them and use them. XD

---------- Post added at 14:20 ---------- Previous post was at 14:16 ----------

Yep, and fog, clouds and the upcoming water reflections seem to be derived from VBS as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they had help from someone at BIS Simulations. They may be different companies, but eventually they're using a (somewhat) similar engine. No need for BI to re-invent the wheel.

Erm... If i remember correctly, the Fog/Clouds/Rain come directly from TrueSKY by SimulWeather. That is a thrid party ish tech BIS uses for weather that allows great possibilities, including different cloud levels, mountainous based clouds and more. Alot of this stuff would look amazing and next level in Arma 3... If we weren't stuck with 3-5000 meters of view distance as standard.

The water reflections, i suppose VBS? Or it could have been created in house, or have been worked on for some time by BIStudio. What i would like to see though, is more water options though, for example, being able to make the water calm, almost still. The water used to be able to go very high on the sea state level, don't know exactly what level, i think 5, but that was back in Alpha.

[twisted 127]

Woah. Looks epic

[mistyronin 1181]

i hope in a decent pvp multiplayer, where finally have fun, will have, i repeat, knifes and machetes, more soul to the characters and a class system where don't waste a hour to build your loadout in game.

Well, more vanilla MP modes would be interesting. I personally like the End Game, so something in that direction would be nice for me.

The thing is, if BI doesn't do that, technically the community can.

[zukov 483]

Well, more vanilla MP modes would be interesting. I personally like the End Game, so something in that direction would be nice for me.

The thing is, if BI doesn't do that, technically the community can.

indeed if you think in a endgame in the jungle........ with secret lab.......or temple

[Healbeam 10]

i hope in a decent pvp multiplayer, where finally have fun, will have, i repeat, knifes and machetes, more soul to the characters and a class system where don't waste a hour to build your loadout in game.

Looks like the TacBF mod or Squad will be the right game for you.

[Chairborne 2594]

Well, more vanilla MP modes would be interesting. I personally like the End Game, so something in that direction would be nice for me.

The thing is, if BI doesn't do that, technically the community can.

The solution to every problem in Arma, let the community handle it for you. :rolleyes:

[St. Jimmy 272]

Erm... If i remember correctly, the Fog/Clouds/Rain come directly from TrueSKY by SimulWeather. That is a thrid party ish tech BIS uses for weather that allows great possibilities, including different cloud levels, mountainous based clouds and more. Alot of this stuff would look amazing and next level in Arma 3... If we weren't stuck with 3-5000 meters of view distance as standard.

Man it would be awesome if we could mod some TrueSKY stuff in Arma 3. Even a close to real weather from Limnos with right clouds, fog, vibility etc. could be possible. Something that reads SYNOPs, METARs and/or TAFs and it would be possible to add right clouds at the right levels. Ogimet has a database that goes back to 1999 with SYNOPs. Weatherman's wet dream :p

[HorbeySpector 164]

Erm... If i remember correctly, the Fog/Clouds/Rain come directly from TrueSKY by SimulWeather. That is a thrid party ish tech BIS uses for weather that allows great possibilities, including different cloud levels, mountainous based clouds and more. Alot of this stuff would look amazing and next level in Arma 3... If we weren't stuck with 3-5000 meters of view distance as standard.

Yes it is TrueSKY technology but that still has to be implemented in the RV engine. And BI Simulations (most likely) did that earlier than BI. Therefore it'd make sense if they helped BI implement it in Arma 3.

Also, very much looking forward to the reveal wednesday. :)

[tortuosit 485]

Man it would be awesome if we could mod some TrueSKY stuff in Arma 3. Even a close to real weather from Limnos with right clouds, fog, vibility etc. could be possible. Something that reads SYNOPs, METARs and/or TAFs and it would be possible to add right clouds at the right levels. Ogimet has a database that goes back to 1999 with SYNOPs. Weatherman's wet dream :p

Would "18 days of sunshine w. no clouds in a row" be of any interest for a computer game? Same es in "The Hunter" hunting sim. Can afford 3 hours of gaming... -> Would be "seeing one boar once in 5 hours" be interesting?

The old "Realism vs. gaming" thing... :D Especially if you are adult and cannot afford much time for gaming, those are valid thoughts...

Having said that, I may be narrowing down what Truesky is, have not yet looked, so maybe it is great as you said.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Would "18 days of sunshine w. no clouds in a row" be of any interest for a computer game? Same es in "The Hunter" hunting sim. Can afford 3 hours of gaming... -> Would be "seeing one boar once in 5 hours" be interesting?

Hell, that's a lot of bore for five hours! <- Sorry, just had to pull that one. :D

[tortuosit 485]

Hell, that's a lot of bore for five hours! <- Sorry, just had to pull that one. :D

Indeed, Pete!

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

Yes it is TrueSKY technology but that still has to be implemented in the RV engine. And BI Simulations (most likely) did that earlier than BI. Therefore it'd make sense if they helped BI implement it in Arma 3.

Also, very much looking forward to the reveal wednesday. :)

Are you sure VBS even uses TruSKY? With all the contracting they get i would have expected them to develop their own. XD

[zio sam 77]

LINGOR island for A3 came true!

[bad benson 1733]

I wonder if they still still use the normal map and a more detailed terrain grid, at least with the nm you can add alot details in distance like pic

mother of god! is that data from world machine? looks awesome. too bad you're not releasing stuff anymore :(

[Defunkt 431]

I wonder if they still still use the normal map and a more detailed terrain grid, at least with the nm you can add alot details in distance like pic

I don't make terrains but as I understand it the normal map mainly serves to make the relief respond to different lighting conditions. We don't really have a problem with the distances shown in your picture (nice as it is), the satmap at that range always looks decent, it's closer in (like in the light aircraft picture) where the terrain system hasn't really shone in A2/A3.

[vran. 13]

Yep, and fog, clouds and the upcoming water reflections seem to be derived from VBS as well.

You sure about that? :p

Yet again the visionarism of OFP proves true... ;)

[frostwyrm333 1]

Water reflections in OFP were only possible with dxdll as far as I remember.

Love to see people complaining less than a day before the first announcement. That was fast.

[bad benson 1733]

I don't make terrains but as I understand it the normal map mainly serves to make the relief respond to different lighting conditions. We don't really have a problem with the distances shown in your picture (nice as it is), the satmap at that range always looks decent, it's closer in (like in the light aircraft picture) where the terrain system hasn't really shone in A2/A3.

what he did there is make a normal map from the same height data as the height map originates from. the difference is that the normal map can have a higher resolution. so while the engine uses a smoother less detailed image to generate the terrain mesh from, the normal map will, given the right lighting conditions, create the illusion that the terrain mesh is more detailed than it actually is. which is pretty awesome and valuable in itself.

you are right about closer distances being another problem though. the above described method is still very awesome and useful though. especially considering that most (if not all) satellite fotos of rough mountains are full of shadows which often requires faking the area with flatter not original data or having ugly dark areas (like sadly some armverse maps). this is the cure for it. not used by many sadly.

still not fixing the midrange stuff. agreed.

sorry about going on about it. it's just something i messed with and that fascinates me and should totally be used more by terrain makers. ;)

[Defunkt 431]

what he did there is make a normal map from the same height data as the height map originates from. the difference is that the normal map can have a higher resolution. so while the engine uses a smoother less detailed image to generate the terrain mesh from, the normal map will, given the right lighting conditions, create the illusion that the terrain mesh is more detailed than it actually is.

Sure, a normal map can introduce relief (for the benefit of lighting) at a higher resolution than the mesh (that's what normal maps are for) but can the normal map have a higher resolution than the sat-map? Because that's the only thing that would allow it to add details over and above what's in the diffuse, otherwise it's irrelevant to what we both agree is far and away the biggest issue; the middle distance where the resolution of the sat map (with or without a normal map of the same resolution) is blotchy.

[ineptaphid 6413]

While I am excited for the new Island9and more excited for a new campaign0I still feel from those pics we saw that this place will have the too-clean feel of Altis.Compared to Chernarus,with its grungy grey buidings,over grown factories and graffiti on walls,along with its hardened looking civilians,A3 looks a bit...cheery.All buildings are like architects models-very little wear and tear or variation,no graffiti or vandalism(after a civil war!!!) and all the male civilians on their party cruise.No workers,priests,drivers,or anything that A2 had...Well heres hoping it will be remedied by Bohemia before the CUP is left to pick up the slack again.There is a fine line between supporting mods,and leaving important features out because you think the modders will handle it.They cant do everything-we still have no female civilians.

[Ezcoo 47]

Wow, the map exceeds even my wildest expectations. I'm hyped :cool: