VBS2/3 Discussion thread - the one and only

[Cyper 18]

I don't really know so much about VBS2, but is there anyway for me, as a civilian, to get my hands on it?

[W0lle 1046]

Yes, if you have enough money at hand.

However, if you want to use it only for entertainment it would be a waste of money. And you will not get the pretty models and textures you have in ArmA2/OA. ;)

[johncage 30]

anyone know what happened to that vbs 2 army lite that some army admin guy had been spamming about awhile back?

[W0lle 1046]

The EULA said it is for US Army use only + contractors, so spreading it wasn't allowed.

BIA/BISim guys said the EULA will be changed so everyone can use it but it obviously never happened.

[ben_s 11]

I don't really know so much about VBS2, but is there anyway for me, as a civilian, to get my hands on it?

There's a personal edition of VBS. But I hear its alot differnet from ArmA, and not worth it if you're just a gamer.

[dmarkwick 261]

VBS2 is pretty much a less flexible ArmA2 with a few rather nice features but also some irritating ones. Of the two, I prefer ArmA2. Ironically it can be made more realistic than VBS2 using publicly available mods :) (As can VBS2 but config tweaking is more difficult).

Think of VBS2 as a Mac compared to the ArmA2 PC. One is a stable, rigid install suitable for contracts and one is a flexible anything-goes setup suitable for maximum flexibility.

[zulu1 145]

@johncage

Sergeant

Join Date: Jan 2011

Posts: 199 anyone know what happened to that vbs 2 army lite that some army admin guy had been spamming about a while back?

Are you talking about Jcove...VBS2 lite?

The main site seems to be down but this d/l is still working.

http://www.fileplay.net/f/7603/mirrors

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

Nah, he meant the U.S. Army version. The only people allowed to download that are Active Duty/Reserve military, DoD personnel, and possibly Retired Military, although I cannot confirm the last.

[noubernou 77]

Nah, he meant the U.S. Army version. The only people allowed to download that are Active Duty/Reserve military, DoD personnel, and possibly Retired Military, although I cannot confirm the last.

Its not worth it really, its essential JCOVE with different textures and a Afghanistan map thats... well pretty crap. :p

[kabong 1]

<deleted>

Edited March 25, 2011 by KaBoNG
d'oh! never mind :P

[Big Mac 19]

I prefer ArmA2. Ironically it can be made more realistic than VBS2 using publicly available mods (As can VBS2 but config tweaking is more difficult).

Kinda makes ya wonder why governments won't just put out a biiiggggg order to BIS for copies of ArmA2:CO and then just download ACE like the rest of us. :rolleyes:

[jschwall 10]

Overpriced since the support in pretty much non existant. I ask questions and rarely get a response from bohemia. There is one user on the forums that actually answers questions. Say I need help now. Im in the US and they are all asleep in australlia. So if they do answer an email that day, im at home trying to remember the issue and also trying to think of questions to come up with incase the solution given doesnt work the next day when im sitting in front of it again.

[W0lle 1046]

BISim is located in Florida, not Australia. And if you no support contract then yeah it may take longer then 24h until you get an answer because those with contracts have higher priority.

That there is only one user answering questions in the forums is simply not true. But that's a forum and no realtime chat there.

[walker 0]

Kinda makes ya wonder why governments won't just put out a biiiggggg order to BIS for copies of ArmA2:CO and then just download ACE like the rest of us. :rolleyes:

Hi Big Mac

Because there are quite a few things in there that gamers don't want but military do. And it has the ability to put in other things that are put in by them the customer, eg specifications of equipment that game players wont see because it is confidential. That flexibility could never be in a game as it would be a tool for cheating.

Also The key thing the military want is a stable product. ArmA II is now more or less patched to stability, but all props to the ACE guys, it ain't stable yet.

Using a game like ArmA I which has been stabilized by multiple patches means they don't have the beta testing experience they have with bespoke products, where the level of beta testing, can never match the effect of hundreds of thousands of gamers with an infinity of setups by their very nature testing the engine to destruction. Something a bespoke prime can never either afford to do or would get permission to do.

By buying behind the curve the military get what they want: a mod-able stable platform to train, experiment and rehearse with. They are not so bothered about graphics, its all about training the task.

The fact that VBS has better graphics than even the most expensive billion dollar bespoke simulator is just a bonus. What the military are far more bothered about are the lack of stability capability and mod-ability of the bespoke billion dollar products. When a quarter of the seats are on average down in a multi billion dollar simulation you are loosing a quarter of those billions of dollars of investment.

That a game based simulation works and does what it says on the box more or less every time and when it don't you just install a new one for free; the joys of an enterprise license. Or the company comes along and fixes it often in minutes, sometimes in hours occasionally next day and when you are used to some bespoke techno geek saying "Ooh! Its the widgamywatsit! It'll take months! And it is gonna cost you!", just like those guys who used to fix your car; you kind of think err, 'I will have some more of that COTS stuff please.'

Kind Regards walker

Edited March 25, 2011 by walker

[33BO11OF00 10]

My own comment about this VBS Series:

This game/learning tool looks really great. Those rendered unit models in contents page are just incredibly done. I think primary use for this game/learning tool is to teach soldiers military tactics. VBS is not a game at all. It's a highly advanced military simulator for tactics and combat situations.

[Scolphi 10]

Hello,

I have a problem with the terrain generation within VBS2.

CONTEXT:

I want to create a terrain from elevation and satellite datas which will work within VBS2 1.40.47

I have a project folder in P:\vbs2\customer\maps. It contains the project within Global Mapper 10 (.gmw format), the usual folders 'source' and 'data'. In 'source', I have the satellite and mask files which have been exported from Global Mapper 10.

Since here, perfect.

DONE:

1) Within Visitor 4, I have fill in (correctly I think) the 'Preferences' in 'Tools' like this:

data directory: P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain\data

project directory: P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain

2) I have successfully imported my satellite picture, my shapefiles, my .xyz terrain and my mask.

3) Then, I have created the mapframe with this properties:

output root directory: P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain\

Layers config file (layer.cfg): P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain\source\layer s.cfg

And finally, I have created a config and rebuilt a terrain.

ISSUE:

1) However, when I generate the layers, this message error appears:

"V3PictureDataMod::LoadFromFile(): unable to open the image file "P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain\data\vbs2\ma ps\common_surface\source\mapLegend.png" (this message seems already to be not normal, doesn't it)

2)After correcting this problem creating the directory with the file, I launch Buldozer and this new message error appears:

"Cannot load texture \layers\s_000_000_lco.paa"

Though, this file is already located in P:\vbs2\customer\maps\mytag_myterrain\data\layers

My terrain in totally black in Buldozer with the right terrain elevations but I would like to see my textures ! :?

How can I correct this please ? Thanks.

[noubernou 77]

Hello,

I have a problem with the terrain generation within VBS2.

How can I correct this please ? Thanks.

This really isn't the forum for VBS2 technical discussion.

If you need to post a question in its use please sign up at: https://forums.bisimulations.com/ :)

[walker 0]

Hi all

NPR broadcast about VBS2 in the US:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkms/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1789766/Local.Features/Fort.Campbell.Soldiers.Game.to.Train

Kind Regards walker

[.kju 3240]

A War Training Platform From an Unlikely Source

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/technology/02gameside.html

Now, the Bohemia Interactive Group, based in Prague, has a staff of 140. For the 2009 fiscal year, game revenue was about $6 million, while simulation sales were about $7 million, Marek Spanel said.

[Dwarden 1124]

the NYT article is really good read

[Mr. Charles 22]

Wasn't Ondrej's hair fluffier?

[Colossus 2]

Absolutely worth reading. The article was just too short. :p

I don't know what the expenses are, but 13 million dollars ain't the sort of number you joke about. Well done, BI. :)

PS: Article reposted on one of Norway's biggest newspapers, Dagbladet.no. Forwarded from their game website, Pressfire.no. (Link to article)

Edited May 4, 2011 by colossus

[[aps]gnat 28]

Nice article.

Yes, too short, but after all these years I learnt something new about OFP/VBS !

[aidas2 10]

I heard that a light US version was released to the masses, can anyone provide a dl link?

[Smurf 12]

I heard that a light US version was released to the masses, can anyone provide a dl link?

Few pages back:

Nah, he meant the U.S. Army version. The only people allowed to download that are Active Duty/Reserve military, DoD personnel, and possibly Retired Military, although I cannot confirm the last.