Situational Awareness

[redswirl 10]

This has been by far my number one problem since ArmA II. Most of the time I just have no idea where the enemy is, sometimes getting killed by the same one multiple times before even catching a glimpse of them. I feel like there should be a whole section of a playable tutorial devoted to just identifying enemies, because the skill set required to do so is apparently fundamentally different from literally every other recent FPS.

 

What are you supposed to look for (other than muzzle flashes)? How fast or slow are you typically supposed to take things when moving and scanning for the enemy?

 

And for right now this is pretty much just for gameplay against the AI. Another question: can AI or can AI not see straight through foliage?! I think people have gone back and forth on this and it's probably pretty important in regards to maintaining concealment.

[kylania 567]

This has been by far my number one problem since ArmA II. Most of the time I just have no idea where the enemy is, sometimes getting killed by the same one multiple times before even catching a glimpse of them. I feel like there should be a whole section of a playable tutorial devoted to just identifying enemies, because the skill set required to do so is apparently fundamentally different from literally every other recent FPS.

 

What are you supposed to look for (other than muzzle flashes)? How fast or slow are you typically supposed to take things when moving and scanning for the enemy?

 

And for right now this is pretty much just for gameplay against the AI. Another question: can AI or can AI not see straight through foliage?! I think people have gone back and forth on this and it's probably pretty important in regards to maintaining concealment.

 

Finding targets is indeed a skill you'll learn as you play more.  The Basic Infantry Guide video has some good tips for things to look for:

 

 

AI can not see through concealment or cover.

 

However they aren't stupid so if you are spotted and duck behind a bush and stay there you're likely to get murderated.  If you fire from the same position multiple times and stay there you're likely to get shot.

 

This video shows you how AI tracks you, how it loses sight of you and how it can't see you behind bushes.  You can even download the mission and try it out yourself.

 

[dmarkwick 261]

This has been by far my number one problem since ArmA II. Most of the time I just have no idea where the enemy is, sometimes getting killed by the same one multiple times before even catching a glimpse of them. I feel like there should be a whole section of a playable tutorial devoted to just identifying enemies, because the skill set required to do so is apparently fundamentally different from literally every other recent FPS.

 

What are you supposed to look for (other than muzzle flashes)? How fast or slow are you typically supposed to take things when moving and scanning for the enemy?

 

And for right now this is pretty much just for gameplay against the AI. Another question: can AI or can AI not see straight through foliage?! I think people have gone back and forth on this and it's probably pretty important in regards to maintaining concealment.

It can be frustrating, the only thing I can suggest is to treat it as "real" as possible and find cover & not expose yourself for too long.

 

You can sometimes get a very rough bearing by learning how the sound works: for incoming fire at medium-to-far ranges there is an echo that can distract you and make you look in the wrong direction. You need to learn to ignore the first sound (which might have bounced off some object behind you) and listen for the second "snap" sound.

 

If you cannot locate any muzzle flash or smoke, then you're going to need to force them to move, which you can do by hiding somewhere. The AI will eventually be compelled to move in and you might have a better chance to see this.

 

Also try to look at where your AI team members are looking. They'll generally have a better idea.

 

As for foliage - yes it blocks AI view. But be aware of a few things:

Concealment is not the same as cover ;)

The AI will not easily forget where it last saw you. It will fire at areas it thinks you might be in.

The viewblock geometry of the bush/tree (which the AI uses to decide if it can see you or not) will not be *exactly* the same as the render geometry. Hide behind the main part of the foliage.