Low reaction to official news, updates, community interaction - why?

[Rydygier 1317]

But what do you want BI to do? They can't add features from everyone.

 

 

 

Agreed. My point wasn't to say, BI does wrong thing. In fact I said, current BI approach seems reasonable to me.

 

I just proposed at least partial explanation around topic question  - why reaction/feedback may be low(er than used to be earlier). 

[jakerod 254]

For me it's a lack of excitement about ArmA 3 in general. The only point that I was ever excited was when that map was found and made it look like there was going to be this kickass invasion of Europe happening. Then the picture with the airport and the helicopter was revealed and my excitement began to die. I haven't been excited for ArmA 3 since I found out it was going to be set in the future and/or not use real equipment (ex. CSAT helicopter I don't know the name of). My excitement continued to diminish through the following events:

• removal of features that previous games had (ex. grenade strength and other things I no longer remember)
• finding out the terrain is an island (I haven't liked islands in ArmA games since Armed Assault because I feel like they don't lend themselves to good prolonged campaigns)
• finding out the terrain was Greek (and later Jungle) (They did a great job on Stratis, Altis, and Tanoa but arid and jungle just aren't interesting environments to me)
• finding out the island was militarized, futurized, and in disrepair (once again, they did a great job but the theme isn't interesting to me. It removes a lot of potential scenarios)
• shutters on the windows piss me off (I find myself constantly saying "this would be a great defensive position if I could see through this window")
• I tried the campaign and wasn't a huge fan. I found many parts to be incredibly frustrating due to poor autosave locations. Not a fan of the story. (I thought it was unrealistic but there were some fun missions)
• I can't drive for crap in this game for some reason
• my computer doesn't run it well (solid 5 FPS in the jungles of Tanoa but this is my fault for not upgrading)
• I found a different game series that fulfills my Cold War needs (Wargame... which is pretty much everything I always wanted ArmA to be minus the first person)
• Other things

So essentially all of that stuff has contributed to my excitement constantly dropping which makes me not care about what's happening with it. In previous iterations games I had great ideas for missions and terrains based off of pre-release video, screenshots, and game plots but this one missed all of those marks for me.

 

That being said they clearly did a great job on the game since this seems to be the most popular ArmA so far. There are several new features I really enjoy like all the new stances and weapon resting but they failed to capture my attention on the things I care about I guess. Plus I got a new job and new responsibilities around the time this came out so there's that as well. CUP and CSLA are the only things that I really check this forum for anymore and in past games I was checking 5 times a day. I only found this post because someone posted a link to the "Roadmap" in the A3 Terrain Channel and I happened to see it.

[pooroldspike 129]

One of my beefs is that Boh don't fix the major things first (like the "ghost trees" graphics effect and the "jumping tanks" thing) before dealing with the little things.

[thecanadianvending 24]

One of my beefs is that Boh don't fix the major things first (like the "ghost trees" graphics effect and the "jumping tanks" thing) before dealing with the little things.

Has it occurred to you that maybe they can't fix it? They know it's a problem, but they probably can't do anything about it. They wouldn't neglect fixing a bug like this if they had the ability to 

[froggyluv 2136]

No, I mean what do you mean. Your wording is terrible in that post

 

 

Alright, sorry I have a hard time reading text on screens

 

But what do you want BI to do? They can't add features from everyone. And now with the DLC's announced (jet DLC, another largely requested upgrade (as long as it's like helo DLC's flightmodel)), you can see that they value input from the community. Maybe your small requests aren't in scope of ARMA 3, or they are not feasible with their current engine. Recently I remember reading how the AI code was terrible, and only now they are able to upgrade it.

 

They also add a lot of small features requested as well, I can't name any off the top of my head but I know they have. But again, your requests may be out of scope..

 

Why can't they tell us when they are out of scope? Well, that's not a good idea for any company. They will be ridiculed for it from people; the railgun tank was supposed to be in the game, they released screenshots and when it wasn't in the game people got upset because they don't understand that it wasn't in scope.

 

Sure, it sucks that ideas don't get supported, but not every idea can be implemented. That is not realisitc

 

 

Has it occurred to you that maybe they can't fix it? They know it's a problem, but they probably can't do anything about it. They wouldn't neglect fixing a bug like this if they had the ability to 

 

What are you from BI Legal Dpt.?

 

 Your responses are silly man, this is a forum -if it came down to just not asking for anything because we just need to consider they cant fix it -then why have a forum?? Im just a layman but I would put forth that perhaps people are comparing to industry standards and on some issues BI excels others is the same and some far behind. Its certainly worthy of discussion on issues people believe are far behind and no,dont buy argument that poeple will ridicule if BI admitted somethings just cant happen either because of scope or engine limitation -ALL games and engines have limitations.

 

 Personally I find the soldier animations clipping thru walls or sharing space will other units, to be a glaring problem and hope the engine upgrade deals with it.

[thecanadianvending 24]

What are you from BI Legal Dpt.?

 

 Your responses are silly man, this is a forum -if it came down to just not asking for anything because we just need to consider they cant fix it -then why have a forum?? Im just a layman but I would put forth that perhaps people are comparing to industry standards and on some issues BI excels others is the same and some far behind. Its certainly worthy of discussion on issues people believe are far behind and no,dont buy argument that poeple will ridicule if BI admitted somethings just cant happen either because of scope or engine limitation -ALL games and engines have limitations.

 

 Personally I find the soldier animations clipping thru walls or sharing space will other units, to be a glaring problem and hope the engine upgrade deals with it.

People are complaining about things that have been brought up tons of times before. These bugs are obvious if you play the game for >5 minutes, and I am sure the developers are aware of it. I don't mind discussion, but when people don't understand that the developers aren't stupid it really bothers me. They know people want fastroping, and they said they won't implement it because it's (probably) out of scope. People yelling for DX12, and not doing any research to see that the developers have done tests to see that it's not feasable annoys me. I just did a google search, "ARMA 3 DX12", and it lead me to the SITREP that shows that it wouldn't show improvements.

 

Does BI annoy me? Yeah they do. Especially with the lack of communication with APEX basically until release. But I also understand that they have had experiences where too much conversation between them and the fans put them in hot water (the railgun tank, F35, etc). I want them to actually show us things that are guaranteed to be in the next game/DLC until release, so that we can be hyped for the release.

[CNutter 24]

If I could shake the hand of everyone (or most everyone) in this thread I would. You people are the reason I still like Arma, even if only a little; because you can see issues and discuss them without blindly eating every bit of swill BIS throws out.

 

I don't feel the need to write much about why BIS is failing to captivate it's playerbase, because it's already been said here and many places elsewhere over the years, but I do want to bring attention to something that hasn't been acknowledged much.

The people at BIS who could make these fundamental changes for the better (the people at the top) will likely never see this thread. Even if they did I doubt they would change a thing. Why? There's not enough profit in catering to such a small and apparently dwindling group. Especially if that profit would be derived from admitting that they made so many mistakes with this latest installment of their series.

 

Another issue here is that Arma, as far as I know, doesn't have much (if any) competition on the same military simulation scale. Arma is unique. There are alternatives like Squad, but they don't nearly reach the levels of over-complex, over-engineered, multifaceted gameplay that Arma has to offer. But that's not to say that "we don't know just how much we've got". In fact, that's far from it. What am I trying to say? BIS has somewhat of a monopoly over this niche field of gaming. Because of that, they don't have to listen to anyone but themselves and their bank accounts. To them good stewardship does not matter, and I don't think it has for a long time.

 

I can only hope that they know all too well about these issues, really do care about us, and that the next Arma game will fix the issues of the day and take us back to OFP days. But that's just a pipe dream and I know it... Wow, I guess I really have gotten quite cynical about this all. I almost feel bad that it still has the highest playtime out of all 150+ games in my Steam library.

[en3x 209]

People yelling for DX12, and not doing any research to see that the developers have done tests to see that it's not feasable annoys me. I just did a google search, "ARMA 3 DX12", and it lead me to the SITREP that shows that it wouldn't show improvements.

 

Implementing DX12 would show improvements if it would be implemented right!Just changing few threads and calling it DX12 is not going to

significantly improve performance.However refactoring low level code and implementing dx12 properly would be significant.

 

I think that reason why people tend to be excited for game engine changes (dx12, 64bit etc) are because of current

state of engine performance.

[thecanadianvending 24]

Implementing DX12 would show improvements if it would be implemented right!Just changing few threads and calling it DX12 is not going to

significantly improve performance.However refactoring low level code and implementing dx12 properly would be significant.

 

I think that reason why people tend to be excited for game engine changes (dx12, 64bit etc) are because of current

state of engine performance.

But they won't implement DX12 into ARMA 3 because it would require an engine rewrite. 64 bit will only help those lag spikes when moving across terrain too fast. FPS will not improve with these changes

[tortuosit 486]

Example, as a reply to OP.

- I started my day with Youtube.

- I received the information about 2017 DLC strategy from Operator Drewski. I like his channel.

- Arma3.com is still not my primary source of information. Maybe it should.

- I don't start the game via lancher, maybe I miss information...

So, now I recognized about the DLC strategy and I have some opinions on the DLC strategy. I could write it into the Youtube comments. You can see, people discuss there A LOT. Now I thought no, I should write @ BIS fora and see what's happening there.

Went here, visited ArmA 3 General forum, found THIS thread, did not find a thread about DLC strategy 2017.

I don't know. I am struggling to find "what's hot" here at the fora. A lot of discussions I appear at is just ... random. Here at BIS forum I feel I may sometimes miss big discussions. Or there aren't. I don't know. I mean big things where there's some heat, I havenn't seen them for a while. And for some reason I still do not like the forum software, not sure if it is to blame.

I mostly participate in the same threads, I have a bookmark to my user activity, "?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity"... I'm trapped :D

Where can I see "what's hot"?

This is what I am thinking:

a) Discussion takes place somewhere else. E.g. a lot is on Youtube comments.

B) We do not recognize hot topics here on BIS fora. Which drag new commenters. Which create new topics.

 

This game like games similar where you can mod the hell out of it, are gems in the gaming industry.  One word describes this game -     F r e e d o m

Yes, let's not forget this. And there is no alternative to ArmA.

I am not negative about BIS. I see they improved many aspects of ArmA 3 (e.g. LOD, performance of 3D objects). Tanoa I think would have been bad to play at ArmA 3 release. I think they worked hard.

Also I think, the engine is at an end and Arma 4 has to be with a new engine like enfusion. Otherwise: Uproar :D

[Rydygier 1317]

We do not recognize hot topics here on BIS fora. Which drag new commenters. Which create new topics.

 

 

 

Yes, indeed. No discussion possible at official place, where news appear, nor in the BI Forums News section (relevant topics are closed for discussion). This indeed may produce some subtle "glass barrier" separating news from discussion about them. So, for example, they encourage to give a feedback with requests and ideas about planned Tanks DLC, but no even dedicated, pinned thread was made. Some common forum user had to initiate this discussion. Is it bad? Don't know. 

 

Also - not sure why, but also I usually ommit their official info channel, Arma3.com. Or I do know why - I simply used to go, where discussion takes place, I used to think about BI Forums as the core of the Arma community activities, while Arma3.com is perceived by me as some separate being - and thus once, say, per month, there's like "oh, wait, there's also Arma3.com! I need to check it for the news". Anyway, also I knew about new roadmap because I saw mentioned Forums thread and only then went to check Arma3.com. Again - not sure, if it's good or bad, but personally I would like to have news and discussion about them in the single, well highlighted place, one bound with the other directly, where most of Arma community gathers. 

 

It's maybe more about my personal habits, than some poor decisions their side. Still. These habits aren't taken from nowhere, and seems, I'm not alone. 

 

I mostly participate in the same threads, I have a bookmark to my user activity

 

 

Kinda same here. Lack of time or, to be more precise, lack of free mind, makes me limit any new community activities and focus on the threads, where I was active already and perhaps I need to answer to someone. Lately it's rare for me to check, what new threads appeared. Who knows, what I missed due to that. 

[tortuosit 486]

Good points. In their announcements there should be links to a forum discussion.

2 additional points especially about the mobile interface of the forums:

a) You find relevant topics sometimes on page 85558 after the 20 million pinned topics. Visually not to distinguish.

b) The login. I don't know what username and password the mobile interface expects. I have to go to the normal interface, login at accounts.bistudio.com, switch back to mobile view. Clunky.

c) The annoying b ) smiley. Yes I know, the full editor. But I have to do this every time. And mobile interface has no full editor.

Plus. My android chrome usually forgets user data from bistudio and forgets that I used the mobile interface of the fora. Not fun to use. Its like either the Bis cookies are not persistent or keep not enough information.

Tbh, I would be happy if they used some traditional forum software...

BTW, what news are we talking about?

SITREP

OPREP

SPOTREP

SECREP

RAPRAP

PREREP

POSTREP

UNREP

CRAPREP

FAPREP

PREPAREPREPREP

?

[lodu 145]

My two cents.

 

I think there are several aspects to the problems: the gameplay and brightness, which, in my opinion, are linked and the technical part included in the modding.

 

When I write that the brightness is related to gameplay, I mean the ambience, narration relative to the topic are also included in the equation.

 

explanations:

 

The main theme of the franchise 'arma' is the representation of conflict, with a decidedly realistic touch that stands out from other franchises, whose features are treated more lightly, because the stated objectives are not the same.

I personally think that the evocation of dark things, like conflicts (which really are not choirboys for subjects), requires dark atmospheres, both brightness point of view of the narrative point of view, as this strengthens dramatic effect on the subject matter.

 

It is a narrative technique well known filmmakers, writers, forcing the line, exaggerating the atmosphere, sometimes to caricature, as in some films (sin city, 300, etc).

 

The problem we face with the new light atmosphere of game engine arma 3, is that the original message is broken by the brightness too soft, almost absent shadows, or too light.

The contrast, which can give birth to the drama is absent from the screen and, instead, we have a kind of mixture that generates a biased immersion, a stall in the proposed content, in relation APEX / TANOA.

Add to this the absence of animal life, civil (a minimum would have been enough to give a little impetus to the atmosphere, not too exceed the imposed polycount), the sounds of animal sounds hardly compensate because we do not see them and therefore it increases the frustration.

There is nothing in the field of view, apart from the beautiful scenery, which supports our attention.

The impression persists is that of a sumptuous decor, with narration primer (but unfinished, unresolved), with the historic ruins and the decorative elements of the "temple" lost in the woods, which are not sufficient in itself, to compensate for the lack, the void filled all.

 

I have the impression of walking through an abandoned movie set after the filming of a movie: a ghost island.

 

Another point concerns the narrative, the gameplay itself.

I remain convinced that the multiplayer is not a panacea and it is even the opposite when there is this available.

The multiplayer allows the confrontation between several players, without bringing anything original, in-game, allowing different twists of those, more than known that consistently meet the players.

For brevity, this lack of originality, even if most players do with.

 

A true story, whose most significant example is the gameplay OFP there are more than 10 years ago, with a "hero" with which to identify, unpredictable twists and thus to sustain attention, is the basis of attractiveness, thoughtful narration.

 

Forget it, while trying to make a script that looks like seen in many other games, grown weary.

 

The discovery (led) the environment, with a scenario that conveys a sense of total freedom, while the thread brings the player or precisely where it needs to go to the game bounce, and hangs his interest, so that it goes to the next step, which allows retention.

 

But simply pyrotechnic effects, as in some big budget films, thinking that the glare is sufficiently long and intense to keep the viewer / player front of the screen, while ignoring the construction of a true story in depth, is in my opinion a mistake.

The impression that one feels when leaving the movie theater / game is what we have when we see fireworks: it's pretty, but soon forgotten ...

 

 

The modding part will be shorter, because there is just to say that it is true that the modders that I'm a little baffled by the constant brightness changes that challenge the composition of "rvmat" without solve the problem of shadows that are too soft and besides, personally, it's not dozens, but hundreds of rvmat I should change.

 

It is urgent to wait until it all ends and documentation appears on the topic.

This is especially annoying when you think the modders community actively participates in the life of the game and free ...

 

I do not mean the competition with wholesale prices, which in my opinion, in absolute terms was not a bad thing, but that has cooled the enthusiasm of more than one creator: personally, I almost let fall, but the attraction to create in this game engine was the largest, at least so far.

 

In conclusion, I think the new features should have been reserved for the new engine "Enfusion" and that the military theme is growing at an "adventure" aspect, which would create attractive scenarios: we can even imagine narrative and historical bridge between all confused islands, with the common thread, a small team related to military, not necessarily be military too, or only in part, the rest can be explorer / archaeologist / journalist embroiled in events historical / fictional, to the realistic side and a very tense situation, allowing scriptwriting twists including a quest that can last and continue on other islands already made.

In fact, you have to change views and move the individual's side browsing its time and its turmoil, toward a goal treacherous (if not, it's not fun ^^), with the canvas substantive conflict with the military, in which it overlaps at times.

 

So much for my point of view, which applies to all of the franchise, but "tanoa" allows the illustration of the idea that is mine.

 

Of course, this is constructive criticism and no one is forced to agree with me. :)

[OMAC 254]

Steam, Discord, Reddit (?), and perhaps other fora tend to absorb a large and growing amount of reaction to official news...  So reaction on BI forums is diluted compared to what's actually out there.

 

The recent Roadmap DLC news is YYUUUUGGGEEEE.  :bigglasses:  Obviously BI has been listening to their customers.......   That roadmap will create significant buzz.   I've been waiting for an official mission pack for years!

[slatts 1978]

Steam, Discord, Reddit (?), and perhaps other fora tend to absorb a large and growing amount of reaction to official news...  So reaction on BI forums is diluted compared to what's actually out there.

 

The recent Roadmap DLC news is YYUUUUGGGEEEE.  :bigglasses:  Obviously BI has been listening to their customers.......   That roadmap will create significant buzz.   I've been waiting for a official mission pack for years!

 

I'd agree with this. There's simply so much more outlets for us to post on then there was for, say for comparison, Op. Arrowhead news back when it was in dev. 

[pooroldspike 129]

 (They did a great job on Stratis, Altis, and Tanoa but arid and jungle just aren't interesting environments to me)

 

I like Tanoa because the jungle graphics are so realistically hot and humid that I feel the need to get anti-malaria shots before I go in.. :)

Anyway jungle fighting is a part of warfare so in that respect Tanoa lets us simulate it perfectly, heck we could even do Nam-type engagements, how about it Uncle Ho?-

 

 

Waddya say Bob?-

"Out here you keep your sh*t wired tight at all times!"

[OMAC 254]

I think Tanoa is great, but I still like those jungle sounds from A2 Lingor that provide better jungle immersion.  Tanoa has a bird sound from a Chernarus bird, at least I think so...