Interface discussion

[Scrub 0]

Has it been mentioned to allow mod/addon keys to be included in the Options/keybind area? Kind of like X3-reunion? (or Terran Conflict.. any of the 'X' series, really. they had excellent modability)

[CarlGustaffa 4]

A long time ago I suggested a complete rewamp of the whole outdated action menu system. Couldn't find the thread atm, but it's here somewhere...

My idea was a big rant (as usual with me) about using a compass menu or sorts where you hold a key modifier and perform mouse gestures. The reasoning is how effective this is in software compared to using menus or a shitload of keybinds/shortcuts to remember. I still can't remember what number combination is echelon right formation, I have to look. It all ends up timewise like how doctors type: - search, find, press, but for each submenu.

Apparently, although BIS didn't read this thread (looking by how the interface seem to still use the action menu system),

, and not just any other... FFW to 1:45.

I would have still opted for an eight direction compass menu with two menu 'rings' and/or possibility to open submenus from here.

I'm aware it's too late to be dealt with now, even in a patch, as it is such a fundamental change in interface design philosophy. But maybe the tools and possibilities could be provided to give good modders a chance to have a blast? Hard to get perfect, but maybe then BIS will apply it for Arma '3'?

So, what I am suggestion is for BIS to introduce a new 'mouse gestures' system in a future patch which records the mouse movement when certain criteria is given. And let the modders and scripters experiment with it from there. And then let's just see what evolves :)

I'm using mouse gestures heavily in web browsing and 3D applications, although my 3D 'life' has seriously decreased since Armed Assault came out :D

[lapa 1]

A long time ago I suggested a complete rewamp of the whole outdated action menu system. Couldn't find the thread atm, but it's here somewhere...

Watch this vid. Here you see a new "context sensitive" action menu.The old menu is also available.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I'm aware of the new context sensitive menu. Personally, I just don't think it takes it far enough, as it will still be 'search find click' instead of something that is in your body motorics. (?, sorry I'm not english).

Combine the new system of scrollwheel clicking with the mouse problems I'm describing above, and it all becomes not very user friendly (to me that it).

If BIS includes a mouse gesture system, who knows what the modders come up with. Maybe the new system proves to be better than what I suggested, who knows what the mouse gestures system could be used for. Hand signals combined with voice commands? Vehicle interactions that uses the many new animations? Much fun to explore I'm sure.

[76 0]

Why do we still have kiddy menus, this big, rounded lime green ui is not only dated but ugly and very unprofessional... this is the worlds best combat simulator... c'mon BI I'm pretty sure its an easy fix, it will give the game a professional feel and look :)

[Yoma 0]

I'm aware of the new context sensitive menu. Personally, I just don't think it takes it far enough, as it will still be 'search find click' instead of something that is in your body motorics. (?, sorry I'm not english).

Combine the new system of scrollwheel clicking with the mouse problems I'm describing above, and it all becomes not very user friendly (to me that it).

If BIS includes a mouse gesture system, who knows what the modders come up with. Maybe the new system proves to be better than what I suggested, who knows what the mouse gestures system could be used for. Hand signals combined with voice commands? Vehicle interactions that uses the many new animations? Much fun to explore I'm sure.

Mouse gestures haven't worked for me in ANY game.

All normal modern mouses have working scrollweels. If yours doesn't, go get a 10€ basic mouse with scrollwheel, it'll do the trick.

I'll judge the interface after playing with it for a couple of weeks.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I haven't tried it in games much. But for 3D applications and web browsing. And there it works much better than any other interface I've tried. What is wrong with trying to improve a system or give additional ways to control such a system? Especially when so many are complaining about it? Use the action menu if you like it, but let those who it causes problems, have another input method.

I have tried several expensive gaming mice. None have worked satisfactory with the action menu for me. The problem is the slightest move and the action dissappears making you choose the wrong action. Kabooom. You set off the satchel in your face. Weeeeeeee - kaschmack! You jumped out of the aircraft instead of lifting because the lift action just disappeared. Kablubbblubbblubb, you drowned in your tank because you wansn't able to bail out because another action kept overprioritizing the action you were trying to get to. All of these has happened to me in Arma or OFP. Drowning like this in a 5 hour coop campaign in OFP was not fun, considering I was basically killed by the action menu system.

I'm not saying mouse gestures will be the end of all problems, I'm simply saying put in such a system and let the modders see what it can be used for. Arma action menu is a clunky and dangerous input device, and is strongly in need of a hefty upgrade. Not only for safety, but also for speed. The new Arma2 context stuff still requires you to read what you select, not very fast. But time will show.

[sk3pt 0]

A text editor (like notepad) in the in-game editor would be great, for loading and saving *.txt files.

[--)arkRaideR 10]

This is about the interface selection after you died or want to retry the Mission.

I´m not sure if its the right thread for the translators of the game to read but

in the now released german version you have to select Erneut and Erneut spielen

wich sounds even confusing if translated in english, its similar to again and play again

not sure if its a big issue but it would be better to change it with more noticeable

words, cause 1 starts the whole mission again and the other starts from your last

auto ? save i think, the only problem will be the short space for the words, so it

must be something like Speicherpunkt and Mission Neu imho

[CarlGustaffa 4]

A text editor (like notepad) in the in-game editor would be great, for loading and saving *.txt files.

Why would you edit textfiles? ;) Seriously, there exist plenty of free and commercial editors out there with good support for Arma files. Personally I use UltraEdit which is awesome.

Didn't it use to be Restart (from scratch) and Retry (from last saved position), or something?

[sk3pt 0]

Why would you edit textfiles? ;) Seriously, there exist plenty of free and commercial editors out there with good support for Arma files. Personally I use UltraEdit which is awesome.

I'm aware of that. The point is to save time and avoid unnecessary alt-tabbing when editing script files.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Windowed mode is a definite must while editing. Having biki readily available in a browser, maybe a calculator, spreadsheet, wikipedia, is almost always needed by a scripter.

[EricM 0]

Could I ask for a standard "Land" action for commanding helicopters ?

And generalize the go up/go down (page up/down) command of the UAV for any aircraft that you command.

I know of "set flyingheight" command but its tedious to create triggers in the radio and it should be standard in the command interface, just like go prone/crouched/stand up for infantry...

[sobrek 0]

I have no problems with those kinds of commands. I just look before I click.

If you are heavily engaged in combat, you dont have the time to look and read.

Years of experience in OFP and ArmA let me remember the command shortcut keys, but this kind of action menu, that comes up with useless selections every time when you don't need it, and even blocks Map functions when opened out of the commander view, is ridiculous.

[Xtreme1989 10]

Hi all,

(sorry for my bad English ^^)

I'm new here @ the forums. I have played Arma1 a lot and I already pre-ordered Arma2. I just recently discovered the great community here :cool: There are a lot of amazing people here who dedicate their free time to make the game even more enjoyable (addons, mods etc), wich earn my full respect :) And of course the makers of this beautiful game !

Now, my suggestion: (I hope I place this in the right topic and that it hasn't been posted yet ^^)

I love to play stealth coop missions but there's always been 1 thing that kinda destroys the realism and arma2 seems to have this also.

See following movie :

or this one : Day stealth mission

It would be nice if there could be some kind of option so that when you're playing a stealth mission (day or night) you and your teammates don't yell where enemy units are but whisper it :) This would increase the atmosphere of the mission.

Like you can set your AI team in danger/stealth mode maybe also an option called 'stealth & whisper' :icon_razz: ?

It's just a suggestion :)

grtz

Edited June 17, 2009 by Xtreme1989

[horror1 10]

i would be glad if the comenu could be exactly like in arma1 , it was absolutely easy and good for me that way, now arma2 menu is a pain to control ai soldiers cause u have to push way more buttons to perform simple tasks i could order in arma1 with simple spacebar and mouse.

[rübe 127]

I dislike those `action-icons` showing up in the middle of the screen. Sure, some indication is nice, but please not like this.

A Scenario: You're under fire, crawling to a dead buddy ahead of you to find at least some cover and opening fire from there.

The Problem: Lying infront of your dead buddy offers you the option to grap his stuff and so there's this `action-icon` right there in the middle of the screen. And to make things even worse. Try to look through your scope and the icon is still obscureing your view! That's just ugly.

I'd favor some other indication, not in the middle of the screen if possible. In good old OFP, there was the action-menu poping up at the right bottom of the screen. That was a lot better (placement of indication).

In case this is not possible, at least consider the following refinements:

1) Hide/Blend-out `action-icons` after a few seconds if they are not used.

2) Always hide them immediately if you look through a scope/iron sight. It doesn't make sense to offer any such option while in this position.

[Gemini 359]

I totally agree with horror1 ! The command menu was perfect in ArmA I, because we could use only one or two buttons to lead a squad: why did you change it ? Now it's more difficult and longer.

I really don't understand why you did this. Please let us the possibility to choose the old interface !

I hope that BI will read this, please think about old ArmA users...

[thegunnysgt 1]

Yeah, the Command Menu needs to be more simple like in A1. As it is right now, I can't do squat with my AI, can't tell them to change seats or get in a vehicle that is not in view of me. It is also harder to control them as I can't bring up the command view used with AI (spacebar x2 in A1). The old A1 command interface was more simple and easy to command your AI and tell them what to do.

Also, where you can change the channel you type text into, needs to be moved. As it is right now I can't see what channel and what text I am typing due someone else messages covering it all up. It has caused me to type a message in the wrong channel type and have to retype it and almost cause me to crash if I was flying.

[redmotion 10]

Can we have new controllers configured automatically to SET UPs that have been tested as useful please!

I am sick of having to reconfigure new controllers attached to my computer. Seriously, the configurations are random. It even assigned button/switch-type controls to my pedals controller - must be AI selected I guess!

Can't we have working tried and tested presets for all the main crontrollers (xbox controllers/ch products/saitek/microsoft/etc) please?!

Also the controls selection panel is horrible. You can't even see half of the options selected because they go off the screen and it also happens to be the thing that causes CTD most of all - which infuriates me even more. (most often press 'next' and 'previous')

Edited June 29, 2009 by redmotion

[xxbbcc 6]

The new team command menu is basically useless. The old one from ArmA 1 needs to come back (with the hierarchical numbers. - 1.1 - fall back into formation, 7.2-danger, etc.)

I know I can still use the combinations, but I don't remember every item by heart, just the frequently used ones. The menu was easy to use and relatively simple.

Also the action icons in the middle of the screen need to go down to the screen bottom to be out of the way. Its very annoying when they obstruct the view through a scope.

[Essobie 10]

- Looking around in air vehicles should allow finite turning in not only vertical looking but horizontal looking. Currently the only way to get a good look around while flying is by spending 150 US on TrackIR5. Ideally pressing your Look Left key/button/POV hat direction should turn your head a little then leave it there when you let go. This is how looking up and down work, so I'm not sure why looking left and right should be different. Then just utilize the "Center Look" function for when you want to snap back to center.

The above issue was the result of some strange corruption in my player profile as I was going through and replacing many of the default controls. For some reason it was removing left/right looking. After creating a new profile and trying it again, left/right worked fine, so I went into my original profile and attempted to set all the "Look..." functions to default, and the game crashed half-way through the process. I had to start another profile from scratch to get it to work. :(

- Would be nice to offer FreeTrack support, as I don't believe TrackIR is worth that much money and I have plenty of Wii remotes at my disposal. I'm more likely to do a do-it-yourself weekend to create a FreeTrack setup than I am to shell out that much cash.

- Remove the lag that the gun has when moving the mouse around quickly while using Infantry controls. It seems like this might actually be a technical problem with low frames per second, but it half feels like it is intentional to give player models some time to catch up to very fast mouse movements. It can be forgiven to see other players do a near instant 180 spin if it means the in game controls benefit.

- Revamping of entire Load/Save functionality for Single Player. There are many examples of this functionality in many different games that could be used for an example of an easy to understand save system, and this game's doesn't adhere to any standards in this regard. There doesn't seem to be a way to go back and load a specific save if you restart a mission for any reason. I recommend something where the entire list of all saved games appear in a scrollable dialog complete with screenshots of what you are looking at, the name of the chapter (in your case, the name of the mission), and the date/time it was saved, and then listed in ascending order by that date/time.

Edited July 5, 2009 by Essobie

[EricM 0]

there's good and bad in the new quick command system, but they took off some basic features as well :

1) when you have more than 10 people in your squad, you've got an arrow that tells you there's more but no way to actually see how to access them. I pressed F12 to see if it was working like in Arma 1 and it did, but how can someone new know that ? there's no visual clue to that.

2) when you're on the second page of you troops (F12), you can see your extra guys, 11,12 etc... but there is no visual clue either as to which key you must press to access them (F1, F11?). Once again, if you were familiar with Arma 1 you might find it, but it's clearly not for newcomers.

3) In the new highcommand and warfare how do you give "missions" (eg : take nearest town) to the other groups under you're command, not only specific waypoints? how can you order them to rearm, upgrade ? how can you etc...

Note : backspace brings up the old menu for those who wonder...

[Baff1 0]

Apologies if this has already been covered,

in 4:1 aspect ratio for surround gaming, the window for flight speed and altitude is on the top left of the left hand screen.

Would it be possible to reposition it into the top left of the centre screen please?

When using Track IR I have to move my head to check my speed and altitude and doing so sets the track IR off and I start looking all over the place.

As checking speed and altitude is a pretty much constant interaction (especially during landings) I can't maintain a stable view to pilot.

Currently, either I can't see where I'm going or I can't check on my speed or altitude.

[Essobie 10]

Another annoyance with the interface:

Function keys and top row Number Keys should be re-assignable in the controls interface. The defaults can certainly be the functions they do now (selecting squad members, AI commands, etc), but they should be able to be changed to things that players are more likely going to use more often especially because the left side of both the function keys and top row numbers are within reach of the player's left hand.

I'd love to bind common functions I currently have to scroll through in the action menu to buttons 1 through 6 (such as Get Out).

And finally, I think there should be a "Prime Grenade" and/or a "Throw Grenade" button with the option to prime while holding, throw when releasing. Having hand grenades tied to the weapon toggle function doesn't seem correct as I think of that function as the setting for the current weapon I'm holding (burst/semi/full). To have hand grenades buried in that menu is cumbersome and not at all clear. I had to ask experienced players how to actually throw a grenade last night, and throwing a grenade should be obvious.