ArmA Progress Updates

[4 IN 1 0]

looks like BIS knews that all the guns are pointing at their heads,        

good to hear that most of the things on my waiting list have fullfilled, go for it BIS, my money is on you!

[meyamoti 0]

Indeed....

FiringSquad:When the time came to start work on Armed Assault, what were the development team's main goals?

Paul R. Statham:One of the main goals was to retain the fundamental gameplay of Flashpoint, the impact the game had for those who played it due to its many levels of immersion and scope. The next goal after core gameplay is really about how we can look at creating an interface and command system which allows the player to concentrate on fighting with the enemy, not fighting with the UI or menus, we have to look at ways that we retain a deep level of command and involvement with the game world but doing so in a way which was as streamlined as possible. Further areas we wanted to look at improving were the layers of realism the game offered. Of course it's a game, not a military simulator, but because we're developing a game doesn't mean we have to develop it for chimps, so we worked hard to increase the level of realism by adding and tweaking features such as: accurately simulated recoil, ricocheting bullets, ambient wildlife, HDR lighting, bullet kinetic energy, multiple gunners etc. et

O.O awesome

[Hekezu 0]

Oh yes, the screenshots look fantastic! But graphics isn't all what I'm looking for, and I'm not alone. The new interview finally confirmed some things the community has wanted for at least 3 years, like multiple gunner positions, new animations (perhaps even new animation system?) and bullet's kinetic energy.

Can't wait for more screens and videos. Now we have to hope that BIS can finish the game and get a publisher they deserve.

How long before the release of OFP BIS and CodeM released OFP demo and Resistance demo? I would like to get exact dates because I can't remember them. I hope the same will happen with ArmA but I'm worried about the publisher issue, will they allow BIS to release a demo before the game is finished?

I mean the demo was the only thing why I bought OFP, and it was released before OFP was released so it got PR machine moving and a real fan base created, both strongly before the release. I still remember custom demo missions! Oh the joy...

Maybe we will hear some news at E3 about the publisher/release issue.

[Placebo 29]

yea nice kylie

go get a job or get a hobby eg http://www.spring-green.com/

That comment was out of line and not necessary at all, please do not flamebait.

[max power 21]

Looks like BIS can check off the 3 criteria that indicate excellence in game design:

1. Critical Acclaim (check! )

2. title longevity (check! )

3. a community lynch mob (double check! )

[berghoff 11]

Another qoute: ...if you stare at the sun you damage your eyesight, common sense really!... OMG!!! can it get more realistyc than i thought?

Thats actually old news.

Actually this is also in Elite, even staring at lights from cars or other lightsource will damage your eyesight.

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Multiple gunners made it in? OMG! <Ovulates, dances around house, binges on rice cream (ice cream + rice)>

WOOOOT!

[lwlooz 0]

Fair enough Kyle,the situation you showed is a extreme situation tho which I would not call the norm.The same situation applies if you have single "grass-bushes" grow on an otherwise rocky undergroud.Then it is perfectly fine.But it seems to me that generally the green ground-texture is supposed to represent grassy underground and the 3d-objects are just there to enhace it.And in that case(which should apply to most of grassy areas) I strongly feel grass-object and grass-texture should match.

While we talk about the fancy 3D-objects,I hope you can define how much grass or rocks(seperatly) you want on a given underground(just like you can define "roughness" now).

[CameronMcDonald 146]

My god: http://www.firingsquad.com/media....g

I'm loving the ACU... drooooools.

[Raptor 10]

btw,

We get new infos soon, a German magazine will make a bigger report about ArmA.

Coming on 4 May.

[txalin 2]

errr, a noob question, i love the new shots, but....what the hell is the ACU?

[Spoock 3]

ACU is camo on BDU

[Guest Ti0n3r]

ACU is the new combat uniform to be worn by Unitied States Army. As far as I know it should have replaced the current BDU cam some time around the end of 2007.

[kernriver 4]

Another qoute: ...if you stare at the sun you damage your eyesight, common sense really!... OMG!!! can it get more realistyc than i thought?

Thats actually old news.

Actually this is also in Elite, even staring at lights from cars or other lightsource will damage your eyesight.

Oh, tnx, it's clearer now, i thought you could permanently damage your eyes by looking at the sun (which would happen to you in RL)

[meyamoti 0]

Another qoute: ...if you stare at the sun you damage your eyesight, common sense really!... OMG!!! can it get more realistyc than i thought?

Thats actually old news.

Actually this is also in Elite, even staring at lights from cars or other lightsource will damage your eyesight.

Or the windows in OFP:E at the wright agnel X.x I was in one of the misions which I forget the name ironicly...anyway it was one with the...oh yeah,Clean Sweep,they really changed em both. anyway...in the first mission if you approach one of the houses right the sun will be reflecting to a point that the window looks pure white X.X. so I highly doubt lighting is an issue,hmm..looks like they have graphics and sounds covered,gameplay...well thats a given . I wonder how far the physics go..I remember in OFP:E the mission where Hammer in his M60 knocks down something..on PC it was a tent,in OFP:E its a stack of barrels that are knocked over...I was thinking this was a cutscene special..but later in one of the resistance levels I remember stealing a BMP and I apparently hit a fuel barrel..it started rolling around without anyone doing anything,and even more,it was on fire while rolling. So I think we have a LOT to look forward to,but to each their own.

[shadow 6]

I remember in OFP:E the mission where Hammer in his M60 knocks down something..on PC it was a tent,in OFP:E its a stack of barrels that are knocked over.

It was barrels on the pc too, just the physics that are a little funky.

[orange juice 0]

the only graphical issue i see from the screenshots is that the buildings can't keep up with the vehicles and soldiers, in terms of lighting, textures, and also models. To me, they look a bit like cardboard replica of real buildings and stick out a bit. Hopefully they'll fix that.

http://www.armedassault.com/william/photos/base/04.jpg

http://www.armedassault.com/william/photos/base/05.jpg

it just appears they don't have the same awesome normal maps, reflections and HDR lighting to them as the "moving objects" have. Same would go for some of the trees.

But other than that, it's all great news. More than great actually.

[GBee 0]

I'm wondering if they can't do the same great normal mapping with the ground 'dirt track' textures to make them just a *little* less 2D. I'm not sure whether that would be possible??

http://www.firingsquad.com/feature....g

It's not a major issue, but the small details soon add up.

[orange juice 0]

it should be possible. Basically a normal map is just another texture layer, only it determines a lighting surface instead of color, amiright? So yeah, normal maps on roads, trees' bark, rocks, walls, and everything else, in the same quality as on the soldier models, would make this game look so goddamn awesome.

I just can't imagine how great it will look like in two or three years of intense modding.

Hm, i guess one thing they are currently working on would be smoke, dust and fire effects, in other words cloudlets. In the older screenshots that stuff didn't look too great, and i think it would be very distracting to have those dull effects in game right next to these new awesome models. We haven't seen much smoke and explosions in the more recent screens, so i believe it is highly likely that they are improving vehicle damage/ damage effects right now. also bullet impact, which looks quite pathetic in good ol' Flashpoint

[tkokid 0]

yea sory kyle it was a joke

didnt mean for you too take offence

new pics really do look good

[meyamoti 0]

Don't forget that the way bump maps show heavily depends on the location,in a place like that with alot of shadows I would imagine little bump maps,generally they don't appear in shadowy areas. I wonder if they got rid of the cones on the lights,so far we haven't seen anything about that.

[tkokid 0]

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/pc/game/images/index.jsp?releaseId=20060120154728718046&page=1

ive not seen that building in the centre before ?

[Scrub 0]

Quote[/b] ]GBee Posted on April 29 2006,07:59

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm wondering if they can't do the same great normal mapping with the 'track' textures to make them just a *little* less 2D. I'm not sure whether that would be possible??

http://www.firingsquad.com/feature....g

It's not a major issue, but the small details soon add up.

Now I'm saying this jokingly from one OFP'er to another but,  Are you on crack!?!  Those treads look amazing! Of course I'm viewing them on a 7 year old 17" monitor, so I might be missing something.  It looks like the left track is  mapped to me, especially the exposed bottom of the link that's facing straight out into the light.  ITOH, if you're right and they are NOT mapped, it'll look even better.  

[Heatseeker 0]

Strange they are using ACU now and the US ARMY decal on the Blackhawk isnt there, i also recognise that hangar and maybe the air control tower from somewhere else?

I scaled it down and added a bit more brightness.

Im not so sure if this last one really is from armed assault.

[GBee 0]

Now I'm saying this jokingly from one OFP'er to another but, Are you on crack!?! Those treads look amazing! Of course I'm viewing them on a 7 year old 17" monitor, so I might be missing something. It looks like the left track is mapped to me, especially the exposed bottom of the link that's facing straight out into the light. ITOH, if you're right and they are NOT mapped, it'll look even better.

Not the BMP treads, but the ground 'dirt track' texture