ArmA Progress Updates

[dreday 1]

What about planes? What about helicopters? None of them target by eye. They got computers and all kinds of shit doing it for them, which is simulated with the radar thingy OFP had in the upper part of the screen. Planes got a inteface where you get a neat square box thats your target. Often you don't see the target when you fire at it. If you want realistic targeting for choppers and planes, don't talk about VD, talk about computer systems. Then you need screens and interfaces and stuff like that, not a VD that lets you see a black dot which may be a tank, or may be a rock...

Shall we have VD on 500 km if there is a rocket that can move that distance?

Maddmatt has already pointed out that you need high view distance not just for targeting, but also for flying the planes and helicopters, especially if they are more than 200 meters off the ground.  

On top of that, most helicopters (including all the helicopters that we will have in ArmA) only use line of sight weapons, so they actually need to see their targets in order lase them.  Radars are not a part of picture here.

I can appreciate the fact that higher view distance would require a greater use of resources that are already stretched by other components.  I can also understand BIS might not be able to utilize the engine to the point that we can have 5 – 10 km view distance on today’s machine.  What I don’t understand and appreciate is the idea that the higher view distances are not need and that they would not improve game play.

Peace,

DreDay

[urbanwarrior 0]

a longer VD would come in handy for flying the fast movers like the harrier, i dont know about anybody else but i navigated in OFP by using landmarks like towns or specific camps or coastlines, if the VD was longer then it would make life a lot easier when trying to navigate across 250 square miles of island by using landmarks

[TrevorOfCrete 0]

a longer VD would come in handy for flying the fast movers like the harrier, i dont know about anybody else but i navigated in OFP by using landmarks like towns or specific camps or coastlines, if the VD was longer then it would make life a lot easier when trying to navigate across 250 square miles of island by using landmarks

i used the map . but i get what your saying

[Daniel 0]

Realistically you should be able to see as far as you want in a jet in ofp if weather permits, i dont care if the LODs of tanks are reduced to small black dots. There's nothing wrong with leaving room for future hardware updates.

[urbanwarrior 0]

the map is ok when your flying high, but i like keeping low, i hate those damn shilka's! i just found it easier to fly via landmarks incase i hit something while looking at the map, that would be gameover!

[blackdog~ 0]

Maybe some new information (and demo news) will seep out then.

And perhaps a few more press demos to totally random people who have the skill to register a domain name and put up a CMS...

(sorry, couldn't help myself there)

I agree that it is quite handy to have a high view distance when flying any plane. It's hard to get your bearings when you're at a high altitude. You have to scroll along the map to figure out where you are at and fly at the same time. It would be cool to have display screens that automatically show your position on the map to solve this problem. But I totally am not expecting that to happen...

<span style='color:white'>Edit: Spelling mistake...</span>

[Smartti 1]

Maybe some new information (and demo news) will seep out then.

And perhaps a few more press demos to totally random people who have the skill to register a domain name and put up a CMS...

(sorry, couldn't help myself there)

Exactly, that seems to be the current trend.

But I don't mind if ArmA finally hits the shelves before Santa's revenge days.

[urbanwarrior 0]

dont know if anyone remembers the kegetys addon (i think it was him but it was years ago now) that had a cessna that dropped iron bombs (freefall) it was a PITA to get lined up nice and early with your target because you couldn't physically see it untill your were within a certain distance from it. if there are simialr bombs on the harrier, and i sincerely hope there is, then the problem will be exagerated with the extra speed, so a good VD is essential in my opinion.

[SodaBob 0]

dont know if anyone remembers the kegetys addon (i think it was him but it was years ago now) that had a cessna that dropped iron bombs (freefall) it was a PITA to get lined up nice and early with your target because you couldn't physically see it untill your were within a certain distance from it. if there are simialr bombs on the harrier, and i sincerely hope there is, then the problem will be exagerated with the extra speed, so a good VD is essential in my opinion.

Working laser guided bombs would fix that issue...!!! OFP had them, but we never could figure out how to pass the target/lock off to either a player or AI pilot/gunner, etc.

[urbanwarrior 0]

i still would like unguided bombs on the harrier, sometimes you just want to drop a dozen bombs in one pass on a village or camp to soften it up, but thats just my destructive streak

[bravo 6 0]

Do we know what modes ArmA will have yet?

veteran, cadete,..., more?

[Big Dawg KS 6]

dont know if anyone remembers the kegetys addon (i think it was him but it was years ago now) that had a cessna that dropped iron bombs (freefall) it was a PITA to get lined up nice and early with your target because you couldn't physically see it untill your were within a certain distance from it. if there are simialr bombs on the harrier, and i sincerely hope there is, then the problem will be exagerated with the extra speed, so a good VD is essential in my opinion.

Working laser guided bombs would fix that issue...!!!  OFP had them, but we never could figure out how to pass the target/lock off to either a player or AI pilot/gunner, etc.

There's nothing wrong with them, they worked beautifully if you knew how to use them. It's also very simple how they work; the laser shows up in the pilot's radar and allows them to lock on to it just like any regular vehicle, and AI see it as a target and engage it too. Also, a lot of people don't realize how effectively the lock-on icons work, and that they notify you at the ideal range to drop the weapon, so they often miss. I find it extremely simple to use and very effective.

[-TL- 0]

Working laser guided bombs would fix that issue...!!!  OFP had them, but we never could figure out how to pass the target/lock off to either a player or AI pilot/gunner, etc.

They work fine for me... When you laze a point, a "lasertarget" vehicle is created, which can be locked onto with a laser guided bomb the same way as a missile.

[urbanwarrior 0]

he said "pass off to AI" in that i think he meant the AI couldn't use Laser giuded bombs effectively on their own or as a gunner in your vehicle

[-TL- 0]

I've never had problems with AI targeting and attack, don't know why anyone else would.

[urbanwarrior 0]

you never had a problem with AI attcking using laser guided bombs on there own, i did in ofp, they wouldn't engage with the bombs, they always used the cannon or the rockets, but thats just me

[Big Dawg KS 6]

The AI will use the LGBs if they detect the laser and lock on to it. The reason they often use the 30mm instead is because they sometimes don't give themselves enough room to use the LGBs before passing over the target. If you have multiple planes grouped together, they become more effective at engaging targets.

[urbanwarrior 0]

that and the AI used to fly into things, when i would lase a target they would pass once and pick up the IR, then by the time they had managed to come round again to drop the bomb they had flown into something fairly solid like a hill!

[TheDude 0]

does any one know if the beta has weapon reload animation?

[CsonkaPityu 0]

Yea it has but it's nothing special, just the guy flailing his arms around the weapon like in OFP. So far BIS changed everything that was complaint worthy so i don't know why i should abandond the "they'll fix it anyway" mantra (sorry blackdog). So, they'll probably improve it, yarrr!

[whisper 0]

As for tanks and their range of fire of 2-3km, very small percentage is actualy used to fire at that distance...in some desert,yes, but elsewere it's 100m-1km.

What about helicopters? What about planes?

Peace,

DreDay

What about planes? What about helicopters? None of them target by eye. They got computers and all kinds of shit doing it for them, which is simulated with the radar thingy OFP had in the upper part of the screen. Planes got a inteface where you get a neat square box thats your target. Often you don't see the target when you fire at it. If you want realistic targeting for choppers and planes, don't talk about VD, talk about computer systems. Then you need screens and interfaces and stuff like that, not a VD that lets you see a black dot which may be a tank, or may be a rock...

Shall we have VD on 500 km if there is a rocket that can move that distance?

Pilots spot incoming AA missiles by their smoke trail from miles away. And it saves their live. You can even guess if your countermeasures work or not by checking how the missiles behaves, visually

[TheDude 0]

but when i mean reload animation a was no say the ofp reload type more like you sawing the caracter taking taking clip from the rifle and the bullets from the machine gun belts to move.Butt is aa engine capable of doing that?

[4 IN 1 0]

am i the only one here to think that a too-hard-to-control chopper/plane would kind of ruin to fun of the game?

no no no i am a realistic freaks but the facts that IRL there is much more things help you to fly bugs me up, i mean you cant feel almost anything(roll, pitch, etc), while sitting in front of a computer, you could only use your eye, and we are not talking about a UAV here

[mattxr 9]

do you reckon with the helicopters if you see a missle coming towards you, you roll up and to the side while firing off flares into the sky? how cool would that be

hearing some neet helicopter sounds at the same time

[Eda Mrcoch 0]

am i the only one here to think that a too-hard-to-control chopper/plane would kind of ruin to fun of the game?

no no no i am a realistic freaks but the facts that IRL there is much more things help you to fly bugs me up, i mean you cant feel almost anything(roll, pitch, etc), while sitting in front of a computer, you could only use your eye, and we are not talking about a UAV here

Well, BI stated that flight physics is more realistic but controls are essentialy the same. And that the physics in fact gives you more maneuvering options. So if that comes with increased difficulty I have no problems.

Advanced weaponry should be IMO more difficult to operate. It corrects the "everyone is a pilot with AT and sniper rifle" factor in MP. Maybe in lower difficulty settings helicopters should be easier to fly (for SP).