Armed Assault is missing quite a few basics

[.:50Ca_}{_Fe(A)R:. 0]

Don't get me wrong.  The actual game is fantastic.  Just a few quibles with the UI. Soo..

In general, I found the interface to be very confusing and aesthetically deficient.

I couldn't help but notice that the scores that Armed Assault recieved are less than steller. These suggestions could help fix that.

It's missing quite a few basics, as the topic indicates.  Here are some suggestions :

<ul>

[*]Notifications for when people join thegame.

[*]Notifications for when player A kills player B, which specify what the weapon used was.

[*]Armed Assault has a lot of keys for you to remember.  That said, one thing that I think that would be enormously helpful is the ability to easily pop up a chart (in-game) which reminds you of the current keymapping.

[*]The ability to pop up a map, which shows the location of team mates (on foot and in vehicles) which, somehow, indicates the location of current conflicts, so you don't have to wander around forever looking for battles to particpate in.

[*]**********Server options!!!!!!!********

[*]A comprehensive scoreboard.  Should include kills, ping, etc.

[*]Uhm, I might have missed soemthing, but is there any way to communicate with your team mates (so that you can coordinate your efforts in order to encourag team work)?

[*]Server filter!

[*]The ability to create a list of server favorites.

[*]When you get close enought o e a vehicle to enter it, a little ntoification should pop up which tells you what currently mapped key to use it is.

[*]Voting options.

[*]Radio messages.

Now for some other stuff that, while it isn't absoluetley essential, would be nice to see in a post-release patch :

-Map editor

-Mod support

BTW, I like how us Americans get the improved version.

[j w 0]

<ul>

[*]Notifications for when people join thegame.

[*]Notifications for when player A kills player B, which specify what the weapon used was.

[*]Armed Assault has a lot of keys for you to remember. That said, one thing that I think that would be enormously helpful is the ability to easily pop up a chart (in-game) which reminds you of the current keymapping.

[*]The ability to pop up a map, which shows the location of team mates (on foot and in vehicles) which, somehow, indicates the location of current conflicts, so you don't have to wander around forever looking for battles to particpate in.

[*]**********Server options!!!!!!!********

[*]A comprehensive scoreboard. Should include kills, ping, etc.

[*]Uhm, I might have missed soemthing, but is there any way to communicate with your team mates (so that you can coordinate your efforts in order to encourag team work)?

[*]Server filter!

[*]The ability to create a list of server favorites.

[*]When you get close enought o e a vehicle to enter it, a little ntoification should pop up which tells you what currently mapped key to use it is.

[*]Voting options.

[*]Radio messages.

- Ah, too bad. It was good in OFP. Well, you can't have it all

- This is a combat-simulator, not an FPS

- Write it on a post-it and put it on your screen

- Again: Combatsim, you don't have minimaps, with zoom, and you cant see all friends and foes just like that. Even if it's fun to

- Say what?

- We had that in OFP. Too bad if it's really gone.

- Sidechat anyone?

- Say what? We lost that too? Not a demoissue then?

- Write server IPs on a post-it?

- Use it in what way? Drive it forward or what?

- Uhm? Wierd if they deleted it, sure it's not a demoissue?

- Care to ellaborate?

Quote[/b] ]-Map editor

-Mod support

- Full game you can put objects and stuff in the editor, wich makes them all popup when you're ingame

- Mod? Modification? I think that BI is the leading company in mod-support. Or are you meaning something else?

That's my view.

JW

[Big Dawg KS 6]

Um... no offense, but have you even played the game?

I think J W summed it up for you (btw, not sure how sarcastic J W was being but all those things he mentioned being present in OFP are still in ArmA), but in particular...

Quote[/b] ]-Map editor

-Mod support

Is this a joke? ArmA DOES (inherited from OFP) have full mod support (IMO the best of any game) and mission editor/island creator (though the latter is in built in and not yet released, same as the rest of the mod tools but they're on the way).

Quote[/b] ]Uhm, I might have missed soemthing, but is there any way to communicate with your team mates (so that you can coordinate your efforts in order to encourag team work)?

Adding to what J W said, there are 5/4 (not sure of direct chat is still in ArmA) different chat options (global - everyone, side - team, group - just your squad, and vehicle - intravehicle communication) as well as VOIP.

Seriously, how could you have missed all these things?

[Caaahl 0]

Dont feed the troll!

[sickboy 13]

Or someone has patched his German/Czech game the wrong way, and doesn't have texts at all in the game ... as such, it makes it pretty much clear why he names everything that is actually in the game, because really, there is maybe 1.3 things on that list that are not in the game or not exactly as described, besides it would explain the interface madness, as you gotto click and figure out what everything is without the texts )

[-CS-SOBR-1st-I-R- 0]

Mate this is no BF1942 nor BF2 nor COD or anything else...

This is an improved OFP ! Dont get me wrong but all the people here are playing OFP for years and they love it, thats why they are here. They dont want anything else but good old OFP.

People dont need a chart to know the keys.... they know the keys better than their wifes.

They dont need no indication for which weapons killed whom, they know the sounds better than anything else.

And where do you think the menu is confusing ?

Ehh... btw, have you played ArmA at all yet ?

Voting is possible (depends on server)

Radio messages were there since 2001

Server favourite list can be created

Server filter: lol name me a game without

Communication ingame ? Sidechat and also VoIP

Get to play the game first dude.

[FCF Bad Karma 0]

You, my friend, are an idiot.

As previously said, this isn't Battlefield 2, CSS, MoH, or any of the other fairly lame games that pale in comparison to OFP/ArmA. For God's sakes don't try to make it such. One of the main reasons I continue to play OFP to this day are the lack of people such as yourself in the community.

Get a clue.

[.:50Ca_}{_Fe(A)R:. 0]

Wow, a warm welcome.

Why does everyone have to start getting defensive?

Quote[/b] ]As previously said, this isn't Battlefield 2, CSS, MoH, or any of the other fairly lame games that pale in comparison to OFP/ArmA. For God's sakes don't try to make it such. One of the main reasons I continue to play OFP to this day are the lack of people such as yourself in the community.

What, by adding in the basics of an FPS game I'm going to turnit into CSS?

Talk about getting a clue.

These things are in every FPS game.

Quote[/b] ]People dont need a chart to know the keys.... they know the keys better than their wifes.

They dont need no indication for which weapons killed whom, they know the sounds better than anything else.

Just so you know, not everyone is a vetran.

Does Armed Assault aim to increase it's fan base?

If so, it should be user friendly.

Quote[/b] ]Server favourite list can be created

But it hasn't been implemented yet, hence this thread.

Quote[/b] ]You, my friend, are an idiot.

I think you need to play more games than just OFP.

Quote[/b] ]Dont feed the troll!

Anyone who brings any aspect of ArmA into question qualitatively is a troll?

Right...

Quote[/b] ]Um... no offense, but have you even played the game?

Yes, I played the demo for a full 40 minutes.

No offense.. but have you played any other game?

Quote[/b] ]- Ah, too bad. It was good in OFP. Well, you can't have it all

How could your standards be that low?

That's like saying "ah well, the car doesn't have a speedometer.

This is a BASIC neccesity.

Quote[/b] ]- This is a combat-simulator, not an FPS

If expanded your scope a bit more, you'de know that that combat simulator is a sub-genre (in this case) of FPS, a niche catagory.

Quote[/b] ]- Write it on a post-it and put it on your screen

..And block half your screen in the process?

My god.. this is so obvious.

Don't you see how my suggestions would make players life's easier.

Quote[/b] ]- Again: Combatsim, you don't have minimaps, with zoom, and you cant see all friends and foes just like that. Even if it's fun to

How can you coordinate you're efforts as a team if you don't even know where they are?

Quote[/b] ]- Say what?

Wow, why do I feel like I'm in the stone age here?

Ok...Um.. You know how in a lot of games you can like.. set a password for the server, set the max # of players, and other properties?

Quote[/b] ]- We had that in OFP. Too bad if it's really gone.

Again low standards. Please, go and play something else.

There's a whole world of other games out there.

Quote[/b] ]- Sidechat anyone?

Sorry, I must have missed this.

You can't blame me. I'm a n00b.

Quote[/b] ]- Say what? We lost that too? Not a demoissue then?

Yup, according to the demo. No server filters.

You can't even sort[/i[ them.

Quote[/b] ]- Write server IPs on a post-it?

BAHAHAHAHA?

Do you realize how abusrd that souds?

That's just like saying "I don't have a real car so I built one myself."

It just doesn't work nearly as good.

Quote[/b] ]- Use it in what way? Drive it forward or what?

Enter the vehicle.

Quote[/b] ]- Uhm? Wierd if they deleted it, sure it's not a demoissue?

It might have not been included in the demo.

Quote[/b] ]- Care to ellaborate?

Like

"Cover me!"

"Need a ride!"

"Medic!"

This is crucial to coordinating your efforts effectively.

[-CS-SOBR-1st-I-R- 0]

I think its too late for you already ....

Dont blame him ... he's green!

Look mate, the game you are talking about is for sure not perfect! But it is not comparabale to any FPS or any other kind of game you know!

Playing it for 40 minutes doesnt make you know anything about it and start spreading "suggestions" which are false because they are either in the game already or people have other ways to run it.

Please do not infect our ArmA with your ideals of how it should be, as it is like that in BF. Play the game for some years and you will get to love it.

And as you said yourself... your a noob in ArmA/OFP so please do not insult our game. Ah btw JW was taking the piss out of you mate

And yeah we all have played other games aswell...

So we played FPS and ArmA... you only played FPS, trust me, those 40 minutes you played are nothing at all.

And the server list... create a txt file having the DNS of the servers listed and save it as "server.txt" in your ArmA folder. Now tell me that this is something needed to be implemented. And people have TS2 or Vent for communication and the radio commands in ArmA like: Under fire! - Ammo low! - etc. fit to many situations.

Now good night!

[olemissrebel 0]

Go play battlefield turd.

Quote[/b] ]How can you coordinate you're efforts as a team if you don't even know where they are?

You pay attention to where they are with your EYES, as is the case IRL, jackass.

[jasono 0]

<ul>

[*]Armed Assault has a lot of keys for you to remember. That said, one thing that I think that would be enormously helpful is the ability to easily pop up a chart (in-game) which reminds you of the current keymapping.

[*]**********Server options!!!!!!!********

[*]The ability to create a list of server favorites.

[*]When you get close enought o e a vehicle to enter it, a little ntoification should pop up which tells you what currently mapped key to use it is.

From what you have said in your first post, the above things are the only things that you mentioned that isn't in ArmA.

Controls can be found out in game however by pressing the Esc key and then pressing controls.

Everything else is in the game.

Did I miss something?

[dm 9]

Ok, unlike everyone else here who seems to have jumped down your throat about it, here's my take on your ideas:

Notifications for when people join thegame.

It was there in OFP, I havent played ArmA MP yet, but I would imagine it is still there in the full version.

Notifications for when player A kills player B, which specify what the weapon used was.

This is something which is very "arcady" and hasnt really been a feature people have looked for in OFP/ArmA. Yeah, sometimes its cool to know who killed who with what, but it doesnt really match the sort of gameplay OFP/ArmA are trying to present.

Could be cool as an option, but I've not missed it when playing OFP (death cam always shows you who killed you anyho, and you can see what they're using then).

Armed Assault has a lot of keys for you to remember. That said, one thing that I think that would be enormously helpful is the ability to easily pop up a chart (in-game) which reminds you of the current keymapping.

Not something I know if in any game tbh. Its annoying I know, but the way I've always done it is to just hit esc and check the options. Even had to do that in games like HL2, and BF2.

The ability to pop up a map, which shows the location of team mates (on foot and in vehicles) which, somehow, indicates the location of current conflicts, so you don't have to wander around forever looking for battles to particpate in.

There is an ingame map. However unless you're driving a vehicle, flying an aircraft, or the mission has a script, it doesnt show any units on it. (Its "meant" to be a paper map which the soldier "looks" at)

It'd be cool to have tactical displays in digitally enabled vehicles/buildings (like the digital tactical map the commander has in the real world M1A2. Which would show the positions of all friendly and known enemy units)

A mini-map BF2 style again doesnt really suit the style of gameplay.

A comprehensive scoreboard. Should include kills, ping, etc.

Again, OFP had this, I'm not sure if/why its been removed in ArmA full.

Uhm, I might have missed soemthing, but is there any way to communicate with your team mates (so that you can coordinate your efforts in order to encourag team work)?

Yeah, as has been said, theres 5 or so channels you can type in as well as VOIP now. In OFP it was bound to the ,./ keys, might have changed in ArmA, best to check the options.

Server filter!

Agreed, would be damn handy if there isnt on in ArmA full.

The ability to create a list of server favorites.

Agreed again, as above.

When you get close enought o e a vehicle to enter it, a little ntoification should pop up which tells you what currently mapped key to use it is.

The big enter button on the keyboard is the default action button. If ever you get a little symbol pop up on screen, the enter button will activate it

Voting options.

Would be cool I suppose, but then I;ve only ever played on "private" servers, so not needed them (the joys of playing with a "clan" and having an admin there all the time )

Radio messages.

Already there afaik. At least they are in ArmA SP. Its only basic stuff like "need ammo" "where are you" and whatnot, but it does the job (mapped to the '5' button on top of the keyboard)

Map editor

Mod support

If by map editor you mean the capability to make custom missions, then its included in ArmA full. If you mean the ability to make custom terrain, then tools will be released in the new year to be able to do that.

OFP was one of the most flexible and modable engines around, ArmA builds on that. Again, mod tools will be released in the new year.

@the rest of you. Jesus h-fucking christ guys, he's new here, only just started playing the demo. No need to come down on him like a ton of shit just because he's not an OFP veteran... Christ, if thats the reception I got when I started playing a game I'd think very poorly of the "community"...

[xnodunitx 0]

Can't really say I understand a few of the things you mean,one of them being "Too many keys"

From what I'v seen there is

E,Q-leaning/rolling

W,S,A,D-movement and strafing

Z,X,C- prone,crouched and standing

F,N,M- weapon change,night vision,map

R,G- Reloading,drop weapon/take weapon

You can also use the \ and ' key to salute and sit

Sure its more then the usual simple crouch and prone and movement keys being it,but this is moreso an infantry sim so currently infantry will have the most use of buttons,just takes practice.

And of course the compass and time,oh and shift to toggle or hold to walk and double tap W to run. There aren't really that many keys,once you practice a few times,you'll get the hang of it .

The weapon...I don't know..sounds kind of useless,it doesn't really matter who killed who and with what,all that matters is that somebody died and you are notified of that,score is kept but I forget which key,I believe it is "P".

Yes and no to the map idea,for infantry with no special equipment I would have to say no,but for vehicle commanders or vehicle personel in general I would have to say,depending on what type and how modern it is of course.

As stated by DeadMeatXM2,enter key,and yes..the editor was not included in the demo but it is understandable why,retail version has this and as DeadMeatXM2 said once more,tools will be released sometime..and I have to agree,just because the person is new doesn't really give much reason to jump down somebodies throat.

[sickboy 13]

<ul>

[*]Armed Assault has a lot of keys for you to remember.  That said, one thing that I think that would be enormously helpful is the ability to easily pop up a chart (in-game) which reminds you of the current keymapping.

[*]**********Server options!!!!!!!********

[*]The ability to create a list of server favorites.

[*]When you get close enought o e a vehicle to enter it, a little ntoification should pop up which tells you what currently mapped key to use it is.

- Server Options, there are for Difficulty on either VET or Cadet, server name, passwords, some further configurations as parameters for mod allowances/custom file sizes/voice disable, maplist and parameter config, server bandwidth and netcode control settings (Altough limited), and I guess that's it

- About the key mappings.. the interface keys especially to get in something or do an action is pretty straightforward with either the mousewheel+middle button or the [ ] keys and enter, all the other keys are also pretty straightforward, but I must add that after playing flashpoint for 2 years and now arma, I guess i'm used to it anyway

- List of server favorites would've indeed been handy, but you can at least make ur own favorite list by making specific shortcuts for specific servers or use 3rd party tools like the excellent ArmA Launcher by Kegetys

- A notification at the vehicles does popup, and the button you need to press is ALWAYS the same key unless you keep changing it :P by default its enter or the middle mouse button, but sometimes it doesn't work because the radio menu right up is activated.. press backspace to deactivate

All the other mentioned things ARE actually in, you can even see your team moving on the map, in Cadet mode, depending on the difficulty settings...

But as said before, it's possible you have an error in the language patch, if you installed that one, which could result in NO texts shown in the game, or only half Please refer to my earlier post

[judge&jury 0]

I'm totally with DeadMeat on this one. This guy brought a fresh opinion (god knows we need more of them) to the forums, and you guys start a witch hunt, calling him clueless, an idiot, and a troll. Put your pitchfork and torch down for 5 minutes and learn to treat each other with respect. You owe that to every member on this forums, no less this guy because he enjoys other games.

That aside, some of his suggestions may sound a little strange for ofp dieharders. As he rightly pointed out, we love the ofp design philosophy and gameplay, and usually reject any ideas that aren't congruent with these basic elements. I, for one, wouldn't support weapon kill notifications, as it would provide information that a battlefield soldier would never be privvy to.

On the other hand, some of his suggestions are no-brainers. A key bind display? Great idea! If you look back at some old ofp reviews, you will find that nearly everyone was impressed at the key bind card that was included in the box. Server options? No problem there! If these functions could be programmed into the game, it would go a long way to easing the learning curve that the new community faces. Which, as it so happens, is exactly who our new friend represents.

I conclude with a simple message for forum veterans. What sort of fruitful discussion can you have when no one disagrees? Diversity is the source of all great strengths in modern times, and our forum should welcome it, not reject it.

[Correction 0]

The reason for the lack of death messages is because ArmA focuses strongly on realism and team cooperation, which means that when you kill someone or you see a teammate go down, you should call it out using the right mouse button.

As for the keys, I've never had a problem with memorizing keys for different video games. My secret: define your own keys. That's the first thing I do every time I buy a new game - I open up the options menu and reset most of the keys. The predefined controls almost always suck, in my opinion.

[Big Dawg KS 6]

You, my friend, are an idiot.

I'm sorry, but I have to agree...

Quote[/b] ]No offense.. but have you played any other game?

See, that has nothing to do what I said. You were making requests for things already in the game that would seem hard to miss. And for your informtation, yes, I am a gamer and I enjoy playing other games.

Quote[/b] ]If expanded your scope a bit more, you'de know that that combat simulator is a sub-genre (in this case) of FPS, a niche catagory.

No, it's not. FPS is limited to shooting (hence the name), combat simulators (or more appropriate for ArmA, virtual battlefields) are more on the scale of a sim or role playing game. Perhaps you should ask the USMC and Army National Guard if they're training on expensive first person shooters. Well they aren't, they're using VBS1 - the same core technology from OFP that went into ArmA.

Quote[/b] ]How can you coordinate you're efforts as a team if you don't even know where they are?

This is supposed to be a combat sim, how do you think soldiers on the field do it? They certainly make do with what they have wouldn't you say? Learn how, that's the point, BIS is trying to show you the realities of war, and confusion is often one of them. Go ahead, ask them yourself.

Quote[/b] ]Enter the vehicle.

Same key for all actions, that's why there's an action menu, because this is not just an FPS where you perform the same (limited) mindless tasks, you have options.

Quote[/b] ]Like

"Cover me!"

"Need a ride!"

"Medic!"

This is crucial to coordinating your efforts effectively.

No, these are crucial for coordinating in the absense of a chain of command, which is not the case in ArmA. You're supposed to follow orders, or give them. THAT is how soldiers coordinate effectively. Shouting things like "Cover me!" and "Need a ride!" get you no where if someone's not going to comply. In ArmA, radio messages are present, but they aren't just worthless sound files, they tell AI and player controlled soldiers what to do, or give them useful information. Still, if you feel the need, ArmA supports it. Just place custom sound files in your user/Sound folder and play them over the radio. That is, if you're too lazy to type them - you're not going to be in the heat of battle every second of gameplay, this game is slower paced.

You're problem is you're too accustomed to BF2 style games, but the fact is ArmA is different, and it's like the way it is intentionally. ArmA is built from OFP, which was around before the BF series was. To claim that these features are essential shows what you know about the OFP/ArmA series. Not satisfied? Then go back to what you're used to, it's your choice wether you want to play this game or not, and if you do want to play it then go ahead, but the community is satisfied with this game's style, and who do you think BIS is going to support - newcommers or those who've kept their product alive for over 5 years?

[sanctuary 19]

Amazing to read some of the replies to an user that only "crime" is to be new to the game serie and so not knowing all its features and options he just ask/suggest for some more of them.

Is that a community forum or some kind of sect ?

[sickboy 13]

Amazing to read some of the replies to an user that only "crime" is to be new to the game serie and so not knowing all its features and options he just ask/suggest for some more of them.

Is that a community forum or some kind of sect ?

I throw it on the tension/frustration m8! It's been a few long weeks everyone's had and I guess the next thread that comes up with other opinions and views which mainly are felt like "the next complainer" isn't making "happy campers" amongst some : ) Probably especially not for the ones going through this every day : )

But in general I agree.. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion/vision, as long as sharing them is done on a respective basis.. Counts for all sides of coarse : )

X-mas madness is almost over, let's better bundle force for the better instead of battling eachother in the virtual pubs

[lethal 0]

No, these are crucial for coordinating in the absense of a chain of command, which is not the case in ArmA. You're supposed to follow orders, or give them. THAT is how soldiers coordinate effectively. Shouting things like "Cover me!" and "Need a ride!" get you no where if someone's not going to comply. In ArmA, radio messages are present, but they aren't just worthless sound files, they tell AI and player controlled soldiers what to do, or give them useful information. Still, if you feel the need, ArmA supports it. Just place custom sound files in your user/Sound folder and play them over the radio.

i don't completely agree with this point. IRL i don't think that soldiers in the heat of battle need to pop up a (slightly unintuitive) menu and scroll through a list of commands to send them to select team members.

i think ofp could have and arma would benefit from the ability to 'broadcast' or 'shout' a selection of basic audible commands to teammates in the vicinity... not to replace the current system but maybe to expand on it. my wish would be some kind of ingame voip system that has two modes: shouting (to everyone that is close enough to hear) and broadcasting (to people you're connected via coms, like teammates etc). i'm aware that teamspeak offers a (limited) alternative to that but having it ingame would be even better imho.

what you say about custom sould files is interesting though. i have not known about that before and i'm not sure as to how it works. could you maybe expand on this a little? Where is this user/sound folder? i can't find such a thing in my installation - do you have to create one yourself? if so where exactly? does it relay the sound itself through the game of does it play the sound locally and only send an associated text message? can you include certain variables in those text messages (like coordinates, cardinal directions etc)?

[ebns72 0]

The ability to go from a run to jog without stopping seems to be missing as well?

[ravendk 25]

This is not counter strike

To cut it short, if you want fancy maps and stats of who did what whith who and how.. its not here and frankly its not that important.

Maps. You got your eyes, a map a compas and the game editor.. Go training, its that simple.

Stats. Well use the ingame stats, more thant you need. / use a pencil and paper

You want to give your freinds and other ppl orders.. Ingame voice or use one of the many voiceovernet programs like teamspeak.

Again, this is not CS, BFx, CoD, WoW ect..

This game reflects what in the real world in war, the bonus is just that if you die ingame, you can allways try again.

The game is what you make of it, expect too much and you get disappointed, but see the game for what it is.

Merry X-mas

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

He's making an effort to play and enjoy the game, but the community may just turn him off rather than the gameplay. If I was new to the community and got this kind of reception I would not bother using this forum.

I understand being defensive, but give him a break, eh?

[Capt.Marion 0]

+1 Ziggy, +1.

[Razor -RS- 0]

In addition, he's playing the arma demo.

I have the arma full version. Does the demo have everything as in the full version?

Razor [RS]