Navigate by the stars?

[=jps=sgtrock 4]

Just for the heck of it, I tried Google for long 40.0200000, lat 39.9500001. That comes up in the mountains just to the south east of the Black Sea. Making the latitude -39.95xxxx puts the dot smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, more or less WNW of the Azores.

[Planck 1]

Just for the heck of it, I tried Google for long 40.0200000, lat 39.9500001. That comes up in the mountains just to the south east of the Black Sea. Making the latitude -39.95xxxx puts the dot smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, more or less WNW of the Azores.

Exactly....according to BI coordinates anyway

Planck

[Col. Faulkner 0]

The old boyscout trick of finding North using your watch also

works in ArmA.

[maxqubit 1]

@Suma ... the modelled sky is one of those details of ofp/elite/arma which i appreciaite very much (realizing 98% of the gamers won't give a damn). Thx!!

[=jps=sgtrock 4]

The old boyscout trick of finding North using your watch also

works in ArmA.

I was just a Cub Scout for about a year. What's the trick?

[Balschoiw 0]

To my knowledge there is no real use for a watch to determine directions at night other than using the outer ring for a directional setting once you have either determined the direction by using the moon or star constellations at night.

The watch is only really working during daytime. In the northern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal and point the hour hand at the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark to get the north-south line.

The moon method:

Because the moon has no light of its own, we can only see it when it reflects the sun's light. As it orbits the earth on its 28-day circuit, the shape of the reflected light varies according to its position. We say there is a new moon or no moon when it is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun. Then, as it moves away from the earth's shadow, it begins to reflect light from its right side and waxes to become a full moon before waning, or losing shape, to appear as a sliver on the left side. You can use this information to identify direction.

If the moon rises before the sun has set, the illuminated side will be the west. If the moon rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be the east. This obvious discovery provides us with a rough east-west reference during the night.

The star method:

The main constellations to learn are the Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper or the Plow, and Cassiopeia. Neither of these constellations ever sets. They are always visible on a clear night. Use them to locate Polaris, also known as the polestar or the North Star. The North Star forms part of the Little Dipper handle and can be confused with the Big Dipper. Prevent confusion by using both the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia together. The Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are always directly opposite each. other and rotate counterclockwise around Polaris, with Polaris in the center. The Big Dipper is a seven star constellation in the shape of a dipper. The two stars forming the outer lip of this dipper are the "pointer stars" because they point to the North Star. Mentally draw a line from the outer bottom star to the outer top star of the Big Dipper's bucket. Extend this line about five times the distance between the pointer stars. You will find the North Star along this line.

Cassiopeia has five stars that form a shape like a "W" on its side. The North Star is straight out from Cassiopeia's center star.

After locating the North Star, locate the North Pole or true north by drawing an imaginary line directly to the earth.

Wilderness survival

Would be fun to have a hardcore orientation mission in Arma. If the moonphases are correctly simulated it could even be more fun

[NoRailgunner 0]

the trick with your watch - you can only do it in daylight with the sun

at night: Polaris can be found by following a line formed by the pointer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper. Extend this line 6x the distance between the two pointer stars, and you will see the North Star. There are no bright stars in between to cause any confusion. Polaris is the tip of the Little Dipper handle.

[Col. Faulkner 0]

Yes; what Battlesmurf and noRailGunner said! If you find it

awkward to point the watch hand at the sun in-game you

can sketch the position of the hour hand and the 12 on a

scrap of paper, face the sun in game, point the hour hand

on your paper at the screen and read off the North-South

line that way. Gratifyingly, it works just as well in-game as

it does in real life.

[rundll.exe 12]

I just tried it in OFP (Yes Im a boyscout) And it really works

One dancing banana for BIS

[Second 0]

I use hour method to determ north in daylight . Sun rises from east at 6.00, at 18.00 sun sets down to west. At 12.00 sun is in south and 24.00 in north. At night you can see which direction is north as northern sky is brighter than others because of the sun and at summers sun doesn't set down at all in here! Then again at winter sun might not rise at all in lapland. Then it is easier to find North star. I use naturemarks such as antnests, mushrooms in trees and things which english names i do not know (and i'm too lazy to check). Haven't checked if naturemarks works in ArmA, but i have my doupts

[4 IN 1 0]

http://www.gemday.com/pic/luminox%20compass%20large.jpg

To my knowledge there is no real use for a watch to determine directions at night other than using the outer ring for a directional setting once you have either determined the direction by using the moon or star constellations at night.

The watch is only really working during daytime. In the northern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal and point the hour hand at the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark to get the north-south line.

If the moon rises before the sun has set, the illuminated side will be the west. If the moon rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be the east. This obvious discovery provides us with a rough east-west reference during the night.

The star method:

The main constellations to learn are the Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper or the Plow, and Cassiopeia. Neither of these constellations ever sets. They are always visible on a clear night. Use them to locate Polaris, also known as the polestar or the North Star. The North Star forms part of the Little Dipper handle and can be confused with the Big Dipper. Prevent confusion by using both the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia together. The Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are always directly opposite each. other and rotate counterclockwise around Polaris, with Polaris in the center. The Big Dipper is a seven star constellation in the shape of a dipper. The two stars forming the outer lip of this dipper are the "pointer stars" because they point to the North Star. Mentally draw a line from the outer bottom star to the outer top star of the Big Dipper's bucket. Extend this line about five times the distance between the pointer stars. You will find the North Star along this line.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/figures/fig18-3.gif

Cassiopeia has five stars that form a shape like a "W" on its side. The North Star is straight out from Cassiopeia's center star.

After locating the North Star, locate the North Pole or true north by drawing an imaginary line directly to the earth.

Wilderness survival

Would be fun to have a hardcore orientation mission in Arma. If the moonphases are correctly simulated it could even be more fun  http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif' alt='biggrin_o.gif'>

i remembered that once there was such kind of mission in OFP, would be nice to have these kind of mission revisited

[Balschoiw 0]

If you´re taling about the stock mission from campaign it was a nice idea and certainly gave a refreshing moment. I guess it was the first time players actually realized that the stars enabled them to navigate.

Id like to see a more complex mission though, the stock one only sent you into one direction. I´m already thinking about it and how to embedd it into a consistent mission without making it appear dorka dorka.

[4 IN 1 0]

If you´re taling about the stock mission from campaign it was a nice idea and certainly gave a refreshing moment. I guess it was the first time players actually realized that the stars enabled them to navigate.

Id like to see a more complex mission though, the stock one only sent you into one direction. I´m already thinking about it and how to embedd it into a consistent mission without making it appear dorka dorka.

well thats not a offical but a mp coop mission if i remember correctly, cant recall how i played it through, but there are just too much room for ideas

i think ill just wait for the next patch to see how much bugs they managed to fix

[paragraphic l 2]

Yes, it would. The same is true for daytime duration or sun and moon position. No planets yet, though.

Hi Solus,

I just wanted to ask if it was possible to recreate a solar eclipse ingame? I have some problems starting ArmA at the moment and am not sure if I have the correct data.

I have searched for an eclipse that was recreatable in ArmA and stumbled uppon the 1998 eclipse, 11 August but it missed the supposed position of Sahrani so I wondered if it is possible or not.

Greets,

Para