How to load HEAT/SABOT

[Turtlefarm 0]

Eh... I came across this problem when playing a tank mission. How the h*ll can I order the gunner to load different ammo, say like switch from sabot to heat. I have a mouse with wheel (of course) and I've set the next/previous command keys to the mousewheel.

So, now I enter the command mode by pressing spacebar, right... (or home-key in my case) and try to roll to the right command with mousewheel. But no! It just browses through the command menu, not the action menu where the order is at! And for some reason the command menu pops out when ever I enter the command mode (should it do that?). So how the heck can I make this work right. The only way I could switch to heat was by jumping to gunners seat and switching manually (not really good solution now is it...) and jumping back to commanders seat. Anyone else stumbled on the same issue?

I also have the "ghost gun" slitch mentioned in some posts. Looking forward to seeing a fix for that in patch 1.05. (my campain is stuck in that watertower sniper mission until I have a working scope)

My final grievance is the odd decision by the developing team to lock the ctrl key as a reserved key. Since I use the arrow keys for movement, I would need the ctrl for prone! Now I need to use another key much farther which is of course much harder to press in a tight situation.

It's nice that Arma introduces new possibilities for setting keybindings and more versatile interface, but it feels to me that some of the basic controls have become needlessly too difficult. OFP missed shorcuts for most common commands but while addressing that issue, they should not have messed with already excellent interface for moving.

Overall Arma is excellent game. I loved OFP, pretty soon I'll love Arma as well.  

[fasad 1]

Reload HEAT/SABOT should be available in the action menu when you are the driver, are in command of the tank and the gunner is using the main cannon.

As commander you can use the command menu, and order the gunner to execute the reload HE/SABOT action. It seems the

second turret has broken some of functionality of the old command system (reload he/sabot action menu items should be available to the commander). The good news is this would be very easy to fix.

[frederf 0]

As M1A1 commander:

Command button (default space) hold.

Press switch weapon (default F) until Sabot or heat is available.

Action list: "Reload HEAT"

I figured this out in.. 45 seconds?

[Turtlefarm 0]

Eh... Thank's but I know all this and I have tried all of these. My problem is that it just wont allow me to select anything from the action menu (I see the "reload heat" command right there but can't select it) because my previous/next (mousewheel and the set keys) keys just scroll the command menu (upper right corner). Switch weapon key won't do the trick either for some reason (I have default 'F' and also 'NUM 5' but neither works). And yes I am in the commanders seat. Switching to gunners seat and loading heat manually has so far been the only way to do this.

Maybe this is a bug in version 1.04, or is it just my system specific problem? I have also noticed that my keysettings tend to change on their own.

[l mandrake 9]

I have this exact problem with v1.04. The system for ordering the gunner to switch ammo is clumsy, complicated and totally unintuitive - it needs fixing.

So far by pressing this, holding that and clicking the other, while hopping on one leg and reciting Shakespeare in Latin, blindfolded, I have managed to shout the order 'Load SABOT' (appears in yellow text) but the gunner still takes no action...  

[Turtlefarm 0]

I have this exact problem with v1.04. The system for ordering the gunner to switch ammo is clumsy, complicated and totally unintuitive - it needs fixing.

So I'm not alone with this problem. Good. So far I've had absolutely no luck trying to change ammo (except by the prementioned hop to gunners seat method). Hopefully there'll be a fix soon.

[fasad 1]

I am using the demo version 5116. Frederfs method does not work for me. If the following method does not work for you, then something has changed between our different versions.

When playing as the commander and the gunner selected (using his F# key) , use the action group (not the action menu!) within the command menu to order your gunner to re-load. For the action to be available, the gunner must be using the main cannon, not the coax MG (gunners selected weapon can be changed holding spacebar, then pushing F).

eg,

commander = player (F1)

gunner = unit2 (F2)

gunner is using main cannon

push F2

push 6 (action menu)

Reload HE/SABOT should be in the list, normally option 1.

*note, spacebar is not used at all in this procedure.

edit: damn stupid smileys!!

[frederf 0]

Yeah that works too.

Quote[/b] ]My problem is that it just wont allow me to select anything from the action menu (I see the "reload heat" command right there but can't select it) because my previous/next (mousewheel and the set keys) keys just scroll the command menu (upper right corner).

You have to backspace out of the 0-9radiomenu in order to access the action menu. I wish they made the [ ] keys cycle the action menu while mousewheel did the 0-9radiomenu but they didn't. I commonly have to close the 0-9 in order to do an action in the action menu. Kinda dumb.

[Turtlefarm 0]

Yeah that works too.

Quote[/b] ]My problem is that it just wont allow me to select anything from the action menu (I see the "reload heat" command right there but can't select it) because my previous/next (mousewheel and the set keys) keys just scroll the command menu (upper right corner).

You have to backspace out of the 0-9radiomenu in order to access the action menu. I wish they made the [ ] keys cycle the action menu while mousewheel did the 0-9radiomenu but they didn't. I commonly have to close the 0-9 in order to do an action in the action menu. Kinda dumb.

Well a big part of the problem is that backspace won't exit the radiomenu (commandmenu), hence the mousewheel keeps scrolling the commandmenu instead of the actionmenu. The commandmenu sticks on screen like glued no matter how many times you hit backspace. It does retract from submenus but once in root, the menu sticks on screen.

I'd much prefered if all selections from command menu would be done by number 0-9 selection like in OFP (since I'm already very adapt in using that method and I find it very fast way of issuing orders). So I'd say that plz set mousewheel to cycle only the action menu, command menu can very easily be used with the number keys. The good old philosophy is true here as ever: "if it's not broken, don't fix it".

[Turtlefarm 0]

For "#¤" sake! Still no fix for reloading sabot/heat issue. One might think that they'd make a keybinding possibility for it but no. This is really an example of piss-poor design if you ask me.

The only methods for ordering your gunner to reload heat to my knowledge are:

a) switching to gunners seat and doing it your self (fastest maybe)

b) selecting your gunner (like F3 for example) and giving the order through command menu (action -> reload heat) but this is very very slow and error-prone on fast combat situation (the key combination is not always the same. ex. 6-2 or 6-3).

c) the old OFP style switching to drivers seat and playing by command view (in OFP this was a neat trick to overcome the issue about AI driving head on to bad places, I'm sure all OFP fanatics remember the horrific command lag). Then you can actually use the action menu and switch weapons without the need to press the command mode key (whitch invokes the command menu so that while it's on you can't choose anything from the action menu). This way however you obviously can't use the commanders 50.cal so it's not the best way to do things in this game, though it worked very well in OFP.

I've also noticed how if you issue a target command without pressing the command mode key, the square won't appear on the target but the gunner still targets it. Bug?

[mr reality 0]

selecting your gunner (like F3 for example) and giving the order through command menu (action -> reload heat) but this is very very slow and error-prone on fast combat situation (the key combination is not always the same. ex. 6-2 or 6-3).

That's how i've been doing it. But only in the editor,

If i'm the commander it would be F2/6 (action)/1 (reload heat)

I'd hate to use this control method while in action...

After i've destroyed the target the gunner still keeps his weapon aimed at the target. Even when i go into the command menu and give the order "no target". The only way i can get the gunner off the target is to lock him onto another target. Tanks in Arma arn't very user friendly at the moment.

Mandrake5 said it all with this...

Quote[/b] ]So far by pressing this, holding that and clicking the other, while hopping on one leg and reciting Shakespeare in Latin, blindfolded