Realistic Ballistics

NWD_Ballistics v1.6 / NWD_ScopeFix v2.2 Now includes all man-portable optics, with illuminated reticles! (I was lucky enough to hit him with my first shot, too. You need gmJamez' SightAdjustment mod to pull this off.) Downloads: NWD_Ballistics v1.6 NWD_ScopeFix v2.2 Delete version 1.0 of either mod before installing. To install, just extract to your ArmA directory and add @NWD_Ballistics or @NWD_ScopeFix to the "-mod=" switch of your ArmA shortcut's "Target" line. If you use multiple mods, the "Target" line should read (for example): <table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">"C:\Your ArmA Path\ArmA.exe" -mod=@NWD_Ballistics;@NWD_ScopeFix;@GMJ_SightAdjustment If you use gmJamez' SightAdjustment mod v0.4beta, installing NWD_Ballistics v1.6 will overwrite the in-game range cards provided by that mod. If you do not use the SightAdjustment mod, you will simply have a harmless extra directory in your ArmA folder. (If you install gmJamez' mod after mine, you will want to replace his range cards with the ones included in the NWD_Ballistics mod's @GMJ_SightAdjustment folder. gmJamez' mod must be installed to this folder in order to function properly.) NWD_Ballistics v1.6 Comparison graphs: Stock Ballistics, NWD_Ballistics v1.6 This mod contains four pbos: NWD_Ballistics The supposed difference between the ArmA ballistics and the VBS2 ballistics is ArmA's lack of bullet-specific ballistic coefficients. With this mod, that difference is no longer. When poking around the data files, I found that the "airFriction" parameter can be set per bullet type. After a little research, a little ballistics calculator work, and a whole lot of tweaking, I've managed to create proper exterior ballistics for each small-arms bullet. Rounds now drop much, much more, particularly 5.56 mm and 5.45 mm rifle bullets. Since damage is dependent on speed in ArmA, that also means that body armor has no problem stopping rounds past 500-600 meters. You'll still take damage, but not much. In addition to increasing bullet drop, this mod will re-zero all small arms to fix a small issue in ArmA. The "distanceZoomMin/Max" values seemingly do not take sight height into account, and actually set the distance at which bullets will re-cross the plane of the barrel. This is not the same as zero, which is properly defined as the distance at which the bullets will touch or cross the plane of the sights. This ranged from a 3% error for .50 caliber rifles to a 47% error for M16s and M4s with ACOG scopes. In short, weapons should now be zeroed at the distances they were supposed to be zeroed at. Huge thanks to Kronzky and his portable target range. Without the ballistics tracking in that script, none of this would have been possible. NWD_RocketBallistics This pbo includes redone rocket and missile ballistics, including the AT4 and RPG-7. The M136 AT4 ballistics should be fairly accurate as long as you fire within +/- 10 degrees of horizontal. The RPG-7 is hopeless, but it at least has a realistic muzzle velocity and flight range. The other rockets and missiles have (mostly) realistic thrust times, impulses, and maneuverability. Javelin missiles will fly my best approximation of the direct-attack profile, climbing out to 25 meters before diving down. Without any script to do this, I had to decrease the missile maneuverability. Unfortunately, this means you will not hit any target closer than 350 m away from you. Javelin launchers aren't present by default in ArmA, so this isn't so terrible. This mod does not completely fix SACLOS ATGMs. ArmA guides these by placing an invisible target 1500 m in front of your sights and guiding the missile to that. This is a terrible method. You will never hit a moving target at ranges less than 1500 m, and you will never hit any target at ranges greater than 1500 m. At 1500m, the missile just starts to fly in circles around the invisible target. NWD_RealDispersion This pbo fixes something that annoyed me to no end: in the stock game, the accuracy of single shots depended on your fire mode! With this mod, single shots with your rifle set to automatic fire will be exactly as accurate as single shots with your rifle set to single fire. The AI will ( should! ) still have increased dispersion when laying automatic fire. Sniper rifle dispersion is also increased to realistic values, and MP5 and handgun dispersion is reduced to realistic values. Gatling cannon and machine gun dispersions are also reduced to their published values, being 1.5-3 mil for mounted machine guns and 5-8 mil for gatling cannon. Small arms dispersions are still set to twice what they should be, but that's the way it was before. I am fairly certain that the player gets a 50% dispersion reduction on small arms while prone, and that these settings are correct. NWD_SightAdjustmentPlugin This is one of my favorite parts, designed to be used with gmJamez' SightAdjustment mod v0.4beta. It will do nothing if that mod is not installed. This pbo can be used independently of the others, if that's your kind of thing. If you do have the SightAdjustment mod installed, this pbo will add accurate adjustment ranges and increments to every stock weapon. You will, for example, be able to set the SVD scope to 1000 m (+12.5 mils elevation in the mod) and use the lower chevrons for ranges of 1100, 1200, and 1300m. Assuming, of course, you are also using: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NWD_ScopeFix v2.2 images: M4 scope, M16A4 scope, G36 scope, M107 scope, M24 scope, Mk 12 SPR scope, SVD scope, AKS-74 scope, KSVK scope, M22 binoculars, BPOs binoculars, GLTD II laser designator display, Javelin CLU display + optional reticles This mod replaces all small arms optics with accurate versions, with reticles redrawn from scratch. Version 2 reticles also feature brand new optics models done from scratch, enabling reticle illumination and widescreen support. Reticles will be illuminated between dusk and dawn, whenever lights are on as decided by ArmA. Specific information about each reticle can be found under "extended information" at the image pages linked above. In short, all rangefinders, windage lines, mil dots, and BDC ticks are now at least 95% accurate, and the scope reticles now look (mostly) like they do in real life. All troops with binoculars will use binoculars with the M22 reticle (the old Steiner M22, not the new Northrop laser safe M22--I don't know what that reticle looks like) by default. If you wish for eastern troops to use binoculars with the BPOs reticle (old Soviet issue, but the new binoculars--whatever they are--probably use the same reticle), you must use one of the optional mods below. To use binoculars for rangefinding, follow the real procedures. This mod has usurped the ACOG and M19 binocular reticle mods provided with the first release of my ballistics mod. Options These are provided in the "extras" folder. To install any of these, move them to the "addons" folder. Don't place two binocular zoom mods in the addons folder at the same time, or the reticles may be incorrectly calibrated. NWD_G36_NarrowFOV.pbo -- 5Â° FOV G36 Reticle This is equal to the real field of view of the G36 3x optic. However, I'm pretty sure the G36 scope is meant to be used with both eyes open. Not only is this impossible in ArmA, but the only aimed mode for the G36 is through the scope; there is no red-dot optic for close range. This is provided mostly in case someone manages to add a G36 with a working red-dot sight, but you can use it if you think the 50% larger field of view I've provided by default is "cheating." NWD_4xBinoculars.pbo -- 4x M22 and 4x BPOs Binoculars The default ScopeFix binoculars provide a realistic 7Â° horizontal FOV on a 4:3 monitor. If that's not enough for you, these provide a realistic 7Â° FOV vertically as well, although they are only 4x power instead of 5.25x power as in the default mod. NWD_7xBinoculars.pbo -- 7x M22 or 7x widescreen M22 and 7x BPOs Binoculars While the default ScopeFix binoculars provide a realistic 7Â° horizontal FOV, they are only 5.25x power. The real binoculars are 7x power. If that makes you feel slighted, this mod is for you. As you can see, however, these binoculars have a restricted 5Â° horizontal FOV in a 4:3 resolution. If you have a widescreen monitor, you may prefer NWD_7xBinoculars_Widescreen.pbo instead. This mod provides nearly the full 7Â° field of view if you have a 16:9 monitor. You can use this on 4:3 monitors, too, but it doesn't feel like looking through binoculars at all. NWD_8xGTLDII.pbo -- 8x power GLTD II display The default laser designator display is correctly proportioned, but is only 5.25x power so it can all fit on the screen. The real optic is 10x power, but that just won't fit. In this mod, the optics portion is zoomed in to 8x power, and fills the whole screen horizontally. The view field is very restricted vertically, so the display can still be shown. It still turned out pretty well, though. NWD_AK74_PSO1.pbo -- AKS-74 PSO-1 Reticle The default ScopeFix reticle for the AKS-74 is a PSO-1-1 style 400m rangefinder reticle. This reticle is a PSO-1 style 1000m rangefinder reticle. I don't know what the special reticle the Russian special forces use when they put a PSO on an AK-74 looks like, but I'll bet it looks like one of these. Use whichever you like more. The PSO-1 style reticle has an 800 m chevron in addition to the 100, 400, and 600m chevrons, but it's nearly impossible to hit anything at 800m with an AKS-74. NWD_M107_M8541.pbo -- M8541 scope for the M107 This reticle would be a better fit on an M40A3, but he Marines eventually intend to use this scope for all of their scoped rifles, including the M107. It's a 3-12x power scope with a very busy reticle that I don't particularly care for. The reticle should be in the first focal plane and therefore vary in size when the scope is zoomed, but that's probably not possible in ArmA. It's calibrated to 12x magnification instead. NWD_ExtraBinoculars.pbo This pbo may cause problems in multiplayer, and any mission created with it active will require all clients to be using it. This pbo replaces the M22 binoculars with BPOs binoculars for all Eastern troops. It also adds binoculars to all special forces troops because, by golly, they should have binoculars. The ScopeFix pbo also includes a PSO-1-1 reticle calibrated for 9x39mm SP-5. This is included because I know for sure that it exists and is used by the Russian army. I can't say that about many PSO reticle designs. The BIS PSO reticle was from a civilian POSP, for instance--not a combat scope. If anyone wants to use any of these reticles in a mod, go right ahead. I'd like that you give me credit and use the opticsZoom values in my mod, but that's all. I am still looking into providing binoculars to tank commanders, but it seems that inside and outside optics are forced to have the same magnification. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISSUES: #Russian weapons are disadvantaged at long range by these ballistics. That's just the way it is. However, US 5.56 mm is simulated as brand new NATO-spec M855 green tip while 5.45 mm ammo is simulated as poorly-performing 1970's style 7N6 because it's the only cartridge I could find definite data on. The Russian ammo included in the mod is very common ammo, especially for non-Russian armies, so this isn't as outrageous as it may seem. The Russian army may be issuing 7N10 enhanced penetration ammo to front-line units nowadays, so I'll try to implement this ammo if I can find enough data--for parity, if nothing else. I plan to make M995 AP for the M249 and 7N22 AP for the spec-ops AKS-74 some time in the future, too. #Subsonic rounds are not as accurately simulated as the others. Subsonic 5.45 does exist, and is in fact the only type of ammo that can safely be fired through a suppressed AK-74 in real life, but I couldn't find any information about it except its name (7U1) and weight (80 grains). Subsonic 5.56 is not used by any military. Various subsonic handloads exist, and you can buy very heavy subsonic custom ammo, but no military in the world uses subsonic 5.56. Nonetheless, I've filled the 5.56SD magazines with 75 grain subsonic cartidges. This ammunition should not, by rights, cycle the action of an M4. I think I'll switch it to 100 grain Extreme Shock nonsense in the next version because of that. I'll also see if I can restrict availability of 5.56SD magazines, and give special ops guys a majority of Mk. 262 ammunition instead. #Damage depends on bullet speed in ArmA. I've tweaked the 5.56mm and 5.45mm rounds with this in mind. They should be one-hit kill at ranges below 50m, about the same damage as stock at 200m, and less damage past that. At 800m, it will take about 8 hits to kill someone unless you hit them in the head (you wouldn't be able to penetrate their body armor, anyway). Damage for other bullets may be a bit off. Subsonic rounds in particular might need some work. #If you use the ExtraBinoculars mod, you will not be able to call up Russian binoculars with the "b" key; you need to use the action menu. This is a limitation of ArmA, in that the binoculars key will only work with the "Binocular" weapon. It will not work with anything else currently occupying your binoculars slot, such as my "EastBinocular" weapon. You can still use the "next weapon" key to put your binoculars away, so this is only a minor inconvenience. #Mil dots aren't perfectly sized due to resolution issues, but they're close enough as long as you don't try to subdivide them too accurately. I may be able to make it more accurate by using multiple textures, but the difference probably wouldn't be noticeable except at very high resolutions. #Night vision field of view settings are ignored by the game. As it is, the stock NVG model is probably the best compromise. Two NVG optics models that take up less of the screen are included in the ScopeFix pbo, but the field of view is far too wide if you zoom the view out. Neither of these models is enabled by default. #The BPOs reticle is probably too thick. It matches illustrations I have, but illustrations are usually wrong. If anyone has a photo of this reticle, I'll change it in an instant. #Due to a misunderstanding of the proper optics model dimensions, optics created before v2.2 are 2.4% bigger than intended. This doesn't have an effect in the game, since I'd unknowingly corrected for this error when I calibrated the zoom levels. For future reference, the proper reticle model size is 1.00x0.75 units inside of 5.12x3.84 units of black space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version History NWD_Ballistics v1.6 -- tweaked missile maneuverability -- changed LGB maneuverability back to stock -- decreased HEAT and GBU-12 damage -- increased Kh-29L damage -- improved AI handling of M136 AT4 and RPG-7 -- added incendiary flash to appropriate ammo -- re-added extraBallistics.pbo in case anyone wants to use the ammo within for a Vintorez or Val. It does nothing on its own. ----------------- v1.53 -- fixed online annoyances with sightAdjustmentPlugin -- removed useless extraBallistics pbo, it will be readded when it contains something useful -- re-added range cards (sorry) -- changed M1A1 loadout to more realistic 27 APFSDS-T, 13 HEAT-T ----------------- v1.52 -- various sight adjustment range tweaks -- removed Javelin opticsZoom values (oops) ----------------- v1.51 -- tweaked sight adjustment ranges for AK-74, PKM, M240, M16A2, and M24 ----------------- v1.5 -- New SVD ballistics, fit real reticle out to 1300m -- started on 7.62x54R B-32 API for vehicle machineguns -- various small ballistic tweaks -- removed ACOG reticles ----------------- v1.0 -- First release NWD_ScopeFix v2.2 -- New, thinner M22 binocular reticle, from photos -- New GLTD II laser designator optics -- New Javelin CLU display ----------------- v2.01 -- Fixed missing texture in default G36 reticle ----------------- v2.0 -- Fixed M16A4_ACOG_GL optics -- Tweaked PSO-1-1 reticle to have 400 m aiming point -- Recalibrated all optics zoom values for better accuracy -- Added 12x Gen 2 mil dot reticle -- Added 14x oval mil dot reticle for the M107 -- Changed round mil dot reticles to have 0.5 mil posts and 11% bigger (now 3/4 MOA instead of 0.2 mil) dots -- Added illuminated reticles for scopes that should have them -- Added new models for all optics, with widescreen support and more accurate crosshair loacation -- Made extra binoculars component modular -- Merged default option mods into NWD_ScopeFix.pbo ----------------- v1.0 -- First release ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Ballistics Status (v1.5) While my ballistics are very much more accurate than those provided by default, they are by no means perfect. This is a list of all the ammo covered and all the ammo I'd like to cover, rated by my confidence in the current ballistics. All current ammo in ArmA is covered by this mod, but I plan to add multiple ammo types in each caliber. Numbers in parentheses are for the next version. Ratings explanation: 1 -- I've spent no time trying to make this accurate, and have just given it a ballpark number 2 -- I have no ballistics data for this ammo, and have generated the ballistics from bullet weight and diameter alone 3 -- I am not confident in my data, or the in-game ballistics vary from that data by up to 5% 4 -- I do not know that my data is accurate, but it is believable and matched in-game Perfect -- These ones are perfect. These rounds fit known bullet drop compensation sights to better than 99% accuracy Ammunition Accuracy For ArmA 5.45x39mm 7N6: 4 5.45x39mm 7N10: -- 5.45x39mm 7N22: -- 5.45x39mm 7U1: 2 5.56x45mm M855: Perfect 5.56x45mm M995: -- 5.56x45mm Mk 262 Mod 1: 4 5.56x45mm 75grn subsonic: 2 5.56x45mm ASP: -- 7.62x51mm M80: 4 7.62x51mm M118LR: 4 7.62x54mm 57-N-323S: 3 7.62x54mm 7N1: Perfect 7.62x54mm 7N13: -- 7.62x54mm 7N14: -- 7.62x54mm 7N26: -- 7.62x54mm 7BZ-3: -- (3) .303 British: 1 9x18mm 57-N-181S: 3 9x19mm M882: 3 9x19mm 147gr: 3 12.7x99mm M8 API: 3 12.7x99mm M33 Ball: 4 12.7x108mm (BS): 3 12.7x108mm (B-32): Perfect 12.7x108mm 7N34: -- 14.5x115mm (BS41): 3 14.5x115mm (MDZ): -- For Addons 4.73x43mm DM11: -- 5.7x28mm SS190: -- 5.7x28mm SB193: -- 7.62x39mm 57-N-231S: -- 7.62x39mm 7N23: -- 7.62x39mm US: -- .338 Lapua (LockBase): -- .338 Lapua (MatchKing): -- 9x39mm SP5: -- (3) 9x39mm SP6: -- (3) .45 ACP M1911: --

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