Multiplayer ViewDistance Default

[Zoolander64 0]

Greetings All,

New to ArmA and love it.  What a fantastic game.

I have a question.  I have created a few simple missions that a few friends and I play.  I act as the host.  I am not using the dedicated ArmA server.  I noticed that the default ViewDistance of ~1200m is used while hosting a MP game (My setting of 3500m works perfect in SP games).

Is there anyway to change the ViewDistance default setting during a MP game? (ArmA user profile? description.ext")

Thanks

[opteryx 1562]

I'm sure there's an easier way, but if you're making the mission you can write "SetViewDistance XXXX" in the init line of the unit, XXXX being the specific view range you want ( I think ArmA can draw up to 20000 meters of view range) , also you could probably unpack the missions and edit them in the same way.

Sorry, not very practical I know, but atleast it's a suggestion.

Let's hope someone else comes along and gives a better one.

[.kju 3241]

inside ABC.ArmAProfile (normally located in /profile/Users/ABC) you

can set the viewdistance (and terraindetail) unless a mission

defines its own setting / value.

just insert these lines in the ABC.ArmAProfile

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">viewDistance=1200;

terrainGrid=50.000000;

it should work this way.

[Zoolander64 0]

Thanks for the response.

"just insert these lines in the ABC.ArmAProfile" - I have that and set it to 3500. I believe this is file is created for your players profile and represents the in game view distance.

"you can write "SetViewDistance XXXX" in the init line of the unit" - This one intrigues me. So what you are stating is that it may be possible to have a ground unit with 1200m, but a aircraft a much higher view distance? I figured it was a per mission setting for all units, but having a higher view distance for aircraft would be pretty cool.

[opteryx 1562]

Quote[/b] ]So what you are stating is that it may be possible to have a ground unit with 1200m, but a aircraft a much higher view distance?

Yup

[Nonpoint 0]

I've been looking for this answer for a while... take Evolution coop for example, inside the recruit building you have an option to change your view distance AND your air craft view distance... and if I bump the air view distance all the way up I can see across the whole freekin island, looks incredible and adds a whole new advantage to air bombing. The problem is it resets each time I join the game and I can only change it inside Evo games. So is there somewhere where this can be set permanently? I've looked everywhere. It cannot be a server-side only config if I can manually change it in game, right? I know there is a bug that will supposedly be fixed but how did KJ (the Evolution creator) find a way to fix it but nobody else knows how? (Yes I did post this question in the Evo thread)

[.kju 3241]

@Zoolander64:

you can make the server have this file too.

[Pulverizer 1]

It's quite clearly not a bug, but design. You are not supposed to be able to set 3000m VD for yourself on a mission where the server-side AI was limited to only say 500m. View distance effects "radar" and everything.

[Zoolander64 0]

Very interesting, Pulverizer. I did not know the enemy radar was related to the view distance. I figured View Distance was just related to system performance. It does make sense about the radar thing. Thanks for mentioning that.

As for "Q" you mentioned this command can be inserted into a file that is used when I MP a mission? Can you give me more details?

Thanks guys.

[whisper 0]

It's quite clearly not a bug, but design. You are not supposed to be able to set 3000m VD for yourself on a mission where the server-side AI was limited to only say 500m. View distance effects "radar" and everything.

You can in fact set different view distances on the different PCs connected to the game. Note that a View distance is shared by every entities managed by a given PC (for a client, the player character and the units under his command, for the server, every other units), but different PC can have different view distance, provided the setViewDistance command was used with a different distance parameter on each machine.

For example, you can have a player and the units under his command with a VD of 3km, while server units only have a 1km VD, which would be obviously horrible cheating, but possible nonetheless

We've used it during some online campaign to have some vehicle with a better VD than normal grunts. Entering said vehicle would force your VD higher, exiting would put back your VD to normal (you can change VD on the fly during mission by scripting with setViewDistance)

[Zoolander64 0]

Greetings Whisper,

Thanks for the response. This is an amazing simulation. Lots of freedom for many options. I will read up on scriptiing. You guys have been very helpful.

[Nonpoint 0]

(you can change VD on the fly during mission by scripting with setViewDistance)

Can you explain how to do this? Or point me in the right direction? I haven't gotten into scripting much yet...

[Zoolander64 0]

Good point Opteryx. Whisper, I know I could look this up, but if you have some ideas, that would definetely jump start Opteryx and I.

[opteryx 1562]

Good point Opteryx. Whisper, I know I could look this up, but if you have some ideas, that would definetely jump start Opteryx and I.

Wait.. what?

[Zoolander64 0]

Argh. That teaches me to start typing and take a phone call before finishing a post. This should have just read:

"Whisper, I know I could look this up, but if you have some ideas, that would definetely jump start Nonpoint and I."

[whisper 0]

If I remember well, in the init line of the empty vehicle we want to have better VD, we'd put something like this :<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">this addEventHandler ["GETIN", {if (local (_this select 2)) then {setViewDistance 3000}}]; this addEventHandler ["GETOUT", {if (local (_this select 2)) then {setViewDistance 1200}}]

With this, each time someone enters the vehicle, the View Distance is changed to 3km on his machine, and when he exits, it is put back to 1.2km on his machine.

This has side-effects : any AI unit under player command is local to player's PC so shares player's view distance. If, in the example above, a player enters the vehicle while leaving AI under his command outside, his AIs, while still being normal infantry, will share his View Distance, and become magically "farsighted" (3km) compared to other AIs under other player's command or fully AI.

So this has to be somewhat controlled. Like finding a way to only allow pilots not in group to get in the plane.

[Pulverizer 1]

Quote[/b] ]You can in fact set different view distances on the different PCs connected to the game

Correct, but not with the vd setting in video options.

A trigger would be simplier than eventhandlers I think:

Activation repeatedly.

Condition: "Air" countType [vehicle player]>0

OnActivation: setViewDistance 3000

OnDeactivation: setViewDistance 1000

Or maybe use altitude as the condition: getpos player select 2 >100

[wolfsblut_ 0]

Is there a MP-user-command to show the viewdistance-value of the server?