More User-friendly?

[PsychoPigeon 10]

I loved ArmA, but i found entering vehicles, getting ammo/weapons for boxes and selecting weapons to be really annyoing and awkward. I was wondering if anyone knows if BI will improve on this and make it a little less slow and frustrating?

[cm 0]

walk up to door... click button, get in car.

How much easier could it be? :confused:

[celery 8]

walk up to door... click button, get in car.

How much easier could it be? :confused:

The action menu items flash in and out of existence, making choosing the right option a pain. When a group of people are boarding a vehicle, you try to do so as well but right as you click, the "get in" option disappears when someone gets in front of you and you either equip your secondary weapon or binoculars.

[maddogx 13]

Indeed this was always annoying in some situations. With the new context sensitive menu, hopefully it will now be a bit easier and more intuitive.

[11aTony 0]

The action menu items flash in and out of existence, making choosing the right option a pain. When a group of people are boarding a vehicle, you try to do so as well but right as you click, the "get in" option disappears when someone gets in front of you and you either equip your secondary weapon or binoculars.

Thats why there are protocols how a squad is supposed to board a vehicle. One by one!

[celery 8]

Thats why there are protocols how a squad is supposed to board a vehicle. One by one!

No. That's why the action menu shouldn't suck so hard.

[SGT_2AD 10]

Thats why there are protocols how a squad is supposed to board a vehicle. One by one!

You mean using realistic drill method to enter a vehicle like per a Field Manual? What, You think this is some kinda simulator? Only when it suits them.

/sarcasm

[PsychoPigeon 10]

There's nothing more annoying than being underfire and having that stupid inventory option appear just as you're about to enter a vehicle.

[schaefsky 0]

... using realistic drill method to enter a vehicle ... You think this is some kinda simulator? Only when it suits them.

/sarcasm

There's nothing more annoying than being underfire and having that stupid inventory option appear just as you're about to enter a vehicle.

There is something I wanted to say for a long time:

There is a difference between realism (in a game) and making something exactly like in reality.

In a game (on a computer) you are fairly limited in terms of input possibilities, while you may be unlimited in the results of your actions. Reality is ... well, reality.

That's why for example zooming your view may not directly apply to reality, but I don't think it thwarts realism, because in a game you have limited field of view and limited resolution compared to real life. (There was a thread in the forums about this a while ago)

So on topic:

I also find the disappearing entries annoying. On the other hand one can't just let them clutter the action menu, so more configurable hotkeys for the more default actions (like for gear or flaps on planes in Arma 1 compared to OFP) could be a nice quick solution.

Would be nice if BIS found a way to improve group ordering and action interface, guess we'll see around June.

[HOPEnSPIRIT 10]

I'm used to using the Scroll Wheel on my Mouse for Teamspeak, it annoying and funny as hell! when you talk on Teamspeak while flying. You don't noticed the scroll menu then you click to speak again and EJECT argh!

[Creation 10]

You guys go too indepth, he's just annoyed at dodgy menu's like when "Gear" doesnt show up and sometimes the "Get in.." commands being invisible for a while.

My desired method of fixing this would be to add to option to bind a key to Get in as Gunner/Driver/Commander/Ride in back

e.g. My current setup is Num pad 1 as Get out/Eject. So my perfect setup would be

Num 1- Eject/Get out

Num 2- Get in a Driver

Num 3- Get in as gunner

Num 4- Ride in back

I find it easier than annoying scrolling IMO

[frederf 0]

I'm used to using the Scroll Wheel on my Mouse for Teamspeak, it annoying and funny as hell! when you talk on Teamspeak while flying. You don't noticed the scroll menu then you click to speak again and EJECT argh!

ArmA can't really be blamed if you set up your controls like an idiot. Change your key bindings for either ArmA or TeamSpeak so they don't conflict, obviously. A lot of the default keybinds are really stupid and BIS should be ashamed. The smart people change them for better performance and that's just part of what makes a good soldier. :butbut:

As for the action menu ease of use, it's something to talk about to be sure. ArmA1 added big center-screen icons for the action that the game thought was most likely (which I hated) and added several new key binds for common actions. I don't see exactly where the game can go from having a list of actions like it does. There's a nearly infinite multitude of human actions and having your character select a specific one is tough to communicate through simpler means.

P.S. There's also the idea that the action menu rewards calmness of mind to be able to select it while being shot at while a frantic soldier trying to get in a helo might have problems in real life, just a thought.

[thaFunkster 0]

No. That's why the action menu shouldn't suck so hard.

Yep. :j:

[maxter 10]

In my perfect world you would be able to map most of the things in the action menu to a desired button, if you want to. There should in that case also be an option to choose what appears in the action menu and what doesn't. For example, binoculars are mapped to B (even by default I believe), so if I feel that's sufficient and the action menu option is just annoying (it is), I should be able to go to options/action menu,UI,whatever, and there I would be able to deactivate binoculars from the "shows in action menu" list, or something similar.

[Bad Pilot 0]

Amen to that. I often drop binocs and empty weapons in order that they're removed from my action menu.

The action menu is important because you can extend it with newly invented actions for scripts. But it also sucks.

[Some_old_guy 10]

I thought ArmA was pretty user friendly, I guess the action button did take a little getting used to.

[kocrachon 2]

You guys go too indepth, he's just annoyed at dodgy menu's like when "Gear" doesnt show up and sometimes the "Get in.." commands being invisible for a while.

My desired method of fixing this would be to add to option to bind a key to Get in as Gunner/Driver/Commander/Ride in back

e.g. My current setup is Num pad 1 as Get out/Eject. So my perfect setup would be

Num 1- Eject/Get out

Num 2- Get in a Driver

Num 3- Get in as gunner

Num 4- Ride in back

I find it easier than annoying scrolling IMO

Quoted for truth.

Such as I never scroll my mouse wheel for gear.. I press G... why on earth would I want to waste my time doing the click method when I have a button on my keyboard already? I say eliminate the command wheel and leave it for squad commands only. Let everything else be hotkeyed..

Of course on the down side, that would make it hard if you scripted a special command in game. So in a sense it would still need to exist.

[7 0]

Or a universal mount, when pressed while looking at a nearby vehicle a menu pops up and you just use mouse movement to select which position you want to get in. Click primary mouse button to enter the position you selected, or press 'mount' key to close the menu and do nothing.

Edited May 16, 2009 by 7

[An-225 0]

I think that the gear icon should only show up when requested by pressing G or using the action menu. When I approach the vehicle, I do not want it to pop up.

Entry points could also be improved as well, to board a UAZ, you must get in through the drivers side for example.

[Baff1 0]

I'm used to using the Scroll Wheel on my Mouse for Teamspeak, it annoying and funny as hell! when you talk on Teamspeak while flying. You don't noticed the scroll menu then you click to speak again and EJECT argh!

I've picked up a five button mouse which i enjoy for teamspeak. Transmit is now my thumb key.

I highly recommend this if you feel like parting with the money anytime.

[Alienfreak 0]

A graphical system for joining positions would actually slow things down compared to the current really fast system.

And positions that are free and suddenly taken would still be a pain. So we would gain nothing. Only one more eye candy "I block your vision big time" thingy making things even more complicated when compared to the powerful action menu.

And vehicles already have points from which join can man only certain positions.

But I can just jump over the passenger seat and get into the driver pos any time of the day in reality. So why change it?

[st!gar 3]

I'd like it if they could just do what just about all other FPSs does. The press of a single "action button", like, say "G" in Quake Wars...

[7 0]

A graphical system for joining positions would actually slow things down compared to the current really fast system.

And positions that are free and suddenly taken would still be a pain. So we would gain nothing. Only one more eye candy "I block your vision big time" thingy making things even more complicated when compared to the powerful action menu.

And vehicles already have points from which join can man only certain positions.

But I can just jump over the passenger seat and get into the driver pos any time of the day in reality. So why change it?

No, they don't slow down things.

Why would it be a pain? Of course the mount interface would change to reflect changes.

No, it won't block your vision unless you specifically design it to. People don't play games in 800 x 600 anymore.

[frederf 0]

VBS does use a "seat assignment overlay" that pops up on mount interaction. It is a bit of visually unfortunate but the tactical flexibility is well worth it in my opinion.

Commonly-used action menu keybinds are fine (although I find the pop up iconography very ugly and annoying) but as long as mods/missions are adding custom addAction items the action menu itself is a necessity. Context sensitivity (perhaps a pop up radial menu) would streamline such actions. In fact the command and control system, voice and hand signals, etc would benefit from the good ol' radial pop up menu.