ARMA 2 and aircraft

[craigsa 0]

Hello guys and sorry if this has been discussed.

I have not been here for some time.

I originally was a die hard OFP1 fan and played it for hours and hours.

I bought ARMA and was extremely disappointed at the game, mainly due to the terrible flying experience IMO.

I know that ARMA 2 and OFP 2 are coming out soon and want to know your opinion.

I preferred the flying in OFP 1 - I dont want to purchase a simulator, I want the original game play with better graphics and maybe a bit more of a flowing gameplay with less errors.

I really hope that ARMA 1 would have been that but IMO it failed - was really a waste of my money. (sorry to say that to the guys who worked so hard on it)

What do you guys think? Will ARMA 2 be more like the original gameplay in OFP1?

I really believe that OFP 1 was and still is the best game ever made. It was years ahead of its time and the guys made a game that has yet to be rivaled.

Thanks for your input.

Craig

South Africa

[max power 21]

I like the helicopters in ArmA 1 better than OFP 580%. Noone could convince me of any reason that the helicopter flying in OFP was better than ArmA. ArmA's heli flight engine takes OFP's engine, creeps up to it softly while it sleeps in the night, strangles it silently while whispering softly 'shhhh, it will be over soon, shhhh' into it's ear, and then disposes of the corpse into a pre-dug grave out in the outskirts of town.

[BLSmith2112 0]

Yea the aircraft in Arma actually take gravity into account. Which is awesome. I prefer it to be realistic like that.

Making it less realistic takes out any sort of "skill" pilots can obtain from it.

[ModeZt 0]

craigsa, maybe you could explain what exactly you don't like about the flight system in Arma1? the planes in a1 don't impress me much, but i do enjoy landing and maneuvering. the helicopters in a1 are really good. they are not easy to control, but they are so enjoyable when you get used to them.

and we got absolutely no idea what will be the flight system like in of:dr. not a single movie about it released yet.

[celery 8]

Arma flight model has its flaws but it's still way better than the one in OFP. I hate the weak rudder though.

[maddogx 13]

The flight model in ArmA sucked at the beginning, but they improved it in a patch somewhere down the line. Remember when helicopters used to roll around an axis somewhere above the rotors? Horrible! :D

It's a lot better now, certainly superior to OFP's "Helicopters on Rails" . From what we've seen of the helicopters in A2, it looks like the handling will be equally good. Look at

for an example of him flying an Mi24. Looks pretty solid to me. Edited May 13, 2009 by MadDogX
typo

[An-225 0]

Major deficiencies in ArmA's flight model:

~ power loss in turns is slightly greater than what it should be

~ not enough tail rotor/rudder authority

~ low rotor effectiveness

Just from flying DCS: Black Shark, I know that there are several limiting things in ArmA's flight model. Particularly the fact that you cannot yaw above 90 km/h.

Granted, in Black Shark, there is yaw dampening. But I still have a great deal of authority at 200 km/h.

Low rotor effectiveness - the time it takes the helicopters in ArmA to go from descending to ascending is slower than what it should be. In Black Shark, and in real life, helicopters can pretty much pop up and down at will.

Power loss - even the slightest turns at maneuvering airspeed cause exponential power loss in ArmA.

Overall, from what I have seen, this looks to have been improved for ArmA 2. There might be those who tell me that this isn't a flight simulator - that is correct. It is meant to be fairly pick up and play.

My above suggestions would not detract from any pick up and play vehicle gameplay, it would actually add to that style and increase the realism.

[ArmyGrunt 10]

Yeah, helicopter flying and flying overall in OFP was a huge load of bollocks and it was greatly enhanced in ArmA but not enough in my book(I'm an aviation buff:). I wish that at least the throttle in fixed-wing aircraft would be fixed in Arma2.. and more rudder! :D

[Maddmatt 1]

I wish that at least the throttle in fixed-wing aircraft would be fixed in Arma2.. and more rudder! :D

I think those are the two main problems with the ArmA flight model.

For the helicopter flight model, I think it's a great improvement over OFP. Only thing I think it needs is more effective rudder at speed and maybe more responsiveness with collective (going up/down).

The plane flight model, well that's a different story. As well as weak rudder it also has the messed up throttle control. In my opinion this was a downgrade from OFP.

[ArmyGrunt 10]

Yeap, I totally agree on that.

[Dr.Pulp 0]

I hate the throttle in ArmA! I got an analog throttle build in my MS Force Feedback Stick...but whil flying planes in ArmA you can accelerate...or deccelerate...but you cant keep a steady speed.

The throttle only influence how fast you gain or loos speed! To work proper it should be an absolut throttle and it's position should determine the speed of the plane!

[ArmyGrunt 10]

True, and it's very mysterious how the air brakes pop out when reduce the throttle to idle. They should be two diffrent things to control.

[Commando84 0]

You should give the flying a new chance, its really great in A1 :)

Choppers feel more like living breathing fighting machines and not just flying a borg cube :D

I was first hateful against the flying of choppers in A1 but after a month it worked fine, and even better after that patch where they fixed the little errors :)

Sometimes its a bit hard to turn but I mean its a chopper and not a volvo 240 so its more complex.

There is definitely more feeling of skill when flying A1 choppers.

More rewarding when you make a ffar run against a enemy base in warefare or sneak up on to a tank from the sea side and strafe it with some cannon fire :D

+ whenever you feel bored you can make the chopper loop sideways so it goes flying upside down and do some wacky tricks with it, most of them with lethal outlook but it looks cool! :D

though I fly with mouse and keyboard.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Commando84
mouse

[Spokesperson 0]

In ArmA you can loop with your plane/chopper.

[craigsa 0]

craigsa, maybe you could explain what exactly you don't like about the flight system in Arma1? the planes in a1 don't impress me much, but i do enjoy landing and maneuvering. the helicopters in a1 are really good. they are not easy to control, but they are so enjoyable when you get used to them.

and we got absolutely no idea what will be the flight system like in of:dr. not a single movie about it released yet.

Hi guys and thanks so much for all the replies, Maybe I just expected flying to be a bit easier than it is?

I didnt want to actually have a simulation as such otherwise I would have bought a real simulator.

Maybe I didnt try the latest patch, was quite upset at the issues of flying just about any air craft.

I seem to be in the minority though.

Yes in OFP it was really stupid the way the craft handled but it was a hell of a lot easier to control than in ARMA.

I also use Mouse and KB, not joystick

[An-225 0]

1. Real life Cessna 152.

2. Flight Simulator.

3. ArmA.

The easiest to fly are up the top. As pointed out, ArmA unnecessarily complicates things with its yaw limitations, its poor turning circle and collective problems in helicopters. Otherwise, I find it quite easy to fly, and without the above problems it would be perfect for a combined arms simulation.

I fly with mouse and keyboard in ArmA too.

[Scrub 0]

I like the helicopters in ArmA 1 better than OFP 580%. Noone could convince me of any reason that the helicopter flying in OFP was better than ArmA. ArmA's heli flight engine takes OFP's engine, creeps up to it softly while it sleeps in the night, strangles it silently while whispering softly 'shhhh, it will be over soon, shhhh' into it's ear, and then disposes of the corpse into a pre-dug grave out in the outskirts of town.

While I agree about the flight model.. You give nightmares. :eek:

[Col.Flanders 0]

I never really flew planes much in Arma1 but the lack of yaw ability really pissed me off with helos. I can understand it to a degree with the bigger, heavier ones but a littlebird having barely any rudder authority at 60km/h+? It forced us to use the littlebird and the cobra like hind gunships. Fast, calculated gun runs or death was around the corner. The only other way to get around this was to attack from a distance in nothing much faster than a hover.

I remember the OFP helo flight model being far superior in this regard.

[craigsa 0]

I remember the OFP helo flight model being far superior in this regard.

Would agree 100%

[whisper 0]

"Far superior" up to the point you could fast-land a blackhawk in less than 3 seconds in a LZ in forest area, with mouse+KB.

As much as ArmA has gone too far in loss of authority, OFP had gone too far in keeping the authority ;)

[DrBobcat 0]

Seeing as I spent a significant portion of my time flying in both ArmA and OFP, I can completely agree with many of the complaints presented here. While I feel ArmA was a step in the right direction in most respects, the way in which it handled yaw was atrocious. Everytime I made a strafing run in a plane or helicopter, I could not help but cringe as my targeting reticule swung from one extreme to the other as I futilely tried to keep it on target. It was as if I was flying diagonally and it frustrated me to no end.

I only hope that they change this one, minor flaw.

- dRb

[MehMan 0]

Seeing as I spent a significant portion of my time flying in both ArmA and OFP, I can completely agree with many of the complaints presented here. While I feel ArmA was a step in the right direction in most respects, the way in which it handled yaw was atrocious. Everytime I made a strafing run in a plane or helicopter, I could not help but cringe as my targeting reticule swung from one extreme to the other as I futilely tried to keep it on target. It was as if I was flying diagonally and it frustrated me to no end.

I only hope that they change this one, minor flaw.

- dRb

+1!

It's a joy to fly, but a pain to use it as a good gunship.

[Generalen 10]

Im really excited about flying helicopters in Arma 2, looks very nice!

Getting myself a good joystick aswell, any recommendations?

[celery 8]

Forget about Cyborg EVO, it's terrible.

[Generalen 10]

Forget about Cyborg EVO, it's terrible.

how so? would you like to explain a bit more why its terrible? :butbut:

cheers