Sights and weapon accessories

[My Fing ID 0]

Please bear with me, I'm on my bb and the autocorrect sucks so there maybe strange words. I'd like to see more done with infantry weapons. Ill list m suggestions from what I believe to be the easiest to the hardest.

* ability to adjust sight brightness for m68 / holo sights

* ability to adjust sight range via mouse menu and/or mapped buttons.

* M145 for SAW and 240B http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M145_Machine_Gun_Optic

* working PAQs. Link the hold breath button to activate the laser. I'm sure the russians have something like them, give em to em or have an option to disable them in MP. This method could also be used for laser range finders in tanks.

* working backup iron sights on M4s (flip-up rear aperture) activated via mouse menu and ability to remove main sight. If sight is replaced after removal have the zero be thrown off. Maybe put the off zero in difficulty settings as an option for people who don't want to model that. This would aid people with 68s at range and ACOGs up close.

* realistic tracer loads.

* ability to change weapon sights in editor as a dropdown menu option. This is easier than removeweapon etc etc. Also if tracer loads added then the ability to pick tracer load (all tracer for leaders, 1/3 for normal, any others)

* ability to zero weapons. This would happen under a new option in the single player menu and would allow the player to select any weapon and zero on a range with know distance targets. The zeros would be saved and used for the player in game. They could also be reset or turned off in the escape menu incase of extreme fuck up. Zero would be changed via mouse menu and only on the zero range. This would allow people to set what they feel is a good zero and see how their rounds fall at range.

All I can think of atm. Obviously the better ballistics the, uh, better. Jams could be fun too. What do you guys think?

[galzohar 28]

Overall these are all good things (and had mostly been mentioned before already), but:

PLEASE don't have anything else attached to the hold breath button... Just put it on a new hotkey, if someone really wants he can attach it to the hold breath. IRL the 2 actions are not connected, so I and probably many others would rather not have them linked.

I wouldn't mind for not being able to zero our sights, as long as we have the zero range and offsets at different ranges well known (via an appendix to the manual, page on arma2.com or whatever). Of course it would be nice to adjust for the offsets within the sights for sights that allow it (like the 10X scope).

Jams are not fun, and it had been discussed to death on many games and yet nobody ever managed to come up with a realistic way to implement jams. Therefore the end result is more realistic with no jams than any unrealistic jam implementation.

What do you mean by realistic tracer loads? People generally don't load tracers in non-MG weapons, and the in-game MGs have tracers in a ratio that is commonly used IRL.

[Curry 10]

For a real infantry combat simulator all the items you listed are essential and we may get the one or other in future mods.

What I would like to add to your list are improved ironsights for the AKs and pistols. Some need to be fixed (misaligned front rear sight) and some ironsights need to be improved badly, escpecially the ironsights for the AKs. You can't really aim with the current AK ironsights which are way too small and bright.

[Jonny_LI 10]

Overall these are all good things (and had mostly been mentioned before already), but:

PLEASE don't have anything else attached to the hold breath button... Just put it on a new hotkey, if someone really wants he can attach it to the hold breath. IRL the 2 actions are not connected, so I and probably many others would rather not have them linked.

I wouldn't mind for not being able to zero our sights, as long as we have the zero range and offsets at different ranges well known (via an appendix to the manual, page on arma2.com or whatever). Of course it would be nice to adjust for the offsets within the sights for sights that allow it (like the 10X scope).

Jams are not fun, and it had been discussed to death on many games and yet nobody ever managed to come up with a realistic way to implement jams. Therefore the end result is more realistic with no jams than any unrealistic jam implementation.

What do you mean by realistic tracer loads? People generally don't load tracers in non-MG weapons, and the in-game MGs have tracers in a ratio that is commonly used IRL.

Wrong I'm afraid. People do load tracer into rifles for a variety of reasons including target indication or even the last 3 rounds in a magazine so you know you need to start thinking about a mag change. Some Section Commanders have one magazine full of tracer for indication purposes only infact.

MGs have them obviously for indication but mainly to adjust their fall of shot when firing check bursts.

Personally I'm not too fussed, MGs deffinately need them but I'm happy with 1 in 4 for Rifles just because I play MP Co-Op and I can use it as a last resort target indication.

[galzohar 28]

I didn't say that tracers are never used in rifles, just that it's very uncommon. In my unit every single soldier carries 1 mag of tracers, however I don't know of a single time someone actually loaded it into his weapon. The only situation we were told to ever use those tracers is if we got alone and totally and completely lost, then we should fire 3 traces straight up into the air.

Many people (me included) would strongly advise AGAINST loading tracers into your "regular" mags that you use to engage enemies. Not in a 1:4 ratio, and not as "the last 3 rounds". It simply does more harm than good.

MGs already have tracers in the game. Hadn't used all of them yet, but the ones I used had them. IRL most MGs use tracers in either 1/5 or 1/10 ratio, but I know few units actually take them out for obvious reasons. But at least in MGs it's arguable and not straight-out-bad-idea.

What they should do though is make it easier to see where your bullets hit. IRL it's (usually) pretty easy to see the hit, tracer or not. Though they do have it right on most terrains in-game, just a few terrain types make the impact completely invisible.

[Jonny_LI 10]

I didn't say that tracers are never used in rifles, just that it's very uncommon. In my unit every single soldier carries 1 mag of tracers, however I don't know of a single time someone actually loaded it into his weapon. The only situation we were told to ever use those tracers is if we got alone and totally and completely lost, then we should fire 3 traces straight up into the air.

Many people (me included) would strongly advise AGAINST loading tracers into your "regular" mags that you use to engage enemies. Not in a 1:4 ratio, and not as "the last 3 rounds". It simply does more harm than good.

MGs already have tracers in the game. Hadn't used all of them yet, but the ones I used had them. IRL most MGs use tracers in either 1/5 or 1/10 ratio, but I know few units actually take them out for obvious reasons. But at least in MGs it's arguable and not straight-out-bad-idea.

What they should do though is make it easier to see where your bullets hit. IRL it's (usually) pretty easy to see the hit, tracer or not. Though they do have it right on most terrains in-game, just a few terrain types make the impact completely invisible.

Fire tracer into the air? Good idea like, hopefully your Section will find you before the enemy does...

Clearly whichever Armed Forces you have experience in has different Doctrine to the UK, all I can say is ours works fine as is being demonstrated in Helmand Province as I type this.

Each to his own!

[frederf 0]

Tracers use in rifle varies a lot between units and SOP. No matter what BIS did someone would say they're wrong and their unit does it completely differently. No tracers at all in rifles is common enough that I can't fault BIS.

M249s in game fire dim tracers (visible through NVD) at a 1:4 ratio with 4 consecutive tracers at the end of the magazine. M240s and M2s fire bright tracers at the same ratio. I think a 1:5 ratio is more correct for US military but that's a small matter.

I agree with most of the other stuff listed. The ELCAN is a nice sight but it's expensive and the USMC is dirt poor. I would be surprised if ACOGs were more common on the lighter machine guns.

Zeroing and tracer load changes seem a bit too "virtual armory" but as long as people can just leave the defaults if they don't want to be bothered I can't see the harm.

[My Fing ID 0]

The linked breath button would be used for activating the paq laser which is only activated while acquiring and firing. This wouldn't disrupt gameplay at all imo because all you're doing is pointing and shooting. I say the hold breath button because we all have it mapped already. In the end proper paq use requires a button and since its activated when preparing to fire and so is holding your breath why not map them to the same key.

As for tracers every unit I was in used tracers. Maybe Marines are different but we had 3 to start, 3 ball 1 tracer, 3 at the end if I remember correctly and 4 ball 1 tracer for MGs. Squad leaders would sometimes have full tracer loads to direct fire. I understand tracers point both ways but that's why you suppress to begin with. Its easier to follow a flaming bullet than get distance and direction.

[Alex72 0]

ability to adjust scopes etc will come in ACE2. Dont worry. It will also bring new weapons and a lot of new functions. ArmA1 ACE1 gave us working bipods to apply where ever we wanted to get more stability. Also we could simulate holding out a hand on a tree trunk to stabilize the weapon pressed towards the tree. So we could sit up and have less sway. Also all other objects worked like hood of a car, rocks, a wall etc.

ACE2 will bring you so much good and realistic stuff that it will make everyone here happy. Trust me on that. ;)

Alex

[galzohar 28]

You're only supposed to fire the tracers if you're truely lost (which is already a tragedy of its own TBH and never actually happens), and if there's no enemy near by of course. Remember people aren't totally dumb.

Anyway, not using tracers at all for rifles is more than close enough to what most people do most of the time. Wouldn't mind more choices in the loadouts, but I'd be mad if I was forced to have tracers. It's already a bit annoying that I can't remove them from my MG ammo.

Laser shouldn't be triggered with hold breath button because wanting to stabilize the weapon and wanting to use the laser don't nescessarily happen at the same time. Depending on my weapon sights and the situation I might prefer to fire with the laser off but still want to hold breath, and I also might want to use the laser but not hold breath. Therefore linking the 2 is a pretty bad idea, and just adding a hotkey you could assign to whatever you want (including hold breath key) is much better idea that's not really harder to implement, at least not if BIS implements it.

[frederf 0]

Knowing the ArmA engine as I do, I would think that the easiest method of turning on and off the PEQ-2 IR aimer would simply for it to be its own muzzle. You change weapons using 'F' until you have the IR aimer on, then simply "fire" to turn it on and "fire" to turn it off.

I see the logic in coupling it with hold breath since, at least with rifle use, you're supposed to squeeze it to the momentary spring-loaded on position during use and leave it off as much as you can manage. Coupling it with hold breath is very unfortunate so I hope there is another more elegant solution.

The old Mapfact AH-64 had the ability to turn on the laser designator this way and then you could switch to the cannon and point both at the same time. The laserDesignator would stay on in the background.

[My Fing ID 0]

I suppose you could map it to another button but considering the laser would be active all of 2-3 seconds I don't see the problem. Its an IR laser, it points right back to the shooter. The shorter the use the better. This is why you need a button to hold when turning it on and that turns off the laser on release. Using hold breath saves a binding and if you're using the laser you're not using other sights (anyone tried using a M68 with NODs knows how much that sucks).

As for tracers I'm not saying force loads just give the option. In the US Army I used tracers all the time. I'd assume Marines do as well. All I want is the ability to have tracer loads with rifles.

[raynor 0]

I suppose you could map it to another button but considering the laser would be active all of 2-3 seconds I don't see the problem. Its an IR laser, it points right back to the shooter. The shorter the use the better. This is why you need a button to hold when turning it on and that turns off the laser on release. Using hold breath saves a binding and if you're using the laser you're not using other sights (anyone tried using a M68 with NODs knows how much that sucks).

As for tracers I'm not saying force loads just give the option. In the US Army I used tracers all the time. I'd assume Marines do as well. All I want is the ability to have tracer loads with rifles.

The issue that I see with this is every time I go to hold my breath to stabilize the rifle I will be firing off the PEQ making it very easy for my position to be found during night time conditions.

That is coupled with the fact some people don't rebind their hold breath key and so every time they zoom in the optics with the right mouse button they are also holding their breath AND firing off a "come shoot me" sign.

Leaving it as a different fire mode prevents that and allows you to know when your using it and only do so when you intend to use it.

[frederf 0]

While you're implementing it, might as well have the toggle-on and the momentary-on both modeled. I'd like to have the following keys while we're at it:

Sight Elevation Increase

Sight Elevation Decrease

Sight Windage Left

Sight Windage Right

Sight Mode/Brightness Cycle

IR Aim On

IR Aim On (Toggle)