ARMA II Beta Builds Released: Latest version/build: 1.04.6xxxx

[Alex72 1]

Icons hang around after death:

A feature? Why should the icons be there if they are dead? I cant get any sitrep from them anyway. Seems dumb to me.

Beta v60890 - AI did not use picked up RPG:

Told one of my AI to pick up a RPG from an ammo box. Then we came under fire from a vehicle. I told my AI with RPG to attack the vehicle. He said yes and start pumping an armored vehicle with bullets. Never used the RPG during the 40-ish seconds before he got killed.

[Colt45_GTO 10]

i can't keep up. do BI actually sleep?

i'll wait till morning before i d/l another patch just incase they fire 3 more out while i aint lookin.

[suma 8]

Icons hang around after death:

A feature? Why should the icons be there if they are dead? I cant get any sitrep from them anyway. Seems dumb to me.

Yes, a feature. There is no magic way you can be notified somebody has died - somebody needs to notice that and report. You as a player can do two things:

- when you see dead unit, report dead body same way as you are reporting enemies seen or enemies killed

- when you do not see the unit, ask it to check if it is alive. If it does not respond within a reasonable limit, it is declared dead.

[Scrub 0]

Making the AI more alive. Niiice! I can see all sorts of (real) tactical mistakes this could offer. 3, you're supposed to be holding my right flank... 3? Hello???? *bang*

Again, top job on the rapidity of evolving!

[TRexian 0]

Beta v60890 - AI did not use picked up RPG:

Told one of my AI to pick up a RPG from an ammo box. Then we came under fire from a vehicle. I told my AI with RPG to attack the vehicle. He said yes and start pumping an armored vehicle with bullets. Never used the RPG during the 40-ish seconds before he got killed.

I've seen this in earlier (recent) betas, too.

In a mission I made, my squad has a guy with an rpg. At one point, the area is target rich with armor and soft vehicle targets. I watched as my AI squaddy grabbed his RPG (I'm getting curious about his actions), shouldered it and took aim at something (I'm getting excited), took a few seconds to stabilize and get a good line (I'm REALLY excited), then took a few more seconds to decide he'd really rather use his AK-74 against the vehicle (I'm let down), then returned the RPG to his back (as I wept).

I didn't mention it, as it was even the first time I'd seen AI aim with an RPG. In a certain other BI product I won't mention the name of, I've had similar difficulties getting AI to engage with RPGs, too.

[suma 8]

Making the AI more alive. Niiice! I can see all sorts of (real) tactical mistakes this could offer.

Yes, this is my favourite feature when playing as a commander and letting my group members act independently. By the way: it is present since good old OFP times.

[SaOk 112]

I played warfare again in multiplayer with beta-(819). AI is working partly very good, but when your group is splitted much (like 1km distance between two teams in one group) they still are behaving all like under attack when one of the teams is spotting enemies. With that, it took multiple minutes to get my team-mates in a car at silent and safe base when my other group members were fighting 4km away.

Edited December 4, 2009 by SaOk

[thr0tt 12]

No mention of the stuffing performance in patches but at least you get your AI thing sorted whatever that was. I just hope they don't release an official patch dropping performance just for some minor AI tweaks that please a few folk.

[fabrizio_t 58]

Sorry guys, i had a chance to test build 60896, after skipping some previous builds.

I have some criticism here.

Talking about AI led groups i think build 60588 was way better than latest beta.

Group movement was more fluid, mutual covering was better.

I think that build was the best i was able to check out.

I see problems with latest build, i have the strong impression something was overdone.

1) There is a lot of "micro" movement of units, for example they insist in going out of good cover to align to some abstract formation position just some meters away.

2) Also it seems the "leash" linking leader to its units is too short: i am seeing a lot of very short bounds by both leaders and units.

3) Leaders (as well as units) do strange things: they go forward, fall back to cover, then move forward again and so on, without any real reason.

All this did not happened with build 60588 ...

Edited December 4, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[Bouben 3]

I too, must say that units are still unable to take cover properly. Exactly as fabrizio T said above me and as I have written here and on bugtracker before - check my signature for details.

[fabrizio_t 58]

Let me elaborate more about the "strange" movements done by AI leaders in 60896 vs 60588.

Here are 2 "typical" shots taken from my favourite testbed mission, they may give you an idea of what i am talking about.

Please don't mind markers shape/colour, just consider that these markers shot the path taken by group leaders (gaps are where leaders got killed).

60588

60896

See the confused "diversions" taken by the leaders with 60896 ... also group movement is twice as slower compared to 60588.

Finally unit when moving are more worried about keeping their formation position than about sitting in cover.

---------- Post added at 10:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------

[60886] Improved AI subordinates should now respect formation more when choosing a cover.

I bet this may be the culprit of one of the problems?

Maybe something in this routine is misfunctioning and AI units give too much priority to keeping formation? Can you look into it?

---------- Post added at 11:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 PM ----------

Another shot showing the strange path taken by leaders with latest build.

One thing i am noticing too is that when leader moves just a bit then his units move to adjust their position and often they end bunched or keep swapping their position.

EDIT:

in my opinion 60588 did things quite ok, AI-led group wise. What was needed was just to make a fix for player led groups to keep them tight ;)

I think not necessarily what's fine for player-led groups is fine too for AI-led ones!

Try rolling back to 60588, check out behaviour for AI-led groups in whatever mission and compare it with latest build.

Edited December 4, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[-RIP- Luhgnut 10]

dude.. what tool is that you're using?

[maturin 12]

Why does the installer keep telling me that the beta patch cannot be uninstalled? All I have to do is delete the modfolder and the initiation line from the shortcut.

[demonlord89 10]

[60838] New function x intepolate [xFrom,xTo,resultFrom, resultTo] can be used in simple expressions.

Any more info on this function!!!??? :D Is it supposed to be "interpolate"?

I don't understand this one at all???

[fabrizio_t 58]

Luhgnut;1505542']dude.. what tool is that you're using?

No tool, just some basic scripting.

[thr0tt 12]

899 on there now, comical patch releases, thank god its only beta stuff.

[fabrizio_t 58]

899 on there now, comical patch releases, thank god its only beta stuff.

There's nothing comical to me.

They're doing their best to give us the best support,

and they're doing it by night.

Can you ask them more?

Edit: Suma can you tell what's fixed in 60899 vs 60896 ? Thx.

Edit2: Got it: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=91362

Good night.

Edited December 4, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[suma 8]

Edit: Suma can you tell what's fixed in 60899 vs 60896 ? Thx.

60899 Soft formations now a little bit "harder" to fasten the group progress

60898 Fixed: Rev. 60821 has broken AI helis.

[nkenny 1051]

Its 18:00 CET, Friday.

I wouldn't begrudge the BIS staff for going out and having a beer to be honest.

-k

Scratch that.

They(BIS) are mean green coding machines! Excellent.

-k

[Pauldarrington 9]

thats great Suma, you guys are really working hard thank you

[twisted 127]

60899 Soft formations now a little bit "harder" to fasten the group progress

60898 Fixed: Rev. 60821 has broken AI helis.

good on you guys! really good to be able to follow the beta process!

[rübe 127]

mg- and sniper-unit got stuck. They're just lying on the ground and wont move or listen to anything. Also the sniper-unit has his pistol(!) in his hands the whole time beeing stuck there... (all in a warefare game).

Latest patch. Don't know yet if this happens more often.

[mr.g-c 6]

Concerning the perfromance: I compared the results of the ArmA2 Mark and I experienced a drop from 4200 points in 1.04 to 3790 points in the latest Beta. No problem for my system specs, but for other people with no so powerful systems could mean such a decrease of perfromance a major problem while playing ArmA 2.

I agree, the latest beta patches since mid this week have noticable decreased my FPS. And not in the Beta in which they introduced a longer draw distance (there was a small drop, i lowered VD ~200m to compensate), its was one, two betas later of that.

Still: thanks Suma and the other involved Developers.... i see a great future of the Arma2s AI, since now its really getting cared of by the Devs, something i was missing since Arma1...

Who knows, maybe in near future or in far future (after OA is out) AI will be able to properly drive around (especially columns) and maybe but only maybe, Helicopters wont crash into trees anymore..... :D

Then a bit proper reaction when AI is getting shot at or heavy suppressed (= Take the f**k cover god damn it!!! == Not laying down at the same spot :D:p), a few little tweaks here and there (AI engange with proper weapons the appropriate targets, AI-Self-Caring, AI Friendly-Fire because shooting while moving, etc. and AI is as good as it can get in Arma2 IMHO. :D

[Scrub 0]

Ok, maybe it's always been there - I did know about the units not reporting, but the 'auto check' lessened the impact "3 report... 3 is down" - but I found that a hierarchy now exists in the groups you plop down in the editor.

I was an automatic rifleman (#2 in charge of a F.T.). I walked away from the formation, heard a noise, and witnessed 3 others following me where ever I went. I moved to the fireteam leader (which I never knew had any functional component in A2.. Low and behold, I had an entire fireteam at my independent beck and call. Never experienced this before, Yeeeha! @$(*@($* and other great noises.

I'm getting really excited for OA if this keeps happening in A2 (if it was already there, don't tell me. Ignorance is bliss! lol)

[zeep 3]

Suma i think it's great how you are finetuning the AI these last patches. This is beta patching as it should be. My compliments.

I really hope you can help us low end GPU and/or CPU users out in the performance department now. Hmm i believe i haven't mentioned separate object / trees / drawdistance sliders yet..... today! :) :)

Please help us get some more performance Suma.

Q9650 @ 3ghz - 9600GT (my culprit!) - 3gb ram - XP sp2 (beta 60141 had nice performance)