Operation Arrowhead: The questions and answers thread

[W0lle 1052]

So what? A Mi-8 is Mi-8 is a Mi-8. Why in the world they should make the model from scratch for ArmA2 when it is already present in ArmA1. Time is money - capitalism you mentioned. And we're talking here about a company with deadlines and stuff and not a Mod who has all the time to make everything new again.

And besides all that, I'm pretty sure that in my last post I said we go back talking about the answers given and not about BIS' business model or decisions.

[spooky lynx 73]

This is stupid. You cannot compare OFP vehicles models and ArmA2 ones. Sad to see an old member trolling this way.

Why not? Those models have the same shapes as I see. Sure, different textures, shaders and small details. But general geometry is the same. Or am I mistaken?

[Sennacherib 0]

I'm pretty sure they tried (and/or are still doing) to fix this. I talked with Jennik about that because it bothers me too, but I won't quote him because I can't recall what he exactly explained. But they are aware of it (of course).

thx for your reply. I hope they will succeed to change/modify the lighting (the only thing that I don't like). :)

[Alex72 1]

Why not? Those models have the same shapes as I see.

Duh, so does the real ones.

[ProfTournesol 956]

Why not? Those models have the same shapes as I see. Sure, different textures, shaders and small details. But general geometry is the same. Or am I mistaken?

Because of the huge polycount difference.

[Steakslim 1]

i'm really interested by this new product. i don't like the story in Arma2, but the new one seems really promising, and fresh. I wait for Arma2 arrowhead.

but (there is always "but"), why they don't change the HDR stuff : http://www.armedassault.info/ftp/pics/news/pics2/arrow8.jpg

wood can't reflect the sun like that. this is impossible. In Arma1/Arma2 I hate the lighting, these games would be excellent with a "real lighting". this means no shiny cow, no shiny skins, no shiny fabrics, no shiny metal.

I took a look at some pictures of US abrams in Iraq, sorry but i didn't see shiny metals even under the hard sun of mesopotamia.

...but metal and fabrics can and do shine, though I imagine military vehicles are painted to prevent much of that, however I've seen images of the sun hitting a tank and causing a glare. (examples here: http://swg.planetsuper.com/weapons/abrams.jpg http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Iraqi%20Abrams/size0-armymil-35252-2009-04-15-1104.jpg ) This all really depends on the camera, exposure settings, and lenses used when taking the picture, as well as the angle in orientation of the sun when the picture is taken, and in ArmA2 it seems to happen the same way, where 10 steps to either right or left and you no longer receive any glare (with postprocessing set to low at least). And yes you can even do the same when taking photos of cows with a large amount of white fur. As for wood, that's really dependent on several factors. Treated wood can shine some, like what you may see occasionally on telephone poles.

However, after saying all this, I do infact agree with you about the problem with the HDR, and I use the same two examples as I posted in the paragraph above, seeing that they are nowhere near as blinding as in the game itself, where the hdr/bloom effects are just too damn powerful in most cases when there's not an overcast (and sometimes when there is) and causes things to glow like ET's finger. I'm unsure on how you can go about doing it, but the amount of bloom, or glare I should say, needs to be toned down, its just that I do not believe it should be removed from several surfaces.

[Vultar 0]

What I want to say is...

IF... Operation Arrowhead (cool name) will be bug-free and represent fully enjoyable urban combat(both SP and MP)...

...then it will be worth even full price.

Let say it this way, maybe I don't like the idea, but I am still young and know sh!t about game business. I counted on BIS since 2003, both OFP and Arma were top-notch.

So I COUNT ON YOU BIS.

By the way, type in

Operation Arrowhead

on YouTube.

Looks like an Operation in Baqubah with use of "Land Warrior"...

Edited August 22, 2009 by Vultar

[nodunit 397]

However, after saying all this, I do infact agree with you about the problem with the HDR, and I use the same two examples as I posted in the paragraph above, seeing that they are nowhere near as blinding as in the game itself, where the hdr/bloom effects are just too damn powerful in most cases when there's not an overcast (and sometimes when there is) and causes things to glow like ET's finger. I'm unsure on how you can go about doing it, but the amount of bloom, or glare I should say, needs to be toned down, its just that I do not believe it should be removed from several surfaces.

I think the specular effect may be too weak, on several of the vehicles in A1 and A2 I believe I saw pure pink which would in essence be black for RGB specular maps, but it still appears to have less power over what does and does not refract on the texture.

I'm glad to read the HDR is being worked on.

[Steakslim 1]

I think the specular effect may be too weak, on several of the vehicles in A1 and A2 I believe I saw pure pink which would in essence be black for RGB specular maps, but it still appears to have less power over what does and does not refract on the texture.

I'm glad to read the HDR is being worked on.

I think I can recall seeing the same thing on occasion as well, about the pink.

[mattxr 9]

Baicially it is OFP:Resistance, look what that brought to OFP, new engine upgrade :) but lucky for those that didnt buy Arma 2 and who dont want to buy arma 2 will be able to buy Arrowhead and if they think hmm this is good then they can alsobuy Arma 2 and get all the rest of the units from that and its campaign etc

About the Arma 1 addons in Arma 2 well of course they might have ported them over, but they still have to edit them and make them too Arma 2 standards with all the new light maps or what ever they were called and new sounds and everything. So they arnt direct ports. :/

Also im making a cool trailer from pics that have been released. :P

Edited August 22, 2009 by MattXR

[Maddmatt 1]

Why not? Those models have the same shapes as I see. Sure, different textures, shaders and small details. But general geometry is the same. Or am I mistaken?

Is this a joke?

I'm sorry but this is so stupid it's funny. Of course the general shape is going to be the same if they model the same thing.

Different textures, shaders and small details? You clearly don't realise how much of the workload those things make up.

Making the model from scratch is probably less work than taking an OFP model and improving the detail to ArmA 2 standards.

Anyway, BIS have hired modders before. So if it's made by the same people it's still unlikely it was 'stolen'.

Edited August 22, 2009 by Maddmatt

[Sennacherib 0]

...but metal and fabrics can and do shine, though I imagine military vehicles are painted to prevent much of that, however I've seen images of the sun hitting a tank and causing a glare. (examples here: http://swg.planetsuper.com/weapons/abrams.jpg http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Iraqi%20Abrams/size0-armymil-35252-2009-04-15-1104.jpg ) This all really depends on the camera, exposure settings, and lenses used when taking the picture, as well as the angle in orientation of the sun when the picture is taken, and in ArmA2 it seems to happen the same way, where 10 steps to either right or left and you no longer receive any glare (with postprocessing set to low at least). And yes you can even do the same when taking photos of cows with a large amount of white fur. As for wood, that's really dependent on several factors. Treated wood can shine some, like what you may see occasionally on telephone poles.

However, after saying all this, I do infact agree with you about the problem with the HDR, and I use the same two examples as I posted in the paragraph above, seeing that they are nowhere near as blinding as in the game itself, where the hdr/bloom effects are just too damn powerful in most cases when there's not an overcast (and sometimes when there is) and causes things to glow like ET's finger. I'm unsure on how you can go about doing it, but the amount of bloom, or glare I should say, needs to be toned down, its just that I do not believe it should be removed from several surfaces.

yes, i agree but the glow is not a pure white, but in fact the color of material enlightened by the sun.

cows with a large amount of white fur. As for wood, that's really dependent on several

in my region, there are a lot of cows (holstein race), and even with a big sun, they don't shine like the ones in Arma2. but maybe that there is a race special of cows in Czech Republic :p

[Steakslim 1]

yes, i agree but the glow is not a pure white, but in fact the color of material enlightened by the sun.

in my region, there are a lot of cows (holstein race), and even with a big sun, they don't shine like the ones in Arma2. but maybe that there is a race special of cows in Czech Republic :p

That's where my 2nd paragraph came in. My point is a lot of surfaces can cause quite a surprisingly bright glare/reflection, but even then, they should not look like Lo Pan (from Big Trouble in Little China) firing beams of light out of his eyes, aka your comment about them being pure white. It's like watching someone abuse a 'diffuse filter' in photoshop.

edit: Additionally I don't want to derail this topic on such discussion so I wanna ask if anyone knows as I'm not sure it was discussed or mentioned in this topic yet. Dispite what we've been shown, will there possibly be a littlebird helicopter featured in this game?

Edited August 23, 2009 by Steakslim

[jakerod 254]

Dispite what we've been shown, will there possibly be a littlebird helicopter featured in this game?

I thought I read that there would be somewhere but now I can't find it.

EDIT: Found it here. I don't know how reliable that is but I think that is where i saw it.

2 new islands, a 160 square-km Takistan based on Central Asian terrain and Zargabad, a 70 square-km island with dense urban areas.

Return of various player roles: players can, as they had in Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, enlist as various characters, from basic infantryman to pilot to vehicle crewman

New factions (guerrillas, local military, etc.)

New vehicles: AH-64 Apache, MH-6, Stryker, M3 Bradley, T-55, M-113, BTR-60, UH-1H, and more.

New weapons such as the FN SCAR

Improvements to the warfare mode and the general game

Edit: the forum has suddenly become very laggy to me. All better. I can't seem to find that written on IGN as the other post suggests.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Jakerod

[bravo 6 0]

Does anyone know if the Clutter (grass and tall grass) issue will be part of the unrevealed Operation Arrowhead's features?

I mean, will the expansion finally fix this problem? ohara are you there?

[Sennacherib 0]

there will have the Czech army : http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8126/arma2arrowheadvehiclesc.jpg

why? :confused:

hurrah!, we will have new contents, no in fact only retextured models!! no need to create new contents?

we will still have a copy of the russian army and always the usa army/marines (tiring)

I like the idea behind ofp/arma: the freedom to make what you want on a map and an huge environment, but it's a shame, we have always the same contents since ofp (mi-8, mi-24, the russian weapons etc etc).

I was enthusiastic, but i must say that now i'm confused, i don't understand the BIS obstinacy, to keep always the f..... russian style army (I understand for the insurgents). Please make the British, the German or the French army, in fact something new.

don't be mistaken, this is not a complain, this is only lassitude

[max power 21]

I would hardly say that we are only getting retextured models. Plus, the new engine features seem exciting. There are only so many different kinds of attack helicopters in the world. I'm not saying I would mind a British army protagonist but really, with the fidelity that the vehicle simulation offers, whether the helicopter is an Ah-1 ot a Rooivalk, the only real difference would be the appearance.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Max Power

[Colossus 2]

They clearly state why they used the Czech Armed Forces and it's not like the Czech Armed Forces only have russian/soviet equipment.

Pre-set time where he says its reason:

Of course it would be fun with a complete new army, but I understand BI's reason for making it this way.

Edited August 23, 2009 by colossus

[jakerod 254]

According to a youtube video I was just watching the czechs use landrovers in real life too which could mean that the brits will be there too. Speculation though, all speculation.

[bravo 6 0]

Maybe Operation Arrowhead should have some new vehicles such as Cougar MRAPs. ;)

[Steakslim 1]

I thought I read that there would be somewhere but now I can't find it.

EDIT: Found it here. I don't know how reliable that is but I think that is where i saw it.

Ah thanks. I'm gonna assume that list is trustworthy being it came from the conference.

@Bravo's last picture: Ouch! Look like someone was having a bad day in the desert.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Steakslim

[Colossus 2]

*delete post*

Edited August 23, 2009 by colossus
pointless

[P. Gaudette 10]

Ohhh gooddd.. I hope there are Canadian Forces in this expansion!!! xD

[tsb247 0]

I would love to see the return of private contractors in OA. I thought what Queen's Gamnbit did for the original ArmA was pretty cool. Very rarely does anyone see even a slightly realistic portrayal of mercenaries nowadays. From what I have read about OA, it seems like they would be an almost perfect addition. :D

[Baxalasse 10]

[quote name='W0lle;1413861

Will they somehow automate the inlcusion of ArmA II content for those that have it to encourage people who own it that Arrowhead will be just a huge expansion pack for them?

Jennik: This is difficult to say now' date=' as Arrowhead will feature a newer and enhanced version of ARMA 2 engine.

[/quote']

I thought Arma 2 was the enhanced engine!? Feels like buying beta products from this company, again...