Lack of documentation a major problem

[-RIP- Luhgnut 10]

there's whole websites for editing.

www.armaholic.com

http://www.ofpec.com/

[BeerHunter 0]

Luhgnut;1516088']there's whole websites for editing.

www.armaholic.com

http://www.ofpec.com/

That's exactly what I mean..2 web sites , mass confusion , try and and something specific , no or very poor examples..and those are only 2 of the sites that purport to offer info on mission design.

What is desperately needed is a manual that would show you how to play the game , what all the various menu commands and options are supposed to do..instead of having to try and guess what the developers had in mind when they stuck them in there.

[galzohar 31]

Again, there definitely should've been better documentation in the wiki (or elsewhere). Currently when you look up a command it's often impossible to understand exactly what it does and how it should be used. Parameters (especially optional ones), locality issues etc are often completely ignored. Now we all know someone coded those scripting commands into the game, all they had to do is make a copy in the wiki explaining what they actually do and how they were intended to be used.

The result of all this is that I'm sticking to scripts that only use the most basic command, aka "give loadout", "move to x/y/z", "move/place marker/trigger here" and some mission ending conditions. To be honest, I hadn't really felt the need for anything more, aside from maybe respawning vehicles (which I rarely ever do as most of my missions are with no respawns) and spawning objects that are not placeable in the editor. And even that isn't 100% obvious when you bring locality issues into the picture.

[-RIP- Luhgnut 10]

The reason for (at least two) websites is that it's a huge world out there with the community constantly adding more content, the "manual" would be out of date before the ink dried. Editing in A2 and simply playing it are two big differences. With the ability to mod and write open source scripts, the mission creator can totally alter the gameplay.

The basics and starting point for gameplay is covered fine in the pdf manual. But every server and mission is different. For example, in my missions I shut off the command / scan bar (space). Then with Ace2 the whole game changes.

[Dead3yez 0]

Lack of documentation. lmfao. Maybe back in '01.

Probably wouldn't know if a train hit you.

[BeerHunter 0]

Luhgnut;1516608']The reason for (at least two) websites is that it's a huge world out there with the community constantly adding more content' date=' the "manual" would be out of date before the ink dried. Editing in A2 and simply playing it are two big differences. With the ability to mod and write open source scripts, the mission creator can totally alter the gameplay.

The basics and starting point for gameplay is covered fine in the pdf manual. But every server and mission is different. For example, in my missions I shut off the command / scan bar (space). Then with Ace2 the whole game changes.[/quote']

You can create all the scripts that do all the things you want BUT you are still stuck using the same API's as everyone else. I have a shelf full of C++ reference materials so have access to the same classes as anyone else programming in VC++ yet what I do with them doesn't necessarily coincide with what they do. Just nice to know WHAT the API's do. (I know scripting isn't exactly programming but when you have to rely on pre-built scripts and use them to accomplish what you want , the process is very similar).

As far as basic game play being "covered fine in the pdf manual"..good god , the "complex command menu" is only briefly mentioned , then scattered throughout the "manual" you can find bits of info on it.Not even a simple chart showing the command hierarchy. (thankfully I found an old ArmA1 KB layout).

And for example ,in the "controls" section , whats the difference between "Go Prone" and "Prone"?????:confused:

I'm sure the developers had some idea of what they wanted to do but they left the rest of us in the dark.

And as far as Dead3yez's comment...trolling or what??? :rolleyes:

[-RIP- Luhgnut 10]

okay, I see your point.

dunno, maybe because I've been playing since OFP I guess I sorta got used to how it all ran.

actually I didn't even really look down deep into the manual until after playing a few days just to see if anything I should pay attention to.

[BeerHunter 0]

Luhgnut;1516731']okay' date=' I see your point.

dunno, maybe because I've been playing since OFP I guess I sorta got used to how it all ran. [/quote']

*whew* :p

I guess once you've gotten used to it and paid the dues (spending the hours necessary to figure everything out) a lot of the stuff is second nature but to someone that's relatively new to the game , let alone playing around in the editor , it's overwhelming with what seems like virtually no where to turn for concise , easy to follow directions.(except for Dr Murrays but so far it only pertains to ArmA1 and doesn't cover any of the ArmA2 additions).

Still think it wouldn't be THAT difficult to hand over the tech notes to a professional or even an in house writer to put together a decent manual AND I'm sure many would be willing to pay extra for it..I know I would.

[-RIP- Luhgnut 10]

In the beginning, it was a bit odd control wise. Coming from standard FPS. And it did take a bit on my part to learn it, but now that I have it, I can hardly play normal FPS's anymore. The controls feel rather rudimentary. Best way to learn IMHO, is to play with the editor and drop in stuff to mess with so you can run around at your leisure and learn it while not under fire.

[mattxr 9]

Check my signature. Its might be for Arma 1 Editing Guide but its the best damm thing out there and works very much for Arma II also.

ArmA Editing Guide Deluxe Edition - English Version - Download

[pineapple-yetti 10]

Check my signature. Its might be for Arma 1 Editing Guide but its the best damm thing out there and works very much for Arma II also.

ArmA Editing Guide Deluxe Edition - English Version - Download

im new to the mission editing comunity but what this guy says is true i have found nothing better then this when it comes to editing in ARMA 2. if anything doesnt work how its put in that guide i look it up in the Biki and you can find the changes from arma 1 to arma 2 most the time.