Patch 1.05 suggestions

[Ish 11]

So, if you know that grass doesn't hide you too good, why are you still hiding there? Find a bush, or better yet, something that provides you easy cover and a quick and safe escape route. Grass covers a lot more than concealment, or lack thereof..[deleted some for sake of not quoting the enitre post]

Grass will make you less visible. I wish I could say "try spotting a sniper at 500m with grass on" But of course, we don't really know. Yes bushes are great for cover.Snipers are too easily spotted in this game in my opinion, there really isnt much of a bledning in effect.. Why the ghillie, when there is nothing to hide in i mean :rolleyes:

[nicolasete 10]

Make multiplayer interesting for full-human squad pvp and teamplay lovers. Not all of us like to kill bots all over chernarus. Seriously, Arma2 would probably be one of the best games i have ever played if its multiplayer was somehow more like Project Reality.

Add filters not only to select one type of game but to not show the games you dont want to see (its difficult, at least in western europe, to find defender or other pvp servers in that sea of Coop and CLI), so you can list, for instance, only defender and capture the flag maps.

Make a more simple and easy to use squad interface, i know some ppl will get mad at me for this, but the BF2 squad interface would do it. PR is still superior in terms of squad play, and thats a shame.

Add an option to server hosting to force grass and shadows (at least in low settings) so everyone is more or less equal when hiding. For those who are saying that we should just use other cover... why dont we also remove all textures from the game so we can also play smoother? Exactly, not an option. Grass is one of th emost immersive graphic features in this game.

Add an option to select "invert mouse" for ground units and air units separately.

Also, in my opinion, the class and weapon selection interfaces in multiplayer are horrible. I think the way to go should make a tab for each class with a number by it (for instance Rifleman 9/12, meaning 9 are already playing that class so there are 3 spots left). Also, it may be a server config thing, but shouldnt classes get the weapons they are supposed to have? In servers like Berserker (defender) you can have the sniper model and yet not being able to pick a sniper rifle.

Edited November 17, 2009 by nicolasete

[celery 8]

Add an option to server hosting to force grass and shadows (at least in low settings) so everyone is more or less equal when hiding. For those who are saying that we should just use other cover... why dont we also remove all textures from the game so we can also play smoother? Exactly, not an option. Grass is one of th emost immersive graphic features in this game.

Grass is forced off in pvp mission because that makes everyone equal when hiding. With grass on you're not hidden to anyone except those within 10 meters of you if you're lucky, otherwise it only blocks your view when prone and reduces fps. The performance hit can be unbearable for low and mid range PCs.

[nicolasete 10]

Grass is forced off in pvp mission because that makes everyone equal when hiding. With grass on you're not hidden to anyone except those within 10 meters of you if you're lucky, otherwise it only blocks your view when prone and reduces fps. The performance hit can be unbearable for low and mid range PCs.

Yet maybe that option could be useful for people who wants to create smaller maps for team-pvp. I have played BF2 mods with huge maps and very dense grass (some of it tall as your hips) and they ran just fine, so i dont think grass is really Arma2 performance killer. Anyways i would prefer to play with low textures, postprocessing and filters to enable grass and shadows, after all, if the server forces you to play first person the texture quality is not that noticeable (even with high settings its very difficult to distinguish far foes).

Arma2 its not precisely the best optimized game in the market, but thats another discussion.

[celery 8]

Yet maybe that option could be useful for people who wants to create smaller maps for team-pvp.

Those people usually turn grass off in their missions to boost performance and disable the annoyances that grass causes in pvp.

I have played BF2 mods with huge maps and very dense grass (some of it tall as your hips) and they ran just fine, so i dont think grass is really Arma2 performance killer.

If you're comparing A2 to BF2, they have completely different engines and they can't be compared. If you're talking about BF2 style missions in A2, good for you but not everyone gets good performance.

One thing you probably didn't know is that grass is always on by default in multiplayer. It's forced off by deliberate choice in the mission or a custom serverside script, and it can be done the other way as well if it's absolutely necessary to have grass, so the function you're asking for is already there, it's just that the pvp scene is actively using it to get the opposite result.

[viibez 10]

.Snipers are too easily spotted in this game in my opinion, there really isnt much of a bledning in effect..

So are you saying you can easily see a ghillie prone in the grass @ 500m??

While you are lookin at him, or while you are moving and looking around! There is a difference. imo they hide very well.

:confused:

Edited November 17, 2009 by viibez
delete info not relevant to thread topic

[OOPz 10]

before i start, i am aware that the stuff here probably isnt quite right for a patch, i dunno how your code works but i suspect these things would be very hard to just 'fix' but...

i was messing about in the lower difficulty settings just now and i remembered something which bugged me before i cranked up the difficulty and didnt have a HUD anymore....

it would be good if the HUD reticules would zoom in and out with the view.

which in turn reminds me of something which bugs me now ;)

with rifles such as the DRM you can zoom in more with (IIRC) 'zoom continuous' (or something like that).

if the DRM is fitted with a variable zoom scope, i suspect the crosshair would be on the second focal plane (as it is for most police/military applications), not the first (which is the civilian/idiot method ;))

what this means is that when zooming in and out the crosshairs will zoom in/out proportionately (otherwise the mil dots are totally useless).

(with real life 1fp reticules behaving as they do in game)

Given that iv not seen ANY scopes with the second plane behavior in the game, im guessing you BI guys never actually checked or simply didnt notice... but it would be very good if you guys could have a look, and implement correct 2fp zooming

maybe wire up that analogue zoom control for variable zoom scopes too? (and disable zooming for fixed magnification scopes)

i notice this mostly when using the M40A3, it uses a S+B PMII scope, which zooms right down to x3, great for situational awareness. and up to x12 (which is surprisingly low zoom IMHO)

a quick googling seems to imply that the DRM is likely to have a fixed X10 scope... and in game that can zoom, so, you'v got that sorta backwards. ;)

however, a zoomed in DRM appears to have exactly the same zoom as the M40?.

Edited November 17, 2009 by OOPz

[OOPz 10]

Starting with what i suspect is a bug: (if its not, could someone please explain WTF is going on)

after a team (red, blue, green, yellow, white) selection, the menu returns to the team 'page' (as if i had selected the men via F numbers then hit 9).

it should return to the menu root, i can see no possible way to command teams via the menu as the only available options are to assign or select teams (backspace (the key used to go up one level) exits the menu and clears the selection).

also... it seems a bit odd that to assign to team red you select the units then key 9,1 but to actually use the team you have to key 9,9,1 (i.e. more key presses to select the team (something you would do a lot) then to assign the team (something you would likely only do 2..3 times (max) in a mission)), i personally would say that the assigns and selects need swapping.

direct key bindings for creating and selecting teams would be good too, likewise adding a few more teams (5 is normally enough, but there is room in the menu for another 3 (or 2 if you count my idea below).. may as well use it, could be useful at times, with bigger teams).

and.... would it be possible/practical to enable the colour teams for high command?, exactly the same behavior (assuming the issue above is fixed), same interface etc. could be handy.

and now... i go off into the realms of fantasy, but i think iv got a good idea here, and its possible that it would be quiet easy to implement (after all, its already possible via scripting).

how about a modification to high command allowing groups to be joined, and your own unit to be split (possibly other units too, but the interface for that could be tricky).

this would allow something my friend and i have wanted to do when playing coop online, we would like it if the one of us commanding the unit were able to select some men and assign them to the other persons command.

e.g. i'm playing cooper, he's playing sykes:

I could select sykes and ohara, hit 9 (group menu) then select 8 (a new option for split) and the selected men would become a new group commandable via high command mode in the regular way.

same deal for joining teams too, only to do that you select the two teams in high command, 9,8 (which this time, is 'join' not 'split, because were in high command mode) and the two become a single unit.

so....

all in:

unit command:

 9,1 = select red
 9,2 = select blue
 9,3 = select green
 9,4 = select yellow
 9,5 = select white
 9,6 = select gray
 9,7 = select black
 9,8 = [b]split[/b]
 9,9 = assign:
    9,9,1 = assing red
    9,9,2 = assing blue
 etc

and almost identical:

high command:

 9,1 = select red
 ...
 9,7 = select black
 9,8 = [b]join[/b]
 9,9 = assign:
    9,9,1 = assing red
 etc

Edited November 17, 2009 by OOPz

[Dirt 0]

The UH-1y has a copilot, but the MV-22 and the C-130J do not. This needs to be added so when making mission with a ai controlled plane and you place people in cargo they do not end up as copilot.

[Ish 11]

So are you saying you can easily see a ghillie prone in the grass @ 500m??

While you are lookin at him, or while you are moving and looking around! There is a difference. imo they hide very well.

:confused:

.. Grass DON'T DRAW @ 500m, and that's the problem. You'd expect people that own this game to know this :rolleyes:

But other than that, in fact I do. I do see snipers at 500m laying on plain textures, because there is nothing in the game that looks anything like it.

[Flash Thunder 10]

Relatively soon can we get a system that automatically disables non-signed mods so I don't have to remove those mods in the line all the time when I want to go on MP. :)

@Dirt: Agreed.

[Ish 11]

Relatively soon can we get a system that automatically disables non-signed mods so I don't have to remove those mods in the line all the time when I want to go on MP. :)

@Dirt: Agreed.

Why don't u just get a launcher for starters? :)

[yanquis 10]

AA also doesn't seem to do much for the graphics. i would like to see some AA off/AA high screen capture comparisons to see if i'm just imagining that. it kills the engine so much it must be doing something major but i don't really see it. certainly not worth the FPS drop (tho on my machine it barely chugs along on AA high, i just leave it off, i think perhaps post-processing covers up a lot of the flaws AA might fix & i like the PP effects so its not a problem for me to turn it on high)

[OOPz 10]

'lock or zoom' binding should just be 'lock'

if i want it to zoom too, i will simply also bind that key/button to one of the zoom commands, if however i want to lock without zooming (which i do), then, it seems i am currently out of luck.

[stryder88 10]

The issue where it seems your framerate in MP is governed by how well the server is running/how people many are playing.

I have a friend who runs Quad SLi GTX 295's with an O/C i7 who only gets 20 frames/sec max on some multiplayer servers, yet when I set up a private game for the 2 of us, the very same settings jump into the 100's framerate, despite having lots of units/effects etc. And that's off my crummy PC!

I guess it's yes, optimization!

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Fix M136 (and probably other "iron sighted launchers") so that you can actually aim properly at an angle.

[PuFu 4600]

Add an option to server hosting to force grass and shadows (at least in low settings) so everyone is more or less equal when hiding.

There is one for grass, server side setting, or mission specific, so that everyone has the same chances: setTerrainGrid

There is also one for View Distance: setViewDistance

If the mission designer chooses to have such option changeable for each client (like in most of Coop games), it is not BIS fault.

Shadows on the other hand, due to how it affects performance, cannot be forced on clients by server settings

[28thCDM 10]

Hi There one of my first post so please be easy on me

i would like to see some of the Addons added in the next patch like Littlebirds , apaches ,and comanche i like to use these but as soon as i do use them in a mission no one join the server as they have to go find the correct addons things would be much easier if these addons where added to the stock game

many thanks for listering ApocalypseDan from the 28th Combat Division MadBastards

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Grass had serious fps impact back in Arma1. But I can't with the 60141 beta say that this impact is still here. A few betas back, the impact was gross. So, if grass is no longer a performance concern, is it really needed to have it user controllable even in mainstream coop games? Wouldn't it be better if all got the same?

Grass is a big problem against AI only when they are on a hill, and we try to take that hill. When on a hill, your basically out of options. If they are not on a hill and they shoot at you and you can't see shit, you can at least outmaneuver them. Not being able to see your enemy is a valid problem in real life. During the Vietnam war, soldiers could only shoot into bushes that moved, puffs of smoke, or flashes - no enemy to be seen. Often, not always naturally.

Edit: in Arma2 that puff is often very visible. Too visible. But makes up for missing flash, maybe?

Yes, I'm also annoyed with how AI will fire accurate rounds through grass instead of in some general direction where hitting was based on luck. But if you lower their skill and accuracy, they will miss lots of shots and you might get to cover. But instead of trying to shoot back from that position, we've been successful on flanking them. Pop tons of smoke and flank. When you get to a better position where grass is not a problem anymore, engage. Also they are very focused on watching your old position.

But hills? Oh my God you have no idea how much I hate them :)

[viibez 10]

More fixes;

oh i forget 1.. (lol dam it was a good one too) Fix my alzeimers or release a patch! edit;; -Damage to unit caused by fire. i just spend 10 mins trying to kill myself but i cant! Nor can i quit the game, i must "save" or alt-tab to taskmanager & kill process! it is friggin crazy idea. Plus whilst testing within the editor it sometimes saves when u hit suspend! (like i dont want my pc with 20gigs of unwanted saves!)

-The option to "QUIT" the game!!!!!!!!! ooh soo annoying is this "Suspend" option.

Grass had serious fps impact back in Arma1. But I can't with the 60141 beta say that this impact is still here. A few betas back, the impact was gross. So, if grass is no longer a performance concern, is it really needed to have it user controllable even in mainstream coop games? Wouldn't it be better if all got the same?

Grass is a big problem against AI only when they are on a hill, and we try to take that hill. When on a hill, your basically out of options. If they are not on a hill and they shoot at you and you can't see shit, you can at least outmaneuver them. Not being able to see your enemy is a valid problem in real life. During the Vietnam war, soldiers could only shoot into bushes that moved, puffs of smoke, or flashes - no enemy to be seen. Often, not always naturally.

Edit: in Arma2 that puff is often very visible. Too visible. But makes up for missing flash, maybe?

Yes, I'm also annoyed with how AI will fire accurate rounds through grass instead of in some general direction where hitting was based on luck. But if you lower their skill and accuracy, they will miss lots of shots and you might get to cover. But instead of trying to shoot back from that position, we've been successful on flanking them. Pop tons of smoke and flank. When you get to a better position where grass is not a problem anymore, engage. Also they are very focused on watching your old position.

But hills? Oh my God you have no idea how much I hate them :)

LOL HEAR HEAR :p

Yeah i agree with the grass & the hills.(giv me more nades)!. Sometimes makes me wonder if AI can see thru the grass! can they?

And all players should have the same, it would be unreal if you turned your grass off.. [WTH] not too mention an advantage.

And the hills, how in hell do they know your exact (almost) position? no matter how quiet, they still seem to be looking @ you before you can even be seen :eek: And bullets fly overhead before your head is in vision of AI, being blocked by the hill.

Im scared of hills ;)

Edited November 21, 2009 by viibez
typo, alzeimers patch

[OOPz 10]

in 1.04 (non-beta) they can indeed see straight thru grass as if it were not there.... there is something changed in the current beta to allow hiding in grass at range, but there are no details explaining what this change is (and i cant get the beta builds to run, thus i cant test it for myself).

as for them looking straight at you before they should be able to see you.... thats just you sucking at sneaking around ;)

do some AI testing and youll soon see that their vision is actually occluded as it should be, but... there are occasional bugs, in the same way your squad members will sometimes report enemy behind a hill the AI will occasionally see you in similar situations.

remember tho, they do work as a team, sometimes the AI can be a real sneaky f'k when it comes to getting guys on the flanks, maybe 'that' guy cant see you, but his buddy may be able too.

[-GLT-Sarge 10]

fix the annoying 40mm grenades and HE machine cannon rounds so they won't explode on twigs, leafes, bushes and branches anymore......theres no way that in real life you can hide behind a bush and be safe from grenade and HE fire.

the missiles and rockets already have been fixed because they suffered the same issue as the 'nades and the HE rounds...so whats the deal with them?

Am I the only person that gets pissed off by this?

enemy Infantry group spotted behind a light treeline....starting to open fire with an automatic 40mm launcher or M203/GP25 at enemy position......enemy comes out behind the trees and kills you because the leafes and the twigs protected them from the grenades, which apparently are made out of cotton

Edited November 22, 2009 by [GLT]Sarge

[diveplane 0]

adding a little heat blur to burning wreaks , and aircraft engines + tanks exhaust systems.

also the option to enable disable in graphics.

[Flash Thunder 10]

adding a little heat blur to burning wreaks , and aircraft engines + tanks exhaust systems.

also the option to enable disable in graphics.

Thats a neat idea. Attention to detail. :D

[=S= Den 10]

Is it any chance to make option, for different crosshair color, sometimes it is impossible to play with actual crosshair, best was in ofp and arma. Or best, make the color same as in formers games.

Thx, sorry for my bad english.