Feature request: working cyclic mechanism animations

[kuIoodporny 45]

Feature request: working cyclic animations

Many players (especially those with aviation/simulation experience) have noticed lack of proper cyclic animations for helicopters in BI games. It's caused mainly by lack of support on the engine side. Interesting fact is that most helicopter models have some simple cyclic animations preconfigured.

However, in ARMA2 You could have noticed there's something happening to Mi-24 and UH-1 rotors... yes, they are turning in various directions! Sadly, these animations are based on artificial horizon... but at least it works and looks somehow. Better than nothing, isn't it?

After first gasps I realized there's something not right with Hind rotors. They were turning around some point at the lower end of rotor shaft, along with rotor shaft itself. In my opinion it's way too simplified, looks quite ugly and spoils the overall feeling - for me it looks like an umbrella.

Meanwhile I've managed to create properly looking cyclic mechanism animations on my own. The result could be seen in CMA: Mi-28. It took me 2 hours to make it working properly, without chopping own tail down and spoiling faces. Since real animation source (controls) is still not supported, I've decided to use the same base as BI modelers used. There's hardly no performance hit, the animation looks far more natural than the one used on BI Mi-24.

Here's video showing the issue, kindly made by Cole - thanks for Your help, I appreciate it very much! :)

UKxIVzLkRow

If You like such idea, You may vote for it on my feature request ticket on A2 CIT.

Edited October 19, 2009 by zGuba

[CarlGustaffa 4]

My answer as I put it at A2 CIT:

I have played since OFP days, and I have never ever laid my eyes on a rotor head ingame. Having numerous heli trips in real life (offshore business), and a more than usual interrest into general aviation (friend owns a plane), you might think I'd notice. But I didn't. Please enlighten me as to why on earth such a feature would mean anything.

Are people voting yes to just about any suggestion they see? If votes are used, it would mean that important stuff are left behind in order to implement such a rather completely useless (no tactical value whatsoever) feature, that would only be seen by a selected few peoples.

Whatever is implemented in addons is fine naturally. The more detail the better, usually. But keep advanced animation (enough and it WILL eventually have an impact) to the point where they are seen by "anyone" or they have a tactical value. This is a military simulation game, not a flight simulator. We're already suffering from bad performances.

[max power 21]

Well, what is the point of having them animated at all? Clearly BIS were working on something here, and I don't think there's any harm in doing it properly.

[kuIoodporny 45]

Bad performance isn't caused by animations. Trust me, there are already tons of them.

[Blechreiz 0]

I never play with 3rd person. And the times (esp. in MP) when I (and many others) fly a chopper are rare. Too many other things f*** me off at ArmA2 that I would start thinking about the rotors movement. Anyway nice idea - if you fix it on your own I will download and install it for me.

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

The difference is almost unnoticed by me, and I was in an Air Cavalry squadron for 3 years.

"Well done" on implementing it in an addon, but unless this explains why the flight model feels weird, I can't see the necessity in B.I. taking the time to worry about this, unless one of them wants to work on it as a side-hobby.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Uziyahu--IDF

[max power 21]

It's not really a flight model thing, but an animation thing. When you command the helicopter to pitch or roll, the rotors should precede the fuselage.

[TheHarvesteR 11]

I think there are so many much more pressing issues right now concerning flight in ArmA2...

as of now it is impossible to use the analogue throttle without having 2 joysticks because helicopters don't respond to it... this IMO is a much more important matter than whether or not the swashplate on the hind is animating correctly or not...

Cheers

[nkenny 1051]

Bad performance isn't caused by animations. Trust me, there are already tons of them.

The devil is in the details. If such a degree of care an attention were put in all animations; we'd have a better game.

Frankly good animations will create an aesthetically realistic game which will ooze style. Far more so than merely upping the fidelity (polycount) of any 3d objects.

Don't believe me? Watch a cartoon (like old Disney) which employs plentiful and varied animations. The overall effect is believable and captivating. Alternatively look for Ghost Recon (the old ones) a game which featured excellent animations.

- K