What needs to be fixed with ArmA II?

[Rayers12 19]

Having noticed the massive number of fixes requested for this game, I am creating a thread for these posts. This is for gameplay, not technical requests like Render To Texture.

I feel that:

1. The entire human to computer (not just the interface) interaction needs fixing. War is not something that can be relegated to a key as obscure as F3-7-2. That entire system as well as aiming, hell; even looking around needs attention. I suggest you use the buttons you are using now, but you should allow a presets that activate multiple commands at once, that you can set yourself. Such as hide: disengage, take cover, get down, hold fire, stealth. Infantry combat: Don't Use AT, maintain formation, open fire , line formation, danger.

2. I feel that the firearms are plastic models in A2. They feel fake, only going up unreallistically, rather than back and to the sides as well as up. Guns need to have a sort of shudder, that can't be explained. They should make a wicked crack, moving backwards into your shoulder, moving the weapon and your head a slight amount off center.

3. People tend to react when shot IRL. People tend to scream, curse, shudder. I Suggest you look at STALKER to see what I'm saying.

4. The game needs some sort of physics. Its 2010. I can't help you here. Think of how much a game changer a "get on top of" (jump) control would change A2. Ragdoll bodies, more "console" without compromising the integrity of ArmA.

5. A lot more things require interaction with more variables. Sprinting should be affected by the weight of your firearm. AI pilots flying skills should be affected by the skill setting. Men with a low skill slider should not make amazing tactical decisions.

6. Driving is like going to work in ArmA II. It is atrocious. All I can recommend is you fixing the vehicle models.

7. Lighting needs work. The shadow system looks kind of bad, as it tends to make squares of shadows on models. Shadows seem a tad off.

8. A few extra game play additions. Tactical Flashlights, vertical lean, cover animations for AI, actual method for determining where bullets will go, different types of bullets. In the editor, markers shall be made to scale. One more thing: People in war talk talk talk talk talk talk and then chat up a storm. There should be some more dialog then just contact reports, such as: "F*CK F*CK F*CK (splosion)", "they're f*cking everywhere!" "Idiot! shoot the f*cker before you heal me!", "RPG! RPG! RPG!", 'CALL AIR SUPPORT!", after someone gets hit: "They got dave!"___- "Sh*t, he just flew in yesterday!"____ "F*ck man, what do we do!"

9. Wishful thinking here, but there should be at least some ambiguity to whether someone dressed in plainclothes is hostile or friendly, such as CHKDZ or NAPA.

What do you think?

I love these games and want to see them get above the sorry state they are in today. So don't turn this thread into "Rayers12 is a crybaby." Thank you.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Rayers12

[Madus_Maximus 0]

Contructive critisism: Rather than just say what needs changing, maybe suggest HOW it can be improved. Just saying interaction "needs fixing" isn't enough. I'm not saying I dissagree and I'm not being an ass about it. People have the habbit of saying "this needs changing! It sucks!" but never say how it needs to be changed.

[Rayers12 19]

That is actually the most helpful post I've read in a while.

[Dead3yez 0]

I think you should check the suggestions section.

[Rayers12 19]

Yes, but this is more for general fixes; not suggestions.

[Guest]

Rayers12 is a crybaby.

Just kidding. But this post is not very constructive mate. If you could apreciate how much work goes into such a game you would understand. The guys at BIS are some of the kindest and hardest working developers I have ever seen.

I would also love better weapon feel, guns wiggling side to side, feeling like they are pounding your shoulder, i would love ragdoll physics, and I would really love soldiers screaming and shouting.

However, I would also like a mansion, a beautiful wife, and 10,000 Ferrari's. The simple matter of fact here is that I don't have enough money. The same rule applies to Bohemia.

Get someone with EA like budget involved, and then you will see some big changes. No other dev could do as good a job as BIS with the same funding they have!

[Inkompetent 0]

A lot on your list (like running speeds) are limited by the animation system in the engine, and that animation system is a concious design choice to not separate first person and third person from eachother, but to have first person actually just being another 'camera attachment point' and allowing you to see your full character in first person.

We could get CoD where you can't look down and see yourself, or we can have the awesomeness we have now.

Also, ragdolls are not present because they don't WANT them to be present. Ragdolls adds A LOT of complexity to coding and a ton of extra stuff for the server to do, because if it's not the server doing the ragdoll calculations and broadcasting them to all clients (stupidly much bandwidth-use for a little pointless eye candy) then the actual physics of the body will be different on every single client. Would you want all 60 people on a server see the same dead guy fall in different ways, not being the same on any single machine? Didn't think so.

As for flashlights we are getting them in OA afaik.

[Rayers12 19]

Hmmm. Many will disagree, but I'd rather have a few of these things in A2 than Takistan.

@Ragdolls: A module for Ragdolls would be nice, as I am exclusively an editor player; no MP for me.

Further, I always figured that BI could lease the engine and game out to various developers who produce addition content for it, so that it would produce (for example

AA:II Special Forces Pack by Black Rock Studios

AA:II Casualties of War pack by Codemasters (hehehe)

AA:II Humanization pack by ALTAR Games

AA:II Complex Firearms by GSC Games

These would be expansion packs that A2 could accept.

[That guy 10]

*ahm* *coughcough*

http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?f=56

I would also love better weapon feel, guns wiggling side to side, feeling like they are pounding your shoulder, i would love ragdoll physics, and I would really love soldiers screaming and shouting.

However, I would also like a mansion, a beautiful wife, and 10,000 Ferrari's. The simple matter of fact here is that I don't have enough money. The same rule applies to Bohemia

amen, sig worthy, if i were not so lazy :p

[Lal 10]

I think they decided not to use ragdolls because it would make the game laggy as hell in large scale battles. In one of the developer commentaries he mentions not being able to jump because soldiers seldom jump around irl and the equipment they carry would make jumping to any significant height impossible, so that's a deliberate implementation as well.

As for the driving, I don't really see the problem with it. It's a bit quirky to master at first, but after having played the game for about a month I really think it gets the job done, and I don't really see what the driving lacks. It's not a racing game after all and as long as you are able to get the vehicle to go where you want to go I don't see the problem.

[76 0]

Your asking for all the bells and whistles of CoD (and the like) and all the authenticity, realism and scale of ArmA2 and that can't happen for many reasons... cost/time to build vs return not to mention assembling the team to do it, current and near future uber PC's couldn't run it on lowest settings etc...

We'd all love this to be possible but you have to be realistic :)

[rellikki 7]

Moving to Suggestions board.

[Fudgeblood 10]

amen, sig worthy, if i were not so lazy :p

I guess I'll do it then. :D