Weapons Sway

[Protegimus 0]

This subject has come up quite a bit during recent discussion and I also think an element of weapon sway should be part of ArmA II.

To this end, I've made a simple addon that simulates a level of weapon sway that can be overcome by skill of the shooter without becoming a distraction.

As mentioned in the readme, it is balanced in favour of gameplay due to the way weapon sway is simulated.

Just grab the following files:

ARMA II Zeu_Weaponsway_readme.txt

zeu_c_anims_weaponsway.pbo

zeu_c_anims_weaponsway.pbo.ZEU.bisign

from the Yoma Addon Sync repository. The Auto config URL is:

http://www.computerrepair.uk.net/updater/ArmA2-repo.7z

Thanks to Inkompetent, Armaholic & ArmedAssault.info, download mirrors:

Armaholic Mirror:

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=10461

ArmedAssault.info Mirror:

DOWNLOAD - Weapons Sway (v.1.0) - [8 KB] from ArmedAssault.info

FILEPLANET mirror:

http://www.filefront.com/16377613/zcommon_weaponsway_v1.rar/

Further instructions are included in the readme.

In the longer term, I hope BIS improve the animations and effects to more accurately portray this.

Feedback and mirrors appreciated.

Hopefully we can develop this to an accepted standard for the game.

Protegimus

Edited May 9, 2010 by Protegimus
Added mirror sites

[Cyteless 10]

Sounds pretty cool. I might have to try this.

[enad 11]

Any chance of a Pbo version?

[Fox '09 14]

Any chance of a Pbo version?

what? :confused:

[Protegimus 0]

Any chance of a Pbo version?

The addon is in .pbo format.

If you're referring to a traditional download method because you don't have access to Yoma Addon Sync, then please be patient and wait for a mirror.

Protegimus

[mcnools 62]

Any chance of a Pbo version?

It is a .pbo, but you need 7zip to unpack it.

http://www.7-zip.org/

[Wolfstriked 11]

Protegimus what are your thoughts on the recoil of weapons while standing/crouching as compared to prone?Just curious is all and thanks for this and all the other great things you have done for Arma.

[metalcraze 290]

Needs more swaying, especially the prone position.

Also is it possible to achieve VBS2 swaying in ArmA2?

In VBS2 weapon aim just goes up and down as if you were breathing, then whether you are aiming with the RMB or not you hold RMB and the soldier holds breath for a few seconds, after they pass and you still hold RMB he barely manages to hold the aim and then lets the breath go. In VBS2 firefights go longer because of this and it also requires more from player than just aim and shoot. Really adds certain "oomph" to shooting. Not mentioning that it doesn't make a sniper that "casually lie down and play firing range" kind of guy anymore.

Edited May 6, 2010 by metalcraze

[Protegimus 0]

metalcraze: fair points, but for the benefit of anyone that's interested and hasn't yet downloaded or tried the addon, I've reproduced the contents of the readme below:

This mod adds a more noticeable sway motion to weapons and in so doing demands both an element of skill from the shooter and raises the importance of using more stable shooting positions together with the breathing control offered in the game.

The level of stability offered was judged from the authors ability to shoot

figure 12 targets from 300m in the standing position using a rifle with iron

sights, combined with the need to keep gameplay enjoyable.

This is dependent on the following factors:

- in reality, stability is not as good as portrayed in the game

- weapon sway in ArmA II is simulated in what appears to be a relatively random manner, not the fairly predictable figure of eight pattern a shooter will

recognise

- the pattern in ArmA II does not vary according to stance. Shooting from the prone position the pattern is almost a straight vertical line following the

shooters breathing pattern, in the game there is still too much lateral

movement

Increased levels of weapon sway do offer a more pleasing visual representation of weapon stability, but 'playing chase the target' becomes more of a distraction than a challenge, so this was tempered to keep things in balance.

Hopefully BIS will improve this aspect of the simulation in a future ArmA II update, improving the accuracy of the animations and the simulation of breath control.

--

If there's enough demand, maybe BIS will bring VBS2 style weapon sway to ArmA!

Protegimus

[domokun 515]

As an ex-sharpshooter I welcome this move from random sway to the figure of 8. Is there anyway that the amplitude of the figure of eight be linked to the shooter physical exertion? i.e. if you run for 5 mins then your sway will be far more important than if you've run for 30 secs...

Also does this mod only affect players? or also AI?

Congrats on another smart mod!

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Any mirrors for us non Yoma users?

[twisted 128]

this is birlliant. great addition that makes play more immersive. thanks man!

but i do not use yoma so please make avaialbel for armaholic etc

[cyclone83 6]

Hey, really great addition :) Oh and yes, pls mirror this. Sry but in my opinion it's a senseless try of forcing us to download via long-winded Yoma :j:

[wamingo 1]

I've played for 30-40 minutes using your addon and comparing it to standard and my conclusion thus far:

The little bit of extra shake/sway under normal circumstances is fine. Seems realistic and I'd say a lot better than vanilla arma.

However the excessive shaking when breathing hard, wounded or under fire is completely undesirable.

The level of shaking in arma-vanilla under wounded conditions etc was good and reasonable. Hard enough to make it undesirable to be wounded or exhausted, while still remaining playable and fun.

My opinion only of course.

Now I know that this is probably all you have to work with, but I have to say I think the real solution to sway will be found only when the front and the rear of the weapon is no longer completely attached.

I'm going to try and represent this here:

What this shows is BOTH the world AND the crosshair is moving around.

It may be exaggerated and inaccurate and doesn't show all the bells and whistles that needed for a perfect simulation.

Translated to IRON sights the world wouldn't shake, but the front of the gun would shake compared to the scope.

I think. :)

Please don't mistake this from the recoil concept I posted earlier.

discuss

[Inkompetent 0]

FILEFRONT MIRROR AT: http://www.filefront.com/16377613/zcommon_weaponsway_v1.rar/

Edited May 6, 2010 by Inkompetent

[Protegimus 0]

Thanks for the mirror Inkompetent, appreciated thanks.

The mod is available via Yoma as it is effective in reducing bandwidth utilisation. Use it or wait for a mirror, but don't bleat about it in this thread.

wamingo - were you using ACE2 when you tested?

I'll have another look at sway when out of breath, suppressed or injured.

To be sure, you were using the breathing control in ArmA, right?

The simulation must have taken quite a bit of effort mate - if you replaced the optics with iron sights the concept would be right, just looks like the shooter has the DT's!

Ultimately, to make it correct we need different animations, but that's for someone else to chip in I'm afraid.

Protegimus

[wamingo 1]

Oh, no, I was not using any mods, should I have?

didn't actually take as long as the first one.. had all the art already ;)

[zork 10]

Protegimus, thank you. Weapon sway is in my opinion one of the most important factors affecting simulation that differentiate VBS2/JCOVE from Arma 2. It is a very important factor in creating the immersive, realistic weapon handling.

I don't really care about the fun or gameplay -- I'm all for the ultrarealistic simulation that i know from VBS2 (but I prefer the graphics engine of RV3). Protegimus, is the weapon sway in your mod configurable? I would like to play with the settings and try to imitate VBS2 as close as possible...

[gulag 10]

As an ex-sharpshooter I welcome this move from random sway to the figure of 8. Is there anyway that the amplitude of the figure of eight be linked to the shooter physical exertion? i.e. if you run for 5 mins then your sway will be far more important than if you've run for 30 secs...

Also does this mod only affect players? or also AI?

Congrats on another smart mod!

I believe it is only for players, it would be great to work for AI too:p.

Thanks @Protegimus, is awesome.

Edited May 6, 2010 by gulag
correction

[Protegimus 0]

wamingo: I retested this when out of breath and suppressed and as long I used the breathing control in ArmA 2 (right mouse click by default I believe) then my aim would calm down and I could get a bead within a second or two - I don't think this is unreasonable.

Injured is injured.

No other mods required.

zork: I included the source config.cpp and .hpp files in the .pbo - just dePbo it and you can modify the values to suit your preference. Be sure to post back for everyone if you improve it.

gulag: thanks for answering and glad you enjoy it.

domokun: if you haven't already, you could try Zeus AI Combat Skills. Weapon sway is configured there for the AI. You only need the zeu_*_ai_skills.pbo and .bisign if you don't want all the features.

Protegimus

[Wolfstriked 11]

Sweet stuff Protegimus!Just had a chance to try it and it adds alot.You mention that it looks even better with more sway but becomes a chase the dot game.Do you think that maybe lowering recoil for standing/crouching would allow more sway to be added?

Maybe go prone with more sway and see how that feels.

[zork 10]

Protegimus --> in which of the original Arma 2 .pbo files did you find out that the original 'aimPrecision' value is 1?

[teilx 4]

wow good job!!!!

[Protegimus 0]

Protegimus --> in which of the original Arma 2 .pbo files did you find out that the original 'aimPrecision' value is 1?

This is where to look:

anims.pbo\anims\Characters\config\sdr\config.cpp

class Default {
   ...
   aimPrecision = 1;
   ...
};

Wolfstriked: while I agree that more sway would be desirable, it is the nature of how it is simulated (the pattern doesn't change in the game, whereas in reality when you shoot from prone, kneeling or a supported position they are more stable platforms and the pattern of sway more closely follows your breathing) that makes it undesirable in the game.

Recoil is a topic of it's own and an interesting project for someone.

Some weapons 'feel' right, while others, e.g. M249 are way off. From experience it is perfectly feasible to be able to accurately shoot bursts with the M249 from kneeling/standing and between moves - I've a feeling changing things wouldn't necessarily produce the desired results though...`kiddie cannons' are less desirable than a bit too much recoil.

Protegimus

[zork 10]

This is where to look:

anims.pbo\anims\Characters\config\sdr\config.cpp

class Default {
   ...
   aimPrecision = 1;
   ...
};

Thanks, Protegimus.

Also do you know where is the pattern that actually is responsible for simulating the weapon sway. From my understanding it should be similar to something like recoil[] patterns.

Maybe we can reproduce exactly the VBS2/JCOVE weapon sway (goes up and down with the breathing). What you think?