kronovan

The other day I watched an Optimization youtube in which the host did some ARMA3 parameter tweaking. 4 of the areas they changed were CPU count, Enabled Extra Threads, Hyperthreading and Memory allocator. My CPU count wasn't set correctly so I changed it to 4 (have an i5 6600K quad core). I also checked all 3 of the Enabled Extra Threads options for File operations, Texture loading and Geometry loading. Monitoring with HWInfo64 immediately showed my other CPU cores were being more utilized and performance marginally improved. While I know not to enable Hyperthreads as my CPU is an i5, I'm not so sure what to do about the Memory Allocator. I did try "Windows allocator (system)", but I immediately got a CTD in the Editor. I also tried JEMalloc allocator, but while it didn't crash I got some sound pops and occasional stutters. Definitely poorer performance than if it isn't enabled. That's got me wondering about the 3rd allocator option; "Intel TBB 4 allocator." Its listing in the dropdown has the text "(Default)" to the right of it. Which makes me wonder it that's the allocator that's set if no allocator in the dropdown is selected? I should probably mention that ARMA3 has been running very stable for me with no Memory allocator selected. So my question is; should I be worrying about the Memory Allocator? Does spec'ing an allocator help with performance in any way?

I have some missions for running Zeus in a single player sandbox. Something I've had no luck with is getting an AI gunner in a Helo to fire at targets such as AFVs or anti-aircraft artillery. I've mostly been using the Global Moblization map and I've tried loading both a West German Pilot and Gunner into the gunner seat while I have control of the helo as the pilot, but they don't call targets and shoot. I've seen videos where the player switches to manual fire and I've tried that and switching it back off with the same result, no firing. I also have the fire command button configured on my joystick, but when I press it either nothing happens or a air-surface missiles are just dumb fired. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong - just not sure what?

Yep, the Macer seems to be modeled on the Maverick G series. It's been a while since I flew & fired one, but I believe the 'T' to lock is the previous way of targeting which was replaced in core ArmA3 when the Jets DLC was released.You should now just have to approach targets with heat signatures within your aircraft's sensing range/window and valid targets will be detected and locked. IIRC pressing the Next Target command will cycle though them if there's more than one valid target. In the showcase mission for the Wipeout you also have a forward scout unit that's putting an IR dot on targets with a laser, making things easier. Something I recall with certainty, is that post Jets DLC laser targeting is done by pressing CTRL+RMB to go into an ordnance view and then maneuvering your aircraft so that the cross hair that appears is placed over the desired target and then releasing. That only works with LOM-250G, GBU-12 and possibly the Scalpel and DAGR ordnance though. I have the ACE3 mod too and don't recall it changing anything with aircraft targeting. Anyhow, hope that's helpful.

I have a 3 axis throttle quadrant that I've mapped to various ArmA 3 vehicle, helo and fixed-wing controls; features like thrust, slow forward and speed brake. Every time I map one of the axis though, ArmA 3 always assigns them both a (+) & (-) axis mapping, which means I have to set the slider to mid point to have it in the zero position. It's annoying, because the (-) axis mapping doesn't do anything and it decreases the effective control range for the (+) axis; i.e. I only get to use 50% of the total range. I believe it's specific to my throttle quadrant, because I have vehicle fast forward and reverse mapped to my left & right rudder pedals and they don't map that way and work fine. That said, I haven't ever encountered this in any other game. It doesn't appear to be possible through the mapping interface under control setup to omit the (-) axis. However, there's that Configure Controllers tab which supposedly allows you to customize a controller, but I've never been able to understand it as it doesn't label anything (clicking [show] just displays sensitivity numbers) and it isn't documented anywhere? So...I'm hoping someone here knows of a way to have ArmA 3 map those axis without automatically assigning a (-) axis? And if anyone can explain the Configure Controllers > Customization feature or point me to a reference, that would be much appreciated too.

My apologies for having such a n00b question, but I'm completely novice when it comes to ArmA 3 modding. So my question is simple: is it possible to build both grass air fields and airbases with paved runways? I'm aware of the airport-related objects in the Eden Editor, so that seems to hint at the possibility. In the back of my head though is my once-upon-a-time experience building a small commercial air field for Flight Simulator 2002. With that project I recall there being tricky issues with flattening terrain and that it was far more effort that it was claimed to be. So I'm keen to hear if such issues exist for ArmA 3 and whether the modding tools and game engine effectively supports such custom structures?

Oh wow - that's awesome! Thanks for providing the link.

TBH TrackIR is all I need now and any time in the future. I have sons who've both bought themselves VR gear (Oculus Rift & Playstation VR) and I can last all of about 40 minutes in either VR before I'm very nauseated. I know I'm not alone with that and have discussed similar experiences with some gaming friends. That said, I've been impressed with both those systems as long as I could last playing in their virtual spaces. I'll be happy for BI to deliver VR to the fans of it, but I'll be majorly p'd off if ArmA 4 no longer supports TrackIR.

ROF thanks for the reply - good to know. I was actually hoping to make air fields or airbases that players could use too. I'm currently playing through the campaign and doing a lot of Zeus'en on Global Mobilization's Werfelingen map. I'm finding the map lacking though, because it doesn't have any airfields or airbases, while the GM DLC does have some AA vehicles - namely the Shilka and Panzerflak. That's got me currently taking off in CUPs A-10A Thunderbolt II and Sukhoi SU-25 from a couple of harvested wheat fields to test out that AA. 🙂 I was hoping to create and add 2 air fields on opposing sides of that map, but TBH don't even know if that's possible? I've gone through a tutorial on the A3 Terrain Builder and building such structures certainly seems doable, but as I said above I'm very n00b to this. How, or even if you can, place such structures on an existing map, is something I'm not sure of?

Something like this is what I'd like to see implemented in ArmA 3 more than anything else. I'm continually surprised at how poor the AI can be at taking a valid or safe path, both on foot and in-vehicle. I'm guessing thought with poor pathing still a problem this late in the game's history, that' such improvements would be reserved for ArmA 4.

I've been trying to bomb with the GBU-12s in the A-164 Wipeout, but I can't find a command/key combo to actually lock onto a vehicle or target a building. I know how to get into the laser designation view with [CTRL]+Secondary mouse button and I've been able to center the designator on a area with [CTRL]+[T]. I've also been able to mark a specific target or building with [Shift]+[T], but that appears to mark a location for some purpose other than targeting. I've watched some youtubes on this and some seem to suggest that a Primary mouse click is for targeting, but for me that just release a GBU-12 which explodes wherever it happens to be pointed. In most of those videos though, the narrator never mentions what keys/buttons they're actually pressing. If someone could list the actual command/key combo for designating a laser bomb target, I'd really appreciate it.

Many thanks for the reply Stanhope. So if I understand you correctly; you're saying you enter the laser pod view with [CTRL]+Primary button and just move the cross hair where you want it. Then exit that view and fly at the target and there'll be a new cross hair in the HUD at the point / target that laser was last pointed at? [edit] Nevermind, I figured it out. I can see now how while in the DTV view I can put the cross hair over a target to designate it and then click trigger on my joystick trigger to release the GBU-12. Definitely much easier than the earlier videos I watched. I also discovered by pressing Numpad 5 while in DTV that it will align the view with the center line of the Wipeout, such that I can actually now fly it in that view.

Having been a youth in the height of the cold war, I find the subject matter of the Global Mobilization DLC very appealing. That said, I mostly play ARMA 3 as my light, sim-lite flight simulator. I get the most enjoyment out of just downloading a modded scenario and buckling up in a jet for some dog fighting or mud moving. I own other flight sims like DCS, Falcon BMS and Strike Fighters 2 which even covers the era, but even the sim-lite SF2 requires more focus and time investment than getting airborne in this game. I of course do also play ARMA3 infantry and tanks, it's just not my main focus. I noticed that this DLC features AA mobile units, but doesn't include a single air unit yet. I've read that Helos are eventually coming, but I haven't seen any mention about fixed-wing aircraft? If this DLC had some of my favorite Luftwaffe birds of the 80's like the Tornado or Phantom II, I'd buy it in a heart beat regardless of whether or not it needed more polishing. So being a hopeless flight sim junky I have to ask; are fixed-wing units eventually coming to this mod?

I joined it, but with just a quick browsing noticed fellow countrymen making bigoted statements that are completely unrelated to game play and a doing a whole lot of whining. So no thanks, I won't be participating in that channel - I have better places to focus my limited time.

Many thanks for the reply. TBH I'm not so impressed with ARMA3 rotary aircraft and anything intro'd in Global Mobilization would have be better that what's already in the game for me to get enthused. As I said above though, I'm a fan of the theater and era and play the FC Red Storm videogame, the Force on Force Cold War Gone Hot tabletop miniatures and World at War boardgame. So the GM DLC is probably going to eventually snag me at some point. 😉

I'm new to ARMA 3. I used to really enjoy tracked vehicles in ARMA 2, but with them not supporting the analog left & right for steering I find them almost uncontrollable in 3? Meanwhile, the wheeled vehicle handle well with my joystick X axis mapped to left & right analog. I'm still experimenting with the fast forward and backward controls mapped to my rudder pedal toe brakes, so the verdict is still out on those. The few experiences I've had so far seem decent. I've had feedback that using the mouse might provide superior control for turning tracked vehicles, but my physical desktop and mousepad size wouldn't accommodate that well. Besides, I have a full HOTAS with stick+pedals+throttle quadrant and really want to make use of it. I wish BI had just implemented the same tracked vehicle controls they coded for ARMA 2. I've been doing a lot of google-fu on this topic and have found a good number of posts here and on the Steam forums discussing it -some even with BI devs jumping in- but BI seems to have to put on indefinite hold a fix for it. The cynic in me makes me skeptical that there might be a hidden agenda on BI's behalf for ignoring it so long. Like maybe quick maneuvering tracked heavies in ARMA 2 were used to easily for over-running foes and players, and making them more of a challenge to steer is a play balancing? I wouldn't know because I'm much more of a SP'er than a MP'er.

The original Ghost Recon (PC) was my gateway. I was working in the computer biz at the time and had a few customers that ranted on -&- on about it. I bought it and was very impressed - much better attempt at realism than any shooter I'd played up until that time. I discovered OFP a few years later and was really impressed how it upped the realism and was extremely challenging. I was also into simulation games around the time, so that BI included helos & tanks with an attempt at simulation, was just icing on the cake!

Under Options > Controllers > Weapons, I see at least 3 different commands that all use the [T] key. The commands are Lock Target, Lase Range and Reveal Target. My first guess is that they're for different helo, fixed-wing or vehicle weapon modes that are available when a specific weapon is selected. With nothing listed in the manual, key chart or Tactics Guide though, it's hard to be certain. I'm new to ArmA 3 and have been configuring my HOTAS and gaming keypad, but not being certain is making me guess at what I should map. So...I'm wondering if anyone here can confirm or clarify when and how all those [T] commands are used?

I've just returned to ArmA 2 OA and when setting up my HOTAS I noticed that there's a Brake (Analogue) axis for aircraft. I'm not sure if that control is for an air brake and should be mapped to its own axis or whether the reverse of the axis I have mapped to Thrust (analogue) should be used for mapping it; I.e. if I map my throttle quadrants Z+ axis for thrust, should I map Z- for brake? As well, I've noticed that when level flying, I only get an increase in speed when my thrust axis is at 75% or higher. I've also noticed that just above that (seems like 80% on the SU 25) an afterburner kicks in. Is there anyway to configure it so that the thrust kicks in at a lower percentile/position? For now, I went ahead and mapped one of my throttle's 3 axis to brake (analogue) and it does seem to cause an decrease in air speed, but again it only seems to make a difference at the 75% position or higher. Any feedback or answers to this would be much appreciated.

A few years back I bough the entire ARMA2 collection, but never got far into it. I've got an itch to scratch for something that's modern warfare and ARMA2 is about the best in my collection of shooters. I'm not sure which module to start with, other than I'll no doubt need to redo boot camp again in the base game. I played BI's original Operation Flashpoint and very much enjoyed it, but found the difficulty challenging and frustrating at times - not enough to deter me from pushing on and completing it though. I really liked the variety of game play in the original OF and enjoyed the helo and tank missions as much as the on foot ones. So...now that I've decided to give it another play, I'm not sure which of the four modules I should start with? I know I want to play something that lets me do at least some missions of helo flying and tank driving. If one of the 4 I own though, is a little less lethal for game play, that's probably the one for me. If all 4 are on par, I'd probably prefer playing in an Eastern European theater as opposed to Central Asia, as I'm also currently playing the DCS World Flaming Cliffs flightsim which is set in the Caucuses. Any suggestion anyone could give me for which to start with, would be much appreciated.