phaeden

One of my favorite things on the terrain is to do CAS stuff. I absolutely love doing a "real" CAS mission (9 line and all that) with people that actually know how to do it correctly (as either the FAC or the pilot). Seeing an aircraft flying in above the deck as a speck and then popping up and rolling over is stunning. Artillery/mortars are another favorite when you can see for miles. Another aspect of the larger draw distance that can be used is with advanced or recon elements. This is one area where I've always felt most missions lack in ArmA - locating the bad guys is something that is usually really hard to do in real life (thus UAVs, etc). This greater visibility can also create some more dynamic/high stress moments when you spot and enemy patrol that is well beyond weapons range. Do you move into an ambush position - how? where? how do you stay concealed from the enemy all that time? Also, when inserting with helos, do the helo pilots actually set down in "false" landing zones? You know the enemy can see really far and if the helos only land in one spot, its pretty easy to figure out where the insertion point is located. I'm hoping to play some of these missions where the players have to think beyond their normal style of play. :) Thanks Minimalaco!

Thanks Foxhound (and thanks for closing the other thread as well)! b00ce, there are a few locations that I've experimented with as far as ponds go but I haven't been happy with the results yet. What is your opinion, should I depress the ground a bit or remove the pond object? Have you tried cranking up the view distance to over 10km? If so, what do you think? Have you done anything at night yet (especially with a large view distance)? For some reason, I sometimes need to start and then restart a mission in order to get all the lights working - not sure why. Thanks for checking it out!

Awesome, thanks Old Bear! Thanks astast!

Thanks b00ce and Exikutioner! I've updated links 1 and 3 - they should work now.

Can anyone else confirm? They were checked but you know how the internet thingy is - very temperamental and all. Other mirrors are still needed as well.

I've been working on this island for the last four years or so (since late 2007 - where has the time gone?!?) and I am getting very close to a public BETA. Delays have been caused by real life (in all its forms ranging from divorce to travel to school to work). I really REALLY want to release this as it has been eating on my soul for a very long time. I am getting very close to releasing it even though it is still not complete and not up to my standards in all areas. Here are some teaser screen shots (all images at view distance of 10 kilometers):

Please see new post for release information in the ARMA 2 & OA - ADDONS & MODS: COMPLETE section.

Very soon

Quick update - I have had slow internet the last few days - the Beta is ready and is uploading (albeit very slowly). I will need mirrors, so if any of you can help with that, please PM me and I'll send you links to the 2 files to get the ball rolling. Thanks in advance!

Hopefully, it will be available on August 25, 2012. I am trying to tie up some loose ends but it shouldn't take more than a few more hours of adjustments.

Thanks gents! I'm still on schedule to release the public beta this weekend.

Thanks! It looks great from a mile or so up. On the ground, I think it looks great too but it is not an exact match for the real place.

The ID numbers are just fine. Thanks for your help!

I do have Word. That would be great - the more information the better. I have made some major changes to the configs and hopefully won't have as many rpt errors. I'll try to get it out as soon as possible. I've visiting family this week, so things are slower on the hobby front.

Almost there - two more buildings and some wall/fence sections are all that really remain.

Ok, it's official. I'm a dumbass. I've been looking at examples (from BIS and talented modders) of both models and config files. I have created a large number of enterable buildings (which work with ACE weapon mounting ("shift - space") and include the ability to step out ("v") through the windows. All the buildings are low poly for fast gameplay. The problems are multiple but the biggest are: 1. ALICE/CIV modules don't appear to work at all (neither does tpw's houselights (which are great btw)) 2. When destroyed, buildings sink straight into the ground in a fraction of a seconds and do not produce any smoke effects 3. I can only get steady/blinking lights to work on only one building at a time I have tried to replicate everything I've seen in models that work and have even gone so far as to rename a config that works and place the information that works with the name and model location with my information. As soon as I figure these buildings out, I will be able to release my MCAGCC 29 Palms map that I've been working on (intermittently) for the last several years. Please, will someone that is smarter than me please help me figure this out? I'd really like to release the island in the very near future. ----- I've uploaded the code here: http://codeviewer.org/view/code:26e7 If desired, I can send a PM with a link to a zip of the buildings/config (unbinarized and open).

For the aiDoor1 to work correctly, do I need to include a path (like I would do for AI path finding) from the aiDoor1 to aiDoor_Dir?

Thanks for the interest of those that have been willing to help with the last bit of closed Beta work. I haven't answered everyone quite yet (was busy over the weekend) but I have received enough interest that I no longer need any additional help. Thanks again! I am hoping to iron our the last few issues and release it as soon as possible. My estimated timeline (and you all know how that goes with ArmA addons) is within 3 weeks.

Would anyone be interested in getting in on the very tail end of the closed BETA testing? I've made what I hope to be the final changes (well, almost - a few things still need a tiny bit of work) and I need some fresh eyes to walk/drive/fly around and see if there are any conflicts or problems. The open Beta will (hopefully) be within the next few weeks as I squish the remaining bugs and flesh out areas that need it (based on feedback). I could also use some help in making sure Alice and the other Modules work correctly - I've had intermittent success with those and it is driving me crazy. So, if you are serious about actually help me test/find problems and not just getting a jump start on viewing the island, please send me a PM. I will be traveling this weekend and it is likely that I will not respond until sometime early next week. Additionally, if you are a mission maker or can help get permission/convert other missions, please feel free to PM me as well as I would love to have a few dozen awesome missions to be ready to ship with the island. If you are a mission maker and would like to give me permission to alter your mission to fit on Palms, please also feel free to either post here or send a PM. Thanks in advance!

Yes, you can enter every building.

Simply, a flat image will be the smallest size (and is needed for the game to work). Flatten Image takes all the layers and flattens them into one. Merge Visible will merge (flatten) any visible layers (any invisible layers will not be merged). Merge Layers will merge the layers you have selected.

A few more screens before its back to work. Wreck of C-130 that crashed to the west of the main airfield: Western edge of map looking toward main airfield - radio towers and control town can just barely be made out: West end of runway area - looking into the rising sun: Control tower and Camp Wilson in the background: Main airfield and runway in the late day: Camp Wilson and the central mountains: Another angle of the same area at a different time of day: Northeast of Mainside area - training area, logistics support, etc.:

Most of the buildings on the island are custom. I'd like it to 100% but I don't have that much time. :) I will get some more screens as soon as I can.

Just a few quick screens of the progress I've made: This series shows the template that a mission maker can use if he/she wants to have airport lights at several of the airfields on the island. The real EAF airfield does not have lights so this is completely fictitious (but looks cool none-the-less). This is still a work in progress (as is the whole thing). The lighting has been brightened to make it a little easier to see the screens but the brightness varies quite a bit depending on weather and phase of the moon. Recommendations are encouraged and welcomed! The main military airfield from several kilometers away in the central mountains: A non-perfect approach (too busy trying to take screens): Almost there: The airfield from just beyond the end of the runway. Note the control tower on the right. The off-white lights to the right are other buildings around the airfield (Camp Wilson is further to the right). And we're down - another successful landing without blowing up.

What do you mean? What type of screens would you like to see?