rangoon

Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but here are a few problems I'm having. And I think a couple of these are new (since release). 1. Key command for Manual Fire toggle no longer works. I have to use the action menu. 2. Commander cannot issue driving commands to an AI driver (in the Slammer at least) when turned out. Do tank crews no longer use radios in 2035? 3. I issued a bug report on this one, but if you rebind controls, you lose the ability to issue the Slow command, other than with the default CTL+w command.

In the first Showcase mission, during the mission briefing stage, I can view my inventory but cannot view the contents of my vest as I can in game.

For what it's worth, this seems to just be a bug in the first Showcase: Infantry. The rest are working as expected. EDIT: actually this bug seems to appear here and there throughout the Showcases.

I definitely experience this with tracked vehicles. Especially as you increase throttle while steering. I use SoundBlaster ZxR and stereo headphones with virtual surround through the SB drivers.

In Arma 2, using my HOTAS to steer tracked vehicles works fine. However, in Arma 3, the same controls steer wheeled vehicles but not tracked vehicles. My only work-around presently is to use keyboard/mouse for tracked vehicles (keyboard for left/right and mouse for more left/right). Everything works fine for wheeled vehicles. Is there a way to fix this presently?

Is there a way to avoid the forced zoom-out that occurs when you are zoomed in, then switch to iron sights (optics)? I have tried moving all weapons/view controls which might be conflicting and cannot affect this behavior. If I am zoomed in, then hit "optics" to swith to scope/iron sights, the view zooms out. I then have to hit "zoom in toggle" twice in order to zoom in. If I instead hit "optics" again (switch back from iron sights to crosshair), I have to also hit zoom in twice to zoom in again. On a related note, if I raise my iron sights, then zoom in, the view zooms in, but toggling the zoom back out has no effect using the toggle. The view remains zoomed in. Using the NumPad + and - keys (default zoom in/out) does work in this case, but not the toggle.

I use CH controls, and the Control Manager software can do almost anything you can dream up. The keypress thing wouldn't work for me because then you only have full deflection, and I can just as well use the keyboard for that (I don't use the throttle controller for wheel/track driving, only aircraft). But you're on the right track. What I can do is something I've already done to make up for A2 and A3 control shortcomings. I have several buttons on my HOTAS which adjust how the axes are scaled or output, and even which controllers feed which digital axes. I can make another axis, then have a HOTAS button select it like a mode, such that the old axis is replaced with the new one. And speaking of that, I also have noticed that assigning a HOTAS axis to car left/right only seems to work on the outside 50% of x+/x- (or whatever) regardless of whether you have x+/x- assigned elsewhere. So I guess it's just those keybinds and the tracks that are generally uncooperative (well, take your pick which one is). But back on topic, that would be the way to work around this. And I've done that already for A3: I have infantry, helicopter, and fixed-wing modes. I just need to add a tracked-vehicle mode as well, then adjust the scale so that it skips the entire inside 50% of the range (remind anyone of Arma 2 flight controls with the undefeatable deadzones? - that's how you defeat them, skipping 10-20% of the axis travel in your HOTAS software) and assigned to car left/right. EDIT: I created another mode script as described above and it does work fine. If I don't remember to switch them, tanks won't steer and wheels only get half of their range, but by selecting the proper modes now I have full analog steering on tracks and wheels. Ratszo, thanks for prompting me to just do this; it had crossed my mind, but I really didn't want to go through the extra hassle. In the end, it really only took a few minutes and now it's working fine. Hopefully they will address this properly.

Right, I realize that, but as a case in point, if you do bind both, you get the 50/50 behavior. Having to change control binds is fine when you're just starting a mission, or out of mission, of course, but to go through that during a mission with multiple vehicle types is just the luck of the draw whether or not you have time to do it. So it's an unfortunate glitch in A3 right now. I have to use m+kb for tanks and HOTAS for wheeled vehicles. I don't like using mouse for steering (the car more/left steering is okay with mouse but not ideal).

Also within the same group, though. For example, if I bind Car Left to X- and Car Right to X+, then also car analog left to X- and car analog right to x+, I get this: get in a tank. Nothing happens for the first 50% of travel in either direction, then it starts steering get in a wheeled vehicle. I can steer for 50% then it gets jumpy and stutters as it approaches full steering deflection (seen in tires 3D view or hands on steering wheel 1st person view). It's at full steering by 50% of input, and stutters until I hit full input on the controller. Then on the way back to center, steering returns to center 50% out from controller center. So it's both on the same bind as well as other binds within the same group. Maybe not consistently, but certainly in this particular case. But I've never seen it across groupings like between car, helicopter, and fixed-wing. X+ and X- can be bound to car analog left/right and cyclic left/right and aileron left/right without problem. Of course the helicopter AFM vs. BFM collective input situation is still a problem, but I digress.

I don't think so. I believe it's only within the same group. I have HOTAS axes bound across groups and haven't noticed this; only within one group.

You got it right. And I have confirmed this behavior, too. It's like what you and Ratszo have said about losing full travel recognition on an axis which is bound to multiple entries in the control configuration.

Tnanks, Ratszo. This isn't a problem in A2 (regardless of the IRL difference between track/wheel) and I guess I don't get the impression this is a realism feature. I do use pedals, and they work fine for acceleration deceleration (toe brakes) and infantry lean (pedal axis). I suppose I could try the pedal axis for tracks, but I think all the other steering axes interplay, so it gets messy fast. I don't want compounding inputs. I want what A2 had, which is the simple ability to steer wheel/track all the same. From a sim engine and control input standpoint, I don't see any logic in making these different.

In the past I used TrackIR for continuous zoom in/out, but now only for zoom out. Since A3 added the ability to shift your head position forward in vehicles, I use TrackIR forward for that, but TrackIR back for zoom out. That way I can adjust head position without zooming in. And my old method did work, which is why for me this is now an issue. I have come to prefer not using TrackIR for zoom in, but then there is this problem with optics and zoom. I guess if there is not a good solution through careful assignment of keybinds, it's just a fault in the engine that will hopefully be addressed. I will take another look at the issue tracker. I honestly can't remember whether I found one there. If so I'll comment/vote. If not, I'll make one. EDIT: yep, it's there http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=16065

Does ASR AI work with the official Arma 2 campaigns well enough? Does it affect the accuracy/skill of your own teammates? Just enemy AI? Or neither except where they are generated "fresh" like in the "Warfare" style stuff?

How do I throw a grenade underhand? I have everything set up to use shift-3 to toggle my grenade throw, but when I modify with the underhand key (left shift) nothing changes. I tried changing the key to something other than shift; still no effect.

Is wind deflection compensated for by the AI? I see that it can be turned off for single player, but is that necessary for the AI to aim consistently in SP and COOP missions?

I know I passed a civil gas station at one of the first intersections, but haven't come across any others. I am at the UN base half-way through. No fuel there. I see a building with a wrench on it, but it's not a vehicle service station. The truck is also not useful. Do I just need to backtrack to the beginning for a top-off?

A dead zone is an area of the control movement which is designed to NOT register any value (or a value of zero). So you move the controller (such as a "joystick") from center but it doesn't do anything. Normally this is helpful if a centering controller is not holding its calibration or otherwise just not precise around the null point. Keeps unintentional movements down. But if you have high-quality controllers and some finesse, there is no need for it. It just makes control inputs less precise because to go from one side of center to the other, you have to pass through this dead zone. In a jet, you couldn't smoothly go nose up to nose down. You would go nose up, then nothing, then nose down. And from center, you would have to move the stick a certain distance before anything would happen. At least with my setup in ArmA 2, the X axis is left and right on the joystick, Y is forward and backward on the joystick. X Rotate is the left toe brake on my pedals and Y Rotate is the right toe brake. Z axis is the throttle (forward/backward) and Z Rotate is pedals left and right (rudder/tail rotor). It's a HOTAS setup. CH Products Fighterstick, Pro Throttle, Pro Pedals, and Multi Function Panel. The Fighterstick is a joystick.

Does anyone know of a way to reduce the dead zone for these two axes? I have been adjusting the sensitivity values in my profile, as well as in the control GUI in game. After finding various posts around the web (including Beagle's numbers), I am happy enough with the sensitivity and dead zone of the X and Y axes. However, I can't find a way to adjust the dead zone of the X and Y rotate axes at all. I have tried all values between 0.1 and 10.0, but the dead zone seems stuck at roughly 50%. I use these axes for forward and reverse while driving ground vehicles (they are the toe brakes of my pedals, so roughly like a gas pedal and brake pedal). The problem is that I have to go half way forward on either pedal before anything happens. Adjusting values in the profile file seems basically useless unless you mean to adjust positive and negative values separately. If not, then the in-game GUI works just fine. If I can adjust the dead zone of X and Y through the sensitivity value, it stands to reason that I can adjust the dead zone of X and Y rotate. But I can't seem to do this. Is there a way? EDIT: for what it's worth, the Z rotate axis also responds fine to dead zone changes with sensitivity changes. And none of my axes have a dead zone in the controller software (CH Control Manager). I also tried Analogue Thrust and Brake, which did nothing in the ground vehicles. The X and Y rotate should act just like the throttle (Z axis), because there is no center point.

Yes, I have dozens of CH maps for all of my games/sims. What I meant was that you could "trick" it with the calibration routine, but you would then have to recalibrate when you went to a different game because you don't want the other games to think that the zero point is actually half way. Calibration is not map specific, but global, not to mention less accurate trying to guess where half way is. It was simple enough to solve with CMS. I just added this: cms.a2 = 128 + (js3.a1/2); cms.a3 = 128 + (js3.a2/2); to my script with the throttle axis swap and voila! Works like a charm. I just had to set a CMS axis for each one, rather than the usual axis. The dead zone is actually slightly larger than 50%, because I still have a little throw in the pedal before it kicks in. But a very manageable amount, and the math is easy this way. :)

That's actually a great idea, Jackrabbitslim7 - I have had to do things like that with these in the past. For example, I have a button my controller I use to reverse the throttle on the fly. So it's forward positive on jets/fixed-wing and forward negative on helicopters. There must be a way to force the toe brakes to start where the zero position is actually 50%. I could calibrate it that way, but then I would have to recalibrate for each game... I am sure with CMS I can tell it that zero is 50% and 100% is 100%. And yes, it's fine in helicopters and other aircraft. I only use the toe brakes as FWD and REV in ground vehicles.

I just got back to ArmA 2 after being away for a while. I am using the latest beta patch and the full OA suite. I recall having a nice setup before for controlling vehicles with my CH controls, mouse, keyboard, and TrackIR. Now, however, when I try to steer with my mouse, after a short while the whole thing goes rather bonkers. My steering goes awry and my view is forced up and down by the slightest up/down movements in the mouse. Is there some way to change this behavior? It gets better as soon as I go back to ESDF for steering/movement, and then I can use the mouse again for a short while before it happens all over again.

It seems that when you go to customize a controller (CH stick/throttle/pedals in my case), there is no way to adjust the dead zone. Sensitivity doesn't affect the size of the dead zone. In my controller software (CH Control Manager), there is no dead zone set (dead zone is zero). But in the game, I have to move my controller quite a ways before there is any effect. This makes accurate control very difficult. Is there a way to reduce the dead zone within ArmA 2? It's affecting roll, pitch, and yaw.

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense, although I still don't understand why it wouldn't work with TrackIR. Why does it force the view to pitch up and down, overriding TrackIR in the process?

Hi, I've been playing around with the Voice Over Net comms in ArmA 2 lately since in theory it seems so perfect. But the problem is that the volume levels are so terrible and there is no good adjustment for it. I completely accept that war is noisy and that Direct Communications should be easily drowned out by nearby vehicles and gunfire. But the other channels (Side, Group, etc.) are supposed to be radios. How can they be so quiet? I have a good microphone, which always works fine in Ventrilo or TeamSpeak. But Ventrilo ALWAYS comes through more clearly and somewhat more loudly than any of the in-game radio channels. This is with volume sliders all the way up (except music) so that there is equity between Ventrilo and ArmA 2 in the mix. Usually I turn down a game's master volume so that Vent comes through above everything else. I can see why in ArmA 2 that doesn't make sense, for immersion, but then why are the radios so quiet? Is the solution to use a mod like ACRE? Or what are others' thoughts on this? As far as I can tell, the "Radio" slider in Audio Controls affects only what comes over the radio automatically through the game (like AI comms and player's auto-target calls, etc.). Is that correct? And the "Effect" slider controls all 3D environmental audio, INCLUDING the Direct Communication channel. That makes sense. That leaves the VON slider which, as far as I can tell, is all about the in-game radio channels (like group, side, command, vehicle). Is that right? I am using a desktop microphone, so I thought that possibly getting a boom mic that would sit right in front of my mouth would work better, but when I lean in to put myself directly in front of the mic I have, the improvement is negligible. I want this to work well, so either I am doing something wrong, or it's just not working in the game. The other aspect then is the reality of sitting in a house on a PC. I can't very well start shouting at the top of my lungs to talk over a helicopter. My housemates and neighbors would think there was something wrong. So in theory it's great that I would have to actually shout to be heard through Direct Comms, but that's not practical in any way under normal gaming circumstances. Okay, tough luck for me, but I don't know if this is the philosophy at work here. I also think that I can't turn up my speaker volume so high that radio and direct comms volumes are to an acceptable level compared to the war effects, since now the war effects are so loud that I'll go deaf and people outside my house will think there is an actual war happening inside. It's great for realism, but terrible for reality.