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Blake

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Posts posted by Blake

  2. Posted · Edited by Blake

    Bayonet issue is probably discussed to death already but in my opinion why not, if there is also some negative effect of having bayonet attached like some effect to aiming (having extra weight attached to the muzzle) and resulting clumsyness when moving in narrow spaces (getting stuck when long weapons are raised like currently in ArmA 2).

    Troops should also not be seen to move about all the time with their bayonets attached as they are not used that often IRL. Also moving around in counter-isurgency operation with bayonets flashing would also send strong negative message towards local population. Definately bayonets should not be attached by default, they can be dangerous also to fellow servicemen as well as the enemy.

  3. Posted

    In a way OFP had a special "cartooney" feeling to it looking it back which is kind of hard to describe. The character models, islands, structures, the music and setup felt a bit surreal. It does create this special feeling of nostalgia as TheBlitz is probably longing for.

    On the other hand ArmA 2 oozes is gritty realism so it creates a very different kind of feeling which I would not excange to anything else. Times of OFP are over and I don't think there's going back to the old days.

  5. Posted

    WW2 could be a good next step for BIS after Operation Arrowhead. After that, I don't see what much more they can achieve in modern warfare, at least with the same engine. One option would be to go back to the roots to the era of Cold War in the 80s. I would not consider Vietnam as a realistic option even though I like the subject.

    But I think WW2 theme would draw in more wider customer base. Mods are great of course but not quite the same as full-bloodied WW2 oriented game. With ArmA 2 engine this game would set the standard for realistic WW2 games not seen since semi-realistic Hidden & Dangerous 2. WW2 would offer so much more than any other setup I can think of.

  8. Posted · Edited by Blake

    But the great thing about Arma2 is that you can have both...I also enjoyed being just a part of the unit, having to obey orders etc. On the other hand, I also enjoyed deciding about the resources, axes of attack etc, and unlike RTS and some strategy games like TOAW in Arma2 you can "personally" observe the operations you conceived of.

    Think of it this way, you start as Sergeant and end up as a Colonel. But two things BIS need fixing up because it is unprofessional to release games without them: 1) thorough testing to identify and remove bugs; 2) comprehensive documentation (no need to have a printed guide, just include a pdf file on the DVD).

    RTS missions can easily be included in SP missions but in campaign they are really out of place and make in movie terms "bad pacing" for the campaign. The other option is to include additional separate Warfare-style campaign.

    Starting as sergeant and ending up as colonel sounds unrealistic in game covering of few weeks or months of combat. But again, in RTS-style extra campaign it could work so you gradually get more responsibility. Operation Arrowhead could additionally have this style of campaign so one could play as warlord of the "Northern Alliance" etc.

    But creaming on the cake would be campaign that combines best features of 1985 Cold War Crisis, Resistance & first part of Harvest Red.

  12. Posted

    I was very impressed with "Warfare" concept of Arma2, and how it seemlessly meshes RTS and FTP elements.

    I must say I absolutely HATED warfare missions. All else in the campaign was immersive and felt more realistic & personal, but warfare almost ruined it for me.

    Operation Arrowhead will hopefully not repeat this mistake...

  17. Posted

    Indeed immersion is the point and not making every soldier cry out for food after 15 minutes and make the entire thing just an annoyance. Probably the food & drinking issues should be buched up with other aspects of soldiering rather than put it in as a separate module apart from others. Naturally, this should not take priority over other issues but as BIS has taken first careful steps towards role-playing department too it just might see daylight in the future.

    Perhaps I've just had played too many long co-op patrol missions jogging around OFP/ArmA/ArmA II islands that I've gotten hungry & thirsty myself while my character has retained perfect fighting condition.

  18. Posted · Edited by Blake

    Would not hurt to have such module for eating and drinking. After all, all modules are optional. Don't like it, just turn it off.

    Anyway such little pieces of everyday stuff add to the immersion it's tiny bit. Games will probably go down the realism path down to that.

    Cold & hot weather, sweating, tiredness, hunger, wet clothes, etc. should affect fighting ability just a little.

    If you take Gauntlet II path then you'd get messages like

    "OPFOR soldier shot the food!" :P

  20. Posted

    As ArmA 2 has taken more steps towards realism in infantry department (eg. first aid module, surrendering, etc.) and interactivity with the environment ("conversations") I would like to see this taken further. As it seems that Operation Arrowhead will take place in hot desert environment where "hydrating" (drinking) regularly is essential to maintain fighting condition I would very much like to see it implemented somehow in a module for example.

    For example, after exhaustive running and fighting for a long time the soldier would not only be short of breath but also water. He would have to take a swig from a canteen to maintain focus. Neglecting drinking would cause various symptoms, like increased blurred vision or excessive hand shake and so forth.

    Soldier's "hydration status" could be additional slider in the unit menu and be fully adjustable, if player would like to make a mission in which for example the soldiers are behind enemy lines, short of water and desperate.

    Eating could probably be made in a similiar manner, it would be very immersive in a long coop mission with long foot partols for example to sit on the ground and have a MRE (Meal-ready-to-eat) lunch break with your buddies and recover stamina.

    I hope Operation Arrowhead would take soldiering a step further and provide some aspects that are essential to every grunt instead of just warfighting.

  21. Posted

    Until they make a real attempt to locate the crashes in this game all I can do is wait and watch the forums and keep making posts that they wish would go away.

    How about helping yourself out by providing crash RPT-files to BIS in the Bug forums? In Vista they are located in "YourUserName\AppData\Local\ArmA 2\" -folder.

    I've never had any crash problems with ArmA 2 from 1.01-1.03.

    No use to just to vent out your frustration without helping to solve the problem.

  22. Posted

    For Arrowhead they should throw out the campaigns and concentrate more on high-quality single player scenarios, multiplayer, and the editor. This will give them much more time on fixing the base features and issues with ARMA2. I'd rather them spend time on refining features and fixing major problems than making sure the campaign works...which is extremely hard to do due to the dynamic nature of the game.

    Couldn't disagree with you more. Campaigns are the bread and butter of OFP/ArmA series despite some bugs. With latest 1.03 patch & beta patches I've had no problems with the campaign so far and it truly feels pretty massive and epic in scale. Plus the campaigns add much more to the game than just missions: the premise, the plot, units, animations, objects, voice acting...they all come along the campaign and would not exist without them. Modellers, coders and others make alterations due to requirement of campaign designers and vice versa. It's a whole creative process that interacts with the rest of the game design.

    Bear in mind that mission designers are not the same as coders, removing campaign would just make them jobless and not accelerate bug fixes in any other way.

    Leaving the campaign out would essentially render the game as torso and I'm certain BIS will not make such fatal mistake.

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