dreday

I understand what you are saying. What I am saying - is that the developers have to make certain abstractions in order to make things manageable on the computer screen vs real life. This is an abstraction that I am perfectly fine with as it does not effect any of the tactical scenarios that I can think of. Peace, DreDay

It's authenticity for the sake of nothing. You don't really see the assembled tripod anyways, so you can pretend that you have "just the right kind of tripod" in your bag... Peace, DreDay

This is a silly argument. In real life you can always ask other squad members to point you to the location that you are supposed to go to. Here's how this works in the game right now. You are involved in a deadly firefight. Your squad leader tells you - "Go to that tree", the way point flashes for 3 seconds or so. The waypoint is in the opposite direction from the enemy that is currently engaging you. Your options within the 3 seconds are - kill the enemy that is trying to kill you or turn around 180 degrees to find "that tree" and die... This is not realism... these are are just the cumbersome game mechanics :( Peace, DreDay ---------- Post added at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ---------- I did not realize that. This does help quite a bit! Peace, DreDay

I don't see anything that would be accomplished by this except that it would give you 20 more tripods to cycle through in the editor. In fact, I don't understand why they would have the same backpacks for Takistani vs. Rebel/Militia heavy weapons weapons when they look exactly the same and there is the same thing inside... However, if you really need the unique tripods for every weapon - it should be extremely easy to mod... Peace, DreDay

Zeroing is an actual term that is used (incorrectly) in the game by the BIS developers. People on this forum are simply repeating the term that they see in the game; so I think that, in this case, ignorance lies not with the forum members, but rather someone else... Peace, DreDay

Thank you for the explanation. Yeah, the naming conventions are a bit confusing; but the system works quite well. In fact, it works great with the AI subordinates as well. This opens a door to some very cool new tactical options. Now all we need is a script for the AI to perform all the required assembly/disassably actions at a way point (compatible with the the High Command module) and DreDay would be a very happy camper. Peace, DreDay

The #4 in your post has been addressed. The clock indicator is back in the AO and it can be enabled in the difficulty settings. The rest of your comments though are absolutely dead on. Unfortunately there is very little situational awareness in Arma/AO. This sad fact forces the players to go "Rambo style" instead of using the proper tactics. It's shame... I would certainly hope that BIS would put a lot more focus on the situational awareness tools in their next release. Peace, DreDay

That doesn't seem to work for me. I pickup an M2 mini tripod bag and drop it close by. Then I pickup the M2 gun bag and run over to the dropped-off tripod bag, however the only option that I see is to pick up the tripod bag (thus dropping the gun bag). Is there something that I am missing? Also, is there any way to make the AI perform these actions? Peace, DreDay

At present moment there are two VDV divisions (7th and 76th) that are designated as Air Assault. The old DSHB® units that were subordinated at the military district/army level are pretty much non-existent at this point (besides one brigade in the far east). However, the Russians are considering reactivating them in the near future... Peace, Dre Day

Just fyi... The proper English term for the unit that you are trying to depict is "Air Assault". The term "commando" is never really used in relation to the Soviet/Russian units. Also, the regular AK-74 (with the wooden stock) has never been used by the VDV. Only the AK-74S and AK-74M. Peace, DreDay

Red and White stripe colors have recently been adopted by the Interior Troops (VV) Spetsnaz. Army Spetsnaz are the GRU, and for all the practical purposes, they wear the same field uniforms as the VDV. Also, it appears that the cammo that is used in the addon is the high desert version of the standard army digital pattern (EMR) and not the KSOR. Peace, DreDay

Please tell me you are being facetious! Peace, DreDay

Just a quick note - the standard (and only) ATGMs on the BMD-2 are Konkurs and Fagot (their tubes fit the same launcher), not Metis. Peace, DreDay

The white arm band was warn by many South Ossetian fighters, volunteers, Russian regulars, and Chechen commandos (btw Vostok is a battalion, not a division) as an improvised friendly identification device. There is absolutely nothing "Chechen" about it. Also, the true spearhead of the Russian advance into Georgia (once the Tzhinvali was liberated) was Battalion Battle Group from the 76th (Pskov) Airborne Division. It is quite possible that the Russian paratroopers that are pictured in this video are from that unit. However, it is also apparent that the irregulars in this video are the South (or North) Ossetian volunteers and not the Chechen regulars. Peace, DreDay

Please see my earlier post in this thread. There is a reason for the way that the storyline is written. And while you and I might find it regrettable, it is understandable. They are currently in a process of replacing it. The top readiness units are largely equipped with either 6B7 or newer 6B2x series helmets by now. Other units are still using the old SSh-68 (which is what you see in A2). Peace, DreDay

The short answer is - dogs are definitely in the game, but they are just there for decor. Hmmm... "guard dog" module, anyone? Peace, DreDay

Thank you for your input! I hope that BIS (or at least the ACE guys) are taking notes... ---------- Post added at 06:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 AM ---------- Yep, that's exactly what I had meant. BTW, this is also the main reasons for the AKs fire selector going from Safety to Auto to Single. Many people assume that the Soviets wanted their soldiers to favor automatic fire in place of single shots. According to the ex-Soviets though, this was done with an understanding that a soldier full of adrenaline would likely just slam the selector all the way to the bottom and this feature prevents him from emptying his entire clip in 3 seconds.... ---------- Post added at 06:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:05 AM ---------- To be fair, it is far from useless; it is still a handy feature for the snipers who would much rather use it in CQB in place of rifles. Also, it would be much more appreciated if the machine guns had the proper reload times... Peace, DreDay

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take to reload an M249 in your experience? Peace, DreDay

Agreed. Besides, the 360 version (if it ever comes out) will not be able to run all the community mods and campaigns... Peace, DreDay

I have tested the AI drivers' response to the commands by the human commander and I am very pleasantly surprised! BIS have definitely made major improvements in that area. I have noticed that the tracked vehicle control is almost perfect at this point - no more drunken AI drivers in human-controlled tanks and IFVs! The wheeled vehicles have definitely been improved as well, but there the changes are less drastic; which is understandable given the larger turn radius for those vehicles. The system could still use some fine-tuning, but on the overall - Big up to BIS for listening to the community and delivering the improvements in such a fast manner! Peace, DreDay

Hehe! Big respect for your good sense of humor. I totally agree with you about the storylines for all the BIS games. However, you have to consider the source. Many Czechs have a fairly biased view of Russian foreign policy, given their past history; and while I don't share that view, I certainly understand where it is coming from. Like I said though, the campaign is a very minor part of the game for me. The editor and the modability make it well worth the purchase. Besides, within a few months you would see all sorts of fictional and realistic campaigns coming out from the community. I would strongly urge you to consider purchasing it for a PC (where it truly shines). Peace, DreDay

I think what you are trying to say that the storyline for the campaign does not reflect the complexities of the modern world geopolitics and that it demonizes Russia's protectionism of her compatriots in the near-abroad while idealizing the US hegemony... I would tend to agree with that. But guess what, I did not buy this game for the campaign, and I am certainly not disappointed with my purchase! Peace, DreDay

My post was meant to target those who were saying that the adrenaline somehow magically makes you perform complex mechanical functions faster and with greater precision, which is generally a mistaken notion. To your point though, who's to say that all the soldiers in ARMA2 are super-fast emotionless terminators? Maybe some FR and Spetsnaz guys would qualify here, but what about the insurgent tankers and pilots? Should they also perform the same tricks as elite operators with years of continuous muscle memory exercises to their credit? That's why I had said in my original post that the pistol transition should be directly tied to the soldier's experience level. Changing it for everyone would not make the game any more realistic than what it is now. Peace, DreDay

Sometimes... But most of the time, it works the other way around. People can not handle simple mechanical functions when riding high on adrenaline and CNS stress... Peace, DreDay