cornhelium

Sorry - I should've put this in Addons & Mods:Discussion forum

Sorry - I should've put this in Addons & Mods:Discussion forum

Great news Martin, a release from your stable is always a real beauty. May I suggest (bear with me now) a Tonal Defence Force version? In BAS's background history to Tonal, the islands were occupied by the British during WW2. I can just imagine some 1940's West hardware left lying around the island along with all the Cold War Soviet stuff - a real exciting mixture of technologies IMO. I'm going to post a bit of WW2/East Africa info over on the BAS Tonal/Tango thread if you're interesed. Cheers! Cornhelium

Could any of the good folks at BAS tell me the name of the .wss file that OFP uses for the hiss as a bullet flys past please? It's the one thing I miss with JAM, although you get all the great extra bullet hit sounds. I'd like if possible to edit the JAM_Sounds.pbo to include the original flying bullet sound. Thanks - Cornhelium

Thanks for clarifying Suma. OFP Forever!

Hi, I'm using the -nomap command and wondered if it affects performance much (Suma stated that OFP used less memory when run with -nomap, but with a slight loss in performance). I just ran OFPMark 2.0 using recommended .cfg and settings, four tests each (straight from a clean boot), with and without -nomap (no other differences in settings/background programs). Results: Totals without -nomap: 820.429, 826.425, 820.823, 848.37 Average 829.01175 Totals with -nomap: 854.684, 860.617, 818.642, 848.948 Average 845.72275 I'm pretty sure I ran the tests the right way around, so it seems that the -nomap command actually returns a slightly increased OFPMark score. I did notice a very slightly lower score on tests 2 and 4 with -nomap (both heavy on camera panning), but test 1 seems to return a consistently lower score without -nomap. Can anyone corroborate pls? Either way, it seems that -nomap is definitely the  way to go if you have any crashes/freezes with 1.94b  Cheers - Cornhelium Asus A7M266, BIOS 1008b, AGP4x, AGP aperture set to 128mb 512mb Crucial pc2100 (266mhz) RAM XP2100+ (Palomino core) WinME GF4 ti4600 Audigy2

Cheers GMR, It's OK - instead I just dePOD'd and edited the helidust.sqs to just: ================================ goto "exit" exit ================================ Going straight to exit seems to be what it does anyway if Helidust is set to 0, so it achieves the same purpose I think Cheers! Cornhelium

...So that Spetznatz quite literally has "the Dog's b*llocks"?

Great work GMR - thanks. One question - I want to turn off the the helidust script in 1.46, but I can't seem to edit the exp_init.sqs file correctly. I dePBOed the GMR.pbo then opened the exp_init file with notepad and just changed the helidust=1 to =0, so it reads as below. Then I compressed the folder into a new GMR.pbo and used that, but I still get the helidust. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for your help! _object= _this select 0 _bnumber= _this select 1 _snumber= _this select 2 ;change Probfire value (0-100) to modify the probability of explosion with fire effect Probfire=49 ;change Probsec value (0-100) to modify the probability of secondary ammoexplosion effect Probsec=49 ;change Probfireworks value (0-100) to to modify the probability of smoking, burning effect ;on flying debris when secondary ammoexplosion take place Probfireworks=99 ;change Dustwave value (0=off, 1=on) to turn on/off effect during explosion Dustwave=1 ;change Shockdust value (0=off, 1=on) to turn on/off effect during explosion Shockdust=1 ;change Helidust value (0=off, 1=on) to turn on/off effect during chopper take on/off Helidust=0 ;change Longsmoke value (0=basic OFP smoke, 1=Longsmoke effect) to turn on/off effect Longsmoke=1 ;delay time (in second) before Longsmoke starts - not RECOMMENDED TO CHANGE considerably! Waitbefore=40+random 20 ;change Smoketime value (in second) to modify how long smoke effect will last in average ;(it is only works if you chose _longsmoke=1) Smoketime=240 ;change Burntime value (in second) to modify how long burning effect will last in average ;(it is only works if you chose _longsmoke=1) Burntime=120 ;change Debrislight value (0=off, 1=on) to turn on/off burning debris give off light in dark Debrislight=1 ;change Crewescape value ;0= crew NOT leave disabled vehicle ;1= crew ALLWAYS leave disabled vehicle ;2= crew leave disabled vehicle if it CAN NOT FIRE ;3= crew leave disabled vehicle if it CAN NOT FIRE, RANDOMIZED Crewescape=3 ;change Deadbodies value (0=off, 1=on) to determine whether want to see bodies around destroyed vehicles or not ;it is available to car, truck and air vehicle class Deadbodies=1 ;determine Smalleffectrange (in meter) to reduce CPU usage ;small effect means -> smoke or flame on debris and dead body, if player too far away don't show these effects at all Smalleffectrange=300 ;change Destroyedhouse value (0=off, 1=on) to turn on/off smoking,burning effect on destroyed houses Destroyedhouse=1 ?(Probfire < 0 or Probfire > 100):Probfire=49 ?(Probsec < 0 or Probsec > 100):Probsec=49 ?(Smoketime < 0):Smoketime=240 ?(Burntime < 0):Burntime=120 ?(Longsmoke == 0):Smoketime=0;Burntime=0 ?(Deadbodies == 1 and _bnumber != 0):[_object,_bnumber] exec "\GMR\fall_body.sqs" ?(Dustwave == 1 and _snumber != 0):[_object,_snumber] exec "\GMR\dustwave.sqs" exit

Thank you CoC - this is kicking my arse! Cheers - Cornhelium

Hey Ruff, Do you know what make and model your motherboard is? If any documentation came with your computer it should say there. You can probably find a forum somewhere dedicated to your motherboard (there are two that I know of for my Asus A7M266), and it would be worth spending some time there and seeing if anybody recognises/can reproduce your problems. I went through about a 30-point program to fix my SebNam freezes (one point of which was to up the video voltage), all with no effect - so I feel your pain. Luckily for me 1.94b seems to have fixed them, so we can't have exactly the same problem. To start, I'd recommend that you: 1. Get a description of your system up here - Motherboard, Memory, CPU, Operating System, Soundcard, Graphics Card, Controllers, Any extra cards (eg. TV Tuner). 2. Consider reinstalling OFP and patching/testing stage by stage - 1.46 - 1.85 - 1.91 - 1.94b then add your addons one at a time. When the freezes start then you'll know what patch/addon you're having the problem with. 3. Download and run a RAM testing program (such as Memtest86.exe ) to check that your memory is working properly. 4. Search on Google or Yahoo for forums/features on your motherboard. Take your time and get all the information you need before messing with the BIOS or motherboard jumpers, and don't do anything unless you've a very good reason to think it will solve your problem. Good luck  Cornhelium

I still have to fire up Max Payne now and again to get my fix of bullet-hit effects. I love the way the different surfaces have their own animations so that bullets chew up wood splinters, throw up sparks, plaster or snow etc. I'd love to see that in OFP2, even expanded for shells, grenades etc. Thanks for listening

A little interface suggestion for the map screen - I'd like the map background to be a few shades darker, maybe like my old & musty map of Dartmoor, complete with peat stains and rain smudges! Seriously, just making the background beige or sepia instead of white would make night missions a little easier on the eye. I'm playing with the lights off, just spent a tense 40 mins moving my SpecOps team inland, my face is moving closer & closer to the monitor screen, Â Oh no, contact! Can't see the enemy - have a quick look at the map - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I don't know if Army maps use colour to denote contours like some of mine do, but that would be one way to make the map easier on the eye as well as adding functionality. Either way, I'd definitely like the map screen to be easier on the eye. Cheers, Cornhelium

Thank you BAS - this is a work of art. I've only had a couple of sessions but so far I particularly like: 1. The size of Tonal. At first I was sceptical about large islands but it really adds to the experience - vehicles are now essential for getting troops around. 2. That the background is so thoroughly set out, and the heirachy of (Para)military->Militia->(Tribal)Civilian on East and Resistance sides...not just one "OpFor", but potentially two (or six!). Fictional setting also a nice tribute to BIS! 3. The ambient sounds. 4. The climbable trees in the Western jungles. 5. Tatu city From 1 & 2 I'm imagining some long desert slogs and shifting tribal allegiances, even running a 2008 Western-backed counter-coup from the old TRF hideouts. Adding 4 & 5, I can only imagine the potential for 3-way MP fights (I need broadband!) No problems with 1.94b so far. Between Tonal, 1.94b and Sebnampack2 my only problem is keeping up with real life...think I'll hold off on broadband for a while Â

Hi TYS, Agree with Lamerlot on the day/night cycle - I personally feel about half of the current speed (ie. 15x) would be right. At 30x it can sometimes feel a bit "Knightlore"! (There's one for the oldies   ) Would it be possible for the player to select the day/night speed on that initial options screen? A scale slider for the amount of manned/unmanned vehicles would be great too. I seem to get a big FPS boost when I disable random vehicles, but it would be a nice balance to have just a very few vehicles roving around at the start. Lastly, in the new version, could you include support for Footmunch's great new Phantom please? Otherwise, it's hard to criticize this incredible work. Cheers - cornhelium

Hey Ruff, I have the XP2100+ too and it definitely runs hot. I also have the side off and a couple of special fans. With a prolonged OFP session my motherboard reports around 68C (though the new BIOS is set to add around 10C to the real figure). With both sides on, and the tower closed away in the computer desk, I'd be getting into the high 70's easily. XP2100+ was the last in the 'Palomino core' series before AMD went to a smaller die size (Thouroughbred core), and I think they were getting near the limits of the chip. In fact, they also do the XP2100+ in the new Thoroughbred core - if you bought yours after say March 2003 it is probably a Thoroughbred, but I'm betting you have the older Palomino core like me and run toasty Cheers - cornhelium

TYS, this is incredible - thanks  Now that 1.94b has fixed my SebNam freezes, I've been up 'til 6AM with 1.01 for IaDrang. (Took a week off work to study - oh dear   ) Â

Hi Donnervogel, I've gone straight from 1.91 to 1.94, so possibly 1.92 would have fixed it. ;) Cheers - Cornhelium Edit: Ps. Nice detective work with the AI handgun freeze - thanks!

Thanks BIS - I think this may have solved my Sebnampack2 freezing problems. I just had a four-hour session with no freezes! I'll try another session after I get some sleep!!! If this really fixes the freezes I think I'll cry with happiness!!!! BIS YOU RULE!!!

I've just had a four-hour session with Sebnampack2, missions Trojan Horse by SEB and Airstrike by Devilsguard, with no freezes. Before this I've tried every fix, bios, driver and jumper setting without getting rid of the freezes - this is looking pretty good! Now using: 1.94b with -nomap command line Sebnampack2 in Mod folder Sound - Hardware acceleration on, EAX off WinME Asus A7M266, bios 1008b / XP2100+ / 512mb 266mhz RAM GF4 Ti4600 / SB Audigy2 Ah, the sheer joy of a Sebnampack firefight Thanks BIS - this is wonderful! How about you Ruff? Has 1.94b improved your freezes? Cheers - cornhelium

Helos! I got into computer games via flight-sims, but to me buzzing around islands in a light chopper is the ultimate flight joy because the terrain is built at such a high level of detail. It's not quite ready for fast-jets yet IMO, and of course the avionics etc aren't there etc., but I don't care anymore to be honest. What other sim lets you fly under trees and sideslip your Littlebird into a hangar to give your Deltas a nice covered insertion? Never mind the incredible interactivity between air units & infantry (especially with all the new BAS/JAM stuff), simply flying the choppers and light planes is an absolute joy. (...Especially if you're flying Airwolf and can disappear like a ****ing UFO if you need to!!!) Ahhh...must get that beautiful-looking Sea-Harrier beta - not to mention the Corsair. CAS - your time has come  Respect!

Got it - Maneaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett. Highly recommend it - you will not put it down until finished. Some of the stuff is wild, like the tactic of stalking from upwind so the tiger gets his scent and and stays in his front quarter, knowing that an attack from the front is the only one he stands a chance against. Or the time when...and...ah, D*NM, I gotta read this book again! Anyway, weren't we talking about some kind of combat game?

Yo Schoeler - it was a Muntjac [aka Reeve's Muntjac/Rib-Faced Deer/Barking Deer - sure hope I got it right now ]. Native to SE Asia. Here in England a few escaped from a wildlife park back in the '50s and are all over the place now. They're no bigger than a dog, so can come right into the suburbs and chomp your shrubs! Plenty of deer live in the Jungle - Chital for instance, which are the staple diet of tigers. I read an awesome book, can't remember the name or author right now, but it was a guy who was brought in by the Indian government to hunt down maneating tigers. Apparently a tiger wasn't designated a maneater until it had killed at least 20 or 30 people... Anyway - this guy used the alarm calls of chital and other wildlife to locate the tiger. Some awesome scenes, like when he moves into a village that's deserted because of the tiger, seeing its tracks all over the place - pure OFP tension! Could do a great mission where you have to win favour with locals by stalking a maneater... I'll try and find the author's name - an Indian nature reserve was named after him. I lent the book to my mate who never gave it back, only we're not talking and I don't want to phone him just to ask the name    Anyhow - agree that animals would be great, but convincing behaviour might be too time-consuming to model. If you're a deer  watcher/stalker you'll know that they're bl**dy hard to find unless they're present in huge numbers...you don't want to be tripping over the things every other mission!

Hi I think Longbow2 & EF2000 could be good reference points on the question of structure vs. freedom in dynamic campaigns. 1. Longbow 2 The focus on the LB2 campaign was the front line, and concerted forward thrusts were the events that moved the campaign along and gave it structure. In your Apache you would fly seek and destroy/interdiction/insertion escort missions behind enemy lines while ground forces consolidated for the next big push, and the enemy would be doing the same. If a division was weakened enough by attacks, it would not be in a position to make an advance, which made your actions behind enemy lines worthwhile. If a division on your side was left unweakened by attack for long enough, it would prepare to make a forward thrust to some tactical strongpoint* behind enemy lines, and nearly all flyable missions for that day would be Close Air Support over the advance. Also there seemed to be some pre-scripted missions that were thrown in at certain points in the campaign (maybe just xx number of days in), and had to be completed (this would be stuff like supporting a Spec-Ops raid on a bunker or prisoner rescue at a fortified base). It felt like a pretty small-scale war; semi-dynamic compared to something like Falcon 4.0, visible activity was sparse, and it got repetitive. Despite all this the detailed text reports, crew rosters, rookies progressing to Aces etc. made it feel more alive and immersive than any other sim at the time. I guess it boils down to how much of the inherent complexity in a dynamic system you want to make apparent to the player. The great Enemy Engaged games have model, truly dynamic, campaigns, but the nature of the interface conversely makes it harder to get immersed in the business of being a chopper pilot...You can watch frigates moving offshore/enemy jets taxiing to the runway as easily as you can choose a mission with any Commanche/Apache/Havoc/Hokum unit and fiddle with your FLIR, but you never really attach to your base, unit, crew or bird and consequently, a lot of the tension of facing the unknown is lost. * Not sure if these strongpoints were a pre-defined sequence, or determined dynamically in response to intelligence gathered about the enemy (Obviously the latter would be nice!). Either way, the great thing about them was they had detailed enough text summaries to make it seem that the Plan was the very core of the game, not the Arena (Enemy Engaged). ...Text tells a story, and so do cutscenes - maybe cutscenes/conversations between generals could replace the text summaries attached to strongpoints? For example:- Attack on a fortified hill position in the Ia Drang valley, Intro: Generals discuss the importance of the position from their bunker while the camera shifts to a Firebase where artillery open up, moving to the hill and down into the tunnels beneath and the face of the enemy commander in his planning room. End sequence: Narration from your Platoon leader's diary as the sun sets over your camp ("Charlie company down xx%, assault failed on Hill xxx, 1st Platoon dug in on lower ridge, air support is poor since use of LZs xx and xx were lost due to enemy advance etc."),the camera shifting to burnt-out foxholes, APCs etc. at the battle scene. A tiger drinks from the river, and the enemy moves through the jungle as the stars look down... 2. EF2000 Still an incredible sim/game (the Windows version is freeware now). One of the great things about it was the mission maker embedded within the dynamic campaign. The automated mission planner was a bit limited (this was in 1995/6), and would send many AI flights to their death by plotting waypoints over Anti-Aircraft sites etc, but the mission maker meant that if enough planes were available you could plan your own simple mission, complete it, then stay active for as long as you wanted. Coming to a dead stop on any Allied runway automatically rearmed/refuelled you, and you could go on and on, clearing out SAM sites, hitting bridges, factories, parked aircraft etc. until you started tipping the balance single handed. Hardly realistic, but easily the most fun I've had with a game before OFP. I know this isn't a good premise on which to create a campaign engine - the automated planner should be good enough that the player doesn't need to step in and correct mistakes. However, in the context of a dynamic OFP campaign, the option to create your own missions would be a great way of getting a quick fix of dynamic action, a bit like the current mission editor only with all the enemy/non-player activity done for you! Eg. If you want some seek and destroy action in the jungle, set your squad a patrol objective, assign a firebase for artillery/illumination, then go hunting; If spec-ops is your thing, take a SEAL team on aggresive recon, maybe you'll capture an officer and extract to an LZ; If you're a shit-hot chopper pilot, take out that AAA site that's giving the bombers a hard time; etc. I'm contradicting myself of course - with #1 I'm asking to be part of a focused and structured war effort, and with #2 I'm asking for the ability to opt out and do my own thing! I guess I'm trying to say that; #1 describes the priorities I'd want BIS to focus on in a dynamic campaign, while #2 would be a nice concession to the seasoned player that wants a change, or the my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy/girl

I'd love to see better particle effects/animations when bullets hit mud/concrete/wood/metal/water etc. Firefights in Sebnampack2 are the most awesome thing I've ever seen/heard - if all those bullets could also be throwing leaves, mud and woodchips everywhere it'd just be complete sensory overload Not sure what game has the best example of this at the moment - Max Payne does it about perfect IMO. Raven Shield also has nice particle effects but I'd like more of 'em