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ajsarge

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Everything posted by ajsarge

  1. I didn't have the ammo problem. I'm saying other people might have that problem. And last I knew, Arma was a game, not real life. The old dev motto wasn't to make a realistic game, but an authentic one. It seems like a truly terrible game when it fails the mission on you because you couldn't reach the RV point 2.5K away in 30 seconds to help your bros who get mowed down without your help.
  2. Steel Pegasus - LZ Nowhere - Mission Pacing
  3. ajsarge

    AI Workarounds

    I think the OP is looking for an in-game solution, not a scripted/modded one. One "quirk" of the AI is that they make impromptu "teams" when you issue one order to multiple units at once. They cover each other when moving, everyone slows down for the slowest unit to catch up, etc. But, if you issue a move order to #2, then issue another move order to #3, then another to #4, you're effectively telling each unit to move there on its own. This little change makes them behave differently (a bit more rash/suicidal?) from if you selected #2, #3, and #4 together and then gave them a single order. It might take an extra moment on your end, but it might force the AI to move like you want them to. Additionally, I stand with Semiconductor on how to order the AI. Normally, I split my 8-unit squad into 2 teams: left and right. Left stays with me, and I tell Right to Flank Right once, getting them away from my team so we don't get stuck in the same cover. From there I let them go, usually setting line formation. If I need them to kill something right now, I'll order the entire team to attack a target, otherwise I let them return fire on their own. Unfortunately, I think many people are of the mindset that your entire squad will/must survive every engagement with the enemy. Although the majority of combat casualties today come from IEDs, the very few from enemy fire are against minimally-trained guerrillas who don't aim when shooting. Against a skilled opposing force of near-equal numbers, I expect to lose at least two or three AI per firefight unless I'm set up to wipe them out in the open.
  4. ajsarge

    New terrain reveal - Tanoa

    Combining that the AI is smart enough to A: effectively-ish use vehicles to move large distances and B: drive amphibious vehicles into/out of water, I figure it's already present that they'll jump into the APC to cross the water and then jump out again when they close on their waypoint. This just needs to be tested with a helicopter and a boat assigned to a group.
  5. I'm seeing this with mods and without. It's only the uniform/vest/backpack items like magazines, FAKs, grenades, and explosives. Weapons and everything else is fine.
  6. ajsarge

    Lack of content in vanilla Arma 3

    Rail/coil guns as artillery is out of scope in Arma 3. However, as currently implemented, tanks are still line-of-sight only. A railgun would remove a majority of the arc you get from firing, sending the projectile downrange at higher velocities, making it much more effective than the gunpowder-launched APFSDS rounds currently in use; thus the only reason we don't already see them on tanks IRL today is because we can't build a strong enough generator small enough to fit on a tank. Lasers are in the same realm, with sufficiently high power systems to knock out large targets quickly requiring generators that are immobile or only possible on ships/large aircraft.
  7. Arma AI is not smart enough to find the right firing spot on its own. During the same mission as froggy, I moved my team into a spot for the AT Spec to fire at the tank, and he missed horribly with a Titan. We all died shortly after. The next try, I had him move across the street from where he first fired from before telling him he could fire, and the hit was dead-on. Remember that the Titan has a minimum range where the missile will arc over the target and hit the ground behind. The Rifleman (AT) switching repeatedly between rifle and launcher is an interesting one. Was the AI trying to defend itself from infantry while the tank was its target? Or was it trying to lie down, which requires switching to a rifle, and then standing up again to move, where it tried to switch back to the launcher?
  8. ajsarge

    Vulkan API instead of DX12 API

    Isn't the RV engine already DirectX-based? If so, they'd have to re-write the ENTIRE CODEBASE from rendering to physics to AI to scripting for Vulcan. Many bugs and errors are bound to happen and it'd be an immense effort for little to no monetary gain. We'd be back at Alpha performance and stability until the team gets used to the API and its quirks. Instead, they save time and effort by simply upgrading to DX12.
  9. ajsarge

    Lack of content in vanilla Arma 3

    Looking back at Arma 2 (and OA), you can see the massive difference in variations of single assets. Just with the HMMWV, you had a hard-sided version, soft-sided, M2, M2 CROWS, Mk19, Mk19 CROWS, Up-armored w/ M240, armored w/ M2, TOW, ambulance, UAV station, Avenger, and SOV. I may still be missing one or two. In Arma 3, you have the Hunter (based off the Oshkosh M-ATV) in unarmed, HMG CROWS, and GMG CROWS. That's it. No more. Most people got used to the massive variety in Arma 2 and transitioned to Arma 3 where all three factions use the same remote turret on their vehicles, and the same vehicle chassis are used in different weapons systems. NATO uses the same chassis on their two tanks, artillery, and MRLS. CSAT and NATO share their APC chassis with their AA vehicles. To me, the simplest way to fix things would be to change the remote turrets, speedboat, UGV, and UAV to be faction-specific. Unfortunately, this is an asset update that would net no noticeable return in sales and will probably never happen. For the expansion, I expect at least two new factions with completely new equipment. Preferably an existing government force a-la the AAF for BLUFOR, and a rogue faction like the FIA for OPFOR. Maybe an independent faction that hates both sides to round it off. Both cases would hopefully get new rifles (battle rifle as standard instead of assault rifle?), pistols, SMGs (future P90?), launchers, and vehicles. I could see NATO being re-used with a re-coloration of the MX to match the "Khaki" MK-1 EMR, and their uniforms being modified into a "lush" version for jungle use. CSAT would only require a camo re-color and some face and voice updates to reflect the probable Chinese force involved. Kydoimos made an excellent green CSAT officer and ifrit for his gun store showcase that would work perfectly if spread to the remaining CSAT assets.
  10. ajsarge

    500th Hour!

    I had 667 hours logged by Steam on Arma 2 before switching to a boxed edition of Combined Arms when OA released, and getting oodles of game time beyond that isn't recorded. Arma 3 is currently at 481 hours of campaign, scenarios, and mucking around in the editor. Not a whole lot of multiplayer for me At this point, many people have spent around $85 for five hundred hours of gameplay. Compared to spending $15 for a 90-minute movie...that's about 6 hours per dollar on Arma versus 6 minutes per dollar at a movie. And the ratio only gets better the longer you play. Best money spent ever...Not counting the thousands dropped into multiple computer systems over time to run everything at awesome details yet maintain performance. But that's another story...
  11. ajsarge

    Challenges of Jungle/Marine Warfare in Tanoa

    There were days on Oahu where you could see clear to Molokai (roughly 22 miles, with a bit of horizon in the way) and there were days where you couldn't see one mile because of the ocean haze that is not unlike the view distance effect in Arma. The difference is that the higher your altitude, the farther you can see despite the haze; however the haze diminishes your visual acuity. The system as-is works "authentically" for infantry/vehicles, but it needs a re-do for aircraft so you can always see the ground (unless there's fog/clouds), and your view distance settings expand outwards as you go, but you lose tons of detail to maintain performance. Additionally, aircraft should always be visible from the ground, with LODs to match their distance (again, unless there's fog/clouds); this prevents one guy with a 10K view distance from staying at 7.5K while a guy on the ground with only 2.5K or 5K view distance can't retaliate with AA because the jet basically doesn't exist for him.
  12. Aye, they're more custom-built more than modified. And the steel used isn't worth anything for armor or structural integrity of the walls/ceiling. I've seen many many many dents on the sides and heard of sunken containers having their roofs caved in from just a few feet of dirt. It's impractical to reinforce the container when you can build a concrete bunker next to it (using concrete pieces already modeled in Arma 3) with nothing but a crane and sandbags. In Arma 3, a good rule of thumb would be to leave to fight ground enemies if the container lacks firing ports, and huddle inside the nice bullet-proof container during incoming artillery where it's more safe than outside.
  13. IRL, the US military has various structures built from interconnected/stacked/modified 20ft or 40ft "conex" or "Sea-Land" shipping containers at deployed locations. I airlifted a chow hall in Afghanistan that included a dining area, a serving area, and a built-in kitchen made from six modified 40' containers. The structures in A3 seem like a reasonable future-ization of the idea, with the exception of the large towers. I'd guess that the tendency IRL is to build bases larger outwards, not upwards where you become more visible and more vulnerable at longer distances..
  14. It's awesome to see pistols in holsters on all the vests that have them. I was surprised when it magically showed up with no notice or change note in the changelog.
  15. In the arsenal it lists an extra "AFCU25-SOF [TAN/AFPAT-A]" that is actually a BLK/AFPAT-A and needs to be renamed. Excellent mod! I'm not much of a mission maker so it's hard for me to create something awesome with your units. I might do some editing of existing missions/scenarios to see the units, but it'll be for my own enjoyment.
  16. I rock a Saitek X52 and Pro Flight pedals. The physical goods are mostly plastic, and build quality isn't as good as it could be. But, my stick has survived a few years of abuse and the excellent software side of programming keyboard keys to the buttons, sliders, rotary switches, and whatever else makes up for the lack of physical goods quality. If you haven't looked into yet, step 2 after stick/pedals is TrackIR or other similar head/motion-tracking gear. I caught myself trying to turn my head and look at something to the side of my character while playing CoD on PS3. I couldn't pack my desktop with me, so I'm forced to be entertained with Arma 3 videos and half-baked console shooters for the next few months.
  17. ajsarge

    What faction would you want next?

    CSAT China with the Raven PMC for FIA-level "insurgent" REDFOR, and the Japanese Self Defense Force (primarily Army) for BLUFOR please. Having Asian militaries represented in video games is very rare, with the exception of North Korea and China as bad guys. You can slap in the existing US/NATO units so US-based players can have their 'Murica! protagonist, as the multicam uniforms and gray vehicles would still work on the tropical Japanese East China Sea islands.
  18. ajsarge

    Jet DLC?

    +1 to having extra transports. An A-400M, C-130XL, C-27J, or V-22 would be a very nice DLC addition. If we get into a fixed-wing DLC, my #1 hope is for a fixed-wing AFM, similar in scope to the old helicopter flight model versus the new heli AFM and all associated features that were refined/introduced. I want to avoid supersonic fighters at all costs, because the Arma 3 terrain engine simply isn't capable of supporting the engagement distances and speeds that are involved. Altis is barely big enough to house 1-mile "short" range dogfights, much less the 40-mile beyond visible range combat that happens between fighters now and probably in the future. Though, I'm still pinning for a logistics DLC with semi trailers and meaningful cargo transportation before new jets are introduced. And Bohemia has yet to release their continuing plans past a future expansion pack that has no set release window. Who knows what ideas will come about before or after that point.
  19. ajsarge

    Why is there no ak47 in default Arma3?

    Almost every game and their mothers have some variation of an AK-47 in them. Even if BI had included one, as was seen in Arma 2, the community will make their own models to replace them. So instead, the devs might have made the decision to go with "futuristic" weapons that wouldn't be made, knowing that the community will build the AKs and M-16/M-4s anways, and separate themselves from the competition.
  20. A: Watch the video below. B: Either stop complaining, or take your constructive comments to the feedback tracker where they can get more attention from the devs. It seems like 1/2 of the threads on the general chat forums are complaints about how this or that sucks, and needs changing, replacing, or adding. Only rarely, there are threads where the person actually thinks the problem through and offers solutions that take everything into account. To end my complaining about complaining, here's four things I love about Arma 3 and why. Stances and "Combat run": They create a more fluid game where you don't have to worry if you can hide behind cover and return fire without your head poking out like a sore thumb. "Combat Run" allows for much quicker reactions in CQC, allowing attackers to have a better chance against stationary defenders. Anything reasonable I could do while playing paintball in real life, I can expect to be able to do in Arma 3. First Aid Kits: Before, your only option to heal in Arma 2 was a medic. And they healed you up to full health every time. If your medic got killed, you were SOL if you got shot. With FAKs, any person can maintain their injuries to a certain point and continue to fight/play the game, where medics still have a use in getting you fully healed without expending a FAK. It allows for gameplay between the two fickle extremes of "Eff'd" and "Perfectly OK". Anything that creates gameplay is more than welcome to me. Advanced Flight Model: Bohemia gave this to EVERYONE for FREE. They brought forward work from Take On Helicopters and improved it before release. It allows those who take to time to master it an increased ability with helicopters that feeds back into the infantry focus of the game. In turn, it creates a bigger focus on something that was only a small part before. It cuts a fine line between the complexity of DCS, where every switch matters and it takes weeks or months to be combat-ready with a heli, and other games where if you're not actively telling your heli to move, it holds altitude and position like a rock. BI made the AFM available to everyone who is willing to put in only a minimal amount of time to learn. And? The old flight model is still there if you're not ready for the AFM but still want to enjoy that segment of gameplay. Free Stuff: What have you had to pay for in Arma 3? A: The game itself at the usual price of about $60 US (unless bought during frequent sales). B: Nothing else. If you look at Battlefield or CoD, you have to spend near $100 to $120 if you want to have all the things. Arma 3 lets you play with all the people, using all the things, on all the maps, without having to buy any of the DLC. If you do decide to spend a few extra bucks to support continued development of the game, they let you drive go-karts that were never going to be in the game until someone on the forums said "This is cool, I would buy this.", they let you be the pilot of the two new helicopters (which you can still ride in and be the gunner for even if you don't own the DLC!), and the upcoming Marksman DLC will let you use a handful of weapons that you can probably still pick up off of dead bodies in missions. All the upgrades (Bipods! Weapon resting! Everything they're not telling us!) are going to cost you a grand total of F.R.E.E. BI, you make a solid product, you support the ongoing development of new content and features after release, and you provide the tools for your customers to improve or change the game themselves. Some of the best parts now were once community addons. You provide constant updates on the status of the game, where it's headed, and you're sharing all the old content for us to learn and bring up to snuff while you concentrate on the new and improved bits, allowing for even more amazing community content. BI, I thank you for being awesome. Keep doing what you do. I look forward to what you've planned and haven't told us about the upcoming expansion and further DLCs. I'd bet they're going to be just as awesome as what you've already done.
  21. Ooh. Looking back, I reminded myself of something I was thinking about a while ago. I want trailers. Working trailers. Like in Spin Tires, but without the mud. Call it Arma 3: Convoy DLC.
  22. ajsarge

    New gameplay features ?

    The animations for dragging/carrying are already in the game. They're not available by default because there's no default unconscious point between alive and dead where they would matter (besides being run over or hit with PhysX objects). Scripts that create wounded players (such as in I&A or KOTH) have tended to add wounded carry/drag abilities. Any medical content besides an integrated unconscious/revive/wounded carry/drag system just becomes more complicated than necessary in the heat of battle. Plus, it would require dedicated training for new players to understand and use. Unless Arma 3 was a full simulation like DCS, more complicated does not equal more better. I'd like to see more static content like the Warfare buildings from Arma 2. Heck, fleshing out that game mode with simple plug-and-play editor modules would be awesome.
  23. ajsarge

    Grass concealment and stances

    Last I knew, if your grass detail is turned down low, the terrain mesh is raised to cover the grass. Prone soldiers are covered by this mesh, and if you zoom in the mesh is lowered so you can see their head. When I have a chance I'll dive in and do a test at multiple detail levels.
  24. ajsarge

    Firing from vehicles - UGV passenger?

    They probably saw this thread and went "Oh...Doh...Hey FFV person! Add this!" From a far back office: "Got it!" a minute later "Done!"
  25. It's odd to see so much content balance between the factions (6.5mm CSAT vs 6.5mm NATO), yet certain pieces are missing or focused into one side. On top of what you posted, I'd like to see a CSAT/AAF repair tank (BREM-80U, based on a T-80U) a NATO light truck (Up-armored FMTV w/ gun nest) http://www.warwheels.net/images/m1078FMTV_LSACbelue1.jpg (477 kB) and command vehicles for each side created from their wheeled IFVs. The vehicle you posted is a TOS-1 from Russia. It wasn't hard to find. I just googled "Russian MLRS tank".
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