dragon01

No, they didn't. All Ratnik gear variants that I've seen came in Digital Flora, though.

Agreed. It'd be great to have Ratnik in RHS. Digital Flora looks badass. :) Ideally it'd come with AK-12 and the updated PKP: It also seems to come with next-gen combat googles as well (better than those silly face masks from Apex...):

Thanks. I remember it not being so, too, so I wondered. It was probably an early version (my first ArmA experience was AII demo).

It's not impossible (I think) to make a ramp be an actual physical model. It's been done by various community models. Standing on it while the vehicle is in motion isn't a very good idea, but it's not supposed to be stood on anyway (the way VTOLs currently work, you'll simply fall off on takeoff).

I think that it should be possible to simply drive onto the ramp until the "load vehicle" icon appears, then you just press MMB and you're in. It seems to be the most sensible way of doing this. Alternatively, make an uncontrolled animation (in a similar vein to "get in" and "get out" animations for infantry, though obviously it'd be a whole new system) showing the vehicle driving in. This would be the most immersive solution, but also rather though to implement.

Some sort of "deadman autopilot" would definitely be nice. Even something as simple as "slowly lowering itself down". Also, if the pilot's seat is unoccupied, the crew should have the option to move into that seat (normally, they can't do that in any situation), except in a case like VTOLs, where the cockpit doesn't seem to be accessible from the cargobay. In all cases, a gunner or copilot should have controls of their own.

Setting speed to "limited" helps (it's still bad, but it helps). Now, if I only had a way to keep the pilot from "engaging" the enemy (read: flying straight at them)... Indeed, IMO, Blackfish on an "attack" waypoint should just figure out the best pylon turn distance and fly around it at that. This would've been easiest on both the mission makers and the players, as you could order the thing to attack without worrying which "loiter" settings (assuming a player can order it to loiter in first place) will produce a sensible attack pattern. It's simple math assuming the bank angle is known, but if it isn't, it's basically trial and error. Good to know about flyInHeight, works perfectly. You'd think it'd be in waypoint properties somewhere, though (I'll have to look at how to change this value per waypoint)...

I've tried setting up a simple mission with an AI-controlled Blackfish and the player as a gunner. I'm sorry to say, latest improvements or not, I'm unable to hit the broadside of a barn. The VTOL flies at 330km/h, circling the target in a 2000m radius and at 500m altitude (rangefinder reads 2100m). Zeroing compensates for the distance, but not for speed... The result is, the rounds go nowhere near where you're aiming. Also, I don't know how this is supposed to work, but I have to constantly move my gun around to keep it in the general vicinity of my aiming point. If I don't, it slowly moves in the VTOL's direction of travel. BTW, does anyone has any tips for setting up a pylon turn with the AI Blackfish? 2000/500 doesn't work all that well and is at the edge of my view distance setting. Also, to get it to keep the altitude I had to spawn it at 500m in first place. How can I force it to climb to that height (offsetting a waypoint upwards to that height doesn't seem to do it)?

I support that request. It'd make the Taru a lot more flexible. Ideally, AI would be able to pull that off, to enable the feature to be used in SP. While slinging a pod does work, it's a bit hair-raising insertion procedure, especially if you're the one dangling a few hundred meters above the ground on a tiny bench, attached to the helo only by a long, wobbly sling. :) Since some Taru pods are static vehicles already, this should definitely be taken into consideration.

ArmA2 was pretty much the same as ArmA3, except perhaps in how granular the control was. "Autohover" (either from the action menu or helicopter controls keybinds) in VTOLs has always meant VTOL mode. You can control rotor/jet angle with the "flaps up/down" keys or actions. I recall being able to do that in A2 as well (though it might have been a mod).

Seconded the black variant for the CSAT VTOL. An actually black Blackfish would be a good idea as well. :)

Flying the VTOLs looks fine, though I do have a complaint. When I spawned the CSAT infantry transport VTOL (AI controlled) off the coast of Stratis and ordered it (via the "transport unload" waypoint) to land on the airfield next to me and unload infantry it had onboard, it overshot and had to circle around for a short time until it finally aligned itself well enough to land. It would be preferable if it just slowed down and landed on the first pass. Note, that was the preview branch, not the devbranch (didn't test on that yet).

I found the same problem with CSAT VTOL. Left (looking from the ramp) FFV position overlaps a regular cargo seat.

Debatable. It's true that there is an advantage to looking menacing, but modern military forces deal with civilians a lot. Generally, if you're wearing something like that, you'll scare the crap out of civilians. Combined with the fact that generally, the enemy doesn't see you up close (or at all, ideally) in a firefight, I think it's preferable to have soldiers look less menacing. Now, SWAT teams or special forces (which I presume the Viper unit is) do get some leeway on this, but BIS design still seems excessive. Also, I don't like the fact that it's making CSAT look "villainous" in a very cliched way. It dehumanizes them and makes them look like obvious bad guys, which is unrealistic and really not "ArmA-style". NATO doesn't even get full face concealment by default (though you can have Stealth Helmet+combat googles combo if you want that effect) and uses a lot more down to earth design. I know we're close to release and all that, but if fixing texture bugs is possible, then requesting adjustments such as eye color and mask details should be, too. BTW, could a mod transplant the gear discussion to the appropriate thread? A lot has been said on the topic in this thread, but now that a dedicated one has been created, it seems like a better place for this discussion.

I don't know how much effort would it take to change the textures or even the mesh, but seeing as we're talking a single helmet with two paintjobs (it didn't even get the CSAT Urban camo), I think that it's worth a shot. As you can see from this thread, I'm not the only one who thinks that (though there are people who like it, too). I just think that the whole Viper gear looks too much like something out of FEAR (as I said, either elite Replicas or Nightcrawlers) or maybe Crysis. It does not look like something a professional military force would be wearing in 2035. It gives them a downright "evil" look, which is something a military force would probably prefer to avoid. At the very least, editing the texture to recolor the eyes (there's hardly a more cliche element than those in the entire series) and remove the "skull face" would improve things a bit from the immersion standpoint. CSAT is, after all, meant to be taken seriously, right?

What's the RHS' stance on adopting modified Apex weapons and equipment? It's got some pretty good AK-12 models (which is just being tried by the Russian Army) and earlier variant (I think) of RPG-7. Still WIP, but I think that AK-12 in particular would fit right in with RHS. Also, I think that a vanilla Ghosthawk variant could be a nice addition to the mod. Dunno what the "SOCOM" faction is supposed to represent (it seems to only have the big boat), but seeing as Ghosthawks is pretty much "the helo that carried the guys who shot Bin-Laden", it would probably be a good addition. Of course, it'd also have to be re-statted as "overweight Blackhawk" it is IRL. BTW, I still can't get the female faces to work in Eden. I'm not familiar with ArmA bug reporting, but if there's any log or something I can provide, I'll do it. Currently on Apex preview, but I can test on main branch.

Installed and tried it out. Impressions so far: 1. PM 9mm is offset from the holster. 2. The new drone should, IMO, replace the vanilla CSAT drone. It helps that it's not identical to what NATO uses. 3. While the new equipment is awesome, some additional textures would be really nice. For example, I hope that VTOLs will get a black texture (I think it'd be good for some scenarios) and that "Stealth Helmet" will be available in a few more camo options (including standard NATO and black/gray). 4. CSAT gear has gone from silly to absurd. :) As if the bug helmets weren't bad enough, now their special forces look like Replica soldiers... CTRG helmet at least looks like some sort of gas mask (though the type it resembles was phased out because filters were hard to change). Really, the CSAT face masks should get at least a minor revision, making them look more like gas masks than "tacticool" airsoft helmets.

Looks awesome. Phrogs phorever! :)

It seems that you've come to the same conclusion as most regulatory authorities. :) It'd be nice if ArmA car lights confronted to the accepted standard for asymmetrical low-beam lights: About 40m on the left lane and 60m on the right. I don't know if that'd be of any use, but an additional "high-beam" mode reaching out to 150m could be a nice thing to have. Turn signals are probably too much to ask for :), but I can see brights being useful on poorly lit country roads on both Altis and Tanoa (I use them myself in similar conditions).

That, or have some sort of door opening animation. I agree with the "door kicker" idea. Doors should also be able to be destroyed by explosions or sufficiently powerful rounds (an APFSDS round shouldn't wreck the whole building, but definitely should shatter any doors and windows). Ideally, a simple 3-point hitzone system would allow you to shoot the doors off hinges and/or shoot the lock apart, but that's probably too complex at this point.

Looks pretty realistic. The same thing happens IRL when you're relying too much on GPS. :) Indeed, this problem stems from the exact same root - no differentiation between road types. Also, would that be possible to make a "keep to the rules of the road" option for AI? It'd try to stay as far to the right side of the road as possible, automatically clamp speed according to roadsigns (might need additional work map-side), would never go off the road and would take sharp corners very carefully. Basically, making it simulate a civilian driver, as opposed to a soldier whose only concern is getting from A to B in minimum time.

For some reason, I can't access female faces in the Eden editor (the voice is fine). They work in arsenal and seem to work in profile selection. However, I'd like to make a (singleplayer, for the time being) mission with female characters. Is that possible to get them to work there? Also, it'd be awesome if RHS had female variants of the uniforms. At least US ones and VDV (Russian regulations on women in combat vary, but I know that VDV does allow them). A female Russian voice would also be nice, though it'd probably be hard to come by.

Figured out as much, but I don't want another copy of the base game, nor any of the extras. Just the 4 DLCs. I do hope that this option will be available after the release. I don't have all that much money to spare on games (or rather my country's currency is useless), so I need to be efficient with that. I guess that if the new units get released the normal way, I can survive until the release by fooling around on mod islands in the EDEN editor. :) Well, that, or finally try to finish the campaign (after I lost my nearly-complete save I never managed to get that far again).

Dunno if it's the right place to post this, but will Apex be available in a DLC bundle? Right now it's either buying it separately or with the gargantuan Apex Edition, which I don't need because I have most of the stuff in it. Also, will the additional vehicles be released like Tanoa or like previous DLC vehicles? BTW, is that a Russian Skyranger? :)

Planes can certainly fly backwards (and sideways). You don't even need TVC, just ask Jurgis Kairys. :) That guy can do a Cobra on takeoff. In a propeller plane (really, I saw it with my own eyes). Granted, jet fighters are a bit different in that regard, but I think you can do a lot of those aerobatics with them as well, you just need more speed and airspace.