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Otterbear

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Posts posted by Otterbear

  1. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Thanks all for the feedback;

    I honestly expected to get a lot of heat, saying I was an idiot or some such.

    However; I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I'm not such an idiot as I had assumed.:yay:

    If I'm driving a tank and I have to cross a mountain I have two options...

    1) Take a road, which allows my gunner to scan for hostiles and engage them. or ...

    2) Go through the forest knocking down trees all the way as I haven't yet figured out how to "stow" the gun in the forward or backward position. (this could of course have adverse effects on my main guns usefulness, although I haven't notice a huge amount of damage being done to it yet.)

    In my situation in particular; I had decided to take a road over the mountain, and halfway up the hill I hear "Tank 6:00 long range", being on the side of a hill left me with little choice then to keep going, or run around on the side of the hill until he got a lucky shot and killed me. I managed to get to a rather level spot, then began the rather bulky task of trying to DRIVE and SHOOT...I had assumed if I was the driver ...the GUNNER would know HIS JOB, fix the target, and fire when able...but he kept swinging the gun in circles with the enemy rounds landing all over me. I assumed he could see the target, as I could, and you couldn't miss the fireball from his gun. I know this raises all kinds of questions.

    1) was the tank level enough to bring your guns to bear on the target?

    2) just because I could see the enemy doesn't mean that everybody in the tank can.

    ect...

    Bottom line; this happens a lot on OPEN terrain...and you get the same result.

    Punching the 2 or three key combo while driving and avoiding incoming fire is ridiculous when I have "cleared" all personnel to fire.

    Do they(BIS) really expect me to be "Gunner", "Driver", AND "Commander", and such?

    If so, I guess I would have to live with it...but it is the lack of consistency that kills it for me...one min they fire at will, the next...when you REALLY need it...they DON'T!

    I've spent days designing a rather simple scenario where I just have to go from one end of the map to the other. (the real work was adding the support personnel...which is another gross failure in this game ATM.)

    I added ACM and Spec-ops just to have something to do.

    But, it really sucks getting 3/4 of the way and having your crew go to lunch on you.

    Thanks for all the help.

    (I did know about the key combo's, but its hard when your driving to stop,... change to commander mode...., select target.. BOOOM!! You have died!)

  2. Posted

    OK, So I'm driving an M1A1 tank with full complement of crew...A tank shows up 100 meters to my front...one of my guys shouts out "tank ,12:00 med range"...what does my gunner do?...you guessed it...continue to scan the horizon for something better to shoot at.:eek: SERIOUSLY?:confused:

    I'm I missing something?

    Why will they NEVER shoot at targets directly in their sights?

    I watch troops run around 50-100 meters in front of my tank all day...I think some of them are laughing at me.

    Honestly though, it really doesn't matter what vehicle I'm in...If I don't punch the 17 keystroke combination to shoot the dag-on enemy myself, I'm as good as dead... it hardly EVER happens that THEY do.

    To be more precise...they will shoot at every enemy right up to the point that the target just happens to have the weaponry to be able to turn your vehicle into Swiss cheese! That's when they come down with a case of "I don't give a crap" or something.

    I bought this game because everybody was raving about how good it is....I think maybe they were thinking of how good it could BE!

    From a single player perspective...Its a whole lot of work...for very iffy results.:(

  3. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Thanks again stupidwhitekid75,

    During my testing...so far...the supporting AH-64D does land with the MED chopper...and it was hilly (really hilly) Chandarus(?), anyway he landed amongst some smaller trees ...the helo moved on the ground to a safer landing spot and I saw the pilot get out...but when I went to investigate he was gone but the Apache was full of holes...he was very close by and I saw/heard no action. I can only assume he was shot during ingress.

    EDIT: Maybe he was forced down...but that is twice now...coincidence? I'll keep testing.

    I added the support troops to the MED helo. How many can it take? I added about 4 men. 1 medic, 3 specialist. (1 machine gunner, 1 sniper, one regular...I think).

    The result was less than optimal. (although in theory, I know it works), the units dis-embarked and all, but again, my guy said "done" before they landed. I should have let the poor guy bleed for a while longer. LOL

    The real problem arose when (I guess), they were trying to leave and one of the leaders/pilot got stuck jogging behind the chopper and couldn't/wouldn't move...end result ...chopper stayed put...enemy began arriving and the rest is history...or smoke. :)

    I guess I could test this in a less realistic way...but, with their(AI) limited logic, getting in a REAL bind is going to prove problematic in the extreme.

    Another annoying feature is the short amount of time to agree to be reinforced. I end up (sometimes), loosing more men in the meantime...and get no offer of replacements for them. (BIS still have some loose ends to tie up on that I guess.)

    I did see a friendly chopper about a click and a half away circling a completely different area than where I was...and was told to go. He did eventually get shot down. I can only assume it was my reinforcements that went up in smoke.

    I'm thinking of just making battalion of M1's or something an adding a few medics just to be sure I can get the help eventually. :D

  4. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    I'm still working the "kinks" out myself, but it maybe that particular vehicle isn't coded quite right. The Medical Support chopper on the USMC or US side seems to land OK.

    EDIT:

    You might try some of the suggestions posted earlier. I think if you link the "protection" units too- the medical support chopper, instead of the other way around, maybe the KA-52 will keep pace with the Mi-8, instead of the other way around. It sounds like the Mi-8 is trying to match the speed of the KA-52 which could cause the fast landing problem. (just a guess.)

    New problem, I got killed and team-switched to continue, got a call from HQ asking if I wanted reinforcing, and I said yes...went to the reinforcement "drop" site and they never came.

  5. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    When you call your support chopper in, the A-10 will circle a greater distance above and search for targets while the Apache will stick to a medium distance and provide cover (at least this is what I've noticed testing it out). The best thing I have found to do is go to groups, and place a US Army Infantry Squad, then go to units and create three more medics. Group each member of the squad with the MH-60, and make sure instead of each infantry unit saying "In Formation" or "None" that they say "In Cargo" (the MH-60/Apache/A-10 will still say "None"). Once done, when you call support the MH-60 will land and the infantry squad will disembark and provide security close to the chopper, hopefully keeping your pilot from being killed from anyone too close by. The medics will be able to move to each of the wounded and heal them instead of each wounded person crawling up to the chopper one by one. The A-10 and Apache will still circle. Once everyone is healed, go to the same menu where you requested support and choose "Done" and your player should say "Ready" and get "Roger" as a response. After a little bit of waiting, all the men will board the MH-60, and everyone (including the A-10 and AH-64) will return to the support waypoint. What you have to realize is that if there are any other squads on the map that you don't control can also request support if any of there men get wounded.

    You have to remember also, that your support squad is not invulnerable during combat. If there's a lot of fighting going on around you, it might be in your best interest to keep fighting or take out key targets that would normally easily take out your helicopters. If you're unable to do that, or things are way too intense, fall back until fighting is either at a minimum or not at all and then call support. Your helicopters will land wherever you request support on the map, always keep that in mind.

    Excellent Help stupidwhitekid75! (Boy, does that sound mean or what? :o )

    I have tried saying/selecting "Done" repeatedly but maybe I just didn't realize that they will stick around as long. Also I never get the "Roger" reply.

    You think this may have something to do with my testing?

    I'm in Recruit mode...And I had "miraculously" managed to get everybody fixed up before the chopper arrived. (My medic healed himself.) So I think that my team-leader/ME said "Done" before the chopper landed.

    I am using the "vanilla" ACM module and the Spec-ops module. So fighting isnt too intense...although I think the Spec-ops Module may have spawned a "target or group of opfor" near where my chopper landed. (So, I will definitely try your suggestion about protection.)

    There are no other "independent" Blufor units other than my support teams at the "protected" base/airport.

    It's a bit tough to test this...It's kinda hard to "almost" die. :D

    Last time I was being hunted by a BMP!...I was hiding on the edged of a wooded area, there was a clearing to my front that was big enough for the MED Chopper...but it appears he landed about a mile away. :eek:

    I would like (and have tried), to use the "Simple support" Module, but that seems to replace the 'Normal' support options in your action menu. (Like ambulance,medic,repair, ect.). Any thoughts?

    Thanks again, for your great explanation and help

  7. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Once support is finished, you have to go through the support menu and select DONE.

    AH!, that may be the problem. Although, I thought I looked there.

    I'll test again and find out.

    No apparently my Medical Helicopter pilot was killed while standing around on the battlefield waiting for new orders. (or in the air, cuz he had moved.) Found the chopper in mint condition but the pilot was a dead man.

    This is something I need to learn to do right, or a major flaw in the logic. I have an A-10 and a AH-64D providing cover for my Med. chopper but AGAIN, they don't seem to be able to stick around after the first rescue. (leaving my lone pilot on a live battlefield with his ()*)) in his hand.

    I've been doing little else but reading and watching videos on how to play this game for days now and, I have yet to see any way to make support vehicles/men return to base to await further orders.

    If this is the case, it renders the whole idea moot.

    Do I have to attach a whole battalion of men and armor to protect my Support vehicles?

    Will they too, in return, leave my support drivers standing around on the battlefield helpless?

    I have ACM and Spec-ops active. So anybody standing around is going to be shot in short order.

    I do have my base secured with a "kill-all-enemy's" trigger and, have set a marker so no Opfor will be spawned there. But, I fail to see the point if the min I call them they are going to be blasted from the sky or shot like sitting ducks in the middle of nowhere.

  8. Posted

    I thought that once you had been "serviced" the support units were available to help you out in the future. As it stands, it looks to me like they will support you once but never go back to a ready status for another mission. IE:They wont come a second time to a different location.

    I'm in "Recruit" mode and the leader always says "ready" for me, so I can't see that being the problem, although it could very well be.

  10. Posted

    OK, So I just learned how to add support way-points for support units.

    I thought "I know, I'll link an AH-64D and an A-10 to my Medical support chopper, and I'll get a realistic group of support aircraft to come to my pos and help me."...not quite.

    For some reason linking them causes them to move from their "assigned" positions in the editor to some arbitrary location at startup/preview. So most of my "brilliant" plan ends up as "Crash debris" before I've even mounted up and set off. When I could get them to actually stay put...(I had grouped them in the wrong order...I think), the chopper never takes off. The A-10 and the Apache Longbow circle waiting - I think, for the Support chopper to leave but he apparently never does.

    Has anybody gotten something like this to work? Or can you think of something I may have done wrong?

    I placed the support Helo at the airport, along with the A-10 and the Apache.

    I placed the A-10 at the beginning of the runway. (cuz he tends to get lost.)

    I placed the support way-points for the support chopper.

    I grouped the A-10 and the Apache to the Support chopper.

    I placed a section of troops about 2 clicks away in open terrain.

    I made the section leader the player.

    I start preview and call for an ambulance.

    I either end up with a pile of wreckage at/near the airport, or I get nothing at all. Sometimes the air assets start airborne...is this a clue or normal?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

  12. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Thanks all,

    This is kind of what I thought it might be...although to be honest, I thought we left the "stone age" years ago. Your saying this software and/or underlying code can't handle long file names? ...and/or spaces? (didn't BASIC have a work around for that in the '70's?)...wait, that's right they did...just add "%". lol

    Actually, I first noticed the problem when I exported to "Single Player" missions.

    Weird, how does BIS managed to list their scenarios without the %20 place-mark?

    Any way to change it now that its saved?

    Would be nice to be able to delete missions from the list without having to do it in all the many folders. (Directory's for us old programing geezers) :)

  13. Posted

    Whenever I save a mission in the editor, I get %20 added in all the spaces, hence all my missions end up listed as;

    Going%20to%20War

    Time%20to%20Fight

    and some end up with a duplicate name as the extension, which would be fine but they are listed as such in the list of missions that I've exported from the editor. like;

    Chandarus.Chandarus

    Zagrabad.zagrabad

    Is this normal? (I think not.)

    Specs:

    ARMA II and OA (fully patched 1.55 and 1.80 respectively).

    Vanilla NO MODS.

  16. Posted

    Thanks again Tonic,

    I am shy of the campaigns as I'm new and still learning. Also its fairly simple to lead but I'm currently having a great deal of difficulty being led. (oddly enough).

    I will give that a try though, when I can figure out where and when I'm supposed to be. lol

    I'm using the "instant action" scenarios to learn the commands and such, and I haven't quite "topped" the learning curve just yet.

    I do like the dynamics of the "instant action" scenario though. Its a pity its so....for lack of a better word...unfinished(?). I don't like scripted combat...and campaigns(at least from past experience, are by nature somewhat scripted.) Too be fair, I haven't spent a large amount of time getting familiar with BIS's campaigns YET. I understand their ahead of the curve when it comes to the various outcomes.)

    I just got this game a week ago and so I'm going to be learning for awhile.

    Saw some great tutorial videos though.

  17. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    I'm gonna have to look at downloading some pre-made scenarios.

    Cuz, the "scenario maker/wizard" doesn't end, regardless of the timing selected in the pre-game menu(Ie:1/2 hour,1 hour, 2 hours ect.), and there is no way to save your progress...its grayed out. Also there seems to be no way of editing your squad or recruiting others into your squad. The new maps don't have "insertion points" so you cant even play the "drop and go" type scenarios on them. (I have found no way to add an "insertion point" at least.)

    I like the "drop and go" scenarios, its just that there doesn't seem to be an ending point, no refueling/rearming/repair facilities...and if you add them, they get blown to bits in short order anyway.

    Sometimes when I order my squad into an IFV/BMP they will all get in the back and not man the gun and so forth. Is this a bug or am I an idiot?

  18. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Thanks Tonic, I'm gonna have to look at downloading some pre-made scenarios.

    Cuz, the "scenario maker/wizard" doesn't end, and there is no way to save your progress...its grayed out. Also there seems to be no way of editing your squad or recruiting others into your squad. The new maps don't have "insertion points" so you cant even play the "drop and go" type scenarios on them. (I have found no way to add an "insertion point" at least.

    I'm fairly certain that this isn't the correct thread for this discussion, but I'm glad to have some assistance. :)

    I like the editor but enjoy the randomness of the "drop and go" scenario. Saves a ton of creation time. Still, it has its drawbacks...no repair/refuel/resupply base or vehicles...when I add them they just end up as burning wrecks eventually no matter how hard I try to defend them.

  19. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    Arma II, and OA (combo package)., patched up to 1.54(?)

    Well lets see...First impressions.

    The community seems crazy about it...

    I got a pretty good deal on the combo package...

    Learning curve is very steep...

    Half the time some command or other wont work...

    Half the time units wont respond to commands...

    Commands disappear...like the ability to switch seats in a vehicle...sometimes you can...sometimes you cant...all in the same vehicle and scenario.

    Added items in User Missions cannot be deleted/removed.

    Edit:Ok, DOH!...try hitting the "delete" key instead of the "pg down". LOL

    User Missions allow you to edit your squad only if you want all MG's or Riflemen...ect...

    Still can't figure out how to mix your squad up in user missions.

    User Missions - have no ending..even though you've stated you wanted a 1/2 hour mission...your still getting tasked hours later. (No summary at the end..cuz there is no end.)

    AI gunner fires at targets when he feels like it...at other times he's much nicer to the enemy. ;) (Yes he's freed to engage.)

    Multi-player must be a blast...too bad I'll be 60 before I'm anywhere near good enough to get my butt handed to me in 30 secs online.

    Campaign mode... Lets just say I'm new, and still don't understand how to stay with the group and/or the headlong dash into the enemy guns... or trying to take out a BMP with a pocket full of rocks.

    Men still insist on taking out targets a mile away with a pistol even though they have a MG.

    Men have to be FORCED to take "hit the deck"...with bullets whizzing past their heads.

    OK, now the fun stuff...

    A very nice job (so far), with the vehicles and weaponry.

    Nice replay ability (if your into pain) :).

    Nice editor...although it looks like I'll need some kind of scripting programing degree or the missions will be a little too predictable...

    (OK, I call it search and destroy, but its the User Mission, where your dropped off and given tasks)

    I really, REALLY, wish this User Mission , would have an ending and some sort of scoring...cuz it is hard work just getting your men to co-operate...much less achieving some of the harder task.

    Hopefully, I can find out what I'm doing wrong here soon...(although that's looking sketchy at the moment. IE:Where do I go to ask a silly "Noob" question?)

    EDIT:(lol I accidentally typed "Idiot" instead of "Edit"...may be a Freudian slip. :) ) FOUND IT! \o/ yea!

    All in all it looks like I'll come back to this game occasionally to kill some time and check to see if some of this has been sorted out, or too find out I've been "fleeced"...again. (you'd think I'd learn. :) ).

  20. Posted · Edited by Otterbear

    I have the same problem, Units get "glued" to a spot and wont reform, - usually while in "danger" mode. Cannot remove "danger" mode because enemy is in close proximity. RESULT:Medic cannot move, IE: Game over.

    So when the bullet magnet medic is NOT full of holes...he sticks to the ground like glue and wont reform or follow any commands...this also happens to other members of my team at contact with enemy.

    Vanilla game, OA, fully patched to 1.54(?). NO MODS.

    EDIT: Upon further reflection I must admit I haven't seen this problem since the latest patch.

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