tremanarch

Another wish regarding the sounds department, or more specific: How the engine handles the function to playback and stop a sound. I recorded an example of "Iron Front Liberation 1944" - just because though ;) I guess ArmA just works the same way. The thing is, the engine just starts and stops the sound. YOu now say: "why not? this is okay!" One could easily think so. But sounds that are startet and stopped just from 0 to 100% can produce noise. This has something to do with waveforms and the method how they are played. Very much technical detail would be needed in a foreign language. So I rather just present some sound examples in this video and try to explain in easy words what is all about: First I present plain game video recording where I try to produce such stutter sounds. Then I made these myself showing how the waveform looks. The solution is: every sound that gets played should be faded in and out. Not long, a few milliseconds are enough to not produce the click, plop, stutter sounds. Some Pictures in better detail: 1: http://s7.directupload.net/images/120528/tt2q6ukv.jpg this is how a waveform looks like. And you see the abrupt cut / stop of it. There is a line that goes straight to zero after it. This is to show how it is handled in reality. Not all wave-editors are showing this, although they are all playing it this way! These abrupt stops / cuts of the sound are generated by the engine which starts and stops the sound just so, no fade in / out. 2: http://s14.directupload.net/images/120528/ljjar6my.jpg here i made some cuts myself to show how this produces stutter / plop sounds (in the video this soundfile gets played two times after the first gameplayvideo and a little pause of 7 seconds. Nothing else is done to the wave, just start and stop! 3: http://s14.directupload.net/images/120528/yvgunqic.jpg this is a solution, just a very very short fade in and out. You can not hear it - so short it is, but the plops are gone. I didnt make a sound example. I can though if you dont believe. But most sound engineers will tap their head in knowledge how they could have forgotten this... The cutting is random, and the more the sound is cuttet while it was louder the louder is the resulting plop / stutter sound. Its not a very big problem, but the stuttering distracts and can sound like distant gunfire etc and it breaks the immersion. It is easily solvable too with the short fade out and in. I hope I could present the matter in easy to understand words. Just so - a little video of a down pitched synthesizer also producing these clicks:

Please recommend some server. I try to log on MP Games, but I cant board vehicles, then suddenly after 2 minutes I am sitting in it sometimes. I cant talk in Chat. People are connecting and disconnecting - but no one talks / chats.. Everyone standing around not moving. Cant access a bagpack or crates (I open them but cant take stuff). What is wrong? I have also Problems with Textures - rendering to low quality when I am more than 3 m away but thats merely an engine Prob. -->

@Jedra I cant join your server you use the 1.61 version. Where do I get this? I have 1.60

ok thank. I have no Problem with waiting. There is still the good campaign - not easy though :) ---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 13:12 ---------- what is it with the 1.61 Version? I only have the 1.60 Version and I dont know here to download 1.61. Some servers have it, I cant join on them.

I like this stuff (not serious for OST but opening the mind horizon a little bit): (Imagine this in the early Morning sunrising, you and your team slowly approaching an enemy base - time is right just seconds before it begins...!) The Samurai were born soldiers. A whole cast of soldiers living only to fight for their Loyalty! Thats the spirit :) Or this Sound, when You win a Battle: -- but I think some Rock Music fits better, cause most soldiers listen to it too. And I liked the music very much in ArmA II - but why not make one or so Samurai Sound too ;) -- Investigating a big indsutrial complex / hall / Hangar: spec ops night time operation alone, maybe discovering new war machines sth. a little futuristic or like an Atom bomb horrifying: -- warm Night after rain, jungle / deep forest operation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKWgepGEZU8 very creepy ^^ - thats when orchestra is really strong -- But in-fight, I cant stand Music, its too distracting. Its nice when rtaveling and doing stuff. But not when I have to concentrate. Heavys arrive

AH yes, this I like to hear! Thats How I would do it too! SO my Example (just a mix and a Limiter applied) is not needed anymore.. I also chose bird samples that ducks away from firing sounds and from Jet (not so good quality - recorded just with a cheap micro at a jet show) sounds... What I did here too is, I exaggerated the "effect". THis is what many people like, for my tastes it is too aggressive, but I did it to show the - now obsolete - meaning of my Idea I explained above. The more this Effect - the more fatiguing the Sounds are over time. (referring to the loudness war) I have to say BIS are very professional guys! So the gunsounds are composed by different aspects: the overall Loudness; and the environmental reverb (surface reflection). Of course not taken into account that some people use ear protection. (This could be a game client option to make all sounds dampened or so)... I understand now better thats it is not only complex but could cost much CPU Power too. ( that would also double when Stereo Samples are used - which is nevertheless a good idea though)

yeah thats a problem. I See that. My post was not bashing Bi or so as I think they did a great Job, and ArmA 3 will be even better from what I could hear. I am just curious. At some point there have to be "artisitic interpretations" as you have expressed so beautiful ;) yes I think so thats true. And I like the sounds more "flat" - not boosted with a cheap effect or so - but I think something similar to that could be needed maybe. The thing is with loudness differences: the sound engine could be tweaked, that when a loud sound (eg a sound with normal 0 db [- all sounds should be normalized to 0], but tagged as "loud" or "quiet" for the engine, Firing Sounds and such) is played, normal sounds are played lower in volume. So the overall VOlume is still 0 db, but all you hear now are gunshots and not speaking and walking comrades. I think 2 or 3 classes of SOunds could be enough: eg: loud (firing, aircrafts), normal (car driving normal, operating machines and stuff), quiet (talking, walking sounds). Or course the range matters too. I can see thats really complicated. Because to use the easy way: our ears to make that, would be impossible as we needed speakers to be as loud as a starting jet ^^ My inital post was just about the gunfiring records (these are examples). I just couldnt understand why these sound so different (I understand WHY they sound different but I dont WHy they are used as equal.) They are not from BIS, its just I was wondering why no one has come to an easy, but still good solution yet. BF3 did it easy. They just have 2 sound classes I guess. When a loud sound is played the rest (WInd and stuff footsteps etc etc) is toned down (not only in volume i guess a little filter is also applied) and the "loud" sound is played normally. Then when the loud sound gets lower in volume or is stopped, the background sounds are coming in again. Its like the HDR Effect for ears. Not authenthic yes, but it is not so bad though, for a game. I suspect this sound trick is a scripted engine trick, it is not implemented in the sound itself. I had Errors in BF3 where I had the background toned down but there wasnt a loud sound in front, so I understand that they made it this way. Another way could be to mix all sounds together, and in the end normalize them to 0. So an example 1: a tiny sound (talking) only gets played. It is lets say -20 db it goes to the mixer, and then just before it gets to the speaker out, it gets normalized to 0 db. Example 2: this tiny sound (-20db) and now a loud sound (-3 db) gets played and routet again to said mixer. Now when the overall output signal gets normalized to 0, the loud and and the tiny sound only get gained for 3 db. So the difference between loud and not loud is there, but still the output sound is 0 db loud. then the game engine could be more flexible and not had to choose between 2 or 3 sound classes but could apply in tiny steps the volume, for firing sound thats 50 m or 74,2 m away etc... Just an Idea.

sync of audio and framerate of the Video of an Engine is an interesting aspect. It was the Problem in Enemy territory Quake Wars. Guns Firing wasnt steady, they shot like that on auto: da-da-da--da-da-dadada-da-da-da--da-da-dada-da like they had jamming problems every 3 or 4 bullet.. Sound and Video Framerate was synced. In ArmA it has been great so far. Didnt experience sth. like that. What I experience is the Framerate overall, cant get it to 60 fps. It is always around 20 - 40. Feels somehow proper though in other Shooters I refuse to play below 60 fps., but still. I can change graphic to maximum and i have 14 fps, and to most low and I have maybe 40 fps...

ArmA is one of the last true PC games: Simulation! This is where PC is strong. Big Worlds, Complex Stuff and 100% Modding support. ArmA deservers that. And for People like me: not a Gamer on the first, but a PC User that likes games too, Simulations like ArmA (OFP) brought me into gaming first. With ArmA it is like playing with plastic soldiers but with all Sounds, Movement, Control and finally other people. That is every grown mans dream ;)

Realism or Realsim? I like what I heard so far. Great work, I know its hard!

I like it too. Besides RO2 another Good WWII Game! ANd with a complete Toolbox (Editor) and Vehicles all over the place :)

So, could we at least use the german Radio Chatter in Arma?

A little Video of the German Campaign

the problem are the trees and bushes constantly morphing. not giving a steady picture. in a steady picture of the horizon i quickly see a moving object.

I had CRC Errors at Setup, just pressed ignore. Lets see what happens... my md5 in HEX - dont know whats common though setup.exe 1f:65:1f:1f:1f:1f:40:1f:1f:1f:5e:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:2e:1f:3f:76:1f:28:63:26:52:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:1f:34:28:3f:5b:1f:1f:1f:2e:1f:1f:1f:57:73:56:1f:4d:1f:1f:30:20:7c:1f:35:1f:2a:1f:63:61:1f:1f:46:1f:6f:1f:1f:1f:6e:1f:26:1f:47:1f:1f:43:45 or decimal: 154 101 4 251 254 211 64 247 132 239 94 227 18 238 179 247 186 242 46 142 63 118 129 40 99 38 82 224 150 168 147 254 221 222 217 52 40 63 91 179 4 20 46 242 192 176 87 115 86 228 77 234 140 48 32 124 235 53 143 42 28 99 97 206 183 70 213 111 144 11 28 110 241 38 238 71 140 243 67 69 edit: couldnt install - now redownloading :( with that slow server - have not so much bandwith for this week - last try - great Britain.

Manhattan (its called in the Campaign) - maybe

just buy an extra copy to save, or to gift to a good friend who hasnt heard of ArmA before!

the new Lightning Video: http://www.gamestar.de/index.cfm?pid=1589&pk=66109 WOW - just WOW! Its looks really good guys! All the lights and colurs look fine and good when shifting throught the day cycle. Good work!

The AA - the Bridge level, is really a great example for close combat Teamplay. I liked that map! Arma has close combat but also big range area conflict with stratetig elements. it has all.

just gues when all the boys get a bit bored of DayZ and have a look at the warsim, they will totally be crazy when they notice what is possible hehe

I recommend Tutorials, Campaigns and then Warfare Multiplayer (Thats the Vanilla).. This where ArmA II shines most. Commanding a small force and entering villages.! THis is like BF3 multiplied with 50... So great!

combined operations. and then pmc and baf DLCs when you want to have better models because they are used in many Online Servers. And they have a good Campaign too! (recommended) https://store.bistudio.com/arma2-combined-operations Combined ops has ArmA II plus Addon (Operation Arrowhead) which makes everything better even the "old" ArmA II stuff! Or buy this it includes all you need and more (ArmA 1): https://store.bistudio.com/armax-aniversary-edition I recommend buying CO, and playing the OA Tutorials and the Campaign (You can also play with friends) - here you can learn the basics! Then join a few Multiplayerserver (Maybe additional Mods needed -> SixUpdater, They are free). If you like it, buy definatley the PMC / BAF DLCs. You dont need the DLCs because BIS gave everyone the light option, but they look not so good (Textures). And here is the masterguide for you: http://ttp2.dslyecxi.com/ edited.

just some random places to be found which makes exploring inland more rewarding.

oh ya.. Drum and bass and ArmA nice idea mate! (When I heard the reverbed Rimshot in the intro I hoped and prayed for DnB ;) - Hah I was right: nice one). Peace to all the jungalist soldiers. I made sth. more agressive; props to Trace, but why not unwrap my Good Looking Vinyls? @ETBSmorgan: WOW just WOW what great Videos. I am speechless!

the game should be on place #1 for 10 weeks...