SouthernSmoke

Recently I've had an extremely distracting issue where grass and trees 'flicker' when moving. Normally, when you look around in game the grass becomes darker until you stop when working correctly. But now when I look around or move, instead of the grass changing into a darker, solid color it flickers constantly until I stop moving again. Even when the player is stationary the grass still flashes black when its moving in the wind. If the point of view is directly above the player looking down the grass seems not to do this strange flashing even when the player is moving. By moving the point of view to a certain angle it sometimes seems to stop flashing only when looking from that exact spot. If you stand still in game and spin in a circle the grass should stay a solid darker shade while your moving. When I do this now, the grass will keep flashing instead of staying solid. Spinning a full circle can reveal a certain angle where the issue is gone and the grass doesn't keep flashing but only from that exact angle. If the POV is not directly above the player looking straight down or at a certain angle that seems to work correctly, objects are always flashing when moving. Grass and trees are especially noticeable and certain buildings and fences are obviously flickering/flashing also. Anyone have any ideas whats causing this? Problem with the game itself? My PC? I play Arma on an LCD tv with HDMI cord, could it be my tv? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What one man calls a legitimate challenge, another sees as a ridiculous concept so silly that's its beyond consideration. When I slow jog for 10 seconds and my rifle then violently jerks around like im having a seizure, its hard to suspend disbelief and pretend to embody a trained soldier or even a grown man holding a gun without the crippling disadvantage of two broken arms. Enjoying the infantry experience at all becomes difficult with such an intelligence insulting mechanic that seriously impedes even making what should be relatively easy shots. That's my opinion anyway. So strongly do I hold it that I miss out on awesome (sounding) things like shooting from vehicles and this map just so this absurdity cant be forced upon me again. Maybe one day I'll build up the nerve to take my chances on an update, or better yet find a way to return my game to its current state should an update ruin the enjoyment, but for now the risk is too great. I cant fathom having to suffer through that nonsense again.

Im petrified of mods I deem essential being broken permanently. Namely sway, recoil and fatigue related mods. The bootcamp update has left me with Arma update PTSD. I was afraid of that. Thanks for the clarification.

When trying to load this map in the editor, the game crashes with the following pleasant message: " Bad version 68 in p3d file 'a_houses\powerlines\powline_wire_9m_40m_1_me.p3d' " I haven't updated the game in a while, so that might be causing this issue. Hopefully not, I really want to play on this map. Help?

I could not agree more about the God awful sway. I only updated my game once since the 'bootcamp' update due to the threat of recoil, sway, and fatigue mods being permanently broken. I cannot fathom having to play with the outrageous sway BI implemented way back when. I would love to fire from vehicles but cannot bring myself to update due to this threat. This combination of mods/addons seems very intriguing. The gore/dismemberment/blood is the most exciting to me. Hopefully it will somehow be brought into Arma 3 through the Arma 2 version or a new gore mod. Something that needs to be kept in mind is that BC: Phoenix is included and it overrides lingering blood mist and uses its own blood which disappointingly disappears after a split second. So, a lingering blood mist that works with BC installed would be nice. Any gore/dismemberment mods would need to take into account the effect BC has as well.

Good to hear. I am always searching for good SP scenarios. Yours seemed to be shaping up quite nicely. Looking forward to the finished product, or at least an updated version, whenever that may be.

Played through the very short mission and it looked extremely promising. Is this project still on?

Does this mod actually give players the ability to choose each piece of gear separately? For instance, can players now pick any gloves they want to wear with any camo? Or is this only a case of wishful thinking?

The 'Bootcamp' update, along with breaking virtually every modded sound in existence, introduced new fatigue, sway, and recoil which absolutely ruined the infantry experience for me. I now felt like a drunken 12 year old girl who was trying to shoot with a broken arm. If I wasn't able to tone it down with mods, I would probably only play arma for vehicle combat. It was that bad. With this in mind, and the frequency of mods broken by updates (possibly including essentials like sway_fix which are no longer maintained), I have only updated once since that experience. That mod tweaks AI? I skimmed the link but didn't read anything about it. But that's not my actual concern with the AI exactly. Accuracy is one thing that has been successfully tweaked already. The robotic tendency of AI firing precise bursts in that mind numbing repetition is what I despise. I swear every time the AI starts shooting in the exact same burst with the exact same delay between each it sounds more like the beat to a song than a firefight between humans. Nope. Tried those and FFIS as well. I think there has been a misunderstanding and I should have been more clear. When I say the AI "shoots like robots" I am not referring to their accuracy. Instead, its the constantly shooting in exactly the same bursts over and over that drives me up a wall. Its determined by distance. So, depending on how far away the enemy, the AI will fire exactly like you would expect a robot to, not a human in a firefight. Nothing breaks immersion quite like a machine gunner firing the exact same 5 round burst exactly every 3 seconds over and over. Hover in a chopper with a door gunner and listen to him spray at infantry with the EXACT same number of shots and the EXACT delay between each for a good demonstration. And no AI mod has fixed this (that I am aware of). Trust me I have tried them all. One reason I would love to test the current AI is that BI apparently implemented some randomness to the AI firing patterns. So they finally shouldn't still be firing in exact bursts anymore. That is the main reason I want to update. But if the update breaks the sway, recoil and fatigue mods I am using (which are no longer maintained!), the AI actually firing like a human wouldn't really matter as it would destroy my enjoyment of infantry combat altogether anyway. ** I know absolutely nothing about modding whatsoever. But coming from a layman point of view, changing the AI firing pattern to include the tiniest hint of randomness doesn't seem like it would be that difficult. Especially for the guys who alter the behavior of AI in so many other intricate ways. This problem has persisted since the game launched and with all the additions and alterations this community has provided, its perplexing that no one has tackled this issue that affects every player and drastically decreases the enjoyment of Arma overall. TPW, fix this and ill call you King.

Very impressive. This map really stands out. I usually lose interest very quickly when exploring a new map for the first time and end up hopping into Zeus to find locations the easy way. But this map is different. I have spent long amounts of time simply wondering the empty map and keep finding remote locations more interesting than the last. Just now I was wondering through the woods in the rain and had a serious flashback to The Last Of Us dam section. Great terrain, shaping up to be in a class of the elite.

I wouldn't mind seeing those beautiful sparks from ammo truck explosions being expanded to occur during explosions of all armor as well. Its a shame that amazing spark effect is only produced when a vehicle that's rarely used is destroyed. And the more I see that new burning aircraft fire, the more I would like to see it featured more as well. ** The smoke from gun barrels makes a welcome return. Nice.

OS, thank you for the quick update. Phoenix 2 is now looking like the greatest BC yet, IMO. Now even custom vehicles like RHS choppers have proper missile and rocket impact effects and every custom jet I have tested has the awesome bomb effects unlike before. Truly sublime. I understand that adding the smoke back will cause it to temporarily disappear if overloaded, (just hop into Zeus fire support and drop a 230mm rocket strike while vehicles burn to see for yourself) but that amazing looking thick dark smoke was a staple of BC and so well done it just isn't the same without it. I agree it is somewhat saddening to see those huge explosions gone though. I, for one, am thrilled to have the smoke back. Others who prefer the trade off of less smoke for more particles temporarily will enjoy the version before this update. I still think my suggestion of adding some lingering blood mist would substantially contribute to your already stellar mod. But, this updated version is absolutely excellent. Thank you from a pleased user. ** Ammo trucks...Wow. Beautiful explosions.

If this mod is still on there is one thing the AI needs more than anything else: believable rate of fire. The AI still fires in the exact same bursts with the exact same delay between each like cold calculating robots instead of humans in a firefight. This is the one thing that keeps me from enjoying the game like it should be enjoyed.

Congrats on the new release. Most effects look really nice and for the most part improved. But what happened to the smoke from burning vehicles? In previous versions, the black smoke from heavy vehicles like tanks would rise HIGH into the sky. When a tank exploded a lot of debris would fly out in all directions and the smoke was very dark and thick. Now, the smoke from burning armor has been toned down significantly. The smoke from burning aircrafts still looks great but burning ground vehicles pale in comparison. The smoke doesn't rise anywhere near as high as before and seems so thin that you can see right through it. Smoke from light vehicles now resemble campfires. Was this intentional? Two friendly suggestions: 1. Make the lackluster smoke from burning armor and other ground vehicles more like it was in previous versions. 2. Add blood mist that lingers for a second. An older SOS had a pretty good blood mist that must be incompatible with BC as the blood produced from gunshots only stays visible for a split second. I think lingering blood mist would be a worthwhile addition. Heres hoping you continue your great work. Perhaps a couple respectful suggestions from a grateful user of your mod can provide some positive motivation to continue on? Thanks for your effort, it takes the game to a whole new level.

Sadly, I get the following message which doesn't allow me to launch the game at all: "Bad animation file format in file 'hlc_wp_saw/anim/gesture/m249_reload_crouch.rtm'. " Any ideas on whats causing this?

Ok I have an amazing story I have to share: So, I'm driving toward a house to clear when I decide to go off-road for the first time. I have been playing for a few hours at this point but only let the AI drive off-road when its absolutely necessary due to their habit of getting stuck so often. So, this is the absolute first time I have driven off-road. After clearing the empty house I decide to cut across the hills in my MRAP because it will be quicker than driving back to the road. I order the other AI vehicle driver to move to where im going but stay on the road. When cutting across the landscape I spot some smoke in the middle of nowhere. Looking through the GMG optics I realize that its the priest I have been given the choice to take out. What are the odds? The first time I drive not on the roads I run into this target completely by chance in the middle of nowhere. I have to go for it. I order my sniper (who is in the other vehicle) to disembark and link up with us to take him out from distance. While waiting for my sniper to arrive a patrol comes out of the woods behind me. Thinking these civilians wont hear it, because I am a good couple hundred meters away, I light em up with the GMG. Regretfully, I then see the civs scampering away through the field. In my anger, I linger around firing off shots for a few minutes knowing I have ruined my chance to take him out. I then order my sniper to get back in the vehicle that is over 800 meters away (!!) and I hop back into my vehicle and start driving fast in the direction I was originally going. After passing the other vehicle, now about 1 klick away from the chapel the priest was at when I scared him off, I furiously continue driving at dangerously high speeds when to my amazement....a man darts out of a bush directly into my path. As fast as I was going, and considering this madman came out of nowhere and ran directly into the road in front of my speeding MRAP, the collision was inevitable. And what do you know....*bleep* "TASK COMPLETED, ELIMINATE THE PRIEST". It was him!! I sit there in stunned silence.....contemplating how this came to be. You have to realize how unlikely these events really were: I just happen to stumble upon him the first time I am not on the roadways, scare him off before taking him out, stand around for a few mins before hopping in the vehicle and speeding away, and over 1 klick away he just happens to jump in front of my vehicle. The way he came out of nowhere and ran into the road at precisely the perfect time to make his demise unavoidable was insane.

YES! This is one effect I have been dreaming about for a while. Longer lingering dust after big impacts such as bombs, and arty also, would be nice. You think? I have no idea but dust effects already linger for a few seconds. Would it really have a drastic impact to simply increase the length for a few seconds? ---------- Post added at 18:06 ---------- Previous post was at 17:44 ---------- It sucks that we cant enjoy the awesome Blastcore effects with custom vehicles also. RHS helicopters are not as fun to fly when rockets/missiles dont have the BC effects and only produce a strange puff of white smoke when impacting.

Yeah, I thought about that. If the AI just turned them on then they would be giving away their position to enemies with NV. But, yes there should have been a simple command to order them to turn lasers on. What am I supposed to do at the beginning of your first mission again? Something about a 'whiteboard' but I do not know what that is nor have I found it around the compound the player starts at. Finished the 2nd mission: nicely done, I enjoyed it. Thanks, Im going to check that out for sure.

I am in the middle of the 2nd mission and the atmosphere is excellent especially with the constant bombing in the background. However, I have *a suggestion to put forth and its something that SHOULD BE IN THE GAME BY DEFAULT: Laser pointers should be enabled for all teammates so AI will turn them on when in 'combat' mode. BTW, what possible reason/excuse could be offered to explain why this is not the way it works to begin with? Any AI equipped with a laser pointer should automatically turn them on when its night and they are in 'combat' mode. This should be done automatically or at the very least a command should exist in the long list that allows a player to instruct AI teammates that the little device on their rifle is not just for looks! Turn the thing on! Instead, you must enter a code for it to even be possible. Oh yea, I'm pretty sure a command exists in the 'action' section that allows you to tell a teammate to turn their laser device on...which they promptly do for all of about a split second before turning it back off.

The sway is outrageous to the point of being absurd, so much so that I find it completely unplayable. I wont even let steam update so I am still on 1.32 simply because I refuse to allow updates to ruin the acceptable (modded) sway and recoil Im using. I bet firing from vehicles is fun. The common excuse for the ridiculous sway seems to be "shooter is under stress and tired and a game cant simulate the full experience". Nonsense. If the sway appeared only when under fire or when (legitimately) fatigued that would be a different story. But, as it is now, the weapon sways uncontrollably even when standing still with no fatigue at all. Jogging for 10 seconds and then stopping and trying to fire makes it seem as though your a drunk 10 year old girl trying to shoot with a broken arm while having a seizure. There are limitations in simulating firing in a game that might make it too easy but it goes both ways- when looking out of vehicle windows, a players vision is very limited when in reality they could simply lean over and fully see out that window. I don't believe BI should make shooting more difficult by creating unrealistic and unenjoyable mechanics just because they are unable to simulate something accurately. Don't make it even more unrealistic by forcing artificial mechanics on players. It is completely unbelievable. Agree with OP 100%. That being said, I absolutely love Arma. The sway is horrible though.

Point taken. I was actually just fantasizing more than actually suggesting a full conversion of the Arma suppressed sounds to Lone Survivor level greatness. But as far as adding some reverb to suppressed weapons, I think that should be done. Some weapons that already have reverb when suppressed (such as RHS) become more intense in urban and wooded areas just like most weapons do without suppressors. I don't know if this is outside the scope of this mod, but adding some reverb to suppressed weapons would be a great addition to Arma IMO. ---------- Post added at 13:18 ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 ---------- All of a sudden I started getting this message: Sound autocannon_reverb_1_far not found

I am still on the 1.32 version. I would like to update to try out the new features such as firing from vehicles and AI not shooting like robots. But I am hesitant to update out of a fear of essential mods being ruined. Seeing as there is an MANW build which allows returning to 1.32, can I use this build to keep the game at 1.32 permanently in the event that these updates interfere with mods? I'm assuming that after the MANW contest is over the build will be gone but I want to be sure I can use it to go back to 1.32, then keep Steam offline and therefore not able to automatically update to be able to play on 1.32 permanently. A confirmation would be greatly appreciated.

How would I go about doing this?

This mod is excellent, it really adds a new level of immersion but I have to make suggestion: Add some (less intense obviously) reverb to suppressors. Ever since watching the "punch that time card" scene in Lone Survivor, the suppressed weapon sounds in Arma seem incredibly lacking. The only weapons I have found that have any kind of reverb when 'silenced' are RHS and HLC to a lesser degree. I would love to be able to hear reverb from more weapons while using suppressors, especially in wooded areas. The suppressed weapon sounds in that movie are great IMO. The sound of the weapon firing and the reverb are excellent and what I would want suppressed weapons to sound like it Arma. That would be so nice.