HMD helicopter HUD

Status: addon is WIP with v0.2 stable version released for preview.

Addons required: None (for v0.2)

Download: @HeliHUD_v02.rar

download site 1

download site 2

After further testing, a similar version will be released as ver 1.0 within a few weeks.

Overview:

This is a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) helicopter HUD with moving indicators and display readouts plus some warning detections.

It is client-side only and simply overlays a HUD on the screen plus adds an action menu item.

It simply increases the immersiveness while flying helicopters.

Screenshots:

Image 1 - General flight HUD

Image 2 - Stall warning

Image 3 - Airlift HUD

The airlift HUD (image 3) is a separate script project which might be considered for release later.

Initially, these scripts will be going into the Devastation mission pack, then I'll finish working on getting them into an addon.

Features:

• 
  
• Stall warning - indicator and sound
  
• Ground collision - indicator and sound (fast landing descent)
  
• Artificial horizon and pitch
  
• Pitch value
  
• Bank value
  
• Forward velocity (Vel)
  
• Vertical velocity (VV) indicator (VVI)
  
• Horizontal velocity (HV)
  
• Altitude indicator (Alt)
  
• Effective momentum/velocity direction (small moving circle in middle - moves up/down/left/right)
  

I suspect someone will soon need to develop a "cutRsc handler" mod, to work like the XEH mod to handle cutRsc merging between mods.

Possible problems or conflicts:

• 
  
• This uses rscTitles, so it may interfere with any mod or mission that uses it's own rscTitles during the game (eg: Mandoble Missiles). Since there are only 2 layers that can be used, the options are very limited. Investigating.
  
• HV (circle icon) fluctuates near zero velocity
  
• Some choppers already have a HUD, so this overlays it anyway
  

Future Plans:

• 
  
• changable HUD colour
  
• day/night HUD colours
  
• add weapons/ammo armaments tracking
  
• check if nose-direction indicator can be added
  
• check if head-direction indicator can be added
  
• check if gunner-direction indicator can be added
  
• tank HUD - mainly armaments and crew direction indicators and possibly commander target
  
• auto detect common chopper addons not derived from 'helicopter' by their type
  
• config dialog to configure: HUD colour, HUD text, HUD layout & visibility.
  
• restrict to pilots with helmets - only via an option
  

Credits:

• 
  
• Uses General Barron's 'Get pitch/bank functions'
  
• Q & Thegunnysgt for providing config advice
  

Sounds great!

Unit Restrictions:

A few suggestions though. If you restrict it to just the pilot unit than if you make it into an Addon then the player runs into the issue of joining a game that doesn't have any pilot units, but has helicopters.

Day HUD Colors:

If you make then a white or yellow color, than at times during the day it may be hard to see the HUD in the sky or sometimes bright surrounding.

Other than that it looks amazing.

You need XEH:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">class CfgPatches

{

class XXX

{

units[] = {};

weapons[] = {};

requiredVersion = 0.1;

requiredAddons[] = {"Extended_EventHandlers"};

};

};

part of config.cpp

Quote[/b] ]class Extended_GetIn_EventHandlers

{

class Helicopter // vehicle class type

{

SomeVar = "_this execVM ""\path\file.sqf"";"; // var names doesn't matter - has to be unique; suggestion: classNameTypeOfXEHScriptDescription

};

};

class Extended_GetOut_EventHandlers

{

class Helicopter

{

XXX = "_this execVM ""\path\file.sqf"";"; // path = addon pbo name + sub folders (optional)

};

};

userActions as part of the config

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE"> class Man: Land {}

class CAManBase: Man

{

class UserActions

{

class OFPEC_TAG_Description

{

displayName = "Text";

position = "camera";

radius = 1;

condition = "// isPilot";

statement="// call script XY";

onlyForPlayer = 1;

};

};

};

WoW i hope it'll be as realistic as possible, keep up the good work!

My only request is that what ever you do you make it compatible with Track IR.

I know alot of people dont use it but I think if you could get it to work with TrackIR then you would have a runway success on your hands.

My only request is that what ever you do you make it compatible with Track IR.

I know alot of people dont use it but I think if you could get it to work with TrackIR then you would have a runway success on your hands.

100 % agree can´t play arma without trackir anymore !!

Alpha version v0.1 has been uploaded for preview and feedback only. (See first post for link. Requires XEH v1.7)

It should be close to finished since it's fairly simple, but no thorough compatibility testing has been done yet.

See 'problems' section for potential conflicts - some like rscTitles may be unavoidable (wish to discuss that).

Responses:

- Pilot limiting problem noted.

- Day HUD colours of white & yellow are actually the best so far. Green is only suitable for night. Test version includes a bunch of colours to try out via action menu.

- Thanks Q for the template and advice. Made quick work of learning it. Couldn't get UserActions to work, so I just used an XEH Init instead to add the actions. But still wondering how UserActions works.

- Nose-direction indicator and weapons indicators suggestions noted. See 'Plans'. Weapons detection for all helicopter types and weapon combinations would take a bit of analysis to achieve.

- TrackIR should not affect this since it is a HMD HUD, so it should follow your head around just like free-look does.

first impression: awesome!

I hope this works with mando missiles

I hadn’t realised there was a download link there at first.

After a very quick 2 min flight I have to say I'm impressed! And i can confirm it works well with Track IR.

I'd prefer a better representation of the relative velocities i.e. slip bars rather than digits, or maybe both but I’m very impressed! I can see several applications for this. Thanks a lot!

Your userAction is probably correct Dr. Eyeball, but it may be your conditions as they have to be meet first.  I have had the same issue when I first used userAction.

This is untested as I am at work and not at my game.

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

class cfgVehicles

{

class Helicopter

{

class UserActions

{

class HMD_Display

{

displayName = "Activate HMD HUD";

OnlyForPlayer = true;

position = "window";

default = false;

radius = 20;

condition = "(player in this) && (player == driver this)";

statement = "this execVM ""\HMD\HUD.sqf"";";

};

};

};

};

The two conditions make it to where only the players inside the vehicle has the action and no players outside have it if the helicopter is occupied.  The other condition make it only available to the pilot of the helicopter.

Maybe that will get you started and hope it works.

after testing it some more minutes with various choppers i must say that your work is not awesome, it is one of the single best fixes ever that came out for ArmA. no matter what direction you look, no matter what the action is you always know the position of your craft relative to the ground. thank you very much Dr_Eyeball!!

two little suggestions from my side:

a) a red hud color that matches with the EricM/RKSL hind HUD would be nice

b) with some sort of crosshair your HMD HUD would be able to replace the lacking gun-optics "overlay" of the ka-50. even with v0.1 it is simply great to be in optics mode and nonetheless see all relevant flight parameters. how much did i whish that the standard bis sight would at least act like an artificial horizon. and now, thanks to you, here it is.

great work!!

I don't know how realistic this would be, but what about lowering it on the screen.  For some reason the thought of it being right in the middle kinda makes me wonder at times will it get in the way of something you really need to see on the screen.  Keep in mind, I haven't tested it due to not having the game at work  , although I will test it for sure one I get home.

I can see several applications for this. Thanks a lot!

Like say an Apache or a JCA?

Impressive stuff Doctor; I'm sure I'd be able to experience the benefits of this much more if I had TrackIR but it is a very handy tool that I can see having broad applications in ArmA. Good work.

had a quick look its great, it seemed to interfere with my mando missiles hud setup tho have to ask mando how to get round this.

Would this work on jets? Perhaps the small circle could be linked to the bomb drop position so we can have ccip mode for bomb runs.

mando missile hud/rwr is a cutRsc, if you use titleRsc compatibility problem gone.

mando missile hud/rwr is a cutRsc, if you use titleRsc compatibility problem gone.

Yeah, just like Eyeball was afraid of. Compatability with other addons, Mando's Missle addon is an example. Pretty sure there are some others out there we don't know about compatability wise.

Update: Minor v0.2 update to download. See first post for link. Next version will probably be similar and released as ver 1.0 soon. Advanced changes will only occur afterwards.

Changes:

• Removed GetIn EH. This allows you to choose not to use HUD if it interferes with another HUD.
  
• Removed XEH addon dependency.
  
• Fix UserActions so action not available outside of chopper.
  
• Added 'red' HUD for Hind
  

@thegunnysgt:

1. Thanks. The corrected UserActions condition fixes the problem. Not sure how to reduce the action's priority though.

2. Good point on the blocked view. Given that this uses a HMD concept, the other bits of information could easily use different HUD layouts, like around the border, or the ability to turn off the numerical read-outs, which are supplimentary anyway.

3. All mods and missions that use rscTitles will cause conflicts due to the limitation of the 2 HUD 'resource layers' available, so it's not simply a design issue.

@colligpip: it would work in jets for bomb drops, if you can calculate the maths for a 3D HUD, or just use a 2D HUD I guess.

If we can get around this rscTitles conflicts problem, then this concept can easily be expanded to any HUD with: waypoints, targets, jets, copilot gunner, tank driver/gunner/commander, etc

@Mandoble:

Using titleCut doesn't seem to be a real solution since it has downsides.

It will still clash with anyone who then uses titleCut instead, plus see the note in BIKI describing problems: titleRsc (plus cutRsc) which says:

Using titleRsc (unlike cutRsc) for a HUD will mean:

* the HUD will remain visible when you access the map and overlay it.

* using the 'Direct communication' chat channel messages will interfere with the HUD by hiding it, since it appears to use the same 'resource layer'.

Thanks.  I don't know much about moding, just a very small bit, I don't know how much play there is with userActions.

I'll take a look at it when I get home, lastnight I finally got to play with it some and I tell you it was much much easier to fly with this.  I flew my chopper without even looking up at the BIS readouts (couldn't think of what to call it, top left corner info of the screen).  I flew my chopper less than 2 meters off the ground all the time while over water and less than 5-10 meters when over land just using only your HMD HUD.

Great work as usual.

thanks for the update and for including the red color!

v0.2 now also works with the mapfact choppers, and i like that the first color showing up is now white. overall the best color for daylight operations imo.

i think for a HMD it's cool beeing in the center of the screen. moving it would look inferior while in ka-50 optics mode though.

btw: can't fly without your HMD anymore!

After trying it out, for some reason it causes another addon to not work now. It worked just fine with the previous version, but not this one. I don't know what was changed in your first one to this new one, maybe the eventhandlers as I believe the other addon uses XEH as well and User Actions.

Either way, I like what your trying to do. It adds something great for those who like to fly.

looks awesome but the link is dead

so it would be great if u can give another mirror to it

Thanks :]

Link updated with fresh link in first post (same version).

It has been reported that addons that add actions via UserActions class to other helicopters may be overriden by this. Might switch it back to use XEH and init's just to avoid this even though that is not as tidy.

If the UserActions conflict is common, then it would be good if XEH discovered a workaround for that too somehow, even though it's not an event but a class.

Edit:

@UNN (in post below):

I picked up the bad habit of assigning results to 'nil' (reserved word) from others a while back.

I will be changing all occurrences back to 'nul' which seems to be a suitable common alternative.