MDCCLXXVI

wow very sad to hear
 
prayers for his family and a moment to stop and reflect on the fragility of life and good health

wow very sad to hear
 
prayers for his family and a moment to stop and reflect on the fragility of life and good health

What do we want? To go back to the old way of being a medic!
 
When do we wan't it? Erm well anytime, but we understand that you might not be able to implement this anytime soon, but to know it might be something you'd consider and would potentially implement in the future even though technically this is it the wrong area to suggest an idea to be implemented, would be grand!
 
So yeah, you've been told... and stuff.
 

So these are my opinions on it.
 
It's buggy, often the option to revive doesn't appear, or the procedure halts halfway through, or it 'works' and the revived player cannot get up.
 
Perma death happens way too often, from artillery and heavy weapons fair enough, but from small arms it's just annoying to be domed from 500m through a helmet by an enemy you can barely see and now back to base. There is no need for it on a pub server, allow revives and let them get back in the fray; realistic? No. Better? Yes
 
Heli crashes at an AO could mean if there is a medic on the scene, he could revive them all; rather than the respawn, new chopper, return to AO rigmarole; realistic? No. Better? Yes
 
Downed players are purple on the map, unidentified enemies/NPCs are purple on the map as well. Used to be orange and there was a marker on your hud and distance; realistic? No. Better? Yes
 
Used to be able to chat in text while down, now nothing is available; realistic? No. Better? Yes
 
Realism is fine in small doses and Arma has enough in vanilla for those that want it, for those that want more realism, we have the lovely AWEU3

There´s quite something to say about the "new created" medic system.i "disliked" it much from the start.
May sound harsh,as the system has a few nicer features @animation,free look and "nxt medic pos" highlighted ... but it is a permanent b*tch to face on a public server with usual mix of players.It changes the mentality of players in the long run too as its way quicker to respawn instant base and reinsert then having to wait minutes for amedic to come+survive+heal you in given time - i noticed this myself that due to the missing "Grab/Carry" option you take it given fact to not even care for looking for a medic when one of your mates gets wounded/shot.
Then there s this "cant talk in chat/call for medic" once in wounded animation which is JUST HORRIBLE WRONG !
Its god damn frustrating to only be able to watch map and hope for the sake of the task you were on to get some medic to notice you even wounded and need assistance.
Funny,i notice sometimes "some" peopel are able to use chat when in animation -i even had that once happen to me - but its so goddamn seldom its my main gripe to this system.
 
Back in the days,Norrin´s revive had a option to set a alternative revive point that was (depending on certain mission) a mobile medic span deplyable by medic (to much hassle for I+A with 60players) or add such a point to AO´s so it moves with each AO but stays in the near outskirts of it maybe 3-4k away with no teleport option too.
Just a quickshot idea.
Or tweak medic system and make it 2 parameter options (set by admin of server) so you can have "unforgiving and TSneeded" option for h4rdCore *cough* EU3#(yea,fkk it - its EU3# and not AWE to me) and a "softcore" option for pub servers.
 
For the sake of gameplay on EU1# and 2# i support a demand for a better solution than now.
(adapt current medic system accordingly or swap back to a Norrin like system)
 
I was about to reply sooner but had different occupations to deal with.
Interesting there s so low response to a "issue" we all face.

Alright, here's a few of mine. Most or all are from I&A.
 
1. Camp Rogain recon
 

 
2. Spottin in Neri
 

 
3. "In Russia ..."
 

 
 
4. Mohawk, Naval configuration
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
5. Martian Medic
 

 
 
 
 
 
6. Airbase Life I
 

 
 
7. Collateral Murder
 

 
 
 
8. Airbase Life II
 

 
 
9. Airbase Life III   (Note: This was pre-airlift script)
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
10. Pub Ops on AW (i am in pilot seat of center heli)
 

this should fix any fog issues, simply insert into init.sqf
 
if (isdedicated) then {true spawn {while {true} do {30 setfog [0,0,0];sleep 600;};};};  

Thanks for the feedback so far.
 
 
 
 
So as I suspected, transport and accessibility are the main problems then? Though I have no say in the matter, I like the idea of paradropping in (more realistic than teleporting poles, which I thought about too as a temporary solution) but wouldn't that require that everyone takes a chute instead of a backpack? If there aren't any pilots to bring in supplies or take you back to base, you'll run out of bullets pretty quickly and you'll have to respawn just to get rearmed. Doesn't seem very fun either...
 
 
 
In the past week, I've made 4 bases and some adjustments to make Tanoa as a whole more lively, which I then suggested to / discussed with @BACONMOP. Initial response was positive imo, so I'm now waiting for news on if / how / when he'll use them in a public release. I can say already that St. George Airport is a no-go, though, because FOB Fin is already there.

... more like months 

The reason I don't play a lot on EU2 anymore is many real life stuff.  I simpy don't have the time to game a complete hour.  And if I do find myself with half an hour of free time I actually want to do something, so I join EU1. In the very uncommon case I do have more then an hour I do join EU2, most of the time as a pilot.
 
Another thing about EU2 is the fog.  I know that there's nothing that can be done to prevent it. And that I should ask an admin on TS to remove it.  However during the 'down hours' there usually only is 1 admin or spartan online or none at all. (I get why, admins and spartans have a life besides AW as well) But this makes it rather difficult to have the fog removed.
 
On zeus enhancing gameplay:  This could be because of me not playing a lot but the only zeus i've seen active on EU2 is @Eagle-Eye.  Now I understand why someone that want's to zeus prefers EU1 to do this on.  But this results (imo) in a similar situation as players needing to join to make other players join.  If there are a lot of really good zeusmissions on eu2 people will start to join eu2 (imo).
 
I personally don't have a problem with the base, tanoa or the missions.
 
Now for fixes.
For the number of players: maybe some EU1 regulars could temporary change to EU2? Until it has regained some popularity?  Or maybe advertise EU2 on EU1?  (I'm just brainstorming here)
 
The fog: Maybe put a marker somewhere on the map explaining to new players how to get the fog removed?
 
Enhanced gameplay: I don't think we should (can?) force spartans to join EU2 and zeus there.  But it would be great if they could.

I know we have this topic to talk about I&A3 in general, but seeing how EU2 really seems to be struggling nowadays, I think it deserves its own topic to hopefully find out why it has become so deserted. If not, admins/mods are free to join the topics, or remove this one entirely.
 
In order to knows what's going on, as many as possible should write here why they can't, don't want or maybe even refuse to connect to EU2 anymore, and if possible, what and how you would change to make EU2 more crowded again. Doesn't matter if you have already replied in the mentioned topic above. You can repeat or quote what you said there, here, to gather it all in one place.
 
To give you a few examples of what you could comment about:
- Tanoa: Lost interest in the map, is the high amount of objects causing performance issues, ...?
- Server: Ping too high, server load causing performance issues, ...?
- Base: Wrong design or location, does it not have certain things you'd expect there, ...?
- Missions: Too hard AI, not enough difference between different AO's, ...?
- Environment: Too much fog, too often nighttime when you want to/can play, ...?
- Players*: Don't play as you'd like them to enough, annoying / TK'ing too much, ...?
- Spartans / admins: Not doing enough to enhance gameplay, often not or too present, ...?
- ...
 
* Small note about a "special case", in my opinion: Absence of players, while a valid reason in itself, is a chicken-or-egg situation, in my opinion. Someone has to be the first to connect and stay there for a minimum amount of time to allow others to notice someone's on, so if that's your main reason for not logging on, I do hope you change your mind soon. 
 
 
To start off, the problem according to me:
Personally, I think it's in large part because of the base location. The current situation is that the base is in one the corners of the map on a disconnected island, while it used to be almost smack-down the middle of the map, on the main island. As a result, having a pilot has become almost a must to get to any AO after the first 3 or 4. It seems that for some reason people aren't as eager to take the pilot slot anymore (I don't see why, it wasn't uncommon before to see 1 or 2 rookie pilots online in the past. Maybe because we only have a Ghosthawk to fly now?), meaning you're in for a pretty long boat trip + drive (if you actually manage to find a vehicle) instead. Add to that, that AI has become more lethal (especially when enemy artillery is active) and it isn't too uncommon to get the feeling you're spending more time ferrying than fighting. This results in a low fun factor, and if the server is up for a long time, the AO's are further out, which makes the problem even worse.
 
Possible fix:
- I'm working on a few ideas for alternative bases, which I will present to the powers that be once I have something worth showing.
- As Spartan, I'm not a wishing well that will grant your every request, but if I'm online and you need something, ask nicely and I may be able to help you out.
 
 
 
Now, on to you.

@Jason.
It happened before I@A3 and I can confirm that it is not only I@A that suffers from it.
 
You know the drill, Jason. Find Admin or get mission restarted. If there are only a few players online you can do it by chat command.
 
@TheScar
So you got pissed about bad weather and some steel rain on you? I am pissed about a bad weather if my feeble body is exposed to it but not when I am sitting in my chair sipping on a cup of hot spiced wine playing a video game (-:. If the bad weather is bothering you can try to ask Zeus/Admin or switch server. I think they will be happy to help as most of the public crowd hates these conditions and it is generally good for donations to have a smoothly running server.
 
I know you prefer to run solo but what you describe is much more manageable if you team up. Shared misery is more bearable for me in real life and in a game too.  
 
BTW:
3000h on I@A only?
Arma offers a really wide variety of game modes. Sometimes it is good to hit the server browser again and find more missions to explore to get a wider picture.
 
Ahoj

SENPAI, NO!!!!
 
Edit
 
On a serious note, I am deeply affected by the tone, "U dun like it here? Leave!"
AW is an organisation that thrives on the unity of the community. We cannot have any hostile mindset just because we do not like a member's no-nonsense words. We should have an open mind knowing that many stuff still need to be tweaked as AW believes I&A3 is the way forward.
I do not want to see AW dissolve in the near future because of in-fighting and complacency. We have to remember: our loss could be other's gain.

Hah!
You really hit a spot here and i will very well consider option 1.
After all,i lived before I+A and i will after.
Be assured.

There is possibility of a convenient middle ground between full stamina system and no stamina system, since a couple updates.
 
player setUnitTrait ['loadCoef',<number>];
 
For instance:
 
player setUnitTrait ['loadCoef',0];   // will allow the player substantial increase in stamina without it being unlimited
 
Maybe some playing around in the editor with the 'super elite cobra commander main-battle-tank' loadouts people run with, and tweaking the above code, could yield a workable value.
 
Of course, I am with Luetin on this one in that a stamina system facilitates much wider range of gameplay that a mission maker can put together for players, since it is more difficult for one person to disrupt it with their OP gear selection (and most players do choose to maximize their effectiveness using whatever means they can).
 
By the same token, things look different from a server operator point of view, where disgruntled players may take their arsenal loadout to another server instead of adapt to stamina system on yours.

Do the form if your interested here : FORM
 
 
Do understand the severity of the seriousness of this.
 
 
AHOSEC is to be a close to realism unit.
 
 

You shouldn't going making assumptinons about other people JuX...
Especially ones you've never played with.

I use the ASP on Tanoa, not the Lynx.
I have multiple loadouts for Tanoa (with the Stamina system)
We've been testing different loadouts for quite some time now, as we tend to stick to minimal equipment and work as a team.

FYI, the ASP Kir, is a Specialist Weapon for Close-Medium range combat 200-400m... not for a Sniping role.

Not many people tend to run as Spotters, they all want to be Snipers, and therefore, Snipers do have to take things that they wouldn't usually need to... like Rangefinder/more Ammunition.
IT IS A PUBLIC SERVER and therefore people can't always rely on others, ESPECIALLY when the server is less populated.

PLEASE READ FULLY before responding also - I was talking about the ARTILLERY/MORTAR LoS, not the Infantry.. I clearly stated that in my post.

I suggest from this point on you don't act all high-and-mighty with your replies, and instead read, digest, take the information provided into account, if you don't know someone elses play style, do not make assumptions and talk down to them, because guess what... THEIR opinion is just as valid as yours.

Final note.
Not everyone coming to AW servers is going to have a group of people they know and trust well enough to rely on, and will therefore play the game until they get to grips with it, and make new friends within the community.
Making it difficult for those NEW players is going to impact how things run.

These are just the views of some players, myself and others, on things that should be looked at in order to keep AW as a 'go-to' place for players wanting a fun and inclusive experience from ARMA.

Trying to belittle such opinions and invalidate their information and suggestions only leads to a more exclusive and restrictive community, which is not the aim of the staff here at AW.

There is possibility of a convenient middle ground between full stamina system and no stamina system, since a couple updates.
 
player setUnitTrait ['loadCoef',<number>];
 
For instance:
 
player setUnitTrait ['loadCoef',0];   // will allow the player substantial increase in stamina without it being unlimited
 
Maybe some playing around in the editor with the 'super elite cobra commander main-battle-tank' loadouts people run with, and tweaking the above code, could yield a workable value.
 
Of course, I am with Luetin on this one in that a stamina system facilitates much wider range of gameplay that a mission maker can put together for players, since it is more difficult for one person to disrupt it with their OP gear selection (and most players do choose to maximize their effectiveness using whatever means they can).
 
By the same token, things look different from a server operator point of view, where disgruntled players may take their arsenal loadout to another server instead of adapt to stamina system on yours.

Also its a lot of hard work to create stuff which is fun and playable.
 
Even Xeno's Domination sucks in A3 (read the reviews). All the ingredients are there, but its not fun and not really playable.
 
Rarek's brilliancy with I&A was creating something fun and playable and simple with the same ingredients.
 
Both Tonic (Altis Life) and Sa-Matra (Wasteland + KotH) are professional programmers, who are also excellent game designers.
 
The Exile team has at least one professional programmer, and a bunch of other enthusiastic and skillful modders.
 
Same with breaking point and dayz. Quality teams of semi-professionals and experienced modders.
 
 
Basically, its hard and mostly thankless work, to make something great. It is no surprise to me there are so few popular gamemodes.
 
 
 
Another thing to consider is on the Demand side, the above-mentioned teams being the Suppliers.
 
You could create something great, but no one would play it since most A3 players who are left (about 1/4 the number as were around 1 month after launch) have found their comfort zone gamemodes/gametypes, and just arent interested in playing anything else or trying anything new. Theres lots of fun scenarios with 0/40 servers simply because no one wants to join a 0/40 server, regardless of how much better your new gamemode is.
 
There isnt much demand for something new, evidenced by how rarely people join servers hosting unfamiliar scenarios.

http://www.ahoyworld.co.uk/topic/726-aw-invade-annex-changelog-and-download/
 
Perhaps its time to port your stuff from 2.65 into 2.83

The side mission structure is designed for modular insertion of your own. When built there was expectation that communities would do just this, but sadly not many have taken the time to develop new side missions.
 
 
The structure is reasonably laid out for the side missions in the actual scripts. For the basic "go here and destroy something" type, here is a basic guide:
 
0. Select location for the mission. Could be completely random or have geographic requirements (IE repeaters on hilltops, boats near water, etc)
 
1. Create the objective and any set-pieces, any other non-critical structures and decorations.
 
2. Create some guards/security for the objective.
 
3. Brief the players ... hints, notifications, chat messages, map markers, etc.
 
4. Set some variables that you'll need. (pre loop)
 
5. Monitor the variables and wait. (this is the evaluation loop)
 
6. After the mission is done, depending on the variable it will be success or fail.
 
7. Depending on #6, de-brief the players accordingly using existing structures.
 
8. Clean up time. Wait a few minutes (5-10 is best) for the players to depart the area and then remove all traces of the fight, to save FPS for the next battle.
 
 
 
---
 
Some are more complicated than others, for instance the secureIntelX ones are slightly more complex, that just means there are more #4 and #5, with some behavior and logic scripted into the loop using common 'if then' structure.
 
For more complex ones, on a public server learning from experience, the briefing and player awareness of what they are supposed to do and where that is supposed to happen, is more important than I had previously thought.
 
Good luck and happy scripting.

PMed.
 
The gamemode and initial creative design are all Jack Williams [Rareks] work, with inspiration from earlier Domination gamemodes (such as Xeno A2 domination). AW is the core I&A community, though most of my part in the development occurred on the backs of an Australian community (allfps.com.au) which I am no longer affiliated with as of June. If familiar with development process, it is the players and community that bear the brunt of development, and do all the play-testing and endure all the ups and downs.
 
I feel it is important that you mention Jack Williams is the primary author above all, and at least provide a general mention for the AW and allFPS communities for aiding and being there through thick and thin of the dev process. Without the players, none of it is possible and there would only be broken scenario.
 
Also a mention for AW core staff for keeping I&A as a friendly experience for players and other editing communities alike, that is no easy feat.
 
I do not need a mention, though it is up to you. If you are going to have my name there, please de-couple it from any mention of allFPS, I am not associated with them for 6 months
 
JMO
 
...
 
As for the loading screen image and text. Most communities like to personalize this stuff and edit the author line. I suppose it is frowned upon, although I blame BIS for not taking better care of server owners/communities on that loading screen. There should be a line like the author line, except for server/community admins and staff. Its a lot of work to maintain a mission and understandably everyone wants their stuff up front haha. That loading screen is a single player loading screen, not suited for the multiplayer ecosystem of content creators, server owners, and mission editors/modders. All deserve some credit for what the player experiences after the loading screen.
 
Ahh well.

That is quite an old code base (a february build I think) you are working with, I would suggest either one of the later 2.75 builds or AW 2.77 build. IIRC that one you have was released during the re-structure, and there were still some scripts that were not properly partitioned between server and player. 
 
As for credit, do your best to leave Rarek and Ahoyworld with primary credits. I have made mistakes from time to time myself and always regret it when looking back. At the least, if you code something and it is inspired by the work of another, reference them in your work and since the I&A 2 design belongs to AW, even if you re-code it, the mission idea should still be credited to them.

As you might know, there are some... ahem ... Issues with the UAVs at the moment. The root of the issues is a BIS bug, and then there are some attempted fixes that didn't go so well and made it worse! As a result I decided to finally report the issue.
 
 
 
http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=21685

Up-vote please!!!
 
   
 
 
Supporting vid:


 
 
 
 
also posted here:
 
http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?168197-UAVs-Feedback-and-wishes/page20