radek

i vote for keeping zeus on. the default "shooting fish in a barrel" mode should be grateful for having an additional dynamic element but pls do more regular "disclaimers" that a zeus is on, and additionally, when an important change to game mechanics is applied (like the lasers thing). chat messages are flooded away fast by logins and when you miss it, you are in for nasty surprises. maybe if it could be permanently marked on the map by the AO. a good compromise were the pure zeus missions, which were clearly designated as such, were running in parallel to standard AOs and prompted for coordinated player teams. which you dont get by default and you can't expect blufor to rationally react to the tactical situation and its changes in field - "what would CSAT do/what would zeus do" is not how I&A works nor teaches players to behave. also it seems zeus is on only when it's night, ideally with rain

yes, it works like this. but you can only get this stuff from the arsenal. trying to pick up these items from the ground is not possible. also "executive" slots on vehicles (pilot/driver/gunner) are unavailable.

I would not be so sure they are not relevant, as they are part of the fire geometry model, which interacts with projectiles, before they reach the hitpoints. see the barrel drums and side tanks on this Arma2 T-90 model

@kman the actual models of vehicles (arma and rhs) are not published (the files are garbled to prevent copying, duh), so we don't know for sure. only live fire tests can be made. @cebi i already went through the damage description when analyzing bullets, it's ... a bit messy PS fuel tanks are not really weakspots. fuel does not burn well (!) A car won't explode from bullet hits. It's really hard to ignite, you need a high temp, oxygen, and/or durable flame (like a molotov, HE round, or better, a flare). The dangerous vapors are kept out of the tanks by over-pressurizing them with other gases (which also act as extinguishers). Tanks are well protected and you can soak them in napalm. Even when external tanks start to burn, and the auto-extinguishing systems don't work, you just let them burn out and go on. Fuel is even deliberately placed as inert armor i.e. the merkava main tank is right in front of the crew. It's thickness partially protects as armor. compared to steel (eRHA) 15% against kinetic penetrators (sabot) and 45% against HEAT. Exhausts (and engine grills) are a real weakspot, because a hit there might cause an engine fire.

and i thought snipers were the elitist folks if you hear "poof-poof-poof-poof" it's not a sniper, but a target.

@Tactical_Beard night is night. the AI has a major handicap on spotting, so it's a balance issue. the NVS has a zoom, it's 2.5x compared to the RCOs. also the TWS is massively op, let alone the stalker. portable night vision is not supposed to bring you "daylight" ranges. sniping is easy enough, why make it even easier just because it's dark and ppl don't want to run...

AFV - armored fighting vehicle - is the general class for all motorized, small rifle resistant, vehicles. If you don't know/not sure what type you are facing, and it's not a car, call out an AFV, or "armor" common sub-classes encountered in AWE theaters APC - armored personnel carrier Role: fast, safe movement of forces in the rear, reconnaissance tasks, NBC troop protection. Generally armed with medium caliber MGs. usually carry 8-14 dismounts (squad). Protects from MG fire. 12.7/.50 AP and all RPGs are a threat. Opfor include soviet BTR (8-wheeled transporter), BRDM (4-wheeled recon). Note, russian APCs have an advanced tire pressure control system, which allows them to move with flat tires, until the wheel is completely destroyed (simulated by RHS mod) Blufor counterparts are M113, AAV, LAV, MRAP IFV - infantry fighting vehicle Role: enables infantry to keep up with MBT movement, carry/fire heavy armament and/or AA/AT rockets. Armored front-line vehicles for mechanized infantry teams (6-8). Tracked, for true all-terrain movement. generally armed with large caliber MGs. Resistant to 12.7, partially to 20mm. 30/40 AP and small RPGs will usually deliver a kill. opfor: BMP (infantry - "pekhota") or the smaller BMD (paratroopers - "dessant" ) families. blufor: M2 bradley MBT - main battle tanks Role: fast flanking attack of AT forces, support infantry by fighting enemy tanks. Note, since ww2 there are no real tank classes, so "tank" means MBT. It has tracks and a big cannon. Also armed with coaxial MG, optionally independent medium MG. Completely resistant to 12.7 and even 20mm. 30/40 AP may cause damage to engine from side/rear and tracks/MGs. only large RPGs are a real threat. This is the soviet/russian "T" line (ww2 T-34/85, slow T-55, decent T-64 and T-72. top of the line are T-80 and T-90) Blufor: 105mm Merkava and 120mm M1/Leopard2 lines. You may also encounter the AA gun ZSU "Shilka", which boasts a nasty quad 23mm cannon (4000 rounds per minute which can and will be pointed at infantry). Or if Zeus really hates you a MRLS (multiple rocket launch system) BM-21 "Grad", which brings a battery of 40(!) 122mm rockets launched at once, designed to purge large areas. These are 'vintage' models designed more than 50 years ago, having very light to none armor, but their brute destruction force is not to be neglected.

I'd prefer if there was a "soft-kill" player damage setting, or at least a couple of respawns available right away, in these kind of missions. People did quit after dying mainly because of the uncertain promise of respawn. You can die easily by various arma physics magic or just get unlucky. A guy in my team was FF'd just after reaching the city. Does it make you value your life more? kinda. Is it fun? no. Especially after all that waiting before kickoff. More actionable, heavy, but non-lethal injuries would also promote medic work. Re-inserts of troops could be also synchronized by using dynamic respawn points as the frontline progresses. All in all it was a cool night. For the first run I had a good team, and a competent, communicative TL, which was nice to work for. Keep it coming.

@cebi interesting thanks.

you don't see injuries on map, but they do light up in plain view. so unless ppl disappear right after going down (meaning they dont want help), a medic can pick where to move.

@TheScar AOs spawning close by is actually a good thing in my opinion, because it enables you to do more missions in one go, just by running to it. Considering the reduced mechanized mobility issue in IA3. ~1 mile is feasible, as you can make it in the same time people RTB and re-dispatch via helis. Yes, sometimes you get unlucky that it gets put on your position. A grace period before spawning troops maybe? Got a chance to visit FOB Martian, it could have some markers on the map explaining what is where. I was running around at night, but couldn't make the sense of it, only briefly got a glimpse of stuff appearing, after taking off it. when you are unconscious, you can't type on your phone that's a feature, not a bug. preferably your buddy (*cough*) should call for help. It's nice though you can look around and see if a medic is approaching or not, helps deciding on respawn. (before you saw only the distance, not his direction, which was depressing at times)

why so negative. point is the ammo does have different characteristics and purposes in game. and it's a mess getting around it in the arsenal, most of the info is not even presented in game. when the M240 comes out to AR, there will be even more ammo options. the sniper mode is on, but the module master switch is off. yes, wind deflection is not part of AB and operates independently (enhancing basic ACE ballistics or AB when it's present). Basic ballistics adds/re-calibrates ammo, weapons, magazines, scopes and silencers. Advanced ballistics apply bullet shape, barrel parameters and non-wind atmospheric effects.

Part I, covering the most common 5.56x45 and 7.62x51. ACE3 modifies some parameters and adds own definitions of ammunition. Note that ACE advanced ballistics is disabled in AWE. 5.56x45 general use primary ammo for the M4/M16 family Arma3 "Stanag" - hit 8 / pene 0.7 - probably modeled after M855, steel tip with lead core M855A1 - hit 9 / pene 0.65 - cost effective. mainstream and lead-free, steel tip with copper alloy core Both come in STANAG 30-mags (last 4 are red tracers) and full colored mags (yellow,red,green,orange). A 'no tracer' mag is available for M855A1. only M855A1 is available for the M249 LMG: 100/200 "mixed" Pouch - tracer every 4 rounds + last 10 "5.56mm M855A1 200rnd Belt" - no tracers 200 "tracer" Belt - 4 color variants. Mk318 - hit 9.55 / pene 0.64 - designed to retain stability/lethality after penetrating light barriers, made as open-tip match Mk262 - 10.3 / 0.677 - precision ammo, lead core, less hot burning charge (reduces flash/report), open-tip match, expensive (4x M855) Mags for both end with 4 red tracers. ACE adds these subtypes for Arma rifles TRG20 (TAR-21), Mk20C (F2000 Tac), SDAR: 5.56mm 30Rnd Mag (Mk262) - ace version (11/0.8) 5.56mm 30Rnd Mag (Mk318) - ace version (9/0.8) 5.56mm 30Rnd Mag (M995 AP) - (6/1.6) - tungsten core, black tip. These are not compatible with RHS rifles. 7.62x51 Assault rifle, MG and Marksmen ammo M80 - hit 11.55 / pene 0.45 - Semi-Armor-Piercing iron or mild steel core and a gilded steel jacket (9.5g bullet weight) M80A1EPR, - 9.98/0.55 - advanced 2014 model, "lead free" (7.4g) M61 AP - 16/0.45 - Armor piercing, (9.8g, black tip) M62 tracer - 11/0.45 - Tracer ammo (9.2g, orange tip) M118 Special Ball - 11.55/0.42 - Heavy, Long Range ammo. Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail; old factory - degrading batches (11g) M993 AP - 11.55/0.72 - sniper armor-piercing round, tungsten core penetrator, (8.2g black cartridge tip) Most sub-types are used in the M240 MMG, which is not present in AWE. RHS variants (M14 EBR-RI, Mk11, M110) accept these magazines: 7.62mm M118 20Rnd Mag 7.62mm M993 20Rnd Mag 7.62mm M62 Tracer 20rnd Mag M24 sniper rifle accepts: 7.62mm M118 5 Rnd Mag 7.62mm M993 5 Rnd Mag Arma3 rifles Mk14 ("M14") , Mk18 ABR ("Mk14 Mod 1 EBR") , SPAR17 ("HK417A2 D20"), Mk-I EBR ("SIG-556") use ARMA 7.62 STANAG (12/1.6, ACE 9/1.6), which come in 20rnd no tracers mags - these are compatible with RHS weapons. ACE adds custom ammo/magazines to these weapons, which are not compatible with RHS: 7.62mm 20rnd Tracer Mag - colors 7.62mm 20rnd Tracer IR-DIM Mag - visible in NVG only 7.62mm 20Rnd Mag (M118LR) - Evolution of the M118 Special, with new production technology MatchKing Hollow Point (non-expanding), and less hot charge, designated "sniper" ammo. (16/1.8) 7.62mm 20Rnd Mag (Mk316 Mod 0) - (16/1.8) - utilized advances from M118LR, due to lowered weapon report, called "SpecOps ammo" (11g) 7.62mm 20Rnd Mag (Mk319 Mod 0) - (14/1.5) - high speed for lethality after light barriers, also usable for carbines and shorter barrel rifles (8g) 7.62mm 20Rnd Mag (M993 AP) - ACE version (11/2.2) 7.62mm 20Rnd SD Mag - subsonic round (6/1) - note the effective range and bullet drop are greatly changed

some quotes from this remarkable night, thanks @Copey happy halloween

yet, you addressed almost all tof my points accurately no. it's a tad bit difficult than before, but nothing serious. I was talking about how it "feels" in the mood of the campaign. I see, the other things are WIP. just keep us posted (the changelog stopped a while ago) ok, haven't seen it yet. no problem, this is kinda the "correct" way. I have had beautiful sniper team gameplays with certain players here, but most folks don't want to talk or team up. the spotter slot is a little obsolete by then. other issue is getting snipers/recon into their positions reasonably and in time - this has become much more difficult now with the new base location (you basically fight other players for access than the AI for survival) was only my opinion. me sad

so you are not wearing earplugs neither, huh? 750m/60db were example value. but alas you can fire a nuke at AI and they are likely to ignore it. Rounds have additional values that define how likely AI is to react to the fly-by and nearby impact and those seem to be more important. I think this is an generic AI issue, not exactly related to our topic. subsonic ammo does have a much lower "hit" defined to start with, compared to full speed counterparts. It's a vanilla feature. RHS has subsonic variants for the russian AKM 7.62x39 (68% hit) and ak74 5.45x39 (40%). the Makarov pistol and Skorpion SMG use subsonic ammo by default. sorry USF, none for you.

i miss having earplugs from the start. now can't mute during the loading and in the queue at the gyros stand. the whole "base" indeed looks more like a goat smugglers hideout, or a hippie squat, than a military base. no one seen the "invade" part anyway, and the "annex" never happens - there is just an endless stream of opfor ghouls, rolling megatons of tigrises, frits and kumas. now even sochors and those cool "killins" (or are they 'tchillins')? if the OOB of 2 AOs would move in on the "camp" it would become I&Annecdetomy. The 'campaign' immersion is not played out. I still don't get the nature of us, the invaders and the relation to the inhabitants. Still the two gyros guys can handle that from their little tables... And then there is the lost&found "TK" laptop laying around... a lot of the new stuff is undocumented, now you can't tell what is a bug and what is indeed feature or what you didn't get yet. It's not worth driving anywhere, it will be long over before you get half way there. APC or armor is not spawning anymore anyway. taking 2 hemmts (repair, fuel) just to keep hunters rolling, optional third for ammo and fourth for troops is .. not going to happen. you can't load weapons for other ppl beforehand anyway. And the big hemmt comes with couple FAKs - nowhere near what the gyros guys have... unless FOB creation becomes an actual mission (making it mandatory), adding a spawn, move at least some partial arsenal crates over and defending it arsenal is bugged here and there. snipers can't take ghillies as one example. but let's see as it develops. new is always better. PS I miss ACE on EU1 so much. it would make the roles potent and meaningful and add good challenge to criticized long range engagement.

what would be those negative effects? what version/year did you test that in? Again, neither ACE nor RHS attachments touch the "hit" value of the bullet (which relates to the shape, nature and composition of the core/penetrator), or change other ballistic damage properties (mainly caliber). and that's the correct way to do it. anyway, a real suppressor does deliver around -30dB of sound pressure. if you can pick up an assault rifle 150dB shot being fired in your direction from, let's say, 20'000m, when it drops to ~60dB and starts to "blend in", a "silenced" 120dB shot will reach the same level only at 750m = 4%. That being said, we are still talking marksmen ranges and 120dB, which is painfully loud. That does not mean it works the same for actually locating the origin (which has much more to do with echoes, bounces and weather - and Arma AI logic itself) but that's how dBs work. for the budget savvy, there are more simpler flash suppressors and muzzle brakes in the arsenal, which provide only some visual stealth bonus a condom is also a boring special purpose gadget, and it too improves your combat performance. so you should use it, when available and leave it off only when doing fun practice and/or on safe fire ranges...

nope. I did look at the code and it's in the OP what ACE really does.

@GhostDragon which mod is that in?

tl;dr - Silencers don't degrade the gun's performance, they improve it. In Arma3, this was not implemented correctly, different mods tried to rectify it (e.g. ACE3.0.0+). Meanwhile the mechanic was corrected in arma itself. The barrel is made physically longer. The explosive charge has more time to propel the projectile and the trajectory becomes a bit more stable. The projectile does not meet any objects or interactions in the silencer/suppressor. It only affects the hot gases (flash) and shockwave (sound) leaving the barrel through the muzzle (which happens after the projectile is gone). A silencer does not make the shot itself silent. The bullet still travels supersonic (Mach 3 at muzzle) and makes a loud whiplash bang. The difference is that this is hard to locate and relate to the origin of the shot. Special use of sub-sonic ammunition (usually marked "U" or "SD") can result in a pretty stealth shot - it makes just a silent "whoosh" sound passing by/in. These effects are currently (1.6+) applied to ballistic parameters in ARMA3 (RHS weapons changes noted separately): + no change in projectile "hit" power + Reduces audible detection to 3 or 4% of normal that sounds A LOT. If it means 3% of the detection distance, which makes -30dB, which would be a good market value. There seems to be some confusion in the documentation (audibleFire parameter). If it means 3% of the original sound pressure - it is reduction of -15dB, which seems to be a entry stock value. A normal shot is anywhere between 100-150dB, depending on it's power/charge. The mechanical part of guns can be pretty loud on their own (the "clicking", 60-100dB) - these are not affected and still can give away our position. RHS reduce to only 40% (-8dB) ACE applies 10% on stock items (-20dB) + Increases muzzle velocity by 5% 5% increase in speed is not insignificant. it amounts for a 10.25% increase in kinetic energy (i.e. effective range and/or penetration). The "marksman dlc" suppressors for .338 and 9.3x64 are even better, given their length, they add 10% to muzzle velocity (21% energy increase). This affects your scope zeroing quite a bit! - aim low. RHS add only 1% (2% eff.range). ACE removes velocity change of stock items. + Reduces dispersion by 20% For a sniper rifle standard of 1 MOA (minute of angle = 0.29 milrad, or 0.00029 rad) a suppressor reduces your "bullseye" at 1000m from 29cm radius, to 23cm -- Or, you will hit the same target size at 1250m. Which can be pretty significant; accounting for the faster bullet; in dealing damage with the mid-caliber guns (7.62, .338, ...) RHS also use this value. ACE re-balances stock weapons to arbitrary MOA values + defines a 5% accuracy bonus on suppressors. + Reduces visible detection to 30% of normal + Halves visible and audible detection times these parameters are not really documented what they actually mean... but if you see the monster flash size at night, on NVG, it makes you think. RHS reduces flash to 20% and 50% visible time, does not apply audible time reduction. ACE leaves defaults here. - Increases weight, reduces dexterity the gun is apparently longer, making it more difficult to manouver (the crosshair reacts to mouse movement a bit more sluggish). The length can be a factor especially in CQB, but since it does not collide with anything in arma, this is only a "roleplay" limitation. But then again, the flash and echoing suppression can be considered beneficial. ACE applies a 5% reduction in recoil of stock components, which is also a real effect, due to a more controlled gas ejection Yes, it sounds less cool. But get over it. Even on a MG

@Colsta i was referring to myself waiting to see and play IA3 but thanks for the info about the meeting, I'll try to make it and listen in

thanks for the feedback guys. yes I'm aware of EU3. I got it running some time ago, but the server seems empty most of the time, among other things. i'll check it out more closely after the IA3 hype settles

Ahoy After playing a couple of days and nights and nights, I decided to share my thoughts on EU1 gameplay I'm pretty new to arma multiplayer, so this just my feedback. I have played many nice missions on AW, and have met remarkable soldiers, leaders, or just role-playing folks. I enjoy AW, as it has this casual feel, is open to everyone (the server is full for most of prime time!) Any criticism here, is just my rational opinion on the gameplay and how I see it. Even if nothing would change (now I'm really looking forward to the upcoming IA3 release), AW is where i spend my arma-time. The IA mission system It's a wonderful baseline set of features (what else to say in it's birthplace, right?). What I miss is the "annex - and defend/hold" phase, which I understand is in the system, but is switched off at least on EU1. As all of this is probably going to mix/change a lot this weekend in IA3, up to the more general topics next... Command/Comms I really miss TFAR - or generally TS usage. I hate the ingame VON, which can't be split from the sound effects, into a headset. You cannot opt-out of channels, you cannot opt-in. That led to muting the side chat... Either way, it seems everyone just became allergic to the VON usage, even for useful info. But the text chat is so lame. it's too small, too short, too distracting, cluttered and inefficient. Relaying important information about coordination, enemy positions or imminent threats is very cumbersome. Also the discrete separation of map layers is annoying - see the chaos in LZ designation/in-vehicle picking, random marking deletion/spam or just missing info because you switched to the wrong layer by mistake comma dot comma dot dot dot damn... Classes, weapons, difficulty The AI is dumb. (although it might have improved a bit in the N>O update?). Yes, it's lethal at close range, but it's recce and reaction to engagement are a joke and long range ops are non-existent. It might be a feature, it might be a bug. But it has profound effects on the BLUFOR ops. Especially some classes. A MBT can wipe out all enemy armor in 2 minutes just by camping on a hill, at comfortable 1500-2000m away (haven't really seen enemy armor retaliating at more than ~1.2km). A sniper can have a picnic 1200m away for a whole day and shoot infantry with all the ammo he can carry (enemy snipers are pretty clueless even at marksman ranges of 800m). even marksmen/spotters with the large caliber guns can wreck havoc from 1000m, limited only by the Kahlia scope zoom. The issue becomes ridiculous using the 7.62's, when you can slowly chip away squads and garrisons, delivering the needed 2-3 hits at long range. Enemy squads just keep standing there after being hit, or they run for a bit, treat themselves and resume patrolling as if it never happened. When a reasonable player/team uses these assets, it's way too op and there is a lack of challenge to them. The effect is a little downplayed by rambo-mode tank drivers and snipers getting wasted... I see it can be related to balance and general accessibility of the gameplay, but these roles have it more difficult to get into the battle before it's over, than surviving/winning it. And more on "thermal imaging" later... Population, co-op and Tactical skillset Most of the time my impression of the mission flow is like this - never ending stream of helis hurling respawning random infantry into the AO. You are afraid to board one, because you don't know where it will go, or if it's a geronimo flight (my longest shot-down streak is like 7 flights). once successfully landed, people get out and the sprinting starts, to the action. If you stop or slow down you risk the route will be swept clean or you will be alone because everyone else just got wiped out. Increasing the enemy AA to press more squads into vehicle transport, or recon and LZ securing, seems unfeasible because of the quick respawning and revival of the "nas mnogo" tactics. People don't seem to really use the "technological" edge over OPFOR - a lot of times a quick scan of the AO with the range/laser will "light up" a lot of enemy troops on the map, somehow unseen by previous waves of invaders. The IR channel is also op in this regard, especially at night. Anyway, see you in battle