Game Updates, Site Updates

Back to work

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For my birthday this year, I asked for a new graphics card.  The one I got isn’t the one I asked for, it was an overclocked card.  I usually go for reference card designs to avoid any headaches, (when you get older, headaches trump speed), but this card was awesome!  Easy to overclock, powerful.  It was great.  Except with Arma 3.  Arma 3 wouldn’t run.

I tried for two months, giving up several times after hours of google searching and trying different variations of settings.  But recently I fixed it by completely underclocking my card.  LOL.  Headaches!

Anyway, I’m back to editing and am loving some of the new things that have come up in Arma 3 since I’ve been away, specifically ropes!  Ropes are awesome.  You can have so much fun with them.

But first things first.  I’m putting the final touches on my long-awaited Raven addon update.  Here’s a quick list of things I’ve fixed in version 2.5:

VERSION 2.5

  • -FIXED: Target Sphere visible to other players in multiplayer when Raven driver is in camera view
  • -CHANGED: Minicam MODE action stays open when changing vision modes for the Minicam
  • -ADDED: New animations for picking up and dropping Raven and GCS
  • -CHANGED: New placement of Raven when on back
  • -FIXED: Sound too loud when in external camera view such as when using Zeus
  • -ADDED: Shortcuts to “Pick Up Raven” and “Pick up GCS” (HoldBreath)
  • -IMPROVED: Better animation sequence for Raven assembly
  • -IMPROVED: Removed “fixed” code workaround for Arma attachTo bug
  • -IMPROVED: Various code streamlining
  • -FIXED: Altitude Controls!!! (altitude is now displayed correctly on the altitude ribbon)
  • -IMPROVED: New and vastly improved altitude arrow in camera view (saved about 10 fps)!!!
  • -IMPROVED: Exiting and reentering camera preserves initial camera FOV
  • -CHANGED: Center compass is now all white
  • -CHANGED: Instructions shortcut key displayed when entering camera view
  • -CHANGED: Instructions now list your assigned keyboard shortcuts, not the defaults
  • -ADDED: Minmap in camera!
Game Updates

RQ-11B Raven – Version 2.5 Update WIP

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I’m almost done working on a big update to the RQ-11B Raven for Arma 3.  Check out this video for a few of the details.

The new update should be available in a few days.  There are just a few things I have left to tweak.  For now, here’s a list of what’s changing and being added:

  • New “tracking box” in the camera view which tracks nearby lockable targets
  • New and improved altitude display (much more efficient and accurate)
  • Easier way to pick up Raven and GCS
  • Improved dropping of GCS and Raven
  • Improved carrying animation of Raven (follows body position)
  • Adjusted launch animation
  • Improved assembly animation (removed workarounds to Arma bugs with attachTo and improved a few other things)
  • Some new sounds
  • Fixed the “too loud sound” problem when using Zeus or MCC
  • Code cleaning
Game Updates

Paddle Mod: Dragging

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I’ve added a new feature to the Paddle Mod that I’ve been mulling over in my head for some time.  The ability to drag a boat onto shore is something that seems very easy, especially for a Zodiac-style boat.  I didn’t want to use attachTo because it looks fake.  So I’m pretty happy with this new method.  Here’s a video demonstrating the feature:

This new feature will be present in Paddle Mod Version 1.1 which should be coming out in the next few days.

Game Updates

Raven Work in Progress – Dropping

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One of the reasons I don’t accept donated code for my addons is that I extensively change the code from release to release.  Version control is difficult enough to control on my own.  When people contribute “fixes” for perceived problems, it adds and element of complexity that I don’t have time to tackle.

Check out this screenshot of the drop script for the Ground Control Station…

New on the left, old on the right
New on the left, old on the right

Even by not looking closely, you can see that I’ve more than doubled the number of things that are going on in this page just to drop an object.  One thing I implemented in the new version was reaching out to pick up and drop things.  If you have a weapon, the code works easily.  But for units that don’t have a weapon, I had to create a workaround (adding a weapon, calling the command to reach for a  weapon (current weapon), then removing it quickly).

Also, if you have a weapon, you reach out at one speed.  If you don’t have a weapon, you reach out much faster.  So I had to create a structure to work around these different situations and it required a lot of testing to figure things out.  The speed at which a unit drops something is not something I expect anyone to notice while playing.  But if I didn’t pay attention to these kinds of details and situations, the unit wouldn’t drop the object fast enough and then the unit would get injured by the object.

Now, if a user of my addon took the old version of this page (the one on the right) and modified it to fit their needs and sent it to me, I wouldn’t know where to start with implementing their changes.

These are just a few more reasons why I have my terms and conditions written the way they are.   Learn what you can from my code, but don’t change it without my permission.

Game Guru – Jon Hillenbrand