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Arma 3 patch removes magic helicopters. Sorcerers reportedly dismayed

Arma 3 bohemia interactive wizards
Julian Benson

Published:

Arma 3 

For all its fancy-pants realism, a little magic managed to find its way into Arma 3. Likely a sorcerer working in the QA department slipped it in when no one was looking. Well, the 1.02 patch banishes the “magic disappearance of rotor blades for some helicopters.” 

In a move that will anger civilians, Bohemia have made them “prone to be fatally wounded by anything.” Spoons, rain, bullets, all will send a civvy spiralling into death.

This is clearly me, a non-Arma player, looking for funny things in a list otherwise made up of serious tweaks, balances and fixes. I, for instance, thought “Less pronounced character lip sync animations” is a bit of a shame. I love watching characters who ham up the acting in games.

For you real Arma players out there, you’ll find a lot more of interest in the below list, I’m sure:

  • Potential Altis performance optimization (especially when using a lot of AI units): removed class properties from models in Structures_F that don’t need it

  • Many small Altis object positioning tweaks and other terrain fixes

  • Fixed: Flipped moon texture

  • The moon halo object can now be different from the sun halo object (new world config parameter moonHaloObject)

  • The light reflected by the moon has been made more realistic

  • Added: New runway parts for left and right airstrip on Altis

  • Runway lights have new models and configuration

  • Fixed: Darker runway at a distance and with overcast weather

  • Fixed: Ladder on hospital building has been reversed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13399)

  • Fixed: Blinking resolution LODs on signs

  • Configured power line wires to be destroyed along with power line towers

  • Animals should be avoiding roads more now

  • Fashionable LCD panels for MBT gunners instead of old-style optics, and new reticles displayed on them

  • Player tank driver can turn out, while commander is turned in

  • Civilian (and FIA) trucks have been revamped

  • Added: Ability to mount Marshall driver position from right side

  • Fixed: Slammer recoil

  • Added: T-100 recoil animation for main gun

  • T-100 commander optics features in line with OPFOR tracked vehicles

  • T-100 back armor made thinner

  • Improved handling of terminal ballistics on armored vehicles

  • More realistic water fording ability for tracked armor

  • Added compass and additional radars for copilot seats

  • Removed magic disappearance of rotor blades for some helicopters

  • AH-99 badly placed exhausts fixed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=9909)

  • Adjusted position of Blackfoot pilot crosshair in HMD

  • Added stabilization for UAV optics

  • Fixed: Incorrect duplicate of get-in points for Speedboats

  • Fixed: Zooms of armed offroad gunner set to standard naked eye level (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14213 and http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14699)

  • Added: Mortar/HMG/GMG/Bipod/Tripod bags for every faction

    • Added missing backpacks for Mk6 weapon

  • Capacity tweaking for mortars, GMGs and HMGs (inventory)

  • Fixed: Animations of static weapons

  • Tweaked: Bag weight for static weapons. It was too high for our maximum soldier load.

  • Fixed bombs of CAS UAVs

  • Re-balanced mine damage and overall mine usability

  • Tweaked: Pistol weights to match maximum soldier load count

  • Fixed: Negative friction of 120mm shells

  • Reticle materials for 3D scopes now glow in the dark

  • Fixed: Problem with 3D scope alpha sorting

  • Added: BIS_fnc_unitPlay function severely optimized. Unit playback is now smooth even when applied on multiple vehicles at the same time. Backwards compatible – will improve already released missions without need to change anything.

  • Tweaked: Action menu priorities

    • Increased action priority for weapon assembly

  • Fixed: Radio protocol is no longer played during story conversations triggered byBIS_fnc_kbTell

  • Fixed: Some groups spawned by Sites module had their skill set too high

  • Fixed: CAS bombing issues in Supports Module

  • Fixed: Rare occurrence of undefined variable for civilian randomization scripts

  • Fixed: Game sometimes got stuck in loading screen after respawn (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=14474)

  • Added: Warning about using BIS_fnc_addRespawnPosition – calling the function on client at the mission start will result in data not being broadcasted correctly

  • Fixed: Modules were not executed in the right order on server

  • Fixed: Sending multiple recipients to BIS_fnc_MP caused the function to be ignored in singleplayer

  • Added: Recipient sent to BIS_fnc_MP can now be string – variable name of an object. The function will be executed where the object is local.

  • Fixed: Incorrect returned value when task checked by BIS_fnc_taskCompleted didn’t exist

  • Fixed: “Vehicle Respawn” module didn’t recognize airplanes, rendering them non-respawnable (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13078)

  • Fixed: HQ entities created by Headquarters module (used for example in Defend and Seize missions) were all using European voice. Correct voices (English for NATO and Persian for CSAT) are assigned now.

  • Fixed: “Set Task Destination” module is now optional, destination can now be configured in “Create Task” module. The same is true for task state (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=4144)

  • Fixed: Functions with tag without specific name (i.e., no ‘tag’ attribute) were incorrectly categorized in the functions viewer

  • Fixed: BIS_fnc_sandStorm was using incorrect particle texture (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13773)

  • Added: Delay before respawn menu is applied only when player is simulated

  • Fixed: “EndMission” respawn template failed a mission even when some players were still alive after respawn tickets were exceeded

  • Fixed: Module effects were applied to vehicle commanders, not to vehicles themselves

  • Fixed: Debug console was not available for logged admins (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=13764)

  • Fixed: Respawn display sometimes didn’t close once player respawned

  • Fixed: Advanced hints save / load issue

  • Added: BIS_fnc_countdown – allows setting and managing countdown

  • Function BIS_fnc_findInPairs renamed to BIS_fnc_getFromPairs and now supports all variable types

  • New function BIS_fnc_findInPairs returns index of an item from the associative array found under the key

  • Fixed: Notifications are no longer displayed after player dies in singleplayer missions

  • Fixed: Zone Restriction module would sometimes fire a warning event when a unit left a vehicle

  • Fixed: Info about ability to sync “Respawn Position” module to a vehicle was missing

  • BLUFOR soldiers are now able to switch textures via setObjectTexture

  • CSAT soldiers have been trained to distinguish fixed-wing UAV of their side better when standing next to it

  • Less pronounced character lip sync animations

  • Fixed: Several inventory capacity issues

  • Fixed: OPFOR pilots ammo load

  • Fixed: Guerrilla Rifleman AT backpack load out

  • Fixed: Guerrilla Engineer bag type

  • Fixed: Khaki vest camo for OPFOR snipers and Olive vests for AAF

  • Minor fix in BLUFOR repair specialist chest rig

  • Added: New icon for BLUFOR chest rig

  • Added: New icons for Guerrilla uniform types

  • Added side-specific textures and pictures for mortar bags

  • Introduced mass difference between normal and light helmets

  • Various characters models and textures tweaks, most notably the US flag being removed from AS and SMDI maps

  • Civilians are more prone to be fatally wounded by anything (damage tolerance and armor)

    • Tweaked hitpoints of civilians. Now they will be fatally injured by one hit (5.56 mm and better caliber) to torso.

  • Configured destruction of wreck_heli_attack_01 (Blackfoot wreck)

  • Added Korean and Japanese characters from other fonts to EtelkaMonospacePro (fixes missing texts in e.g. establishing shots in those languages)

  • Font: EtelkaMonospaceProBold added for backwards compatibility (inherits everything fromEtelkaMonospacePro)

  • Rolling credits now end after finishing and a short timeout

  • Fixed: Class name in title bar can’t be edited any more in Insert Unit and Insert module in mission editor

  • Fixed: Positions of location labels (e.g., town names) in Splendid Camera were offset

  • Fixed: Respawn position selection list was blinking

  • Fixed: Tile effects were interactive, stealing mouse focus

  • Fixed: Error message for “Viper Green in trouble” conversation in Showcase Vehicles

  • Removed: Showcase Night radio at the enemy camp

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night player is now sitting on the front of the boat during insertion

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night boat driver now has a beanie hat

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night when player is detected near a site, enemies should now better hunt him

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night enemy patrols on sites are now on in safe behavior

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night enemies now play ambient animations

  • Tweaked: Showcase Night when player is detected on an enemy site, the nearest, not yet cleared, enemy site will become combat aware

  • Fixed: Showcase Night random patrols had skill of 1, now it’s 0.4

  • Fixed: Showcase Night soldier leaning on the lighthouse was going through it

  • Fixed: Showcase Night enemies don’t have NVGoggles any more (they wrongly had them because of class name changes)

  • New: Showcase Night enemy vehicle will now come and investigate the south after half the chaos threshold has been reached

  • Fixed: In Combined Arms single player you could kill insertion choppers crew without triggering friendly fire

  • Fixed: Defend Syrta character classes had wrong backpack

  • Fixed: Defend Syrta CSAT AA class had wrong backpack

  • Fixed: Seize and Defend missions were sometimes not executed properly on Dedicated Server

  • Tweaked: Civilian vehicles are now unlocked in MP scenarios

  • Tweaked: Lowered cost of enemy vehicles by 0.5 in MP scenarios

  • Tweaked: Tanks should now only spawn on last zone (MP)

  • New: Added Spotter and Sniper load outs on the last objective (MP)

  • Changed: Defend Syrta now has disabled AI by default

  • Firing Drills: CoF Green – removed manual hiding of barriers now they were removed from Stratis globally

  • Firing Drills: CoF Red 3 – disabled detecting statue as no-shoot until new solution is found (old one removed due to map optimizations)

  • Music has been reorganized to new class names, old ones are kept for compatibility

  • Main menu music track fix (different version of same track)

  • British Radio Protocol voices added (1 x Jay Crowe + 3 x Jayholder as data placeholder for future recordings)

  • Removed occasional animation glitch after Team Switch

  • Digital Deluxe Edition: Tactical Guide updated with various tweaks

  • Digital Deluxe Edition: Map updated with higher resolution

ENGINE

  • Many AI tweaks and fixes

  • Enabled blood when Korean language is selected

  • Improved: Tank collisions / flipping

  • epeImpulseDamageCoef parameter can now be changed for any vehicle

  • AI drivers are now better able to navigate out of obstacle and unstuck themselves

  • New possibility to turn off adaptive crosshair in options

  • Fixed: Favorite sessions in LAN view

  • Increased the limit of shown servers in the server browser from 500 to 10000

  • Fixed: Broken location detection of MP clients – people should be finally able to see servers close to them

  • Fixed: Country detection in MP

  • Crouch (toggle) now works correctly for launchers

  • Fixed: Aiming while holding ‘sprint’ key and not moving

  • Removed zoom warp (by using sprint while in optics)

  • Fixed: More strange zoom while sprinting with fatigue removed

  • NRemoved strange zoom when aiming while trying to sprint with high fatigue

  • Improved: Helicopter dropping like a stone when AA hits them

  • Fixed: Crash when player engages in conversation and has no topic

  • Added: Random angular velocity for dropped weapons in ragdoll

  • Fixed: DnD with container on soldier’s container tab caused wrong behavior

  • Fixed: DnD with container on soldier’s linked backpack caused wrong behavior

  • Fixed: Replacing linked weapon from weapon stored in backpack caused wrong behavior

  • Fixed: Bag disappearance and duplication

  • Fixed: Gear shows no magazines except handguns

  • removeWeapon can also unlink assigned items now

  • Fixed: Command removeBackpack

  • Fixed: removeAllContainers leaves unit with uniform model even though their uniform is removed (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=7879)

  • Fixed: Action Drop Backpack was not working

  • The Men category is now properly sorted in the unit dialog in editor

  • Fixed: saveStatus and loadStatus commands did not work

  • Fixed: CheckCursorActionTarget performance

  • Skybox lighting is now done per-pixel

  • New scripting commands for getting and setting identity parameters

  • New scripting command for getting fog parameters (fogParams)

  • Added parameter turretCanSee config parameter to distinguish usability of compass for copilots

Former deputy editor Julian loves strategy games like Into the Breach, and cruel management games like Frostpunk, which thankfully isn't reflective of his management style.