Sleepdoc

Just to be clear. I don't know jack about making mods and scripting etc, in ArmA.

I wish I could find some sort of compass mod which did the following.

#1. (and the single most important part)

When i choose to put the compass fixed on the screen (double tap "K"), and then i go into the ironsights view, I want the compass to return to being fixed on the screen when i go back out of the ironsights.

As is stands now, ironsights cancels the fixed screen compass.

Can anyone create this simple mod?

#2.

I wish i could just have a clear, SMALLER compass that did not take up so much visual realestate, and have it live on the screen all the time and out of the way.

I know that some might sya they made the compass the way they did to simulate "realism". OK. maybe. But in this simulated world, orientation is simply not as easy as in the real world. for example, i keep shadows off for frame rate considerations. So that particular orientation que is lost. and of course, in the real world, orientation via peripheral vision is imporant and is greatly reduced on a 2D screen

Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

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I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

peardog

I wish I could have a compass Up when I was aiming or using Binocs... I mean there are Binocs that have that Built in..right??

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Sleepdoc

Yes. these are the issues.

My main motivation is to be able to call contacts when I am in binocs or even in the gun sights.

"Multiple contacts, bearing 325, 100 meters" and such.

Getting concentrated fire on the enemy, before they do the same to you, is measured in seconds. calling accurate compass headings is half the battle and this mod could help significantly

In coop, I'm not sure this would be perceived as a "cheat". In TvT play however, it might be consdiered an unfair advantage. But I still want it. Bad.

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

NoDebate

Hmm, higher resolution image of the compass too, so I can read the bearings without putting my face up against the screen.

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Sleepdoc

AMEN.

Anything that gives me round the clock access to a more readable compass is what I am looking for here. O hope someone with the skills catches wind of this post.

Glenn

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

Shafik

Being able to read bearings while looking through Binocs is one thing, and should have been implemented to begin with. A round the clock compass is unrealistic, IMO. How would you read a compass through your iron sights?

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Evil Koala

I'm sure its only a matter of time before someone mods in the VBS2 compass. I hope its sooner than later

Sleepdoc

Shafik.

First of all, i am willing to concede that having a compass while in ironsights might be a bit "over the top". however, game worlds are far less easy to get oriented in than the real world.

I live in Denver and have lived in Atlanta (no big mountains). I always know (knew) which way is (was) north, west etc. I have no compass with me. Why is this? Becuase there are many clues to orientation in the real world whch are muted or completely absent in a game world.

1. Peripheral vision (mostly absent)

2. Shadows (absent - I keep mine off for frame rate considerations)

3. Sun (or moon) position in conjunction wiht a sense of "time of day" (muted by virtue of limited peripheral vision)

4. familiarity with terrain features. (this will develop over time, but still muted by lack of peripheral vision)

etc

Over time, a person should be able to get his orientation without bringing up his compass. But it is taking a long time in comparison to real world. and sometimes, it just doesnt happen in games for me.

I'll agree it should be gone during iron sights. but beyond that, i think compass persistence is reasonable as a trade off for game world limitations.

Some will argue. I get their side too. But I want this.

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

Sleepdoc

Is the VBS2 compass persistent?

is it user positionable on the screen?

Is it digitial or analog?

Do tell us the details.

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

NoDebate

I say, stick with the ArmA compass, high resolution, persistent on the screen (however can be "put away", keeping it persistent is like you moving your eyes from the iron sights or binocs but not putting them away to check your compass), and can be positioned on the screen. Heck the same thing for the watch for petes sake, it's the same watch from OFP and it hasn't been touched since. I like the look of both the compass and the watch, but they need to be updated textures in a higher resolution.

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WhiskeySix

I don't really see the need for this.... It'd be nice, but it'd just be a crutch and you'd limit your SA development as a player.

If you want to have compass bearings quickly available you just need to be checking the compass more frequently! This is something I've been doing lately and it helps a lot. The trick is to never loose your bearings. The best thing to do is to change the keybind for compass from the default <K> (very hard to reach) to something immediately accessible... <T> works good (since, by default, it's "switch teams" which is never used). When you're running across a field, pop the compass up and get your bearings - "ok, that watertower is west". Also, every time you get out of a vehicle, you should pop the compass up and resynch yourself - "ok, that fence runs North/South"


Actually, lately, I've been using the GPS pop-up instead of the compass, since it overlays you on a map - which is how I keep my bearings in real-life... In my head I'm constantly picturing myself traversing a map. I recently dedicated one of my mouse's 2 thumb buttons to pop-up the GPS.


Also - in many situations, when you're operating as a tight squad, it's perfectly acceptable to NOT use cardinal directions. If everyone's generally operating with the same orientation, it's often MORE effective to say "full squad to the left of and behind the barn" or "two contacts, 10 o'clock".

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tHa_KhAn

GPS is not available in all missions. It is a mission maker option.

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Sleepdoc

Furthermore, I do not wish to use the GPS. It takes up way too much visual realestate and is even farther from realistic. I want a simple compass where I can qiuckly discern heading. Nothing more.

Thanks for the input Whiskey. I'm always open to other ideas and other ways. But in this case, I just want a persistent compass.

All the Best,

Sleepdoc

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

Sleepdoc

No argument. all true. I still want the tool for the reasons i stated earlier.

I am constantly bringing up my compass for this purpose too. but not the GPS. Im tired of constantly bring it up. I want a tool that keeps it up for me once i choose to bring it up. I want a persistent compass (except maybe during ironsights .... i buy that argument).


Not perfectly acceptable and not MORE effective in my humble opinion.

I don't mean to sound like a know it all. Really I don't. And i screw it up sometimes becuase I just can't find the heading fast enough. and when I am not the squad leader, I don't insist my lead run his squad that way ... i try to do as I am told (ask COZ when we were both grunts last night ...). But when I am SL, it's this way only for me. And BTW. Sometimes I fail to say it right. sometimes i say "On your left COZ". But when i do it, I know I could do it better. I know people take longer to figure out where the danger is.

A tight squad is not defined by facing the same direction all the time. On the contary. it is defined by being aware of the position of the other members and your objective and actually covering other sectors to ensure a wide arc of coverage. Left is never left. Your 3 oclock is not my 3 oclock. In a car or a plane, clock headings and lefts and rights make perfect sense. Not on foot. They only lead to confusion in squads roving through forests and city scapes, providing wide arc coverage. And when fire-fights start, god knows the direction everyone is facing when they see contacts on the edge of their visual arc and move to center on them. It's too dynamic a situation for "on our left". There is no "our" left. By using this single, unambigouos approach all teh time, you are always consistent. no matter how ugly things are getting out there.

I'm all for "defining elements" in contact calls like "left side of the red house", for example. but only as the last part of the contact call, where heading and distance are already on the table.

As in

"Multiple contacts, northwest, 100 meters, left side of the red house".

Compass headings are a gold standard that lacks ambiguity. And when used properly and consistently, rapid, squad wide acquisition of targets and concentrated fire becomes the norm.

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Sleepdoc

My typos are legendary. I choose not to correct them as a form of unique signature

(and because forum spell checkers are a hassle) : )

I actually spell just fine. But my typing skills are the pits.

WhiskeySix

^^^ you're right about the 10 o'clock thing. I meant that relative direction is much faster to digest than absolute.

Which would let you think less and act more?

A. Contact left of the barn
B. Contact, east-south-east.

While I agree that everyone isn't looking the same direction, the squad should have a general vector that they're moving along - where there's generally bad stuff in "front" and generally friendly stuff "behind"... obviously there's not always this "front line" in battle, but in many cases there is. Left and right is relative to someone facing the 'front'.

Anyway - I don't have to use it, so I'm all in favor of it being available to you.

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