Hey all, just thought I'd post these here- a couple of pieces I done awhile back..! Hope you like them anyway..! THE INCIDENT ON GREEN MOUNTAIN (CLEAN) THE INCIDENT ON GREEN MOUNTAIN (WORN) THE CALL OF NOVA ZONA (CLEAN) THE CALL OF NOVA ZONA (WORN)

If it's completely fine with the mods, I will leave a few links here as I'm working on a map for ARMA 3 that seems to suit OPs initial enquiry: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?142308-Large-S-T-A-L-K-E-R-inspired-Island-quot-NOVA-ZONA-quot http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_13.png Apologies if I've trespassed over some rules and will edit if so guys- no problem.

I am putting so many of these fantastic structures in to my map... The possibilities for bouncing messages off the virtual Ionosphere are endless... :)

Random but sort of on topic: If our star suddenly turned into a black hole, we'd still continue in orbit around it as it'd have exactly the same mass- it'd just be a lot darker lol... No light and all that. Estimates says that if it did "black hole up" then it'd have a diameter of about 5 kms. Of course, as it sucked in debris and matter then its mass would increase and eventually we'd be getting pulled in ourselves way in the future.

Damn, I had this idea ages ago for my WIP island for ARMA3...

I'll just leave this here... Ahem..! ;) http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?142308-Large-S-T-A-L-K-E-R-inspired-Island-quot-NOVA-ZONA-quot Be sure to also check out my two concept links for an idea of the atmosphere I'm going for...

Hi Nomad, Thanks for the reply but it still says 3rd person ON for both servers? I'd love to see if there's a hardcore/1st person server available?

Me too..! I'm back in Bangkok now so will give this a go, although if anyone knows of a 1st Person only server these parts, I'd love to hear about it?

Lol, voice over is fantastic..! XD

Fantastic image KarenB..! Enjoy the beans..! :)

Now we just need that big black tac shoulder bag from the MOVIE HEAT and we will all kick arse... ;)

Fantastic mate, glad to hear you'd consider actually purchasing ARMA3 for this mod, that's very flattering. I was very careful in choosing the ARMA3 engine to develop this mod, as the engines potential suits the STALKER aesthetic so well and all these little details you are writing about to increase immersion and horror can and will be easily implemented in the NOVA ZONA map.

OP, what you're writing about is exactly what I'm planning with a terrain I'm currently working on. I'll just leave the link here if you're interested, if not no harm done- I don't mean to derail this thread etc: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?142308-Large-S-T-A-L-K-E-R-inspired-Island-quot-NOVA-ZONA-quot

This sadly...I got one about 1 or 2 years ago for ARMA2 in general, but even after tweaking it and refining it to my own movements it still lets me down in intense firefights etc. I know all about the centre area where you can tell it to snap back onto the middle, but you have to be almost frozen into the same exact spot for the duration of your game for this to work. When I play, I'm constantly shifting about in my chair, leaning this way and that, and all of this is picked up by the Track IR which then puts your view out of whack. It's very unnatural feeling to have to stay so bloody still while e en just sitting down, let alone playing a game. Look at that (excellent btw) video by Dsylecxsi, and then notice how uncomfotable he looks all the way through- it's just not conducive to a natural posture over time. Sometimes I like to sit back in my chair, so times I lean forwards. Now, with Track IR that means the screen will zoom in and out etc... Anyway, I really did give it a go, but it's ALT to headlook for me- it just feels so much more accurate. I'd really love for the Track IR to be workable for me and might try to get into it again, but it got me killed so many times as my head was looking one way and is slightly zoomed and the gun is completely out of whack with it...

I couldn't find an author suggestion thread, but they should really include some Seneca- a Stoic philosopher who is well worth investing your time into. His works are extremely easy to read and are consistently mind boggling in their concise explanations of truth, virtue and the why of it all. "On the shortness of life" is essential reading for all us mortals... Not to mention reading it in the context of an apocalypse. It is PERFECT fireside reading for you reflective lone wolves out there...

This is fantastic- a level headed nice guy in the midst of so much chaos and entropy, valiantly striving to bring back education and civilisation to the remnants of humanity via the written word..! I'm almost tempted to model an improvised wood and rope bookshelf style backpack solely for this guy to wear his passion for all to see..! ;) Beans..!!! Beans galore...!!! :)

It's very rare to come across a thread so well explained and so concise from the get go. OP has repeatedly made it crystal clear what he is thinking and also (credit to him for being so thoughtful) what he isn't thinking. Even the mantra of "mods will spoil the game, dilute the community and upset any balance" doesn't cut it in this particular instance as OP has nipped that in the bud from the start by explaining that he's not talking about game changing modifications (or "alterations" if you want to avoid the "m" word), but rather by creating physical content in the form of more maps and objects relevant to those maps. And it stands to reason, if you're going to create a new terrain, then you will inevitably need to create new objects to populate it with. In another post he made it clear that he is NOT talking about game breaking alterations like we've seen in the ARMA2 mod, but adding more variety in the form of buildings and scenery basically- new maps. Quote: "I also am scared of game breaking features like shed loads of military gear and the like, NPC market places and all the rest. But again, now is too soon to allow mods, but not too soon to allow people to begin working on mods such as buildings and terrains, objects, scenery and such like." Anyway, as Rocket seems to have pretty much confirmed his willingness to include mods in the future (and I think he'll be VERY precise about what he will and won't allow to be tinkered with) OPs main point is that he would like as much of a heads up from the Devs about how to go about creating correct content from as early as possible so as to save any lengthy reworking later on down the line. He's even stressed that if they did acknowledge him but it was only to say "yes but you'll still have to wait- we're just too busy", then he'll accept that too. I think a large part of the player base here is so happy and ecstatic (as am I) to FINALLY have the game we've all been waiting for that there are knee jerk negative reactions to any hints or suggestions that it's going to be tampered with in some way, and the assumption is that this will break it or even dilute its essence. I am very concerned about this aspect too, but, again, OP has been at pains to explain that that is not what he wants to do. No-one in their right mind would want to dilute this game down- it's too rare a gem to cut. OP has been almost monk-like in his patient responses to some of these posts.

It will always be an issue of refinement Vs performance guys. Whilst creating my own island assets it is something that is a constant compromise, as to make the FIREgeo fit EXACTLY to your visual LOD is extremely uneconomical, and you can almost feel the FPS dropping as you make it lol..!

It doesn't matter if this was ARMA2 or 3, the FIRElods are made the same. Basically, invisible geometry that has to be as simple as possible but tries to follow the contours of the visible model. The simpler it is, the more efficient it is - and multiply that by however many objects are on screen... But, the simpler it is, it will cut corners and overlap "empty" areas of the trees/model etc and your bullet will hit it. The visual geometry is just that- visual, and has nothing to do with where a projectile collides. ...unless they've done a complete secret revamp of it all..!

I play to experience DAYZ to its full potential, to have an experience, not to "win" as such. You get the most out of this game by immersing yourself in its atmosphere and lore, by not using exploits like gamma at night etc, to gain an advantage. Server hopping is just another crutch for the weak, insecure and inferior player who looks to find only to easy ways to get ahead and convince him/herself that they are top dog, when in fact the opposite is true... Less is more. I will even run naked through the woods of Chernarus at night with a torch on and no weapon if it means indulging in a fantastic fantasy that will provide entertainment and escapism. I pity people who cannot see the woods for the trees of Chernarus, as they are missing the point of what makes this game so great... (Hehe... Bring it on...) ;)

I feel exactly the same as OP about night time and the great emotional feedback you get from playing on a sparsely populated server. This general feeling of aloneness and dread is one of the many reasons I decided to create a map for ARMA3 as I want to explore ways in which to enhance this atmosphere we're talking about- and hopefully one which it'll be possible to play DAYZ on at some point in the future! Good write up OP... “The sky is deep, the sky is dark. The light of the stars is so damn stark. When I look up, I fill with fear, if all we have is what lies here, this lonely world, this troubled place, then cold dead stars and empty space...Well, I see no reason to persevere, no reason to laugh or shed a tear, no reason to sleep and none to wake. No promises to keep and none to make. And so at night I still raise my eyes to study the clear but mysterious skies that arch above us, cold as stone. Are you there God? Are we alone?” ― Dean Koontz, The Book Of Counted Sorrows

Very good vid mate..! One of the best things to see was your attitude which is quite refreshing from the usual gung-ho/typical videos we see. Fair players are much more entertaining to watch than KOS in my opinion..! The ending was good too. Keep it up..! :)

Fair enough Max. On topic then @ OP- I think it is mostly because the Real Virtuality engine is doing a lot of everything, whereas most other game engines are created to be more specific and concentrate on a much smaller and tailored area of gameplay that you just can't get out of. In this regard I think it does what it does exceptionally well, and it's testament to its flexibility that we're now playing on yet another variation of it. It just didn't/doesn't need to be fully "physics based" to fulfil its intention. Most medium to large sized objects in the real world are mostly immovable when it comes to human collision contact. Just think, we've all played games were you run past a large car tyre and the tyre slides away across the road or something equally as ridiculous. HL etc, even though fantastic. That just doesn't happen in real life. Now for a game/simulator like ARMA/DAYZ SA, collision based movement is only needed at a practical level, not "just" because other games have it. There are more important and rewarding areas they can concentrate on at the moment, like zombie behaviour and finishing the map in places. Plus, all these areas are less demanding than a huge number of bouncy objects jumping around the map.

Out of genuine interest, could you let us know where any thily veiled insults are in this thread please? I think people are doing a good job of getting their thoughts out here Max. Are you referring to the guys avatar comments you mean? Either way, are threads allowed to sometimes drift off the original question within reason, or is it a no no? A shame if so, as some good comments are coming through here. :)

Same here... I am getting really sick of the new "look" of really chunky graphics like in C3/BF4 etc, it just seems very cartoony to me. One game looks like the next recently, with no distinctive feel. But, that's only my own opinion. One of the reasons I decided to go with the ARMA RV engine for my map is because of its really "precise" and sharp look. It doesn't rely too much on all sorts of post processing filters and extravagant shading tech, but does what it does really well- and it's a great looking real world sandbox. I honestly think one of its pluses is that there isn't a vast library of particle fx/shaders/pp etc, it comes down to the creators individual design and vision. And before anyone maybe asks me- yes, I've used CEs many engines and also Unreals too. I just don't rate their "look" - they're just so samey and gamey looking, and they just don't do scale in the way ARMA does.