thebigJ_A

I love it when people I'm clearly not referring to, who have nothing to do with it because, you know, they hadn't said anything regarding the topic of discussion, take the time, go out of their way even, to take offense and make non sequitur snide remarks. Yep, that's even better.

I love how I list the names of scientists who showed sound isn't more audible in fog, yet nobody bothers to check, and they go on thinking it is. Don't take my word for it, check the docs. No, yahoo answers doesn't count. There are many factors involved, it's not as simple as "sound travels faster in a denser medium", there's also the absorption of the sound wave, damping higher frequencies ("higher", in this case, being virtually any sound a person might make) among other things. So yes, a foghorn MAY travel further, given certain combinations of atmospheric conditions, but even then it loses clarity, and we aren't foghorns anyway.

Why do anything? It has no effect IRL. Leave it alone. Or make it so there's no birds chirping or whatever, I suppose. That might lend it a creepier atmosphere. But the zombies shouldn't hear better or worse in it, nor should we. If you want to make it realistic, or even more fun to play, have it depend on the ambient background noise. If there's a car running outside, or wind in trees, or waves crashing, the zeds would be less likely to hear a footstep. IDK how feasible it is.

Fog doesn't make things louder. This was tested by a few smart guys named Henry, Tyndall and Reynolds in the 1870s.

the side chat thing is a result of the beta patch (required for the 1.7.1 update). as far as i can tell, this is an intended result and will not be changed. as for the direct chat thing, are you positive people CANNOT hear you? or they are just not responding? (possibly because they speak a different language or are unsure of how to switch to direct, or they just dislike you) side chat is controlled by the server admins. alot of them have it turned off. We have no control over side chat. That's controlled in the mission file and was removed by Rocket around the time 1.7 came out. If you didn't update your beta patch to the one that included the mission file setting that allowed it, you could still use side chat. I only use beta servers, and I always play on servers with the latest build. Some servers I can see/use Side chat, most I can't. I've had the beta patch installed and kept current for weeks now.

It's not a 'philosophy', it's a fact. He's telling the OP what an alpha is. This is how games are made. Because, you know, games aren't buildings. If you have a problem with the fundamental structure of game design, go found a company, come up with some new way to do it, ignoring all the lessons of the last three decades, and let us know how it works out for you. Man, I hate it when people argue from ignorance. Can somebody explain to me why new content masses the current one? I mean, the code that is fixed, should stay this way. New features are exactly what the names says to me, it's something new, that interacts with the environment in general, but aside. And calm down, the guy did realize the game is in alpha (how could he not? it's almost a war shout 'round here), he just questioned the focus things are getting on the development. Code is complicated and interconnected. You add something new, it's NOT 'aside', and may break something else that seems unrelated. I'm not sure who you're telling to calm down, or why. The OP didn't know what an alpha was, rocket set him straight. The guy I replied to was just flat out misunderstanding and misrepresenting how games are made. Neither of those have any connection to your statement, so...

It's not a 'philosophy', it's a fact. He's telling the OP what an alpha is. This is how games are made. Because, you know, games aren't buildings. If you have a problem with the fundamental structure of game design, go found a company, come up with some new way to do it, ignoring all the lessons of the last three decades, and let us know how it works out for you. Man, I hate it when people argue from ignorance.

So I've been playing DayZ for about a week, now. Amazing game, absolutely phenomenal. Anyway, I heard about the beta patch for Arma 2, and that, among other things, it fixes comms and allows play of DayZ on beta servers. I downloaded the zip. but I'm not sure how to set it up. The readme (obviously) doesn't take into account the way I'm playing the game. I've got Combined Ops through Steam. Could anyone walk me through how to install, set up, and run the beta patch version of the game through Steam after i've already got the mod running? I've got the mod running flawlessly atm and don't want to mess it up.Thanks, in advance.

Um, thanks, i guess. But I already have an updater for DayZ, and the in-game server browser works just fine. I don't see how this helps me install the Arma II beta patch.

So I got a tent a couple days back, and today I tried to set it up for the first time. It wouldn't let me, anywhere I tried. I hit 'G' and r-clicked it, and it kept saying the ground needed to be flat and clear. No matter how flat or clear the ground, I got that message, even on an airfield. Is it bugged? I really need a tent, too. :(

I'd never play again without persistent servers. And i don't even know what he was talking about regarding someone having loot on all different servers. I can't have gear scattered over many different servers. I have my gear. Maybe i have a tent on a server, that's it. Where's the problem? So his "life has no value" argument falls apart, too. I've never, ever played a game where my character's life, or those of my partners, has more value. If I spent days gathering good equipment, and I lose it, that's a big deal. If I barely survived a raid to a hospital to get blood packs for my needy friend, then get killed on the way back, that's a big deal. (It happened today. I was actually emotional about it. I've had seriously moving experiences, seeing the psychology of how I and others act in this game. It would all fade if there were just the same x number of people always on.) And I scoff at the thought that a specific server having no value is a problem. So what? A server is a tool, a platform. If I don't have any pride in "Virginia 12" or whatever, so? It's not what this game is about, at all. Just look at the stories coming out of this, like on RockPaperShotgun, that's what it's about. Server hopping MIGHT be a problem, though I don't see it, except in the hypothetical case of people logging in behing the as yet unimplemented fortifications. Why throw out the baby with the bathwater, though? Persistence is one of the best things about this game. I'd argue it'sone of the primary reasons the game has blown up. I'm new here, so maybe my voice doesn't carry much weight, but I vote No to the OP's ideas.

No, it can't. Not a gaming PC, anyway. And this is a game that requires a decent pc.

Hey all. I just bought Arma II to try out this Day Z I've been hearing so much about, but I have an odd issue and am wondering if anyone can help. I installed the game and mod got it running fine, except that when I'm in the game, at random, the screen will suddenly go black for an instant. Then, the desktop will display. Note, I won't actually be ON the desktop, because I can still hear the game, still hear my character moving around when I hit the keys, still see the ARMA cursor if I hit Escape, etc., but all I can see is my Windows desktop. I tried Alt-tabbing, but no joy, the game's graphics just won't display. I have to use Process Explorer to shut the game down. The first time, it happened after about ten to fifteen minutes, the second it happened seconds after the world loaded and I got control of my dude. Those are the two times I've played. Anybody have any ideas?