[Game crash After arma update]

I haven't had time to play Epoch for about a month now, but I finally got a chance to load up a game tonight. I was aware of the Arma update, and did manage to read about the "loot issue" with certain containers causing crashes.

 

Unfortunately, I have been getting those memory errors with CTD even when not looting. I load into the game and immediately CTD. Sometimes I can actually get playing for a few minutes, nevermind looting any containers, and I crash. Yet I have also been able to loot several types of containers without a crash, only to have the game CTD 10 minutes later while I'm running through an open field.

 

I have seen some people able to play without the problem, while some of us can't even load into a server without the error kicking in. Until the issue is fixed via BI, are there any known temporary fixes for the problem in order to run Epoch? Or do some of us just have to avoid playing the mod until the issue is resolved?

[Feedback on current state of base building]

I have to agree that I have noticed these problems since I started playing Epoch, just before the 3.0.1 update (which I guess was 2.5.2). Initially, I thought the problems were on my end, maybe I just wasn't experienced enough and was building wrong or something. Over time as I became more experienced, I continued to notice the problems persist across multiple servers regardless of any mods being used.

 

 

Regarding the misalignment of components after server restarts, this is a concern but I can't seem to figure out what's causing it. I'll spend an hour making sure every little wall, floor, etc is perfectly aligned. Yet after a restart or two I can see gaps forming between sections that I am certain were not there before. Floor shift a few inches, and eventually you end up with gaps in the floor sections that cause your character to "get stuck" in between them, almost like you're about to fall through the crack. Walls that were perfectly aligned with no gaps end up shifting slightly, and you eventually notice gaps between wall sections that are several inches wide and enough to not only shoot through, but one time I was even able to access a shelf from outside the building.

 

 

I definitely agree with the suggestion that when moving components that have already been placed, they should be reverted back to "ghost mode" while moving them, or else they just bounce into other objects and are difficult to place correctly. There is also a high chance of being killed by bouncing/shifting components because they aren't in ghost mode. Generally, I always have to remove a piece and rebuild it instead of moving it, as moving rarely works well.

 

 

And we really do need a way to cancel building. There have been times when I was getting ready to place a wall or set of stairs, and while moving around the ghost version I had a drone overhead or a sapper running at me. Because you can't cancel the build, you have to just quickly place the item wherever and engage those drones or sappers, then remove and rebuild the item again in the proper place. This wastes building materials and creates headaches. There are also times when you simply realize that a component won't work at the time, or that you prefer a different component, where being able to cancel the build would be useful.

 

 

I will add that some components are lacking proper options for snap rotation. The stairs for example can only be rotated to snap to 2 opposing directions, not all 4. So it's very difficult at times to place a set of stairs facing the direction you need them to, and you must stand at a 90-degree facing from before in order to get the proper snap position. For example, when placing the stairs in snap mode, they'll initially snap to a 0-degree heading. Pressing the "snap type" (3) key, the stairs rotate from 0 to 180, then 180 to 0, and repeats the cycle. It should be rotating between 0/90/180/270 instead.

 

 

I am also having issues building components outside of snap mode. If I want to place a wall section next to the edge of a floor but not aligned with the floor, the wall keeps snapping to the floor edge no matter which option I use. For example, because we don't have low cinder walls, I have had to rely on placing a standard cinder wall lowered about half-way in order to be able to deploy your weapon on top of it. But if I get too close to the edge of a floor, it snaps right to the edge at default height, and I end up having to place the lowered wall a few feet from the edge of the floor in order to prevent it from getting snapped into place. Trying to use free mode isn't working, and I can't recall it ever working.

[Remove Maintenance on building]

I mostly play on PvE servers at the moment, so my comments may not apply directly as PvP servers might be using different settings. So please take that into consideration.

 

Most of the servers that I play on have roughly a 7-day maintenance requirement for jammers, meaning you only need to pay base maintenance once a week. As a precaution, twice a week isn't too bad. I am also a pretty large builder, looking for new ways to design a functional yet appealing base layout. While my base designs are not usually overly-huge and I don't keep track of individual component count, a 3-level base with a fully-enclosed parking garage suitable for 4 vehicles and providing helicopter pads for 2, with ample shelving inside as well, requires roughly C200 to maintain.

 

Generally, I can loot just a few buildings and have enough garbage to sell to traders to earn that much. So I can make enough funds for one week's maintenance in less than 30 minutes, including the travel time to a trader. If someone is able to play for 6-8 hours a week, that should be more than enough time to do maintenance while still enjoying several hours of additional building, looting, or missions.

 

I'm a disabled veteran and full-time college student, so I don't get much time in game either. Some days I'll have more time available than others, with some days only allowing just enough time to log on between classes to loot some buildings and throw junk into a tipi to sell at a later time. But never have I had a problem with maintaining my base. Sure, some servers have better loot drops of building components like cinder and mortar, while others like many of the Bornholm maps make it quite challenging to find cinder and scrap metal. But overall, I find enough time to work on my base, even if it's just adding a single floor this week, shelves next week, etc.

 

 

I can also understand why the maintenance system is in place. Far too many times have I seen players join a server, start building a base, and never return. Stuff happens, some players might not be able to log in for a few weeks. Some players have personal or family issues that prevent them from playing for a while. Some players simply get bored and find a new game. But when those players stop logging in for extended periods, who's to know which bases are still in use and which have been abandoned?

 

The maintenance requirement allows neglected and abandoned bases to fall apart and disappear on its own after a set period of time, no player or admin action is necessary. If bases didn't degrade after failure to maintain, then you'd have tons of bases (some only partially built) all over the map. Admins would be busy going out and investigating if a base is actually in use or not and having to manually delete those left behind. And until those abandoned bases are deleted, other players may be prevented from building due to max server limits.

 

 

One option that is available, although not everyone will feel comfortable with using it, is to group up with another player (or players) that are willing to maintain your base if you can't log in frequently enough. You obviously want a player that is trustworthy enough that you don't log in to find your shelves empty. But there have only been a few servers that I have not seen at least one other player who may be up to the task. If that's not an option for you, then consider the suggestions I made above. As a "last resort" you can always talk to server admins to either extend maintenance periods, or maybe take care of the maintenance for you. Maybe you drop a tipi down and fill it with "vendor trash" which an admin can pull items from and delete in exchange for the maintenance. Just a few ideas.

[Mags Disappearing MX3GL]

I've been trying on several different servers, including a few running the Bornholm map, some servers using default Epoch mod while others add in additional weapon mods such as RHS or @MAS. It's the same on all of them without exclusion, any launcher-mounted weapons will lose their magazine on relog but not the loaded grenades. And so far it ONLY happens with launcher-mounted weapons. This includes the MX 3GL, M16A4 M203, etc.

 

Because I like the 40mm option, I don't want to stop using it altogether. So I have to remember to manually remove any loaded magazines when I log out. But that doesn't fix the problem, and if you lose connection or crash you have lost your magazine.

 

Still no idea what might be causing it, but so far I've narrowed it down to launcher-mounted weapons only, regardless of which mod they came from, and regardless of which server I'm on.

[Mags Disappearing MX3GL]

I've had the same problem on several servers, have only noticed it the last few days because I generally use the MX SW as my preferred weapon. All of the servers I've played on state they have the latest files, and some servers are "vanilla" epoch while other have weapon addon packs such as the @MAS weapons.

 

So far I have noticed it with the MX 3GL, M4A1 M203, and a few others. Right not, I'm thinking the problem has only occurred with weapons using an under-barrel launcher, but I'll need to test it further to confirm. Right now, I can't recall having the problem with other weapons, just those with a launcher attached.

 

It doesn't seem to matter if the magazine is full or partially used, and it happens every time I log in. As my character is loading in and you see him ready his weapon, it gives you the reload icon on screen and your previously-loaded magazine is gone. I have also seen it happen when I have spare magazines in my inventory, and when I do not. Based on this information so far, I am wondering if it has something to do with any launcher-equipped weapon. Maybe we can get more people to test it out and confirm.

[[Suggestion] Lower cinder walls]

I'm not sure if this has already been suggested or not.

 

 

As most already know, the current cinder walls (1st stage) are too high to effectively fire over even from a standing position, as they come up to about the top of your shoulders and you can't aim or fire over them under normal circumstances. There have been many times when I wanted to place low cinder walls atop a roof in order to have some protection to fire from, but I'm currently unable to do so.

 

I was wondering if you might be able to add another option to the crafting of cinder walls, to allow building one that is about half the current height, and will allow you to fire over it while resting your weapon on it. If I remember correctly, current cinder walls require 4 cinder blocks and 2 buckets of mortar, so maybe have the lower walls require half those materials, while building a wall that is half the height. Players can use those low walls for a variety of uses, but mostly they would allow people to fire over them with some support.

 

As an additional option, you can allow those new low walls to be upgraded, where the upgraded version is the same height as a full cinder wall, but has an open window in the middle. For example, regular cinder walls can be upgraded to a full wall, and then upgraded again to be a garage door. The new low cinder walls can be upgraded to a full cinder wall with a window, and maybe the final upgrade level would add a functioning hatch over the window similar to the working hatches on the larger military towers.

 

 

 

I don't know how difficult it would be to add the new wall, but if it's possible and doesn't require too much work, I'm sure many of us would love to use them in our bases.

[[Suggestion] Ear plugs use based on vehicle class]

While I'm loving the mod so far, one of the major issues that I have is with the current "auto-insertion of ear plugs" script that runs. Any time you enter a vehicle, ear plugs are automatically inserted to reduce volume of engine noise or vehicle operation, and you have the option in the scroll action menu to manually remove them or reinsert them.

 

This isn't such a bad idea for loud vehicles, such as when you're driving a tank or other heavy vehicle, but I feel it's not necessary when operating "soft" vehicles like an offroad pickup or hatchback. Without ear plugs, the noise from those vehicles is still fairly minimal, and generally don't require the use of ear plugs while operating them. In many cases, using ear plugs while operating those vehicles is actually a hinderance, because you're unable to hear important sounds such as a UAV overhead or AI/players firing at you. Considering the limited protection in those vehicles, I'd really prefer to hear the crack of a bullet being fired at me or the ping of a round impacting my vehicle.

 

Personally, I have to manually remove ear plugs any time I enter a light vehicle. I admit it's nice to have them auto-insert in the heavies, but having to remove them every time I jump back into an offroad while looting throughout a town is a serious annoyance.

 

 

Wouldn't it be better to have ear plugs auto-insert only in heavy vehicles such as armor or aircraft, while not doing so in light vehicles? I don't mind leaving the option there for all vehicles, so if it's not possible to code the system to auto-insert based on vehicle class then I can understand. Maybe remove the auto-insert option completely, requiring vehicle operators to manually insert ear plugs every time.