This just wouldn't work, imagine watching someone do it, one minute they are looking one way then BAM!!! They are looking somewhere else it would just look messy animation wise

needs to be optional

Another problem would be for people using trackIR, they would basically lock looking to the right (if that was the initial direction) to the center of the screen and would be unable to look too the right again.

Same thing would go for oculus rift if that ever will be implemented.

@grodenn So possibly make it based on whether or not TrackIR/Oculus is detected, and by all means as SmallBlackSheep said, have it toggleable. Just default to off, that'd take care of the TrackIR/Oculus problem too.

An option worth considering, atleast

Thanks for the feedback - I totally agree there would be technical difficulties to implement.

What I would really like BIS to consider is the underlying principle - move gun/optics/aiming to where you're looking - not move the direction you are looking back to the direction your gun is facing - why? - because it's what you'd naturally do in reality...

IMHO - the quality of all the tactics you deploy ARMA boil down to your level of situational awareness (as it should in a MilSim). Being forced back to 'look straight ahead' from 'freelook' when going to optics significantly compromises your awareness (it might only be for a moment - but its often at the most critical moment, when you make enemy contact in an unforeseen situation)

WarRemains - sorry - I don't follow your logic - can you clarify. As I see it... 1) To a third party, the player's character would still be looking in the same direction - only with weapon raised. 2) The 'reverse animation' already occurs when players go from "free-look" to "straight ahead optics" - and this is fine - so I can't see why the reverse would not be fine.

SmallBlackSheep/grodenn/SNT_Michael - I agree might be better if optional - perhaps essential - that it can be turned off for TrackIR/Oc-Rift users.

How does optics work for TrackIR users now? - I've never used one (I mean - in optics mode, do you control where you're aiming with the mouse, or with you're head - or both?...

For any given player direction (where you go when you press 'w') you can move your head by about 165 degrees to each side and your weapon by about 15 degrees without causing your character 'direction' to change.

If you clamp the auto-orientation of the optics to never exceed 15 degrees to each side I would agree with the proposal. The situation WarRemains is talking about is where you can be following someone and their head is pointed at you but their back is turned. Then they auto-orient, instantly rotating their body, and blast you.

You didn't consider the value of the way the current system is set up though. It's designed to where you can anchor your weapon/binoculars to the most pressing location. you can examine your surroundings for awareness but you never want to lose tabs of what you were initially looking at(a specific bush in a forest).

If it was going to be implemented, maybe alternatively have another keybind for it - so, as currently, you have a button for freelook, which when tapped again, returns you to your original orientation. Then have another keybind, which if pressed in freelook, moves your weapon to your freelook-orientation. If the speed of doing this becomes a gameplay problem, as italics said, maybe just slow the animation bound to it down a bit ?

I also made a request for this. Best way to go about it is just using CTRL in combination with the freelook (similar to adjusting stances) that way you can use both on the fly. As for movement. It would just move you as fast as you could with mouse. It doesn't have to be INSTANT. As the system in place can get very troublesome when you find an enemy and have to take your eye off them to snap back to your rifle. CTRL+ (What ever binded) would be absolutely fine.

i doubt such animation tasks would be possible. apparently the lead animator at bis is an amateur modder they hired, if that's any indication of the quality/quantity of animation talent at bis.

they can't even make it so you don't hover spin in place while turning in prone.

If implemented this should be an option. (Take into account TrackIR and other head tracking or VR devices.)

Yes. Snap rifle to view.

The whole point of freelook is to allow the player to look around without changing his aiming direction.

When "exiting" freelook the aim could be snapped to where the player was looking before letting go of alt though.

dude, just dont use freelook and your problem is solved

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Hi all,
Thanks for taking the time to respond.

@italics – I agree there is value in anchoring your weapon/binoculars to the most pressing location. However, through situational awareness, what is the most pressing location might *very* rapidly change (no point continuing to look at that specific bush in a forest that you *though* was the most likely point of threat/contact, if turning to your left means you spot an OPFOR patrol…)

@jakeryan760 – “the system in place can get very troublesome when you find an enemy and have to take your eye off them to snap back to your rifle” – this is an excellent summary of the problem I am getting at. Perhaps my solution is not the best, but it is this whole “taking your eye off the enemy” that I think is a bit of a problem.

@johncage – I cannot see how commenting on “the quality/quantity of animation talent at bis” meaningfully contributes to discussing the issue that I have raised.

@Ender – “just dont use freelook and your problem is solved” – Well…yes…technically. But that’s a bit like saying “just don’t shoot at anyone, and you won’t have any problems with aiming” :-)

Cheers,
a blushing crow

This exists already when aiming down the sites, it just needs to be expanded so that you can look further to the right and much further to the left and potentially allow shoulder switching. It also needs to handle the same as normal aiming. Right now it's just ridiculously sensitive compared to normal aiming. Also, for anyone syaing you should be able to move your head around seperately, you're correct to an extent, but when your weapon is in a ready carry, ie not down pointed at the deck, you should always point it where you are looking so you keep awareness. The idea of running around with your gun pointing out in front of you with no awareness of where it's pointing, is kind of odd. It's just not a good idea to do that in real life. When the weapon is up in a high ready carry, freelook bringing the gun with would make sense, be realistic, and not really limit you all that much.

It's called the aiming deadzone, try it out.