Page MenuHomeFeedback Tracker

Weapon and grenade switch controls should first bring up the weapon-HUD to show the current selection before changing it
Assigned, WishlistPublic

Description

Currently, execution of either the "change fire mode" and the "next throwable item" controls does two things:

  1. Immediately changes the selected fire mode/throwable item.
  2. If the weapon HUD was down it brings it up.

That means that if the HUD is currently down, it is not possible to check your currently selected fire mode/throwable item without changing them, and that, most often than not, forcing the player to cycle through multiple options just to do a whole loop to have their desired weapon mode/throwable item selected. In all cases, it is highly annoying, in critical situations, it is deadly.

It may be arguable that as far as the weapon fire mode is concerned, one can see the weapon's fire mode selector lever by looking down at the weapon. However, the following reasons make this alternative not a viable option:

  1. It's not possible at all during the night for all weapons.
  2. It's not possible at the Katiba or the Mk20 rifles series since the lever is located too far at the back, and is viewable only in a very serious twist of the head.
  3. It's not possible at all in weapons that are equipped with an under-barrel grenade launcher since the UGL is controlled by a different mechanism, and when the UGL is selected, it's not reflected by the lever.

The current design is extremely bad when grenades and other throwable items are concerned, especially when you carry multiple items - HE grenades, mini-grenades, smoke grenades (each for every colour), chemlights (each for every colour) and IR grenades. It's not possible to check what grenade you have selected without changing it, and there's no workaround.

Players have their desired item/weapon mode selected most of the times. It's not logical to switch those every time we just want to confirm we have the correct one selected. This leads to multiple execution of controls, draws the attention of the player away from where it needs to be, and forces the player to cycle through lists when he needs his frag grenades or his automatic fire mode most. For example - a responsible player will never throw a smoke grenade near friendlies before confirming that he doesn't have his frag grenades selected, so every single time he wants to throw a smoke grenade he has to cycle through at least part of his throwable items inventory, if not through all of it when smoke is already selected.
Ask any player, even if they don't notice it, this design leads them to limit their throwable items just so they won't have to spend time and attention on cycling through all that they carry when they need to act quickly. This is bad usability, and bad playing experience.

In real life you can feel your weapon lever or the grenade you hold at all times without looking at them. Since this is not possible in the game, a visual aid is a necessity. This visual aid exists in the form of a HUD, but since the HUD fades after a while, the first "selection" control must bring the HUD first to allow the player to see the current selection before actually changing it. Of course, we don't want a permanent HUD!

The correct behavior was implemented in Arma 2, but it was changed for the worse in Arma 3. Please bring back the correct behavior.

Details

Legacy ID
3986222399
Severity
None
Resolution
Open
Reproducibility
Always
Category
Ingame UI
Steps To Reproduce
  1. Place a playable Recon Team Leader on the map.
  2. Place some enemy infantry on the map in a safe distance.
  3. Select Mini-Grenades out of your inventory (3 mini grenade, 1 smoke shell, 1 Smoke green, 1 smoke Blue, 1 smoke Orange, 2 Chemlight)
  4. Move towards the enemy until in grenade range.
  5. Confirm you have a mini grenade selected before throwing it.
  6. Observe how you get shot while cycling through all your throwable items.

Event Timeline

Variable edited Steps To Reproduce. (Show Details)Jul 10 2014, 4:23 PM
Variable edited Additional Information. (Show Details)
Variable set Category to Ingame UI.
Variable set Reproducibility to Always.
Variable set Severity to None.
Variable set Resolution to Open.
Variable set Legacy ID to 3986222399.May 7 2016, 6:56 PM
Variable edited a custom field.
Bohemia added a subscriber: oukej.Jul 10 2014, 4:23 PM

In addition, a lot of players have their grenade throw key on double-tap G and grenade switch key on CTRL+G. Since the current design leads to multiple and unnecessary use of grenade switching, players end up throwing grenades while trying to switch them due to bug 9957 - http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=9957

This needs to change. As it is now, you can only determine what your firemode WAS; not what it currently IS. You have to scroll through all the fire modes to get back to the one you may have wanted.

The alternative ("check the fire lever") doesn't work if:

  • it is dark
  • the lever is non-functgional
  • the lever is not visible (as is the case with most bullpup weapons)
  • The UGL is selected. Some weapons flip up the GL sight when the UGL is selected, but that requires an actual flip-up sight (as opposed to the quadrant sight most of the default weapons use).

In other words, there is no way to find out what your weapon's fire mode is at any given moment, other than going Heisnberg on it.

Things get even worse with grenades. Because of this ticket http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=9957 cycling through all your grenades might not be an option AT ALL. Let's look at the squad leader:
Frag grenade -> IR Grenade -> Smoke Shell (White) -> Smoke Shell (Green) -> Smoke Shell (Blue) -> Smoke Shell (Orange) -> Chemlight (green)

That's 7 different grenades, and you have to make sure you don't accidentally throw one of them.

Bottom line, there HAS to be a way to check your current fire mode/grenade selection. Since the display fades out, there MUST be a way to get it back to look at it. All arguments about the HUD not being available in real life are void, there are possibilities in real life that you don't have in the game (like, feeling the lever, knowing what grenade you have in your hand, or knowing if your hand is on the normal or the UGL trigger). As it is now, it is only possible to find out vital data through a prolonged process that can cost you your virtual life, and that is IMO an unacceptable situation.

Anyone who downvoted this ticket should actually take the time to PLAY the game.

OMAC added a subscriber: OMAC.May 7 2016, 6:56 PM
OMAC added a comment.Aug 13 2014, 3:05 PM

I mentioned this problem, and suggested some possible solutions, in July 2013.

Here is my original ticket, which is obviously related to this ticket

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=11151

Voted up.

Who would vote against this? We need this!
In the heat of the firefights i have to cycle several times just to get the right ammo or fire mode. This s the reason i prefer to have one weapon and one type of ammo so i don't have to cycle.
I was surprised being in single fire mode when i needed auto, especially when you jump out of vehicles.

Just realized another thing. You can't bring up the weapon HUD if you have a weapon with only one fire mode, like a sniper rifle or a machine gun. Please change this BIS.