FROM: Project Lead
TO: Arma 3 Users
INFO: Update 1.18, Make Arma Not War applications, Roadmap
PRECEDENCE: Flash
SITUATION
As of yesterday it's possible for Make Arma Not War contestants to apply and even submit their entries already! Solo developers and teams can apply and share all but the add-on category (that one is waiting for add-on support in Steam Workshop). Entries can be browsed at your leisure and there are various options for developers to promote them. As a regular player you can also enjoy the fruits of their labor, as well as support those entries that you like, and vote for entries in the Singleplayer category! Read more about voting and supporting here. After supporting an entry you'll get a forums badge to show your participation. The more an entry gets supported, the more it is also covered on various official channels.
We're intending to publish game update 1.18 today if the final tests result in confirmed fixes. If not, it may get bumped to early next week due to Czech national holidays. Besides the game, there will of course be new versions of the stand-alone server packages and tools.
Then there's an announcement of an announcement: we've written a devblog which finally shares details about our Arma 3 plans during 2014 and 2015. It goes over 'platform updates', 'downloadable content' and more. The further we go into the future, the more vague those plans get (since we're still doing feasibility studies, pre-production and conceptualization), but there are some good tidbits in there! The blog should go live later this week.
INTELLIGENCE
A recent Community Guide episode nicely demonstrates the potential of Zeus. Andrew "Dslyecxi" Gluck outlines what's possible and highlights the options for multiplayer training, as well as dynamic scenario curation.
Bořivoj Hlava reminds players that it's possible to re-scale and re-position the AV Camera Feed via the Game Options. The default setup may not be ideal for all monitor configurations and this provides some control for UAV operators.
OPERATIONS
Speaking of UAVs, Bořivoj has also written a nice OPREP on the topic of UAVs and the refinements made to their usability. Check out the filtered changelog specific to this feature and a redesigned / more intuitive User Interface. Another section elaborates on improved control over the drones and specifically laser designation. Then the OPREP wraps by looking at several planned enhancements for the future.
LOGISTICS
Karel Mořický continues to enrich Zeus via some welcomed additions. This week he and Filip Sadovský added a list of recently placed entities in the UI, the use of synchronized waypoints for units, and a way of assigning objectives to specific players or groups. Consider following Sandbox Design Lead Lukáš Haládik for his frequent Zeus tips. Lukáš often curates the experience for our in-house Zeus sessions with 'Team Spider', and he orchestrated our official livestream a while ago.