Imagine Far Cry 3 with a true 'realism' based Mod.

[Zanitose]

**** Long post, if you're not a fan of Far Cry 3, don't read past this point. ****

 

 

Now that Ziggy has entered beta testing for his magnum opus it reminds me of the the empty wish lists that we have all at one time made for FC3. The latest version of Ziggys Mod is by far the best. From the many iterations it has gone through to now being the only continuously updated mod for Far Cry 3 here in the Nexus.

 

I've tried them all. All the featured and not-so-featured mods here in the nexus and found them all to be 'fun' in there own respective ways. However, I always find myself coming back to a version of Ziggy's Mod. As I'm deep in beta testing the latest version, I'm finding I that I'm playing in a different way than I normally would. I'm exploring differently, I'm longing for the missed features of Far Cry 2 and provoking the nefarious elements of the Rook Islands like never before. Which got me thinking... If you could suggest the best way to make a mod that would satisfy the way you wanted to play the game, what would it be?

 

If you get a chance to read this post and would to comment or add your own ideas, please do. Maybe Far Cry 4 will not leave us wanting for the misses that Far Cry 3 made. Are you reading this Ubisoft?

 

Here's mine.

 

To be honest, I would not change much from the (now currently in beta testing) Ziggy's Mod. If Ubisoft aren't paying attention to the like of this modder and others whom have shared their passions and dedicated their spare time to bettering and developing the game I would be very surprised. This mod is quintessentially the best for me, however, you may enjoy the Schwartz compilation or 30 days. I did play the sleepingwsirens mod recently and found it to be a big step away from realism, but the hilarity blasting an AMR ammunition filled LMG at a group of Vas's men milling around their parked cars is second to none. It did inspire me to think that the rounds of the weapons could be be altered a little. I had written about this in previous posts and requests, but until I get the motivation to learn how to use gibbed dunia tools and graciously ask permission from both modders to use their mods and change the specific elements of the weapons that I would like to... This won't happen, I'll just have to write the wishlist and hope and wait.

 

I did feel the the game developers' greatest failure was the mapping. After FC2 had the diamond finding GPS which was incredibly annoying at the start, but added to the realism of the game, I thought that the map in FC3 was a complete failure. Why have the camera? It's just a bit of fluff from the belly button of an overweight and type-1 diabetic octogenarian. Useless. To fix this, I would want to see a live map. Yes, a live map. You grabbed the map at the start of the game with your idiot brother (Grant) just before he cops a saucepan in he throat. I would have loved if Jason was able to take a photo of buildings, areas of interest, ruins, troop numbers, key-area positions like; highest elevations, beaches, caves, wrecks and the general animal-type populous. Imagine opening the map and seeing pencil/pen additions added from the intel sourced from the 'camera' you were supplied with. Imagine seeing Jason's note-taking on the side of the map page that has specific relevance to the side missions. This 'live map' would have immersed the player like never before. More importantly, the stupid and annoying "BUNG" sound when opening it wouldn't be there, it'd be a nice rustling and crinkling sound as he opened it in the forest. Maybe if he opened it in the rain it washed away any pencil/pen information? That would definitely piss me off.

 

The sounds of quick-selling and buying are annoying too. The immersive sounds is great, but not compatible with the latest version of Ziggys mod.

 

I would definitely increase the amount of interactions and encounters within the game. Ziggy hardcore on master is difficult, but by this stage we have all played the game through several times and the skills we have developed are at times, no match for Vas or Hoyt's men. Increasing the encounters to an almost continuous stream of patrols and reinforcements that would make any continued attack on an area impossible would be a certain gain in realism. Making the soldiers, barbarians and Molotov-drinking men of the Pacific forces to be reckoned with is a guarantee of realism. Some modders have been able to do this (see this page; http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/940572-how-to-increase-encounters-in-far-cry-3/) and being able to make the game harder and more difficult is never a bad thing.

 

Weapon changes aside for now, as I'm not sure we really need any, I would like to see a couple of variations to the holstering and slot allocations. It wasn't until I recently started playing the beta test version for Ziggys mod that I wanted to push myself a little further. I allocated that the slots be pre-determined.

 

I don't know about you, but if I were to carry a grenade launcher with 12 rockets, an LMG with 420 rounds, an M4 type rifle with 360 rounds and a side arm with 128 rounds and was being chased up a mountain side.... I wouldn't get far. So even though there is no relative weight, speed or movement associated with the game I wanted to limit my carrying capacity to somewhat of a more realistic version. The first step was allocated weapon slots. A flare gun, a pistol, a rifle and a weapon that can be strapped to the crafted rucksack. That's it. The ammo you carry, if it had a weight allocated to it would make the hardest and fittest soldiers struggle at the best of times. So I limited this to everything upto and including the penultimate crafting type. This allowed the realism to be less noticeable at first but ultimately better for overall gameplay.

 

I also removed all HUD and associated messaging. Ziggys mod removes most of these, but I had to get a trainer to remove the HUD completely. I miss the compass from Ziggys mod. And in ither mods there have been other compasses, but this brings me to my next game developer failure, where's my watch? At E3, the game demo had little Jason running around and checking his watch. I loved the watch part in FC3 and thought that a GPS or compass version of a g-shock watch would have filled the cavernous gap left by the game developers. Open and unfold the map, check the gps function on the watch and make a note of the reference points. Open and unfold the map, check your position with the notes made on the map and find the bearing so you can find the sun's glare off a relic. I recently wrote to ziggy and asked where the glow had gone, but now that I'm playing and thinking on relatively realistic terms, I couldn't care less. If the developers had explained why the relics, flowers and alike glowed because of radiation poisoning from a sunken prototype Japanese submarine, I may have believed it. For a while, but it would have dissipated quickly. I love that these are all removed in Ziggys mod and it does make it more real.

 

The tantalising knowledge that your map won't be updated unless you get your camera out on do some much needed recon before placing plastic-explosives and setting mines on a camp with, not 4 or 5 men but 20 to 30 men would be great. Even challenging. Something that is missing from the vanilla version, but modders have allowed us all to experience again.

 

I have also deliberately stop using syringes. Yes, the skills are required in the tree to get to other branching skills, but I don't use them. Where is Jason getting these syringes from? Is he alcohol swabbing himself and placing these syringes in an authorised medical sharps disposal bin? Of course I'm being facetious about this and I'm not one to stop young Mr Brody from contracting Hep C, but seriously, it outs the player on a different level and has an unfair advantage of the AI, of whom I am yet to see take themselves behind the corrugated sheeting and shoot-up because I've just placed some high velocity rounds into their torso. It's just not viable to continue to use them, when no other character does. So I've banned myself from the tourniquet and only use self-healing methods such as; relocating a dislocated thumb and digging out a bullet and some glass from my arm.

 

With these additions I'm able to play the game with so much more realism that it leaves me dumbfounded that these aren't in the game to begin with. If it weren't for modders like Ziggy, Inarkin and alike I would hate to think what the continued playability of games like FC3 would have. So, thank you to the modders and for Nexus for providing a place where modding a game can occur, and hopefully large game developers can come and learn about how to make a game more real.

[FlankerDFR]

Funny you should mention some of the "realistic" touches you'd like to see, or have implemented. I'm very similar in my FPS preferences, but I think it's likely we're in the minority. I've never used the syringes (except health, and I've only got the base three my character gets at the game beginning). Bleep that glows in my sight? Really?! Not for me. The whole "crafting" RPG element is badly out of place in a game like FC3 in my book..........................got no real use for it. Besides the "syringes" here's the things that don't make any sense to me in FC 3.

 

Weapons & equipment acquisition: If you're really providing a life saving service to the locals; say freeing them from a blood thirsty pack of pirates/privateers, who've been raping, pillaging, killing, and enslaving them for years..........you're not gonna have to buy weapons, ammo, and kit from them. They'd be too happy to give you what ever they have access too. I can see some sort of necessary in game mechanism to acquire some things the locals don't have, but that would be more like raids on Vaas'/Hoyt's armories to steal their stuff (as in the lumber camp stash you have to blow up on N Island). That would be a much more plausible weapon acquisition story element to me. Secodnly what's up with the goofy crafting your holsters and ammo kit mechanism??? Seriously??? You can buy all the weapons you've unlocked; with loot you've acquired, but the locals can't get nylon LBE, plate carriers and such???? I've worked five contractor gigs in different locations (that's me in Afghanistan in my avatar); every one had shops loaded to the gills with tactical clothing, LBE, plate carriers, pouches, you name it. If FC 3 has buyable guns (see immediately above), then buyable nylon kit would be there too. Not a dopey craft your own story mechanism.

 

Weapons performance: Vanilla guns are LAME, and very imbalanced. It seems many FC3 players/modders are in agreement to that; given the number of mods that stepped up weapons performance, and/or modded ammo piercing specs, and enemy NPC wound specs (very primative comapared to the ARMA series damage modeling). I'm not sure what level of ballistic protection the Dev's intended with the privateer body armor. The FC 3 world would be a hot humid environment that would limit how much anyone would want to wear full time.

 

Drug and slave empire: Not without SERIOUS bribery of the local government. Governments are very jealous of their monopoly on power, violance, and trade (however unsavory). NO WAY would Hoyt/Vaas be operating without the protection/sanction of someone in the areas government (Provincial Governor, General, Minister of the Interior, etc). Maybe the Devs ignored that aspect, or maybe it's implicit in the story, rather than expressed.

 

Pseudo Open Game World: Only when we're "freestylin", certainly not during the main missions; which are some of the most canned, confining, and linnear of any I've ever played. The least enjoyable aspect of the game for me. I'd have prefered the multiple path to mission completion capability for all the main missions. Even including game "ending breakers", e.g. killing Vaas or Hoyt if yu can get to them at any time.

 

Don't get me wrong..................FC3 is still one of my all time favorite games. The Devs did a fantastic job of combining a nmumber of very good elements from the first two games into FC3. Some of my complaints are obviously storyline elements, and not really game mechanic elements as you've concentrated on. Just sayin....................

 

Anyway, I have taught myself to use the gibbed tools thingy and have addressed a number of my dislikes by tweaking many elements of the last version fo the 30 Days mod (for my own personal use! I never let anything I've done leave my hard drive via any means!), as well as rolling in some elements of Ziggy's and the more recent Fast Travel mods.

 

Glad to see from you post other people are still enjoying the game!

[Zanitose]

I agree wholeheartedly. Great ideas too. I have the time to play occasionally, but until I get the time I will no doubt follow suit and learn gibbed tools and set my own parameters for the optimum gaming experience... my only fear is Far Cry 4 may be out by the time this presents itself.

 

I would like more realistic weapons and ammunition in the game also. Having fired most of these types firearms and being an experienced bow hunter for the last twenty years gives me a good idea of what to expect. Oh, to dream.

[Nolanoth]

I have checked this modification and I gotta say that although the work is admirable, the mod it's still far from true realism.

 

Why would you possibly put damage reduction on a supressor? It's beyond me. It's anti realism as far as I'm concerned. Too much Battlefield nonsense. Supressors make controllability a pain in the ass because they remove the standard muzzle device. Most weapons already have compensators. When you remove a compensator or a hybrid muzzle device the gun can go crazy on the felt recoil! If a muzzle device reduces recoil but around 31-33% or even more, then replacing it with a silencer adds that extra recoil + you have the extra weight at the end of the barrel. Compensators extednd the barrel adding extra range and velocity/damage (not much), but lower controllability. Why does everyone not implement the effects of recoil reducing mechanisms?

 

Wepaon names where broken ever since vanilla... and it looks like I'm the only one trying to put such things right. Like the AK-74. There's no AK-47 in the game. Can't people tell the difference between these models?

 

Friendly fire accidents... so many friendly fire accidents it's a suprise anyone is still alive on the island. Since there is plenty and I mean "plenty" of green on the island - having factions wear colorfully similar clothing has led me to a series of frendly fire accidents. If the AI was acting just like a normal human would in such a situation... it would open fire countless times to friendlies. Without some kind of specific markings and color all the factions look almost the same. I can't even say how many times have I ended up shooting the wrong guys in a fire fight which already started.

 

Towers... I liked the tower idea. It made sense that "you" this stranger among native islanders would have to earn your place. If you'd help the traders they would help you in return by providing free weapons, food, medicine, ammo, maybe even body armors. I hoped that someone would enchance that element, not lessen it. After all if the traders can't communicate with the outside world... it huts their buisness. If they can't run their buisness, then you simply have to earn the money to pay for the guns. By providing services your getting it all free. Yet the worst part I think is you have the felling that "Dennis lied to you".

 

Fethers... Seriously feathers for upgrades? Or turtle shells? I've expected soething at the lines of actual leather. Like pigs + boars > komodo dragons > large cats and bears > unique predators. I'm not sure how would I even.. combine the skin of totally different species or... how woulkd feathers help me make a better sack or a turtle shell. I certainly haven't seen a bag made out of a turtle shell yet. I doubt it would be practical.

 

Trust me. I haven't even finished the game yet in hopes there would be an actual realistic mod made, but I just don't see it. So I'm doing it myself. Calculating recoil energy, sway based on wepon weight, adding parameters for muzzle devices and recoil absorbing stocks and "actual" ballistic data. Not the "Hehe hehe hehe I know ballisticz! Bigger bulletz more pew pew! Smaller bullets pew pew less!" approach. I mean has anyone actually used this - http://brassfetcher.com/ ? Bullet penetration and behavior videos. Good data on the performance. Pick a standard round like the M855 which has a terrible reputation or the M193 which would blast your insides and paint any nearby wall. One has more penetration, the other more lethality when your shooting soft targets, but not so good with body armor - then implement it to the game. Don't just guess everything and lable it as realitstic.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Nolanoth

[Zanitose]

Thanks for the reply above.

 

The game is the key limiting feature that modifiers are confronted by when attempting to change the parameters of the game. I do agree that the ballistic associated data in the game is a LONG way off from being accurate, however, realism wish-lists contrived by us are not subjected to censorship and copyright infringements and may be in contravention of intellectual property rights assigned to the proprietors and/or owners of a product unlawfully depicted in this medium. That being written...

 

I would love for the realism of this game to be where we -as the users of this game- keep coming back for replay-ability and a level of escapism that one would so desire. But alas, we are but mere consumers of this and I hope that the new game -now confirmed to be in-development- is a lot better than to one and fills the gaps left by the developers. I truly do hope they take note of the forums and mod-sites associated with the game. If they ever do get it right, the fear of the consumer not buying the next best thing would definitely limit the likelihood of 'true realism ' as we are unlikely to want to pay for content that is a facsimile of the previous iteration. Modders have their ears to the railway track of modern gaming and their fingers on the keyboards are providing the necessary change that gamers are requesting. It's a shame when developers are not pioneers. They will profess to be victims of censorship and the limitations of modern computer-system configurations. They need to stop treating the general consensus like we are finger-banging Amiga 500s and giggling at leisure suit Larry's exploits. We (people in this modern time) see and experience more graphic scenarios watching Live-Leak or uncensored and unbiased news.

 

I had plenty of ideas as to how the FC series could have been bettered. Unfortunately, I'm just a helpless victim of hyper-capitalism with a penchant escapism through the means of computer gaming.

[tom288]

I have checked this modification and I gotta say that although the work is admirable, the mod it's still far from true realism.

 

Why would you possibly put damage reduction on a supressor? It's beyond me. It's anti realism as far as I'm concerned. Too much Battlefield nonsense. Supressors make controllability a pain in the ass because they remove the standard muzzle device. Most weapons already have compensators. When you remove a compensator or a hybrid muzzle device the gun can go crazy on the felt recoil! If a muzzle device reduces recoil but around 31-33% or even more, then replacing it with a silencer adds that extra recoil + you have the extra weight at the end of the barrel. Compensators extednd the barrel adding extra range and velocity/damage (not much), but lower controllability. Why does everyone not implement the effects of recoil reducing mechanisms?

 

Some suppressors reduce the velocity of the round which does lead to a small amount of damage being lost. However, you're completely wrong about suppressors making controllability a pain in the ass. A suppressor does not add recoil; in fact it provides an average reduction of ~15% in pistols & SMGs, and ~30% in higher velocity firearms like rifles. A suppressor actually helps mitigate recoil in multiple ways. For one thing, it diverts or traps the propellant gas which can have a considerable impact on recoil reduction. The increased weight of the suppressor at the end of the barrel also helps fight vertical climb. And with each round fired pneumatics actually pulls the suppressor forward on the firearm providing a counter-recoil effect. You should do some reading on the function of suppressors, and even the roles played by compensators, extended barrels, etc., before you come in here claiming that this feature is "anti-realism."

Edited February 15, 2014 by tom288

[Nolanoth]

Pfffffffffffbahahahahaha! xD

 

[Zanitose]

nice video... I was unable to watch it for anymore than a minute, I just won't get the time back so I didn't bother, but I got the gist.

 

I especially took notice after hearing the comment by the loquacious fellow in the background... "If you need more than 30 rounds to hit one a guy, you're the problem, not the gun." I pictured him sitting back on a plastic lawn-chair in bib-n-brace overalls and a stupid duck dynasty-esque beard. Yeeha!