Medical School

In a FAS Input Forum post, Oelund gave insight to the future of the medic skill. Oelund plans for future RCs plans to add first person animations when a medic treats a person.

"Like if you surture somebody you'll see your weapon holster, and a hemostat would appear, he'd then take a surture needle and wrap the thread around the hemostat backwards two times in preparation for a instrumental knot, and grap the needle with the hemostat. both would then holster and the weapon would reappear," he described. While this sounds like it would take a while and slow down gameplay, he says it would only take two to three seconds.

Oelund continues saying that treating people would still be instant on the target; also there would not just be one animation for every medic ability. Other animations would be, "opening a pack of quikclot for medic1 skills, unrolling a Samsplint for treating broken legs."

Pass the Ammo

In a FAS Input Forum post, Oelund commented about the possibility of a variety of ammo types in future versions of FAS. While it would be possible to have many ammo types such as Full Metal Jacket, Armor Piercing Steel Core, etc, it would not be beneficial to game play. The change in ammo types would make the differences between weapons less noticeable. If a weapon is coded for weaker damage compared to another and suddenly a player has the option to increase the damage by selecting a different ammo type, it would make one of the weapons redundant.

This is not to mean that no weapon would have different ammo types. Shotguns and grenade launchers, with their variety of specific shells, would provide unique ammo types as well as keeping balance. Also, some specific weapons that are available in different chambers, such as the Robinson Armament XCR, could be a candidate for multiple ammo types. This weapon would be an exception to the rule, as the entire upper part of the gun is changed out for the new caliber. In addition, the two types of rounds it can chamber - the 5.56mm and 6.8mm SPC - would be easy to balance, "6.8mm is more powerful, but magazine only hold 25 rounds (vs 30 in 5.56)."

This is still speculation and is a long way off. It a weapon like this ever does come, it would be with or after FAS implements its weapon-attachment system it has planned for future RCs.

Engine Limits

If you noticed a few clipping issues with the weapons and player models in the lastest news update, this is more of an engine limit than a technical one. According to Oelund, "buttstock clipping is almost unavoidable because the animations are done in 9 way blending." Nine way blending is nine animations blended to show the direction the player is facing. This allows more more natrual animations most of the time, but some times the animations are blended half between two animations such as when you look straight up, down, ext.

Oelund states this is not a big problem with most weapons, but a weapon like the M4 with a small stock it is more noticable. The alternative is to, "move the gun away from the shoulder so that its not in direct contact at any time, though that would also look weird."

Return of the King

Christian Oelund, veteran Firearms Team member modeller and skinner who did such work as the MP5 and it's suppressor animation is now a developer for FAS. What he will be working on specifically for FAS has yet to be announced.