With Pics: Car Experiment "keep and lose"

[Art Blade]

This is an experiment about how far you can get away from your vehicle before you lose it (due to the game engine, which cleans up an area after a while and respawns items etc.) I took screenshots to document it, now you can see for yourselves :)

Alright. I recently found one nice red Jeep Wrangler, which seems to be very rare. When I got back to the place where I had found it, it hadn't respawned. Driving around, testing distances, showed me that at some point it respawned.

I already have a working theory about how to keep a car, but this time I had crossed "borders" between two maps that you can see on your handheld. And I mean big time, not just leaving a small area map such as Pala or Port Selao, but an entire sector.

I know PZ likes to read my tests, and spaceboy thought I'd given up long ago, haha... here's the biggest test so far :)

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These are the test cars. We use these because both are somewhat different from regular Datsun Dummy Patrols :) you fetched that white Jeep off of a patrol merc, who then died. Wasn't far from here, you're near Sefapane at a safehouse.

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Can you see the red car in this pic? A little far away, perhaps? Well, then...

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So you know where you are, take a close look at the map first. Note that you are at the bottom of the map, Sefapane Sector.

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Ok, back to "where is the red car?" Theeere. Bloody hell, that's far! Can't see it properly even using a scope... It is in the upper right quadrant close to the middle.

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No. You haven't seen this pic yet. See, far away, your rifle points at something rectangular... You're now standing on top of the red car you just saw. How did you get here? You walked, of course.

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See? This is a different map. You are on top of it, Dental Clinic sector. In the distance you see the bright rectangle...

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...which happens to be a huge board. Compared to the white Jeep below it :) That's why you walked, to leave a reference, a proof of concept.

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You drive over and change cars for fun. And because you noticed how much better visible a red target would have been.

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You managed to keep both cars across the border and return to your lovely nearby safehouse. You deserve a nap...

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...and better sight. *Ding* sunshine. And clean cars. Let's go for a cruise in the white Jeep :)

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Now you are quite a bit away from your red Jeep, which is waiting at the safehouse. Oops, a blue Liberty deliberately was given to your disposal.

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So you leave the white Jeep behind and take the blue Liberty. You drive the Liberty to a spot near the safehouse, walk back, and bring the red Jeep. You already know the distance between the white Jeep (where you got the blue Liberty) and the red Jeep (safehouse) can be sustained without losing either car.

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So you drive a little more and wow, some bullet-magnet donates his black Wrangler to you.

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Cool, so you can leave the red. And drive back with the black. Rhymes. Yeah, I noticed.  ;D There is the blue Liberty...

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...which you take and you take a look back at the black. Rhymes again, I know! It is the same. 8) Now you are curious if you can keep three Wranglers. So lets head over to the white Jeep...

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which has disappeared. Ok, apparently too far away from the red Jeep's farest location. Now it becomes clear, the black Jeep was the same patrol you took the white Jeep from. Now let's check if the black Jeep is still there...

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There it is. Good distance, isn't it? Compare this and the previous screenshot, your exact positions. That is about how far you can go. Apparently map borders are not necessarily an issue, but, also apparently, distance is. I still think the theory about zoomed maps works. I think distances in those closed map areas equal roughly the distances shown in this experiment.

* * *

For the screenshots I used a different method. I resized (from 1900 to 1024 maintaining aspect ratio) and resampled them (85% quality JPG) plus added a text.

Now open for discussion, remarks, comments, ideas... thanks for reading :)

[Art Blade]

Done posting! Every screenie is in :)

[retiredgord]

 :-X :-XThat's one HELLUVA GOOD  job done Art. It amazes me how you can do this much research for us mere minions.  haha.  I'm so busy ducking rounds, jabbing myself with syrettes and reloading weapons that I didn't notice the colours of equipment. 
  (paragraph new) I'm sure it will be my demise on these boards if I were to report the colour and/or location of my rides and condition  as dirty or shot up. lol.  Wouldn't that be a yarn and a half.  Would there be enough memory for that piece of w@&k?  Again, SUPER  job.  I enjoy reading your research, and will keep a watch for these things when I stop ducking rounds.

[Art Blade]

thanks a lot, old friend :)

[PZ]

As always, very impressive, Art - because I come from a research background, I appreciate the methodical approach you take to these challenges.  Your recent research also explains why I have sometimes lost my vehicle when parked near the Dogon Village and at other times (parked in a different spot) my vehicle has remained.  :-X

[Art Blade]

thank you :) I'm not exactly a professional researcher, but I need and use logic a lot. I think that helps research :)

Today I noticed that perhaps one more factor is involved in losing or keeping your car.

After doing all the stuff near Sefapane, I went back to the safehouse s/w of Port Selao, where I had found my red Wrangler. That is a distance that spans across half the southern area. Well, when I arrived in my red Wrangler, the stand where it used to be was still empty as in "did not respawn". The last time I wrote about the red Wrangler I wrote that I made it respawn after destroying it first. Had to drive away a little distance, but it respawned.

In the Experiment above I got a white Wrangler and only when it disappeared, the black Wrangler appeared. There seems to be something like original ownership.

Today, again, I noticed that I couldn't go that far as depicted in the experiment: left one Jeep at the Sefapane safehouse and drove down the road towards town, like in the original experiment. When I turned at the same spot and returned to the safehouse, a new partrol Wrangler came bumping down the road towards me, and the one left was gone.

The real question is, if you think of those cars you find at your safehouses that belong to nobody but you, do they dissapear too? Why and when? :)

[PZ]

Interesting... perhaps there is a difference between the vehicles used by the mercs versus those that are simply parked at a location.  I recall playing with a merc at one of the bus stops, and while he started and drive the resident Datsun, he would not leave the are to chase me.

[Art Blade]

indeed...

Another question is, why does the red Wrangler not respawn as long as it's not destroyed, but does disappear if you go too far away from it?

[RedRaven]

noticed a few quirky things as going thru the game several times,
(each with different character and / or difficulty)

1) some patrols change colour i.e. they drive out of view one colour, i dont move, they come back a different colour (not always tho)

2) once or twice after shooting the driver of the assault truck th gunner jumps down into driving seat and drives off (chicken!) but the truck didnt come back along its patrol route at all (left it running about 2/3 hours and nothing)

3) but most of you probably know this already - when your doing a "Destroy the Convoy" mission any patrol routes it goes along do not have the patrol until the convoy is destroyed,
and whilst on convoys, every one i've encountered is 2 assault trucks and 1 target vehicle. some times the assaults get seperated, but also if you just hit the target vehicle and run/hide the assault trucks dont seem to come looking for you !!!
(this has only really happened when i'm as far away as can get and still see to shoot, perched on a hillside or rocky outcrop the other side of the map, taking my time with sniper rifles)

so i`m wondering just how clever/random the A.I. that governs mercs is ? with a PC if you quick-save, then quick-load the mercs rarely do the same thing twice in a row.

[Art Blade]

I've seen all the above mentioned, too. I once shot the gunner of an AT and the truck drove away, returned after a minute and had a new gunner wobbling in his turret.

I think the AI works inside areas, ie "watch that house and don't go farther than the fence" and "except you chase the player".

[RedRaven]

going to start on highest difficulty and see what else changes other than ammo/meds/grenades carried. wonder if the mercs are better drivers or have learnt to swim ? ? ?

[PZ]

That would be cool... a swimming merc... Normally they avoid the water like cats do.

[Art Blade]

...only cats don't drown  ;)

[RedRaven]

yeah, thats really wierd with cats/water cos big cats dont have a problem with it, have seen wildlife footage of one in Brazil swimming down river to catch its prey (cant recall if it was a cougar, jaguar or leopard) but you sure as hell wouldnt want one swimming after you, was pretty swift.

think domesticated cats are just a bit to vain
...whining feminine voice...
(cant get my hair wet it will go all frizzy.....)

[Art Blade]

About the vehicles, i left the blue gun truck from Mike's @ the bus stop @ Pala yesterday, to take a quick run up to the Cattle Xing area to rescue the plane crash buddy. 

I'm not sure how long i was gone, but when i returned i was surprised to see the same truck, still @ the bus stop. I wonder if time away also has a bearing on vehicles staying, or disappearing.

definitely not. I rushed away and went back within a minute to see a car has disappeared.

Weird, but its happened again today. Both times i was returning to the bus station @ Pala, and i had the blue gun truck from Mike's.

As you see, I quoted from a now locked topic, so we could join forces here :)


Sounds like there is a connection...

Interesting... perhaps there is a difference between the vehicles used by the mercs versus those that are simply parked at a location.  I recall playing with a merc at one of the bus stops, and while he started and drive the resident Datsun, he would not leave the are to chase me.

I would like to investigate that, anyone notice something alike, any ideas? :)

[Art Blade]

About the vehicles, i left the blue gun truck from Mike's @ the bus stop @ Pala yesterday, to take a quick run up to the Cattle Xing area [...] when i returned i was surprised to see the same truck, still @ the bus stop. I wonder if time away also has a bearing on vehicles staying, or disappearing. Weird, but its happened again

Park & Ride method

Ricamundo, I drove with my Bowa-Jeep to Leboa, Pala, left it at the bus stop and took the bus to Goka Falls. When I returned by bus to Pala, my Jeep was... still there!!! (of course, I tried "your" blue truck and it was also still there indeed)

Incredible. Now... Maybe that's a new situation... would be interesting to know, play bus stops a special role in FC2?

I'm going to drive my red Bowa Jeep to a different bus stop and see if I can get it back, too.

Ok, I drove to the s/w bus stop in Leboa, red Bowa Jeep. Took the bus to Pala, and back. Endless seconds of loading screen, returned at the s/w bus stop, and... my red Jeep... was still there, too!!! OMG.

Next test. Drove the Jeep a little away from the s/w bus stop (does the car need to be parked inside the square between those timetables?), Bus to Pala and back, Jeep still there. Ok, it's not a "magic" square at bus stops.

Now, challenge :) Leave the Jeep at s/w bus stop, take Bus to Pala, take bus from Pala to Goka, and from Goka back to s/w bus stop. Arrived (nice sunset) at s/w bus stop... the Jeep... is still there!!!

Now, bigger challenge  ;D Take the bus from s/w bus stop to Petro Sahel bus stop (n/w), take the buggy there and drive to Goka bus stop, take Goka bus back to s/w bus stop. The Jeep... is gone.  :(

Maybe taking a different car interferes with "ownership" of the Jeep?

OK, reload, red Jeep at s/w bus stop. There is a yellow Datsun, I take it, drive a circle around the bus stop, park it next to the Jeep and take the bus to Pala and back. The Jeep has gone, but the Datsun is where I left it. So, "ownership" plays a role.

Now the hard part (gulp). Redo the monster journey:
"Take the bus from s/w bus stop to Petro Sahel bus stop (n/w), take the buggy there and drive and walk to Goka bus stop, take Goka bus back to s/w bus stop."

Travel Diary:

I start walking, leaving the  Petro Sahel bus stop behind. I start the stopwatch of my keyboard (how long does it bloody take to walk there?) and am glad I have the G15 keyboard programmed, the G1 key is "press W" and G2 is "press and release W". Like that, I hit G1 and start walking, and I lean back watching myself trudge... need kick the mouse sometimes to keep walking on the road.

I meet a DD who turns before I reach him. He drives almost as slowly as I walk. Something else to watch. After a while he turns, towards me. On passing me closely, he notes my presence and goes "HMMM" as you would when reading a newspaper during breakfast, being asked "Do you want a cup of tea, darling?" - "HMmmm". Keep walking... Three minutes later I pass a guard post. I overhear a conversation about a pack of chewing gums full of ants that then started to bite the "barse" of that merc who is telling that story. I don't hear the end of it as I trudge on.

I spark a cig while passing the arms dealer, staring into the night, and keep walking. 5mins10, I cross sectors, my map whips back and forth, revealing the target area. Walking a little cross country, I can move straight. No need to follow the bends of the road. The ATP has to, I hear him struggle. Passing a GP whose mercs have nothing to say.

The phone rings. Real life kicks in, received good news, now on with the walk. Thinking FC2 again. Start stopwatch, walk. I'm close to a safehouse now, and an ATP shows up, turning, as if to say, this way. I can see the bus stop, on my map, isn't far any more, and speed up cross country, walking abouts in the dunes. The bus stop, about 10 mins of walking, is finally there. Now the trip back by bus.

THE JEEP IS STILL THERE! Whoa, woo-hoo  :)

Interesting... perhaps there is a difference between the vehicles used by the mercs versus those that are simply parked at a location.

Almost fed up with testing, I still need one  next test: I want a non-stationary car. I fetch a driving ATP somewhere between Pala and s/w bus stop, drive to s/w bus stop in the AT, leave it there, and finally shoot the god. Damned. Generator. At the bus stop (I hate that Brrrrrrrrr sound, I always shoot them to get some silence) and relieved, I take the bus to Pala. There I carefully attach two IEDs to the resident red Datsun, blow it, grin, and take the bus back to the s/w bus stop. The AT I had left there... is still there!

Too exhausted to draw any conclusions, I leave it be and post away.

[RedRaven]

so if you want to keep your "Baby" sweet Dont drive others, stay in Vehicle-Monogomy ?????

[RedRaven]

or

A Car is for LIFE, not just for XMAS

XMAS can easily be swapped for the following
  Making Merc Pancakes
  Hunting Zebra
  Using as a Bomb or Road-Block
etc.....

[Art Blade]

heh, of course you can do whatever you like with your car, but I just like some company. Lacking buddies who actually walk with me, I stick to my car. And I pick my car, not just any car. Be it a special coloured Gren Truck or the unique red Wrangler. It is just nice (and handy) to have a car with you, always :)

[RedRaven]

when the Monogomy thought struck had to share it, still chuckling now.
any UNIMOG will do me fine cheers 8)

[Art Blade]

I could use a tuning shop, like those in Need4Speed. Paint your car to your taste, tune the engine, gears, and shout "watch me now" when racing into the sunset  ;D

[retiredgord]

Art..I'm always amazed at the amount of research you do.  Again this should help the members should they want or need a vehicle.  I've started to borrow the grenade truck from the boys near the Crash siste and usually end up losing it.  I'll will be more careful with my toys in the future...Pinky Promise.

[Art Blade]

thank you, Gord :)

this is my way of doing "side jobs" throughout my walk-throughs :)

If I like a game, I tend to find out as much as possible, to get the maximum fun out of it. And since the regular scripted plot missions are sparse, haha (compared to other games like Oblivion or FallOut3, there are hundreds) I have plenty of time to both enjoy the environment and find research themes. Hmm, I didn't look for them, I just noticed some odd things and wanted to understand them... not an easy task here. Still, the challenge is fun :)

As long as there are some people who read this (and like it) I'll just keep you "posted up" with what I'd otherwise do for myself alone :)

[PZ]

Nice w@&k, Art - this is another example of how FC2 gets better every day!   :-X

[Art Blade]

thank you :)