Tips for a new online gamer?

[sgtwilson 10]

Hey..

I've finally got the internet up and running on my new gaming rig and have begun playing some Arma 2 online with BAF DLC.

....I just can't get what's going on?! There doesn't appear to be any structure to the gameplay whatsoever - I have yet to engage any enemy due to being killed at least 20 times, by ways not within my control (being run over, crushed, fallen etc) so am getting a tad frustrated.

What I'd like to know is... what the hell do you do and where do you do it?!

[Ulanthorn 10]

What the hell are you playing?

Multiplayer is not abut going against an OPFOR army alone, its more of a warfare simulation in that retreat is an real option.

I had 8 hour warfare mission with less than 10 respawns and a win in the end...so it is possible, just stp runing ahead into unknown land and stick more to real world procedures and teamwork...teamworks is what MP is about...you can't win alone against a team.

I recommend "Warfare BE" for your first MP experiences since it allows freedom but still gives you directions and allows to assemble a team of players and A.I. support.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Ulanthorn

[bushlurker 45]

:D

Hi SgtWilson!

You sound a a little frustrated!

Things can seem a little chaotic and randomly lethal in MP at first... battlefields are like that ;) Also, some servers are like that...

Assuming you've played sufficient singleplayer and messed around in the editor shooting random badguys and running around to have basic movement and equipment handling completely sorted then what you need is a gentle introduction to team play...

Like Ulanthorn says... this ain't most other games... to survive you need to be part of a cooperative team... Almost all servers are nominally co-op, but quite a few are less than completely organised, and if you don't know what you're doing you can find yourself wondering what to do while enemies you never see pick you off over and over... very discouraging...

There are a few good organised servers you could try... the Kellys Heroes and CIA guys have been around since the Flashpoint days... Though technically they're passworded servers, I think both are happy to allow guests sometimes, or run open nights - see their threads in this section for details... They're fairly organised - you'll need appropriate voice comms... you'll find there'll be a team leader and - he'll lead... he'll tell you where to go, when to fire and when to hold back... you might be asked to carry an extra round for the AT guy (its a team remember?)... organised doesn't mean YesSir NoSir all the time - just a willingness to follow the plan and play your part in the team...

With a proper team around you its likely you'll survive the first encounter or two... a decent leader will direct you to a firing position and give you a target or an area to cover, if you take a hit the medic will be on his way... being part of a working team gives you the time to relax a little and watch whats happening around you...

Eventually you'll fall in with a like minded squad of guys or a server you enjoy and that'll be you sorted... an awful lot of servers out there don't even appear on the MP list - which can give the false impression that not many people play MP Arma 2...

If you have the basic skills sorted, voice comms and you like the sound of a more structured introduction, have a read of the CIA and KH threads for starters...

B

Edited November 26, 2010 by Bushlurker

[Von_Lipwig 10]

The single most rewarding way to have fun on Multiplayer is by joining a group of people (clan, squad, unit, whatever you want to call it) or at least become a regular on a server run by such a group. From my own not so very extensive experience, those big public servers running Warfare or Evolution every day all day don't have much going on in the way of teamwork. Better to join a more organised group of people (inconspicuously points to his signature) to get some more teamwork going on as well as communication and coordination. All the good stuff, basically. :)

[celery 8]

You don't have to play Warfare or Domination. The downside is that people don't play much else. But try Valhalla, for example. There is one server that constantly runs it, and it's almost always populated.

[Cpt Blade 10]

and again there is some servers that runs domination based on teamplay, we actually recruit on dom. just to see how they play when given orders an so on the domination is really nice when all play as one team tho

[Von_Lipwig 10]

Yeah, there are quite a few of those big servers out there running these missions effectively and in a coordinated way. But I always find it harder to enforce teamplay on those missions (for whatever reason) even if it is on our own server.

But yeah, it's not as if these missions equal bad teamwork or anything, far from it. But usually the servers where a lot of lonewolfing is going on are running these missions, that's why I named them :)

[sgtwilson 10]

Thanks for the responses, all.

Teamwork is something that I'm looking for. Joining a clan is on the cards for me - but at this early stage it's more about learning the absolute bare basics of the game - IE - even how to respawn..

I take it a mic/headset is a must? Was looking to pick one up today, for about £30, but I only came across £100+ Sennheisers! And while it will be a Sennheiser, 100+ is rather a bit steep...

FYI, I would say I'm fairly down with the basics of movement/control - I make missions on a daily basis to play... love the creativity of it all.

[LANCERZz 10]

Thanks for the responses, all.

Teamwork is something that I'm looking for. Joining a clan is on the cards for me - but at this early stage it's more about learning the absolute bare basics of the game - IE - even how to respawn..

I take it a mic/headset is a must? Was looking to pick one up today, for about £30, but I only came across £100+ Sennheisers! And while it will be a Sennheiser, 100+ is rather a bit steep...

FYI, I would say I'm fairly down with the basics of movement/control - I make missions on a daily basis to play... love the creativity of it all.

I recommend the armory if you're trying to learn the basics of gameplay and not have to go through boring training missions.

[bushlurker 45]

I use these sennheisers... £22 quid... surprisingly good audio quality, lightweight... I'm accidentally heavyhanded with headphones a lot for some reason - these have lasted well so far - unlike my previous Sonys...

B

[concurssi 11]

What the hell are you playing?

Multiplayer is not abut going against an OPFOR army alone, its more of a warfare simulation in that retreat is an real option.

I had 8 hour warfare mission with less than 10 respawns and a win in the end...so it is possible, just stp runing ahead into unknown land and stick more to real world procedures and teamwork...teamworks is what MP is about...you can't win alone against a team.

I recommend "Warfare BE" for your first MP experiences since it allows freedom but still gives you directions and allows to assemble a team of players and A.I. support.

What's warfare BE?

[M9ACE 0]

What's warfare BE?

Benny Edition.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=82201

[sgtwilson 10]

I use these sennheisers... £22 quid... surprisingly good audio quality, lightweight... I'm accidentally heavyhanded with headphones a lot for some reason - these have lasted well so far - unlike my previous Sonys...

B

Thanks - they look good, but I'm looking for something more completely ear-covering for optimum comfort. May have to spend a little more than 30, but comfort is comfort.

Is there a massive difference in quality with the price?

[Von_Lipwig 10]

I don't think you can go wrong with pretty much any Sennheiser or Logitech above 20-30 quid. Bought mine for 60 but I guess I was in a bit of a funny mood. I usually end up wearing my headset only half-covering my ears as I also want to be able to hear what's going on around me, don't want to look around finding out my house is on fire. :P

And yeah, I would say it is a must, or at least it will be if you are planning on playing with an organised group. Communication is key in games like this. Contact reports go much faster when you speak them as opposed to typing... and this will save lives ;)

---

I think that if you play around with the editor and play missions you made on a daily basis, you probably have the basics down already. ;) Respawning can be different per mission. For example, on the normal respawn method you simply respawn at a marker. In warfare and some other missions you can pick your respawn point from a list. In Insurgency, you can spawn on a base or on your group members. And so on.

Really, the best way to learn is to jump in there... but with ArmA, it had better be a somewhat calculated jump... joining a group is perfect for situations like this. More often than not they will show you the ropes (or at least the ropes you haven't seen yet) and ease you into online play. :)

[bushlurker 45]

I usually end up wearing my headset only half-covering my ears as I also want to be able to hear what's going on around me, don't want to look around finding out my house is on fire. :P

Thats why after a variety of different sized sets I opted for the basic "walkman" style but made by the best name I could think of... they're a good compromise..

B

[Militant1006 11]

Well, my first tip for multiplayer is to learn the basics and more advanced parts of a game over 2 or 3 months, then maybe you can start looking at the clan scene, personally I have been playing Arma online since about February and I'm still not in a clan, when you start, try to stick to 1 or 2 servers, I actually wouldn't recommend Warfare as your team will be essentially random most of the time, which leads to less teamwork, and also sometimes it can be tougher playing against more experienced players running around with tank platoons (A annoying part of warfare), I would recommend domination, because you get some practice on AI and it can help with a wide variety of online skills (convoys, Spec Ops, infantry, Armor, Air Support, you name it).

When you start I would definetely recommend a microphone, people really appreciate new players trying to work and communitcate with everyone else, also let everyone know your new to the game or game mode, first benefit is that they would cut you some slack, and second is that they will usually go out of their way to help you.

Before you try to join a clan you should know how modlines and mod installation works (Usually ACE is run on servers emphasizing realism), once that is done get to know other players and what they are like, and you will soon be server regualars who everyone likes.

[sgtwilson 10]

Thanks again, all.

Got myself a Creative headset today - No Sennheisers in the whole blooming City it seems...

Now how the devil do I get it to work?? Downloaded teamspeak but how can I get speaking with the people on the server? I tried typing and asking this IN the server, but nobody cared to answer.

Thanks.

Militantsausage - recommend any good ACE servers with teamspeak? Going to look in to downloading ACE now. Thanks.

EDIT: I'm having a little trouble sourcing all the mods that's needed apparently.. can anyone link me directly with one central resource that's good for downloading all mods? It seems they're spread amongst a lot of sites when I google for them.. most other games I've modded have all had central resource sites..

Edited November 27, 2010 by SgtWilson

[sgtwilson 10]

Got the mic to work - realised whoever hears you depends upon your channel - changed to Global and it worked a treat.

If anyone can point me towards the best site to download all ACE requirements, t'would be a great help.

Thanks

[Von_Lipwig 10]

Try armaholic.com, that site has loads of addons. I believe though that ACE2 his its own updater suite called six updater. That has all the latest changes, I think the version on armaholic is a bit old.

[Gunter Severloh 3951]

New to MP? Get information here.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=79628

ArmA II Hints and Tips

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_Hints_and_Tips

Tactics, Techniques and Procedure:

http://ttp2.dslyecxi.com/

Armaholic -(place to download, addon/mods, scripts, and many, many more things!

http://www.armaholic.com/index.php

[concurssi 11]

Thanks for the links Günter. Should be useful.

[sgtwilson 10]

New to MP? Get information here.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=79628

ArmA II Hints and Tips

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_Hints_and_Tips

Tactics, Techniques and Procedure:

http://ttp2.dslyecxi.com/

Armaholic -(place to download, addon/mods, scripts, and many, many more things!

http://www.armaholic.com/index.php

That's a great help Guenter, thanks.