Arma 2 Help?

[serfma 10]

Alright, I've heard of Arma 2 alot and I just recently bought it and Operation Arrowhead on Steam today. I tried doing the tutorials but they hardly explained much to me, and I had to figure it out my self. But yet some of the stuff I don't fully understand and it happens on accident with me pressing tons of keys. Is there anything else I can use to learn the game? And yes, i'm used to other First Person Shooters with the keys being so easy to remember, and use, but in Arma II they are so confusing, and it's hard for me to believe anyone could be any good in multiplayer having to jump around the keyboard many times to do things such as use a vehicle.

Is there something i'm not catching onto that will make this all more clear? Because obviously this seems like a game that requires you to have some knowledge of the game before-hand...Could anyone really help me at all even online to get this all straighted out? The game looks amazing and I would like to start playing it and know the mechanics/controls of every aspect of the game.

[W0lle 1052]

Practice, practice and even more practice.

This is a simulation, not yet another COD or BF style run and gun shooter with 4 keys to remember.

We have a thread with useful links for all newbies. You may check it out. ;)

[serfma 10]

Yeah, I know it's a simulation. I personally came from Project Reality because i've saw they are making a mod for this so I figured it would be similar. I mean, The Tuts explain hardly nothing such as controls. You have to hit Escape, Go to Controls, and look it up. It's difficult enough remembering what each and every button on your keyboard does in the game, and also with the combination of them to do other things. I do not dare go near a Helicopter or Airplane to attemptflying it, even with my Joystick because for one major thing, You can't reverse mouse controls for flying, and not for Infantry/Etc

[avibird 1 155]

Yeah, I know it's a simulation. I personally came from Project Reality because i've saw they are making a mod for this so I figured it would be similar. I mean, The Tuts explain hardly nothing such as controls. You have to hit Escape, Go to Controls, and look it up. It's difficult enough remembering what each and every button on your keyboard does in the game, and also with the combination of them to do other things. I do not dare go near a Helicopter or Airplane to attemptflying it, even with my Joystick because for one major thing, You can't reverse mouse controls for flying, and not for Infantry/Etc

Like my dear old friend stated above Practice, practice and even more practice, But you got the game from Steam and you have no key cards with all the keys listed that the hard copy players get with the CD and box.

Maybe someone can take a picture for you and post it to the forum.

I perfer to play with a gamepad (I know but you can aim better with the rat this is very true but everthing esle I can do better and faster with a gameplay except for the high command function of multiple units and for that I will use a rat on the map screen. Please no debate It's just my Belief !

There is a program called XPADDER that will allow you to map every key and mosue function to the gamepad yes every key!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in the Process setting up my hand control the way I want it and it works for me.

[dmarkwick 261]

Alright, I've heard of Arma 2 alot and I just recently bought it and Operation Arrowhead on Steam today. I tried doing the tutorials but they hardly explained much to me, and I had to figure it out my self. But yet some of the stuff I don't fully understand and it happens on accident with me pressing tons of keys. Is there anything else I can use to learn the game? And yes, i'm used to other First Person Shooters with the keys being so easy to remember, and use, but in Arma II they are so confusing, and it's hard for me to believe anyone could be any good in multiplayer having to jump around the keyboard many times to do things such as use a vehicle.

Is there something i'm not catching onto that will make this all more clear? Because obviously this seems like a game that requires you to have some knowledge of the game before-hand...Could anyone really help me at all even online to get this all straighted out? The game looks amazing and I would like to start playing it and know the mechanics/controls of every aspect of the game.

Hi Serfma, welcome to ArmA2 :)

I remember feeling as you did when I first got Operation Flashpoint way back about ten years ago, the only thing I can suggest is to play as simply as you can at first, you will gradually pick it up. Play as a soldier, doing soldier things. You'll still have fun, and you'll gradually become aware of what you can do, what others can do, and increase your own knowledge as & when.

The only other thing I can recommend doing is to play as though your life really were in danger, so hide a lot, always look for cover, don't find yourself alone :)

[serfma 10]

Heh, I'm messing with Armory for now, It looks like it's where you can go into it with your favorite wep/vehicle/etc and you get random scenarios with it and have fun or learn in my case. I started out in a car transporting people and learned that cars (In the game) go faster on pavement and slow down depending on what you're driving on. (I know this applies irl too ;D) I couldn't join any Multiplayer matches for some reason.

By the way, when you turn around and walk around, is there supposed to be a very slow delay in it? Because it seems like it's slow when I turn around and move. I don't think it's a video issue, though I do run on all Very High/High. I thought to ask here instead of making another thread.

[dmarkwick 261]

By the way, when you turn around and walk around, is there supposed to be a very slow delay in it? Because it seems like it's slow when I turn around and move. I don't think it's a video issue, though I do run on all Very High/High. I thought to ask here instead of making another thread.

If it's slow rather than laggy then it's probably an inertia thing. I believe that some weapons are "heavier" than others ingame and take more effort to use them.

[runforrest 10]

finding the right layout for ur keybindings will take some time.

im always using the same ESDF setup for all shooters, but for arma2 im still trying to optimize it as good as i can(since 4 years + opf before). problem is, there is not enough keys on a normal keyboard for a perfect key setup. some keys u have to bind 3 times with 3 different actions! a keyboard with makros might help maybe, i dont know, i never had such a thingy

Edited December 30, 2010 by RunForrest

[serfma 10]

Yeah, That's what I was trying to spit out, it does seem like it's heavy for them to turn. FPS Wise i'm probably getting up around 30 - 60 FPS, maybe more. And I didn't expect this game to have inertia like that. So far i'm having fun just messing in the Armory, Be fun if you could do Armory with more then one person. :/

[runforrest 10]

u can!

the MP armory came with the last patch, but it doesnt work like it should. the respawnstuff is pretty fu.... up :(

[avengerzx 10]

Official ARMA 2 & ARMA 2 OA Manuals for you inc.default Key bindings (Digital Copy of what we got in DVD boxes)

ARMA 2 Manual

ARMA 2 OA Manual

By the way, when you turn around and walk around, is there supposed to be a very slow delay in it? Because it seems like it's slow when I turn around and move. I don't think it's a video issue, though I do run on all Very High/High. I thought to ask here instead of making another thread.

Do you have Aiming Deadzone (a option that allows your cursor to float on the screen) turned on??

This is found under Options > Game Options > Aiming Deadzone

Edited December 30, 2010 by avengerzx

[xxbbcc 6]

You have to hit Escape, Go to Controls, and look it up. It's difficult enough remembering what each and every button on your keyboard does in the game, and also with the combination of them to do other things. I do not dare go near a Helicopter or Airplane to attemptflying it, even with my Joystick because for one major thing, You can't reverse mouse controls for flying, and not for Infantry/Etc

First of all, welcome. In time you'll realize this game is different from other shooter games and will require you to have a different mindset. Here are a few pointers, hope it helps - took me some time to type, since then several people replied.

As you said, when you need a key, you'll have to open up the Controls config screen and look for it. There are a lot of keys and all can be configured. Easiest thing to do is to open up the editor, place a player unit and preview - that way you can play around without the risk of being shot at.

To do that:

• Select Single Player
  
• Select Editor
  
• Pick an island (Desert should be fine, or Takistan)
  
• Make sure Units (F1) is selected on the left
  
• Double-click the map to place a unit (Side: Blufor, Faction: US, Class: Men, Unit: Rifleman, Rank: Captain) - click Ok
  
• Double-click again nearby to place an ammo crate (Side: Empty, Class: Ammo, Unit: US Army Basic Ammo) - click Ok
  
• Click Preview (hit Esc to leave mission preview)
  

Move around and discover/configure the movement keys. Some basic movements you can do:

• Walk slowly, at normal speed and run
  
• Turn your entire body or turn only your head. Unlike other games, your head can move independently of your body, so you can move in one direction but watch in another direction. When you only turn your head, you're harder to see than when you move your entire body.
  
• Change your stance to standing, kneeling and prone (lying on the ground.) The lower your stance is, the harder to hit you. When prone in grass, you'll have a hard time seeing.
  
• Lean left & right temporarily or until canceled.
  
• Temporarily "squint your eyes" - zooms in to simulate a RL effort to concentrate on something farther away.
  
• Lower or raise your weapon.
  
• Bring the weapon up to your face to target. With most weapons you can lean closer to the ironsight to zoom in.
  
• When prone, you can evasive roll left & right and you can evasive jump up & run. These are useful when someone is shooting at you.
  
• Bring up your map ('M' I believe), your GPS and watch.
  

As you use the mouse to move/look around, you'll see 3 green thingies move around - left & right represent your eyes and their distance represent how tired/unfocused you are. Being tired or injured is indicated by an increasing distance between the two. Try to run for a while to see what I mean.

While you can attempt to use these ticks as a crosshair for aiming, I'd recommend you don't. Learn how to use the scopes/iron sights - practice shooting with one of the available shooting range missions. Kronzky, I believe, made an excellent one some time back.

Move close to the ammo crate you placed - you can interact with objects when you're sufficiently close to them. When you are, a menu item appears in the middle of the screen, offering you a default action. You can also roll your mouse wheel to open up the action menu that gives you access to more actions. To bring up your inventory and the contents of the crate, select the Gear item from the menu.

The inventory shows you what you're carrying and what objects you can pick up from a container. You can drop items anywhere and return to them later.

If you carry more than one weapon, you can switch among them. Most rifles have multiple firing modes (Semi, Full auto, sometimes Burst.) You can carry grenades, satchel charges, binoculars, night-vision goggles, etc. Try each out.

To throw a grenade:

1. Pick a grenade from the crate
   
2. Hold down your mouse button - the longer you hold, the more force you use to throw the grenade.
   
3. Aim with the grenade - the higher you aim, the farther away you'll throw.
   
4. Release the mouse button to throw. If you throw too close to yourself, you'll die.
   

Satchel charges can be timed or remote-detonated. If you place a satchel, you can go back to it and disarm it. You can also place mines - these detonate when a vehicle drives over them. These are available in the action menu.

Most rifles with scopes can be switched to a CQB sight so you can use the rifle on shorter distances.

In-game there're 3 major views: first person, 3rd person and commanding view. You only get commanding view when you have a team and you're team leader. Switch among them to see which one you prefer.

To create a team:

• Double-click the map to place another unit (Side: Blufor, Faction: US, Class: Men, Unit: Rifleman, Rank: Private)
  
• Click Preview
  

Because the new unit's rank is lower than yours, you are the team leader. You can see your team on the bottom. Select team members using F1-F10 ( or '~' to select all.) When you have a team member selected, the unit command menu comes up. You can get out of it by hitting Backspace.

The default menu that comes up is a "context sensitive menu" and if for "noobs". In my opinion, it's useless, but try it anyway. Beyond that, you use the number keys 0-9 to open up various other command menus - most of them are only available when you have a team and you're the leader. A few are always available.

• 1 - Movement
  
• 2 - Target
  
• 3 - Engagement
  
• 4 - Mounting/dismounting vehicles
  
• 5 - Status
  
• 6 - Action
  
• 7 - Stance/behavior
  
• 8 - Formation
  
• 9 - Teams
  
• 0 - Reply/radio (when available)
  

Each menu will open submenus with further numbers so to give a command, you'll use number combinations. For example, to ask tell everyone to go prone you'd press ~,7,8. To tell everyone to disengage, you'd press ~,3,6. To tell 3 and 6 to return to formation, you'd press F3,F6,1,1. Use Backspace to navigate one level up in the menu system.

At first the menu seems pretty complicated but over time you'll learn it.

If you get into a fight and get injured, find a medic to heal. Some missions allow you to heal yourself, some others don't. Some has the old Arma way of healing: you can go to a medical tent and heal there. When you get shot in the leg, you may not be able to walk, that's pretty frustrating.

I'd give you specific keys for specific actions but my key layout is so heavily customized, I doubt even a single key is mapped to the original layout. There are several game difficulty levels, you may want to start with Recruit. This is the easiest mode. As you go higher, you get less and less help and the game becomes harder and harder.

Do not try flying until you become good at general infantry movement. You'll be able to fly helicopters using the mouse (tricky but doable.) I don't know about planes, since I never fly planes.

Once you can move around and interact with objects, driving is fairly simple - you get in a vehicle in a given position and you can drive/shoot from your position. You can change positions inside most vehicles and you can order your team members in as well.

Well, that's the basics. I'm sure I forgot a lot of details but it should be good enough to start with and then you can start experimenting with things.

In my opinion Arma is a great game but it does require a lot of patience and dedication. Don't expect quick success :) When I started playing Flashpoint some years back, the first few days I kept dying all the time, sometimes several times a minute. It took me a while to learn how to stay alive longer.

[avengerzx 10]

Well You can thank xxbbcc for this guide for you, although you can also print out the 2 PDF files which has picture guidance of which key to press to trigger a certain action.

That is what we get from the hard copies of the game especially for new users where they can look through the Manual from the box while Playing.

After a long time probably a week or two, you will get used to the default key bindings.

By the way, I think the boot camp (From OA) explains every key very well and much improved from the ARMA 2 boot camp. Boot camp will allows you to learn all the basic controls and battlefield simulations.

Do sure to check out some Developers tutorial/diary videos from here

http://www.youtube.com/user/ARMA2official

Edited December 30, 2010 by avengerzx

[serfma 10]

Thanks for all the help. :D I was wondering what all that Evasive stuff was, OA is almost done downloading and I assume most of the people play that, since I don't see many servers updated and up with players on it. I might try to find a couple people to join me in a server or me join them so that they could help me with playing better. I do really enjoy this game now that I see how it's played, and now that I know how to do some basic things. ;)

Edited December 30, 2010 by serfma

[pipscouse 10]

Loyalguard also did a pintable keyboard layout. You should be able to find it with a search of the forum or try this link to tactical gamers site

http://www.tacticalgamer.com/arma-sops-technical-support-faq/94007-armed-assault-default-keyboard-control-settings.html

Edited December 30, 2010 by pipscouse

[infiltrator_2k 29]

I've got to say, this is a very good constructive post :) Even though I've had ArmA for a while now and I'm still learning. I think it's fair to say that I suffer from a degree of procrastination, so finding ArmA so intimidatingly complex just compounds my anxiety at the prospect of going online. Instead I've found myself playing the same singleplayer mission over and over (several times a week). I seem to really enjoy playing BAF's mission Morning Dew, as being support means you play a crucial role in how the mission plays out, and if you don't do as ordered and play as a team you soon find out it comes back to bite you!

I've always played a lame sniper picking off targets from a distance on FPS shooters, primarily because I sucked at being a rifleman! why? Because caffeine fuelled kids would spend half their lives on games like BF learning how to exploit every weakness and glitch in the game so they could muller people like me! They can't do that with ArmA which is why I love the game so much! Damn bunny hoppers still haunt me to this day :mad:

There is undoubtedly a great deal to learn with ArmA, although everyone learns in different ways. I think people who are use to playing FPS shooters soon succumb to the realization that ArmA is anything but a runaround blast everything shooter with a handful of control keys! A friend of mine who is an avid fan of Battlefield bought ArmA but just didn't take to it, probably because he has no attention span. The abundance of control keys just blew his mind! :eek: but for me ArmA is a wet dream. :D I mean, it has everything I could have ever wished for! (almost) :) I think the only downside to ArmA is it can take a large chunk of you time to play.

I wouldn't expect anyone to learn the controls any time soon. It's going to be something that you gradually learn, and how quickly you learn will depend on the time you have to spend playing ArmA.