Can't tell friend from foe in this game!

[AndrewMont 1]

Started the Arma 2 campaign recently I was a fan of operation flashpoint and do really like this game except a few issues. However one thing that's really annoying is that I want to play without a crosshair but telling friend from foe is near impossible when you've got Russians your fighting and Russian allies!

How can I tell friend from foe better or is there some way to make it so that even with crosshair off it will still show friendly tags. TBH seems stupid that just because you don't have a cross hair tags are automatically removed :mad:

[PeteWaddell 1]

Well... Your Friendlies might have group tags, If you have disabled that just flick it back on and shoot everything without a green diamond on it :D Other than that, use Army ROE and have extra caution.

[AndrewMont 1]

Well... Your Friendlies might have group tags, If you have disabled that just flick it back on and shoot everything without a green diamond on it :D Other than that, use Army ROE and have extra caution.

ROE takes away element of surprise and normally results in me being shot first.

The group tags are only for my squad they don't appear on other friendlies. In particular I'm thinking of the mission in red harvest where your assaulting Cherno. It's fine until you're in the city then it's just chaotic.

[viper[cww] 14]

Both have different camo variants, learn to differentiate them by testing in editor, blue/green is russian, russia/ChDKZ use green balaclava's whereas friendlies use black {NAPA} iirc.

[Tonci87 163]

ROE takes away element of surprise and normally results in me being shot first.

The group tags are only for my squad they don't appear on other friendlies. In particular I'm thinking of the mission in red harvest where your assaulting Cherno. It's fine until you're in the city then it's just chaotic.

I think it´s quite easy distingushing USMC from ChdkZ Soldiers. You just need a little practice

[pachira 1]

Since you played Operation Flashpoint, just visualize the CDF as the americans from OPFP. They wear the same vest, gear, and helmet as the US guys in OPFP.

Only difference is they carry AK-74s, and have a different camouflage. And of course aren't american :p

Edited October 22, 2012 by Pachira

[doctorsheep 1]

Memorizing the hats/helmets is the easiest way to tell the different forces apart.

[ProfTournesol 956]

The foe is the guy shooting at you ;)

[icewindo 29]

The foe is the guy shooting at you ;)

That's what I go by :)

As long as you're not getting shot at you have plenty of time to use that binocs or acog to verify a threat. No need for hasty decisions. Ofc. in a pvp mission you might be a little more trigger happy but I value the life of my virtual comrades more than my own.

Playing project reality as a snipper/spotter combination me and my buddy probably missed some enemies as we always spent a good portion of time identifying a target to be sure that dude over there actually was an enemy.

[.kju 3245]

Look at the shoes ;)

[instagoat 133]

;2244544']Look at the shoes ;)

Helmet shape, hue of the Uniform, shape of the weapon, vest colour, direction they are coming from, gunfire noise.

For example, if they have blue camo pants and green balaclavas, you´re dealing with Chedaki. If they have all green Uniforms with a greyish green and you hear kalashnikov or PK fire from their direction, you´re dealing with Russians. If they have greenish-brown-green Uniforms and brown vests, you´re dealing with Marines. CDF has russian-ish Uniform that is more pale and has pale green vests.

When in doubt, hold fire and see if your friendlies are firing at them.

Also, train. It comes with experience. Also, it is like real life. IRL, you -also- can´t tell who is who. That is why during gulf war, A-10s were blowing up Bradleys, M1s where also shooting Bradleys and trucks, and Apaches were blowing up Hummers and Trucks.

[.kju 3245]

(to clarify: the color of the shoes)

[max power 21]

The best way to figure out who is who in an ambiguous situation is to use your battlefield awareness. This comes from intelligence, communication, observation, and prediction. Read your orders, communicate with your team, keep a low profile, and use your senses. If you have not been seen, and you don't know who is who, then what's your hurry?

[BasileyOne 10]

its not easier than in Real-Life and MAJOR source of fratricide:[

generally FFI problem become biggest issue in modern warfare development.

and resulted into major BDU changes in past decade.

NOT camo performance, nor protection, nor carrying caps.

p.s.

generally if you see guy with stars and stripes on trousers unlikely he's from Russian army, but that would happen too ;)

[noubernou 77]

C³I (command, control, communications, and intelligence) isn't just for finding and killing the enemy, its for tracking and not killing friendlies. Use it! That applies from Army group down to platoon level! If you do not have proper command over subordinates, control of their movements, communications with friendly assets in the immediate theater, and intelligence on the enemies actions, then you are fighting blind, deaf, and dumb.

[metalcraze 290]

How can anyone have trouble telling BLUFOR camo from OPFOR? Like ACU that is like a shining beacon "hey I'm here!", especially against the green background of Chernarus

I guess you should stop firing randomly at everything that moves the moment you spot it, take your bino, scope or whatever and double check. If those aren't the option communicate and ask if those are friendlies there. Obviously the last one is for MP.

In fact even AI do this in ArmA2. They may see people walking on top of the ridge but they won't report them as an enemy contact until they are 100% sure it is. Even though you just placed those enemies in the editor.

The general rule - if you can't tell what's that and it doesn't fire at you - it may be friendly.

Edited October 28, 2012 by metalcraze

[froggyluv 2136]

I remember having that problem when first getting the game but now my brain has trained itself to know the difference pretty reliably. I'm not even sure what or how I distinguish -it just happens ;)

[Bouben 3]

How can anyone have trouble telling BLUFOR camo from OPFOR? Like ACU that is like a shining beacon "hey I'm here!", especially against the green background of Chernarus

I guess you should stop firing randomly at everything that moves the moment you spot it, take your bino, scope or whatever and double check. If those aren't the option communicate and ask if those are friendlies there. Obviously the last one is for MP.

In fact even AI do this in ArmA2. They may see people walking on top of the ridge but they won't report them as an enemy contact until they are 100% sure it is. Even though you just placed those enemies in the editor.

The general rule - if you can't tell what's that and it doesn't fire at you - it may be friendly.

ACU is ACU, but pro-west insurgents vs pro-east insurgents in Takistan - thats a different problem.

[maturin 12]

So long as we're not talking Takistani irregulars, unit identification is simply a matter of time. After some practice learning the uniform types and configurations, it will be effortless, I assure you. Much easier than in real life.

[domokun 515]

There's also a mod that really helps called ShackTac HUD.

It acts as a mini-radar, mini because of the limited range (15ft?) and tries to simulate real-world situational awareness that you don't get when sitting 2ft from a flat screen.

[docbrown 1]

sthud is helpful at times however can only really be helpful when everyone on your side is in the same squad. Players, or ai in other squads will not appear on your sthud so PID'ing targets is still a necessary skill. As said before, the more you play the more you will learn who the bad guys are and knowing who is on what side will become instinctive.

one way to quickly learn is to use the editor. drop some opfor units right next to you and add this in the init for the "player" character for god mode so you can get in close and take a look without dying:

this allowdamage false;