Collection of Undocumented/Lesser-Known Features

[frederf 0]

That's a combination of the ability to directly access vehicle magazine cargo and how to get AI to access their gear using the Map/briefing docket. I'll make sure that both of those are in the list.

Also I found out something new. If you're typing a text line into chat, you can change the channel via Shift+Up/Down midline.

[misinformed 0]

Didnt see this one down here, forgive me if its up somewhere all ready.

If the GPS device is enabled on the map/mission.

By default no key is assigned to the GPS device and it offers more functionality than just reporting your current map co-ord's on the map screen. When assigned a key and pressed and held you can view a small version of the map without having to look at the main map screen.

[ryankaplan 1]

Quote[/b] ]28. AI in a vehicle with another human player (multiplayer) will not respond to a disembark order. All human players must exit the vehicle before the AI will disembark.

This problem has been fixed. We tried it with the m113 and it works as well as it does in singleplayer.

EDIT: i've been told by others that they are still experiencing this problem. Maybe it does still exists, and we just experienced a 'positive bug' with our m113 test.

Quote[/b] ]

41. Color sub groups ordered (in one command) to move somewhere will do so in formation. They will attempt to maintain formation on the pseudo group leader. AI will not hassle with this when told to move somewhere one at a time.

This has not been my experience. The AI keep their spacings from the formation of the whole group. So if your squad of 13 is on a big wedge formation and you order 4 men to to move to a certain point, then they will move in wedge formation as if they are still with the whole squad. They will not close the spacing gap between them to form a more proper, smaller wedge as you would expect them to.

[frederf 0]

Quote[/b] ]By default no key is assigned to the GPS device and it offers more functionality than just reporting your current map co-ord's on the map screen. When assigned a key and pressed and held you can view a small version of the map without having to look at the main map screen.

There is a key bound by default to the GPS Minimap (Toggle). It's Ctrl-M (can't remember left ctrl or right ctrl). There is no key bound by default to the GPS Minimap (Momentary).

Quote[/b] ]This problem has been fixed. We tried it with the m113 and it works as well as it does in singleplayer.

EDIT: i've been told by others that they are still experiencing this problem. Maybe it does still exists, and we just experienced a 'positive bug' with our m113 test.

The problem still exists but I should be more clear about the issue. When Player A is the vehicle owner and Player B has AI inside Player A's vehicle, the AI will not respond to "Disembark" commands.

Example 1:

Player A: UH-60 pilot (A is in the vehicle-owner position by being driver)

Player B: Anywhere

Player B's AI: Will not respond to disembark

Player A: Stryker gunner (A is not in the vehicle-owner position by being gunner)

Player B: Anywhere

Player B's AI: Will respond to disembark

Quote[/b] ]This has not been my experience. The AI keep their spacings from the formation of the whole group. So if your squad of 13 is on a big wedge formation and you order 4 men to to move to a certain point, then they will move in wedge formation as if they are still with the whole squad. They will not close the spacing gap between them to form a more proper, smaller wedge as you would expect them to.

This is correct but is not in disagreement with what I said. They will attempt to maintain a formation... just a very ugly formation based on the old one with holes. Although I think they form up tighter when there is no old formation to resemble. Untested.

[1436 1]

hope you dont mind im going to put the multiplayer stuff on my "Complete list of arma commadns" in multiplayer il give u credit/

and i have one to add.

If you are in a tank as driver and have manual fire on press tab to Auto-target this is tanks radar system it will pick up enemys 1000 meters away in vic

[-=seany=- 5]

One interesting possibly unknown feature I have discovered is with the Player Score board. I notice that when a player uses the in game VOIP their name flashes on the list. Very handy for knowing who the heck is speaking. But the obvious major draw back with this is that you can only see the top 10 (iIrc) players on the server. Is there any way to see the full Score list for every player? This feature would be very useful if we could.

[Sleepdoc 0]

One interesting possibly unknown feature I have discovered is with the Player Score board.  I notice that when a player uses the in game VOIP their name flashes on the list.  Very handy for knowing who the heck is speaking.  But the obvious major draw back with this is that you can only see the top 10  (iIrc) players on the server. Is there any way to see the full Score list for every player? This feature would be very useful if we could.

I noticed this too. My first thought was "who designed that worthless feature".

I have no time in game to look through lists for a person that is talking. I wish they would implement a Teamspeak overlay type feature, where a name appears in a color, right on my active view, that represents the channel they are speaking on. Just like how typed chat functions ..... but with their player name lighting up on the screen some where in a corner or on an edge.......

[Lasse Lillebakken 0]

Multiplayer: Chat and Voting

Pressing <Tab> autocompletes a previously typed word, once it pops up above the chat line window.

[Knight Trane 0]

Any way to Bind a key to AI teams.

Example: 2x T = Team Red, 2x Y = Team Green

I like this list, very helpful when not all features of the product were included in accompanying documentation. Sometime the genius of this game is easily over shadowed by the lack of its integrity.

[dr_eyeball 16]

Didn't see this one:

When using coloured groups, you can simply press Shift+<one coloured group member> to select the entire coloured group.

Eg: if players 2,3,4 are group green, pressing Shift+F3 will select all of those 3 players from group green.

[walker 0]

Hi all

Add these ones to the list on AI control.

If you are running (default double click [w] key) a long way in a straight line with AI tell them all to advance

[`] [1] [2] this will reduce the amount of times they get lost. They will attemt to stay in front of you but your superior route finding means that they only manage to keep up with you; which is what you want.

Sellecting slow units such as AT and MG soldiers slowed down by weight and giving them an advance [F#] [1] [2] command makes them advance and reduces the chance of them moaning "Where are you?" and the Away designation.

You need to adapt this to likelyhood of contact and may need to set soldiers to do not fire and do not egage to or send a silenced weapon scout soldier ahead twice to reduce suprise engagements.

Kind Regards walker

[Jex =TE= 0]

Then - if you really get run over by too many - just make it to the second floor where they will never advance to.

That's actually incorrect. I was hiding up in a house not so long ago and the AI were all over the town with friendlies scattered all over the palce. I had been shooting out the top floor window for 10 minutes at AI crossing the streets and I turned around to go to the next room and a spetnaz guy had come up the stairs and shot me dead.

[Jex =TE= 0]

I have no time in game to look through lists for a person that is talking. I wish they would implement a Teamspeak overlay type feature, where a name appears in a color, right on my active view, that represents the channel they are speaking on. Just like how typed chat functions ..... but with their player name lighting up on the screen some where in a corner or on an edge.......

It does. When people use Von I see there names pop up under the text chat in the colour of their channel. It may not work in Direct chat though and if you are close to a group using group chat, you'll still hear them because you can over hear players chatting. If you're not in their group/side you won't see their names.

[Jex =TE= 0]

just found something new by sheer accident, If you blow up the power generators near a big city, the lights actually go out. Extreamly useful for spec ops units

This is a script - they don't go out by default unless a patch has changed things.

[madrussian 347]

This one sounds interesting:

Quote[/b] ]16. Map markers can be made in many shapes and colors. After double-clicking the up/down arrow keys cycle through a list of marker shapes and left_shift + up/down arrow keys cycle through many colors.

But I can't seem to get it to work.  

Can anyone confirm this still works as of the latest Beta?

If so, please elaborate on just what you did.  Thanks!

[Jex =TE= 0]

This one sounds interesting:

Quote[/b] ]16. Map markers can be made in many shapes and colors. After double-clicking the up/down arrow keys cycle through a list of marker shapes and left_shift + up/down arrow keys cycle through many colors.

But I can't seem to get it to work.

Can anyone confirm this still works as of the latest Beta?

If so, please elaborate on just what you did. Thanks!

exactly as its described. do you have a mod that changes the map icons?

[Bracken 0]

I though I would bump this up for the newer players who missed out and I found something that i didn't see listed and have not known about until today, most veterans probably know it but its not to obvious on first view as most of the other action menu commands don't stack in this way.

But anyway I'm sure most know about if you tell a man to advance he will stay ahead of you by 50m and hold formation in that position, but today i found (in an OFP FAQ at AVON) that if you keep pressing it he keeps adding another 50m on top of that.

This same thing works for flank left, flank right and stay back and is seperate for each unit so for example you could have a fire team up front..

then 50-100m back could be another fire team ready to flank..

and then another 300m back could be a APC in support or something ..

Also I will add that if you are splitting fire teams, i have always found it best to split into even numbers and odd rather than 1-4 blue, 5-8 red because when they run off they hold there spot in the orginal formation so the 5-8 group is going to have a large gap between them (opposite side tail end charlies) but if you picked

1-3-5-7(All units 2 your right in wedge) and 2-4-6-8(all units to your left in wedge/line) then your teams (or "colours") will remain closer to gether if you are ordering them to move to a position together (for example bounding overwatch).

[rundll.exe 12]

Hmm nice thread. I didnt know about the home button in the lobby

I want to add another: When you drop a mag from your gear menu, you always drop the one with the least rounds in it, execpt for the one you loaded.

So if you want maxmimum ammo, reload your gun, drop one or more mags then pick up new ones.

[Commando84 0]

this goes with laptops with touch pad but make sure to hit the disable touchpad key on the keyboard before playing arma or sometimes when your left hand goes to close to the space key and near the touchpad area accidentally shoots or something like that might happen.

Anyways make sure touchpad is disabled during arma playing

[desertjedi 3]

Quote[/b] ]If you are running (default double click [w] key) a long way in a straight line with AI tell them all to advance

[`] [1] [2] this will reduce the amount of times they get lost. They will attemt to stay in front of you but your superior route finding means that they only manage to keep up with you; which is what you want.

Thanks Walker, this works fantastically! My AI mates would alway lag behind me, get lost, and I'd often end up being killed simply because I was way out in front. Awesome!

[deady 0]

nice tips!

Hmm what can I add...well when commanding AIs, are you often annoyed that they fail to spot units which you can easily see?  The trick is to tell them to "watch" the direction you expect to find enemies.  I think the key combo is ` (to select all) 3 8 and then the number for the direction.  Once they are set to "watch" a direction they will spot enemies almost as quick as a human and will actually be useful.  AI machine gunners on hills, who are told to [stop] [go prone] and to [watch a direction] can provide excellent cover.  Same for snipers.  People who complain that the AI "suck" usually don't know about setting them to watch a direction.

The same applies to gunners in vehicles, tell them to watch a direction where you can see enemies and they will engage them much faster than if you hope they spot them themselves.

[Lou Montana 101]

Hmm what can I add...well when commanding AIs, are you often annoyed that they fail to spot units which you can easily see?  The trick is to tell them to "watch" the direction you expect to find enemies.  I think the key combo is ` (to select all) 3 8 and then the number for the direction.  Once they are set to "watch" a direction they will spot enemies almost as quick as a human and will actually be useful.

To make them watch a direction,

1. select them

2. press and hold alt

3. click where you want them to look

[.kju 3240]

even more important is to reveal enemies in the first place yourself

with RMB click on the enemy

[FallenPaladin 0]

Here is something from me I experienced torughout the whole game:

Artificial Intelligence

Must have been an officer-I heard they're supposed to be smarter than the AI G.I.

If an officer acts faster and smarter in a combat situation than a normal infantry soldier it surely has to be artificial intelligence.