Wanting to play privately how do you do it?

[Kevlar2007 1]

My brother and I just bought this game and are getting used to playing, the keys, all the facets of playing, how to interact, etc.

WE want to play from our respective houses with eachother?

What is the best method to do this?

Should we connect over IP? Should one of us start up an MP server with a password?

Should we use HAMACHI and Fake a LAN?

What works best?

WE would like to play COOP, with AI squads, at first...

Is there a way we can do the missions they give us in COOP?

Any good two player COOP missions I could download? and where would I get them? and how to implement them?

THanks for any tips, advice, experiences.....

[max power 21]

One starts a server, the othe joins it by either finding the game on on the in-house gamespy browser or by entering the ip. If you don't want anyone else joining, you can password lock the server. Alternatively, you can both try to decide on a third party server that works for you.

In the future, try to use the appropriate forum. This would go best in the multiplayer forum.

[maddogx 13]

If you guys really want to play alone without anyone else trying to join, you'll either want to use Hamachi, or one of you sets up a dedicated server with GameSpy reporting disabled and the other joins by IP.

[Mr_Tea 0]

Simple select Lan as the connection type, instead of internet?

[Infam0us 10]

Just create a server and lock it?

[KJAM 0]

The best way to Co-op, In my opinion, is to work together on the same team as humans, not two humans controlling AI Squads

[walker 0]

The best way to Co-op, In my opinion, is to work together on the same team as humans, not two humans controlling AI Squads

Hi all

Kjam I believe your statement to be incorrect.

There is no best way to play coop there are only personal likes and dislikes.

I personally like to play PVP Coop with many players controlling squads and some acting as scout snipers in a small 2 man team.

When we play this style we even run to having an OC to set strategy, an exec just to move markers and pass orders and do coms, with a human driver in charge of the HQ personal protection and an artillery commander to deal with calls for fire; then 4 rifle squads with human commanders and in squad spawn with any roll playable so mixed AI and human; mech infantry rifle over watch sometimes each IFV commander human and others only the squad commander human; a tank platoon with human commander; scout sniper team; attack helicopters watching the open flanks and ready for pursuit. And depending on scenario: Engineers, lift helicopters, mortar teams, weapons and Anti Aircraft squads, Medical team, Human controlled AI logistics (yes I have fought 5 and 6 hour battles where we ran out of fuel, ammo so the next time we played it we added logistics.

And sometimes people just like to play some Hexenkessel.

The topic is: Wanting to play privately how do you do it?

Simple answer Kevlar2007 just use your normal ArmA MP game. The ability to host a game is functionality that is already built in to the client. For bigger games with lots of human players a server version is advisable. You do not even need to run a server version for anything under about 6 people just host on your client part of the standard MP game functions. It is all point and click. Running a full blown server is more complex  

Just one of you host a game, it will be called the same as your game user ID so choose something identifiable.

You can password your personal/host/server and once your brother is on you can also lock the personal/host/server meaning no one else can even try to get in.

Your brother can use the filter function to look for just your server.

Kind Regards walker

[Gobbs 0]

I had a similar dilemma Kevlar. What we do is use Hamatchi to fake a lan so we don't have to sort through the server browser.

For coop missions, there's tons of user made ones at Armaholic. Most of the missions we play are ones we make ourselves in the Editor. If you download any coop missions then just place the unzipped mission in your MPMissions folder. If your bro dosen't have it when you play it his game will download it from you. Just read the mission info before you download to see if it needs any mods.

You can make some nice missions in it without really having to know how to program, although between these forums and the Biki there's a lot of information on scripting.

You don't need to run a dedicated server, just fire up Hamatchi and one person start a LAN game. then join in and play.

As far as the best way to do it, we haven't noticed any speed differences with and without Hamatchi. As I said previously, we use Hamatchi so we don't have to hunt through the server browser.

As for play style (ie. AI squads lead by humans or not), Try out different combos and see what you like. Personally, we mix it up between human lead squads, all humans in a squad, AI and humans in a squad... You will find what suits you and run with it.

I hope this helps, Arma is one hell of a game once you get into it.

Good luck.

[KJAM 0]

Walker, My statement is fully correct, as it is MY OPINION. And opinions are not hindered by things such as incorrectness.

[Kevlar2007 1]

Wow. Thanks so much for all the replies. Very helpful.

You know we struggled with the single player missions that it comes with and wondered if they are available for COOP?

I didnt see them in the COOP list when I looked. We would like to try those as a team.

[max power 21]

You would have to convert them yourselves, which isn't that hard. It's a matter of changing a bunch of AI guys to 'playable' and moving the missions to the mpmissions folder.

[ShrubMiK 0]

>Walker, My statement is fully correct, as it is MY OPINION. And opinions are not hindered by things such as incorrectness.

And if you pay attention to what Walker said, he also is stating his opinion, and more to the point he is simply disagreeing with your opinion. People are allowed to do that, aren't they? If you want to get all wound up about his precise choice of words that's also your right, but...what's the point, really?

I'm not that impressed with the in-game server browser, seems a little lacking in functionality, finding a server amongst the clutter is fiddlier than it needs to be, and also I've found that it sometimes at least a newly started server takes ages to become visible that way. Hence we tend to use Hamachi for small co-op games.

[dmarkwick 261]

In my experience Hamachi works great, can set up a game via LAN so no need to worry about people trying to join, get lower pings as it's not done through gamespy or whatever the default method is, and you can tell who's playing before joining.

Add in Ventrilo or TS and you got a nice setup.