New to ArmA...some questions

[AstroCat 0]

Just picked up the game and wanted to ask a few questions.

1. I want to play some single player to learn the game and check out the campaigns. Any recommendations on difficulty levels and settings?

2. Mods, I've seen some mentioned. Any that I should make sure to use right off the bat?

3. Performance, I don't think I will have any issues with my system but anything I should look out for?

Thanks.

[Correction 0]

I'm not trying to be rude, but why don't you just play the game and find out for yourself? Honestly, I don't think I've ever bought a new game, come home with it, and the first thing I did was jump on the forums and ask what I should do first.

[The-Architect 0]

Not trying to be rude but managing it very well.

AstroCat. Check the Addon/Mods complete section. There are some all in mods that people use in there. There's one particular thread that has a lot of suggestions.

Check you system specs and go to the troubleshooting thread and I'm sure you'll find something wrong with your settings. It's unfortunate but there are a lot of bugs with ArmA.

I would suggest that you DL the patches before you start playing. In fact I don't suggest it, I urge that you do it.

Welcome to the greatest games designer forums on the planet.

[AstroCat 0]

I did play around a little bit with the game and I have it patched to the latest beta. Performance wise I think I am going to be fine.

For mods I'll do some more homework and see what people are using.

For SP difficulty, I don't know I guess I'll set it to Veteran/Default and see how it goes unless someone knows otherwise?

Thanks.

[Correction 0]

Not trying to be rude but managing it very well.

Alright fine, I'll try to answer his questions realistically:

1 - This really isn't something we can answer for you. Difficulty settings are entirely a matter of personal preference. Do you like being able to switch to a third-person view? Then turn it on. Do you think it subtracts from the realism too much? Then turn it off. If you find the game too easy, raise the enemy's skill level. If it's too hard, lower it.

2 - Another personal preference. Go to the MODs section and browse for something that appeals to you. Or play the game Vanilla - it is, after all, sold as a standalone game. You don't need any to have an enjoyable experience.

3 - You don't need to look out for performance issues. When you have them, you'll know.

[ArmaVidz 0]

1) Veteran. Make sure you turn off third person and the cross hair in the Difficulty settings. Turn off Friendly and Opfor tags as well.

2.) Make sure you have:

MaddMatt's ArmA Effects! DO NOT play arma without

SixthSense Pack1 ver1.3

Cameron McDonald's 1st Infantry (and replacement config)

Aimpoint Desert Weapons

Beta 1.11 Patch

Chammy's Sound Mod (1st Beta)(New beta - not released yet) Until released you'll need a soundmod, either the original CSM Sound Mod or FFAM 1.4P is a good alternative.

3.) Yep, you'll know performance issues when you see them. You'll have to play to find those.

[walker 0]

Hi AstroCat

Welcome to ArmA

Start with the BIS SP missions play them in order. Then play the campaigns. The best BIS campaigns are the Queens Gambit ones but there are plenty of User Missions and campaigns. have a look in the User missions area here and also at

http://www.armedassault.info/

When any one starts shooting: CRAWL!

ArmA is same as OFP for 1 shot one kill so Rambo is not good.

Cover is something big, get behind objects, mountains are good as are houses preferably several. Moving or Firing while in a concealed position compromises said position, trees and bushes are concealment not cover and do no stop bullets.

Read Dslyecxis tactics techniques and procedures guide

http://dslyecxi.com/armattp.html

It will increase your survivability.

Kind Regards walker

[wika_woo 182]

First of all, complete the campaign..

Then Complete all the single missions, the single missions will help you get used to the vehicles and just really help you get better at the game.

XAM 1.4 (Extreme ArmA Mod) IS well worth grabbing. weighing at 1.gb n a bit more. It's totally worth it.

Also the addons that armavidz just mentioned..

Don't forget to grab :

Aliens addon by Ryan_D & co, for a lil laugh, if your into something science fiction.

For flying, grab the f16 & F18 Jets.

The F18 Totally owns ground armour..  

A majority of Vilas addons are worth gettin too

That's all i can think of this minute.

Congrats for buying arma

[NoRailgunner 0]

AstroCat if you are new to ArmA and "BIS universe" you may try first on regular setting and switch later to veteran. There are different addons and mods you have many choices - take a look into ArmA Addons & Mods: complete and of course look at some newssites like armaholic.com , armedassault.info etc. and Armed Assault wiki pages.

If you encounter performance issues go to option menu and lower some settings. If problems are gone be happy - if not search in forums/wiki for solution and ask for help.

Welcome to ArmA, have fun and keep an eye on your (AI) group.

[AstroCat 0]

Thanks for the replies... so which is it campaigns or single missions first?

[Heatseeker 0]

Neh... dont bother with the official campaigns and missions, they are real bad . Try some user made ones instead.

And the editor, setup small situations with it to learn the weapons and the vehicles (flying) then go online.

The editor and MP will get you hooked, not the official SP missions/campaigns.

[NoRailgunner 0]

Training-SP-Campaign and if you like try in editor or wizard by placing units. MP is different to SP but you have to get used to weapons and stuff first

[AstroCat 0]

Training-SP-Campaign and if you like try in editor or wizard by placing units. MP is different to SP but you have to get used to weapons and stuff first

Thanks.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I tend to disagree. Although the campaign isn't as "character in-depth" as in flashpoint, the campaign is well worth a playthrough for the newcomer. Also some of the regular missions are far better than most of the downloadeable I have tried. The voice acting in default ArmA is far better than any downloaded mission I've tried. Then again, I wouldn't expect these to be top notch either, and I still enjoy some of them.

Upgrade ArmA to the last official patch, that would be 1.08. I don't recall how 1.09 was, btu there are several reported problems on the campaign mission on 1.11, and I have had Blood Sweat and Tears (one of my favourites) fail on me using the latest beta patches.

Don't start with tons of addons until you know whats in the default package. Learn the key tricks in gameplay before starting the further explore the vast options in addon and mods. Learn basic ArmA first: Shooting, evasion, relocation, hiding, cover and concealment, and last but not least, squad commanding.

When all this is done, I'd reccommend a single addon/mod to start with; ECS. It works almost flawlessly with campaign and default missions without any form of editor work. Unit and weapon replacement will depend on your own preference, not others. Myself I'm prefectly happy with default units and weapons.

There are also several sound mods you might want to check out. I myself fancy the FDF soundmod, but then you need to disable ECS_Armory to get any other soundmod to work. I didn't go for the HD version of ECS though, this might cause me the issues I have with the armory sounds of ECS. You can also disable ECS_Quiet in order to get voice commands back into the game, again just a personal preference.

But I would stress that you should try it all first without any form of serious addons and try the game the way it was intented.

This isn't a Rambo game, and because of this if this is your playstyle, you WILL end up dead. Certain missions may seem impossible for the beginner, but some might have alternatie routes that will make things simpler if you just manage to see them.

[l mandrake 9]

Just make sure you get ArmaEffects and AACF sound mod addons - they offer a vast improvement over vanilla ARMA. Everything else will fall into place

[Col. Faulkner 0]

Asking for recommended addons is likely to just get you a

bunch of conflicting recommendations. Possibly the only one

to get right away is one of the sound mods. Sound and sight

are the only senses you have when you are "in the game" and

the default sound effects are very disappointing.

Also bear in mind when trying out the campaigns and missions

that come with the game that many of these do not really

showcase the true possibilities of the game all that well.

Playing around in the editor is a fun thing to do too and one

of the unique features of ArmA (unique as far as I'm aware -

I'm not a video game guru). You can set up little battles very

quickly indeed in the editor.

[Frank-O 0]

There are some way off the mark recommendations here for a new player IMHO.

A. Update to a popular version. (1.08)

B. Sound Mod

C. Try to keep your mods total size under control. (300-500MB)

***

How do you install an addon?

http://www.armaholic.com/plug.php?e=faq&q=18

***

A.

1.08. Most servers are still playing with 1.08, because 1.11 was buggy with network connections, even though the fixes are good. 1.12 is out today, but let someone else test it out first before updating it.

B.

Sound Mod. Default sound is a bit deficient. There are a few. Don't let us tell you which one, try them out. ONE AT A TIME. It should take you about 1/2 hour to come up with your top 3.

How do you test out the sounds? Use the armory, or load up an unlocked version of Evolution, and pull out the different rifles and missile launchers from the starting ammo crate.

I would recommend Chammy's(CSM), FROMZ(FFAM), and Modern War Sound(MWS). FDF_Sound was the first out the gate that was very popular. The other three are smaller in size.

C.

Heavy in size mods.

XAM

Sixth Sense.

Use XAM 1.4 Lite. dont do the full version. It's 1 GB vs 400MB. Unsuitable for multi-player. That's my opinion. If you end up like the full version, it's doubtful you'll be able to keep using it if you plan to hop on a MP server.

Must have;

ECS. You bleed, you die. A feature not in the default game. Highly recommended. Look for ACE in the near future. It also has tracers, sounds. So the sound mods become a bit redundant if you like these sounds.

Modify your face;

http://www.armaholic.com/plug.php?e=faq&q=23

try to keep it 15KB or less. I know. it's not very big. I'm using a 256x256 image myself only.

Recommended mods; Environment.

Arma Effects

Colored water

Autumn Trees

Sky replacement.

Welcome to the ArmA community.

[AstroCat 0]

Thanks for the suggestions! I am starting with default Veteran. Do most people play with the cross hairs on or off? In default Veteran they are on.

Thanks.

[leckig 0]

well, lets say the he switches to multiplayer - with all the recomended mods, will he be able to join on any server?

[walker 0]

Hi AstroCat

If you are just starting out in SP use cross hairs but at some point you are going to want to start upgrading your skills and in MP many Pro Clans insist on cross hairs off.

Play the early SP missions with crosshairs on.

If you have played without crosshairs a lot, it is easier when you play with them, on the other hand, if you you always play with them it is a steep learning curve to get used to playing without them.

Getting used to iron sights is very rewarding. There is an interesting point where you realise that an M16/M203 without the ACOG or red dot is of more use to you in engagement ranges of less than 500m.

Cross hairs off makes you learn all the different forms of iron sight that much quicker. And with TrackIR on you still get your situational awareness with none telescopic sights.

Kind Regards walker

[Pirin 0]

If you have played without crosshairs a lot, it is easier when you play with them, on the other hand, if you you always play with them it is a steep learning curve to get used to playing without them.

Getting used to iron sights is very rewarding. There is an interesting point where you realise that an M16/M203 without the ACOG or red dot is of more use to you in engagement ranges of less than 500m.

Don't forget the "v" key brings up your sights by default too. I've been having some trouble using the right mouse to bring the sights up, sometimes it gets stuck or I just end up zooming instead. Trying to use the "v" key to bring up the sights has been working well though!

I need to try to save up for the TrackIR though. My situational awareness is about the same as a candy bar in it's wrapper!

[Col. Faulkner 0]

Don't forget the "v" key brings up your sights by default too.  I've been having some trouble using the right mouse to bring the sights up, sometimes it gets stuck or I just end up zooming instead.  Trying to use the "v" key to bring up the sights has been working well though!

I think you need to map "zoom" to some other key than the

RMB. I had a similar problem to yours until I worked it out (as

you have it now I think double tapping the RMB is what brings

your sights up - a single press "zooms"). I now have "zoom"

mapped to Left-shift (not that I ever use the "zoom" feature)

and RMB is "sights up" only. That arrangement works fine.

[LtCmdrBoon 0]

map wise, in the middle is corazol, then think south/west of that is desert, north east is grassy.

Main points of interest on the island if your gonna be playing vet mode (ie dont see your position on map) Are:-

Paraiso & Pita Airfields

"The Pass" (San marco passo i think its called).

Following a main road from South east, the main towns go:

Cayo -> Dolores -> Ortego -> Corazol -> Bogango -> The Pass -> Masbette -> Pita. They are towns most will know, and 9/10 players will ask for a pickup at Masbette for eg, although the odd few give precise grid co-ords.

Paraiso is also a big town, just south of the airfield, and note the 2 main islands which also have a landing strip.

Edit: oh and set viewdistance to 10k and place yourself on the highest mountain in the editor as an officer (so u get the bino's by default). It's worth a look.