A few Questions For A New Guy

[motorcop_dude 0]

Hi love the game, I bought it when it first came out and was terribly dissapointed with all the bugs, but I revisited applied the 1.14 patch and WOW I love this game now!!!

Anyway I am new so please bare with me....

1. If you apply a mod and you want to play on a server that maybe does not have the patch you have will you see your patched file in the game or what happens here with this?

2. I am getting ready to get some upgrades to my system, I am looking at possible new mother board, larger new HD, definately a new video card (now i have an ATI x1600, and some ram maybe... I want this to run ARMA full everything with no problems or lag, also I want it to run the new ARMA2 so any suggestions money not an issue here.

3. Are there any servers where people are really into teamwork and people who play on a regular basis, if so which ones?

4. Is warfare where you can have people on both sides against eachother, how many total players and ai can be playing at once?

5. Rank when you earn points are you reset back to a private when you log off and play a different server? Or does your rank stay with you?

Thanks in advance

[memphisbelle 99]

Hi. good Idea to get back into the game.

At first the question whether you own either Queens Gambit or the ArmA Gold Edition. Thats why most of the servers are running 1.14 incl. Queens Gambit (is to be seen as resistance for OFP).

Now to your questions.

1.) You cant play Multiplayer missions when your Patch is not the same as the Server/Host. You also are not able to do when some or on ly one Addon is missing. The best way to avoid those issues is to play with some of your friends or some of the Warefare servers.

2.) What system you are about to get?

3.) The same as quest. 1. No one can say whether the players on one of the public servers are providing teamwork. To play teamwork grao some guys/Friends and play a selfcreated mission . Thats the most secure way.

4.) get ingme and see your self.

5.) No, the Ranks will always get lost once you disconnected from a server. Thats ArmA, not Battlefield.

If you want to use the Editor so just take a look into my signature.

Regards

MemphisBelle

[motorcop_dude 0]

Thanks for the kind response another question, 1. if you had a great set up is it possible to run this game with settings on full and view distance maxed out?

2. also in one server when you spawn you use the mouse to select and adjust view distance and air view distance while in game, but on warfare server you can not get this menu while in game can someone explain how or why it is that way? Seems like warfare decides how you should be set?

Thanks

[[asa]oden 0]

1. Yes

2. That setting is up to each missioncreator - not something default in arma.exe

[walker 0]

Hi love the game, I bought it when it first came out and was terribly dissapointed with all the bugs, but I revisited applied the 1.14 patch and WOW I love this game now!!!

Anyway I am new so please bare with me....

Hi motorcop_dude

Welcome back to ArmA

There are a lot of old ArmA people back since 1.14 as well as new members. The ArmA videos are bringing in lots of new ArmA players.

The size and number of MP servers is up too

Quote[/b] ]

1. If you apply a mod and you want to play on a server that maybe does not have the patch you have will you see your patched file in the game or what happens here with this?

This problem is easily solved by having Mod folders in you ArmA root folder default

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA

usualy denoted by convention with an "@" sign so you have several folders:

@CoC

@Chammys

@ESP

@islands

@miscelaneous

etc.

each of these has an addons folder inside and inside that "addons" folder go your particular addons for that flavour of ArmA. So directory structure for all CoC addons would looks like this

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA\@CoC\addons\coc_cex.pbo

All CoC addon pbo's would go in the <table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">...\ArmA\@CoC\addons\

Any well designed addon tells you the preferred addon structure in the readme.

You can place which ever addons you want in whichever addons folder you want, you could put them all in one big @miscellaneous addons folder BUT this would be pointless as you would then only have two possibilities: vanilla ArmA and ArmA with all the Addons. The whole point of this is to load up different flavours. Also many addons over write each other and some actually clash! having two sound mods might be very stupid as one could over write the sound of AK from the other.  

So group addons by creator or mod team or clan preference.

If you want to add several flavours together you can!

It is all done in the shortcut:

You can then call up that particular flavour of ArmA with a shortcut. So on your desktop you can keep a folder with all the short cuts to all you different favourite flavours of ArmA.

This is what the Target: box of a particular shortcut might look like

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">"C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA\arma.exe"  -nosplash -window -mod=@esp;@zcommon

In this case the short cut runs ArmA without so many splash screesn so it loads faster, in windowed mode and with two mods @esp and @zcommon

For more information on mod folders have a look at the BIS wiki

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Modfolders

Quote[/b] ]2. I am getting ready to get some upgrades to my system, I am looking at possible new mother board, larger new HD, definitely a new video card (now i have an ATI x1600, and some ram maybe... I want this to run ARMA full everything with no problems or lag, also I want it to run the new ARMA2 so any suggestions money not an issue here.

Look at the ArmA2 recommended spec again the BIS wiki is your friend:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_2

Quote[/b] ]3. Are there any servers where people are really into teamwork and people who play on a regular basis, if so which ones?

Yes many most ArmA clans like OFP before it are like this. It all depends where you are based in the world. It makes sense to play with people nearer to you as that reduces your ping to server. That said I am based in Europe but I regularly play on US servers and the European Servers I play on on have lots of US players too. There is a big list of servers here:

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....t=60255

But it is not definitive there are others as well. have look round that section of the forum and you will find other threads with other clans. There are also other clans that are unlisted that have public servers of their own they recruit from in order to keep the riff raff out.

Some servers are extremely organised with formal joining processes and commitments to time, others can be less so and yet others have no structure or only a structure for their clan matches or clan nights.

Quote[/b] ]4. Is warfare where you can have people on both sides against eachother, how many total players and ai can be playing at once?

In SP AI In the thousands here is an example.

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....;hl=cex

A BIGGER ONE

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....;hl=cex

BIGGER STILL

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....;hl=cex

AND A WHOLE CAMPAIGN OF THEM!

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....;hl=cex

In MP players of up to 150 plus is possible though servers that can do this amount are rare. Most servers are in the 32 to 64 range. As well as hundreds of personal servers.

In MP AI can be comfortably run high hundreds on server side under server command with each client additional AI under player command. So Say around 1500 AI. There also various little tricks to adding in additional AI as players encounter them, mainly used to optimise missions where you want the whole map covered in enemy or civilian ground clutter.

A server farm architecture in ArmA II might allow almost unlimited numbers of players and AI but I have no information on this.

Quote[/b] ]5. Rank when you earn points are you reset back to a private when you log off and play a different server? Or does your rank stay with you?

Thanks in advance

There is not a map yet that allows this though with Keggety's new SQL mod running server side and with the public key of a public/private client ID hash file using an addon folder with a private key in it this will now be possible so keep watching.

Private personal key folders will allow players to build up their own rep. You could just use your ArmA ID but these can be spoofed. Having a PGP key files for each player is now possible internal to ArmA. In the past this was used by external systems to ArmA as a way of keeping the riff raff out clan servers.

Since public key encryption is the method used to protect all internet transactions we can be fairly sure it is reasonably safe.

So pretty soon I expect to see versions of Sahrani life, Evolution and Warfare using this Keggety's new SQL mod and a PGP algorithm.

It will also keep the riff raff out.

Kind Regards walker

[rundll.exe 12]

To answer your question 5: This is a mission-specific thing (evolution in this case) and is not standard for the game.

Evolution saves your stats during that game so in case you might crash or have to eat or whatever, you can join the same game again and start where you left. If the mission ends or the server crashes, you lose your progress.

To question 4: Yes its a player vs player mission, currently at max 32 players (16 vs 16) But its also playable vs AI on your own computer (go to multiplayer and select "new")

[motorcop_dude 0]

thanks for the great info....

Iwent ahead and bought the nvidia 9600 gt 512 ddr3....WOW works this game awsome in SP. In MP I can still set most things to high and view distance to 4000 or more but flying around, and watching fast planes fly by stil seems to get a little stuttery.  I did notice that in urban areas, or near alot of trees now a can run about no real lag so thats good.

But seems to be a multiplayer issue cause SP I can fly around in harrier all settings high view distance 8000... no lag, no stutter?

Someone said it has to do with server dysync?

Can anyone comment on this?

Thanks again

Ohh ya in regards to the mod folders can you explain a little more?

I make new folders within my main arma dir, name them by modder, then just add the files structure they gave me?

ohh ya how can i see my fps while in game?

[walker 0]

Hi motorcop_dude

FPS watching is just navel gazing and reduces FPS but the usual tool applies FRAPS.

As to MOD folders you just create a folder structure like this"@ExampleMod\Addons\" in your ArmA root folder. Then when you have a new MOD team or maker or at their or your clans request copy it and paste it. This results in "Copy of @ExampleMod\Addons\" rename it to "@WhateverYouWantTo CallIt\Addons\" Then just place your new mods .pbo's inside the addons folder for you new mod.

In MP games there are two FPS to deal with Client and Server. Server FPS is how often the server manages to send out to clients who can be all over the Internet the synchronized data of the game. A moments thought tells you this is slower than how fast things happen on your computer in SP mode.

There are ways of speeding things up in MP. The MP server sets a lower view distance for player clients. So you might have 6000m view distance for your computer but the server is set by the admin or the mission to only show you objects at 2000m. This over rides your client settings for the time of the MP game. Most public servers run at as low as 1200m though 2000m seems to have become the default since ArmA 1.14 Also the further an object is away from you the less often its position is updated to you.

Think of it as a graduated "If a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it has it really fallen" effect computers have so many philosophical examples.

On good missions view distance can be set individually so good servers/missions also set view distances by role. A script runs on the server to give say snipers and pilots a longer view distance while in that role. This solves the desync issue for pilots and zoomed weapons by giving them more of the servers resources but at the cost of grunts on the ground. Overuse of this can lead to the server slowing. So you need selectivity and a good game reason to use this.

Of course really good servers that are close to the clients suffer less from desync. Hence why I recommended a server close to you in geographical terms. You then come into questions of proximity to backbones, time of day, QOS, Client and server router capabilities, contention ratios, bandwidth through the path, redundancy, future capabilities, how much black-fibre etc. All the things that make up your bandwidth and ping to the server.

Kind Regards walker

[motorcop_dude 0]

hey ai really appreciate your time thank you, one last issue.

I have been playing with settings with my new video card and seems like I still get lag when playing multiplayer?

I downloaded the FRAPS and below is what the result is. I thought that my system and this card should be able to handle this game like it's nothing, but then again I am not sure what the deal is. Single player seems great I can play on just about any map no lag, flying, running in forest etc.

In MP I keep the setting on normal to high and get 20 to 45 fps. Then in urban areas say flying helo with enemy firring at me, flying low the fps drops to like 11 or 10, etc. Shouldn't a 9600 gt with 512ddr3 ram and a amd dual core 3800 with 2 gig ram be able to handle this??

Then I respawn and stand in the hanger with a couple guys running around me and fps is at 20??

I don't get it?

Any suggestions to make this card hande this game I will be trying other games over the next day or two to see if  it is just this game?

OK I tested seems like view distance and dense opjects slam fps even in SP mode it's just worse in MP, I don't understand why a card like this can not handle like steady 30 FPS That would be playable at least ...

If I turn view distance to like 1000 (everything looks foggy) then in an area not dense with stuff I can get 75 fps but as soon as i get by dense areas or allot o units slows down??

[Yoma 0]

If you want to play on some servers using mods i would advise to try my tool.

It's easy to set up and will allow you to get the correct mods used by the server in question.

You can try synching/connecting to some of the default servers it has listed.

[walker 0]

FPS watching is just navel gazing and reduces FPS but the usual tool applies FRAPS.

Hi motorcop_dude

Stop navel gazing your FPS will go up if you do.  

It is not your card.

Allow me to repeat myself; FPS in MP is set by servers ability to update each player.

Remember this is ArmA every bullet, entity, tank, truck, car, aircraft, boat, tree, sign, post, building and bush is tracked across a gigantic map. Then all the changes in data have to be sent across the internet to all the concerned parties.

Do the math.

Almost every other game you play does not even track bullets. And none of them can cope with the Map sizes ArmA is capable of.

When you are in town there is that much more data for both server and client to cope with.

Spawn drop is normal all the textures for 2000m around you change, and that is a lot of work for even your GPU. Then there is all the updates of your position and status to be placed in server and sent to all the clients. It usualy last 5 seconds though it can seem longer if you are adrenalined off your face from being shot and then wide eyed and panicked from death. Spin once in a circle to reorient your self and load all the textures.

You your self said you were enjoying ArmA but the minute you see those silly FRAPS numbers you got paranoid thinking something was wrong.

Relax and enjoy it, a watched kettle never boils.

Kind Regards walker

[motorcop_dude 0]

ya I know I sound like a little whiner now LOL, but I wish arma could play smooth like say BF2 Project Reality.. Meaning the smoothness and non stuttering.

I did do some readin and found some tips on the nvidia 9600 GT to take off certain features and adjusting the game graphics so I am at about 25 to 45 fps when on ground as a soldier fighting with many ai in forrest.

So just seems to drop a bit in MP so I guess it is what it is, I will be building a gaming only machine within this year to prepare for new games like ARMA2 so when I do I'll try it on that machine..

Thanks so much I will probably be asking you again some questions about mods when I start to research and add them.

Thanks

[Frantic 0]

ya I know I sound like a little whiner now LOL, but I wish arma could play smooth like say BF2 Project Reality.. Meaning the smoothness and non stuttering.

...

no panic...hehe...you are not the only one here who wants that!

However ArmA is build for big areas with lot of variety in vehicles and infantry with a huge comparison to reality. I guess that´s a reason for the "un-smoothness" of playing infantry in ArmA compared to other popular FPS games.

ArmA = simulation

BF2 = arcade (even with project reality)

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

Now Frantic is the new guy muhuhahaha

[motorcop_dude 0]

hey me again just so you know I ised two programs to look at my bench mark 3dmark, and aquamark, I scored lower on 3dmark but I think there game tests were more up to date the the auquamark but anyway I have listed the 3dmark below if anyone knows how to translate it to where my computer is weak and needs improvement.

There both free just google them and try it on yours if you have not done it before pretty cool.

===================================

3dmark Test Total Score 6773

SM2.0 2864 GT1 Return To Proxycon 23.134 FPS

3459 GT2 Firefly Forest 24.603 FPS

SM3.0 HDR1 Canyon Flight 37.586 FPS

HDR2 Deep Freeze 31.585 FPS

CPU Score CPU1 Red Valley 0.472 FPS

CPU2 Red Valley 0.759 FPS

======================================

Auquamark Test Triscore Total 70,598

GFX 12,822

CPU 7,854

Above Aquamark test at 1024 x 768 x 32 AA off Ansio 4x V.high

==================================

Things I have also notices, playing games like BF2, or similar runs on high everything. Pretty much any game that has good graphics but smallers more compact maps or playing areas play perfect no lag.

Games with large maps or numerous amounts of moving people, things, explosions etc cause lag in fps.

For example: Lockon Modern Air Combat high settings on everything but if I fly low to the ground I get a little drop in fps not much from 35 to 19 and a soon as I fly up and can only view sky they jump to 50 +.

I had bought Far Cry for my old PC not the one in question here but I am going to try that as well to see how it performs I will post results after test.

I will also be testing COD 4 to see that result.

[BraTTy 0]

Shouldn't a 9600 gt with 512ddr3 ram and a amd dual core 3800 with 2 gig ram be able to handle this??

CPU is due for upgrade, because of the large maps in Arma a nice video card doesn't always "get you by"

Alot of calculations also

I'm using a AMD X2 6400+