I had a question about the Multiplayer in ARMA 2?

[walker 0]

Hi Litos

If server is left empty, when people join again, doesn't the mission restart or something? Or is it left the same way, so then people can continue taking over the island?

That is what the persistent command does. It makes the mission last even if there are no players.

Are there like organized wars, for which servers are setup with a single mission, until it ends?

Yes.

It takes a bit to organise.

There are also serial missions along the lines of Breakthrough where the mission units and position is saved and it is played as several phases as serial missions over several weeks.

In these case mission plans are put out in pdf form each week, with each phase being off the last weeks position.

There are also lots of experimental forms.

In reply to rcenters

And.....will there be such a thing as limited respawns?

The type of game I am talking about above usually has no respawn or group respawn. Group respawn is where you can respawn into the AI you lead, if you managed to keep them alive.

Respawns vary from none through group to base to unlimited depends on the game form. I am missing out on respawn types; there are others.

C&H such as Berzerk allows you to respawn safe at your base or at risk in areas you capture. It often leads to accusations of spawn camping from those who are new to the game. It is shock if you have not experienced it. In order to use a forward respawn in berzerk your team has to secure it, but you can always choose base respawn as it is protected. It is just you will take a while to get to the battle. So in your head you have to way up the tactical and strategic advantages of forward respawn.

Kind regards walker

Edited May 15, 2009 by walker

[Steakslim 1]

I am accustomed to playing, back in the day, Novalogic Delta Force(deathmatch and Capture the Flag),then BF1942(conquest and CTF) and currently Battlefield 2(just conquest, they robbed me of CTF).

The information I am reading on this game is very interesting...I personally have found World War 2 online to be a flop....but I haven't played Operation Flashpoint or ArmA 1, so I'm curious....for human only(or hell, even human plus AI) maps what's the max size?

And.....will there be such a thing as limited respawns? I'd love nothing more than to have a huge(10 square miles or bigger)map, where people can only respawn a few times before they are out for good, leading there to actually be a need for rescue missions, walking back to base to avoid wasting a ticket, etc....

The max map size IS the whole map of Chernarus. All 220+sq/km of land, sea, and urban locations is available to you at all times. Respawns are determined entirely by the person who made the mission. All multiplayer matches in one form or another is a custom mission. Some are really good missions, some are really bad, and then you'll have the basic one's that came with the game. Luck you never see the bad missions because few servers ever run them for obvious reasons. Respawns can be anywhere from frequent to never, again it is up to the mission maker. You can have a 20 second respawn time, or you can have a mission where if you die onces, that's it, till the mission is over.There is no ticket system like in BF2. Majority of the missions in ArmA1 were objective based and I imagine ArmA2 will be the same. A mission maker may try to make the inclusion of a ticket system, but due to the massive nature of the game (if all that land is utilized), it may not be the best idea.

Even though the AI was notoriously weird in ArmA1, it was still challenging if the mission maker was willing to put the effort and time into setting them up. Both Coop vs AI and TvT are very fun in their own respects. AI has been said to be greatly improved, dispite the Feb build previews showing a very low challenging AI, beta testers who've been allowed to speak about the newer builds are claiming that they are much improved from ArmA1. We'll just have to wait another week or two to find out.

[whisper 0]

Are there like organized wars, for which servers are setup with a single mission, until it ends?

In my sig, the OFCRA is a group organizing such wars (sorry, it's a french group :) ).

They setup campaigns played missions by missions, Team vs Team, with predefined set of rules.

For an english example, maybe IC-ArmA ?

[rcenters 10]

C&H such as Berzerk allows you to respawn safe at your base or at risk in areas you capture. It often leads to accusations of spawn camping from those who are new to the game.

Thanks for the replies, guys. The above quoted comment has made me think of another thing I don't know anything about, since I haven't even played ArmA1. I am assuming that in such a huge battle area, that servers dont have any rules against spawn camping. I personally take a war is hell attitude and I despise servers with spawn camp rules(especially uncap rules). Any comments about that? This is more of a question about how the player community deals with the game than the game itself, by the way. At least in BF2 though, I suspect some of the motivation for spawn camp rules is actually NOT the whiners who can't handle being killed, but in fact, because BF2 has a rank system, some people actually consider spawn camping to be stat padding.

Also, you said "you can always choose base respawn as it is protected". What does that mean? Protected because enemy players are physically prevented from reaching it or protected by rules against attacking it?

[An-225 0]

Rcenters, this game is very hard to explain.

You really must buy the game to understand the freedom available in it, but as an example.

There is no unified system in ArmA. BF2 and CoD 4 both had their unified game modes - Conquest and Team Deathmatch respectively.

ArmA is purely mission based. Which means, in general, no two missions are ever exactly the same. You must stop thinking in that BF2 Conquest manner where you have J-10s bombing the carrier every few seconds, because in general, ArmA is nothing like that.

[rcenters 10]

Rcenters, this game is very hard to explain.

You really must buy the game to understand the freedom available in it, but as an example.

There is no unified system in ArmA. BF2 and CoD 4 both had their unified game modes - Conquest and Team Deathmatch respectively.

ArmA is purely mission based. Which means, in general, no two missions are ever exactly the same. You must stop thinking in that BF2 Conquest manner where you have J-10s bombing the carrier every few seconds, because in general, ArmA is nothing like that.

That's what I was thinking - but then, I figured the huge map size by itself is more than enough by itself to make a huge difference.

I've always thought BF2 was a good...well, good at something, but map size not being one of them!

Well, I'll hit ya with one more question then I'll shut up til I can buy Arma2 when it comes out. What kind of infantry run speed is there in ArmA? I'm probably wrong, but I always thought that(paradoxically) BF2 was more accurate in this regard than Project Reality, which seriously crippled run ability. I would have thought Project Reality would have had a sprint mode and a long term sustainable jog mode, I mean - these ARE soldiers you're controlling. Not track stars by any means but usually they'd be sufficiently trained to jog more than 200 yards before their energy bar poops out.

And I'll cheat and throw in another one which is probably a dumb question once I play...what do ArmA servers run as a default when they aren't running a carefully crafted mission that's been set up in advance with people to play...deathmatches? Or are there servers set up that offer more quickly resolved types of missions so that everything you join doesn't commit you to a weeklong war?

Edited May 16, 2009 by rcenters
more thoughts

[An-225 0]

Well, the infantry run speed is quite adequate, I would say. However, your use of sprint should be limited, rather you should move slowly and lean around every corner.

During the times where I actually had to run, it has served me well. I've had numerous exhilarating experiences, where from a prone position, I've been able to dash out of sight before that T-72 spotted me.

Or, after carefully observing infantry movements, I've been able to make a mad dash for that KA-50 sitting on the airfield.

Its not an arcady type of fast, however, it does its job when you have to use it for the above situations.

And as for your second question, BIS ship a handful of fun missions for multiplayer with the game. These are really technology demonstrations - for example, a stealth COOP mission, a large deathmatch, and my favourite, a Sopwith Camel dogfight. You can also play the campaign in COOP mode.

The day/weeklong war problem. I don't know why, but most people seem to love capturing the island with only ten players. I prefer the much smaller missions, such as that stealth mission that ships with the game for multiplayer.

[rcenters 10]

and my favourite, a Sopwith Camel dogfight. QUOTE]

LOL! I wonder if that could be stuck in a mission with modern equipment - who wouldn't want to embarass the enemy by strafing vehicles in a WW1 fighter!

OK; one more thing before I consign myself to wait....what is ArmA's (and ArmA2's, if known) interaction with enemy vehicles? BF2 vanilla you can steal them. Project Reality you can't. How's that go in ArmA?

[walker 0]

Hi rcenters

and my favourite, a Sopwith Camel dogfight.

LOL! I wonder if that could be stuck in a mission with modern equipment - who wouldn't want to embarass the enemy by strafing vehicles in a WW1 fighter!

Been there done that. Standard in Berzerk. Lol.

It could just as easy be a Roman Trebuchet catapult firing old trabant cars if some one modded it. Would not be a hard to mod either.

It really is that free.

On the matter of running if you run a long way you start to get tired and your gun bobs about and weaves until you get your breath back.

With Ace which is the common MOD for ArmA, it goes a step further. How much weight you carry matters. You tire more quickly and if you fall from a height or parachute jump with a lot of weight you are more likely to be injured. Also you start to blackout from exhaustion if you run a long way. With Ace run too far and you end up gasping on the floor taking a while to recover. Do too much and you can be disabled by blackouts for 3 or 4 minutes. Going up hill also makes you more likely to be exhausted.

Kind regards walker

Edited May 16, 2009 by walker

[rcenters 10]

Hi rcenters

Been there done that. Standard in Berzerk. Lol.

It could just as easy be a Roman Trebuchet catapult firing old trabant cars if some one modded it. Would not be a hard to mod either.

It really is that free.

Kind regards walker

If they can mod it so that you need 8 players to push it in position, I'd go for that!

[walker 0]

If they can mod it so that you need 8 players to push it in position, I'd go for that!

Hi rcenters

You can do what ever you want. ArmA has the best modding tools of any game bar none.

I have pushed things in ArmA but I think realistic push physics need to be added as a mod.

Ace alows you to drag injured players out of enemy fire in ArmA 1. Dragging and carying wounded will be standard in ArmA 2.

Kind Regards walker

[Squint 0]

what is ArmA's (and ArmA2's, if known) interaction with enemy vehicles? BF2 vanilla you can steal them. Project Reality you can't. How's that go in ArmA?

Unless otherwise adjusted, any player can operate any vehicle they come across.

However, the setup for a mission can be made more sophisticated by allowing only players using the pilot model to use aircraft, only players with a rank of Sergeant or higher to enter the commander's slot of a tank, or hell, players whose name is "JimDandy39148374" to operate a Sopwith Camel. It's all about how the mission is scripted.

[koroush47 10]

Is the Mission making simple?

OR is it like creating a map in like crysis or BF2... or something?

[An-225 0]

It is relatively simple. You do have to learn a fair bit to make a small mission though.

In some areas it is unnecessarily complicated, and this could be alleviated through the use of a GUI, specifically for things such as soldier loadouts, cargo in a vehicle etc.

For example, I think you must set in the init. line for a rifleman: this removeweapon M16 just to remove his M16.

Which is really tiring for large amounts of units, and would be better served with a loadout screen.

It would also be nice if, like in Lock On, you could use a GUI feature to make a building or object a target.

[celery 8]

Is the Mission making simple?

OR is it like creating a map in like crysis or BF2... or something?

You place units or groups into a premade map and assign them waypoints. Quite simple if you don't plan to do anything non-simple.

[Alex72 1]

Koroush47:

Like said the mission editor in ARMA is amazing and you can do anything from just dropping your unit in and walk around or make a super complex mission. The good thing is that you can fairly simple (some reading required) make a simpler mission to start with. And by downloading and looking at other peoples missions (in the editor and folder) you can pick up how they do certain things. But the main thing here is that you can with time put in create your own campaign with voice acting and in-between game videos. Its all up to you how much you want to learn. Its an ongoing thing for me as i love "plotting"/"messing" around with things like that. I learn something everyday in the ME.

To make the most complex missions you might need to add scripts. You can make them yourself (not an easy thing ofcourse if you never done them - like me), but the awesome community here have kinda made most scripts so you can see how they are made or copy/paste to your own missions (ask first depending on what kind of script ;) ). Many are out there for you to download and use as you want.

But bottom line is: You can make whatever kind of mission or gametype you want. 2 players MP where you go kill a dude or a new gametype where you need to bomb chimneys and the other team needs to rebuild them... Your fantasy and skill set the limits only.

Here's a manual Mr.Murray and his crew made, you can have a look at it to see how ME editing looks like:

Mr.Murrays Deluxe Mission Editing Guide

Cheers

Alex

[whisper 0]

Simple missions are simple to do ;)

By simple missions, I mean missions that are in-line with the general spirit of ArmA (mainly coop, not much fancy things)

But once you want to get into incorporating really designed things in your mission (gameplay changes, GUI panels and such), it can quickly become harder.

While everything is possible, it can be quite long to do.

The good point is that we have a big bunch of very experienced mission makers, who have been there from the OFP area, and who will be in their element with ArmA2

[koroush47 10]

So is it possible to make missions like

You have to assassinate some NPC giving a speech to a bunch of citizens while the other team protects him? and if you shoot a citizen you lose or something?

or

a bunch of marines are stuck in a town being held hostage and the other marines must free them without them getting shot? And put scripts or triggers that make each side win or lose depending on the outcome?

If yes I think I'll explode at the epicness that arma 2 is going to be.

Only like 33 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dmakatra 1]

Hold on to your hat now - because yes, that is quite possible. :)

[maddogx 13]

So is it possible to make missions like

You have to assassinate some NPC giving a speech to a bunch of citizens while the other team protects him? and if you shoot a citizen you lose or something?

or

a bunch of marines are stuck in a town being held hostage and the other marines must free them without them getting shot? And put scripts or triggers that make each side win or lose depending on the outcome?

If yes I think I'll explode at the epicness that arma 2 is going to be.

Only like 33 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, absolutely. You can create pretty much any kind of gameplay. I especially like your first idea, like "bodyguards and assassins". With a couple of special rules for scoring points, that could be seriously fun.

Counter-Coop missions are the best. :)

[NoRailgunner 0]

koroush47 since OFP (2001) you can do such things... keep your eyes open and get used BIS games. ;)

[koroush47 10]

Yeah haha, after arma 2 is released... I'll post a bunch of missions i made on this forum.

keep your eyes pealed :)

[EricM 0]

Beware though that you will need some custon scripting for a few things... it's possible, but it's not plug and play for elaborate scenarios...

The good thing is that Mr Murray released his excellent Bible and will update it for Arma 2, which thankfully make mission making a lot easier...

[koroush47 10]

Yes, absolutely. You can create pretty much any kind of gameplay. I especially like your first idea, like "bodyguards and assassins". With a couple of special rules for scoring points, that could be seriously fun.

Counter-Coop missions are the best. :)

I don't know about the different groups in arma 2.

But i know that there are rebels and some chernarus defence force or something..

Well the president / prime minister / dictator is giving a speech and the "bodygaurds" (chernarus defence force) are inside with the .... hmmmm lets see with pistols and MP5 standing around the computer while he gives his speech... There are snipers on the roofs around them looking around for assassins, and outside of the speech area there is a bunch of normal guys with assault rifles standing guard. in front of the president there are alot of unarmed civilians.

The rebels (assassins) Get one sniper, a bunch of guys fully armed w/ assault rifles, and some cars, maybe bike, including a suicide car.

The speech has a set ammount of time so the rebels need to act quickly.. If they start a firefight at the front gate or something then everybody panics and runs around, they need to escort the president to somewhere safe (which ends in a win for the defence force) and they cannot just slaughter the civilians either because if they kill too many of them then it's game over.

So they have to use teamwork and coordination to successfully kill the president and the defense force needs to come up with plans of evacuation and how to set up the men watching the president.

Should be fun :D

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Considering OP asked specifically for multiplayer, I'm not sure I would put so much money on this bible (in case of attempts to get him to edit straight away :)). Although it appears fine to get you started, the sheer scope of this project means it has some serious flaws. Such as mixing sqs and sqf (can be very confusing the the beginner, and a bad practice due to sqs 'dying'), and script examples that doesn't work well in multiplayer environment.

Scripting for multiplayer can be extremely tricky concerning locality (difficult concept to understand), script execution order, statuses of events during initialization, many adding up to the concept of JIP.

Making an easy multiplayer mission, is not something I would consider easy, especially if you have to learn the scripting syntax, editor concepts, and spend most of your free time on the biki along the way.

That is one of the drawbacks of having such a free and open sandbox system to 'work with'.

Edit: It's been a long time since I checked the bible out. It might have matured since then.

Edited May 18, 2009 by CarlGustaffa