Dslyecxi's ArmA2 Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures Guide Published

[Fiya 10]

the guide is very good, but what really is the point when the campaign sucks and you can never put all that stuff into action in the game..

Your post is extremely irrelevant since most of this (If not the whole thing) is meant for online play. With or without AI, it makes no difference... This was obviously not targeted at the campaign.

And actually, you can "put all that stuff into action in the game.."

[Raddik 10]

Thanks for the great manual.

[Quiet Blue Jay 10]

This guide is a MUST read & should be a requirement before online play..IMO.

I agree! Despite the fact I do not own a system capable of playing the game, nor do I own the game itself.

Edited August 6, 2009 by Quiet Blue Jay
fixed an oopsie

[CarlGustaffa 4]

@icedz: Play in a tight group, and be amazed how all this works out pretty good (we've only done infantry tactics though, usually against infantry AI and some lighter vehicles).

Forget about any kinds of tactics on public 'massed games', or even the campaign. I like the campaign very much, but trying to get AI to do what you want or had in mind, is pretty much useless.

That being said, I agree it could be interresting with a separate AI section, "How to make your AI units survive" or something like that. I've played all OFP, Arma and Arma2 games, but I still have problems commanding AI effectively as a squad or team leader.

[Snake Doctor 10]

As a new player to ARMA 2, but interested in strategy&tactic in many fields for some time now, I can only thank you and all the people associated to this magnificient and helpful work.

It seems you can benefit from it whether you are a total noob (the good kind, the learning kind!) or a vet' and I can not even start to imagine the collective work it represents...

And all of this for free, just for passion...it's almost embarrassing!

Many, many thanks...

Just a quick note for the ref part: it seems FMFM 6-5 is now MCWP 3-11.2, available at this address (it is missing from your references): http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCWP%203-11.2%20Marine%20Rifle%20Squad.pdf

Edited August 17, 2009 by Snake Doctor

[p75 10]

Dyslex,

what are your exact settings for flying in Arma 2?

[Eazy E 10]

Read this it's a fantastic guide keep up the good work man VERY informative and VERY helpful.

[Flash Thunder 10]

Great Guide thanks for your dedication to the community. :)

[dslyecxi 23]

Dyslex,

what are your exact settings for flying in Arma 2?

Whoops, sorry - overlooked this.

My settings are the same as they were in ArmA1 - I fly with mouse/keyboard, use F and V to thrust up/down, X and C to do rudder input, ctrl F/V to do flaps, ctrl G for gear... aaand.. Z for zoom. That's about it.

[Arma-2-Guru 55]

Great work man, you even got a review from a CEO of Bohemia Interactive, that's pretty big man, you should do an editing guide if you know enough about it, very fun to read aswell.

[Langnasen 10]

That is a truly superb piece of work. :459:

[kMaN175 34]

Excellent guide!

[gareththomasnz 13]

yeah - itsgreat - got PDF ?

---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 PM ----------

Send them my way and I'll take a look. You can e-mail them to me at my gmail account, dslyecxi@ you-know-what.

For the record, the plan (if we do an e-book version, which seems likely) is to make it a PDF of the actual printed book, which will be laid out differently/more professionally and more like an actual book. So there's potentially value in a 'direct' PDF version like what Desrat mentions, and then there's the more book-esque value that will come from the 'pro' PDF version.

hey are you guys aware of createspace - that may be your answer for printing and publishing

[irR4tiOn4L 10]

Excellent guide. However, this game could use an advanced tactics guide. Particularly the proper way to use stealth, the right way to use and position units and how to give orders to the AI, and whatever other Arma 2 specific tricks a player might need.

Just the stealth could use a guide to itself

Thanks for this excellent resource though!

[galzohar 31]

Here's a quick stealth guide for you:

Keep more than 175m away from the AI during the day, 100m during night (20m if they don't ahve nightvision) and don't shoot at all while in any enemy's line of sight. Being behind them also works but is risky below the threshold range.

Against people it's a different story, but again stealth basically means staying out of line of sight of the enemy and not doing anything that creates light or noise. It's really not that complicated if you at least know how to read the map. There aren't really any "special secrest" that will allow you to sneak behind people and shoot them point blank with a suppressed M9.

[irR4tiOn4L 10]

Here's a quick stealth guide for you:

Keep more than 175m away from the AI during the day, 100m during night (20m if they don't ahve nightvision) and don't shoot at all while in any enemy's line of sight. Being behind them also works but is risky below the threshold range.

Against people it's a different story, but again stealth basically means staying out of line of sight of the enemy and not doing anything that creates light or noise. It's really not that complicated if you at least know how to read the map. There aren't really any "special secrest" that will allow you to sneak behind people and shoot them point blank with a suppressed M9.

Thanks but i meant 'advanced'. I have no trouble manouevering in among guards even at ranges under 50m. However, there are many things you might want to know, like:

Upon firing the enemies' senses are greatly heightened to the point where lying in grass/hiding in bushes is not effective - how long before you can resume doing so?

When engaging a group you must kill with a single shot and when the target is not within 10 or so metres of his friends (even when silenced) for a good chance for the rest of the group not to notice. Even two shots in quick succession will alert the group to you if the first fails to kill

Do AI see muzzle flashes, and from how far?

Do shadows affect your visibility to the AI?

What transparent objects (such as fences) can the AI see you through, and which cant it see you through?

Is the AI less likely to spot you when you are stationary?

What part of you does the AI 'spot' (ie, does it need to see the top, bottom, head etc of your model?) IF all, then how much of you does it need to see to spot you?

Does the AI get 'suspicious' before it positively identifies you, or is it immediately alert? (ie, can you 'dash' between trees yet have them investigate, not start firing)

How far away can the AI hear unsilenced gunshots/supersonic cracks and how many does it take to alert them?

What do they do once alerted by gunfire?

Can the AI hear your footsteps, even when walking?

What effect does difficulty/AI skill have on their ability to spot you?

Does AI 'focus' on a spot to identify targets better (ie, if it hasnt noticed you immediately, is there a chance/does the chance rise even if neither of you moves, but you stay within its vision)

etc etc

Lots of questions basically when you want to use stealth to the maximum possible extent (like trying to pass Cipher 1.40 as a lone Spec OP)

And as you mentioned, against people a guide is even more important, like a basic introduction (and examples) of how to use deadspace, when to use vehicles, how far they propagate their noise, how low to fly and how close to players you can land without their being likely to hear or spot you, and whether valleys/hills mask these vehicle's noise and movements. Stuff like that

Edited November 13, 2009 by irR4tiOn4L

[galzohar 31]

As I was trying to point out, you're looking for "how does the AI work" guide rather than actual tactics.

[irR4tiOn4L 10]

As I was trying to point out, you're looking for "how does the AI work" guide rather than actual tactics.

Ah sorry, i didnt understand that aspect of the point. I guess i am, albeit my post shows id like something that gives more in depth advice about how to deal with the AI

I guess it MIGHT be incorporated simultaneously into a guide about real life stealth (deadspace particularly) if you give advice about how to use stealth against players. So youd have some advice about stealth against AI (detailed stuff that really helps you understand what you need to do) and also stealth tactics from real life that you could use against players (id love to see someone pull off deadspace, but also where to fly and drive, how far away to stop and get out of the vehicle to avoid detection, noise propagation and masking with terrain, how to use shadows, etc)

Id like to see it, but it would be a massive undertaking and i guess it doesnt fit with the basic riflemen duties Shack Tactical are trying to give new players. I guess the more advanced stuff youre expected to learn as you go

Edited November 14, 2009 by irR4tiOn4L

[galzohar 31]

It's less about it being "more advanced" and more about it being "specific to the AI behavior in the current patch". Future patches and/or mods will most likely nullify most of what would be written in such a guide. Real life tactics don't get nullified as quickly.

[irR4tiOn4L 10]

It's less about it being "more advanced" and more about it being "specific to the AI behavior in the current patch". Future patches and/or mods will most likely nullify most of what would be written in such a guide. Real life tactics don't get nullified as quickly.

Yes i do see the concern so i would keep the 'ai specific' information fairly general and limited.

The real meat of it would be something like a Sniper/Spec OP/Stealth guide, with a focus on real world concealment techniques and player vs player tactics. I think these guides do exist in the real world militaries (ive seen a sniper manual) and if i were to think how to broaden the current guides, thats what i think would be best to cover

[bricks 6]

This is from the closing notes on the introduction on the first page of the Ttp.

The distinction between tactics applicable vs AI and tactics vs humans are not generally made within this TTP. Some tactics the AI obviously will not utilize or appropriately react to, whereas human opponents will frequently do them. To keep things simple, this TTP is written to the higher level - meaning, these tactics are not "gamey" ones that exploit the AI, but rather tactics which can be effectively used in a player-vs-player environment. It never hurts to assume that the enemy is smarter than they may be, just to be on the safe side. Due to our emphasis on both styles of play (adversarial and coop), we always err on the side of 'more tactical', as we're frequently being pitted against ourselves, and we know that we can't slack off in such fights if we want to win.

I think that should answer your question

[mmaker 10]

Well nice guide,,, but couldnt find missile range for different stuff? Im blind or does it not cover it?

Basically want to know how long range Cobras AA missile have VS tungulska VS KA-52 VS every other AA missiles.

[Poppis 10]

There's no such things in this guide. See the first page under Reality vs Gaming:

The second pitfall is that of gaminess. "Gamey" guides are those that are oriented around giving very precise info about things in a fashion that takes advantage of knowledge that would not exist in reality - for example, a list of tanks, their armor values, and the precise 'damage' values of anti-tank weapons. These "gamey" guides also tend to give tactics that are meant to exploit the game itself. I don't believe in this type of guide, so if that is what you're fond of, you will need to look elsewhere.

[mmaker 10]

oO Must be kinda vital to know missile range in reality too. Anyways i just look elsewhere.

[Freeborne 10]

Fantastic guide, much better than the original. Looking forward to buying the printed version though. Any news on when it will be available?

Also, would you consider discounts for buying in bulk (say 50) or would you be willing to give permission to print the e-book via a local publisher (I'm in Australia)?

Lastly, will there be an update to the TTP2 guide soon to reflect new content/changes since ACE2 release?

Cheers and keep up the great work.