How do YOU play ARMA2 ?

[cartier90 0]

I've never been a completist - I take what I can from games and enjoy those aspects of them and dont tear my hair out over missions or parts that

I cant complete or dont enjoy. With ARMA2 - I just muck around with the editor - trying to currently work out how to use the editor and play the

occasional user uploaded mission.

I sympathise with the 'its broken' crowd re the campaign. Parts of it are. To be honest though...., even if it wasnt, Im just not keen on aerial and g

round vehicles. I like being a grunt, and dont really take much pleasure from tank or aerial warfare.

This may sound like sacrilege here, but for me, infantry combat is why I bought the game. However a small voice is telling me though that

perhaps I feel this way because the aerial and vehicular combat aspects are just not as polished and if im going to be really honest - disappointing.

Those elements feel like c2001 OFP era, albeit in higher res. I would be interested to know how any of you play - sticking to soldiering or delving into warfare

mode and trying at least to complete the campaign ?

[Murklor 10]

I'm an infantry man, I let other people drive and fly. Mostly because I like the quiet and I cant fly for s**t. At best, I can take a jeep or truck or a HQ spawn if forced.

As infantry, I generally stay cleared of scoped rifles. Cant bloody handle them. I become blind to things up close. Shotgun is more my style lol. And I do love the Arma2 shotgun. It fires a single solid shot so its insta-kill at close range (or at least it looks like it does, if it doesnt the hit effect is wrong).

The only thing that suck as an infantry man is that you cant replace the pistol and ammo with smoke nades. Dammit I want to cover my belt with them. No need for a pistol. I dont even want to use it if I got it because it completely disables my fighting capability when I'm laying on the floor laughing so hard I get the hiccups after seeing the running animation.

[cartier90 0]

I think another reason I like them is that performance seems to be better than on the 'epic' missions with tanks, planes at your control - just not cut out for management ;)

[Bizzie Bear 10]

So far just messing with the editor and slowly progressing with the campaign. I've tried multiplayer with a bunch of friends too, but unfortunately enough we ran out of small Co-op missions in two hours. Thankfully the editor is familiar to anyone who has played OPF or ArmA. I love messing around and testing stuff alongside creating small missions.

Infantry combat seems to be quite good (except for genius AI at some cases). Haven't bothered with tank combat yet, but I guess I'll try that in a couple of days. And no, I can't even imagine myself piloting a chopper - that would be a disaster.

[AT Soldier 0]

I am also first and foremost playing this infantry simulation as an infantry man ;) .

I think the planes and boats are just there to make the Arma 2 world a richer place. I think this game and it's predecessors are focused mostly on the infantry part and that's where it really shines IMO.

Co-op and the editor are two of the other things I love about this game.

//Niklas

[SgtMjr 10]

Badly:D

[Binkowski 26]

Badly:D

rofl. I concur.

[Burrows 0]

i run around, find the enemy, and, you know, BOOM HEADSHOT!.........

yup.

[r3volution 0]

I tend to spend about 90% of my time in the editor making missions which I never bother releasing because I'm too damn lazy to figure out camera scripting stuff for intros and endings. Pretty much same deal as with Armed Assault. Campaign is fun, but I really don't buy these games for the campaign, the editor means I can pretty much play whatever battle I feel like playing on the day, never takes me more than half an hour to set up a decent scenario.

[Steakslim 1]

I spend most of my time playing as infantry at the time. I do enjoying flying heli's but currently the framerates I get in the game do not make for safe flying.

[nuggetz 0]

I tend to spend about 90% of my time in the editor making missions which I never bother releasing because I'm too damn lazy to figure out camera scripting stuff for intros and endings. Pretty much same deal as with Armed Assault. Campaign is fun, but I really don't buy these games for the campaign, the editor means I can pretty much play whatever battle I feel like playing on the day, never takes me more than half an hour to set up a decent scenario.

How do you place your enemies without spoiling the fun? I mean you know where they are right? Last time I tried screwing with the editor in A1, I felt like I was cheating when I played the map as I had an idea of how it was laid out. Maybe I'm just a noob so I'll shut up.

[abs 2]

Naked.

Just kidding. I played my second game online today for five hours straight and I loved it. I was mostly an infantry man, though when I saw that my 53 - 5 kill death ratio was only against other infantry I hopped in a chopper and took out some armoured vehicles as well.

Abs

[r3volution 0]

nuggetz, all I can say is that Kronzsky's UPS and Tophe's new Housepatrol scripts are my very best of friends. Usually that results in sufficient randomisation to ensure I don't know where the next enemy is coming from. Between those two you can set up a number of very interesting scenarios, I'm yet to start fiddling around with the Ambient Combat module, but it looks like it could have some interesting potential. To start with though, i'd recommend trying those two scripts as they're pretty easy to use (i've been using them [or variants thereof] in the editor since I was a complete arma noob). But you may already know all this...

[Master gamawa 0]

I always try to finish the training, missions and the campaign so I have the time to deal with the editor. I am not anal about it, I just like to finish what I start.

There are three ways I use the editor:

1. Chill out function. I just walk around an empty map or drive around.. or even better I let someone else drive and enjoy the view. Sometimes I use a boat, sometimes a plane. It's all good. Takes the stress away!!! I will probably put empty vehicles on the map for variety and a crate of weapons in case things become boring. Graphics on super high for this.

2. WTF function. Arma allows me to do the craziest things. Driving trucks down mountains? Trying to go under a bridge using an aircraft? Jumping ramps in the airport? Racing civilian cars? Blowing up stuff? All those degrading things that make us human like running over zombies with a tank and trying to drive a bike to the roof of the hotel. Sometimes I pick a civilian and let the east and west dudes fight while I watch them from a safe distance. It's like TV but more interesting. That's when I download hundreds of addons and play around with them until they fuck my game up.

3. LAN missions. I have bought 4 pcs to play games with my mates. It takes me about two hours to create a three mission campaign. No camera work, no intro or briefing. I just tell my friends something like "We are behind enemy lines and we have to destroy EVERYTHING!" and we just play for hours!

I never release missions because they contain random addons and my missions are never polished or complicated. If a trigger doesn't work I say FUCK IT I know where to go next. Because I made it, you know?

that's how I roll dawg!

[cartier90 0]

Ha, its good to hear not everyones playing in camo's and a helmet taking everything so seriously ;)

[horror1 10]

i started to play the campaign but after time it got absolutely laggy and unplayable so my fun factor went down.

then i started to work with the editor and i ported the avgani and afghanvillage to arma2 and i recreated some of my revive missions from arma1 and now im playing with excellent framerates this missions online.

unfortunately not many have opteryx maps so they try to connect but they get autokicked immediately.

however i have much more fun with this missions than with the campaign.

waiting to play vte in arma2 so i can have again the amazing online experience as we had in arma1 with vte:)

[maddogx 13]

I'm an infantry man myself, don't really mind which weapon I'm holding, as long as I've got solid ground under my feet. Other than that I'm also a fanatical scripter, so every now and then I'll open up the editor and try out some idea that's popped into my head.

For the occasional relaxing Arma2 session, I've set up a simple mission including the ACM, animal and civilian modules, so I can just drive around what feels like a living and breathing country. Albeit with a lot of random combat thrown in. This is a lot of fun in MP with a small squad of friends.

I also take part in CF-Arma2. Nothing better than some occasional epic PvP'ness. :D

[walker 0]

How do you place your enemies without spoiling the fun? I mean you know where they are right? Last time I tried screwing with the editor in A1, I felt like I was cheating when I played the map as I had an idea of how it was laid out. Maybe I'm just a noob so I'll shut up.

Hi nuggetz

You can randomise where and if AI appear.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor#Probability_of_Presence

Probability of Presence (whether the AI appear)

Condition of Presence (use a script to decide if a unit will be there)

Placement Radius (most useful)

Use the Guard waypoint on group of AI and then Guarded By side trigger to ensure the AI come to particular places

Also there is now the Modules in particular the Ambient combat manager

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

There is also the dynamic mission creator.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=78998

So your knowledge of AI placement is not realy an issue.

To me the greatest tools for random game play in the editor are the Guard waypoint and Guarded by triggers.

I spend about 50% of my ArmA time in the editor and tools, 40% in MP play and 10% in SP.

Kind regards walker

Edited July 9, 2009 by walker

[Master gamawa 0]

How do you place your enemies without spoiling the fun? I mean you know where they are right? Last time I tried screwing with the editor in A1, I felt like I was cheating when I played the map as I had an idea of how it was laid out. Maybe I'm just a noob so I'll shut up.

I usually place them without noticing exactly where they are. Some are set to patrol, some dismissed... They scatter around and .. you know the AI is not known to just sit there and take it. I have an advantage as far as it concerns the first shot.

Then all hell breaks loose.

[nominesine 0]

I keep telling myself that I'm into this for the coop mission lan games. But to be honest: I spend 99.9% of my playing time in the editor, building missions that are seldom released outside my lan group, apart from the odd campaign every 3 yers or so. Is there at better way to play?

Seriously though: I like the editing part of mission making. It's very much like being a Game Master in an old pen and paper RPG. And missions can be randomized to a point where even the mission maker may enjoy them. Even more so with ArmA2's Editor Modules. I often find my self caught off guard by my own missions these days. That's what keeps me going.

[topeira 10]

I've never been a completist - I take what I can from games and enjoy those aspects of them and dont tear my hair out over missions or parts that

I cant complete or dont enjoy. With ARMA2 - I just muck around with the editor - trying to currently work out how to use the editor and play the

occasional user uploaded mission.

I sympathise with the 'its broken' crowd re the campaign. Parts of it are. To be honest though...., even if it wasnt, Im just not keen on aerial and g

round vehicles. I like being a grunt, and dont really take much pleasure from tank or aerial warfare.

This may sound like sacrilege here, but for me, infantry combat is why I bought the game. However a small voice is telling me though that

perhaps I feel this way because the aerial and vehicular combat aspects are just not as polished and if im going to be really honest - disappointing.

Those elements feel like c2001 OFP era, albeit in higher res. I would be interested to know how any of you play - sticking to soldiering or delving into warfare

mode and trying at least to complete the campaign ?

you, me... we're the same :)

i play the campaign occasionally but making simple missions is so easy and fast that i usually just do that. i decide what kind of battle i want and create it.

now, just like you, i enjoy being a foot soldier. let it be a medic, MG, sniper or just a rifelman, i enjoy holding and firing a gun, usually on other foot soldiers too. i rarely place vehicles in my missions and if i do i never drive them. they add to the atmosphere for me more than for the gameplay.

i enjoy using vehicles as insertion methods. i get heli's or APCs to drop off reinforcements. this way they dont interfere with the gameplay i like.

i hope the AI will improve in how it uses cover so the infantryVSinfantry will improve.

or an AI mod. that'll do as well...

[mosh 0]

I have played the campaign for a few minutes, messed around with the editor for a little bit, tried a couple single player missions... I haven't tried the armory yet.

I like MP. I don't like coops much so 99.9% of the time I am looking for hold type PvP (all I need is a berzerk map and I'm happy).

I am usually on foot, I leave the flying and driving to others. I have a 5 foot x 5 foot map of Chernarus (sorry, had to show it off again) on the wall next to me so right now my main concern is learning where every road, town, house, tree, hill, rock, and so on is in game.

[cartier90 0]

Id like to get Avgani working, never played ARMA so not sure how too. Apparantly more than just Avgani is needed - Sahrani as well ?

[Alpha-Kilo 36]

I don't like the vehicles because driving feels a bit like swimming. Infantry is what I usually play, my preferred weapons have a scope. I like the G36 with Burns's fix which enables the scope for single shots and the reflex sight for bursts. I also like the M4 with Acog and grenade launcher, though I am not very good at aiming this thing.

I usually choose missions where I don't have to order any AI around. I find it hard to memorize the all the commands, but I have started to fiddle around which voice control software so that I can become a better leader, one day.

As far as online gaming is concerned I play coop with some friends. I like a somewhat disciplined style of play. That is: following a plan, choosing appropriate weapons, keeping formations, calling out targets, etc. But that is not what we do. The typical question in sight of the radio tower which is our target, seems to be: "Did anyone bring explosives?" For us, ArmA is still a game and not a cult - though that's what my girl friend has come to believe since she heard me "talking to the computer in the middle of the night."

[firestormxs 0]

MP for me. Didn't care for the SP, and I hate having to command the retarded AI.

I prefer to play COOP, and I prefer flying MH60s (I'm a damn good pilot) or maintaining/transporting MHQs. I'm more of a support specialist, I guess. I'm a good fighter too, when I have to fight. All those years of playing OFP (skipped ARMA) pay off, hah.