a bit of FAQ for a newbie

[outpt 10]

Hello Dear Arma2 players

im a new player on Arma2 servers, never played in Arma1 either;

i know its a tactical shooter and MP game has its own rules but after visiting servers for the first time i have some questions to which i was unable to find answers; as well, manual doesnt really explain them so here it goes:

- team playing: upon entering lobby panel there are teams listed; some with free slots, some full. does it matter if ill pick up any place or am i automatically placed in one of them teams by the server ? in one of the games there was a sniper slot available, i picked that one but when respawned i had no sniper rifle and had to buy it/equip it.

- team playing2: what ive noticed is ppl playing are not really teams, they rather act like it would be SP campaign. i havent noted any commands issued, instead what i saw on the map was a bunch of guys scattered here and there...

- tasks - during one of the games team leader gave instructions as to which villages are to be taken. is this issued by real person-game leader, or is it automatic ? in one of the games there were multiple tasks and ppl got scattered trying to get to targets on their own..

- bots: ive noticed that after re-taking enemy base some bots spawned. also, theyre visible on the map and once they appeared side by side to me out of the blue somewhere n the forrest. is this done by the server setting ? how are bot

distributed within the teams ?

- is there any reward system which allows me to progress to better weapons (say like BF2) ? ive noticed sometimes when ir espawned i ahd some sniping rifles available, sometimes not. is it free to take on the "first come first serve"

basis ?

- is there any server with games with real team leader and team-play or is it rather free-play with free will ? (see second issue above) ?

- is there any set of unspoken rules as per traveling/using choppers for ransport, using heavy equipment, or is it free to use (say like in BF again?)

i know the above would probably be answered by simply spending hours on the servers but my time for play is limited and i dot want to spoil the game by asking those while playing. i hope some good soul will find some time to answer these :)

thanks in advance :)

[Herbal Influence 10]

Hello Dear Arma2 players

im a new player on Arma2 servers, never played in Arma1 either;

i know its a tactical shooter and MP game has its own rules but after visiting servers for the first time i have some questions to which i was unable to find answers; as well, manual doesnt really explain them so here it goes:

- team playing: upon entering lobby panel there are teams listed; some with free slots, some full. does it matter if ill pick up any place or am i automatically placed in one of them teams by the server ? in one of the games there was a sniper slot available, i picked that one but when respawned i had no sniper rifle and had to buy it/equip it.

You will have taken a slot that was used before.

The gamer changed things and left.

It's easy to open up a fresh game on most servers:

- take one thats without gamers

- type #vote admin YOURNAME

- type #missons

- choose misson by clicking

- maybe set some parameters offered - by clicking

- go

- kick those who come on server and don't say "hello" but treat you as a robot ;-) by typing "#kick nameofAUTISTSticbehavingcreature (it's a social task to do that; but beware of kicking server owners ... it may have harmful effects .. ;-))

- team playing2: what ive noticed is ppl playing are not really teams, they rather act like it would be SP campaign. i havent noted any commands issued, instead what i saw on the map was a bunch of guys scattered here and there...

just use chat on global channel ...

- tasks - during one of the games team leader gave instructions as to which villages are to be taken. is this issued by real person-game leader, or is it automatic ? in one of the games there were multiple tasks and ppl got scattered trying to get to targets on their own..

depends on the mission & and on the question whether natural gamers have overtaken command - just chat ingame

- bots: ive noticed that after re-taking enemy base some bots spawned. also, theyre visible on the map and once they appeared side by side to me out of the blue somewhere n the forrest. is this done by the server setting ? how are bot distributed within the teams ?

you can edit this all when starting the mission, for example in Bennys warfare, but it may me otherwise in other missions

- is there any reward system which allows me to progress to better weapons (say like BF2) ? ive noticed sometimes when ir espawned i ahd some sniping rifles available, sometimes not. is it free to take on the "first come first serve"

basis ?

there sometimes is (in "evolution" for example), but it depends on the mission

- is there any server with games with real team leader and team-play or is it rather free-play with free will ? (see second issue above) ?

depends on the mission you chose or entered into

- is there any set of unspoken rules as per traveling/using choppers for ransport, using heavy equipment, or is it free to use (say like in BF again?)

lol ... depends on the mission

Hey - this is a BI Game ... see my signature ... everything is free ... and it may be overwhelming ... in the beginning ... ;-)

i know the above would probably be answered by simply spending hours on the servers but my time for play is limited and i dot want to spoil the game by asking those while playing. i hope some good soul will find some time to answer these :)

thanks in advance :)

No problem. Just ask.

[outpt 10]

hm :)

maybe i take this game too seriously, after bashing through BF2 and COD and whatnot i was looking for some "real" tactical shooter - thinking (maybe wrongly) players will be, you know, "serious". not devoted but at least serious to the point at which ill see real team leaders rather than "lol, noob, fcuk you" etc etc. and indeed i havent seen that, but then again, i did not see any real team leading either. hence the questions and their seriousness (if it looks like that).

i gather the berzerk server is the one with large scale battle - not real team leading though. any idea where can i find servers/teams playing in more tactical fashin than just running and shooting ?

also, i still dont get the part about picking a role to play in the lobby..

thanks :)

[Herbal Influence 10]

hm ... you cannot take it tooo seriously, I fear. ;-)

But it's not about leaning back and having it all done for you.

Don't get me wrong, but nobody wants to pay the commander who gives you a hand ... available at all time ... than be it yourself.

In BI games it's all about **you** to **act**.

It's just still a vast temporarily evading storm on AA2-servers still. Many, many newbies .... even mature gamers are playing in a clan or get frustrated like you.

But it's getting better each day.

But you gotta talk to the people.

Best sure is to get into a clan - easy to scroogle.com and you even find them here in certain threads.

But again about the slot taking issue: Mostly you can freely chose even in a running game when in the lobby.

I know that Berzerk-Server: Most newbie gamers get attracted first to it, because it's so full - but that hinders a good communication completely.

Get in small missions and try to cooperate with chatting ... sure, it's better in the evening because most mature players aren't online during the (european) daylight times.

[fincuan 0]

• Lobby
  When you join a server you'll automatically be assigned a slot, but you can change this slot at will before clicking ok. Unless otherwise told, ie. an admin telling you not to pick a certain slot, there are no restrictions to which free slots you can fill.
  
• Gear, AI(bots), etc.
  This is decided by the mission. In Arma2 the mission designer has all the authority to put gear in his mission, to put restrictions to its use, etc. By default there are no restrictions and no rank-structure, anyone can use any equipment they desire. Judging by your post it looks like you've been playing Domination, Evolution and/or Warfare, which all employ equipment restrictions and ranks to some extent. This is not the norm however, it's all up to the guy who makes the mission. Some servers also have their own set of rules per equipment, ie. "No flying unless on Teamspeak", but these too vary from server to server. The best thing you can do if you're not sure is to just ask, and someone will normally answer in a polite way :)
  
• Teamplay
  The sad fact is teamplay on a public server is more often than not nonexistant. The rare exception is if there just happens to be a good bunch of guys on the server, or if it's the right kind of server, or both. The only certain remedy I can think of is joining a squad or community server where the members keep the order and encourage teamplay. The missions themselves don't prevent anyone from playing as a team, it's just the above mentioned "public server mentality" usually means lonewolfing. I spend most of my online time in the Tacticalgamer-servers, which is one of the places where teamplay is a norm. In fact one of the two servers is now, as an experiment, a public server with the more experienced members thrown in to "enforce the law", so hop in and they'll take it from there. Just filter for "Tacticalgamer" in the server browser and you'll find the server. For starters all you need to do is to follow orders and not be a jerk :) There are other good communities too, but I'm sure someone more familiar with them will fill in the details

edit: Repeation: That's what you get for typing a post for half an hour :)

Edited October 2, 2009 by Fincuan

[outpt 10]

thanks for the answers.

ill storm in tonight, will also use your server as mentioned.

just to complete the lobby issue - ive had a situation in which all of slots have been taken - what i did i clicked on one of them (even though it was assigned to some player) and i was in the game anyway, with (i guess by standard) AK47 in my hands.

i guess what i really did was i entered the game with a role assigned by server ?

[fincuan 0]

That's probably the case, because you can't get ingame unless slotted in. The only times you can pick an already filled slot is if it's occupied by AI, in which case the playername is literally "AI", or if you're and admin.

[outpt 10]

ah, the plot thickens :)

indeed some of the slots were AI ones. i guess thats what i did. one question remains though - im found of sniper proffesion (as i think its beautifuly incorporates a valid team play asset and a lot of lone-wolfing at the same time) and naturally i would opt for that role. however it seems that no matter what role i pick up in the lobby, i respawn with the same gear and have to equipm manualy from base/shop. is this a server setting ? i would like to see that when picking up a certain play role one respawns with appropiate gear..

the other thing which still buffles me is the presence of mentioned bots. like i said, when approaching one of villages i stopped at forrest edge to scan the area. suddenly they appeared around me, and i saw even more after i took the enemy base. i guess server distributes them somehow throughout battle teams, but im unsure how... i saw them on the tactical map as wel as moving dots with no names assigned.

also, when running towards my target, i saw someone called "team leader" running alongside me but i felt its not a real player. Is team leader allways a person or can it be an AI as well ?

what more, tactical map apart from other player shows bigger (say) green dots (i guess-bots ?) but sometime it shows smaller yellow dots, also moving. what are these ?

Thanks again, your responses really built up my belief a mature gameplay still does exist in this sad world :)

[Herbal Influence 10]

teamleader can be as well an AI

smaller, yellow dots: friendly inf units

bigger, green dots: friendly vehicles

at last in: Bennys warfare

[outpt 10]

o, thats interesting. i though big green dots are other player as i saw them with the names, but the vehicles are marked with their silhouette, just like in OP:Flashpoint ?

[Tom_Anger 0]

Hi outpt - Welcome to ARMA. I hope I can lend a little assistance for you... As you may or may not know already ArmA is something you have to slowly digest, lol. You seem to describe some type of Warfare or Large style Coop. Warfare games are quiet tactical, but there is alot involved.

If you are looking for Real Players vs Real Players you would want to look for Berzerk, Advance & Secure, or servers hosting short round Gametypes such as Team Death Match, Search & Destroy, Attack & Defend, etc etc.

Most good mission designers understand the "code of ethics" to naming a mission. So

One way to identify key gametypes can be to look over the missions for the name titles

CO - Cooperative (only AI opponents)

DM - Deathmatch

TDM - Team Deathmatch

C&H - Capture and Hold

SC - Sector Control

AAS - Advance & Secure

CTF - Capture the Flag

RCTF - Reverse Capture the Flag

Combi - Combination of C&H and CTF

C&K - Capture and Kill

CTI - Conquer the Island

A&D - Attack & Defend

Obj - Objective (Co-op style mission with PvP element)

RC - Race

FF - Flag Fight

TFF - Team Flag Fight

E&E - Escape & Evade

VIP - VIP Protection/Assassination

RTS - Real Time Strategy

RPG - Role Playing Game

Misc - Miscellaneous (unique concept not fitting in any category)

For example - in the server browser you may see something like

TDM16 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

C&H32 Fight for Chernorgosk

etc. So based on the 1st couple of letters you will eventually know what types of games are hosted. Also if you are looking to settle into a group and game in some scrimmages/matches there are some leagues out there as well. Not sure what you enjoy, but looks like you are off to a good start bud. Have a great weekend.

[outpt 10]

thank you, and yes, many things to learn i see....

as for my preferred gameplay, i enjoy sniping to the extreme. sometimes a good game consist of couple of hours of sneaking and only one good shot. im against "point blank and shoot" game style, and hopefully arma2 does not support wild running and shooting as much as the other online shooters do (like the BF2 does for example).

judging from what i saw so far its exactly the environment i was looking for for quite some time. i know it'll take a bit of time to get into teams, along with people etc. but like youre saying, weekend is coming up and if my wife will finally leave me alone ill surely try to sneak for a bit of time on some servers.

i did enjoyed berzerk server but i dont think ill spend much time on it - the pace is too fast and in my opinion, as much as it resembles the real chaos on the battlefield, its not the type of game that utilizes the most of player abilities.

i hope there are some good snipers out there to copete with - at the end of the day, being surrounded by havoc of fight and having a chance to hunt down (or escape from!) someone equally good is the best reward :)

my only worry is that due to heavy gear requirements graphic issues might take away a bit of fun, but i guess its all about trial and error to find proper settings.

additional MP question - as english speaking person (though not by nationality) is it worthwile to get to servers with other languages ? i wonder if ppl really use english a lot or is it rather "nationalised" ??