Installed ACE , can't join ****

[gnrnr 0]

Though it would appear that a lot of the newcomers are not aware of its existence.

I'm wondering if that sort of information needs to be more prominent here though? Having said that i dont know how we could make it easier to find.

[hund 0]

Well, a "newcomers to arma" thread wouldn't hurt I suppose. But who would write such a thing voluntarily?

(I would, of course, but I have to watch some paint dry, so i am quite busy)

[DouanierDuforez 10]

i cant even get it installed, sorry but much to difficult for me, its about time they release a first complete version, and from there go further with patches and newer versions.

[gnrnr 0]

i cant even get it installed, sorry but much to difficult for me, its about time they release a first complete version, and from there go further with patches and newer versions.

What have you tried to do? Have you been able to download the files?

The initial interface of the six-updater is a bit tricky, but once setup up it is foolproof. Maybe I can help you with getting it downloaded.

[terox 316]

The biggest problem I can see here is 2 fold

1) Posts Like "Escobars" are not exactly helpful, infact they are the absolute opposite. Something you would not expect from someone who is subtley trying to advertise his server hosting business and then treating those who need some user support with utter contempt. Great advert for yourself ! and the ArmA community

2) The other big issue is lack of self help. The information is out there, yes it may take some finding, but the solution that Game_On found was actually given to him.

I created a manual for my gaming community, which was designed around helping the members with these sorts of issues, we also spend some time talking them through the problerms they found. It is not beyond other community admins to do likelwise (Even if the typical member doesnt seem to have the aptitude to read these documents).

The best way to get help is to ask for it, not a general question but a specific question. So my advise to anyone stuck, is learn what you can by reading what you find and then put together a sensible question not a generalised one.

Dont expect BIS to fix these issues for you, they have enough problems trying to fix 7 year old engine bugs

A "New to ArmA2 MP" thread listing all the issues, FAQ and solutions etc might be a good idea too, and have it as a sticky

Edited December 30, 2009 by Terox

[RN Escobar 0]

yeah, my post probably wasn't a good one, but i get so annoyed by these questions time after time after time, the wiki is their its shows you what to do, its not even like its complicated.

i think this does need to be stickied, a huge post with loads of graphics, show them step by step.

if they haven't ever added -mod= are they still running without -nosplash?

it just defies belief sometimes.

p.s. sry to the OP

Esco

[Game__On 10]

Completly agree with this. I've been playing a lot myself, on my holidays, my free time or couple free hours in the night. I don't have time to be finding a half dozen a month mod packs to install and setup to be ready to play for all the specialty servers that are appearing out there.

The most important thing that BI needs to add, is an auto-download of mods etc, as they do for missions. If the bunch of you folks on the forums, which probably represent a very small proportion of the Arma2 population, have some members who are in effect suggesting something like this, then the majority of Arma2 players (the 75% or so who are no on any forum, just like in any other game) would appreciate it. The player numbers would increase a lot.

At the moment, with no mods installed and literally another hour and a half to play before I need to logoff, I see exactly 3 servers with PvP going on....2 of which have less than 4 players (I'm not counting Chernarus Life Revolution servers). I don't want to play Coop, as I'm at all into spending time fighting against a computer program, and I seriously can't be bothered to spend the next half hour it would take or more to find the mod for each server, whatever that might be, install a new mod for one particular server that may not work on any other servers.

Yes, there are the elitists who will blast me for being impatient (as they did the OP), and fair enough, you've made your fortune and your family and have the time to spare. I don't. I love this game, the potential for the realism draws me back probably for years to come.....but the fractured nature of the mod community, as a natural consequence the increased number of installs I will have to do (including time to find, verify, investigate, install) makes me want to stay vanilla....which seems to be dead entirely. In this very realism based player's mind, if this game cant' incorporate autodownloads of mods, or stop the mods from becomming the sideshow Bob that takes all the attention, it's dead...because I'm sure there are MANY others who have this same opinion besides myself and the OP. Most of whom will never be on a forum, but we NEED player numbers, badly.

Well this was a good post. Not because he agrees, but because i to think there are many people that don't have the time to spent as much time servicing this game as playing it .

When i go play it's on a sundays. Mostly for 4 to 8 hours. Sundays is my gaming day . I just don't want to spend half that time to be installing mods, i don't actually want in the first place.

Well, a "newcomers to arma" thread wouldn't hurt I suppose. But who would write such a thing voluntarily?

(I would, of course, but I have to watch some paint dry, so i am quite busy)

I think it would be handy . A problem would be (i think) is keeping it nice and short . Just enough to get new players at least being able to play on some servers, see how good the game is, and hopefully make them interested enough to spend time installing other mods they might need. This instead of scaring them away instantly with pages upon pages of "must do's before playing" .

yeah, my post probably wasn't a good one, but i get so annoyed by these questions time after time after time, the wiki is their its shows you what to do, its not even like its complicated.

i think this does need to be stickied, a huge post with loads of graphics, show them step by step.

if they haven't ever added -mod= are they still running without -nosplash?

it just defies belief sometimes.

p.s. sry to the OP

Esco

Not a problem at all. Don't get me wrong i see where you're coming from, but you should be able to understand that not all people have the time, or want to spend their gaming time to read endless pages wiki. .

I'm still running without nosplash , the splash screen really does not bother me that much . I can wait 3 seconds . But not 3 hours . I have other sh^t to do as well you know .

My starting post was a frustrated one . It's funny that once you get the crap running again how easily you forget how pissed off and frustrated you were before.

Maybe that's something to keep in mind for all of you that we now call 'elitists' . I mean it's always fine and dandy and super easy afterwords.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Game__On

[terox 316]

There is defintely an issue with newcomers to BI Multiplayer gaming

and BI themselves dont seem to have a full grasp of the situation.

I have been running a BI game server for 7 years, maybe a little longer and have supported users to our community as best as I can, although I do tend to nag at them when they ask questions that I have already explained in documentation.

The BI documentation is mostly on the BIKI or spread out amongst various threads and unless you know where to look, it isnt very obvious.

So.......

To try and get round this issue, this is what I propose we need

1) A .pdf document, all nicely indexed, lots of pictures, tutorials FAQ etc lets call it "ArmA2 Multiplayer Guide Book"

2) Create a "Welcome to BI Multiplayer" thread in these forums and have the mods make it a sticky.

3) Add a little bit of content to that thread and a download link for the "ArmA2 Multiplayer Guide Book"

The PDF itself would have content such as

• 1) A download centre, with links to
  
  • Ventrilo
    
  • Teamspeak
    
  • Mumble
    
  • Yoma's addon sync
    
  • Dyslexi's manual
    

  [*]2) Tutorials for how to install these applications and how to create connnections to the comms servers

  [*]3) Connection information for the more open community servers that want their information listing in the document

  [*]4) A URL List for the more important sites such as

  • Biki
    
  • Armaholics
    
  • .Info
    
  • Ofpec
    

  [*]5) A tutorial on how to install addons/mods and create custom shortcuts to load these folders

  [*]6) A small section on how one should behave on somebody's server, pointing out the fact that they are afterall a guest and have no privileges as such

  [*]7) A small section on the Gamespy browser, explaining what the various symbols mean

  [*]8) A section on why you may not be able to connect to a server, eg Custom filesize, equalmodrequired, signature verification, missing required addons etc

  [*]8) A section on the types of missions and gametypes available, where to find coop play, pvp play etc

and I am sure much more content and tutorials too.

Now the most important concept to make this work would be to keep the thread clean of SPAM.

The type of posts that would corrupt the thread are Thanks or Really Helpful type comments, as all this does is create pages of non constructive content.

The type of posts you do want is additional information, links tutorials which can then be added to the PDF, keeping it updated.

The thread has to be made a sticky to work though.

I have actually started towork on such a document, but could really do with some help on some of the content

If you take a look at the document I created for our community, zeusmanual

then the document I intend creating would be something similar but more generic and aimed at the community at large, not a specific community

[OutLord 10]

ACE2 mod is great but there are a couple of things that have to be done right with the 6 updater to get into servers running the latest version of ACE, ACEX, ACEX_SM ACEX_PLA and CBA.

Here is where I see people going wrong and not updating correctly.

When you open the updater press 1 so that the red backgrounded web page interface appears.

Got to the "Main" tab and select the preset ACE MOD vanilla

Very important: Press Reset Skip Status

check the Autoskip box so it is ticked.

Action : Install or update

Select a server - or not.

Setting: Vanilla

then press the "Save" button

you should then see a new page showing which mods will checked and which mods willl be skipped. If they are all to be skipped then you are up to date with the correct versions.

Go back to the Main page and press execute.

You should now have no difficutlies with mismatched keys and so on.

One last thing make sure your shortcut for Arma2.exe has the relevant parameters in the target field.

eg: arma2.exe -mod=@CBA;@ACE;@ACEX;@ACEX_PLA

[qwertz 10]

I just don't want to spend half that time to be installing mods, i don't actually want in the first place.

If you like PvP/TvT gameplay, I have an easy solution in my sig. Vanilla server, exactly made for people like you (and me). Typically has around 25+ ppl in the late evening Eastern time, 35+ on the weekends.

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

If you are determined to play this game in a Vanilla state, than you are only hurting yourself by missing out on some content that takes the game to a new level.

Figure out what mods, if any, you are willing to use, then get a game launcher like Alpinestars to manage your mods. Check a box in a list of the mod(s) you wish to run at that time and click start.

[tcp 10]

We should start a wiki with an FAQ section and some of the guides targeted at new players.

Bohemia wants to keep their wiki clean, but, at the same time, they are getting hundreds of the same questions repeatedly posted on their forums. Part of the problem is that people don't use search or feel that their problem is unique and the old information is irrelevant. Another part of the problem is accessibility.

Something like this would have to maintained and kept up-to-date with accurate information. Even if it were a community effort, it would be quite an undertaking. You would also have to get people to actually reference it. It would be like a quick-start guide, even though people really should be reading the manual.

[hund 0]

Terox has tried to address some of the issues faced by newcomers with his guide to multiplayer. Of course if that thread falls out of the first page, we are back in the same mess again...

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=93078

[Yoma 0]

The big joke is this is exactly why i made my tool.

I've gotten beyond the "I pity you" point. Can't join a server, look for one without addons.

Still want to join that server, contact their forums/admins, use google, don't expect the world to be "i click on this and it works", it's simply not how the world works.

I've spent more time coding AddonSync then gaming A2 (it was and is a fun experience), so don't come to me with a "I'm to lazy to get this working"-attitude.

There is nothing more i can humanly do to try to ease the problem.

That said a "Welcome new player"-thread would be totally awesome for people that do want to invest the (minor) amount of time to get the game working with addons.

Edited January 8, 2010 by Yoma