Identifying squad members

[ladlon 10]

Probably another painfully 'stupid' question (to those well-versed in the Arma series), but I'm having trouble figuring out who is who in the squad. For example, when using the map view, there is (seemingly) no indication of who each of the green squad icons is (no number). So, if I'm trying to command a member in that view, all I (seemingly) can do is hit the function key of who I THINK it is I'm looking at, and then give the order.... since you can't seem to click on the green squad icons to select them (and their number is not marked on the icon).

Am I missing something here?

[CarlGustaffa 3]

Hold the space bar. Now everyone will "light up" I think including their number.

If you need to be very specific, i.e. by what he is carrying, you need to go to the map view, and click group iirc. From there you can check his gear.

You can also hold space bar while pointed at someone. Now you can give him (some but not all) orders directly, without using F keys and number keys.

Certain difficulty options dictates (server makes the rules) what you can see or not.

ACE puts a big limit to this, but doesn't make it unplayable. Working with AI might be harder, but completely removes a possible cheat from any PvP players.

[ladlon 10]

Hrmmm.... Not sure that we are talking the same thing. I'm talking on the map screen. Although, to be fair, what it DOES is open up the command menu, and the number displayed in some of the commands does work to identifying the unit you have your mouse cursor over.

I don't get why the unit icons on the map (the green guys, not the thumbnails on the bottom) don't have the number or name on them.

[jakerod 248]

If you think about it, in real life there aren't even people on the map so just having the icons help. I don't think you're mean't to command them from the map view. I think it is just there to help keep you oriented to what general direction friendlies are in. In harder difficulties those marks aren't even there.

[ladlon 10]

Oh, for sure, and I appreciate that. Once I do get comfortable with the controls and such, I'll slowly ramp up the realism.

I just use the map as often I'm not clear where people are. Commanding from ground level is certainly a challenge when you don't have that overview.

I guess one of the frustrations for me at this point is just that each indication of your squad memebers (the map icons, the portrait thumbnails, etc) has a different set of info, rather than them all having the same. Hard to explain, but often I struggle (for example) to find the pilot, so I can order him to return to the chopper. Or to know which guy is holding the rocket launcher, etc... or who is the guy who just sent me a message/talked to me. The indications may very well be there in the interface, and I'm just missing them.

Still quite awkward for me, but it's getting better...

[jakerod 248]

Picture

Pilots look like 4, 5, 7, and 8 in the above picture. 4 and 9 are also probably pilots but because they are considered to be the commanders of their respective vehicles you can't tell. The steering wheel on 4 and 3 means that they are the pilot/driver. 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are all gunners which you can tell from the cross-hair thing. The four in the lower left of 5, 6, and 8s icon mean that they are in 4's vehicle. 1 and 3 are crew members not pilots. You can tell by the microphone being in different positions and the slightly different helmets.

Picture 2

2 and 4 are AT soldiers. 5 might be too... i don't remember ever seeing that symbol before. 1 is wounded or low on ammo. Red means wounded/damaged, low on ammo, or low on fuel.

Another icon is the medical cross which means medic. Three bullets next to one another means machine gunner or automatic rifleman. Anti-Air has its own icon too but I can't remember what it is.

EDIT: Picture 3

2 and 7 are machine gunners or automatic riflemen. 4, 8, and 9 are AT soldiers. 10 is a marksman or sniper.

Picture 4

The little dashes on the lower left corner of their icons means that they are in a vehicle that is not part of their squad. If it is a vehicle of their squad it would have a number that signifies which member is in command of it.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Jakerod

[ladlon 10]

Hello again, Jakerod. Thanks for your ongoing help with this. Much appreciated!

The icon explanations you just gave were very helpful. I figured most of them out, but again, it's always to get a verification, as well as see if there are any others that I'm not aware of.

I was a bit confused with the vehicle icons, as I wasn't sure if that was the vehicle alone, or there was someone in it. I think I got that figured out now. Initially, I thought the vehicle was considered a squad member, so it was a bit confusing when the numbers changed.

I'm playing around again, with my 'learning how to play' editor scenario (one squad, plus a copter). Things seem to be going well, although I'm still finding it awkward issuing commands (since I usually have to go to the Complex Command menus, and more often then not, I select the units FIRST, then hit backspace (effectively erasing the unit selection, since the Back and Complex Command are shared by the backspace key). Half the time, I first try the quick command, but then see that what I want isn't there, so I then (awkwardly) fumble to the Complex Command menus, and try and find it in there. A matter of memorizing the number sequences for each command, I think...

Just having a GREAT time with only the one squad, the copter (as my occasional transport and lookout), and the Ambient Combat creating the random encounters.... Brilliant!

[.kju 3105]

Try

http://www.ofpec.com/forum/index.php?topic=34043.0