Controlling AI Team members-questions

[bullman 0]

Hello

I own and have played all the previous OFP/ArmA releases and have just started to get more involved with ArmA2 and controlling AI teams when playing Warfare BE. I still am very rusty.

I believe that something did change between ArmA and ArmA2 about how you can give orders to AI teams and I think I am not sure I fully understand the logic. If anything I am thinking it is more clumsy IIRC.

From mainly trial and error, this is what I have learnt:

There are a few ways to give orders to a team member.

1) press the F-button key to select the team member(s) and either aim at something (like a vehicle or target or a place on the map ) and a suggested choice of order appears like mount, engage, move etc.

2) press the F-button key to select the team member(s) and press the ~ key to bring up one kind of orders menu which gives you a limited choice of orders.

3)ensure NO member is selected and then press the backspace button to bring a ANOTHER kind of orders menu (this has much more choice than the one you get when you press the ~ key) THEN press the F-key fo the unit(s).

What is the logic behind having two kind fo differnt menus (the 2nd and 3rd one)??

What I don't understand is HOW to bring up that third kind of menu when you already have your team member(s) selected??? It just seems so illogical that I can't seem to select my team first (via the F-keys or by one of the Select Team menus) before I want to give them an order from the 3rd kind of menu like "Go Prone" for example.

I want to

- SELECT team member(s) first

- then have the third menu open up with allthe options available.

While I am on this, is there a way to assign the selection of say Team Red to a shortcut key? Currently if I have some random members selected and I quickly need to give an emergengy "Go Prone" command to just Team Red, I believe I have to do this:

-press the ~ until it cycles the selection of units to NONE (at least 1 click, normally 2)

-press the BACKSPACE key (1 click)

-select TEAM (1 click)

-select TEAM again-the Assign to Team options are already greyed out (1 click)

-select Team Red (1 click)

-select Combat Mode (1 click)

-select Go Prone (1 click)

That is about 8 freakn mouse clicks! By then it can be too late. If this is the onlly way to do it then the UI design is FUBAR. Please tell me there is an easier way. :confused:

Cheers

Bull

[sprayer_faust 0]

Yes there is. The old menu from OFP is still there, only hidden. Select some team members (~ selects all,F1,F2, ...) and try pressing some numbers. Each will open a submenu:

1 - Movement

2 - Targets

3 - Engagement orders

4 - Disembark...

5 - Status

6 - Actions

7 - Combat mode/Stance

8 - Formation

9 - Assign team

0 - Radio

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

You can select a team by pressing shift + F#_key_of_a_member.

[Nielsneo 10]

Hello

What I don't understand is HOW to bring up that third kind of menu when you already have your team member(s) selected??? It just seems so illogical that I can't seem to select my team first (via the F-keys or by one of the Select Team menus) before I want to give them an order from the 3rd kind of menu like "Go Prone" for example.

I want to

- SELECT team member(s) first

- then have the third menu open up with allthe options available.

While I am on this, is there a way to assign the selection of say Team Red to a shortcut key? Currently if I have some random members selected and I quickly need to give an emergengy "Go Prone" command to just Team Red, I believe I have to do this:

-press the ~ until it cycles the selection of units to NONE (at least 1 click, normally 2)

-press the BACKSPACE key (1 click)

-select TEAM (1 click)

-select TEAM again-the Assign to Team options are already greyed out (1 click)

-select Team Red (1 click)

-select Combat Mode (1 click)

-select Go Prone (1 click)

That is about 8 freakn mouse clicks! By then it can be too late. If this is the onlly way to do it then the UI design is FUBAR. Please tell me there is an easier way. :confused:

Cheers

Bull

Hey Bullman, there is an easy way to select your RED team. Shift+F? where the ? is any teammember that's in team RED.Then press 7( no backspace needed) and then choose go prone.

So if 2,5,6 and 9 are team RED then press Shift+F2, press 7 and choose Go Prone. That's only 3 clicks. When you want your entire squad to go prone just press spacebar (again backspace is not needed), press 7 then choose Go prone. Basically the only time you press backspace is when you want to make the menu dissapear. It does mean you need to learn the list that sprayer_faust mentioned.Good luck.

[bullman 0]

OK thanks for all the tips! :D

I knew it couldn't have been as convoluted as I had been doing it.

I will check it out and see how I go.

[JojoTheSlayer 35]

OK thanks for all the tips! :D

I knew it couldn't have been as convoluted as I had been doing it.

I will check it out and see how I go.

Man, I didnt know about the Shift+Fx team member to select team.

Thats kinda useful, but if F1-F5 was Red to White team I think it would have been more convinced. If trooper 11 and 12 are the only ones in team red you still have to press a few buttons to select them.

You can just press Space-9-9-1 to 5 to directly select the team you want.

But you should really try a voice program if you like controlling troops in this game. Personally I use Vacbuilder (see signature), but there are some free programs out there if you want to make your own profile.

Edit: Seems I have to doubble post to show my sig so il just copy it here instead.

Sick of slow button AI controls?

Try my voice command profile.

Edited May 8, 2010 by JojoTheSlayer