desertjedi

Yes, the mods are great and I'd like to try them with some friends in MP - all having the same mods. But yes, all the links to your signatures are broken - I hope you can get them up soon!

Most ai-assisted MP co-cop missions I play have no animation when you, as the last "blue" player alive, get killed. You pretty much get nothing but a white box with a continue button. It's really disconcerting because ArmA only uses bullet cracks, so in effect, you may never really hear the shot that killed you. One second you're fine and the next second there's a white panel in your face. And you're like...what the f? But when I play Ortego City in City Map Pack, if I, as the last "blue" player alive, get killed, there's a death animation and all this dramatic music and the camera rotates and rises and once the camera even followed a seagull as it flew over - how poetic! Why the difference? I definitely prefer the latter.

Actually, now I'm very confused. I play the City Battles Co-op Pack and respawn is on and after I've died and respawned many times, I finally "get the seagull". And I'll play other missions (e.g. Barnstormers) and it has respawn but there is no seagull in that one - the mission just ends. I read some tutorials and they said that "Group" respawn and "Side" respawn will give you the seagull. Â In City Co-op Battles, I can probably respawn into any member of my group (but not my entire Blufor side). I think the mission ends and I see the seagull when all 9 men in my team have been "used up". In Barnstormers, I'm respawning in the AI mate right next to me (respawn set to 'group' or 'side'?) but when the last man dies, there's no seagull. I wish I knew the difference so I could: - make sure my own missions have the seagull - unpack and repack no-seagull missions to have the death animation and seagull I can't stand it when the mission ends where you have no idea where the round came from, you're lucky to even hear the start of the gun sound and the end-of-mission screen instantly pops up before you actually "die". I get the feeling this has nothing to do with scripting (not sure) but everything to do with respawn type selected. I suppose I simply need to unpack the .pbos and look at the description.ext files. EDIT: It looks like "Group" respawn does the trick. You get to spawn into another body and when you're out of bodies, you get the bird - so to speak that is.

I've had ArmA for about 5 weeks and am still learning... a lot. As much as I'd like to play with many other people, I know, in the end, I will be playing mostly with one good buddy - who has ArmA but hasn't gotten it loaded yet. To learn ArmA, I'm doing MP co-op missions by myself with AI backup. I'm playing mostly the CoopPack Multi-Purpose Training where I get a fireteam of 3 AI. As such, much of the combat ends in vicious defeat. But it's a blast and it teaches me. I'm also going through an extensive Beginner's Tutorial on editing at another ArmA site. I'm using the mission as a sandbox to try different things and again, am learning a lot. But I'm wondering how best to play ArmA with only one other guy. I'm thinking of things like editing existing missions and adding more ammo boxes and mini-hospitals and adding AI medics to squads and even expanding the number of AI in a fireteam to much higher than 4. Is this the best way (or only way) to help make ArmA more playable for just 2 co-op players? I just don't want my gaming buddy to get discouraged when he or we get our butts handed to us. He doesn't know how amazing ArmA can be - except for all the movies I make and send him. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to make the game "easier" (don't like that word) for just two guys? Heck, I'd appreciate some links to missions that are like that.

Regarding Warfare...just a note but my co-op buddy and I are currently playing Vegas 2 while learning ArmA. TBH, I doubt Warfare would appeal to either of us. Does it make the game an RTS? Do you get to shoot a gun or are you the "general"? My current mod list: HiFi Sound Effects ArmA Effects Aimpoint Desert Weapons Vegetation Fix Hi-Res Sky (tho I never see a cloud - LOL)

I'm no ArmA expert but I have to agree wholeheartedly with the above. There's enough flexibility in the editor to, indeed, come up with your own mission that's as impressive as a movie. I'd love to see more "small-squad" missions. Hopefully, I will be able to make some of my own soon. There will always be the SP vs MP debate in any game simply due to "different strokes for different folks". Years ago, after seeing some really stupid TDM matches, I thought all MP-ers were nut jobs until I got involved with co-op playing on an actual team with a Team Leader. The experience was incredible and now I'm more of an MP player than an SP one. But I have to confess, I'll probably never play adverserial - unless it was part of gaming in a good, disciplined clan. If you can snag a few friends who are good team players, you can have a good co-op match. But going "public" to do PvP(TDM) is wishful thinking, IMHO.

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. Always the best advice in any combat game. Â Well, the missions I'm playing say "eliminate all opfor in this area". Well, I can see (directly) or from some weird deathcam script that kicks in sometimes that are WAY TOO MANY Opfor in that area for 1 guy and 3 AI to handle. So, if I can survive the first engagement, I feel good about it. The missions I'm playing desperately need medkits and ammo boxes with M136 rockets. My AT-man blows his only 2 rockets on vehicles that are usually too far away to hit. After that, we all have to run like little schoolgirls when we encounter a BMP or tank. Â Wow - never even thought about it - thanks!

I agree. I'm still experimenting with ArmA on my new GTX 260. I boosted texture detail from normal to high and actually liked normal better. With high textures, it looked like they had applied a unnaturally strong sharpening filter and it just didn't look as "real". My settings are scattered between normal and high and I get down to 23fps in the vineyard in Ortego City. I'm still experimenting with all the options. It will probably take quite some time to figure out what combination works best.

I'm going to start running my own non-ded. server in ArmA and I have a question concerning mods. If I'm running mods on my server, does everyone who wants to join have to be running with the exact same mods? Is there any way to indicate that its okay for players not to have the same mods as the server? I like to play with HiFi, Aimpoint Desert Weapons. I also have lowplants and the vegetation fix and ArmA Effects. It would be a bummer to have to run plain vanilla just to allow people to join! Regarding mods, I'm coming from a Ghost Recon viewpoint. In that game, you had to have the exact same mods active as the server or you couldn't join. Last weekend I ran a server for a short time and someone joined but as he joined, messages came up that sounded like he did not have the same mods. Somehow, he eventually joined. Can someone clarify this for me? Sorry if it's been asked and answered a gazillion times.

Thanks for the info and the wiki link - bookmarking now. Quick question....does a non-dedicated server use a server.cfg file too? Thought they were only for ded. servers. And this too... So what do most admins in ArmA do? Run plain vanilla? or set it so peeps with different addons can join anyway? It would be a shame not to be able to at least run HiFi sounds or another of the awesome sound packs.

I absolutely agree. On public servers, even when playing co-op its near impossible to expect communication, teamplay, and discipline. But expecting it in PvP, IMHO, is even more unlikely. The way this was handled in other games I've played is to start your own server and enforce whatever rules you want. In VietCong, when you saw the word TeamRespawn in the server name, you knew exactly what was expected of you and if you didn't abide by the rules, you were instantly kicked/banned. So I say there are only two ways to get good gameplay: 1. Start your own server and enforce your rules. 2. Or join a clan. If there's any game on the planet that screams out for communication, tactics, teamplay and discipline, it's ArmA.

Yeah I've done that too - usually when someone totally pisses me off. Sometimes I end up not posting - LOL. But everything that needed to be said was wrapped up by Benoist in one sentence. But if you don't want to be part of a clan, try to hook up with some people who want to play on a regular basis and see if you can start some regularly-scheduled sessions. I do share your viewpoint when it comes to adverserial. In that case, you not only have to find one team with "character" but two - doubling the difficulty. With co-op, you only need to find one bunch of guys who are interested in good gaming. I haven't been playing ArmA long but its obvious that some pretty spectacular missions can be achieved in ArmA in MP co-op. Especially when you hook up with people who are disciplined and dedicated to teamwork. In VietCong, there were servers run by clans that were called zero tolerance servers - dedicated to teamplay-coop. And if you didn't follow your Team Leader's orders, you were gone. It's those kind of servers where you can really achieve some great gaming. Pretty soon I'll be putting out the 'Welcome' sign as I start my own MP co-op server but only for peeps dedicated to teamplay. I expect the ArmA community to be no more "freaky" and no less friendly than other communities. So far, I've met some good people.

Deep down I had a feeling that was going to be the answer. So you're saying that the default final death animation is to not have any death animation at all?

Being new to the game, I thought that was the way to go too. I started the first mission and was so unimpressed with it that I almost uninstalled ArmA...for good. Now, after playing a lot of user-made MP co-op missions, I'm leading a support group at the local chapter of Armaholic's Anonymous. Â

AAACK!! I'm a dumb arse! I put the .pbos in ArmA/AddOns and not ArmA/MPMissions. I see them now.

I'm probably going to stick with Fromz too though I found that all of them added some excitement to the game compared to the stock sounds and all had some sounds that were disappointing. But I'm sure with every one of them you'd have some complaints. I'm not too keen on the "going prone" sound that some mods use - IMHO, it should be way shorter and far less dramatic. Even after you've stopped moving the sound continues. I also can't stand the sound of enemy fire in ArmA - I find it really hard to believe that that is the sound of being shot at. It sounds like someone breaking twigs. I think the stock ArmA sound of the M16 might be somewhat close to accurate. In everything I've read, the sound of a Vietnam War firefight was whump-whump-whump, whack-whack-whack with "whump" being the sound of the M16 and "whack" being the AK-47. And, the M16 sound is similar to the M16 sound in VietCong (the game). Still, it's very underwhelming and I prefer some of the modded versions - even if they do sound like you're going duck-hunting! Â I have to say that some of the chopper sounds in the mods are brilliant. It's like they took the stock sound and added some high-pitched whine of spinning metal. Felt like you were right in the cockpit. BTW. i tried all the ones you mentioned (except Hi Fi) plus AACF and Modern Warfare. I think a new one (WGL?) was just released.

I'm probably going to stick with Fromz too though I found that all of them added some excitement to the game compared to the stock sounds and all had some sounds that were disappointing. But I'm sure with every one of them you'd have some complaints. I'm not too keen on the "going prone" sound that some mods use - IMHO, it should be way shorter and far less dramatic. Even after you've stopped moving the sound continues. I also can't stand the sound of enemy fire in ArmA - I find it really hard to believe that that is the sound of being shot at. It sounds like someone breaking twigs. I think the stock ArmA sound of the M16 might be somewhat close to accurate. In everything I've read, the sound of a Vietnam War firefight was whump-whump-whump, whack-whack-whack with "whump" being the sound of the M16 and "whack" being the AK-47. And, the M16 sound is similar to the M16 sound in VietCong (the game). Still, it's very underwhelming and I prefer some of the modded versions - even if they do sound like you're going duck-hunting! Â I have to say that some of the chopper sounds in the mods are brilliant. It's like they took the stock sound and added some high-pitched whine of spinning metal. Felt like you were right in the cockpit. BTW. i tried all the ones you mentioned (except Hi Fi) plus AACF and Modern Warfare. I think a new one (WGL?) was just released.

I was in the armory checking out the Aimpoint Desert weapons and a challenge came up to go to a shooting gallery. I was presented with static and moving targets (totally sweet btw). I missed every single moving target. The dirt puff from my missed shots seemed to have quite a delay before appearing. Do I need to seriously lead my targets when they're moving? Another point...I'm having bad problems hitting any enemy soldier with a scope. Instead, I use the reticle and "walk my tracers" to make the kill - even with an M16. I'm guessing my lack of success is related to the point above - moving targets. What I find very strange is that I do quite well "walking the tracers" to a kill shot but I noticed that the reticle is not on target when I make the kill. This makes me think that I shouldn't be lining the reticle up directly on the target in the first place.... Sort of related...if I go into a CQB-type situation, is it better to switch to my pistol? With the M16 I'm having trouble hitting targets that are very close but moving. Does the pistol afford you any better control for CQB?

What card and drivers are you using? I have an 8800GTS 512 with the beta 177.79 drivers and ArmA looks awesome.

Exactly.

I'm moving them from the Cache directory to the ArmA/MPMissions folder. Is that correct? They're currently not showing up at all.

I've cached a few MP missions while online and I found where they are. I never see them in my list of missions to choose from whenever I start an MP server. I even moved them to the MPMissions folder (I can move them back if that was dumb). Shouldn't I be able to use these downloaded missions and if not what exactly do they do? Did a search on cache in these forums (and others) but found nothing.

Thanks Tim and Jex - greatly appreciated. @gsleighter, I'm gonna take a look at the default settings for precision and skill and compare them to what you have there in your "config" file. I would agree that skillz should be high but accuracy should be..."realistic" meaning that in real combat many, many shots are exchanged but few find their mark. That's what makes for great battles in video games. You "earn" the right to make an easy kill by using good strategy and tactics - if you get my drift. It was actually a pleasure to be involved in a firefight where shots were missed on both sides. One of my big goals is to get my co-op buddy "adjusted" to the soldier and weapons mechanics of ArmA. It's always a big challenge for both of us - and often involves a lot of bitchin' and moaning. Coming from other games, ArmA feels awkward. The soldier feels a bit fat, a bit slow and a little drunk but that's from comparing it to games like Vegas 2 where you are set up for total ownage. My friend is a Vegas 2 freak so wish me luck with getting him used to ArmA. At first, I thought ArmA had dropped the ball on this game aspect but it all feels very natural and "realistic" to me. I wish I could scurry behind cover faster while prone but oh well. BTW, I have zeroed out the Float Zone - I could not stand that.

I just went home at lunch and learned a few things I should have known. Oops, just realized I've got a med kit. Is it SOP to have a medic in the squad? I generally don't see one in the missions. I'm playing mostly the CoopPack Multi-Purpose Training mod and the squads are the typical 4-man squad with no medic. I usually play co-op games (e.g. Original Ghost Recon) with one buddy and team- or norespawns make it VERY hard. When I played in bigger squads playing VietCong, Teamrespawn was the rule and it was awesome. Are you saying...if I'm Squad Leader then I simply am not allowed to used the big MG on the Striker? When I move into the gunner's position I see a reticle and I see the MG handles above me but I can not grab them or fire the weapon. Yeah I will not worry about "teamswitch" at all. I just figured that out a little while ago too...I was aborting the missions after my AT man was killed. Well...I'm currently leading from the front to be "in the action" and get kills. To be honest, I would prefer to play ArmA co-op with people - not AI backup. But its obvious I need to get "expert" on commanding an AI squad for several good reaons. Another coincidence - just found that a little while ago too. Wow, that'll keep me busy. For sure! Just found that out at lunch too. I was getting annhilated in "open-field" combat and finally realized that I desperately needed to use cover...religiously. As soon as I did that, I went from "joke" status to a 13/2 kill/death ratio (before quitting). And just like you said, I thought about what was key in my "success" and it was to play this game as if it was real "life or death". So many things we do in games we'd never do in RL. I'm just so used to playing games that are nothing like ArmA (Vegas 2 for example). Thanks for all the awesome info! I know there's a big learning curve here to be successful. But before my 13/2 go-round, I was actually starting to think the game was simply too hard for me.