Harlow-16AA-

The 16AA is probably best described as a MilSim unit. A multinational gaming group that has based itself off the British Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade, we have taken the ethos, structure and tactics from one of the World's finest Armies and adapted it to the game we play. Like many other milsim groups playing ArmA2, we enjoy playing the game in the most realistic way possible whilst using the real world tactics the game allows us to use. While we know when to get serious to get the job done, at the end of the day we enjoy playing with the friends we have made. We consider ourselves a mature group of gamers, in both mentality and (unfortunately) age and whilst we do have a minimum-age limit, the right attitude is most important to us. We hold mid-week trainings or mini Operations as well as a bigger Operation every Sunday - both of which are primarily focused on Co-Op gameplay and start from around 1900z / 2000 BST. Generally there are enough people around during the week to also hold impromptu games. We play ArmA2's Combined Operations; meaning both ArmA2 and Operation Arrowhead are required. While not a requirement, we highly recommend the purchase of the BAF DLC, as most all of our missions are created with this in mind. Apart from the above purchases, we also use a handful of other Mods to increase immersion and realism. Chief amongst these are ACE2 and ACRE. So a willingness to use these community made mods is necessary. If this sounds like a group you would be interested in joining, either head on over to www.16AA.net or read on for more information. As touched on, our structure is based off the British Army and in particular the 16 Air Assault Brigade. Realistically we acknowledge that we are unlikely to reach a full Company strength, let alone a Brigade and the way we have modeled our unit and our usage of ranks is reflected in that. Our unit's structure grows and shrinks with our member count; starting with a single Section's strength under the command of a Corporal, we have seen the 16AA grow to as large as two Platoon's worth under a Captain in the past. We are currently working on building our third Section, but are fielding two full Sections along with HQ and Support, as well as a Flight. Ranks in the 16AA are assigned as needed. The highest attainable rank we are likely ever to see in the 16AA is a Major, though again this depends on the size of our unit - one thing is certain, you will not find a top heavy gathering of Generals in our group. Our NCOs are all in Leadership positions and performing their roles as Section Leaders or Section 2ICs within the group. We are however keenly aware that this is a game and we are "fighting" in a virtual battlefield. Though our ranks are assigned on merit and as required, we do not insist, or even expect, to be addressed by the rank held. It's a game after all and we're here to have fun. Those of us that enjoy playing in the mud are assigned to one of our Sections in our Air Assault Infantry Platoon. The roles within the Sections are modeled off the British Army's Infantry Section, with a few tweaks here and there to cater for both the game and our current size. Playing as an Air Assault group, the Platoon is usually inserted via Helicopter or static line Parachute, though sometimes may be found carrying out mounted patrols in Jackals or Landrovers. Playing as Infantry you will take part in training courses covering a large range of basic combat skills, as well as role specific instructions to ensure you can enjoy the role you are in to the fullest extent. Then put what you learned to the test in our challenging Operations. Enjoy carrying a significant portion of the Section's firepower? Providing cover for your Section as an LMG Rifleman might be just what you'd enjoy. Then sign on for a stint as part of a Machine Gun team in our Fire Support Group. Or maybe you would like to become the Platoon's Medic! Starting off as the Section's Combat Lifesaver could put you on that path. There are plenty of options and plenty of ways to keep busy and provide the right amount of challenge and fun. If flying is your thing, our AAC Squadron might be for you. Numbers are limited, keeping to roughly 1/3 of the overal unit strength, but once you are assigned to a Flight this will only be the beginning of your flying role. Our Basic Rotary training is challenging and our Pilots follow many procedures used in the real world as well. All of this gives both them and the Infantry chaps they are transporting the confidence to know that they will make it to their Objectives safely. Transport, CASEVAC, CAS or Observation; you will have the opportunity to carry out any and all of these roles whilst flying a host of airframes used by the British Military. And while the Squadron's focus is Rotary, when the need arises the C130j stands ready for larger transport and the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 for that extra bit of lethality. If this sounds like something you would like to be part of, head on over to www.16AA.net and leave us a post on the enlistment forum or feel free to hop on our TS Server if you'd like more information.

Being unfamiliar with how islands are made, could you detail where this would be changeable? Many thanks.

www.jestservers.com We're playing with 60+ guys in Co-Op on one of their German servers with ACE/ACRE, etc. and the lowest it dipped was 8FPS at one point - no desync as of yet apart from when everyone was joining in. It's really very reasonable pricing for what it is as well and the Customer Support's second to none.

You're absolutely right. Works fine in the root keys folder.

Hey all, I'm running into a few issues trying to sign mods with the version 2 signature tool. Essentially we're trying to implement signature checking on our servers for the mods we use and a few additional "allowed" ones. Some of these did not have version 2 signatures yet, so we resigned them. I read that version 2 signatures should be approx 500 bytes in size (and version 1's in comparions approx 200 bytes in size). The .bisign files I end up with are about 300 bytes in size though. When placing the .bikey keys on the server (in the "Expansions/keys" folder of our ArmA2+OA dedicated server) and activating signature checking 2, we end up getting an error saying that those mods are not signed by a key supported by the server. I've signed mods previously before the DSSignFile update and they worked correctly. I have the latest BIS Tools, so have the most recent version of DSSignFile. The DSCreatekey file however is still the older version. Was there an update to this file? Any ideas of what else may be going wrongly here? Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure what was going wrongly, but I downloaded "ArmA2 Addonsigner" and it seems to be signing the mods correctly now.

After much hype and anticipation the Joint Operation with VOLCBAT sadly failed to get off the ground due to technical problems. In the wake of what was to be Operation MARQUIS, the 16AA are now preparing to deploy to Lingor Island on a new 3 month Operation: ORYX. In the short period following the termination of Operation MARQUIS, the 16AA was tasked with a last-minute deployment to the Takistani theatre as part of a NATO led surge to regain control of key areas of Takistan’s Central Province. 1Plt 16AA + 1Flt rotary assets were tasked as Coy QRF operating from FOB HUTSON to continue efforts to re-establish NATO control over the SAGRAM-ZAVARAK-KARACHINAR area of Takistan’s Central Province. gbR2FFTVif0 Operation ORYX MESSAGE FROM LT.COL. CHIPPERFIELD "Gentlemen, the citizens of Lingor are the victims of ethnic tensions that threaten to destabilise their entire island. Political leaders on all sides have made provocative moves and educated poor judgement and care for the civilian poopulation. The Brigade is being sent to guard the civilian populace against violence from the separatist militias. We will act alongside the Republican Army and their police forces, to help them curb increasing levels of violence. The political dimensions of operating in a former British Overseas Territory should not be overlooked - whilst we will be deploying at the direct request of the Lingorian Government of President Douglas there will be some who will view our activities through a different lens. I expect all Officers and Men of the Brigage to act with the uptmost dignity, respect and neutrality at all times - we cannot afford to be seen to take sides in this ongoing conflict. Ethnic divides can not be erased by military conquest; every soldier should therefore realise that we are being deployed to accommodate for peaceful talks between the parties. To this end, the most violent extremists must be stopped dead in their tracks. I encourage all Officers and NCO’s to familiarise themselves with the details of the island: Its ethnicities and cultures, its tropical terrain and the difficulties that the Republican Army have had, and the lessons they've learned and to standby to receive further ISTARS data and Intelligence as it becomes available."

Hi again, Just wanted to see if you or anyone in this thread would be able to advise on how to get your BAF gun sounds working for the P:UKF Weapons as well? I know CSM did a sound replacement for them, but since I'm using JSRS (as it's awesome!) I'd like to use the same for those guns, too. Any help/advise would be appreciated.

Heya mate, Anyway you could add support for the BAF sounds to work with the UK:F Weapons?

The past few weeks has seen an incredible increase in new members joining the ranks of our 16AA. This has brought with it an increase in midweek activity and training as well. While we now have the numbers for a 3rd Section and more, we will be moving to that goal slowly, ensuring we still have a great turnout for our Sunday Operations and for the midweek Training Sessions. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ We also recently held a JNCO Course for those wishing to move into the roles of Section 2IC and later Section Leader. The four week course teaches a handful of members the ins and outs of leading a Section; from form-up at base to extraction after a tough battle. The Trainees are then tested in a final two hour exercise. It's a very handson, informative and enjoyable course and I'm pleased to say some of Trainees have already been promoted to Section 2ICs. Over the past 6 weeks the 16AA has been engaged in Operation MYRIAD, already touched on in a previous post. This Operation has been a huge a success with our members, but is now coming to a close. The final tasks in this Operation will see the 16AA effect the death or capture of Muhammed Ali Al-Rahman Al-Syriani @ MAARAS, an Insurgent leader that has been behind most of the events faced in Operation MYRIAD. __________________________________________________ d7wHJ0V6w_M __zIajz6cXF_4 __________________________________________________ With the final mission due 03JUL2011, the 16AA will be moving into a week of preparation for what is bound to be an exciting and unique Operation. A Joint Operation on an MSO-Takistan mission with VOLCBAT. If you want to be part of the 16AA and experience a MilSim unit at it's best, with Training Exercises that have a purpose and Operations with detailed background and planning, join us at www.16AA.net

Operation MYRIAD is well underway now. Our first mission saw us tasked to extract two civilians trapped in a USAID Compound that was rapidly being surrounded after the UN Helicopter that was supposed to get them out was shot down just metres from the compound. A swift landing and move-off from the Landing Zone preceeded a hurried but careful movement through back alleys and buildings to reach the compound. Constant reports from the Apache flying orbits over kept us appraised of the swarming enemy and the sound of a heavy fire fight underlined the sense of impending disaster. Rules of Engagement were strict however. We were in a city of nearly half a million people and in a country where weapons are a part of daily life; meaning not everyone that was armed posed a threat. When we reached the compound it was clear that the situation was worse than had been anticipated. The UN Soldiers posted there were barely holding the compound and one of the civilians, AP Reporter John Hamilton, had already been killed by a grenade. Our Objective was to safely extract the civilians so we did not linger and left the UN Guards as they scrambled to their vehicles to retreat. Due to the nature of the city and the rapidly advancing and encircling enemies, we decided to return to the Landing Zone, which our top-cover had been keeping a watchful eye over. We quickly and fluidly moved a long sidestreets and through back gardens, Section rolling over Section until we reached the Landing Zone. The loitering Chinook arrived almost simultaniously with our arrival at the Landing Zone and the Platoon and both civilians (one T4) extracted safely back to base. Events have steadily been advancing since and Defense Intelligence has been increasing it's knowledge on the area and the main players of the region. Our focus now is on locating the where abouts of Muhammed Ali-Al Rahman Al Syriani AKA MAARAS and dissambling his network before it can build momentum. If this sounds like the type of Operation you would enjoy being part of, join us at www.16AA.net

Thanks to a fantastic increase of applications lately, our AAC Squadronhas reached it's current Operating Capacity. We aren't shutting down recruitment for the AAC Squadron, but in order to keep the balance of Infantry versus Pilots, if you are hoping to join this aspect of our unit you will need run with our Air Assault Infantry until a slot opens, at which point you'll then be transferred across. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Our Air Assault Infantry Platoon is still steadily growing, with a good amount of interest over the past few weeks. A recent Joint Operation with =UKTF= saw the Platoon engage in a PvP-Roleplay scenario whereby a handful of =UKTF= members took up the role of Insurgents hiding within a city. The Patrol quickly turned deadly when an RPG team opened fire, fatally wounding one of ours. The situation intensified after that with the Patrol on edge and on guard. A well placed hit on a low flying helicopter ment the Patrol had to scramble to secure the wreckage, in the process eliminating two Insurgents and identifying the location of a third, which was later also killed. The loss of two Soldiers from the Platoon, as well as the Helicopter crew was hard to swallow however and the recovery of their bodies only dampened that slightly. We look forward to future events with =UKTF=, though for now we are committed to our a new campaign; Operation MYRIAD, which is set to kick off on Sunday! If you think we sound like the type of unit you would like to be involved with, head on over to www.16aa.net!

It was 3 hours I believe. Enders knows more :) Will point him this way.

It's still running right now, but has gotten a bit laggy, though we reckon that's on account of unchecked Terrorist Cells (been a busy couple of days this week :)) that we haven't killed. There are now 600 units, 300+ of which are terrorist cells. We did however decrease the speed in which the terrorist cells grew to a third of what it was - probably contributing to longer play time.

You could always place the construction module on a truck or a container to be flow out to the FOB. Then you can place your things even easier.

Saw this as well the other day. Would need to see with SCAJolly and Enders if they've seen it in the new version (haven't gotten a chance to hop on yet).

Our Air Assault Infantry Platoon has under gone a few structural changes recently with new Lance Corporals being assigned to both 1 and 2 Section. Our primary focus for the Air Assault Infantry is to gather momentum on a 3rd Section and a Fire Support Group to fill out the Platoon. Since our last updated, the unit has completed Operation DRIFTWOOD and it's Training Rotation and is currently engaged in Operation PANTHEON - an MSO Mission we are testing for a few weeks and styled in support of our next crafted Operation; Operation MYRIAD. If you'd like to play the game with an Air Assault Infantry Platoon that approaches its missions with planning and tactics and works as a team, join us at: www.16aa.net Our AAC Squadron attachment has also been busy training up on a number of new SOPs, including Fast Roping and using the AH-1 Apache in a supporting role to our Air Assault Infantry. We have also recently released our reskins of the UH-1Y Venom into British colours. After a couple of months of using these, we felt they were ready to share with the community. A couple of our more talented members are also working on other addons, which we are testing in the group at the moment and will likely release in the near future. If you want to experience flying with a purpose and as part of dedicated Flight, join us at: www.16aa.net

Heya mate, Thanks for the explanation - especially on how TERRORIST CELLS work. That is a pretty neat insight there and something I wasn't aware of (the splitting of cells, etc.) The only issue that became slightly annoying with the Terrorist Cells was the sheer amount of markers and constant stream of Intelligence messages that they generated. The "? xxxm" markers literarily blotted out entire regions of the map, making any type of planning a pretty tough task and making the map look like the galaxy map of Eve Online. If that sheer volume of markers (literarily hundreds in one of the towns) is intentional then would it be possible to include options to turn off Intel-streaming (i.e. Markers and Text) or reduce it to a single once-off report per cell? The real problem we're seeing however is with ENEMYPOP (presumably?); that of the mass spawn of groups, which I think is safe to say is not how the mission is intended to work. Perhaps it's related, but I did notice that while some camps were spawned in, no enemy units were spawned with the camps (or at least not in the camp's locality). Could it be that other camp's associated units are being spawned in all in one location?

Heya mate, just to expand on the marker thing. There are a LOAD of them. At a rough guess, I would say about 300 of them. And they are all in a cluster of area that we haven't been near yet, within about a 3k radius. They are all on top of one another. I'll grab a screenshot of it if you want it and if it's a bug, I'll post it up.

I've put this into DevHaven, Enders: http://dev-heaven.net/issues/19064

16AA's Griffin Reskin Author: "Saint" of 16AA (www.16AA.net) Version: 1.0 Link: 16AA_Griffin.zip Notes: A reskin of BIS' UH1Y Venom model to AAC and RAF Colours. Paint schemes are based off those seen on Griffins. While we realise that particular model and armament is not used in the British Forces, it at least gives the option to use this Helicopter in a more British-friendly appearance. Installation: Unzip the @16AA folder into your arma2 directory and launch game with this mod included. OR Unzip the 16AA_Griffin.pbo file into your another custom mod folder. You can find these retextured Venom's listed under BLUFOR->16AA Addons->16AA AAC Squadron. BIS' BAF DLC is recommended (but not required) as the Pilot and Crew are BAF models. Reskin description: HAR2 - AAC Colours (Green/Blue-grey camo scheme) Image HT1 - AAC Colours with High Vis Orange engine block used for training Image HAR2G - RAF Search and Rescue colours Image Command - just an additional bird for our Air Control crew Image

Miller and Foxhound, thanks for the mirrors! Much appreciated :) Thanks for the comments as well.

Thanks! I must have missed the zora one! I know that I definitely got the rmm_enemypop one. ---------- Post added at 01:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 PM ---------- I forgot another question that was brought up. We noticed bodies vanished very quickly. If you didn't have a LOS on them, they would vanish almost immidiately. Is there anyway of increasing the time a body will stay before being "garbage collected" ? Is this a setting to be placed in the Garbage Collector module?

Gave it a go last night during the Op. No desync or lag spikes. Made a little bit of a c*ck up by letting the Warriors (AI) placed as base defenders rampage around the country side, taking away our fights though. Our fly boys were very busy though and we did have some great QRF-type moments. Will be making some further tweaks to what I placed tonight. Then we'll be giving it another go starting Wednesday. If all goes well, I'll post up the mission. One further question though, if I may. I've disabled all the _debug markers, but active enemy groups show on the map, along with direction of travel. If we wanted to disable this; where would that be done? If I have some time in the coming week or two, I might give a stab at updating the editor manual with the new structure and basics (of what I understand) on how to enable/disable modules.

It's our Flight guys. They spit polish these things after every Op. We've tried telling them they look too new and shiny and would only attract unwanted attention ... but. Seriously though; Reckon that would be something we can do for ver2. We'd likely stick to British kit, since that's the country we're playing. But we can certainly look at doing others if time allows - other than Canadian, any others you had in mind?