ArcherSix

It's funny that you mentioned this, I was looking through the ArmA III in-game field guide two days ago, and I noticed an entry on how to use VTOL craft...

Hey, everyone, I'm trying to make a proper video for my realism unit (it's a contest to create a new recruiting video), but I'm having some trouble. Mainly, I don't know what I'm doing. I have a script together, and I know it should be possible, but I don't know how or where to begin. The biggest issue I'm facing currently is how to get a proper camera set up to record events. I don't want some kind of shaky cam or body shot or anything of that sort. I'm looking for the kind of angles that you see in Dyslexi's Community Guide videos. I've done some research on YouTube, but the videos I found were from the Alpha. When I tried to copy what they did to set up even a basic manual camera (using the 'this exec "camera.sqs" script), things wouldn't go right, and I'd get a pop-up telling me to 'call BIS_fnc_cameraOld' or something like that. I don't know scripting really at all, to explain, so I'm fumbling about in the dark trying to do the best I can. This is why I'm reaching out to you, the ArmA community, for help. I'm not looking to make a full-fledged video, but rather just set up some camera angles, take some shots, and record it using OBS. Can anyone help me?

Really love this guide, thanks for making it!

Do you guys plan on making insurgent factions, such as the Taliban, AQ, etc.? Also, any plans on making a UK faction? I would love to see the L85/86 in A3 at RHS quality.

I don't know if BIS will make this, but this needs to be a scenario. Modders, make us proud.

I'm looking forwards to doing some Navy SEAL/Rainbow 6 style sniping from Little Birds.

Quite frankly, they've been talking a lot in the story about increased tension between the US and CSAT forces in the Pacific. Maybe we can go island hopping? I also want to see what happens next to Kerry.

I want them to fix the skybox. Even when it's storming out in ArmA, during the day it just doesn't look right. You can usually see the sun if the fog is low enough, as well as blue sky beyond the clouds. This needs to be fixed. If I want a humdinger of a storm, I want it to look like a really bad storm.

To counter, I was playing some Co-op with clan mates, and we had hostile AI popping smoke, falling back to better positions, even disengaging in order to wait for reinforcements. I think it's a tad buggy from time to time, but in no way is it as bad as ArmA II.

Yeah, good luck slipping that past BIS, Cage. Though it'd make for a popular mod.

Basic training, get a feel for it all. Then, I'm going to do some Armory stuff (assuming that's intact). Finally, some multiplayer.

Er... Didn't the Ion site itself have fake positions, all of them hinting at character names in the game? Maybe those are viable usernames. You could always try logging in as Reynolds, though the passwords beyond me. Stranger, maybe?

Campaign, naturally. I want to run through the new gameplay mechanics through the new single-player storyline.

To be fair, I'd wait to see how Bohemia makes would be a prudent venture rather than already damning it. Plus, it's always a bit of fun to be the underdog.

Thought I'd try my own hand at writing an ArmA story. A bit of a technical explanation-this is using my idea of how ArmA III's story should take place, involving the final battle before the 2024 Jerusalem Accords taking place at Marathon, which brings up my ties to the "history comes again" theme. Again, none of this is (officially?) canon, but it's my take on the world we're going to be jumping into next year. Marathon Part One-Landing with the Tide "Well, this is a hell of a place to fight a battle." Sergeant Marshall Willis muttered, holding his standard-issue FN-2000 rifle lazily in one hand. The sand before him seemed morose, foreboding. A thousand thousand years ago men had died here in a battle that meant just as much here as it had done then. Their blood still called to the living, to the warriors who were now fighting on Greek soil. 'Join us', they said with a siren's whisper. "What are you talking about?" Corporal Lucas Taylor replied, a tired but confident smirk on his face. Unlike Willis' dark brown hair and equally chestnut eyes, Taylor had blonde hair and emeralds for pupils. Eyes had to be windows to the soul, as they were just as lively as the Corporal's attitude. "Last time some shit went down here, the Persians went home with their tails between their legs." "The Persians didn't have air power, nor did they have cruise missiles." Willis snapped back. "And they were using spears, not next-gen assault weaponry." Taylor lifted a hand in front of his face. "Woah, sorry to piss you off. Happy you're on my side, Sergeant." Taylor sighed and shook his head. "Stress is getting to ya, huh?" "Of course." Willis answered. "We've been told to fight off the largest invasion force since they struck at Gibraltar using what ever's not fighting the Iranian forces to the east, and having only a good day or two to be ready for them." He eyed the half-constructed sand barriers and trenches crossing the sandy shore. "At least they gave us priority air. Otherwise, I'd take my chances fighting with the Greeks." Taylor bobbed his head in semi-agreement. "Hey, nobody said it was going to be an easy enough job." Taylor said softly. "But out of every single Brit, Frenchie, Duetsch, and Spaniard in the world, they picked us to hold the line. You, me, and the rest of the blokes in the division. So, keep the chin up Sarge." He tapped the side of Willis' helmet with a free palm. "We're Two Para, remember?" - The day passed quickly enough, to Willis' surprise. It seemed like someone had pressed the fast-forwards button on the entire day. Morning changed into noon, which promptly changed to night. All the while, Two Para set up shop across the beach, digging more trenches and setting up firing positions to cover the entire landing zone. Or, at least, the assumed landing zone. The source for the invasion plans seemed to have been trustworthy enough to waste the time of an entire division of men, as well as a good squadron of American-made, NATO operated F/A-35B's. If it had been some clever ruse, then it had been a damned good one, on par with Overlord's pre-emptive manuevers. Willis was sitting in his foxhole when his radio beeped. "Possible RADAR contact close to the beaches, all men to their positions!" Willis snatched his '2000 from where he had left it and readied himself against the barrier, checking the sights one more time before they fell into the breach. But as the minutes passed, the contact did not move. It, in fact, seemed oblivious to the heavy British position on the shore. Willis eyed the night horizon, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of the mysterious invader. Thoughts rippled through the Sergeant's mind. A spy ship? Special forces transport? The possibilities rattled about through his mind, each one bringing up a new theory, a new threat. The whine of a hand-held UAV being launched passed through the crisp Aegean air. It took only a minute for the reply to come back. "All call-signs, stand down-contact is civilian fishing vessel. A PT boat has been sent to fetch it out of harm's way." Command hailed, going by the moniker of "King". Willis gave a sigh of relief, and slowly lowered his weapon. "Well, that was pretty fuckin' terrifying." Willis said with a chuckle to the rest of the men in the foxhole. They nervously laughed with him, every one of them honestly wanting to release the tension, and every one of them slowly failing. That one time had been a fluke. They all knew that you couldn't get lucky twice. - The PT boat skimmed towards the fishing trawler at a good pace, about fifty knots not to raise too many alarms. After all, the Iranian invasion fleet had yet to be spotted. The 'Leftenant' aboard went by the nick-name of 'Caine'. It had meant to be ominous, just to scare any Iranian shit-less who ever came across either comm traffic about him, or worse, his boat himself. Not like he expected any of the OPFOR in this case to have actually read the book or seen the movie, but it was still just in-case he came across one of the more literate ones. The American's made a hell of a spin-off of the thing, he mused aimlessly. Too bad they aren't here themselves. I could have used the help. The trawler began to come into view, and Caine called out for the ship to slow. He pressed a button to use the ship's speakers, and pulled up beside the boat. "<Attention, civilian ship.>" Caine said slowly into the mike, looking through the already-written down instructions and translations. "<You have entered a war-zone. For your safety, we are here to lead you back to port.>" He paused, waiting for some reply, but the trawler seemed to be ignoring him. "<If you do not comply, you will be treated as a hostile vessel and seized.>" Again, no response. He gave a glare at the vessel, and then pointed to one of the ensigns behind the PT boat's heavier ordinance, an American-made Mk. 19 grenade-launcher. "Put a round across the ship, just to get their attention." He looked at the three Royal Marines behind him. "Get suited up, and be ready to head over." They nodded in reply, and began picking up some odd rifle. Caine had little time to care for the weaponry of his contingent of Marines-his life was with the boat. The Mk. 19 gave a soft thunk, and a violent splash came from across the trawler's port. To the commander of the other ship's credit, he did the "abandoned" act fairly well. All the lights had been off when Caine had arrived, and they remained off-only the soft patter of the ship's engine came from the vessel. "Alright, sort 'em all out." Caine barked. The Marines moved towards the bow of the PT boat and waited until the trawler pulled closer. Then, they jumped. They landed as quietly as they could, but the ship rocked as they hopped on, alerting any possible defenders that they had been boarded. The ship itself was not huge, so they couldn't hide many people aboard. There was a cabin, a crane for carrying in nets, and presumably a lower level for other members of the crew. Caine leaned off the instrument panel and waited for something to happen. He didn't even know what came next. The blinding light of an explosion came well before the sound and fury, so Caine's mind had hardly any time to realize it was already dead. The bomb was conventional, of course, but it really didn't matter at this range. The trawler blew apart like tinsel paper as the metric tonne of explosives in its hold went off all at once. The immediate effect of the explosion was the disintegration of its steel confines (which had only absorbed about a tenth of the blast), followed by the sheer brute force tearing the PT boat to pieces, as well as its human inhabitants. There had never been anyone aboard the trawler. - The bright flicking from the distance was the surest sign of trouble Willis had ever seen. "Holy shit!" He whispered, his mind already formulating what had happened even though it was a crude guess on a single spot-light. His suspicions had been immediately confirmed when the first shell hit. The roar of the sand being torn to pieces immediately followed by a plume of dust and ashes split the night silence. Willis threw himself down as the debris came back down again, only to be lifted into the air once more as another shell landed. The radio tried to tell him something, but Willis couldn't hear a damn thing over the massive explosions. The Iranian fleet had finally arrived, and was perfectly content with obliterating the beach well ahead of landing anything. It would be only a matter of time before their air support arrived, followed swiftly by their infantry. "It is on people, get yourselves ready!" Willis managed to shout over the din. Over the line, the men of Two Para readied their rifles and waited for the Iranians to arrive. Taylor, only a few meters away shot a look at the Sergeant through the narrow trench. "Good luck" he mouthed, before turning back to face the front. The conflict had finally begun. - The instant that the PT boat had gone offline, the call had gone out to the fighter squadron a few miles inland. Only seven minutes later did the first of Eagle squadron take to the air. Captain Harry Baker, "Eagle Six", took the F-35 up to an immediate rapid climb soon after taking off, pushing the fighter's afterburners all the way up to beat gravity and the clock. The men on the ground were desperately asking for help, fighting a battle that they had not been specialized for. If the Paratroopers were to survive, they needed air cover. "Eagle Six is up." Harry announced over comms. "Headed to first waypoint." "Copy that, Six." One replied, a Colonel Michael Striker. "Get yourself there and wait for everyone else, out." The sky was now his, and the drone of the F-35's engine matched the howl of the wind outside to a T. But none of that seemed to get through the cockpit, nor through the helmet Harry had adorned. He was in his element, he was in his sky. Nothing mattered anymore other than him, his job, and his squadron-mates. The F-35 was a brilliant piece of work, capable of some-odd mach. Faster than anything the Iranians had still, and hopefully would stay that way for a long time. The flight over to the first waypoint was short, but he still had time to eye the beaches below. Harry couldn't hear the explosions, but he could see them through his Night Vision scope. "I'll be damned." He muttered. "The sooner we can get ready, the sooner we can stop all of that." The bleep of his RADAR gave him something else to think about. Fuck! He realized with a start-the Iranians were sure to have deployed fast-air to cover the beaches themselves. "Eagle Six to Eagle One, hostiles ahead, I'm engaging." He didn't wait for a reply as he armed his AMRAAM missiles. The first target was a Sukoi Su-35 "Flanker", sure to give conniptions to anyone who let them be. He lined up the shot, and pressed the firing fob. Below him, the missile shot off with a roar as it speed away from the fighter and towards its destination. The Iranian pilot had only a second's warning, but at this head-on course he had no time to react, nor would he be able to use flares. The explosion was violent and over in a flash, but the fighter registered the kill all the same. Harry pulled the fighter into a turn as the rest of his squadron-members arrived. On the radar screen more and more contacts appeared, all of them heading straight for Eagle Squadron. It was going to be a lively evening after all... I know I'm stopping Part One half-way, but I'm out of time here. So, continue the next section Part One-A. Review, please.

Thanks Flemming, didn't see that. I'll have to fully transition there. I'll post a link when the thing is ready for you.

Since I won't have the time for a little while to write down Act Two, I will explain some of the re-occuring themes for my version of ArmA III. The first is the "History Repeats" theme of the earlier acts, especially involving the idea of a resurgent "Persia" fighting to conquer Greece. The Athenians fought bravely, but were vastly outnumbered by the Persian army up until they scored several lucky breaks. The first of which was Marathon, and after that was the Athenian naval victory outside of Athens. The idea that history has come full circle is a strong idea, and that there is hope for the enemy to be defeated. But the costs are terribly high. The prologue's theme is that of disaster and loss. You learn about your squad, you fight your way triumphantly across Limnos, only to be turned back, to have your friends slaughtered, to have the invasion falter, to have the hopes of the free world suddenly and dramatically dim. The loss of Miller's squad must be a painful one, one that should fuel the reason behind both Miller and the player's aggression and tenacity. When Miles died in Harvest Red, I was honestly surprised, but I really did not feel the loss that the characters did, as I had only fought with the Sergeant for a few missions. Miller and his team will have fought for several hours worth of play time, building a relationship between the team that is far deeper, and making the loss of the three other members all the more shocking and real. Act One's theme is Defiance. You have been scorned, your allies have been forced to hide from the resurgent IAF, and all that remains is the people of Limnos taking up whatever arms they can against an enemy well above them. Your fight is now their fight, and together you must defy the IAF in order to save the island, and the world. It's a difficult task, and the under-dog feeling from Cold War Crisis (and the one really fun level from Harvest Red, which had the NAPA ambush) present throughout as you re-unite the people of Limnos. Together, as one sword, can you defeat the IAF and free the isle. More later...

So, let's get back to the huge-story, and let's do Part I of the epic that is... Alternate ArmA (or, how I would make ArmA III's campaign). When we left off, Miller's squad is dead, the American forces are trapped surrounded by Iranians armed with secret weapons that could end the war in weeks, maybe days, should they manage to be mass-produced. The only good news in this horrible situation is that there is still a way to beat the Iranians, but it involves a risky mission deep into enemy territory. The objective of the survivors is to find and destroy all things related to the new wonder weapons, all of them created on Limnos island in secret research facilities constructed immediately following the 2034 accords. If Prologue's theme was Disaster, then Act One's theme is Defiance. Mission Eight involves again meeting with the leader of the Limnos Resistance, Menelaos. However, with the entire contingent of Iranian forces scouring the earth for the 7th Infantry, which has gone to ground and has hidden in naturally made cave systems, reaching the northern Resistance HQ undetected is a difficult thing. Using stealth, impersonation of Iranian soldiers, and even sabotage to get by, Miller alone reaches the Resistance's headquarters. Menelaos is, naturally, more than a little upset that the invasion didn't go as planned. Several of his operatives began to actively support the invasion during the early days, but when it was all said and done they were captured. Some were executed, but those who weren't were sent Myrina (Please reference the official ArmA III map here for more info on locations) to be interrogated. The Resistance was planning an operation to rescue them, but they need a distraction to draw the drones away from the area until they can secure the prisoners and escape intact. Miller is called upon to find a way to draw away all of the drone defenses placed around the prisoner compound, and that he does. Using a well-guarded ammo dump as a scapegoat, the plan goes according to plan and the prisoners are successfully extracted. On the way back, however, they stumble across an Iranian COIN unit, and a firefight breaks out among the vehicles. Miller and his resistance friends work fast, as they know that Drones are already inbound to assist. Luckily, they manage to win out and leave the area before the drones arrive, leaving Colonel Namdar (who has personally taken interest in the actions of Miller after his escape) frustrated. With the prisoners secure, and mission eight completed, we roll into mission nine. The next step for the Resistance is to find and destroy the heart of the Iranian COIN missions into the desert strongholds, a base to the south-east. Destroying it would loosen Iranian (hereby referred to as IAF for Iranian Armed Forces) stronghold on the city. However, the Resistance simply does not have the equipment to fight through an entire IAF complex, and needs more munitions. Miller is sent back to Myrina, where a Resistance affiliate by the name of Nikos Panagopoulos operates his Black Market. Arriving in the city, it is easy to notice the sudden increase in IAF guards, as the area had been struck only a night before by you and your compatriots. However, Miller is able to sneak through the lines by passing himself off as a common citizen, or could sneak in through the coast by swimming using his wet suit, collected and now in Resistance hands for further use. No matter how he enters the city, Miller is able to meet Nikos, who is a brusque man. He prefers the life of a criminal, but knows that the IAF's rules are bad for business. Should they leave, Nikos' criminal empire would flourish. Thusly, a deal is struck. However, there is a catch. A 'close friend' by the name of "Maroula" had been captured during the early-conflict riots, but had been shipped away hours before the Resistance assault on the camp. If Miller can find and retrieve him, Nikos would send the weapons to the Resistance camp. Traveling east, Miller is able to find and secure Maroula, actually Athene Kourou, a energetic woman in her mid-thirties who once competed in business against Nikos, and before that was his lover. After the IAF invaded and her company shut down, Athene went by the name of Maroula and supplied the Resistance with enough supplies to begin the fight against Iran, as well as helped them set up their facility in the northern wastes. She had been caught however trying to find the location of the IAF's weapon research labs, and had been scheduled for interrogation. His rescue, however, has denied Namdar a lead on the Resistance facility. Returning to Niko with Athene, the shipment is sent and the hunt for the facility begins. Armed with a new team led by the Resistance, Miller begins using Athene's data on the IAF's labs, and eventually discovers the facility's entrance-near the Salt Lagoon, north of Kontopouli. Simply stated, though, Miller does not have the manpower to blow his way through the facility, and the heavy presence of both drones and new Iranian super-tanks makes the assault impractical without finding the Achilles' Heel for both programs. Returning, Miller is sent to meet the connection between the Resistance and the free world-"ODevil". Mission ten begins with a discrete conversation with the man behind the curtain, CIA operative James "ODevil" Carlson. The man supplying the information and the training to the Limnos Resistance Group, ODevil is, at first look, a shadowy man in his shadowy ways. However, both he and Miller know that the only way to win this war is by being honest to one's allies, while lying to the enemy. Miller is filled in on the details known about the two projects and the mastermind behind it, General Attar. Attar was once the head of a company called "Red Pegasus", which actually has had dealings far into the past. It had supplied weapons to the ChDKZ back in 2009, and had helped give the Takistani nuclear capability. Of course, in both transactions it had hid from the cameras, but in reality it had been behind two of the century's most infamous conflicts. Now, General Attar had finished two of his many wonder weapon projects, Project Mace and Project Harpy. All projects were housed in separate facilities, as well as differing islands. Miller has found one of the two projects based off Limnos, but not both. Either way, it's a massive step up, but information needs to be garnered on both the 'Mace' tank and the 'Harpy' Combat-MAV (CMAV?), and to do so requires Miller to secure one. The Mace is relatively easy to steal-just hop in, deactivate any safety measures, and then drive it to a certain location where it can be taken to the Resistance HQ by tunnel. The Harpy, however, requires Miller to secure a control mechanism, the drone itself, and instructions on how to operate. The player is able to choose which one to do first, but all in all Mission ten revolves around the CTRG doing what its name is based around-securing and reverse-engineering enemy technology. Using their learned skills in stealth, the player is able to guide Miller to securing the Harpy components and giving it to Colonel Novak. However, the Mace requires brute force, and thankfully the new shipment is exactly what the Resistance needs. New prototype American-made AT rockets are spread out amongst Miller's assault team as they go to steal one of the tanks. Using the missiles to punch holes in all of the Mace tanks except for one in an armored patrol, Miller is able to find and disable the security measures as he drives the tank home. Naturally they send more tanks to kill him, but through effective use of his infantry assets and the tank in of itself, Miller is able to extract it to Novak. Fast forwards two days. Resistance fighters have been actively intercepting and jamming all comms into Limnos as well as prenveting the creation of new radar towers, still leaving the island in darkness. Novak has managed to find the weak-points in all of the new Iranian wonder weapons. The Mace tank, besides being vulnerable to the new missiles, is also tremendously bad at observing heat-the rail gun creates far too much, and foils the sensors. The Harpy operate out of a single master terminal, which, if disabled, will cause all of the CMAVs to deactivate. The assault on the facility is launched in the early pre-dawn hours as Miller pushes through the Iranian defense and secures the facility. The player actually has a fifty-percent chance of having the facility be one instillation or another, but either way it is destroyed and its assets secured by Novak and Illing, to Miller's annoyance. Furthermore, an IAF map of the region had been secured, revealing the location of the second facility. Miller is quickly sent over to this location through the use of a civilian helicopter, which lands near an old base surrounded by Resistance territory. Upon landing, Miller is immediately engaged by a superior enemy force, but help comes in the unlikely form of a US issue combat drone, which had been sent over Limnos for recon. Upon its discovery of the assault, it immediately lended assistance to the friendly forces. A message is sent to the Resistance leaders that the Americans were gearing up for another attack, this time supported by NATO forces. In any case, the second facility is destroyed and its assets also secured. Now, however, planning can begin for the new invasion. In Mission twelve, the Resistance makes its presence known to the world as it marches south in force to take Myrina, joined by the survivors of the 7th, now ready to make a stand. The unlikely onslaught is able to secure the city, and are tasked with holding out the IAF counter attacks as Miller leads the assault and defense. The Iranians, now without their wonder weapons, are far less formidible, and the Resistance is able to hold the line while also able to assist Niko in flushing out IAF supporters within the city inbetween assaults. The day's action ends when the vanguards of the NATO/American invasion appear off the shoreline, and new equipment and men are sent to refill the holes in the 7th's line. Miller is assigned temporary command over one of the American companies as the US begins its push to retake Limnos once and for all, ending Act One on a high note. More later, please review.

That's just the prologue. Three acts, remember?

My two bits on how the campaign should pan out. First, give us a chance to get a grip on the situation and who you are. Harvest Red did that pretty well with the briefing on-board the Khe Sahn, as well as showing a quick glimpse of the war in the eyes of some random casualty, and his fight to the death. It gave one the idea of what was going on over in Chernarus, and a quick glimpse into maybe someone else's life (he doesn't have to die) would be nice. So, my plot for ArmA III-Start by showing a NATO convoy set in the months before the events of ArmA III. It'll be its own mission, actually. Anyways, you are a random squad member for a NATO infantry force deploying into Greece to help counter the Iranian invasion. It gives you time to adjust to the controls, set your settings, etc., while also introducing the desperation of the world's situation. The instant the vehicle stops, you are flung into the heart of what could be the Third World War as the Iranians move towards the hastily-made NATO position. Their orders? Hold as long as possible. So, you do. You fight in a war that is not yet the players, but over the radios one can hear reports of the size of the Iranian forces, the sheer amount of men and armor OPFOR is throwing at you in the hope that they can blitz through Greece before the United States can get its act together. Eventually, though, it becomes a hopeless situation. The Iranians are too strong, and the player must fall back to the troop transports. Note one thing-there are two different ways to end this. The first is to reach the transport and be evacuated with the rest of the survivors of your ill-fated line. Or, you could be killed while attempted to retreat. It should not be a scripted thing to survive, or a scripted thing to die. Your fate relies entirely on what you have picked up in the last stand, and see if you can lead this faceless soldier that you have temporarily become to safety. Fast foward to ArmA III itself. Iran has been halted for the time being, but everyone knows it is a temporary thing. As soon as they can recover from their sudden defeat near Athens (or, you could make it symbolic by having their loss occur during a naval assault on Marathon, hinting at the idea that perhaps the Player and his cohorts can throw back the new Persia), they will push, and push hard, ignoring the post-Marathon 2034 Jerusalem Accord (One thing: Why is Israel still with us? Iran would not hesitate to wipe out the nation in real life...). The United States has re-activated its 7th Armored Infantry Division, which is now operating out of Stratis Island. Meet Captain Miller. Strong, experienced, and most importantly, tired, has been fighting the war since it had begun, especially involving his Black Operations even during the treaty years, in which a single mishap could cause the start of the next World War. He has only a few years left in him as an operator for NATO, and they intend to capitalize on what could be his last op. His job? Deploy into Limnos to investigate the sudden build-up of Iranian forces, as well as lead the way on a risky pre-emptive strike, starting with the destruction of the several radio stations. Miller's squad will not last long following the first few missions (the initial deployment of the 7th up until the botched withdrawl), but it is good to introduce them all the same to at least build up some form of affection for them to make their deaths all the more real. Miller's squad is a recon and analysis squad, known as a CTRG, but they are more than capable with their coming job. We already know Miller, but then we have (in Harvest Red tradition) a Corpsman, a Marksman, and a Light Machine Gunner. The Corpsman's name is Walker, Steven I. As old as Miller, he has seen a good deal of men die, especially during the war, but has more care for the men in his squad than the war at hand, leading him to be more flippant towards the big picture, and more focused on getting everyone out in one piece. He is also extremely touchy towards the mistreatment of civilians, as he had seen multiple war-crime style offenses during the original flashpoint. The Light Machine Gunner's name is Taylor, Luke A. While not overtly aggressive, he's the focused type. He prefers to use stealth and silence up until the point where his LMG can cover the bigger stuff, thusly giving him a more focused and mission-orientated attitude. He is younger than most, and therefore he likes to talk chatter to his fellow squadmates when they are on base or out of the fight. Finally our Marksman, a touchy German by the name of Reider, Wurlitzer 'Wurlie' S. He is in-between Miller and Taylor in age, but his experiences in the field has given him a distant world-view, especially on the topic of killing, making him a bit of a foil for Taylor. The fact that he is the last person to see a man's eyes before he dies haunts Wurlie, causing him to be extremely unapproachable. However, the fact that he has killed only has made his care for the living increase, and could arguably care more about his squad-mates than Walker could ever, especially because he knows he can't patch them up if they get hurt. CTRG A's deployment into Limnos begins with a Harrier infiltration off the shores of Limnos. Dropped successfully into the water, the squad proceeds onto the shores of the island. There are actually three installations on the island, as well as a large coastal GSM (Ground-Surface Missile, i.e. coastal defense missiles) station facing Stratis. A (hereby referred to as "Alpha") will have to push inland, set the charges on the three stations, then proceed south for the coast. Finally, they must clear out a village near the coastline so that way the 7th (the bulk of the landing forces) will have an automatic beach-head. The infiltration goes without a hitch, and as they begin to freely explore the island of Limnos and begin to find and plant the charges on the stations, every so often the rapport of machine-gun fire or the discovery of bodies increases the suspicion that a resistance exists on the island. Miller is somewhat determined to meet up with the resistance camp after their two day pre-invasion mission is completed, but they will have to wait. Investigating the GSM site leads them to encounter for the first time the two 'villains' of ArmA III-Colonel Vahid Namdar and General Ostad Attar. Attar is the chief of munitions for the Iranian military, while Namdar is his highly-capable lap-dog. The presence of Namdar leads Miller to believe that a new weapon is going to be fielded, or already is fielded, on the island of Limnos. Completing their infiltration of the GSM battery and sabotaging it, Miller calls for a postponement of the invasion until Miller can find the truth behind the weapon, and that means meeting with the people that would know the fielding of new weapons the best-the Resistance somewhere on Limnos. The next day goes without a hitch (note that the first two missions above were actually the same mission. Mission number one is the flash-back, mission number two being the briefing akin to Harvest Red, and mission three is all of the aformentioned subterfuge, about a good six-hours worth of stealth and quiet combat), as they proceed north towards Atsiki. Reaching the city, Miller and his team must blend into their surroundings, forcing them to appear as civilians as they comb the city for information on the Resistance. Their chance comes as a Resistance team moves through the city towards the power generator, a subterfuge mission. Convincing the Resistance of their good intentions, Miller groups with the team and together they destroy the power generator. In exchange, the Resistance takes them to their headquarters in the heart of the mountainous desert. There, they meet the Resistance's leader, Menelaos, who informs them that they had thought the same way. Their investigations, however, had proved that the weapon had yet to be shipped to Limnos, and was not due to arrive for another few days. Should the Americans strike, they would have to strike now before the shipment arrives. Thus endeth mission four, and begin mission five, as the CTRG deploys to the south of the resistance network and clears the beach-head for the invasion, followed by the detonation of the explosives. With the island dark, the 7th lands and quickly secures a strong foot-hold. However, the sheer numbers of Iranian forces begins to slowly wear the Americans down, and Miller is called back in as an asset to help the 7th push towards the island's capital, Kontopouli. During the next mission, Miller performs several tasks to help relieve pressure on the 7th while the division continues north-east. These include several rotation missions such as call in strikes for air support, engage and destroy enemy mobile forces hoping to flank, mine passes, and anything that would keep the northern flank secure of the American division as they roll through the Island. The sixth mission opens outside of Kontopoli, with US troops and the CTRG ready to push into the capital. As they proceed in, things go as planned, but then all hell breaks loose. The deployment of sudden, massive new tanks force the front lines to collapse, their massive rail guns punishing anything stupid enough to be in front. Furthermore, their infantry are backed up by advanced MAV-esque vehicles that perform excellently in the anti-infantry role. The weapons were already on Limnos-the Resistance had fallen for a clever ruse. Captured, Miller is taken before Namdar, who has been trying to track them since their attack in Atsiki. Impressed, Namdar seems almost regretful as he pulls the trigger on your squad-mates one by one, leaving only you. Stopping, he leaves you alone with your dying squad mates, as every shot had been to a lethal, but not instant, location. Your rescue is as surprising as one could expect, as it is entirely accidential. An Iranian soldier walks in to watch you until Namdar comes back, but is overwhelmed by the blood and the dead. Reacting at his momentary weakness, Miller knocks him unconscious, frees and then arms himself, and moves for the fleeing 7th as they fall back to their initial bridgehead for extraction. The world has yet to learn of the events on the island, however, and that has been the only saving grace on the island. In the seventh mission, attempts to leave the island are countered by every turn by the Iranian secret weapons, leaving what is left of the division on the island alone. The closest thing you have to a squad-mate now are members of another CTRG team deployed at the same time as the invasion to counter what was believed to be the weapons shipment. Sergeant Illing is similar to Miller, but the loss of his own team has lead him to become violently irrational at times. Also, his time as a prisoner for the Iranians has made him loath the enemy, no matter who they are. However, since he is far more capable than Miller, the flaws must be ignored. Also added to this motley crew is Colonel Martin Novak, a particle physicist with reverse-engineering skills turn soldier. Cold and cool, Novak does not see men as men, but more as particles in the bigger molecules or something along those lines. He is, however, a capable fighter, so Miller is glad to have him. Despite their entrapment on the island, the fact that the world does not know about the landings is their only asset. The survivors must link with the resistance, grow in capability against the enemy forces, and then push to destroy the Iranian secret weapons entirely. Another thing to note is that Miller now manages to translate a conversation he had heard when he first saw Namdar and Attar-the fact that the weapons had been created entirely on the island. Their creators were hidden somewhere, as were the initial equipment to make them. Should the BLUFOR manage to destroy all of these, NATO could land more forces on the island and assist them in ousting the Iranians from the Agean sea once and for all. Thus endeth Mission seven, and leads into mission eight. More later... Opinions as I take a break to think up the rest of my Alter-ArmA III?

I actually have a few requests... 1) Better Squad Command. I know it's been mentioned before, so I won't go heavily into detail here. But, I do want Squad members to react to your commands, move faster when an area has been called Secure (or when you call secure) and other such niceties that makes the position of AI squad command as promising and fun as playing in an AI squad as a member. 2) Same goes for High Command. Give them a brain, please; better reaction, having the AI move faster but just as precise, have them spread out more, have them engage targets of priority and higher threat, and so on and so forth. I absolutely hate being High Command in ArmA II's campaign and solo missions, and I'm sure it is only fun over the 'net. Please, make this all more appealing for the junior tactical buff, as it would be nice for the AI to live up to your grand strategy. 3) Better car physics, but hopefully PhysX should take care of that. 4) Better AI drivers. Please, I don't need to take five minutes to move a Humvee off onto a road. 5) Last one, hopefully-Improve how the stealth system works in the game. I know there really isn't one so to speak, but it is frustrating to try to sneak into an enemy base undetected (like in the CO solo mission, Jackal) and get away with it. This isn't realism, this is like having them all have eagle eyes. I'm not asking for your guy to be Sam Fisher (or worse, Ezio Auditore, who can hide anywhere and in anything, and the guards simply don't notice all), but at least give me the ability to move quickly and quietly around the enemy. Opinions?