WCG

In general, I think I know how to give orders to my AI teammates in single-player missions, but maybe not, because I've got hardly any options (stop/regroup, fire/hold fire, move here). I'd think that was just a consequence of the game being in alpha, but I've seen videos where a player gives all sorts of precise orders to the AI. How? Most important, right now, is how I can tell my medic to heal someone. I can use the correct f-key to select the medic, but that option still doesn't come up (nor when I select the injured soldier, either). If I point at an injured soldier, I just get the option to select him, too - but not the option to tell my medic to heal him. The backspace key is supposed to bring up additional commands, but that never gives me anything at all. So how do I order a medic to heal another soldier? Also, how do I order my guys to change their stance? Mainly, how do I tell them to go prone, facing in a certain direction? If I go prone, they frequently do, too, but sometimes they wander around getting killed. I've seen this one in a video for sure, but I never see the option to tell them to hit the dirt, myself. If I could do that, maybe I'd just leave them on overwatch while I moved forward. Then again, they always spot enemies LONG before I do, so maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea, either. Basically, if I could only heal my injured, that would make a huge difference. We might at least make a decent start on a mission then, instead of crashing and burning immediately. :)

I have a recurring problem where the sound in Arma III stops working. I have to close the game, then restart it and everything is fine. (I don't have a sound card, just what's built in to my motherboard.) I was using Teamspeak once when this happened, and I could still hear everyone else, though they could no longer hear me. (I had to restart Teamspeak to fix that, in addition to restarting Arma III.) But that's the only time I've used Teamspeak, so I can't say much about that. Losing all sound in Arma III doesn't happen every time I play, but often enough to be a real problem. Is this a known issue with the alpha version, does anyone know? I was just wondering if there was some other way to fix it, rather than ending my mission and exiting Arma III. Thanks.

I've been attempting the helicopter showcase over and over again. So far, I've learned two things: how to take off, and how to crash. Note that I can't pick where I crash, or not very well. I tried to attack those vehicles by crashing into them with a kamikaze attack, but I don't get anywhere even close. Any tips? With vehicles, I learned that I need to drive in third person, and to take my hand away from the mouse entirely, so that I don't even accidentally nudge it. With just the keyboard, in third person, I can drive around OK. But that doesn't seem to work with helicopters - not for me, at least. Third person might still be better than first person (I tend to go nowhere in third person, so at least I stay in the air longer), but I seem to crash even faster with the keyboard than with the mouse. So, any recommendations? What do you use, mouse or keyboard? Any other tips? It's extraordinarily boring just trying this showcase over and over again, but since there aren't many single-player missions yet, it would seem like a good time to practice. But I can't get far enough to tell what I'm doing wrong.

I don't know if it's the right forum for this, but I was just wondering if there are any old farts playing Arma 3. Any other old farts, I mean. I'm 62, myself. I've been playing with a handful of people from Not-Quite-Dead-Yet.com, but despite the name, the guy who runs it is only in his early 50's. Just a youngster, in other words. I don't think he understands what getting old is even like. (Then again, my 87-year-old mother tells me the same thing.) Anyway, I was just curious. I don't normally play multiplayer games,* but I played a few MUDs and such, years ago. Even then, I was inevitably the oldest player. But there have got to be gamers out there older than I am, don't you think? There are no age restrictions at Not-Quite-Dead-Yet, but it's aimed at players in their 40's and 50's, I think. And they seem to think that's old. Well, not from my point of view. So, purely for my own curiosity, I thought I'd ask about any other old farts playing this game (or other games, for that matter). If so, I hope you aren't as inept at it as I am. :p But the people I play with don't seem to mind, and it's still lots of fun. Bill * I've been retired for seven years, so I have lots of time to play computer games - especially in the winter - but I mostly play single-player games. Arma 3 is the exception, because you're not just playing with random strangers all the time. At my age, I don't know anyone locally who plays computer games, and it really makes a difference when you can play co-op with people you like.

Sometimes, you can just alt-tab out of the game, then back in again, to fix Arma 3 sound problems. Try that if it happens again. Otherwise, all I can tell you is that the above fix - one of them, at least - worked for me. I haven't lost sound in the game since then. Good luck!

You know, this was a fun mission. It would be great if you could update it for the latest version sometime. Bill

I'd like to put in another plug for an update to this mission, too. Or have you developed newer missions, now that the full game has been released? Bill

I love it! This is one of my favorite missions, I think. Three of us (four, eventually) played it again on Saturday. We don't like playing with friendly AI (I always disable them), so I edited the mission to add respawn to a place along the shore (after a minute). Unfortunately (note that I've never edited anything before), we respawned without some of the equipment we started with (notably, no scopes or flash suppressors), so I need to add an equipment box there, too, I guess. But it still worked OK. One of the hostages wouldn't come with us - apparently because he didn't recognize that there was an opening in the walls. He left his building OK, but we couldn't get him to leave the area. (Eventually, we solved that by driving a vehicle into his area and telling him to get aboard.) The second hostage wouldn't follow orders, then, but just started running across the airfield until he got near the first hostage. We had a hard time even keeping up with him! Still, once we got them together, and loaded up in a transport truck, we were able to get back to the boats and finish the mission successfully. All of us enjoyed it, I think. The only negative comment I heard was that they wished it had a revive option. I must agree, because I always find revive to be fun (trying to get teammates back in the game while avoiding being shot). But I really can't complain. As I say, this has become one of my favorite missions (after absolutely hating it the first time we attempted to play). Nice job! Bill PS. Note that I can't say anything about the reinforcements, except that I really like the idea. But in this case, I was at the east side of the airport, trying to get that first hostage to follow me, so I couldn't see what was going on - just that there were reinforcements. But they didn't seem to be a big problem for the other three guys on my team, so maybe they need to be beefed up a bit? I really can't say.

That's the first thing I'd try if I had access to another set of headphones. Unfortunately, I don't. However, I seem to have fixed the problem (when it comes to Arma 3, at least) with one or both of these fixes: (1) I updated the BIOS on my ASUS P8h77-V motherboard. (This update was supposed to fix unspecified problems with "some" USB devices.) (2) I plugged the headset into a USB 2.0 connector at the back of the computer, directly off the motherboard (which I'd tried before) and I removed the device plugged in next to it (leaving that USB port empty). That solved my problems, certainly with Arma 3. For some reason, after working great for a couple of weeks, I've started losing my microphone in TeamSpeak again. But when TS doesn't completely crash, I can still hear the rest of the players, and I can always reply using the built-in Arma 3 communication system. It's certainly not ideal, but it's better than the situation I had previously. Bill

Hey, this was lots of fun! I just played it with two other guys, and we really enjoyed it. Re. your questions: (1) I can't say anything about the difficulty, because the guy running our game was testing the Zeu_ServerSkill mod, which adjusts enemy skill levels. It ended up just right for us, but we're newbies. (2) It took us about two hours, maybe two and a half, I think. I didn't mind a lack of extraction, but we were quite surprised by it. In fact, we still seemed to be in grave danger when the mission ended. (3) There was no problem with your English, either. As far as I can remember, everything was clear. I really liked the vehicles available for us (which kept us from walking, but weren't armored). And I liked the fact that out supply box differed for each character. Nice touch! Finally, there aren't enough ambush missions, and those I've seen tend to give us little time to get ready. This was just right. All in all, this was a fine mission. Thanks for creating it! Bill

Absolutely! Personally, I have no interest in PvP (just personal taste, you understand). But IMHO, these missions are perfect for the situations you mention. They're great for SP training, when I don't have the ambition (or the time) to play a full mission. And we use them all the time while waiting for others to show up for scheduled play. Other people can join in the fun while we're waiting, and when we're ready for a mission, we can quit the DM at any time. I have yet to try the team play, but your original DM gameplay is perfect for my needs. Thank-you! Bill

What difficulty is he talking about? If it's eye-hand coordination, well, I'm terrible at 'real-time' combat, but you don't have to be good to have fun (especially if your clan isn't overly serious). If it's his eyes, I know what he's talking about, but there are always scopes. If it's the learning curve, well, that just takes time, with any game. And at our age, it's probably good to learn new things. Maybe the rest of you are just too good at this game? He needs to play with me. :p It happens, but I'd assume incompetence, rather than malice - especially when it comes to the Internet. I know I miss emails sometimes, and certainly PMs. But either way, if you're Canadian, you'll be in the same time zones as the States, so come play with us. :) Bill

We didn't have that problem. However, revive would be nice, because respawning back at the airport really messes up any organization we've managed to figure out. There were only three of us, and we appreciated all of the vehicles available for us, but it would still be nice to revive a fallen comrade, if possible. Oh, and the description here doesn't seem to indicate how many players this mission is designed for. It's labeled as CO-03 at Armaholic, but there are ten player slots available. That's something which really needs to be front and center here (in the title, if possible). But we enjoyed it, and I didn't notice an FPS slowdown. Admittedly, I've got a pretty powerful computer. Bill

OK, now this is what I wanted to hear! I'm very glad there are so many of us old farts playing Arma 3, but I was beginning to think I was the oldest and the fartiest. (Well, the word's still out on the latter, I guess.) I never played Arma 2, so I have a lot of learning to do in Arma 3. But, like you, this is the only multiplayer game I play, and I know exactly what you mean by needing a scoped weapon and a large monitor! I must say, I've been surprised by the response to this post. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't expect so many replies. Bill

Of course. If you grew up with it, you'll likely stick with it. (Our tastes in music tend to form when we're young, too.) And maybe the kids will have new forms of entertainment by then, things the old farts still playing games won't understand. :) Obviously, I didn't grow up with video games, and my eye-hand coordination stinks. Some games I can't play at all, and I'm never going to be very good at 'real-time' games.* (I still tend to prefer turn-based games, though I didn't grow up even with them.) Still, I've been fascinated by personal computers since they were first introduced. And I've been hooked on computer games since,... well, the mid-80's, at least. But I've been shocked at how few people my age feel the same. How could you not be fascinated by this stuff? But then, maybe I just never grew up, huh? That's OK with me. (And it's OK with me that tastes vary, too. We don't all have to like the same things.) Bill * The people I play Arma 3 with don't care that I'm not very good. And really, that's been the case with everyone I've played with. As long as you're not a jerk, and you do your best to play as a team, that's fine. I suppose some groups are more serious than that, but that's another great thing about Arma 3. You can find players to suit nearly every taste.

Well, young girls still look as good as they always did, but as you get older, the older women start looking pretty good, too! Or maybe it's just my eyes going bad, I don't know. Either way, it's still good. :) Heh, heh. Don't blame me; I didn't pick it. As I say, they're not very old, anyway. But for gamers, maybe they are... After all, what am I seeing here? A bunch of youngsters in their 40's. Old? Ha! OK, one guy with a friend who's 66. That's better. I've got an Internet acquaintance who's roughly my age (she hasn't volunteered the details) who plays computer games like those I play, but I haven't been able to interest her in Arma 3. Too bad. This game needs more women. Then again, I could say that about everything, couldn't I? :) Bill

Note that this is still happening. In fact, it got far, far worse with the release of the beta version of Arma 3 (whether that's coincidence or not, I don't know). It's also worse when I use TeamSpeak. But in TeamSpeak, I only lose the microphone. I can hear everyone else, but they can't hear me - not until I close and restart TeamSpeak, at least. Note that I lose all sound in Arma 3 when this happens, both the microphone and the speakers in my headset. And it's a real pain to keep needing to close Arma 3 and restart it again, especially when I'm in the middle of a mission! When I first posted this, it just happened occasionally. I could play Arma 3 all evening most times without having a problem. After the beta version was released, it started happening four or five times a night - especially if I was using TeamSpeak. One evening, it happened four times in the first 20 minutes! Turning off TeamSpeak helps, but it's still likely to happen two or three times an evening. (It's hard to tell, because I either quit playing when this happens or keep playing without sound. Yeah, that's no fun.) I've checked sound drivers. I've removed my headset driver software and reinstalled it. I've switched USB ports. I can Alt-Esc out of the game without causing this, and I'm sure it's not a loose connection causing this - certainly nothing to do with the headset connection or cable (which I can wiggle around without causing it). In fact, I can't identify anything that causes it, but it's never happened with any other game but Arma 3. (But note that I've never played Arma 2.) As I say, this has gotten much worse since Arma 3 beta was released. In fact, it's making Arma 3 pretty much impossible to play - at least, in co-op games. I can always use my speakers when playing single-player, but I need the microphone in multiplayer games. Bill

I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but you might want to put version numbers here, so we can easily see when it's been updated. Just a thought.

OK, thanks. That sounds very useful. I just didn't realize that was what I was getting. :) Thanks again, Bill

Is this actually a mission? Five of us tried to play it last night, but several of us couldn't get past the map. It would just hang at that point. I don't know what the problem was. However, one of us was able to get into the game, and he said he didn't think it was a mission at all, but just a... well, armory. Just thought I'd ask, since the description doesn't really say anything. You say you've got revive and respawn, and that certainly sounds like a mission... Thanks, Bill

OK, we tried this again, and it went much better this time. We had five guys, instead of just two, and we disabled the friendly AI. The tasks cleared OK, apparently. (I couldn't see the tasks, myself, maybe because I had to close Arma 3 and start it up again?) The only issue we had - and that's a minor one - is that the mission didn't end. We got to the extraction point, and even took the boat out, but we couldn't get a conclusion. Still, it was a lot of fun. Thanks! Bill

FYI, here's another mission which seems to have the same problem: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?157634-COOP-4-Operation-Night-Ride&p=2427599&viewfull=1#post2427599 Note that I haven't tried that mission, myself, but it sounds like the same problem we had with this one. No idea why. Bill

I do this, too. Of course, I don't usually play multiplayer games, so it doesn't matter much. And I'll play for longer stretches than a week, then take months off. I haven't played Arma 3 long enough to know if this will be the same way, but I don't know why not. I agree. Or, as I might put it,... who cares how someone else wants to play a game? I've never tried the Life servers, or Wasteland, but the more the merrier. If that's what you like, why should it matter to me? On the problem of getting kicked out of tactical realism clans, I think you're missing the fact that there's a lot of diversity between dedicated military simulation and Wasteland. In many groups - certainly the ones I've been playing with - you're not required to show up for games. Those who show up play. If you can't make it, no big deal. Now, I understand why other groups are different, and that's fine. But if you don't want that kind of group, you're not reduced to anonymous games on public servers, you really aren't. Just find a group that's... kind of in the middle - semi-serious, casual but organized, team-based but not an obsessive military sim. I don't know if that's the "true Arma experience," since I don't know what that is, but I suspect that it varies, depending on the player. Bill

Any Arma newbies looking for a casual co-op game? I'm a newbie, myself, who could use the practice, and maybe you could, too. I've downloaded a bunch of co-op missions, and I already play those with a guy most Saturday and Sunday evenings, but maybe we could play sometime on a weekday evening (by preference, though I wouldn't rule out some other time). Reply here and/or send me a private message if you're interested. I'm pretty flexible on times, but evenings will usually work best for me, which is why I indicated US timezones. (I'm in Nebraska - Central Time - myself.) Maybe you want to join a clan sometime, but would like to practice a bit while you're looking? Maybe you want to learn the game, but are struggling to remember all the controls? I don't care if you're a complete newbie, because I won't be much (if any) better. And this will be completely casual. However, one of the things I want to practice is teamwork. I'd prefer to work together, probably with one person leading and the other(s) following orders, because I need practice in both leading and following. So if you're more interested in playing Arma 3 as a first-person shooter, that's up to you, but you should probably look elsewhere. Otherwise, I don't care if you're struggling to learn the game or just need practice. I think I'm past the complete cluelessness I experienced when I first bought the game, but I still remember how it was. And make no mistake, I'm still very much a newbie. Bill PS. I hope this is the right forum for this thread.

Sounds good to me! I just sent you a PM. Bill