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Right, since a lot of you guys are new 'recruits' you're probably finding the initial multiplayer side of things a little overwhelming. I'm going to try to walk you through things step by step and cover as much as I can remember off the top of my head. Most of this guide will be the same for ArmA 1 and 2 since the basic game play is pretty much the same. Also consider this a live document - I want feedback and will make changes and additions as required. There are other guides available on the net which are a lot more in depth, however with this I just want to scratch the surface and get you up and running so to speak.
So... lets start at the beginning...
Lets get one thing straight, this isn’t for the feint of heart. It’s a first person shooter in that it’s first person based and yes, you shoot stuff. However, forget CoD, forget BF2 – other than the basic looking and aiming, the skills gained in those games will not translate to ArmA. Trying to go all Rambo will get you killed and you’ll quickly tire of the game. Try to focus on staying alive first, shooting other people second. It goes without saying, but work as a team with your squad mates, be courteous and you’ll have a lot more fun!
Getting online
Fire up ArmA, go to Multiplayer and browse your server list. Obviously pick a server that has a good ping. At the moment the .:iGi:. clan server (which I'm part of and so recommend) is private but this will probably be opened once we've got used to v2. I suggest that you also pick a server running the 'Domination' mission, since this is one of the most popular game modes and offers a chance to see virtually everything ArmA has to offer. This guide will be based around the Domination mission type.
Once picked, log in and you will join the mission briefing screen. Here you will see a list of the currently available positions to play within the game. Positions are grouped by a squad name (Alpha, Bravo etc) for assault type squads, and then there are classes within each squad (Leader, Medic, Sniper) etc. Some of the classes have specific skills but many are pretty generic and it just refers to the standard load out that you’re given, and also the clothes you wear. Try to pick a class that will be useful to your squad rather than just picking one at random. Once selected the mission will load and you’ll find yourself spawned at the main base, ready to rock!
Domination missions are Humans vs AI. Typically the human side starts off with an airbase where there are various vehicles available, a large ammo crate with guns and ammo in it (quelle surprise!) and various repair/rearming stations available. This airbase is your main base of operations and is the main spawn point when you log in, and is also the default spawn point should you die.
Pressing M will bring up your map. You will see various towns on the map, and the mission objective is to capture each of these towns. Towns with a green circle around them are friendly and captured. Solid red towns are your current mission objectives and require capturing. Hashed red towns have been overrun by enemy forces and need recapturing.
There are also secondary and side missions available. Secondary targets are within the main red zone of the town you’re attacking and need to be completed for the town to be captured (more on this later). Side missions earn your team extra vehicles and therefore very useful!
So, you now know roughly where you’re supposed to be attacking. This may be a long, long way away. With 225 square km of map in ArmA 2, travel time to the hot zone may take you a while on foot. With this in mind, the Domination mission gives you some time saving teleport options that gets you to the thick of the battle quickly. Before we do that though we need to change a couple of things…
Settings:
This will appear a little unusual, but the settings menu where you pick your view distance, object detail etc, primarily refers to your single player set up. When you go online many of these options are defaulted since they are server controlled. View distance and grass level are the normal culprits and if playing a 'Domination' map you will need to adjust these when you first get control of your virtual self. Do not try to adjust them via the normal graphics control menu; it needs to be done via the 'Status' menu when you scroll your mouse wheel. Select the ‘Status’ option, then a window appears detailing the current main target town, any secondary that needs attacking within the town, and any side missions available. You will also see some buttons (Team Status, Settings etc). Click the settings button and the window now shows your current grass level (defaults to low), the view distance (defaults to 1200m). Alter these to your preference and then select OK. Note that this needs to be done every time you log in to a server.
Now that we’re in game and have all our settings adjusted we need to consider out load out. If you look around you’ll see a sandbagged ‘square’ with an ammo crate in the centre of it. Run up to it, look at the crate and press ‘g’, or roll your mouse wheel and select gear. You will now see a large list of kit, various rifles, explosives and launchers. Pick some guns (I won’t spoil the fun by saying which are best) and then close the menu. Now look behind you and you’ll see a large flag pole. The flag pole is the teleporter. Get up close, look at it, roll the mouse wheel. You should see an option to teleport. Click this and a new window appears showing two options, ‘Mobile Respawn 1 and 2.’
The mobile respawns (MHQs) are drivable APCs. They can also be airlifted by helecopter, which is essential for long distance travel. The MHQs are not heavily armoured and should not be taken into combat. Unlike many of the other vehicles if the MHQ is destroyed it will reappear at main base. Typically you will find the MHQ to be left just outside the hotzone if someone has already moved it. If not you’ll need to drive it from the main base over, or get a chopper and airlift it.
The MHQs also have a couple of other nifty tricks. Firstly they can be loaded up with an ammo crate. Drive the MHQ to the ammo loading bay, and the crate will be automatically loaded up. Once in position, get into the APC as the driver, mousewheel to the MHQ menu and then drop the ammo crate. You will now find the crate outside, full of goodies. Remember to load the ammo crate back into the APC before driving off later though! When outside the MHQ, get up close to it and select the same MHQ menu. You will now be able to select a few new options – you can make vehicles to help you get around like bikes, motorbikes and quads.
So now we’re just outside the hotzone and loaded up, it’s time to attack the town. Each town will have a red and white radio tower located within it. The tower needs to be blown up with satchel charges (to stop reinforcements being sent in) then the enemy assets such as armour and infantry must be destroyed. Any secondary target listed must also be destroyed. Once this is complete the town will turn green on the map and a new town will be marked for capture and the whole process starts again…
A few other pointers:
When flying an aircraft, do NOT fly within a couple of km of the red zones until all AA has been removed. The red zones will have AAA and shoulder launched SAMs, and you will get no warning before being fired upon. A single SAM will seriously damage a chopper to the point where you’ll be forced to crash land. Even small arms fire will damage most aircraft enough to cause issues for a pilot!
Crashed/destroyed vehicles other than lift choppers and the MHQ do not respawn. The wreck must be airlifted with the wreck helecopter back to the main base, then dropped on the wreck repair pad. For this reason alone, unless you are confident with vehicles and aircraft in SP mode, do not go bimbling off in one because when (not if) you stack it, someone will have to find the wreck and get it repaired. Vehicle assets are hard to come by, so make the most of them! The general rule of thumb on most servers is as follows:
If you bend it, mend it.
Right that will do for now, I'll add some more if I think of it later.
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Originally Posted by Lowe
