Ebden~SPARTA~

Haha, sounds fun. I'll be on if possible.

Up to #4. If the DAO server goes down as rumored, then that's #3. Get your kick-macro ready for the onslaught of ADD 14-year-olds.

I just saw another mission that may suit. It has the curious addition of Everon. That was an original OFP map? The map is only 71mb. Binkowski's Lamentin Pocket (Coop 1-45) Also, had a message from CptBravo today. In addition to Durkax2, MH6, and Dai (and anyone else in Sparta), Bravo sounds like another mission maker to watch. (OpChaos)

My kid's been talking about this game for about a week now, and one of his buddies just bought it yesterday. I wasn't impressed with the xbox demo he showed me, but that's mostly a personal distaste for the graphic-novel looking visuals. It looks like a fallout3 style shooter. What's different? More importantly, do I dare let my 13y/o rent this one?

If they are true to what I've read at dslyecxi, I expect their artillery, mortars, etc will have all manner of bells 'n whistles.

I've given OpChaos a little more thought. The mission has plenty of slots to put players into tanks or on the ground (maybe other armor). I don't know if other human players have to take command positions, but someone has to be XO, use High Command, to get other AI moving. It may have to be the host, that seems to be the trend for other missions w/HC. It might be a good immersion step if other players don't have to command, but only need to assist in tanks or AAVs. It might work b/c High Command tells the AI SL where to move, and the AI relays that to his teams. Players go along for the ride. If it doesn't work that way, then players other than the XO can command their squads/patrols or join the XO infantry squad, which contains about 14 slots. Whether a home computer can handle 14 slots is TBD. At the end of the day, I don't expect OpChaos to be the fulfilling map we want. CptBravo made the mission to showcase a large battle and didn't add elements to make the battle into a theatre (no pun intended). The mission begins in the battlefiled just short of the first objective. There is no HQ, no repair or ground veh.support, and the air support operates independently of human command or control. I don't think there is a revive or medic ability. Still, given the evening mission start and massive amount going on around you, it may provide fun for at least one complete run-through. One way or the other, OpChaos boasts 800enemyAI, 20enemy tanks, and deadly air support. It's got to be cool to see. @ Dx2-Do whatever inspires you, man. Idan and I were thinking big. OpChaos big, with hundreds of AI and lots of different vehicles working together would be awesome, but it must be tons and tons of work to build something so large and interesting enough that it doesn't become a 'flatten the city' excercise. A large tank assault would be cool too. Not exactly what I had in mind for the 'epic battle' scale, but certainly a mission type I'd like. Taking that idea, and the success of an ad-hoc 5-tank attack last week w/Zeno in Dom (read:fail), you might not have to stray very far from a tactical dom mission. The catch to make it bigger is to have other infantry and/or air support as well, so that those in the tanks (or the planes, or the ground) aren't the only ones in theatre. An Alamo scenario would be a great part of a larger mission, but I don't think I'd like it as a standalone for very long. Take the Alamo scenario:US/Russia/CDK cornered in their city, airfield, or on the beach, and add secondary objectives to weaken the enemy's offensive, similar to the side mission in Dom to destroy enemy artillery. Here's an idea from the Alamo...Swap roles in a Dom-style mission, but put humans on the defensive, where a combination of guerilla tactics are necessary to weaken the stronger opponent before choosing the right time to take the offensive and push the US/Russians/CDK out of the area. Players would have to split into defensive teams and guerilla teams to keep the base alive, weaken the enemy, and gather intel on where the main battleforce is stationed. You might even leave out secondary objective markers and have players backtrack on attackers to find their various depots and FOBs. A flaw would be to make the objectives linear. Optional objectives leave it up to the players to decide where to attack and when, and when to make the final push. This gives a chance too for a bit of a warm-up by gathering intel and preparing for the counteroffensive. I anticipate it would be a progressively more active map, as objectives fall, intel increases, the enemy becomes more aware and the main battle force moves on you, unless you can engage it on your own terms. So many ideas, so little work! (I mean the work that pays my web bill).

Domination on any decent map will probably be popular. I can't think of a better way to see most of a map than to work through a full round of dom. Different cities and side missions give a chance to try any manner of differnet approaches on unknown terrain. Paraiso, Sahrani, just SW of HQ, suprised me when I found the stone plazas and integral stairwells. Overall Sahrani seems to have more accessable buildings and lots of exposed overwatch positions, but I'm not sure. The environment definitely seems more dynamic than Chernarus; desert terrain S of HQ, woodland to the East, multiple small islands, a plateau to the SW, and serious elevation further W. Isl. Panthera has my next vote for a Dom overlay (but it's got to be a ton of work!)

I also run Steam, and now have both DC and 2.1 working. The DC is enabled via your esc-menu in game. Follow the instructions in the readme and it should work (notice you have two @dc options, one for mils one for degrees). For 2.1, I deleted everything I had previously downloaded and installed the file as provided here. The file makeup is a little different than what you would download from armaholic. It is ready to go, no files to move, extract the only file in the .rar directly into the folder containing your arma2.exe. I've updated and now use Alpinestar's ARMAII Launcher 1.5.0. It works with steam just fine, and is an easy way to manage your addons in lieu of a half-dozen different shortcuts.

I tried both DC and VOP2.1 today. I initially didn't get in the server due to no key, but once I had everything in the right place (I thought) the server let me on. When loading in, the US dom server identified that I was running the two addons. I was dissapointed when neither worked once I was in. Darn, I just went to double check the addons operation in a sp custom map. Neither was active. What settings do I need to change? I run AII via Steam, and I start AII using alpinestars Arma II launcher 1.0.0. The source for the compass is C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2\@DC and C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2\userconfig The key is also in place. I think I had mils in the @dc folder first, but I just swapped for degrees. No time to check, hopefully that'll settle the compass. 2.1 is at C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2\@VopSound_2.1 The addon folder contains six folders for different sound types. Within each folder are four files, two .pbos and two bikeys. The total file size (to make sure I've got everything) is 24 files, 6 folders, 354mb. The key is also in place.---err, I just read in the 2.1 readme that the server key is only a server-side key (same for Digcomp?). Do I need to do anything with the bikey file?

AA3 graphics reminded me of Wolfenstein or early versions of Doom. You might be right.

Captain Bravo's Operation Chaos may be the best bet, but it is limited to I think only a half-dozen human players. According to the BI Forums, this mission requires one human XO to direct squads and activate AI bits and bobs, then any other players probably must run as SLs. The first post from Cpt.Bravo says the player has no direct control over an F35 and an Apache squadron, but I don't know if those are the only air assets available. Two addons are included with the file, and the maker suggests Vop2.1 in addition. If I have time this evening I'll get the file and attempt to host the mission. I don't know how many can join, but with 800AI it'll be as good a test as any if my system can handle the job! The p/w will be the same as for Sparta's UK server. Edit: I can get it running hosted online. The helo addon doesn't seem to work, but others appear to have a similar issue according to the BI forum. This particular map can manage 70 humans. I don't trust my web connection for more than 8. I won't be on tomorrow, and I don't want to overlap any Sparta Tactical missions (Friday?), otherwise pull me aside in TS if you fancy an epic-ish mission (any of those listed here, or other missions people find on the biggish side of things).

Hopefully without causing a stir, this thread will field interest for some of the user generated missions available, focusing on larger scale battles. I've read descriptions of some excellent user missions of all sizes here and on the OFPEC and BI forums. Tac mission night, if I'm correct, is specific to squad-level engagement. Domination brings in most of ARMA2's other toys, but the way Sparta likes is to keep heavy guns for support. Given how Dom has played out, limiting armor/air support has been an excellent organizational choice for the servers, both during pub and Tac dom nights. Taking Idan's hint, this is a search for something in-between. The additional avenue a few of us have considered is a mission-scale tactical full assault (or defense), taking advantage of all ARMA2 has to offer. I might best describe it as a Domination primary objective, but scaled down to only one objective (or one with secondary related objectives), and scaled up to a battle requiring coordinated use of artillery, armor, and/or air support for success. From what I've read here, the in-game scale may be along the lines of a company or batallion, with enemy forces totalling 250-500 (or whatever we decide our computers can handle). I'm open to experiment with what's available, including AI and human players on one or both sides, human players using high command features to control other Human and AI squads, humans in control of one platoon among many in a large battle, all in the spirit of big-boom fun. I haven't tested any missions from my home computer in coop yet, but from a previous thread I may only be able to host a very small handful of people before my internet connection weeps for mercy. I'll have a look through some other forums for missions, and please post missions you've already found. I'm speed-skimming the BI forums at lunch, poking for anything that seems of this sort. I don't know the full scale or loadouts (or if a couple of them are SP/MP) King Nothing's Heroes of Chernarus Captain Bravo's Operation Chaos-A Large Scale Mission Shark-Attack's Eve of Destruction Sardukar17's Platoon -dedi server only. Smoov's Operation Redfangv2 Vanha-WASP's Under Fire --Requires CAA1 Qwertt's War-3-Front W0lle's Operation Lojack III, converted from VBS1 ]Ntruder's Operation Firefly Trenchfoot's Operation Foothold

Damn, I'm not the only one on here at work...I'm still sorting that other post in another window. It'll be up once I fix a few links. Jason must be involved in that case, so we can all learn how to do it right!

Tac nights seem to be more for squad-level tactical work, right? I don't want to step on toes for Tac mission night, especially as a regular only. Still there are probably some good larger scale coop options available for interested people to try in a coordinated match. @Idan, and anyone else interested. Check the new thread 'Large scale coop/MP user missions.'

Idan, I think what you want (I'd like it, too), is a large coordinated assault. We'd be better off to look for a coop mission on the BI forums designed as such, since I don't think Domination could handle it. I also made a similar suggestion to yours a month ago to create some larger-scale AOs in Dom, but it is just too much work to complete it for Dom, which I assume is already a burdened game mode (how many times has Sparta had to restart the server when the game comes near completion?). I would look at the BI or OFPEC forums myself right now, but I need to charge ahead with some work.

I saw these on a quick check at the BI forums. Blackhawk down is the first, and I think the most popular ARMA2 video out so far, but I was impressed by others. The one I just watched is an excellent little video. Could have used a little more sound-effects over the soundtrack, but still fun and you'll understand the story without any added text. Next I want to see a video that sneaks in some of 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' (without overdoing it, of course). Edit: Ode to Bohemia, hilarious!

FiOS from Verizon? Edging toward 50/20 up/down? We still use the telegraph here in Newfoundland. Envy... I'm green!

I'm in 100% agreement about punkbuster, what a lousy blasted thing-how do you stop real hackers by installing a client-side program that doesn't play nice with any games I've yet tried with it, and is vulnerable because it's installed on the hacker's friggin' computer?! Comcast though? Your internet seems to be working well enough to post, and their help center is here in Newfoundland. Anybody you need me to rough up for not giving you that extra VIP channel package for free? :D

I hate to admit it, but I wasn't impressed. Probably due to the workup of games on the table now, and that it's the third try for AA to put something together. I haven't un-installed it though. I'll give it another chance later.

Being a student is SUCH an easy life. I miss it... I'll start the AA download and see how it goes, but I think ARMA II will keep the bulk of my attention for some time.

Jason, are you back home and suited up to play ARMA II?? I'd enjoy meeting you in TS and playing with the real McCoy in one of those M1A1 Tusks! Not tonight though, parenting duties prevail.

Right on vid! A few questions: 3:36. What is SHQ? 4:32. Do tanks run with barrel plugs? I thought I'd see right down the muzzle. 6:18 What is the soldier carrying in the foreground, a dragunov? 7:20 What are we looking at, the little flame? 7:34 -same question, what do we see?

Welcome, welcome. If you like the side missions, keep an eye to the forums for Durka's tactical mission nights. He'll accumulate the takers and run one or more small user-made missions in a strict-ish tactical format. Some may be similar to side-missions in Dom, some more complex.

No worries, sort out your business so we can see you in a tank again sometime soon.

No wories, my bad. Like many of us social outcasts (i.e, parents of teenagers), we are still reading up on the funny book.