Ebden~SPARTA~

Right-Medic's point is good to consider when budgeting and accessorizing. It must suck for that guy who used is Purdey side-along. Well, it's true isn't it? (My wife and I have been on a CSI binge for the last week, ever since we saw the episode 901 rerun, hence the reference)

Don't forget the aftermath when considering your purchase, which may be justifying self-defense or defense of property and family in front of a judge. (especially in LA, I'm sure you'll find some savvy and amoral lawyers). Self-defense via physical force (knifes, fists, firearms), has some very clear grounds differentiating violence/un-necessary force and true self defense. A helpful website is here, but I'm sure Google will find you others on the topic. Also, for California specifically, look into California's Penal Code. I cannot directly reference the information on this website to the California Penal Code, but it is along the lines of things to consider when keeping a firearm for protection. You also need to consider the life the firearm will lead before you _never_ call on it for self-defense (we all hope nobody needs to use the damn thing for anything other than killing clay pigeons). I attended my first NRA pistol course years ago, with the youthful intent of 'excercising my right to carry concealed' in Maine. The instructor ended the course talking about the ethics of shooting someone, and the permit to carry in no way prepares you to actually use it in self-defense. The emotional crisis which comes after shooting someone is a topic on which I can only speculate, but anyone who's carried will advocate that training is the best preparation to both better your legal defense AND keep your shit together when you've made a CSI-worthy mess of your foyer. Smith and Wesson has a school which comes highly reccomended from a few who have attended, including that Cold-War Vet/Police Sgt/NRA Pistol instructor. And train your spouse and kids as well-they should be as closely prepared as you, if they end up point on the front stairwell. This isn't supposed to discourage you, but encourage you to train up and take care of those other critical details. You've used firearms as a tool for recreation and hunting, (I do too) but if you drop someone with a gun then it'll be a whole lot more than a tool in the aftermath. But to end on a slightly lighter note, either the Mossberg 500 or Rem 870, and associated variants of each, are relatively simple, effective firearms. Avoid automatics for home defense (whether it's a pistol or long-gun). Too much can go wrong with an auto stuck in your dresser drawer full of sock lint, and the maintenance and use of a pump is that much easier for a family. Good of you to consider the neighbors as well, but I suspect 00-buck will clear through at least 1 2x4 at close range with some killing power left. (I've never used anything bigger than #4-anyone know what it'll do?). Also-no need for any 3" mag rounds. You'll be just fine in CQB with 2-3/4, so save on the kick for 1st-shot stopping power and precision.

Nice, thanks for the update. I was running the beta version for a week with subtle improvement. Edit to the edit: It's up and running, but I promised my wife that I wouldn't touch ARMA II until Friday (I was in hot water after being on so late yesterday). I'll try it soon. Edit: After a painful series of CTD-to-lockup last night, I have the installer on a flash drive at work ready to go when I get home. Question for those using the new driver... Do you keep the same tweaks as discussed on the BI forums for Nvidia drivers, specifically: Disabling Physx Force VSYNC off Alter Renderframesahead in ARMA2.cfg (never did that, but does it help, and what change to I enter?) Max pre-rendered frames to 8 from 2. Additional changes I expect to keep using are commandline parameters (not as shown here, just from my memory)maxmem2047, cpu 2, no splash, winxp. Also disp 12xx x 10xx I see a number of other changes here, but I don't know if I need to go that far. Given the relative stability of the game, I'm happy to maintain 30FPS as long as I don't crash so much. (E8400 OCd to 3.6Ghz, 4G PC28500 5-5-5-15, WestDig Blue series HD, Palit 9800GT, 450wpsu, Gigabyte EP45-UD3L)

I have a wide imagination for missions, but I have zip skill for programming AND limited time to recreate on the computer. Sometime soon though, I can't let this creative energy zip away w/o trying to make one mission.

Those audio snippets in game can get annoying, but what a juicy tidbit that song offers for any ad-hoc convoys. So no ideas? Shame. I guess I'll need to learn how to program to make the mission. My whole regional area map idea is pretty well squat now that I know what is really involved ( Go WYSIWYG or go home, and I stayed home).

If you don't know the song, then look it up. From Zeno's post on TacDom "using convoys to move would be fun once or twice, but the map is big and the idea doesnt work for people who are joining in progress every 30 seconds." What about a West convoy side-mission created for Dom, or an independent convoy mission for tactical(Durka??) I'm brainstorming some ideas below. Any thoughts to add? For Dom, West convoy: Take the applicable existing side mission...modify to either: 1. A.Intercept enemy convoy B. Do NOT destroy the objective vehicle(s), which could be a salvage truck w/artillery stowed or some other indefensible transport with or without goodies inside (an enemy ammo truck loaded with the breath of East munitions?). C. Neutralize convoy D. Capture objective vehicles, E. GROUND transport back to main (how to prevent airlift of vehicle?) To make it interesting and convoy-worthy, the side-mission will need more unique East obstacles to hunt and intercept the convoy. Some roadblocks, infantry or fast-moving soft targets? (heavy armor wouldn't be anticipated since East would be on rapid-response to get/destroy their gear). The user mission 'Chesty Puller' has a few nice quirks in the second mission of its campaign in an upturned vehicle roadblock (mined!) and a staged accident/roadside bomb (which hollers' Die Yankee scum! or something to that effect). Perhaps other ideas for unique ambushes? The variety of ambush methods give the necessity for a convoy, since the req'd defense could be checking a minefield, clearing a roadblock, defending from an infantry charge, or any other small-scale assault. For an independent mission, flush out the story of finding the convoy, intercept, neutralize, capture, regroup, defend Rubber Duck. For tactical, since the available West (or East, however you want to make it) assets will be limited, finding a way to capture enemy defensive vehicles is an added challenge (tires or driver cab for neutralizing, then repair and utilize). Ideas?

I joined a server with a curious name, "Kill Colonel Kronsky v3," and ended up playing an excellent coop mission with Fleepee, a Fench mapmaker. The mission is still in beta, posted in OFPEC.COM in the forums under "[MP coop 1-30] Kill colonel Kronsky V3" We played in Expert at night, and it was a frustrating, hair-pulling, best-style mission. Still some quirks to work out, but it could be a good one to add to the tactical lineup. I joined after mission start sometime, and with just 2 of us it took 2 hrs in addition to what he had already completed. More people would run it quicker, but still probably an hour+ once you approach and assault the final objective.

I agree. The game and Dom mode have enough issues with dynamic this-and-that (it makes the experience better, yes, only as far as our machines and the server can handle!) Just yesterday I was in with several others who all reported the dynamic game time was way off for us...some were in NV at 2030, others saw sun at 1800. The existing fog/cloud/rain element is already a nice touch. Maybe let our systems and game design catch up a little more.

Now that I've seen your reply after we spoke today, I see why you thought I was being sarcastic with my suggestions! So my apology is offered. I had no intention of sounding like an ass, it was just an idea. I had NO idea that it was already the intended plan!! Don't forget, I can only gauge the intensity of the group from my last 2-weeks of play on your servers. I joined Durka and found a satisfying intensity in the tac missions, and I thought the same intensity, scaled relative, fit the tac dom nights. That is why I posted such a detailed interp of one way to proceed for JIP organization. Of course it was already well thought out, TS had been prepped n' all. So please take me with a grain of salt, but make sure we're on the same page as well. My bad 100%.

Are you kidding you poetic sod, MEN out of BOYS. haha. The setup, with Bravo running independent and overflow directed to Alpha, was superbly obnoxious. I have one small modification to the method, which can help set responsibilities for administration in TS and keep comms quiet. This should be easy to implement... Initial squads setup, loadout as appropriate, etc...but keep #s in each squad tight, even if the last squad is under-#d (Alpha 6, Bravo 6, Charlie 2). Once JIP begins, first direct all JIP to the last squad (just to keep the order straight, I always figured Alpha would be the CO squad, so JIP to Bravo, Charlie, etc). This happens by immediately directing JIPs to the proper TS channel, even before they ask for the server pw. (ex. "It's Ebden, where should I go/what's the pw?"...someone designated in Alpha squad ONLY replies "Join Squad B/C/D in TS for further instruction-out" Change is here: Once the last squad contains more than a set squad limit (originals and JIP), 1. DIVIDE the squad at the SL's discretion to create the next logical group (e.g. Charlie becomes Charlie and Delta). 2. The NEW squad will contain a good performer from the originating squad as SL and ALL the new JIP. 3. The squad will take its own TS channel, and only that NEW sl will hold responsibility to help get the JIP's loaded, sorted, in the proper TS channel, and fighting. 4.The ORIGINATING squad leader will inform the CO that he now has an additional squad at his disposal and other pertinent info. Benefits include keeping coms far cleaner with admin stuff, leaving one person (the new SL) with helping get players up to speed and in the game w/o distracting another squad already organized and moving. If that new squad fills, just repeat the above for the next logical group. This method also helps give an added dimension for tasking and SL practice, so that someone already familiar with the developing battlefield can take a fresh squad of JIP (reinforcements, perhaps?) and satisfy some tactical weakness as directed by the CO. In terms of operating TS, it didn't seem to screw things up that badly when the SL would hop out of channel, leaving his second in control, to speak with the CO. This practice avoids having to dick around with channel command. The SLs only need to have a stable enough rig to alt-tab out to TS w/o crashing. (Since patch 1.04 I haven't had a single crash from alt-tab Thoughts?

The end of the second link, with the comparable A1 and A2 models, tells so much. What an incredible amount of work to make a tree for A2 v A1. To clarify though, this means AI can still track you if they 'see' the smallest part of you via the view geometry, but they will hold fire if you are not visible in the fire geometry, right? What is the difference btwx collision and fire geometry? Is collision geometry the physical model/protection from fire, and the fire/view geometry just two seperate tools to enable the AI to track and shoot?

Give a hand chief, I downloaded a few ArmaI faces from the OPEC site <http://www.ofpec.com/faces/index.php?action=list&game=ArmA&page=0> I installed them in C:\Documents and Settings\Edward Stern\My Documents\ArmA 2 Other Profiles\%7c1RB%7cA2%7cPfc%2eEbden I created a new folder in that directory to hold the faces and stuck them in there, then I copied one of the faces, pasted it back in the directory noted above, and renamed it face.jpg. Start AII, go to profiles. There is no 'custom face' option. I tried default face w/no specs. That didn't work either. What am I missing? Edit: I run XP-SP3.

Dslyecxi's guide is great, it fills a huge gap. Most guides include just the basic stats on weapons/characters, but not how to utilize them properly. The guide doesn't provide any stats, so our filling in here is good when needed.

Not anymore, he ate it.

If you want to hook her, try Plants v. Zombies, and go from there. Make sure you have a seperate machine for her to use otherwise we'll never see you in ARMA2!

Zeno, No, I wouldn't want to get rid of any weapons in the game, that's a treat to try all the different bits. I was arguing from an allocative angle. Even in Vetran, if everyone had a SMAW/Javelin then it would be over very quickly. Changing the gamemode is the worst-case scenario, since it diminishes flexibility for organized play. We'd all rather see everyone on the same page about how and when to use assests (mimicking some sort of RL availability), but on the public server it won't happen without intense admin policing and an associated diminishing gameplay experience for the admins and those reporting offenders. Actually, I just thought of one way to change it that might help. Towns as objectives are usually w/in the ~1km diameter target area. This is a major game change idea, possibly suited to another thread... Maintain the current side mission/small town attack-n-control aspect. CHANGE the small towns to Secondary objectives and ADD a doubled attack radius (from 500m to 1km), or x4 the attack area, to one of the larger towns, to randomly occur after taking 2-3 small towns. This may mimic the U.S. push of enemy forces to the water for a last-stand event. It may introduce a use for boats; enemy boats as reinforcement avenues, and the as yet unused US boats. The small town objectives and side missions will still cycle, but the introduction of a larger objective would increase the time to play and the dynamic of both CQB and larger assests, like artillery and air support (i.e., that air support can really engage hostiles WITH FAC coordination and WITHOUT needing to evac the entire area of friendlies first). Taking Berezino is the only small town that consistently takes a while, and that gave me the idea. The towns that look appropriate for this are: -Berezino-encompassing the suburb area to the SW (a 2km diameter ring almost stretches from NE Berezino to the extent of the SW suburb) -Electrozavodsk -Chernogorsk -Krasnostav, including the airstrip to the NE

Even better than the article above, is the website for the bank itself! https://www.eve-bank.net/default.aspx?AspxA...CookieSupport=1 I can't believe this is real, and I even tried Eve for a while but bailed when I had to pay monthly to live a fake life.

It's good to know, at nearly-30, I'm on the younger side of the crowd here. My wife still doesn't get it.

I suppose it's a good thing I wasn't there on Friday from all reports, but I do plan on it tomorrow evening, if you're still taking in the non-sparta crowd.

I agree about the side missions. Although last night with the server restart we lost our headway, our deliberate methods to set up ambushes/plan insertions is fun, especially when it is part of a larger theatre (i.e. having a larger body of support available if needed). So many maps and missions are focused on one task, or one task at a time, evin if squads may be doing different things to accomplish the task. Side missions are just a glimmer of what a simulated battlefield could be, with multiple objectives and coordination at a different scale, broader support roles, etc. (it could be a pilot's dream, instead of circling waiting for that one laser target or evac call, he could alternate tasks between different teams and objectives). I'm really supposed to spend my evenings in AAS practicing for a Sunday tourney, but Dom is much more fun. I responeded to the bit on town difficulty in the Domination 1.09 thread.

The towns may be falling too quickly, BUT...I wonder how the stats stack up. I don't mean k/d or that foolishness, but the statistical weight of infantry and armor AI v. Human. I haven't yet seen a town attacked with more armor than is already in the town, and virtually all armor is disabled by infantry shoulder-fired weapons. In a real theatre, I imagine that approach would be far more risky (the U.S. would simply bomb/arty the crap out of the heavily fortified town, troops to clean up only). Is the armor/Inf AI scripted for each town, or is it randomized to a degree? The # of AI infantry at the start, before reinforcements, doesn't seem that high given the wealth of armor in the towns (2-3 tanks, a half-dozen BMPs & BRDMs, a handful of Daz's, etc) My suggestion to up the ante is kit limits. I know it sounds like PR, which is an admirable mod, but kit limits are not a bad idea for the feel of Dom. (Do all soldiers carry SMAWs, really?) I don't know if it's possible to limit kits based on the character selected from the team-selection screen, but it's one way. It would also encourage more team play, calling in anti-armor units & mortar squads until their effectiveness is diminished/targets cleared. (hell, even edging on anti-armor teams w/secondaries carrying extra rounds) That, or up the server to Vetran or Expert. I know I'd die lots more than I do normally that way.

2K is just an example, but it's a much better altitude to permit freefall rings, body surfing, etc. (a must-try in my book given the game's flex). Of course, it also permits insertion w/o having to deal with AA first-that, or doing a drop at 450km/hr!

Now I feel bad. Come in a MP map later on, I'll let you shoot me a half-dozen times if it'll help.

Didn't you read my post? It's suicide to drift down uncontrolled from 2km anywhere near a hot primary! I learned this AM (on a short detour from leaving for work) that the C130 is not invincible from enemy fire, but it is tough. I never actually made it over Rogovo, but I got real close before I imploded. I guess a low pass behind a hill, but close to the objective, might work. This would be a LAUIO (pron. luau), or Low-Altitude, Uncontrolled Immediate Open jump...

I've had a pet idea for a real-locale FPS map since mid-08, and I'd like to build it in AII. I've read some on the BI forum, downloaded the BI editing tools, but I haven't taken the plunge and imported the map data I downloaded from GeoBase. Why? From all the talk on TS I've heard, it appears I may need a number of other more expensive editing programs, like Adobe, which I simply can't afford. This is not a plea for YOU to make it for ME, I'm not that lame. What I am asking is: Other than the BI editing suite, what software do I need to import and model existing elevation data as my base map? I must purchase Global Mapper, the map program I have as a demo presently, to export the elevation data as xyz or png (16b grey), so I'm looking for a freeware, or perhaps a small translation favor from someone who does have a comparable program (OK, so I am making a tiny translation plea, sue me.) Also-for the start I would use existing ARMA II objects,but later I'd like to create some of the unique buildings in this area. In addition to the BI editing suite, what do I need to recycle existing objects and buildings, and what would I need to edit existing buildings? I haven't even touched on mission ideas, but the area is such a unique geological oddity that it would make a great FPS map. This area, for those still reading, is the Eastern Avalon Penninsula around St. John's Newfoundland. The Oldest city in N. America, it also has some of the most dramatic waterfront around. The harbor is 1.25 miles long, which is entered through an 800ft-wide 'narrows' at a 90deg angle to the main harbor. Navigators must practice entering this harbor in simulator before entering, because one small mis-calc and it's bottoms-up. It's perfectly protected from the sea by 100ft+ cliffs extending the length of the penninsula, with only a few small rock beaches in some inlets. WWII-era batteries are still in place, however deteriorated, and would make for great fantasy-rebuilds in a map. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Hill,_...nd_and_Labrador http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s,...nd_and_Labrador dramatic elevation changes, greenspace, unique coastline, offshore oil-rigs, in-town oil depot, commercial shipping facility, and a very close airport give all the attributes of a good FPS map in a small, and I think replicable, scale for an AII map. I just have to figure out what I need to make this thing.