Coordinating Squads for Arma2

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

Playing the tactical domination today where we elected a Commander and then split off teams, it was pretty clear the organsation into teams was very clunky.

 

I wonder if we can figure out a way to make it easier to allocate the teams and also perhaps deal with the cluttered comms from 2 separate teams communicating.

 

I dont think the process would be complicated but just need to get everyone on the same page.

 

I think the Comms is prolly a simple fix - the basics like announcing who you are and which team you belong to - for example-

 

Lightspeed - Team Bravo - blah blah blah over.

 

Over = waiting for a response. ie. "Lone tango spotted - am I clear to engage over?" (waits for order)

Out = no response required - nothing further to add. ie. "I am holding my position - out" (no response needed)

 

Instead of "I see a tank". Who does? Where? What team are you trying to advise?

 

Remember Im no expert but I have an idea of what works what doesnt.

 

 

In terms of the Teams shown in team status - we may need to do some testing to see how we should set it up.

Today we had Alpha team, for example, actually sitting in the Bravo position while the Bravo team sat in the Delta team position.

 

Thoughts?

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

Heres a link to some useful info - thankx Shack Tactical.

 

http://dslyecxi.com/armattp.html

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

I think your right, but I just think too many people talk when they dont need to and there is a lot of information that has no bearing on people in other squads.

 

When we did our scrims we used squad channels and channel commander. this way when someone says "I see a tank" it will only be the people who care that hear it. This would work here, but requires explanation.

 

I am sure this aspect will improve with time

 

Thanks for your thoughts, any one have any ideas.

 

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

Hearing someone say "Enemy infantry, bearing 210!" is fairly worthless in a 40+ player game with the platoon spread out over hundreds of meters if not more. Because of this, and other considerations, we use a simple set of radio procedures to keep things running smooth.

 

If you are communicating across channel commander, you initiate each transmission with who you're talking to, followed by your own callsign, and then the message. For example, if Bravo Lead is contacting Command to tell him that they took a casualty in a firefight (post-fight, most likely), the transmission would be as follows:

 

"Command, this is Bravo, be advised, Bravo Two down one."This simple procedure keeps command chat organized and allows for the various leadership elements to know when they're specifically being talked to.

 

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

Being able to concisely report enemy locations is a critical communication skill to have. The sooner we know about enemy positions, and the faster it is passed to the entire squad, the better our survivability will be and the more effective we will be at reacting to threats.

 

Here's an example of a very poor radio transmission of a contact report:

 

Uh, guys... I see enemy infantry. Uhh... they're over there, by that tree. No, uhh... the other tree." (Note that the squad is in a forest at the time of this transmission) A more proper contact report would be as follows (color-coded for explanatory purposes). This is an intra-squad report - reports across squads will be covered later.

 

Note that if the squad fireteams are dispersed, it may be necessary to identify yourself prior to sending the contact report. Simply preface it with your callsign (this is Charlie One) prior to starting the report.

 

"Contact front! Enemy infantry in the open, bearing 210, three hundred meters!"

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

?ALERT - This is almost always going to be the word "Contact!" It should be the first thing out of your mouth when you spot the enemy. Saying this gives everyone a heads-up that something important is about to be passed over the radio, and that they need to start scanning the area for more enemy as well as think about where they can move for cover and concealment.

 

?ORIENT - This immediately follows your alert. "Orient" is simply a few words to get people looking in the general direction of the enemy. In the example above, "front" was the orientation. You can use relative directions (front, left, right, rear) as long as there is a clear standard for what those mean. If you are in a stationary, defensive position, "front!" means nothing. If, however, you are moving towards a known waypoint, "front" is descriptive enough - in that case, it is the direction of movement, and everyone will already know it. Clock bearings should NEVER be used. Use relative directions, compass bearings (north, north-west, south, etc), or specific degree bearings (bearing 250, etc).

 

?DESCRIBE - What did you see? Was it an enemy patrol, tank, or a little old lady out for a stroll? Say it in as few words as possible while being very clear. Examples being: "Enemy patrol", "APC", "machinegun nest".

 

?EXPOUND - If time and the situation allow for it, and you think it is necessary, give more information. This can include their range, specific degree bearings to the threat, information about what the threat is doing ("They're flanking us"; "They don't see us"), how specifically they're positioned ("two soldiers on the roof, one in the building, the rest are patrolling around it"), etc. For instance, if you spot a patrol that is walking through a patch of woods, step #3 would be "enemy patrol", whereas step #4 would clarify that with "in the treeline, bearing 325".

More example contact reports-

 

"Contact, North North-West, enemy sniper, he's in the second story window of the brown-roofed white-walled building at the crossroads."

 

"Contact, bearing 085 , T-72, hull down behind the rise 200 meters to our front, he's looking the other way. "

 

"Contact left! Machinegun nest, dug into the middle cluster of palms across the river, due West, 400 meters."

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

Marking Enemy Locations on the Map

Whenever possible, all enemy contacts should be marked on the map so that the entire platoon has accurate information on enemy dispositions. This is a simple process - double-click on the map, then use your up/down arrow keys to select an appropriate mark. If you want to change the color of the marker, hold shift and press up/down arrow.

 

For labeling the markers, try to be concise, and make sure you throw in a number. Having ten sets of "ei" markers isn't too terribly useful, but having each one with a one- or two-digit number (ie ei1, ei12, etc) makes it much simpler for people to talk about specific enemy locations with clarity.

 

http://dslyecxi.com/images/arma/ttp/marked_up_map.jpg

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

This is all well and good, but how do you teach 30 people, 2/3rds of whom do not read our forums, 1/3 of whom turn up not knowing how we are playing.

 

Smaller groups are more manageable, each squad is generally advancing toward a specific objective, in a squad channel they can only hear info related to their zone of action.

 

Channel commander is only to be used by the squad leader, to receive info from the commander and to relay any pertinent info. When the squad leader talks to the commander, he preceeds with squad name. When commander speaks he preceeds with his name or commander.

 

We can assign players to 7 or 8 man squads, they stay in those squads for the duration of the game.

 

This was our first attempt, I am sure that if the interest persists, comms will improve.

 

 

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

It's just a disussion and suggestions - I think if the ppl who do read the forums lead by example then we could help to educate the rest.

Even if we could train ppl to say to whom they are talking if there is a commander or to their Team, then give their name, and brief mesg then its already a lot tighter then before.

 

Bravo Team, this is Lightspeed - multiples inbound from NW. (then mark it on map for others)

 

Commander...this is Lightspeed - enemy tank heading west at 103186. (then mark it on map for others)

 

And we could lead my example and only communicate on comms if required - cut out the random chatter where possible.

 

It may not work, but then again, it might with a little persistence.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

I am discussing with you, , we're just not in agreement yet.

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

 

Not sure if the Squad Channels would work in a public server - but during the tactical games that could work.

 

Also, maybe there is a simple solution to splitting the teams off in Arma2.

 

Durka tried lining up the men today and picking from that - add this variation.

 

Line up men -

 

Sniper Team step forward to me - one spotter step forward (spotter should carry the artillery as a secondary).

Go and kit yourselves up and wait at Chopper 1 immediately.

 

AT Units step forward to me - (7 step forward) you 3 wait at Chopper 1. The other 4 will wait at Chopper 2.

 

etc etc.

 

Then last thing to do - everyone open your team status and if you are at Chopper 1 you are Alpha group - move into any group but Alpha group initially.

Then Team Leader of Alpha will step into Alpha group first and become TL.

Then everyone else at Chopper 1 (Alpha team) will follw him in.

 

The same will go for Bravo Team.....

 

and Charlie team if we use a thrid team.

 

 

Will this work - I think it will be at least as effective as what we are presently doing, and with a little practice, will become second nature.

 

Maybe we could try it tomorrow.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Lightspeed

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

You must be Dai-sans brother from another mother, lol. We'll talk on TS it will be easier, plus we need some input from the other moderators, just waiting for them to recover. The server will go public again today (when you guys stop playing, I am waiting for the numbers to go down and its going up again), so we have until next Friday to find a workable solution.

 

I'm going out for a while I'll check in later.

[Lightspeed~SPARTA~]

OK Ive just tested this in game -

 

the way the teams can effectively be split is as follows.

 

When the Commander finishes allocating men to Chopper 1 (Alpha) and Chopper 2 (Bravo) he then elects a Team Leader for Alpha and Bravo.

 

Each [TL] will create their own [New Group] and his squad will join him.

 

Too bloody easy and should take no more then 1 minute.

[Fenrir]

On this kind of note, can i grab an ArmA 2 admin from sparta at some point on teamspeak please ? I would PM, but it say's i dont have permissions

 

Thanks in advance

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Lightspeed you are talking about in game. I am talking about in TS

 

In TS we will create 4 seperate channels for upto 4 squads. I understand what youre saying, but it will be better if we talk on TS.

 

Fenrir, I'll look out for you next time I am on.

[DaiSan]

You must be Dai-sans brother from another mother, lol.

 

???

 

How did I get in here

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Youre both single minded and obstinate, like me, lol.

[DaiSan]

Youre both single minded and obstinate, like me, lol.

 

No I ain't

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

Sorry, I wasnt looking for the "Argument Room" (thinking of Elvis' Sig), lol.

[DaiSan]

On a more serious note, as Medic or Halli or any other old school GR player would agree, it's because we are really used to a more structured and tactical use of comms etiquette.

 

Like the 12-10 Mark 5 grid ref thing I showed people, GR was played for so long that SOP's were well established and time proven. I'm sure ArmA2 will develop it's own comms style, but in the meantime I and many others find it very frustrating to hear all the useless chatter and to see people that have been given CLEAR instructions go wandering off putting the rest of the team as well as the mission at risk.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

We'll try to do better.

[Luggage~SPARTA~]

The comms thread

 

I love these - personally I am a complete advocate of the squad channel, whisper keys and channel commander keys. Only way to go.

 

In brief, whatever Zeno says goes....

[DaiSan]

We'll try to do better.

 

Lol, I think you'll have to try harder than that, after all, it's a bunch of people from different squads, games and play-styles your trying to co-ordinate.

 

I have no doubt that with the likes of Durka, yourself and help from people like Lighty, Tinker and the TEK guy's it will come good though.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

In brief, whatever Zeno says goes....

 

This is certainly true, for example whatever Zeno says goes in one ear and out the other .

 

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

These are some really great suggestions, and we really enjoy everyone's active input in these forums. We can work together to make this a much better server for all. Right now, we're cutting our teeth on the Tac Dom nights and so far, no cavities!

 

Once all the admins read this thread, we're going to get our heads together and see what we can do to make communication easier and to-the-point for everyone's sake. If that means a split in TS channels, we'll work on it and get us an SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) together and post it in the forums. Until then, though, keep airing your thoughts and we'll listen. For all those submitting suggestions/questions/ect. please be patient with us. I'll be searching for a cork to put in one of Zeno's ears so things don't go all the way through!