ShackTac ArmA2 TTP2 Guide/Intro to ArmA2

Intro to ArmA2

What ArmA2 Is

For those of you new to ArmA2, the basic premise is that it is a military combined-arms simulation with an incredible scope and a second-to-none ability to convey large-scale modern military combat. In addition to that, it is a fantastically configurable and moddable game - it comes with a robust mission editor and scripting language, and tools are available to allow any manner of units, weapons, vehicles, terrains, etc, to be created for the game.

ArmA2 follow in the footsteps of ArmA1 and Operation Flashpoint to provide the most realistic combined-arms from-the-infantry-up experience around, bar none. It is a military sandbox environment that can be tailored exactly in accordance to what you want from it.

In addition to that, ArmA2 supports a robust set of multiplayer features. It has the capability to handle up to a hundred (or more, with good hardware) players in a single mission at a time, playing against each other in teams, together against the AI in cooperative scenarios, or any imaginable mix. The mission design possibilities are almost unlimited - if you can think it up, you can probably make it.

Like ArmA1 and OFP before it, ArmA2 is the game of choice for my group, Shack Tactical. The experiences we have had in these games for the past many years have been unlike anything else available in gaming, and it continues to pull players back week after week in large quantities into ever-changing and new scenarios. We play the whole range of serious to not-at-all serious, and all of it is an utter blast. It is our enthusiasm for this sort of group-wide "Build Your Own Adventure" method of content and mission creation that has allowed us to thrive as a private group for so many years.

I hope that anyone who is looking into the multiplayer facet of ArmA2 is able to find a place to play where the vast possibilities of the game can be appreciated with a quality group of players. I also hope that this guide is able to provide the base of knowledge to help players work together throughout the community, if not exactly "by the book", then at least more informed because of it.

Mods of Note

When it comes to mods for ArmA2, the community is bound to come up with a huge variety of fantastic stuff. A2 introduces so many new possibilities to modders, it will be incredible to see what all is developed over the lifespan of the game.

With that being said, there is one mod I feel confident in recommending already. That is the Advanced Combat Environment 2 mod - sequel to the ArmA1 mod of the same name, which I promoted in the first ArmA Tactical Guide.

Let's talk about ACE2 for a moment.

Advanced Combat Environment 2

ACE2 is oriented around the concept of "fun realism" - which is to say, the focus is on introducing systems that are not simply realistic for the sake of being realistic, but rather because they increase the fun factor and enhance the gameplay of the mod. ACE1 was arguably the most popular and significant mod to come out for ArmA1, being adopted by countless servers and played by thousands.

ACE1 was the mod-of-choice for Shack Tactical in ArmA1, and set the stage for hundreds of memorable missions and experiences. I can't recommend it highly enough - it set a gold standard in gameplay that simply has not been matched since.

Always looking to improve, the ACE team is ready to take this even further in ACE2. While full details are not yet ready to be revealed, there are some bits and pieces of ACE2 scattered throughout this guide - signified by the logo - such as references to the stamina system, crew-served weapons, and a variety of other slick gameplay features such as resting weapons on obstacles, improved rocket ballistics, an improved penetration model, and more.

ACE2 is definitely a mod to watch out for in ArmA2. Once it has been released, I'll make sure to update this section with a link to it.

Where to Play

The ArmA2 community, like the ArmA1 community and the Operation Flashpoint one before it, contains a huge variety of playstyles and a diverse collection of communities and servers to cater to those styles. You can find the official BIS forums Squads & Fanpages section here, in which many, many different groups and communities maintain a presence.

I would of course encourage all A2 players to take their time and look throughout the community to find what they think will best suit their style. There are hardcore groups, less-serious ones, ones oriented around roleplaying, others oriented around all sorts of fun and silly stuff. There are even weekly tournaments that pit large forces against each other in progressive campaigns where the outcomes of each major battle influence the next one. In short - there's a flavor for everyone.

With that being said, there are two communities that I'd like to specifically promote in this guide. Whether you look into them is up to you, of course.

Tactical Gamer

The first of the two is Tactical Gamer. Tactical Gamer - or 'TG' - is a large community that plays an equally large variety of games. For our purposes, though, we're concerned about their ArmA1/2 side. In that respect, they have the following aspects worth considering:

• Easy membership requirements. If you'd like to play on TG, the only real qualification you need to fulfill is to not be an asshat. Their server and forum are open to the public and attract a wide variety of players throughout the community due to their accessibility.
• Well-populated server much of the time. Due to their easy membership requirements and public nature, you can usually find a game in progress on one of the TG ArmA servers. These generally stay in good order, too, provided that some of the more 'regular' players are there to help guide people towards "The TG Way", or admins are present. For a public server, they do a pretty good job of administrating their servers.
• Semi-regular scheduled sessions. While they are not weekly, TG tends to run a scheduled weekend session on a semi-regular basis, which allows for a different style of planning and gameplay to be conducted in them. These sessions require advance signup (at no cost)
• Coop-oriented. TG is primarily focused on cooperative gaming - in short, players vs the enemy AI. If you're looking for adversarial player-vs-player gaming, you'll need to look elsewhere, but if you're keen on coop, they do a good job of it.
• Not spastic about mod adoption. TG introduced some additional islands, as well as the ACE1 mod, during their time with ArmA1. This was done in a fairly deliberate and measured method, allowing for people to easily get their mods in order and not be worried about having to constantly change them. This is a refreshing change from some servers that haphazardly mod-of-the-week and make it difficult for players to stay up to date.
• US-oriented playing schedule. While the TG playerbase consists of more than just US players, their most active times are centered around the US timezones.

I would definitely recommend new players to give TG a shot in A2.

You can find the Tactical Gamer ArmA2 subcommunity here. Feel free to tell them how you got there.

6th Sense

This next community is based around the European gaming community, though it does have some members from outside of Europe.

6th Sense is a private community that is oriented towards cooperative gameplay in the ACE mod, combined with a unique combination of supplemental addons by Sickboy (an ACE lead dev and key member of 6th Sense) and beyond. While they're focused mainly on coop, they also conduct scheduled events throughout the month where adversarial gametypes are also played from time to time.

If you're interested in checking them out, you'll want to do the following:

• Register an account at Dev Heaven
• Register an account at the 6th Sense site
• Post a short introduction in this thread
• Once confirmed, you'll get access to their mod compilation, as well as the password of their game server

It's a bit more work to get into than Tactical Gamer, but that extra work can pay off in a more cohesive experience thanks to the entry-barrier that exists and (hopefully) helps to prevent unsavory characters from hopping in-game easily and dorking things up for everyone.