HL2.net Arma 2 Ace 2 Information Videos

[Raziaar]

Just wanted to post this thread to bring attention to some of the videos I made for the newer people coming in to join the sessions that we have going with Arma 2 Combined Operations featuring the Ace 2 modification.

I made and published these videos in under 24 hours, and there's nearly 30 minutes of content so there are quite a bit of mistakes, but you can look past that. They are all very short and abrupt with no focus paid to making nice transitions or anything of the sort. I'm not a video editor, so I didn't make any attempt. Maybe in the future with actual cool gameplay.

NOTE: The second and third videos might still be processing and thus aren't at 1080p yet. The first one however is fully uploaded and at full 1080p.

The videos contain information about the following.

Video One:
Rucksacks
Weapon Stabilization including bipods
Earplugs
Context Menus
Wound System
Rolling
Range Finder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91sVHFzGtGs

Video Two:
Weight System
Methods of Movement
Compass
GPS
Alt Looking
Fire Mode Changing
Map Markers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=istBp7d23Gc

Video Three:
Magazine Checking
Close Quarter Combat Sights
Grenade Launcher Folding Leaf Sight
Night Vision Goggle Sensitivity
HuntIR M203 Rounds
Parachuting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_MF6XdaINs

Video Four:
Weapon Zero Adjustment
Sniper Rifle Range Adjustment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5en5dB_epo

 

[Viperidae]

Amazing work, Raz. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Your commentary is great.

Hopefully this will entice more people to become interested in what we play, since they can see first hand the level of immersion and realism this game offers.

Eventually we should cover some more advanced topics:

Satchels
Mines and area denial munitions
Rangefinding with G36/PSO-1 scope
ACE weapon sighting vs. OA weapon sighting
Windage (Kestral)
Grenade launcher sighting
Launcher sighting, munition types, SMAW spotting rounds
Javelin targetting
Stinger/Strela targetting, tactics
Helicopter ropes (I still don't know how to get them to work)
Apache laser designator, Hellfire missile types
Domination gameplay: airlifts, ammoboxes, MHQ functions, status menu, MASH
Artillery (?)

I think there should also be some tutorials on tactical decision making and education. These wouldn't necessarily need videos, they could just be written. I'm thinking topics like:

Cover vs. concealment
Choosing a target
Being a smart pilot
What is the purpose of each weapon variant, and which one should I pick?

I'd be glad to provide help if you need it.

 

[Krynn72]

You guys never told me about the close quarter sights on scoped weapons

We need to also go over the tactical decision of NOT SHOOTING THE DAMN MINIGUNS on helicopters and alerting everyone around that we're coming. I think a Vehicle video would be good in general. Theres lots of different ones with different weapon types that are confusing, plus showing people how they can turn out to get a better view, or how use the gun's sights. I also know jack shit about attack helocopters, so that'll be good to go over.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Yeah, basically just don't fire until you're fired upon, unless we're already in combat and there's no risk of giving our position away.

Good videos, picked up a few things there I wasn't aware of. The only thing you may have missed would be setting range for sniper rifles. I'm not sure if it's an Ace thing, but it's worth going into briefly either way. Basically, if you're using a sniper weapon at any kind of distance, you'll want to set your range using shift+V. This will bring up a menu where you enter windage and uhh... something else that escapes me at the moment. This may seem complicated, but fear not! Just bring up the range table by clicking it in the menu, then use the reading from your range finder (as demonstrated in video 1) to find your settings and fill them out accordingly. You are now ready to shoot mans from excessive distances!

I mean, if you really knew your stuff you could probably tweak these settings to your heart's content (there's a device that calculates wind speed/direction which I haven't even touched yet), but this way works well enough.

 

[Vegeta897]

Great work Raz! Was surprised to see this thread so soon.

I hope some people who don't own the game take the time to check out one or all of these videos to see what kind of realism and features Arma 2 with ACE mod offers.

 

[Raziaar]

Amazing work, Raz. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Your commentary is great.

Hopefully this will entice more people to become interested in what we play, since they can see first hand the level of immersion and realism this game offers.

Eventually we should cover some more advanced topics:

Satchels
Mines and area denial munitions
Rangefinding with G36/PSO-1 scope
ACE weapon sighting vs. OA weapon sighting
Windage (Kestral)
Grenade launcher sighting
Launcher sighting, munition types, SMAW spotting rounds
Javelin targetting
Stinger/Strela targetting, tactics
Helicopter ropes (I still don't know how to get them to work)
Apache laser designator, Hellfire missile types
Domination gameplay: airlifts, ammoboxes, MHQ functions, status menu, MASH
Artillery (?)

I think there should also be some tutorials on tactical decision making and education. These wouldn't necessarily need videos, they could just be written. I'm thinking topics like:

Cover vs. concealment
Choosing a target
Being a smart pilot
What is the purpose of each weapon variant, and which one should I pick?

I'd be glad to provide help if you need it.

I would love to have us get around to all of that.

Yeah, basically just don't fire until you're fired upon, unless we're already in combat and there's no risk of giving our position away.

Good videos, picked up a few things there I wasn't aware of. The only thing you may have missed would be setting range for sniper rifles. I'm not sure if it's an Ace thing, but it's worth going into briefly either way. Basically, if you're using a sniper weapon at any kind of distance, you'll want to set your range using shift+V. This will bring up a menu where you enter windage and uhh... something else that escapes me at the moment. This may seem complicated, but fear not! Just bring up the range table by clicking it in the menu, then use the reading from your range finder (as demonstrated in video 1) to find your settings and fill them out accordingly. You are now ready to shoot mans from excessive distances!

I mean, if you really knew your stuff you could probably tweak these settings to your heart's content (there's a device that calculates wind speed/direction which I haven't even touched yet), but this way works well enough.

I actually recorded the videos for the sniper rifle range finding as well as the weapon zeroing, but I didn't realize I forgot to rerecord them. When I was editing the videos, I realized the versions I saved of them were faulty so I removed them but in my rush I forgot to readd them. So screwup on my part. Damn.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Really enjoyed those videos, lots more to this game & mod than I first realised.

I would like to see you guys working together in an actual engagement, making tactical decisions using some of those skills in the videos above with some additional commentary explaining what is going on.

 

[Ren.182]

Nice videos, cheers

I need to try and play with you guys again, just I'm normally too tired when you do play D: If you play a little earlier again sometime give me a shout!

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

Got some questions...

Where do I download the version of Ace 2 you guys use? There's like a dozen different versions and variations of the mod on the Ace 2 website.

Also, having the weapon mode switch button also be your switch to grenade button is pretty stupid and I'm surprised this wasn't changed from the regular game. If I switch to full auto, then want to switch back to semi I have to go through all the grenades and the grenade launcher in my inventory. At the very least it should be two different buttons, one to switch modes (semi-full-GL), the other to switch to grenades. Is there an option or some kind of way around this?

How long is the average multiplayer round?

With this mod does it allow you to have more then one primary weapon? (say for example I play a sniper and want to carry an m4 as a backup)

 

[Vegeta897]

Got some questions...

Where do I download the version of Ace 2 you guys use? There's like a dozen different versions and variations of the mod on the Ace 2 website.

There are no variations, you are probably referring to the different modules that make up ACE mod as a whole. There is the stable release version, currently 1.6, and there is the ongoing development version which updates weekly. We use the ongoing version. You can download it by using Sixupdater. Since Milly loves to guide people through this process, go talk to him on Steam.

Also, having the weapon mode switch button also be your switch to grenade button is pretty stupid and I'm surprised this wasn't changed from the regular game. If I switch to full auto, then want to switch back to semi I have to go through all the grenades and the grenade launcher in my inventory. At the very least it should be two different buttons, one to switch modes (semi-full-GL), the other to switch to grenades. Is there an option or some kind of way around this?

Yeah, it's kind of weird like that. I don't think there's a way around it.

How long is the average multiplayer round?

By round, do you mean mission? It really depends. Domination is basically endless, other missions can be quite long. Usually a long mission or long dom session is at least 3 hours. A shorter mission could be 1 or 2. Our play sessions can be from 4 to even 8 hours.

With this mod does it allow you to have more then one primary weapon? (say for example I play a sniper and want to carry an m4 as a backup)

Yeah, Raz's videos didn't mention being able to put things on your back with the On Back button in the gear menu. You can grab a sniper, click On Back, then grab another primary weapon. Make sure you have magazines for both weapons in your inventory. To switch between them, just go to your gear menu and click on the weapon on your back and click In Hands.

 

[Krynn72]

I would like to see you guys working together in an actual engagement, making tactical decisions using some of those skills in the videos above with some additional commentary explaining what is going on.

I'll probably be recording our next game in its entirety for this purpose.

 

[lord_raken]

I'm guessing this isn't on Mac.....

 

[Vegeta897]

>Implying Mac can do anything that isn't casual

 

[Dinnesch]

Thanks Raz, those videos included quite some things I didn't know about yet, you explained them really well!

 

[Raziaar]

I'll probably be recording our next game in its entirety for this purpose.

I really want to do the same thing as well. Record as much as I can, in as high a resolution as I can. Hoping I'll be able to accomplish that both hosting the server and running fraps at the same time.

Thanks Raz, those videos included quite some things I didn't know about yet, you explained them really well!

Thanks Dinnesch. Glad you got some use out of them.

 

[Krynn72]

It takes a lot of hard drive space. I recorded one of our sessions once, and it used up all 430 gigs of free space I had on the drive.

Pretty sure that was one of our longer days though. It was the one where we all got destroyed in that winter-time mission, the day Ren played with us.

 

[Ennui]

Cool stuff. I just bought Combined Operations on a whim so I'll probably be joining you guys in-game sometime.

Never played it before so these videos will prove quite useful

 

[Vegeta897]

I just bought Combined Operations on a whim

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

IT'S 12.50 ON AMAZON

STEAM VERSION IS SHITTY

WHY DOES NOBODY ASDJDJDJHOFIHNZSDONAOPSDIFGNASDFGA

 

[Krynn72]

Who said he bought it on Steam?

 

[Vegeta897]

Plus I just knew because it was Ennui.

 

[Krynn72]

What the? It says he hasn't been online in 4 days.

 

[Vegeta897]

Even if he got it for free with his press account or whatever (though he used the word 'bought'), 12 dollars is so worth the proper installation as opposed to what steam does.

NOTICE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING ARMA: TALK TO ME FIRST FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

 

[lord_raken]

>Implying Mac can do anything that isn't casual

Don't slam the Mac. I was just checking. If I could afford a new gaming rig I would. An x-box is pushing my budget right now (with nothing left over for more than one game).

 

[Vegeta897]

I was just joking brah.

But I am not joking about Ennui's Steam purchase :frown:

 

[Raziaar]

I recorded some new videos which I thought I already had before for weapon zero adjustment and sniper rifle range adjustment. I uploaded those just now. Once again, videos available in 1080 HD if you want.

I updated the initial thread to include this video as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5en5dB_epo

 

[Bad^Hat]

Good video. I noticed you left windage alone and seemed to be hitting pretty much right on target anyway. Obviously I've misunderstood this stat a little (thinking about it now, it probably compensates for left/right deviancy, right?), but what's the deal with the windage reading on the range chart? Just an estimate? I'm guessing to set this properly you'd need to actually calculate the wind speed/direction or fire some test shots to see where it lands.

 

[Vegeta897]

Yeah, you have to know the wind speed with a Kestrel to be able to accurately adjust the windage.

 

[Raziaar]

Good video. I noticed you left windage alone and seemed to be hitting pretty much right on target anyway. Obviously I've misunderstood this stat a little (thinking about it now, it probably compensates for left/right deviancy, right?), but what's the deal with the windage reading on the range chart? Just an estimate? I'm guessing to set this properly you'd need to actually calculate the wind speed/direction or fire some test shots to see where it lands.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure and I've never fiddled with it. It's not something I've even seen other people explain so I have had to leave it alone. Dynamic Wind wasn't even in Arma 1, so with its introduction in Arma 2 I haven't really had the time or inclination to sit down and learn it. I really want to though, because I feel it'd bring more immersion to the experience of being a sniper team... really being able to plan out your shot for one shot, one kill, instead what normally happens which is a lot of guesswork and minute adjustments and wasted clips.

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

Yeah, it's kind of weird like that. I don't think there's a way around it.

I was playing around and I found it. In Ace Settings, change "weapon select firemode" to "cur only". With this on pressing the fire mode button only switches between fire modes of the gun you have equipped, you press shift+2 to switch to GL, shift+3 to switch to grenades, and shift+1 to switch back to your rifle. (these can be changed in Ace Settings also)

 

[Viperidae]

Keep in mind that shots aren't perfect all the time. There's always going to be a bit of random variation from shot to shot, which becomes compounded by distance. Also keep in mind that bullets lose much of their energy over distance, hence why you'll notice many enemies taking multiple hits to go down in long-range engagements.

 

[Ennui]

Even if he got it for free with his press account or whatever (though he used the word 'bought'), 12 dollars is so worth the proper installation as opposed to what steam does.

NOTICE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING ARMA: TALK TO ME FIRST FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I bought Arma II and Amnesia with real money, neither of them are on the press account list. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first, geez goddamn what's wrong with the Steam version besides the price difference?

Also, I've been playing Amnesia since that post, in the dark with my sound turned up and alone in my house. Maybe I'm a pussy but I'm tense and nervous and jumping at shadows.

 

[MJ12]

So, how are we going to make the game more challenging now that we have so many people? Surely the games will go by faster if we ever have everyone playing at once?

 

[Vegeta897]

I bought Arma II and Amnesia with real money, neither of them are on the press account list. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first, geez goddamn what's wrong with the Steam version besides the price difference?

1. Updates that would be 200mb for normal users are several gigabytes on steam
2. Getting Sixupdater (the svn client used to download ACE mod and its weekly updates) to work with Steam is kind of a pain and I've struggled with helping too many people already, I don't want to do it anymore and I shouldn't have to if people would just be a bit more hesitant to jump in and buy things wherever they please. I really can't believe you haven't seen me talking about Arma on Steam, I've said it in so many places on hl2.net (recent purchases, screenshots, etc)
3. You can't set up several shortcuts for your game with different mods in the launch properties, because we will often be playing with some mods disabled or enabled. In Steam, you have to put these mods in the OA launch properties but you have to run the game using steam because you need to right click OA and click "Combined Ops" to run the game properly

ZT, the game doesn't really get "easier" just because you have more people. It just takes a shorter time to beat missions. This doesn't matter at all.

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

Which missions do you play?

 

[Raziaar]

So, how are we going to make the game more challenging now that we have so many people? Surely the games will go by faster if we ever have everyone playing at once?

On most coop missions we don't have enough people to fill out all the slots as it is, and thus the missions are incredibly difficult, like rambo taking on a whole army... except in this case a small team of rambos.

 

[Vegeta897]

Which missions do you play?

Pretty much anything we can find on Armaholic. We also do ACE Dom.

 

[Krynn72]

So, how are we going to make the game more challenging now that we have so many people? Surely the games will go by faster if we ever have everyone playing at once?

We could knock the difficulty settings back up a tad. We dropped them down awhile ago since we were getting our asses kicked, but I sorta liked that anyways. Also, theres lots of missions that were extremely difficult for us because they were intended as like 32 player coop missions, and we were playing with like 8 players. So now we can do those in more reasonable timeframes.

 

[Raziaar]

EDIT: Got it figured out. No more need. Thanks Dinnesch.

 

[Dinnesch]

Can you guys with a 1920x1080 monitor resolution please help me out?

I'm trying to determine which looks best in youtube and on your monitor as far as quality and blackboxing are concerned. I don't really want to flood this thread with all the responses for this, so can you please send me a PM instead if want to give me your opinion on whether the first, second or third clip looks better or if they all look the same for you. Please view them at full 1080 HD resolution for the test.

Once I've figured this out, I'll edit this post out.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5B_791ybpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzzWByrnaOs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f2LXIPSl9o

I'm one of those dumbed down consumer whores using a 1920*1080 monitor
First one is like it should, 2 vertical black bars. Second and third ones also have a horizontal bar.

Spoiler

 

[Kula Meenur]

Such a good idea Raz, onya! Might join you blokes sometime in the future.

Artillery (?)

Please by Christ****, this.