warfare: the beginers guide

[Ball0fire]

warfare

the very basics

ok think of warfare as a mix of team death match, capture the island and an RTS game

you have 3 teams. 2 of them playable (East and West) the 3rd is just town resistance (ai only)

within the 2 playable teams you need a commander, the commander is the guy that builds and looks after your
teams assets, builds the bases where you can spawn, buy and upgrade your gear loadout and buy extra units ( ai soldiers or vehicles)

then there are the regular players they are the ones that just go off and do their job
which is : capturing/ defending towns and 2ndary goal find enemy bases.

at the start of a game you begin with very limited supply and cash and the only ways to get more is to destroy enemy soliders/ vehicles
and capture towns. when you capture a town it increases your minute based income. the more towns you have captured and held the more income you get per minute
to capture a town you need to clear the town of bad guys (either resistance or other team units) and then stay near the main bunker in the town
the main bunker is easy to spot, open map and look at the town. it'll have an squareish icon *in this case is has a yellow circle around it indicating commander has selected this town as main priority*


this pic shows some of the basic map icons
the town bunker, town outpost camps, team vehicles and ai and players

outpost camps depending on mission parameters you may or may not be able to spawn at camps once they are captured. to capture sit inside it till the bar dissapears and you recieve a camp captured message.
once it is friendly you can buy gear inside the same way you can at base.

supply points
when you enter the town limits you'll see some numbers show up on screen
SV: 10/50 for example and it will be a certain colour
this is the towns supply points. now the colours are simple

blue = ai resitance red = enemy team and green = your team

the first number is what its value is currently and the 2nd is its max supply value
if you go into an enemy town that is 10/80 they only just partially control it, if you eliminate the bad guys around the base the 10 should start to drop till it gets to 0 then YAY you captured the town and will change to green and start going up. if you think you got all the bad guys and are near the bunker but the number isnt going down, then there is still enemy nearby.

also once you capture it, dont think its yours and just drive off, there might still be enemy ai nearby that can recapture it, listen to the message you recieve when you capture the town, if its not clear you'll get another message shortly after saying " hostiles detected near *town name*"
clear them out before you leave otherwise they may retake the town just as you leave.

the options menu: this is where pretty much everything other than combat is done
scroll ya mouse wheel and select the yellow OPTIONS, and ta da!!
here you get a menu for everything you can do in the game. look at it, click on things get to know it!

buying gear and units
open up the options menu and click on buy gear, the list of available gear shows up with its price.
note: in warfare the commander upgrades things as the game goes along, so at the start you only have the bare minimum, as the game goes on he will upgrade GEAR and light vehicles and heavy vehicles etc etc allowing you get buy better things.
weapons on the top left box ammo for selected weapons in the box underneath

pretty easy. note that ammo is the thing that catches out new players the most

BUYING UNITS
buying units is fairly simple too with the exception of vehicles.



when you buy vehicles they come manned with ai and default locked
thats fine if you know aboot it and want it.

AI inside vehicles
I've pointed out where the ai icons are ,if you dont want a driver, click on the icon so its not lit , same goes for a gunner or commander. if you spawn a vehicle with an ai driver you may find you'll be chasing him around trying to get in it, he does this cos as default he is trying to remain in formation, you get closer he moves away. best thing to do is buy a vehicle you intend to get in without a driver.

locked / unlocked vehicles

also note when you buy vehicles it is best to have them locked to stop other players getting in them, you can only lock and unlock your own vehicles
so when it spawns, walk up to it - scroll your mouse wheel and select unlock/ lock
then you can get in.
locking vehicles in combat can also be helpful in tanks as if you take medium damage the ai generally bail out and leave you alone, locking the tank can force them to stay inside and fight just that little longer that may get you throo a tank battle. also handy is if yo get out of your vehicle in a combat zone (ie: to cap a camp) you may want to lock it before you move off in case you get killed. you dont want that commie / capitalist stealing your ride now do you!

thats pretty much the very basics, im sure ive fergotten something and somone else can fill in the missing bits
once you've goten used to the basics, Xerxes has writen up a very good warfare tips thread in the stickies section and goes into alot more detail the tactics and uses of ai and vehicles
http://games.on.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=207&t=177337

one part i havnt gone into is being the commander. having a commander that knows what he is doing and one that doesnt is the difference between having a good game and getting ownd very early, i recomend new players not go commander till they at least have played a few warfare games and know how things flow.
if you wanna try out being commander then i recomend hosting your own warfare game offline (in LAN mode) by downloading the latest warfare mission pack from here
http://dev-heaven.net/projects/list_files/warfare-be
and installing them in your arma2\mpmissions folder. when in the mission lobby choose which team you want THEN goto 'paramaters' and adjust the mission to give you lots of cash and supply , that way you can then start the game, vote yourself commander and buy lots of stuff testing to see what does what

[_Dude_]

nice work i'll see if i can add a few things when i get the time.

[Drjft]

Did you want me to do up some nicer looking images in Photoshop?

[Ball0fire]

hehe naaah its ok only needs basic pics unless you wanna add to the guide with things that i missed, but i was only covering the very basics for ppl that havnt played warfare before

[Bretticus]

Cheers, I've played a few games of Warfare so far, but this helped alot .

[Ball0fire]

oh i fergot a fairly important but small part

ambulances

IF outpost camp respawn option isnt enabled (and most times it isnt)
the only way you can respawn close to where you may have died is by use of the ambulance respawn vehicles.

to do this , when you die you will see a zoomed in map of where you died, IF there is a spawn point available within range it will have a broken yellow circle and you can click on it as you would choose a base building to spawn at.

the team will start off with only 1 ambulance. this is why the team should stick together at the start of a game as its the only mobile respawn point untill the commander has upgraded the light vehicle factory to level 2, then they will become purchasable. (or is camp respawn is on capture the camps first)

once they are purchasable its always a good idea to have one with an Ai driver following you.

note tho, ambulances have a limited range that allow you to respawn.

if you move too far away from it and die you wont be able to spawn at it.
its initial range is only 150m or so, so keep that in mind when attacking a town.
my general rule is drop it off outside the town area when you start attacking a town if you make it to a camp, bring it up to the camp using the camp itself as a bit of cover, unless there are houses to use as cover. once its at the camp thats generally close enuf to be fine untill you reach the main towns bunker, but dont stray much further than the bunker without moving the ambo closer again.

of course the respawn range can be increased greatly with the commanders upgrades which will be done later in game

anyhoo thats all ima gunna go into aboot them , you'll soon realise they are very important in warfare to keep you at the battle front

*i also added a part in the first post aboot locking vehicles*

[theremin]

Radio Channels

Channels can be switched by the < and > keys (usually above , and .) To type your message once the appropriate channel is selected, hit "/".

The radio has several channels, the most important of which are:

Grey = Global Chat
What you say on this channel everyone can read/hear. Including the opposition. A classic newbie* mistake is to let slip some vital information allowing the enemy to get a much better idea of where you and (more importantly) your base is likely to be.

So, if you say something (early in a game) like:
"Loads of tanks at Lopatino"
on the global channel, seasoned players on the other side will instantly know where your side started, and will be sending Placid, Mixxo, Woodsy, Sgt Sigma, Imperator, me, or any other keen base-hunter, straight to your base, with a few satchels to f**K up your MHQ/HF/CC etc.

Blue = Side Chat
Side chat is the channel to talk on.

Yellow = Commander Channel
Leave the yellow channel for the commander's use only, so that players can easily tell when the commander is conveying information.

The other channels are used far less, Direct Communication = White is for when someone is within (simulated) earshot (although enemy players can also hear it... so use Blue/Side Channel). Vehicle = Orange is to talk to people in the same vehicle as you, and I'm not quite sure what the white commander channel does (I think it might be to talk to the commander privately).

As for using the microphone, be informative and relevant, or be entertaining (like Imp).

But please, please, don't use the microphone to give everyone on your team an intermittent, garbled, running commentary on how your game is progressing.


*Although experienced players are not immune from doing this...

[Lokyi]

I still don't see the fun in shortening the game by specifically base hunting either.

[theremin]

BASE-HUNTING AND THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA

I alluded to this a while back, but now I will expand and explain for I am here to inform and entertain.

Cut and Paste from the Wikipedia entry:
Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal:

If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence.

Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act?

So how does this apply to a game of Arma2 Warfare and base-hunting you might ask?

Let's reword the dilemma:
Blufor and Opfor have started a game of Arma2 Warfare, the objective being to win the game, but in the process, have a jolly good, well rounded time of it. Whilst in the lobby, whilst the Admin sets up the parameters, both sides might even mutually agree not to base-hunt early.

The problem is that base-hunting early can offer your team a significant advantage.

The choices in the Base-Hunting dilemma are therefore:
1) Both sides cooperate, and a decent close fought game that everyone enjoys ensues.
2) One side defects, increasing the chance that they will win, either outright or by hampering the other team's efforts so greatly that they have a crappy game.
3) Both sides defect and each side goes base-hunting early, resulting in a 100% increase in the chance of option (2) happening.

Sooo. How should each side act?
The aim of Arma2 Warfare is base-hunting (eventually), since that is how the game ends.

Your team might resolve to not base-hunt early. But can you trust the opposition? The opposition meanwhile, are thinking the exact same thing. Cooperate or defect?

For further consideration...
Think about the nuclear stand-off between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.

Watch the end of 'The Dark Knight' where the Joker sets up the bombs on two boats and gives each boat the other's detonators...

Fascinating stuff (I think anyway).

[Ball0fire]

ok ima gunna prune a few posts cos they going offtopic, i wanna keep this thread aboot beginners guide for warfare

but i will leave theremins base hunting post as it is an interesting point of playing warfare

[Lokyi]

Interesting maybe, but I still think base hunting as anyone's primary mission and any justification for it is rubbish and should be discouraged.

Arma is, and always has been a simulator, Warfare or not. It should be enjoyed, and part of that should be encouraging teamwork, encouraging longer games by going out and capping towns, getting to enjoy the toys that you get from building bigger bases, and fighting over capped towns. Hell, it's why they give you all the seats in a vehicle, otherwise why not make it just like Battlefield and be able to drive and shoot at the same time on your own. I know you can still solo and switch seats, but you can also be dead in the time it takes you to do so.

It's akin to making Bathurst a single lap sprint race, and then doing it again the next day. And then again the day after that. Quite soon it really becomes pointless.

[Drjft]

I agree. I just base hunted then, although there was only 8 people in the server and it was Duala, and it made me think I'd rather play a long drawn out strategic game, not one of space bar scanning and pot shots.

[theremin]

COMMANDING

There are many different ways to command in Arma2 Warfare, and each way of commanding results in a different game. What follows is my own prefered style, and I do not claim it to be "the best" or "the only" way to command. It is just how I do things (assuming the typical node settings are in operation e.g. no camp respawn, not overly generous starting funds and supply etc)...



Game Start
As soon as you are voted commander, move the MHQ.
All the experienced players know the initial starting points, and by comparing the starting distance parameter to the starting location, it is possible to narrow down the other team's starting location to a couple of likely spots.

By moving the MHQ, this can help evade the base-hunters, not for long, but generally long enough into the game for you to have enough supply to move the MHQ again and set up another base.

Base Placement
Do not build your base at the following locations: an airfield, one of the larger towns that is not occupied by resistance, on the crest of a hill, or in the middle of an open field. These locations are either the first place a base hunter looks, or are just plain easy to spot.

Ideally, the base should be:
Near to a road.
Secluded.
Partially hidden by trees.
Maybe on the slope of a hill.

After the barracks is constructed, defences should be set up. A couple of Metis/TOW launchers on higher ground. Some AA Pods (just in case you forget later on). Some MG Nests in the woodland, facing different directions. Don't go overboard, since most base-hunters will not be stopped by your elaborate defences, they'll either pick them off with a silenced weapon, or just shoot your buildings with an RPG or SMAW from afar.

Base Buildings
After the MHQ is deployed, you need to build a Command Centre (CC), a Barracks, and a Light Factory (LF).

You might well have enough supply to build a Heavy Factory (HF), but don't. Upgrades are more important, and if the HF is built, you likely won't have the supply to upgrade it. Sure Opfor will still get the BMP3, but Blufor are stuck with the AAV, which is worse than useless. All the newbies will buy their APCs, trundle off into the nearest town, get RPG'd and waste their money. Which is money you need for...

Upgrades
Assuming Camp Respawn is off (and it usually is 9/10 times), UPGRADE TO LIGHT FACTORY 2 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
I really can't say that enough times. The Ambulance is (especially early in the game) the single most important and useful vehicle there is. You might recall with pride your moments of super-soldiery when you blew the heads off all the peasants in Guglovo with the SVD rifle. And you are right. You are a super-soldier (compared to the AI). And what makes a super soldier more super? A super soldier that returns from the grave 20-30secs after a lucky peasant has got off a shot from his CZ 550.

The ambulance allows experienced players to single-handedly cap entire towns. The more towns your guys capture, the more money and Supply you (and the team) get.

After upgrading to LF2, the choices are more flexible. My preference is, if Blufor Commander, go for the Gear 2 upgrade after LF2, for the awesome SMAW rocket launchers (one of the few real advantages Blufor have in Arma2 Warfare). If I'm Opfor commander, I might go for LF3 (for the BTR90).

After that, I usually save for the Supply upgrade, and when that's running, it's usually time to move the MHQ. Once the supply upgrade is in place, you should have a few towns and some decent $$ & SV coming in, and from here on, upgrades and buildings should come as circumstances dictate.

[Canetoads]

Cheers Ball0fire and theremin. This info will be quite useful.

[Mix]

Great post guys.

Got a question for ya's

I have noticed that when I try to set up static defences like TOWs and AA around the MHQ, the ai will always point in the same direction as the MHQ is pointing, even though I have changed the direction to the way I want them to point.

Why is this? and what am I doing wrong here?