Still no full game manual (NOT editing manual)?

[ladlon]

Hi, I got myself Arma2 (never owned the previous games, but certainly was interested in them). Very impressed so far, except for one thing (which has been touched on by others)... the documentation.

Now, I'm not talking about how to use the Editor and all that... Just a COMPLETE guide for playing the sim itself (...explanations of all the squad/menu commands, weapons, etc). The physical manual touches on the basics, but leaves a LOT out. The in-game tutorials aren't bad, but again leave out a lot of things.

I was surprised there are (seemingly) no user-made guides, let alone an official one. I fully understand the economic reasons for the (relatively) small physical manual, but was surprised to see there was no larger/more complete PDF manual included.

My searches online have found a random assortment of EDITOR tutorials (...some horrible and useless, some good....), but so far nothing much on further commands, etc for playing/controlling squads. The Dslyecxi guide that everyone points to (when people ask about a guide) doesn't go over any of the actual sim commands... just more of a 'tactics and procedure' type of thing.

I was pleased to see some 'tutoring' during the campaign, but found that often the text notes that pop up in the top right didn't seem to jive with reality (...like the notes about the compass display... 'yellow arrow points north, yellow line points to objective'... that didn't seem to be true, and there was no line!). Also, those notes fly by pretty fast (while you are focused on the sim). Would be nice if they were stored (or available) for review again.

Anyway, I'm trying to learn the sim by trial and error, but some sort of (complete) documentation would be great... So just checking in to see if anything new has surfaced.

[Graw2Pro]

Me too - there are a fewstandalone pdf guides around for CTI if you search - but initially its largely trial and error.

The problem is that most people of the inclination to produce detailed guides probably already did that for Arma 1, and the games not changed that much since. Does make it hard for new players though.

This is a good link for CTI http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Arma-2-W...eginners-Guide

[ladlon]

Ya, for me, it's really just a need for a COMPLETE manual... not so much a complex one. Just something that goes through EACH menu item (ex. all the commands for a satchel charge), etc. Granted, some of them are self-explanatory, or can be figured out with trial and error... but that's all relative. Some people may have no problem (...maybe they are knowledgeable in military hardware/procedures, etc)... while others will be left clueless and frustrated (...and constantly getting killed, making it hard to try things!).

I recently figured out 'little things' like the command to trigger a satchel charge remotely (....it's name, which I don't recall, isn't self explanation... but I DID figure it out... after blowing myself up by selecting it while I was placing charges)...... as well as the 'turn out'(?) command while in a vehicle (....again, no clue what it was, based on the wording, but figured it out by trying it).

I had a go for the first time with a laser designator... Again, I had a basic understanding of the concept, but not a full understanding of how to use/control it in the sim itself. Wasn't sure if I had to press the mouse button the whole time (until the target was hit), or if I even had to keep the laser aimed at the target while I was waiting for it to be hit.

Kind of frustrating... but not in a 'this game sucks, I'm going back to playing Halo' kind of way. I love the 'sim/realistic' nature of it, and really want to fully understand everything so I can really get into this. I'm hoping my (many) questions that I'm posting now aren't going to get me seen as some guy who doesn't read manuals, or whines about things being too hard. Give me a 300 page manual, and I'll gladly read it!

[Alpha-Kilo]

I agree that a decent manual is needed. Perhaps someone will create a documentation for ACE2 when it is final.

If you want to learn how to play, I suggest to read the famous guide by Dsl and the hints section of the Biki. If you just want to learn the various keystrokes and what they do, you may want to take a quick look at the file in my signature. I have recently added the key commands for ACE2 but this version is not online, yet. If you are interested in the ACE2 keystrokes, please check the Ace2 wiki.

[Dwarden]

while i agree there is no exactly 'per se' fully all changes incorporating manual about editor there is quite 'content' packed wiki

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor

but that's mainly related just to editor, rest of things like script commands and other is already covered in wiki

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_2:_Editing
for rest you need look to
http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Editing

example some of modules info : http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/C...Editor_Modules

also i would suggest to click at the Category at bottom so You can find each subject You want

and not to mention editing guide for ARMA 1 from Murray which is 300+ pages
http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=4847

[ladlon]

I'll have to look into that again. The Dslyecxi guide didn't do much for me (in terms of an explanation of the sim's menu commands (....I agree, it's great for tactics, etc, though). Key commands I think I have nailed (as the manual covers that). It's really more about what the various sub-commands do/are.... as well as some of the squad commands beyond the basic ones covered extensively in the manual or vids.

Part of it too is just the vocabulary. To an outsider, that can be a real issue. A menu command can be very self-explanatory if you are familiar with the acronym or name used in it... but completely foreign if you do not. Simple example.... 'Turn Out' (?). I had no idea what that was. Thought for a while that it was maybe some sort of sharp turn!

I imagine that many of the hard core military guys here are face slapping at the sight of some of these questions... but they do have to remember that some people are not familiar with military vocabulary or methods... and I would gladly learn it all, if I had a manual!

@DWARDEN... No, I'm not looking for anything on the Editor.... That there IS a lot of. I'm looking for a guide on how to play the sim (ALL squad controls, ALL menu commands, weapon descriptions/methods, etc).

[Simon C]

The most helpful thing I could suggest at this point is experiment. Place yourself down in the editor with a group, maybe a few enemies, and try things out. Helps teach you what's good cover and what's not, what the most effective way to use each weapon is and plenty more.

[Alpha-Kilo]

There is a very good thread about military dictionaries somewhere on this forum (use the search function if you're interested). There you can find explanations of acronyms, abbreviations, etc.

But if you have already done some reading you might consider playing with humans who are willing to teach you some tricks. What Simon C suggests will also work but you will probably spend more time than necessary. AI in the editor kills you but doesn't help you to get better.

[stun]

For non editing guidance the AI Squad Command Guide by Rotkeps is usefull: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=81123

[Graw2Pro]

Bring back the days when games came with large hard back 80 page manuals - hmmm

A manual for Arma should have 2 volumes - one for commands and game modes and the other with purely technical information on all the equipment and weapon - ranges, top speed etc