best way to learn ARMA 3 for complete new player

[danial9]

i bought apex edition on sale. 

what the best way to learn how to play arma 3 for someone who never played the series before.

which things you recommend a new player should do and what kind of modes a new player should start off with.

any other tips for new players like some settings info or something.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Well... If you played any FPS game like CoD or Battlefield, unlearn everything you learned from those games. ARMA is a combat simulator. You can't move fast. You can't reload fast. If you don't take your time to aim, you will miss the broad side of a barn. You can take one, maybe two bullets if you're lucky. And if you survive a hit, you're likely going to be crippled somewhere.

 

Some things can carry over, like the basics of battlefield tactics. But you're going to have to be on top of your game lest you be picked off by someone who's 100 meters away.

 

It's best to get a handle on how the game feels through the tutorials. The game is not forgiving if you jump straight into the campaign without knowing what you're doing.

[Aytex]

Check ALL your corners if you are doing OP's

Use alt ALOT 

third person may be limited in certain servers. we usually have it off cause its unrealistic\

 

See a enemy? Give bearings, press K to pull up your compass and you see thoes numbers, thats a bearing

ex Tango bearing 250

[danial9]

3 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Well... If you played any FPS game like CoD or Battlefield, unlearn everything you learned from those games. ARMA is a combat simulator. You can't move fast. You can't reload fast. If you don't take your time to aim, you will miss the broad side of a barn. You can take one, maybe two bullets if you're lucky. And if you survive a hit, you're likely going to be crippled somewhere.

 

Some things can carry over, like the basics of battlefield tactics. But you're going to have to be on top of your game lest you be picked off by someone who's 100 meters away.

 

It's best to get a handle on how the game feels through the tutorials. The game is not forgiving if you jump straight into the campaign without knowing what you're doing.

i was planing on joining a online server but there is too much choice any recommendation, i am going through the tutorials right now so i should learn something from them 

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, danial9 said:

i was planing on joining a online server but there is too much choice any recommendation, i am going through the tutorials right now so i should learn something from them 

I don't play online, because I'm bad as is in the campaign 

 

The first thing you should learn is getting a feel of the controls.

[danial9]

8 minutes ago, Aytex said:

Check ALL your corners if you are doing OP's

Use alt ALOT 

third person may be limited in certain servers. we usually have it off cause its unrealistic\

 

See a enemy? Give bearings, press K to pull up your compass and you see thoes numbers, thats a bearing

ex Tango bearing 250

is there any place to see the important control keys because its so confusing right now in settings to understand what keys i need to remember

[Aytex]

3 minutes ago, danial9 said:

is there any place to see the important control keys because its so confusing right now in settings to understand what keys i need to remember

f changes semi to auto

m is map

k is compass

v gets you over barriers

thats mostly it

page up and down cahnges your zero distance

ctrl+ right click if you have a scope with 2 reticles 

[Morpheus235]

3 minutes ago, danial9 said:

is there any place to see the important control keys because its so confusing right now in settings to understand what keys i need to remember

For starting here is a Guide which pretty much sums all the basic controls up: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?l=german&id=131026100

[LooneyJuice]

This is a bit of an interesting one actually.

 

First off, if you want a more structured way of being guided through the game, I'd suggest trying out the APEX campaign. It's a little more tightly scripted and basically shows you everything you really need to know about how the game handles on a grander scale, and you don't require a massive team (Although coop is ArmA's strong point). Additionally the bootcamp/VR training deal isn't bad either. I just can't remember if it includes all the advanced stance stuff (that's nothing fancy, it's just CTRL+W/A/S/D to cycle between additional stances, you can experiment, and it's also indicated on the stance indicator). Controls etc will be listed properly in tooltips and such during the Campaign or training, so don't worry.

 

Furthermore, I think the most well thought out multiplayer game mode must be ANTISTASI (There's also the APEX branch called Warlords of the Pacific which is the same mode but on Tanoa) if you want to have a more impromptu go online. You need nothing but the vanilla game. It's a fully-fledged guerrilla warfare game mode which is crazy in-depth, and loads of players online. It's also a persistent game mode which allows you to save your character's stats. If you need some pointers, here you go http://www.a3antistasi.com/wiki/m/39325785/page/Antistasi_Official Manual (Although I'm not gonna be the guy to tell you to read an encyclopedia before enjoying your game, do as you please).

 

Other than that, you can always use the in-game, and rather intuitive 3d editor to just grab units and place them on the map to try out new gear or try the Arsenal functionality in the main menu. 

 

Some Pointers:

 

1. Control

Experiment with Control Presets. ArmA for the most part operates like a standard FPS, but A3 currently offers multiple control presets (you'll find them at the bottom of the control menu, small button labeled "preset") and choose what's right for you.

 

2. Performance

No matter what your rig is, ArmA 3 has a long and arduous history of flaky performance dictated mainly by the number of entities on the map at one time. Do not panic, do not go into overnight benders trying to figure out what's wrong. If you're monitoring your stats and you see your resource usage tank but ArmA 3 performance is lackluster, it's just ArmA

 

3. Patience

As stated above, you'll have to unlearn many things if you're mostly versed in other shooters. A huge factor when it comes to combat is the fatigue system. It's not that you won't be able to run for too long, but pacing yourself is a major game-changer in being able to reduce wheezing and weapon sway when you indeed need to pull the trigger in a hurry. Also be sparing with the number of stuff you pile onto your character.

 

4. It's 1st and 3rd person view but...

 

...I think the real juice is in the first person action. There's a lot of stances and mechanics tailored to conceal your silhouette and present a smaller target while in first person, it's a game changer. I know lots of people love to go into 3rd person and look around corners, but that's really getting a lot of info for no risk, and it kills a lot of the crazy tension, risk, and reward you get from ArmA 3.

 

Good vid on above point: 

 

Other than that, have fun, shoot shit, enjoy, and welcome to what may be the best, or most frustrating (or both at the same time!) virtual combat experience of your life  

 

 

[danial9]

6 minutes ago, LooneyJuice said:

This is a bit of an interesting one actually.

 

First off, if you want a more structured way of being guided through the game, I'd suggest trying out the APEX campaign. It's a little more tightly scripted and basically shows you everything you really need to know about how the game handles on a grander scale, and you don't require a massive team (Although coop is ArmA's strong point). Additionally the bootcamp/VR training deal isn't bad either. I just can't remember if it includes all the advanced stance stuff (that's nothing fancy, it's just CTRL+W/A/S/D to cycle between additional stances, you can experiment, and it's also indicated on the stance indicator). Controls etc will be listed properly in tooltips and such during the Campaign or training, so don't worry.

 

Furthermore, I think the most well thought out multiplayer game mode must be ANTISTASI (There's also the APEX branch called Warlords of the Pacific which is the same mode but on Tanoa) if you want to have a more impromptu go online. You need nothing but the vanilla game. It's a fully-fledged guerrilla warfare game mode which is crazy in-depth, and loads of players online. It's also a persistent game mode which allows you to save your character's stats. If you need some pointers, here you go http://www.a3antistasi.com/wiki/m/39325785/page/Antistasi_Official Manual (Although I'm not gonna be the guy to tell you to read an encyclopedia before enjoying your game, do as you please).

 

Other than that, you can always use the in-game, and rather intuitive 3d editor to just grab units and place them on the map to try out new gear or try the Arsenal functionality in the main menu. 

 

Some Pointers:

 

1. Control

Experiment with Control Presets. ArmA for the most part operates like a standard FPS, but A3 currently offers multiple control presets (you'll find them at the bottom of the control menu, small button labeled "preset") and choose what's right for you.

 

2. Performance

No matter what your rig is, ArmA 3 has a long and arduous history of flaky performance dictated mainly by the number of entities on the map at one time. Do not panic, do not go into overnight benders trying to figure out what's wrong. If you're monitoring your stats and you see your resource usage tank but ArmA 3 performance is lackluster, it's just ArmA

 

3. Patience

As stated above, you'll have to unlearn many things if you're mostly versed in other shooters. A huge factor when it comes to combat is the fatigue system. It's not that you won't be able to run for too long, but pacing yourself is a major game-changer in being able to reduce wheezing and weapon sway when you indeed need to pull the trigger in a hurry. Also be sparing with the number of stuff you pile onto your character.

 

4. It's 1st and 3rd person view but...

 

...I think the real juice is in the first person action. There's a lot of stances and mechanics tailored to conceal your silhouette and present a smaller target while in first person, it's a game changer. I know lots of people love to go into 3rd person and look around corners, but that's really getting a lot of info for no risk, and it kills a lot of the crazy tension risk, and reward you get from ArmA 3.

 

Good vid on the point: 

 

Other than that, have fun, shoot shit, enjoy, and welcome to may be the best, or most frustrating (or both at the same time!) virtual combat experience of your life  

 

 

Thank you 

[d3sl91]

Watch youtube videos on gameplay in general, to get an idea of what you are in for (if you haven't already). 

 

If you can, play with a friend or two, as it makes it easier to handle the learning curve with supportive friends. 

 

 

[JumpDrive]

You can start of trying out the single player and getting a feel for the controls. The best thing would be to hop into a private session with a experienced friend who could teach you the ropes.

 

Or as has been said before there are some great youtube video's out there. But the best way to learn ArmA is to play ArmA.

 

(These might help)

https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3_Field_Manual_-_Infantry_Controls

https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3_Field_Manual_-_Vehicle_Controls

Edited January 5, 2017 by JumpDrive