Do you want to drive or command a tank? Do you want to be the "Are we there yet?" guy in the back of a HMMWV? Do you want to learn how to sight an assault riifle and deliver a tight grouping at over 300 meters distance? We can do it together!

As this community is for the most part made up of intelligent gamers with excellent taste I've been thinking on and off about getting a group together to play some ArmA 2/Operation Arrowhead. I've been experimenting with this game for a couple of years and feel I have enough experience to introduce the game to new players. I was thinking that perhaps I can get a handful or more people online and we go through the basics together.

I know how to set up a server, though having only one computer it means I can not run a truly dedicated server. The one with the fastest computer, or better yet, a second computer, could host the game. I also do not have access to any external voice chat solutions, though if we are not too big a group, Skype is fully adequate. My timezone is GMT+1 and am currently very flexible when it comes to scheduling. I imagine this could be a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly thing.

What I had in mind to begin with is that we start out vanilla using the latest final release patch (whichever it is) playing the Warfare/Mountain Warfare scenarios from the core game. These are great "capture the objective" game modes similar to the Battlefield series, though on a much larger scale and without the flashy arcadey game mechanics. They are best played cooperatively alongside and against AI controlled squads. It is very fun for just two players, though it really becomes fantastic when you have four up to eight players working together to conquer a small country. Larger games are technically possible though we would have to run a powerful dedicated server to keep it lag free and avoid crashing it after one hour of play.

In short, here is what I have in mind:
- A group of people using the vanilla game, past experience not required. Roughly 2-8 players or more depending on server capability
- 1-2 hour long gaming sessions. We can of course go on for longer but everyone should at least be able to pledge an hour or two before suddenly having to leave.
- I will try and teach you everything you need to set the game up, how to control the game and basic tactics and teamwork.
- A microphone is recommended but not essential
- Cooperative combined arms gameplay
- If things work out and we are having fun, perhaps we can start experimenting with mods and custom scenarios

Here is what I need to know from you:
- Are you interested? Have any suggestions?
- When are you available? Suggest some GMT+0 hours and weekdays
- Can you host the game? Do you have access to a teamspeak, ventrilo or equivalent voice chat solution?
- Do you have military experience or a keen interest in military subjects? Maybe you want to teach us some tactics and procedure and make this both fun and educational!

Looking forward to replies!

Heyo, I am certainly chomping at the bit to dive into multiplayer Arma shenanigans with some genuine goglodytes. Evenings (Pacific, GMT -8) are best for me but, I can be flexible. I don't have any issues with using VOIP other than the only mic I currently have is the one built into my Mac :P but, that is not really a permanent issue. I have an interest in cooperative multiplayer games and history but, after watching several of Ken Burn's documentaries covering the issue I can't say that I have an affection for war or care to glamorize it. That being said, I will concede to the fact that our history has been indelibly shaped by conflict and I certainly have a respect for the military and (to be more precise) the individuals who choose to serve.

one suggestion however, seeing as this thread is cozily tucked away in it's designated channel, its exposure would be improved if some noise were made in general, inviting traffic this way. once the dust from the latest announcement settles, that is. Nice post by the way.

I want to do some small scale testing first before I promise too much. It seems I can run a server with a decent amount of bots, and if we are less than a handful of players we can simply use a Skype conference call for voice chat (so long as all mic users have headphones to avoid voice feedback). I am using a straight GOG installation without mods so anyone can replicate the setup.

I was surprised to find that the default control scheme is very good, which makes teaching new players a lot easier. Even better, it appears there are Armory scenarios for multiplayer where we can all walk around and try out different equipment together. Should be good for a first session!

The only potential problem we face right now is whether or not my router will let everyone in or not. I have read up on which ports to forward etc so I really hope we don't run into these kinds of problems.

I can not commit to any specific dates as of yet but I should be free this weekend (june 7-8).

Good news, everyone! I have successfully set up a config file to run a dedicated server and got the port forwarding through my router.If I had a second computer I would use it as a truly dedicated server, but for now I am stuck having to play on the same computer as the server host.

I am still trying to find a sweet spot in number of bots that doesn't slow down my computer and therefore bog down the server as well.

I am free today and all weekend, if anyone is intersted in some small scale testing just say so and I will help you get started.

Hello, thanks for your effort!
I'm new to Arma but I'd love to join! The bad thing is I won't be able to join this weekend and may the next one too. I have little free time to study, go out with my girlfriend, read and play games but I'll get some time to join you guys.
And which Arma game(s) are you planning to play?
Skype is nice and there's also TeamSpeak but I don't which one is better. Whatever is fine for me.
Anyway, I hope we'll see again soon. Thanks!

I only have multiplayer experience with ArmA 2 Combined Operations (ArmA2+OperationArrowhead). I also have Cold War Assault though I have never played that game online and I am not very interested in getting it to work.

Teamspeak and Ventrilo are preferable but I don't have access to servers we can use. Push to talk is a lot better for gaming than an open phone conference (people with wireless headsets really should not go for bathroom breaks!).

I am going to set aside a couple of hours starting at about 22:00 GMT (10pm GMT) if anyone is interested in helping me test the server and set things on fire in a virtual sandbox. I'll PM my contact information to those interested.

So, that's 2pm Pacific? I'd be free, let me know what I need to get started. I'll DL skype :P and check my Arma install. Pretty sure I have the default GOG install, I used PlayWithSix to join a few DayZ games but, I don't think that should be an issue.

Splendid idea, Mr. Sufyan, and a splendid post!
I wish i had more spare time :( When i do, it's usually during the night (GMT +2).
I hope i could join you sometime soon, for server testing purposes or for a game. What is the most comfortable (for you) way to contact you, when i hopefully have some time? Is a PM here OK? I don't use any "social networks", got e-mail and a Tunngle account.
Anyways, with or without me, wish you happy hours in the virtual battlefield, guys! The idea is really brilliant! Thanks, Sufyan, for your effort :)

That is awful kind of you. Thanks!

Me and evilnancyreagan did get a few hours in for a test run. I could not get my server to show up for him, so we eventually resorted to using Hamachi which worked rather well. From Sweden to the US west coast there was only about a 250ms delay and apart from some occasional rubber banding the game was stable. I'd like to see if someone else can find my server as I have no idea why it won't appear to evilnancyreagan while manually typing in the IP.

I am going to have a busy month from now on so I really don't know if and when I will be free to play again, but I can probably make time if anyone is interested. I don't use any other forums or sites and only use Skype and Steam, so a PM here is a good start.

If it's at the right time, I'd be all for it. A weekly or biweekly set time usually works best for me. Due to my work schedule, I may miss some.

I used to play NWN with a man from Sweden and it'd get really late for my normal playing hours (I'm GMT-6). But maybe a Saturday could work, or something.

Let me know how things work out. It'd be great fun to try it out.

Using Tunngle instead of Hamachi is way more comfortable. The first is made precisely for gaming - it's a pure peer-to-peer virtual LAN (does not add any additional lag, because no data is passing through a mediator server), with virtual gaming networks for many games. Those networks are not bound to the games they are named after - you can play any LAN game in any room. The names are just to make it easy for the users to find other players. Every room can hold up to 255 users. Also anyone can make a private room and, optionally, protect it with a password (as a mean against unknown users, who may try to cheat).
There is also an option for interlink - allows you to link your public dedicated server into any of the existing Tunngle networks. Once the Interlink is established, your server will appear in the LAN browser of the game for all the people that are online in the network. Of course your public server will still be reachable as usual by all the Internet enabled players via its public IP.
More info is available here: http://www.tunngle.net/wiki/Interlink ; http://www.tunngle.net/wiki/Tunngle
The best of all is it's developed by an independent team of gamers, not related to any corporation, game developer or publisher. And it's also free :)
I am not trying to advertise this service, just sharing my personal experience as a user of Tunngle (since 2011).