Ts3 has this nifty thing called channel command. Every commander could join channel command and talk with other commanders.Originally Posted by Unaco
You just have to be a little careful as it can get confusing if people talk on channel command and in normal channels, so all channel commanders should be encouraged to signal somehow that they're talking on channel command. Just using some codeword is usually enough.
I know it has the Channel commander thing... but, why wasn't it being used? And does it work the same way we have our whisper on Mumble? If only commanders can hear it, it might not be the best thing for the CO (overall commander) to communicate on, as it might be better for EVERYONE to hear them, and not just the SL's.
I don't know how mumble's whisper works, so I can't answer that.
I'm also not sure if it is possible to let someone broadcast to all channels while being in a different channel while being on channel command. Huh. Hm.
That is how Mumbles whisper works. We have an ArmA Group/Channel in Mumble. Within that, we have BluFor and OpFor (sub)channels, and within BluFor (for example) we have Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc, subchannels. When in Alpha and talking/broadcasting normally, only people in Alpha will hear what is said. If Alpha SL uses his Whisper though, which broadcasts to Parent channel (BluFor, if maybe the CO is in that room, rather than one of the Inf (A/B/C etc) or a special CO room) and the Subchannels (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc) then everyone (in BluFor) should hear it.
I'll first address Teamspeak 3: Teamspeak currently has whisper lists, like Mumble. In addition, it supports DYNAMIC whisper lists, which Mumble does not. Example: if you set up a whisper in teamspeak to talk to all Channel Commanders, only people with the Channel Commander status within the range of the whisper (e.g. parent channel and all channels below that) will hear your transmission. You can also set up the more traditional "all users" in the same range on seperate bind.
There's a readme on how to set channel commander whispers up here: http://fightersims.com/forum/3-suppo...k-3-setup.html
On ingame comms, I find I'm happy using VON with VOIP as a backup. There are a few teething problems there (like Wolfenswan not being able to hear VON, ArmA desynching) which is why I prefer both being available. I admit to not having even considered how to be clear over comms in a mission critical role (e.g. platoon/squad command) and will try harder in the future.
Missions and player behaviour: I noticed no problems with the Folk from Folk and enjoyed the opportunity to learn some of the more organised stuff, Fer's command style on Spatula (inc terminology) were new to me. On the other hand I am honestly disappointed in the behaviour of a minority of RPS players who were unfairly chatty, loud, obnoxious and always, always seem to end up with the toys first. And then abuse said toys. This behaviour has driven away other players, and there should be no onus on players to defend themselves against even joking insults. It simply shouldn't happen in the first place. There will be more on this later when I can figure out how to phrase what I want to say in a manner appropriate for a public forum and a server that is designed to accept new players with open arms.
Last edited by Nullkigan; 06-06-2011 at 05:59 PM.
i fixed the overly quiet VON by alt-tabbing out of the game and selecting "mixer" via the speaker symbol in the taskbar. for some reason the slider for arma 2 was all the way down, altough ingame settings and system sound were fairly high. putting it up a few notches put the VON sounds on the same level as TS3.(like Wolfenswan not being able to hear VON, ArmA desynching)
Play Arma2:CO with us. (It isn't nearly as difficult as you might think.)
It's okay to not like things.
One of the problems I have with Ingame VON, is that I run with (5.1) speakers, and headphones... I have the game sounds going through my speakers, and have TS/Mumble through my headphones. Ingame sounds I can make out (bullets, vehicles, choppers, explosions, choppers exploding), and TS3/Mumble chat I can make out fine (it going through the headphones by itself). But the Ingame VON, going through my speakers tends to get drowned out by the game sounds, and is usually quite distorted anyway. If there was a way to split out ingame VON to just my headphones (so TS3/Mumble and game VON, ie all voices go through headphones), I'd probably be very happy to use it. As it is now though, I prefer to use an external application for voice... or at least the important voices (banter can stick to ingame VON).
Thanks for that link Nullkigan... I'll try and get my whisper set up for TS3 and see how that works. I did try to do it when I first got it installed, but coming from Mumble, things just seemed too different (I can't set a key to 'Activate Push-To-Whisper', only 'Activate Push-To-Reply to a Whisper').
That's an interface difference rather than a mechanical one. Go to Options->Whisper->Whisper Lists->New. Pick a hotkey, select whisper to Groups, All Clients, Complete Channel Family to get the same whisper as you have in Mumble.
For VON vs VOIP, I have been having problems as well when depending only on VON (in regular ARPS missions). I also have to put the slider all the way up in the mixer and at the same time almost mute music and sound FX through the in-game menu. Then I can make out what the person is saying but it can be disorienting as I don't hear if I m being shot at etc...
I ll be joining tomorrow, and hopefully next Sunday for the Folk sessions.
We can simplify the issue by holding a meeting of ARPS regulars in a secluded channel somewhere in the arma channel.I noticed no problems with the Folk from Folk and enjoyed the opportunity to learn some of the more organised stuff, Fer's command style on Spatula (inc terminology) were new to me. On the other hand I and am honestly disappointed in the behaviour of a minority of RPS players who were unfairly chatty, loud, obnoxious and always, always seem to end up with the toys first. And then abuse said toys. This behaviour has driven away other players, and there should be no onus on players to defend themselves against even joking insults. It simply shouldn't happen in the first place. There will be more on this later when I can figure out how to phrase what I want to say in a manner appropriate for a public forum and a server that is designed to accept new players with open arms.
What was new, comrade?
"Go Firm", calling out orientations, and staying on top of spacings. The most organised I've otherwise encountered is "we're going to take that hill by going up that ridge to the west. <Name> is on point."
Your more active command style seems much more effective, especially with larger fireteams.
Null, haven't you been around for previous folk sessions?
In any case, the folk command style is effective and infectious. It gives everyone something to do, all the time, so people don't get bored and try to go off and do their own thing.
It's the reason I make a point to be around for it on sundays :D
This was the first time I was able to be free for it. I've had a mix of deadlines, and whilst I intended to play last week our shared distraction prevented it.
"Go firm" is a touch mil-sim, but it's a nice shorthand for "we're staying put for a bit, and might want to defend ourselves". Orientation is really useful, as it allows one to give directions based on 'left', 'ahead' and 'right' - all of which are much more immediate than compass bearings (which will cause players to pause for a second to consult their own compass). Formations and spacings don't have to be Napoleonic, but having a fireteam member know s/he is responsible for security 'right' or 'left' greatly increases the situational awareness of an element; spacings are a particular bugbear of mine, because in TvT a bunched fireteam is a grenade away from oblivion. It's a bit less of an issue against AI infantry, but AI tanks make it a factor.
As I've hinted at in an earlier post, I think there is appetite for the Folk sessions to remain a notch more organised than the standard ARPS Saturday session (and perhaps Tactical Tuesday); so next Sunday we'll revert to the more traditional Folk style of command, comms and missions. I realise that won't attract absolutely everyone, but it will mean there is a nice range of 'styles' to pick from in a given week. I hope those of you who do enjoy the 'Folk style' will register on the Folk forum if you have not already done so (don't worry, no clan tags or similar nonsense to deal with - you can't 'join' Folk because it's more like an event than a clan - but it makes it easier for us to reach you in the case of any ad hocs or information updates).
I like going firm :3
the way I see it (and this is just an opinion):
I enjoy tactical stuff, but like to have a chat sometimes too. This is why I like RPS ARMA- Tactical stuff at specific times, but gerenal meet-ups are flexible. If events have everyone wanting to be serious, thats great, but I dont want ARMA with RPS to become a lot more tactical all the time. However, if people fancy a tactical couple of missions, that could be good- I dont think tactical stuff should necessarily be limited ONLY to tuesdays.
If RPS go to another server, I think it would be expected that we would be more reserved- its their server after all, so we should abide by their style.
Eloquently put and I agree with this completely.
So I've been talking to a few of our 'worst offenders' and asking them to shape their behaviour on Tuesdays and Sundays, whether or not we're playing with Folk, a bit.
The original point of 'Tactical Tuesday' wasn't simply to play 'tactically', but to also clam up, calm down, and step away from the Toys You Hold So Dear (Apache, A-10, LRR, whatever). This was at the request of some of the older members of the group who were having trouble thinking over the chatter and cries of "I'm taking the A-10!". A good rule of thumb for effecitve communications is to ask yourself if you're being brief, clear and to the point. If you're not, you need to think a little more before you start talking. Also realise that other players can be more reticent than yourself, and will wait for second or even third calls before asking for a mission critical asset.
I've talked it over with a few of the RPS admins, and we're willing to apply muscle to people during that sort of session if we feel they haven't gotten the point. As I mentioned earlier, I've had discussions with people who don't play much any more about why they don't and 'environment' came up more than boredom.
If this means someone doesn't have the usual amount fun, then maybe those sessions aren't for them. There are other evenings in the week for chattering over an A-10 pileup.
I realise that I might've contributed to the "chat cluttering" simply 'cuz thats the only way I can make myself heard whilst at work(laptop, crappy mic.)...
So, to redeem myself I'd like to try out the Commander-position this Saturday or Sunday(depending if everyone wants to die or just a few...).
If that's alright with y'all!
And once again, Thank you Fer for the invite! I love to play with you guys and your wierd tactical missions!
(no nukes? vut?)
I just thought I'd throw in my comments on the current topics (Spatula and play last Sunday):
First Spatula. I just want to say that I'm really sorry for losing the wildcat after dropping of the first squad, I haven't used the wildcat alot and it has a bit of a different feel so I went a bit too high when returning, my fault completely. Though having my computer crash which in turn delayed the CASEVAC in the middle of the mission was unfortunate.
I'll just say right now that I like Spatula for it's multiple objectives with different approaches, I'm one for more sandboxy stuff where you rely more on your commander to set up a plan and having squads execute it while keeping a functional command structure. That is the same reason why I like Domi and Insurgency, there is more need for a commander to actually lead and it gives more opportunities for teamwork (when this works that is).
Though I do understand the problem on Spatula specifically with having to wait a long time while you're dead and having to carry friendlies for miles when the AA hinders any CASEVAC to be remotely close to the front.
With that said, I think the lack of (proper) communication and an established second in command (for when Bodge lost his sound) broke the mission a bit when we played on Sunday. I had no idea who the new commander was and I kept getting conflicting reports on what AA was still alive and where to land the CASEVAC; during the entire mission I think only one AA battery got marked as down, the rest I just had to guess were killed.
I'd also like all RPS squad leaders to ape after fer's active commanding (from what I gather from what Null said), I think it makes the squad more effective if everybody knows their role and know what the squad is doing. Just having the grunts trying covering the same 180 degrees while trying to keep up with their SL who starts advancing without communicating is very tedious. I try to get better at this myself but it's really hard to make sure that your entire squad is working as a cohesive unit as it is right now.
To summarise (and I seem to be coming to the same conclusion as the rest): we need to work on having a proper command structure and squad leads need to be leading their squads more. Of course, that requires that the squadmates actually listen and follow as best they can.
If this is some mad rambling, then I blame it on being late and I'm tired.
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