welcome to barma 3! - Kieranator/BadArma GitHub Wiki

This guide will familiarize new players with Arma 3's controls and mechanics, as well as our modset's systems.

Essentials
Movement
Interaction
Communication
Inventory
Combat
Vehicles
Miscellany
Medical System
Death and Spectating
Roles
Joining the Server
Next

#The Essentials If you won't read the entire guide, at least do the following:

• Rebind Throw Grenade from default G. You will fatfinger this binding and instantly throw a grenade at your feet, wounding your entire team. Please rebind to something else, like Shift + G.
• Familiarize yourself with AGM/ACE interaction keys. Use these to access mod actions. Interact (with others / object) is Right Windows and self-interact is Application Key or Left Windows. If you have a weird keyboard, rebind them in the AGM menu: Press ESC while in-game and click the AGM settings button in the upper-left.
• Pause before tabbing out. If you Alt+Tab out of Arma and click back in, you'll fire. Using Alt+Tab to switch back in should be safe, but pausing first is a good idea in case you forget. Double tapping Ctrl to lower your weapon is also useful for safety.

Quality-of-life tips:

• Separate Zoom In and Hold Breath bindings. By default, holding the right mouse button zooms in and holds your breath. You will use zooming often, and holding your breath unnecessarily will fatigue you and make your aim unsteady.
• Separate Combat Pace and Deploy Weapon bindings. They're unrelated toggles on one key.
• Rebind Inventory to G. If throw grenade is gone, use G for something else. It's much easier to reach than I when you need to act fast.
• http://dslyecxi.com/arma-3/arma3-alpha-controls/ has some interesting tips regarding keybinds.

#What is Arma 3? If you have played Red Orchestra, Insurgency, or Project Reality, that's a good mindset to start with. Arma is life-sized terrain and authentic ballistics, everything else follows.

##Movement

• Stances and stance adjustment.
  -X is crouch, Z is prone.
  -Adjust your stance to intermediate states, Ctrl+W adjusts up, Ctrl+S adjusts down.
  -Adjust stance left and right wih Ctrl+A and Ctrl+D.
  -Conventional upper body leaning is Q and E.
• Vault over obstacles with V. Vaulting will traverse waist-high obstacles. Can't jump.
• Stamina affects run speed and weapon stability. Stamina is depleted by movement and holding your breath. Walking while standing takes very little stamina, while crouched or prone sprinting is quickly tiring. Carrying a heavy load will also fatigue you quickly. A fatigue bar will appear in the lower-left corner of your screen when you use stamina, resting while crouched or prone is the quickest way to recover.
• Toggle Walk/Run with default W + S
• Tactical pace lets you jog / shuffle with your weapon raised. Default is C to toggle. Tactical pace is faster than walking and slower than running. Your weapon will be unstable, but up and ready to fire.

##Interaction

• Vanilla scroll menu, a.k.a. addactions. Scrolling will display a list of available actions, such as Get in Vehicle or Close Door, middle click to select. Middle clicking alone can activate the highest priority action currently available.
• AGM/ACE interaction menus. Press your Windows or Application Key for the interact or self-interact menu. Then Left-click the UI to navigate sub-menus. Functions include:
  -Medical Treatment
  -Join groups or color teams
  -Drag, carry, load, or unload unconscious units
  -Replace tires, repair tracks, refuel
  -Ziptie, disarm, search, escort units

##Communication

• Cycle chat channels with , or . and chat with /
• Double click the map to make a marker. Type to add text, arrow keys change icon, enter to finalize. Visibility of the marker is determined by current chat channel. Unless you have a specific reason, always place markers in Side chat.
• Use the Teamspeak Push-to-Talk key to talk locally. With ACRE, anyone close enough can hear you, friend or foe.
• Hold Tab, then scroll to adjust your voice volume. This determines how far your voice carries in-game, from whisper to shout.
• Transmit over radio with Caps Lock. Added by ACRE.
  -Configure current radio with Ctrl+Alt+Caps Lock.
  -Cycle through radios with Alt+Shift+Caps Lock.
  -Hotkeys for specific radios are Shift/Alt/Ctrl+Caps Lock.
  Talking into your radio is also audible locally per your voice volume setting.

##Inventory

• Look at a container / pile and open your inventory to access it. Rebinding this to G will make it easier to reach.
• You have three places / containers to store items. Your uniform, vest, and backpack. Anyone can open your backpack with the scroll menu and take or place items. ACE lets you lock your backpack.
• You can left-click and drag items between containers.
• Right-click to equip/unequip items or switch items between the ground/crate and your inventory.
• There is a tab to switch between the ground and a container. Upper left of inventory window. You can also drag and drop items onto those tabs.

###Guns, Ammo, and Armor

• Use the right gun for the right job. Note that heavier guns have more weapon inertia. Weapon inertia influences the weapon's behavior when you move or turn, and is most relevant in close quarters.
  -Submachineguns perform best in close quarters, they have low weapon inertia and recoil but inferior ballistics at range.
  -Assault rifles are effective at short and medium range, but can be used mid-long range with high volume of fire or optics.
  -Marksman / Sniper rifles are for long range.
  -Machineguns and their ammo are heavy, but highly effective at many ranges when employed correctly.
  -Anti-tank/air launchers destroy vehicles.
• Ammo type affects ballistics, damage, appearance, and sound.
  -Armor piercing rounds, FMJ, etc. effect terminal ballistics.
  -Use tracers for feedback or to coordinate with your teammates.
  -Subsonic ammo doesn't produce a supersonic crack, but does less damage and is more dramatically affected by gravity.
• Weapon Attachments. You can add or remove attachments in-game in the inventory window.
  -Optics - Cycle through attached sights/optics with Ctrl+Right Click. Zoom with Numpad + and -.
  -Lasers / Flashlights toggle with default L.
  -Bipods - some are permanently attached.
  -Silencers / Flash hiders.
  -Underbarrel grenade launchers are permanently attached.
• Different grenades can have significantly different effects.
  -Offensive grenades are lighter, thrown farther, and have a smaller AOE.
  -Defensive grenades are heavier but have a larger AOE.
  -Smoke grenades mask friendly movement or block enemy vision.
  -Stun grenades and flashbangs differ only slightly.
  -Flares are short-lived, used for night illumination and signalling
  -IR grenades/beacons emit light visible only through NVGs.
• Vests may or may not be armored. Helmets are functional. Vests have differing armor values and some vests have more inventory space than others. Don't expect significant, if any, protection from webgear or light/tac vests. You can expect some protection if wearing a "carrier rig" or something similar.

###Items

• Compass (K) Use cardinal directions and compass bearing, a.k.a. azimuth, in degrees to navigate and describe.
• Map (M) Won't work if you don't have a map in your inventory. You can see markers people have placed in channels visible to you. You can view briefing info, objectives, the platoon roster, etc.
• "Folding Map" (Shift + M) Pulls up a configurable map display in-game, nicer than the vanilla GPS minimap (Right Ctrl + M).
• Watch (O) Shows in-game time.
• Binoculars (B) Generally, leaders and spotters get these.
• Rangefindger (B) Like binoculars, but they tell you how far away things are. Use Numpad + and - to zoom in and out.
• Night Vision Goggles (N) Press Alt+Page Up/Down to adjust brightness.
• Flashlight/Lasers (L) IR lasers are only visible through NVGs.
• Radios We commonly use two radios: the 343 and 148.
  -343 is used at the fireteam level, short range.
  -148 is for squad and platoon leadership and specialized attachments, longer range.
• Mine Detector Automatically detects nearby mines and marks them with a red triangle.
• Medical Vanilla first aid kits convert to 4 bandages and 1 morphine when picked up. See Medical System for more info.
  -Bandage
  -Morphine Autoinjector
  -Epinephrine Autoinjector
  -Blood bag

##Combat

• Hold right-click to zoom in.
• Hold breath to momentarily reduce weapon sway. Holding too long can have the opposite effect.
• Adjust zeroing with Page Up/Down. Bullets have a parabolic trajectory. Adjust your sights for the range you are trying to hit. More info.
• Cover penetration. You can shoot through objects and walls. The stronger your ammo, the more it can punch through while maintaining lethality.
• Weapon Resting. Position your weapon close to something you could conceivably rest on and you will receive reduced sway and recoil. There is an indicator in the upper-right when this is active.
• Weapon Deployment, default C. You can deploy your gun whether you have a bipod or not. Deploying without a bipod does not reduce sway or recoil any more than resting. Deploying with a bipod significantly reduces sway and recoil beyond resting.
• Switch firing modes with F. Depending on the gun, you can switch between single-shot, burst, and full-auto. An underbarrel grenade launcher (UGL) counts as a firing mode.
• Switch ammo type with scroll menu. If you have multiple magazine types for your current weapon, other types will add load actions to the scroll menu. This is how you switch between grenades, smoke shells, and flares with a UGL.
• The Throw Grenade button throws it instantly. Cycle through grenade types with 6 cycling lethal, 7 cycling non-lethal.
• Suppress enemy AI. If you shoot close enough to AI, they will suffer reduced accuracy and other effects. Suppressing players works as it does in real life: make them believe moving or peeking is fatal, and they won't risk it.

##Vehicles ###Types

• Car/Truck. Unarmored transport. Passengers might be able to FFV.
• Technical. Truck with a heavy machinegun or anti-tank weapon mounted on it.
• Armored Personnel Carrier. Basic infantry transport and fire support.
• Tank. Kills other armor, needs infantry support to survive for long.
• Helicopter. Comes in transport or attack flavors. Can sling-load and transport other vehicles. Passengers might be able to FFV.
• Fixed-wing. Biplanes, airliners, jets.
• Boat. From inflatables to patrol boats with grenade launchers and machineguns.
• Seal Delivery Vehicle. Submarine that can carry up to 4 units.
• Mech. Yes, we have them. Unfortunately, they are buggy and unbalanced.

###Basics

• Use the scroll menu to mount. The action will indicate position, e.g. Get in [vehicle] as Driver.
• Press V to dismount. You can double tap to eject while the vehicle is moving, this is generally a bad idea.
• Firing from vehicles. Some vehicles allow passengers to FFV, double tap Ctrl to raise or lower your gun.
• Steer with A and D. If you don't like mouse turning, double tap Alt to enable freelook. Permanently enable vehicle freelook in options (recommended).
• Q for low throttle, W normal, E full. Full throttle isn't always a good idea. S is reverse.
• Brake more quickly with handbrakes (X).
• Deploy countermeasures with C. Land vehicles may launch a smoke screen, air vehicles have flares.

##Misc.

• Freelook with Alt. Useful when you're moving, have a weapon deployed, or are in a vehicle. Like many default keybinds, double tap to toggle.
• Raise and lower your gun by double tapping Ctrl. Moving around with your gun lowered has no speed penalty and fatigues less. Try to lower before you Alt+Tab out, clicking back in may cause negligent discharge. When lowered, trying to fire will raise your weapon.
• Switch weapons with number keys. You may think no shit, but in Arma the number keys were originally for team management and commanding. AGM/ACE replaces these bindings, as we rarely play with subordinate AI.
• Holster guns with 0. Makes you run faster and use less stamina. Beware, if you run into contacts it'll take time to switch to a weapon.
• Salute with \ and sit with '

##Medical System

##Death and Spectating

• You Only Live Once. We rarely play with respawns.
• The Respawn button kills you. If you are knocked unconscious and press Esc, the respawn option will be available. Please refrain unless it's utterly certain you will never be revived. Give your teammates a chance to save you, it's an important part of the experience.
• After dying, you become a spectator. You can select which unit to follow and change your camera mode. You can adjust vision modes with N.
• If your spectator camera keeps following bullets, turn off Missile Camera in the upper-left menu.
• If you press ESC while in spectator, you become a butterfly. You can use weird shitty helicopter-like controls to move. To go back to spectator mode, hold Z until you touch the ground.

##Roles What roles are available depends on the mission.

• Rifleman. The most fundamental role. A good slot for new players.

###Weapon Roles

• Machinegunners
  -Autorifleman (AR) uses heavy weapons with standard ammo.
  -Medium Machinegunner (MMG) uses heavier weapons with stronger rounds.
  -Heavy Machinegunner (HMG) uses a crew-served weapon. Requires an assistant to carry the weapon's base / ammo.
• Anti-Tank
  -AT Rifleman is a Rifleman with a disposable launcher.
  -Medium AT (MAT) carries a reusable launcher. May have guided munitions capability.
  -Heavy AT (HAT) uses a crew-served weapon. Requires an assistant to carry the weapon's base / ammo.
• Anti-air Specialist carries a missile launcher designed to disable / destroy aircraft.
• Assistant accompanies the above roles, carrying extra ammo and helping them adjust fire. Another good role for new players if the weapon system they're assisting is simple.
• Mortars require a team to carry the weapon's base, tube, and ammo. They can fire HE, smoke shells, flares, and specialty modded rounds. They can use an artillery computer to make their job as simple as it is in Battlefield 3/4.
• Marksman/Sniper
  -Marksman operates at the squad level and sticks with the squad, engaging long-range or priority targets.
  -Snipers are the glorified ghillie types that operate by themselves or with a spotter. They are lame and boring easymode even more than conventional rifles with optics.

###Specialized Roles

• Medic carries medical equipment and performs all medical actions more quickly.
• Engineer can repair vehicles quickly and set / disarm explosives without a chance of critical failure, a.k.a. Repair and Explosive Specialist.
• UAV Operator starts with a small UAV quadcopter and UAV terminal. They can control other UAVs should the mission provide them.
• Vehicle Crewman. The commander is the most senior crewmember followed by the gunner, driver is the most subordinate. The commander role is often discarded with low player counts.
• Pilot/Co-pilot/Crew Chief We rarely have the numbers to justify more than just a pilot.
• Forward Air Controller (FAC) / Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC). Coordinates close air support, maintaining direct radio contact with the aircrew. Rarely necessary at low player count.

###Leadership Roles

• Fireteam Leader. Leads 3-5 players, using a 343 radio to work with their fellow team leader under the squad leader's direction. The cutting edge in combat.
• Squad Leader. Directs 2 team leaders over 343, or leads a fireteam and directs the other. Uses a 148 to work directly with other squad leaders under the direction of the platoon leader.
• Platoon Leader / Commander. Directs the squad leaders and any other attachments with the 148. Ultimately responsible for overall mission success and fun-maximizing.
• Platoon Sergeant. Second-in-command of the platoon and advisor to the commander. They can manage the platoon if the platoon leader needs to plan briefly. Platoon Sergeant is often attached to important elements or specialized teams to guide them directly per the commander's intent. This role is currently retired due to low player count.

##Joining the Server

1. When you join the server and no misson is loaded, you'll see the mission select screen. Players can vote on which mission they want, just wait until an admin selects a mission. If you want to play a particular mission, suggest it in Teamspeak.
2. After a mission is selected the role selection screen appears. As a new player, you should select a Rifleman or Assistant role. You don't need to click continue, the mission will load when the admin continues.
3. After loading you'll see the map screen. Study the map and read the briefing. Please let the leaders discuss and compose a plan. If you have any suggestions feel free to explain. Keep all off-topic talk to the text chat channel. The mission will begin when the admin continues.
4. Ask before joining a mission in-progress. Doing a JIP (Join in Progress) can break the mission, for only you or everyone, if it is not designed to handle JIP.

#Next
Don't sweat if you can't memorize all this stuff. Always feel free to ask questions.
Get your feet wet:

• Virtual Arsenal Try out any weapon, vehicle, item, etc. in the game.
• Virtual Training Various exercises in vanilla Arma mechanics. Play without mods.
• Bootcamp A short tutorial and introduction missions. Play without mods.
• Dslyecxi's Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Arma 3 is a good read if you want to be a good player.
  It's also huge. We're condensing relevant info in the Badger Handbook.