If Real Life had a Loading Screen…

Soon to deploy within Combat Operations overseas,  our featured blogger and staff editor Valravn recounts his experiences of Mission Specific Training (MST) within the British Army.

Seeing as there’s a good three weeks to go until I actually ship out, I’d like readers to imagine this to be the ‘loading screen’ of my deployment. Now, this analogy actually runs deeper than it may seem – as the past five months of Mission Specific Training (MST) have had a pretty similar feel to the anticipation and frustration of the seemingly eternal splash screens and arbitrary opening sequences in the video games we all play… I’ll moan about that later. 

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It’s important to note that due to personal and operational security reasons (PERSEC and OPSEC) I’m going to have to leave out names and places, but if you have any further questions about pre-deployment training or life as a medic with the British Army infantry don’t hesitate to contact me on the forums.. providing you’re not in the IRA or the Taliban!

First a bit about myself: I’ve been a member of the Territorial Army for over three years now. Originally starting off in a Medical Regiment in my home city I completed my basic training and then transferred to my regional TA Infantry unit up North when I moved for University. Over the years I’ve completed courses with both the Reserves and the Regular Army around the world including Cyprus, Germany and the USA. I’m a qualified Combat Medical Technician, Mountain Leader and Battlefield Casualty Drills instructor as well as having completed the Combat Infantryman Course. All these titles and qualifications may sound like I know my stuff, but really they merely stand as proof of how little time I’ve spent at Uni over the years!

The glorious dead

On the 11ᵗʰ of November (a poignant day, being Remembrance Day throughout the Commonwealth) myself and fifteen others from my battalion were bussed down from the city to the Reinforcements Training and Mobilisation Centre. What followed was a series of briefings, medicals and fitness tests to gauge our eligibility to be attached to a regular unit for operations. By the end of week 2 the fifteen had become twelve, and those who made it were finally shipped off to our receiving unit, an Armored Infantry unit based in the South.

Photo courtesy of ITV: Members of our soon-to-deploy unit take part in a training serial.

I had mobilised under the premise of going out in the Regimental Aid Post as a medic, but due to a paperwork screw up and inter unit politics I eventually found myself assigned as an infantryman with a strike ops Company. Adjusting to the new role was difficult, as I went from a place where my skills as a trainee Physiotherapist and CMT were valued to being the absolute bottom of the ladder, eek! However, I soon found it easy to settle in once I got used to the constant assault of toilet humour and casual racism that makes up an infantry platoon – I’m with a good bunch of lads and while my well-spoken voice is something of an oddity they do love the free Physio I provide! Being a Reservist obviously there are people who have their prejudices, but having been lucky enough not to screw up at anything I’ve found myself universally accepted which is more than I could ask for! Not being part of the team was something I feared a lot more than bullets and bombs.

Our MST has been naturally based around the role we will be undertaking. My company is the only one in the battalion that isn’t based out of the Warrior armoured vehicle. The strike operations we will be undertaking will be either on foot or Heli-based so much of the training has been counter-IED and capture/detain related. I’ve also found my niche in training the Team Medics of the platoon, so at least my skills have been put to some use (“Ever tried massaging a man’s leg when it’s not attached to his body!?”). Despite what you may hear in the news about ‘withdrawing of troops’ and ‘enabling the Afghan Forces’ our job there is expected to be highly kinetic and as such this type of training is essential.

The final training hurdle was completed just before we went on Pre-Tour Leave. The Final Training Exercise (FTX) took place over eight days on Salisbury Plain. There’s something weird about training for summer ops in Afghanistan in the depths of the British winter! We lived ankle deep in mud not actually doing much at all and I’d hate to get in trouble for bringing the Army into disrepute but it really was a crappy exercise! Guard duty, 4 hours on, 4 hours off. Not at all what we’re going to be doing in Afghanistan but between the two heli-ops we did they had to find something for us to do! We’ve been told it won’t be like that in Afghan but this is the Army we’re talking about so who knows? 

Actors like this gentleman played the role of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) for our 8-day final exercise 

I’ve finished Pre-Tour Leave now and am back at camp.  Cheeky 4 mile ‘steady state run’ which involved half an hour of hillsprints made it clear to everyone there’ll be no rest until we board that plane in a few weeks time. There’s still three weeks to go until we fly out and I’m guessing that we’re in for tons of fitness, admin and bullsh-… stuff that will keep us busy until we step onto the plane! I’ve been told we’ll have internet at the FOB so I should be able to post occasionally on the Blog to let the RG Community what 4D gaming is like.

 (I’ve heard the graphics are great but the story sucks and there are no re-spawn points!)

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 Semper Fi/Hooah/God Save The Queen:

 -Val

One of the communities closest friends and long term member Technoelite, gives advice on his experiences within the British Armed Forces Reserves. 

Its been along time Reality gaming, to any one who does not know who I am my name is Technoelite/Technospy a very long friend of the community who stills keeps in touch. Special hello to Andrews, Soucy and the old crew if you are still around.

Any way this is the first blog post in a very long time. The reason for these is basically to share my experiences in the British Armed Forces Reserve aka the Territorial Army as it will soon ceased to be called due to the SDSR. Well a little bit about the unit I am Joining. The London Battalion is made up of four companies, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, London Scottish and London Irish Rifles. A lot of this names you may recognise as former Regular units and cap badges turned into reserve forces to retain their individual history. Our as part of the Guards Division, is to provide infantry soldiers to reinforce the five regiments of Foot Guards on operations. I will hopefully be based at Blackheath and attached to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers C Company, where my role will be communicating with fast air units and calling in the heavy firepower. (Some one has to carry the huge radio.)

Well now to the fun stuff I had selection weekend, and I want to tell you about my experience down at the army selection centre at Perbright (probably spelt wrong lol). Before you ask the TA selection weekend has been brought up to standard with the regular army, you do the same thing as everyone else.

So had to report to my TA centre at 6.00Pm Friday evening. So picture myself running from work with a good five kg pack on my back with all my stuff for the two day weekend. Arrived and met the other four applicants from C Company. (Not many I know the TA is having problems recruiting.) Great bunch of guys had a great laugh on the way down there. We arrived around 9.30 ish and hit a small problem right away; my medical paper work had not been passed along. So in theory I would not be able to conduct the weekend at all, because I may drop down dead. Luckily they gave my Warrant Officer till the morning to provide the paper work.

First things first the customary army search technique on any base is get you to stand along a wall and pour your stuff on the floor to check if you have any weapons or drugs.(My Haribo was confiscated, on the grounds it was a drug, i was pretty pissed.) With all this done we all thought we could get our heads down and get some kip, but no this is the British army we are talking about. 10.00pm straight into the Baharry room to have a lovely lecture on the LA 109 A1 HE grenade and its Training partner the LA 110 Practise Grenade. This lasted for god knows how long and before you knew it was 2.00am Saturday morning. Any one under any allusion this would be a cake walk should stop reading now.

 PRESENTS

HOW TO BUILD A CLAN

IN SIX EASY STEPS

Disclaimer:  This article is written from a perspective of comedy and entertainment. If you have trouble determining comedic works of art as factual advice, please stop reading now! Although some truth is present only an idiot would take what is written here as practical advice. This guide is written tongue in cheek!

So, you’ve got a few guys together and want to form a clan. This article will break down what you need to be a successful clan leader. This guide mainly applies to ARMA2 and other mature on-line communities. However, by applying this to other gaming platforms you should get the same results.

Reality Gaming have grown phenomenally in 1 year, here’s some of the secrets behind our success.

If this is your first clan consider reading this basic starter guide written by nextgg.com. A gamers guide to starting an online clan or gaming team.

Step One – Communication.

Okay, something you may overlooked is  being contactable. For the first few months of developing your clan you need to be highly visible and contactable. You are the living embodiment of your community.

Gaming Social Neworks (HUB) The community will be the result of your hard work, nothing more. Do not expect friends, acquaintances or your loved ones to run or promote it for you. This means getting steam, skype, facebook, origin, twitter, xfire and anything else you may need to stay in contact your friends. These tools help you identify with your team mates and allow you to reach out when you have organised gatherings. No one will promote your community for you, get used selling yourself and your vision. Consider setting up a facebook fan page and other promo pages rallying support for your new clan.

This is hardest in the beginning, and is where 90% of all clans fail.

VOIP (Voice over I.P) – There is no better way to communicate. Video on skype is intrusive and best left to chatting with your grandmother. I recommend Team Speak or Ventrillo (click here for a quality discount voice server – Use promo code: RG10FTW for an exclusive 10% discount). 

Team speak allows you and your buddies to meet in  relaxed environment dedicated to you and your team. You can hold meetings, discuss the future of the clan, organise gaming events and shoot the breeze. Building community relationships and rapport with your members is vital to being a successfully clan leader. Few members will  follow someone they do not like or know into battle.

Ventrilo, Teamspeak 3 and Mohawk voice servers running on powerful, low latency servers to give you the raw power you need for the best experience!

Our Web interface for Voice Servers (Vent)

Step Two – The Building Blocks of your clan.

First lets get our identity drawn up. What kind of team are you? Casual, serious, mature, 1337, owners, mercs, strict, friendly?  You can’t be them all. 

My advice is to do what you know best. Don’t set up a realism unit when you have no experience in realism. Do what you enjoy doing and keep doing it. Share your vision with your team mates and allocate roles. A basic community should never be run by committee. You are the leader. Assign a good 2nd in command, your basic fall back guy. Usually a trusted close friend who will watch your back. You have to earn the respect and loyalty of both him and your team mates. Dependant on what platform you game on you’ll want to get at least 6-10 active guys. This shouldn’t be too difficult with your contacts from step 1. To summarise:  You should now have a dedicated 24/7 voice server, 6-10 active guys and your best buddy as your number 2. Remember good clans have good people!

Congratulations, your now on the path to becoming a true clan leader.

Step Three – Eat your humble pie.

That’s right. Eat it up good and proper. It’s easy at this stage to get ahead of yourself. As the leader of your community a certain ego may develop that leads to isolation, bossiness, segregation and eventually failure. You are only as important as your clans activity. No clan, no power, no dice. All clans for the first 6-12 months will be fragile things. You will be constantly under attack. Rival clans, butt hurt members, internal spies, poachers and of course the guy who was once your best friend that thinks he can do it better than you. Long and short all clans are political machines. As a clan leader you need to uphold certain quantiles to stop things from getting out of control:

Integrity

Stick to your guns and decisions. Would you follow someone who doesn’t follow themselves?

Dedication

 It’s your team, your clan, your problem. Be dedicated like no one else and lead by example.

Humility 

Always get on the right side of the argument. Never play the clan leader card.

Openness

Welcome to my clan, my door is always open. Have a good idea?

Creativity

Come up with ideas, support other good ideas with your work

(photophop is a great skill to have) Helps build your logo’s, image, brand.

Fairness

Be firm but fair. Build a reputation you and your community are proud off. 

Assertiveness

do not mistake  as aggressiveness. State clearly what you expect from your members.

Sense of humour

This you have to work on by yourself. Remember, a strong man can laugh at himself.

Step Four – Funding and Support.

Look at you. You’ve come this far and so must be serious about becoming a true online leader. You have 6-10 regular guys and growing, a Team Speak server with your buddies on ready to play. You’ve avoided being stabbed in the back so far so maybe it’s time to step it up? It’s time to get a dedicated server and website:

Option #1 (No web experience)

If you have no knowledge of webdesign or gfx, you’re going  to start at the bottom. You already posses the traits of a good leader, but you can’t do everything by yourself. 

http://www.iclanwebsites.com/ (Very basic clan layout) Amateur looking.

http://www.enjin.com/ (Free, basic, easy payment plan)

Option #2 (Webmaster)

So you know a little about web hosting and don’t want a clone site like everyone else? You have a member that can help out?

http://alpha-networks.co.uk/services/web-hosting (Premium affordable hosting) 

https://alpha-networks.co.uk/order/web-hosting (Packages)

http://www.ntchosting.com/ (Another great affordable web host)

(click here for a quality discount on your hosting server – Use promo code: RG10FTW for an exclusive 10% discount)

The Reality Gaming network is proud to be hosted by Alpha Networks. It’s easy interface has allowed us to create several sites on one platform. If you are serious about your clan this is the way to go. You can set up a basic ad-free forum in minutes. I recommended:

https://www.vbulletin.com/ (The best, Requires a licence, Top Dollar)

http://www.simplemachines.org/ (Basic Easy free clan forums)

https://www.phpbb.com/downloads/ (The RG forum in use now, free and easy)

It’s worth taking the time to learn or finding someone to help you install a basic forum with the hosting above. Why? It’s cheaper, looks better, allows you to customise your clans brand and attracts a better quality of member. Here’s a guide for Simple Machines.

Your website at this stage need only be a basic front page with a forum. A central place for you and your buddies to communicate. You now have Team Speak and an on-line presence. A place where your members can share private information, arrange battles with other teams while adding more weight to step 1, the most important step, communication.

Our host has helped us down the hard competitive road of building a clan

Step Four – The long ride

The honeymoon is over. The initial excitement of creating a clan has worn off. What seemed like a good idea has now become a daily chore. This is what separates the men from the boys. This is when you and your clan are most vulnerable. At this stage we can expect 80% of all clans to fold and scatter to the wind. If you are lucky you will have good loyal members who help you through this stage. You need to make a choice. Shut the team down and go into hibernation (most clans never survive this but it stops internal/brand damage) or hand over the torch. Once again, what you return to may not resemble what you left behind, but it’s either this or clan death.

Why this stage? – There comes a time when being the leader, paying for everything, doing all the work is not reward enough. You realise you are 1 in a million guys trying to make it. You realise you need the help of your clan mates to make it work. At this stage you are asking your members to invest their time, money and life into your vision. Most teams never reach this stage.

Like most things clans have cycles, you need to prepare for these times. This is where your contacts and communication network will come in handy. Even if your clan is dead always remember the power was in the people (the members of your clan) The websites, names, places, TS, games will change, but the people will stay the same. As you and your leadership experience grows you will be able to re-invent yourself, captivate new members and strengthen your reputation as a solid leader.

Don’t make too many enemies along the way, keep in touch with quality members. These golden few will always be the backbone of your community, you will need them more than they need you.

Step Five - Infrastructure and Gaming servers

My god… if you have reached this stage which means you’ve been through the struggle and come through the fire. What can I tell you, you don’t already know? You have all the basics skills of what it takes to be a successful clan leader. Now it’s time for s**t to get real.

Clan Server – We started using a 10 man alpha networks server in 2011 and now have 4 dedicated servers, 500 player TS and 7 websites. How did we put this together in a year? A dedicated, reliable, affordable server host, That’s how…

 Not being a wizz kid myself, Web interfaces help alot!

Alpha Networks host a huge range of high FPS game servers with high bandwidth, low latency connectivity which ensures we get the best gaming experience possible. It’s allowed RG to grow step by step.

The more funding and support the community has received, the more we have grown. Even if you are a complete noob, the full functional control over your game server via the gaming control panel is amazing. For ARMA 2 you can stop and start the game, upload mods, have different server configs – It’s even backed by a dedicated ARMA 2 support team who answer tickets quickly and solve any problems you may have. Many other hosts offer very limited control, ARMA2 requires a unique support structure and Alpha Networks delivers.

It’s essential your Webspace, Teamspeak and gaming server are reliable and always operational. Excessive downtime, broken servers and no VOIP will kill your clan very quickly. RG’s success is partially down to our support from Alpha Networks.

At this stage your community will require regular funding. Setting up Paypal will allow you to receive donations to keep the clan alive. Don’t expect this to happen overnight, I personally funded RG for 12 months to get it off the ground. Expect to pay for your community when times are hard. From my experience, funding is your life blood. If it stops flowing so does the community.

Step Six  - It’s lonely at the top

Congratulations my friend, you made it. With the right friends, determination, hard work and support you’ve got yourself a clan. As an experienced clan leader I offer you these final words of wisdom.

• If you clash with someone who challenges you early on (Make an example of them and remove them asap)
• Always remember you are the leader of your clan, no members, no clan, no need for a leader (This is very important!)
• Be prepare to lose friends along the way. (Jealousy, discontent, sabotage, betrayal)
• Build a solid foundation (Growing too quickly can be bad, make sure the clan can run with or without you)
• Lastly, Be the Leader you would like to have followed (Don’t let the leadership go to your head)

Quote from  http://www.helpivanmartin.org/

As many of you may know, two of Bohemia Interactive’s developers, Ivan Buchta, and Martin Pezlar, are currently detained in a prison in Greece, charged with allegations of spying. The arrest took place on September 9th near their hotel, and was first reported by Greek site Lesvos news.

Facing up to 20 years in prison, for taking pictures of an island, just like countless other tourists before them, the Czech developers are being charged with espionage. Only because they happen to work on a computer game, a game that portrays Greece as a battlefield for a fictional futuristic conflict between the USA and Iran in the year 2035.

Free Ivan and Martin

http://www.helpivanmartin.org/

So you’ve seen the posts on facebook, the support from the official Free Ivan and Martin twitter. You’ve witnessed the arma community rise up in solidarity with a common goal – getting two regular guys who like making video games out of jail. So why have Ivan and Martin still not been released?

 Ivan doing what he loves

When first hearing the news of the devs being detained, initial thoughts went to artists pushing boundaries to improve their work. Attention to detail is everything and the arma series has thrived on it. Assuming the news would blow over and this big misunderstanding would be squared away, we had put this whole event to the back of our minds. After all, once the guys had explained they we’re just two normal guys from a company who made video games, this whole thing would be laughed off and put down to a publicity stunt. This assumption was wrong.

Ivan and Martin are no spies, but passionate community members, dedicated to the game and its experience for the player. Many of us have witnessed Ivan talking in interviews passionately about the progress of ARMA3 and all the new features, also developed by Martin. 

The News Breaks

The official word came a few days later via the bohemia press office:

A statement by Bohemia Interactive CEO regarding the detainment of Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar

 

Prague, 20th September 2012

 

My colleagues and I were shocked when we found out about the detention of our co-workers and friends, Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta, on the Greek island of Lemnos. Everybody who knows them realizes that they’re not spies and certainly never intended to threaten Greek national security.

 

The guys visited the island as tourists. Their trip to Lemnos was personal, organized via travel agent, with the single goal of experiencing the place that had inspired the virtual environments of Arma 3, a computer game that they’ve been working on over the past two years.

 

Our company has never gathered or collected any restricted information, such as photos or blueprints of military installations of any nation, nor have we ever tasked anybody else to do it on our behalf. We always respect the law and we develop all of our products using publicly available materials only – Arma 3 is no exception.

 

According to media sources, the Greek ministry of National Defence actually examined our game, after local authorities raised this topic. They assured that the game is fine. Originally planned for release in autumn of this year, it is based upon a fictional future, set in 2035.

 

The whole incident is a terrible personal tragedy for Ivan, Martin and their families; I believe it to be no more than a deep misunderstanding, one which will be swiftly explained. I’m ready to support the guys and their families in these difficult times as much as I can.

 

Marek Španěl
Bohemia Interactive a.s.
CEO

 

A month ago our friends at Podcast17 invited Casey and I to an interview with Ivan. Our community gathered several questions. This all seemed a little too close to home and I started thinking what it would feel like to be imprisoned and taken away from my own family (kids) for perusing realism. Could I be targeted by my own government for creating campaigns or missions in game for our arma2 community? What if one day I went on holiday, took some pictures of a building only to be arrested and facing charges for espionage. Espio-wha???

The Greek authorities are obviously taking this very seriously, a group of British plane spotters were arrested in similar circumstances in 2001. They were held for six months before being released on £9000 bail. With a joint effort we can make a difference and get these guys out sooner. 

Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta, are currently being held in Mytilene – the capital of Greek island Lesbos. 

 

They recently made this combined statement:

 

“The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained,” the pair wrote in a joint statement.

 

“We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon.”

 

Bohemia Interactive spokesman Ota Vrtatko

 

“They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen.

 

“It’s very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.”

 

“The in-game Limnos is close to completion, and it’s far from an identical replication of the real place. It was heavily modified to fit the game’s backstory, a purely fictional 2035 setting. It was rescaled to only 75 per cent of the real island, and it does not attempt to display any real world military installations situated on the island.”

 

 

Show your support now!

 

http://www.helpivanmartin.org/

Zombies of BI: It’s a no-brainer!

We at Reality Gaming can hardly believe the response and success of DayZ. Its huge player base is a welcomed breath of fresh air, with the life it has brought to a 4 year old game being nothing less than extraordinary.  Our popular blogger Valravn gives his view on on why Bohemia Interactive’s direction has changed; not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.

 DAY-Z Get’s the green light! 

When the news of Bohemia Interactive postponing the release date of the long awaited ArmA3 was hot off the press, the air was filled with the sound of one million butthurt fans typing away their rants on online forums. In an interview with Rock, Paper Shotgun last month Jay Crowe from BI cited the need for all the edges to be smoothed out in order for ArmA3 to be released bug-free (read the filth HERE). Seeing as this gentleman is one of the two creative directors for the recently announced DayZ stand-alone title I don’t think this guy is fooling anyone.

You Know You’re Playing ArmA When…. (YKYPAW): The Bad, The Uglier, And the Ugliest of ArmA2

It’s safe to say that the battlefield is a hostile, stressful environment. Lying on the fringes of tactical shooter and military simulation, Bohemia Interactive does an excellent job with ArmA by creating an atmosphere that objectively portrays warfare without the pomp and glorification we see in modern FPS games.

However, despite its attempt at seamless realism we can’t ignore that with all the complex models and scripting coupled with the sheer enormity of the game there exist many issues. Some of these errors are cited by critics as a reason why ArmA hasn’t succeeded so well in mainstream gaming. I don’t disagree with this, as with the amount of times my game has crashed or I’ve lagged into a tank and died, myself and other OFP/ArmA connoisseurs must have developed superhuman patience (or a personality disorder).

These errors and weird gameplay features range from amusing to fairly confusing to downright frustrating.

YKYPAW: The cows have more detailed models and are smarter than humans

When ArmA2 came out there was a lot of excitement over the ambient life that inhabited Chernarus. High school sophomore loners could satisfy their sociopathic tendencies by running over rabbits and blowing up goats with satchel charges (if you haven’t done it yet, do it… it’s goddamn hilarious). The fact that you can actually go onto the Editor and PLAY as a dog or a chicken – and pick up grenades and ammo too – makes me think that Bohemia were attempting to appeal to the six-year-old girl audience when building a war game which was My Little Pony compatible, which is great in my book. But when every single type of a certain unit placed in the Editor has more or less the same face with a soulless, blank expression and staring, emotionless eyes I really don’t care about seeing the muscles on a cow’s back ripple as it wanders around the battlespace.

It’s true. It seriously looks like the cow models have a higher polygon count than human units. If you don’t believe me then go into the game on full graphical settings and check it out. That said, the idea of seeing every single whitehead and pockmark on an infantryman’s face isn’t exactly top of the list of things I’m waiting to see in ArmA3.

The difference between how ArmA’s wildlife and its military units behave is enough to make Richard Dawkins attend evening mass. If you place a chicken or a cow in-game it will wander around eating stuff off of the ground, playing its part in creating a quaint picture of the countryside. But place an infantry squad in-game and without any scripts, waypoints or enemy to engage they will simply stand in formation with their heads swiveling around and an occasional, “Hi!”. “Sir?”, “Private?” to each other. Giving units more advanced ambient AI would have many benefits and disadvantages. We’re a long way off from the AI portrayed in the likes of Terminator and I Robot, but giving troops in an already buggy game could lead to all kinds of command and control disasters – which is exactly why I want to see it happen, as nothing can be more realistic than a spotty nineteen year old grunt not doing what he’s told!

Aside from providing ambiance and occasional roadblocks, animal life in ArmA2 and Operation Arrowhead has a number of other potential uses:

• Bird Watching in Operation Arrowhead: Who says war games have to be violent? Grab a pair of binoculars and go for a nature-walk around Takistan with your kids to observe the many avian species Bohemia were kind enough to provide. Have a picnic in the minefields and if the kids get bored, take those little infidels to visit the world famous IED museum in Rasman.
• Safari!: Hop in the back of a UAZ and take a grand tour of the map in pursuit of prey. Work out a point system with your buddies for certain types of kills and take screenshots of you all posing around your quarry. Extra fun can be had with tank or helicopter gunships, but good luck finding that cow you were stalking after you’ve hit it with a rocket.
• Invasion of the Cows: This is a personal favorite of mine. The scenario is this: a group of far-right extremist cows opposing the lowered cost of dairy products are holding a Chernarussian village hostage. Gear up your men and take on your bovine opponents head-to-hoof. Of course, the mission is quite one-sided as the cows aren’t armed and don’t actually shoot back, but that didn’t stop our guys in Iraq so who cares? Just kidding.

Other than the above, the animals are actually pretty freekin’ useless. Until the day the crow you control when you die in Multiplayer can drop bird crap on your opponent’s head like a GBU I’m afraid I won’t be impressed. I’d rather the developers had spent less time rubbing shoulders with PETA and more time developing the physics system. Which leads me on to….

A Darwinian impersonation of ARMA evolution 

YKYPAW: The smallest height gives you vertigo and Epinephrine cures everything

Acrophobia is the posh name for a fear of heights. Despite the massive availability of aircraft on the ArmA battlefield (with my flying skills, I’ve gone through more UH60s than socks in the past year) and the fact every man and his dog seems to be HALO trained, the damage incurred from falling a rather small distance is rather disproportionate. A guy can take an innumerable amount of bullets to his abdomen as long as a medic is on hand but stepping off a shoulder high wall is instant death. In actual combat medicine you generally don’t put so much as a neck collar on somebody unless they’ve fallen at least their own head height, but in the likes of ArmA2 the most rufty-tufty Delta Force operator seems to have bones made of balsa wood and ankle ligaments made out of licorice.

The issue with BI’s sadistic take on human physiology dates back to the Operation Flashpoint days of the early 21st century (*adjusts monocle*) where the smallest rock in a road would abruptly stop a vehicle in its tracks, leaving it undamaged. However, the trauma sustained by its occupants was disastrous, with screams of agony reverberating over the battlespace. Today things are slightly better, and you can at least climb a ladder (who am I kidding right?) with only a marginal chance of your guy slipping off the first rung into oblivion and breaking his skull. But despite improvements I can still see some simple issues that need to be resolved; I was interested to see recently in ArmA2:OA that a lady in a burka can match a SF unit in a sprinting competition, maybe it was Usain Bolt in his new getup?

There have been efforts buy some very clever and devoted people into rectifying these issues. ACE2 has its own injury and medical system which, while frustrating, has a tad more theoretical grounding than the rudimentary ‘Medic touches you a few times and you can walk’ Jesus thing that vanilla ArmA2 has going on. The ACE2 medical system is a bit quirky; tripping over a stone and breaking both your legs is still a possibility and it seems that Epinephrine can be used by itself to bring people back from the dead, heal broken legs and possibly make my dependence on those little blue pills null and void.

Let’s be honest though, we play this game to get a realistic warfare experience, and a more complex medical system requiring a knowledge of anatomy, diagnosis and intervention would be pretty dull. I can picture it now: bullets whizzing overhead with the guys in the TS channel debate the indications of inserting a laryngeal mask airway in favor of a cricothyroidotomy and blah, blah, blah while the other squad is having a whale of a time shooting flip-flops in the next town.

At the end of the day we can whine to Bohemia as much as we want about how their wounding system is over-sensitive when it comes to things such as blunt-force-trauma. But let’s think about that for a minute, as I mentioned we play this game for a realistic experience and what we’re getting is a far cry from the ‘run n’ gun’ adventures in most FPS games where people can take hundreds of bullets with little to no penalty whatsoever. All ArmA2 offers is an opposite end of a very big spectrum and you’re actually more likely to be paralysed from tripping over in real life than you are to survive being noob-tubed like people do in CoD. Also I don’t know about you, but I stubbed my toe once and it really, really hurt. Medic!

 YKYPAW: Everyone sounds exactly the same 

Voices in video games are usually rather predictable. The brave, tanned, muscled protagonist generally (who by the description sounds just like yours truly!) has a regionless American accent; his sidekicks as well, with the token African American occasionally throwing in occasional self-depreciating idioms (“shiieeeeeet man!”) while the token Russian stereotype talks of how things are done back in his home country etc. etc. Oh, and the bad guy is invariably British. The great thing about an animated feature such as a video game (or Hentai) is that nobody actually sees who the person is on the other side. If a guy has a great voice it doesn’t matter if he’s some random guy off of the street and all that matters is talent.

But no, Bohemia goes and breaks the mold with an all star voice cast. Sergeant Matt ‘Coops’ Cooper, head of Razor Team in the main campaign is voiced by none other than Dan Brown (not to be confused with the author of the Da Vinci Code) who has starred in such all time greats as Carjacker 3 and the household favorite The Woman Who Forgot Dinner - placed into the leading roles of ‘FBI Agent 1’ and ‘Man’ respectively just so you can get a measure of his infallible talent.

Let’s be honest, we all love ArmA2 to bits, but the voice acting absolutely stinks. But to be even more honest, who actually cares? Have you ever sat through the ending credits of a game you just finished to see who was making those dulcet tones so you can commit it to memory? Actually don’t answer that, the fact you’re reading this means you don’t have much else to do. I personally think – although I may be lynched for it – that the voices in ArmA2 and its older brother Armed Assault are part of the charm of the game.

For example, using the command menu to issue orders to your troops prompts your avatar to speak it out loud (even when meters away from the enemy which is quite frustrating at times). Often I’ve found that, as the commands are really just a reel of pre-recorded sound effects, the accent are sometimes mixed with hilarious effect. He’ll start off with a sharp East Coast accent, quickly switching to a southern drawl, finishing off with the place name in what sounds like another language entirely. This gives the effect of “Unknown… MAYN in…. Elektrozavodsk”. Poor Coops and his multiple personalities. Then again if I was teamed up with anyone as obnoxious as ArmA2’s Razor Team I’d probably develop some kind of psychiatric disorder myself.

The vagueness of target indications in ArmA2 is a source of endless humour… and frustration. In reality – though I can only vouch for the British – junior commanders are drilled day by day until they can give out precise, rapid and succinct information of an enemy’s whereabouts so as to direct the fire of their subordinates. A good clan worth its salt integrates this training into its commanders and junior ranks (RG is no exception), but somewhere in command school the gentlemen of ArmA2’s USMC seem to have skipped that class (unfortunately not in favor of plastic surgery or bone transplants) to deliver such inspiring signs of leadership as “Unknown Unknown at…. Very Far Meters”. To be fair, with command skills of that calibre they’ve shown they have what it takes to graduate from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and West Point with an A+ so who am I to complain?

I think I’ve been a bit mean. In honesty, ArmA2 and its relatives were all developed in the Czech Republic by a comparatively small number of people compared to the big title blockbusters such as BF3 and CoD. For a non-english speaking company to produce something that is pretty much on-par with any other game of its genre is an admirable feat. As a result of its Eastern European connections I have to say that the Russian accents sound spot on! Though with me not being especially well travelled they could be saying highly offensive things in a language that isn’t even Russian and I can’t understand it. Ignorance is bliss.

 YKYPAW: Nothing else in life matters…

I hope I’ve given a fair judgement on a few points in what is an absolutely huge game. The thing is that wherever you go you’ll always find somebody who wants to pick a hole in something and ArmA2, out of its sheer enormity, is an easy target. With just over 1000 hours clocked on ArmA2:OA I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it a tiny bit..

With all the things you can do in this game, all the guns you can shoot, all the animals you can run over, there’s no denying that going into it with the right mindset can help a person overlook the bugs and nonsensical features of ArmA2’s gameplay. So to summarize I think ‘You Know You’re Playing ArmA2’ when you have the time of your life.

REALISM vs REALITY

a serviceman’s perspective of milsim gaming

Here at Reality Gaming we face a constant struggle to balance Realism and Practicality.

Having several serving and retired military personnel within our ranks brings to Reality Gaming a unique challenge. Just how do we turn a simulator or game into something that resembles realism. It raises the question – Just how well does real military strategy and tactics translate on-line?

This article written by blogger Valravn will give you an opinion that might not be easy to swallow.

The curious world of realism gaming attracts a wide variety of people from a variety of backgrounds and motivations. Out of the many years I’ve spent playing OFP/ArmA a very small fraction of this time was I in-service and over time many differences became apparent in the way that people approach the realism genre, be they serving, ex-serving or civilian. This article gives my (slightly twisted) take on the experiences I’ve had with milsim gaming as a real-life soldier, some of which have been with ORC/RG but the majority of my experiences have been with other units.

It’s at this point when I become sycophantic and say that Reality Gaming has it right, attempting to achieve a balance between realism, common sense and fun.

 

OPERATION SNAKE CHARMER 

Reality Gaming Deployment Series 1 (D1:M1)

Currently scheduled for Sunday June 3rd 2012

Operation Summary

Entities involved

1.) Lingorian Government:

Government Army of Lingor.
United States Army Spec Ops.
United States Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Royal Marine Commandos.

2.) Known Enemy Groups:

Pueblo Libres de Lingor [PLL] -Militant group that is heavily Involved in Drug Trafficking and is currently the main arms supplier in lingor. Expect hardened, Moderate to Heavily trained fighters armed with pre – 80′s era Russian weapons with some modern varients mixed in.

PLL Soldiers in Lingorian jungle. (pictured)

Armadas Revolucionarias de Lingor [ARL]-Revolutionaries mainly funded through the illegal diamond trade in the area. Expect green fighters with moderate training in near civilian clothing armed with a mix of scavenged and personal weaponry.

ARL members fighting in the Lingorian flat lands Post Counter Assault. (pictured)

Current Situation

After learning of the death of Valdez Migeul (aka El Matador), Ubaldo Gutierrez, Leader Of the ARL, launched a retaliatory strike on the Government Army of Lingor by staging an all out assault on the town of Vidora. The assault on Vidora ended in a route of the GAL forces and the ARL was able to push the assault further north into the GAL Checkpoint at Camp Marpasso.

The ARL held both Vidora and Camp Marpasso for over three hours before NATO forces were able to amass a counter assualt and drive them out. The retreating ARL put up some resistance against the pursuing Royal Marine Commandos but were eventually forced to disband.

The NATO Counter-assault was a resounding success. While taking light casualties NATO forces inflicted 30 Confirmed enemy KIA, and destroyed over 10 enemy vehicles. ARL weapons and munitions were left scattered along the route of retreat forcing the disheartened Rebels to resort to guerrilla/Extremist tactics in order to compensate for the loss in weaponry and manpower.

Even though the PLL hasn’t been directly involved as of yet, they are supplying the ARL with weaponry and munitions in an attempt to further destabilize the Lingorian Government. Hoping that their efforts will result in less government resistance to their Drug Trafficking operations, the PLL are supplying these weapons free of charge.

Joint Operations Command is preparing Operation Snake Charmer as an aggressive peace-keeping operation focused on destroying enemy supplies, and targeting the leaders of both the ARL and PLL.

RG MEMBERS SIGN UP HERE

WARNING ORDERS

 First Rifles 

RG Air Corps [TALON]

ANNOUNCEMENT
Reality Gaming Update May 2012

This is a community wide update on behalf of the staff at Reality Gaming. It contains info you will need to read. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the overall community direction.

We have recently conducted a number of upgrades to our network of sites. In line with our current ARMA focus, the Network Portal has been been fully customised. 

Read each introduction to our sites so that you understand their purpose. Take the time to visit the JOIN US page.

The forums have been updated with 2 new features:

The Navigation bar (below) allows you to access quick links to the community. You can log in with your social media accounts chat live on the site. – The shout box is still functioning and can be used for casual links and other announcements. Finally on the far left of the NavBar you can sign up by clicking the recruitment banner.

The Community Calendar (here) allows gives you access to all scheduled RG official events and casual gatherings. You can request a booking from any of the staff (including mods) and book the server for your mission. 

This will allow you to create custom missions and invite friends to play. If custom mods or briefings are required you can post them in the calendar event. The calendar allows you to invite members of RG and track their attendance. 

Guide:

Custom events/gatherings cannot be arranged on WED or SUN. 
If you require the use of the RG server, only mods in the ACE/RG PACK can be used in your mission.
Your mission must be uploaded to the server by the staff member who creates your event. 
Allow at least 1 weeks notice for all events.

You can find all current planned operations by clicking here. 

The calendar is located at the top of this forum: OPERATIONS FORUM

Minor updates: 

The forum now has a countdown clock. This will always tell you when the next mission begins. We have also added several TS/server banners to the forums. 

Other Sites:

The blog and gaming site has also had some minor updates. There is now a donation counter on the main gaming site (right hand side) and links to the calendar have also been added in prominent positions. We are aiming to get a server box to host 2 large servers next month. Take the time to donate and help use towards this cause.

We are always looking for content on the blog. This is mainly in the form of After Action Reports and other community related stories. However, we will consider all content so let us know if you have something you would like to see published.

ACE2/ACRE/RG Pack Rollout

Thanks to everyone on the team who helped with the recent mod rollout. It has taken allot of hard work to ensure every member at RG can get their personnel (installation) kit organised. Following the prelude to Operation Snake Charmer we will be focusing on bootcamp and the RG Deployment Ceremony. 

This will allow you more time to install your new mods and become accustom to your new features. 

The RG bootcamp will have new phases with built in ACE2/ACRE/RG PACK orientation.

If you still need to install your addons visit this thread. If you have any problems post them in the forum. Stronkie or one of the staff will help you on TS.

Deployment Ceremony:

As mentioned above we have a Parade this weekend.

Background:

The Fort Benning (Camp Reality) Training ground has now been fully updated to support ACE 2.

The 1st Rifles Platoon and Army Air Corps will be conducting a deployment ceremony at 6 p.m. Sunday outside platoon headquarters on Joint Base Fort Benning.

This will be the Tasks Force’s first official deployment to Lingor; it has previously been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan three times.

Agenda:

Formations and Parade
Introduction to Up Coming Deployment (lcol.Chewie)
Introduction to bootcamp training – ACE/ACRE (Maj.Dutch)
Words from the Platoon Sgt Major (RSM.LightningUK)
Promotions and awards
Operation Wild Snake Ribbon
Featured ARMA 2 Games (win extra ribbons)
Gun Salute

Extended:

Range Qualifications and Races (obticle courses)

Foxxion, DutchRanger and LightningUK are working on putting together the format for this event. There will be shooting, obstical courses, competions and lots of fun. There will be some bonus ribbons and merits to be won.

Following our ceremony we will be playing some ACE2 on our public server.

There will be a full post about the deployment focus shortly.

OPERATION WILD SNAKE (PART 1) – AFTER ACTION REPORT

Operation Wild Snake is a four part (mini-test) series designed by Reality Gaming. Deployment for mission took place on 15/04/2012 at 6PM GMT+1 (ZULU TIME). What follows is the after action report (AAR) From 1st Rifle Platoon and the Army Air Corps.

Written by RSM.LightningUK 

Overview

Operation Wild Snake is a four part mini-test series designed by Reality Gaming. Deployment for mission took place on 15/04/2012 at 6PM GMT+1 (ZULU TIME). What follows is the after action report (AAR) From 1st Rifle Platoon and the Ary Air Corps.

LT.Col.Chewie (Highroller 1-1)

Mission development

All units started on the LHD were we kitted up and them boarded the blackhawk (Talon 1-1) which dropped us off at LZ alpha. Once on the ground we made our way to secure the local town and then proceeded to way-point Alpha. At WP Alpha we waited for command squad to provide over-watch while all Gamblers proceed to our first object (take and secure a local town what was the scene of a Narco Killing massacre)

Once in the town we made our way to RV Romeo One Alpha. We we’re instructed to set up a recon point overlooking the first narco Miltary Camp on – GAMBLER 2-2 assaulted the camp while GAMBLER 2-1 provided fire support. The camp was cleared and we move down the main MSR to our next habour point and waited for orders to move out. While on the MSR Gambler 2-1 was attack by a pkm bunker which was took out with a Anti Tank Weapon. (Andrew’s on the ground). While moving down the MSR we were ordered to move to Hill 192 and set up a op overlooking the town.

Performance

Operation casualties were Lower than expected , and the ambush caused organization issues within the platoon while command was re-established and the position secured.

Summary

The mission was a success, Command did a great job.

RSM. LightningUK (Operation Wild Snake)

1st Rifle Platoon (Night before Deployment) 

Written by PFC.Zepplin

Goals and Objectives

Insert Gamblers as well and Highroller. Provide Close air support. Extract.

Callsigns and roles

Highroller – Command units
Gambler 1-2 – Infantry
Gambler 1-1 – Infantry
Talon 1-1 – Filming/Co-Pilot
Talon 1-2 – MH-60 
Talon 1-3 – AH-6 Equipped with 4000 rounds of m134, 14 hydra rockets

Mission development

Talon 1-2 (ZEP) and Talon 1-3 (Desert) waited in cockpit for the call to start up. Talon 1-2 was the initial transport into LZ alpha and Talon 1-3 was to provide cover for the insertion. Infantry loaded up into the chopper and the green light was given by Talon 1-1. Flew on a flightpath directly south and came around to the LZ from directly east. The LZ was a bit of a challenge due to the amount of trees surrounding it. Once we were wheels down, Infantry jumped out of the chopper and I waited for the clear to take off, which was never given. I saw that the infantry had formed a large circle of cover and i decided to go wheels up. I was on the ground for about 15 seconds. Once wheels up I was RTB. 

LHD Starting location for the invasion of Lingor Island (Talon FOB)

Second Transport call was too fly in Highroller. I was given the green light to insert highroller. LZ was never designated so i approached LZ Alpha. Once at LZ Alpha i was informed that that was not the LZ and that i was supposed to land on green smoke. I turned hard rudder left and got visual of green smoke. Landing was perfect. RTB

Third mission was to pick up a downed chopper and fly it back to the carrier. Talon 1-3 inserted me using an AH-6 and i made my way to the MH-60. RTB

Fourth Mission was to “Stir up” enemy. Talon 1-1 gave order to fly in patter above the northern part just east of the radio tower. I took no fire but talon 1-3 made the call that he was indeed taking fire. We broke off pattern and RTB. in flight to RTB, i was given the call by Highroller to execute a fake landing just north of the radio tower. Landing was fine. Once wheels down took heavy fire and pulled out of the area. 

Mission end.

Analysis of Outcomes

All insertions were perfect.

Performance

conditions were perfect and the helicopter flew like a dream 

Summary

Mission was a success however communication between ground and air were bad. Every mission objective was executed perfectly.

Recommendations

Infantry need to lear to radio in LZ to Talon and also give Sitreps to the pilots so we have an idea of what we are flying into ect.

Capt.Andrew’s with Talon 1-2 (Pfc.Zepplin)

Maj.DutchRanger perparing for battle

 Spl.Khuskan (Leading Gambler 2-1 into battle)

Wildsnake (live stream video) http://www.twitch.tv/realitygaminghd/videos