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WELCOME TO FK This guide will be covering a bunch of different topics for those who are new to FK and possibly new to Arma itself. This guide integrates materials from numerous other guides but will drop and adapt some other items from those guides. (If you are participating in one of my own or @ThePointForward's training events, all sections are mandatory reading unless they are marked with a * .) Credits to: @ThePointForward, @NeilZar, @Rorkiy, @Monocled Badger, @Gditz, and @Kreeper for their excellent source materials. Topic Overviews The Rules Important Key-Binding Changes ACE Interaction Style * ACE Throwing ACE Medical Menu Ranging/TFAR Binding Overlap Fix Joining Your First Main Mission TFAR Setup Server Info Slotting Procedures Attaching Off-hours Spawn Conduct Expectations The ACE Arsenal Insignias to Facewear Rifles to Backpacks Saving Loadouts ACE Interactions "Normal" Interactions Self-Interaction Interaction Examples * ACE Medical The ACE Medical Menu and Basic First Aid Short and Long Range Radios Keybindings Use-Cases Conduct BLUFOR vs REDFOR Assets Firearms AT and AA Intro Launchers HAT & AA MAT LAT Backblast AT/AA Rules AT vs AA Conclusion Section 1 - The Rules These are the most important rules to know. The full rule-set is required reading for training sessions, it is linked at the end of this list. (READ THE RULES IN FULL BEFORE YOU PROCEED WITH THIS GUIDE) The full rule-set provided by NeilZar. (Required reading for Training Sessions) Client-side mods must be whitelisted before they you can play with them on FK servers. Make sure to reference the thread below for what mods are currently white-listed. Section 2 - Important Key-Binding Changes (Credit to @Monocled Badger for his guide which I have adapted for this section) Always make sure to save all of your changes accordingly and then restart you game afterwards. This is to ensure that all of the keybind/addon setting changes you have made will actually work when you load into the training session. (And to make sure you don't "accidentally" toss any grenades.) ACE Interaction Style (Optional) This is a vast QoL tweak for ACE Interactions which means you will not have to look all-over your screen in-order to selection an interaction. ACE Throwing This is the first of the two most important rebinds provided in this guide. This along with the ACE Medical Menu are required rebinds for training session. This will help you to physically see the arc/path your grenade will take, meaning you can get it on target more often than not. On top of that you can choose whether to "Throw" or "Toss" the grenade, toss will put the grenade much closer to you but is useful for covering you and your team-mates with smoke as the grenade will have a much more consistent path for it's final position. Greater control and accuracy of your grenades will make you a far more effective infantryman. ACE Medical Menu This is the second of the two most important rebinds provided in this guide. Another massive QoL improvement and most consider it essential to properly treat yourself and fellow injured squad members. Use of the medical menu will be covered in a later section and in the Basic Training sessions. Section 3 - Joining your first Main Mission TFAR Setup Here is the overwhelming majority of what you need to know to join the FK servers. Make sure you have Task-Force Arrowhead Radio (TFAR) installed. (Just loading the Arma mod will not install the Teamspeak plugin!!) We are running the beta version which is found at this link. This is the only version of TFAR to install. If you haven't already installed TFAR's TeamSpeak plugin follow these instructions, Now that you are setup with TFAR it's time to actually join the server. But there's a catch for FNG's joining main missions. FNGs are not allowed to join the server before being pulled into ARMA start room during main missions. Now keep this in mind before you join the Arma server. As soon as you have been dragged from the FNG Waiting Room to the Arma Start room, you are good to join the Arma server. Here's the post which gives you the server IPs. DO NOT SAY THE PASSWORD OUT LOUD! This is because there are many people in our community who are live streaming. Once you get the IP for the Arma server(s) below, ask someone for the password. Now, onto slotting during main missions and off-hours. Section 4 - Slotting Refer to this guide below for all of the information you need to know about what each slot means for you as a player. (Required reading for Basic Training Sessions.) Procedures Now, you've joined the FNG waiting room and are waiting to be dragged into the Arma Start room. Here's what you should expect unless a calendar mission is being run. Slots cannot "technically" be reserved. Slotting is intended as a first come, first serve system. Main missions will be slotted following the tags procedure. Calendar missions can have asset/tag roles as reserved slots. Tags procedure should be taken as follows: Tagholders A role will be called with that particular tagholder in mind. If the slot caller fails to state that they are calling for tagholders, if this is the first call for that slot, assume it's tagholders only. This only changes in off-hours when slotting procedures is determined by Zeus, meaning the Zeus can set the level required for a certain slot. Regulars+ FNGs That's you! When attaching to a squad, you may only take on the role of a Rifleman. This is very important and is not flexible during main missions. During off-hours this may be relaxed or overruled by Zeus, but you should always initially slot up as a Rifleman. Attaching Now I just mentioned something called attaching, but you probably don't exactly know what that means. When there are people in excess for for infantry squads compared to their available slots per squad, certain slots will be designated as attachee slots. Attachee slots, for example, can be when there are enough people to fill the Alpha through Delta squads but due to people taking asset roles and those in the platoon lead element, there are not quite enough people to fill the Echo and Foxtrot slots. In this example, any slot specified as an attachee slot is fair game expect for Medic slots or pilot slots unless those slots have been specified as clear to use for attachment. When the admin takes you through the slotting screen and through the map screen, attachees are to go to each squad evenly. Always attach! Never slot up late into a mission or at any time after slotting has finished as you may be taking the slot of a person suffering from technical issues. Section 5 - Spawn Conduct Expectations Now that you've slotted up and you've been taken through to the spawn there are a few things you need to know. Follow all rules that apply to the spawn area for both main and off-hours missions. After you spawn in to your tent here are a few things to keep in mind beyond the "on-paper" rules. Don’t be disruptive, including shooting, throwing grenades or testing SR radio. Your Squad Lead will go to the briefing. (The statue where the platoon lead element is spawned). Briefings can take long periods of time depending upon a large number of factors, patience is key. If you feel like you may accidentally fire your gun in spawn, press (CTRL+ ~) or (CTRL + 1) to put your gun on safety. (CTRL + #), # representing slots 1 and 2 (main fire-arm and sidearm respectively) will generally put your fire-arm into safety but certain mods do not support this keybind. Test this with your gun to be sure it will work. Platoon Lead will put uniform into Side channel Squad Lead can enforce vests and helmets as long as they are visually appropriate. (SL's will often enforce hardcover helmets, something you should hopefully already be wearing.) Section 6 - Off-hours Differences from Main Missions Off-hours is much more relaxed and generally has a lower player-count compared to main missions. Whether or not tags are enforced for roles is up to Zeus. Off-hours is a good time to practice a certain role and learn. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, as long as you are genuinely putting your best effort in and working for the success of not only your team-mates but the success of the mission being enjoyable to play etc. This is also when training sessions occur for a whole variety of different topics and the like. Don't be afraid to ask questions and learn. This guide can only get you so far. (During off-hours having to leave during a mission, unless you are in a medic or leadership role, is generally more tolerated.) Section 7 - The ACE Arsenal This section will cover all of the major elements of the ACE Arsenal and how it is used during Zeus missions along with some other misc info. If you are playing a traditional Zeus mission on FK servers, you will always spawn into a tent where a box is placed in the center of the tent. This box is not an ammo box but is an ACE Arsenal which allows players to customize their loadouts. Use the middle mouse button to open the Arsenal. Once opened, if you've never used the ACE Arsenal before, you will be bombarded by quite a few different options, but don't worry. These will all be covered in this guide. Ammunition and items are stored in your uniform, vest and backpack. When selecting ammunition for your firearm of choice, make sure to select your vest or backpack, then select the "Magazines for currently selected weapon" button. (This looks like a single magazine on it's own compared to 3 magazines together.) Now, onto the very last item to just before some of the most important items. Rifles to Backpacks Rifles Sidearms Launchers Headgear Uniform Useful tools to carry (Optional, can be dropped to lower weight) Vest Backpack Other Misc Items Saving A Loadout Let's say you have now created the perfect loadout for X role in Y and Z aspects. Well that's a pretty awesome loadout but the moment you leave the server, your game crashes or something similar occurs (intended or not) your awesome loadout is gone, poof. (Cue the worlds tiniest violin.) Well, here's how you prevent that. First, give your loadout a quick look-over in your normal inventory to make sure it has everything you need. Second, open the ACE Arsenal and look towards the bottom of your screen. You should see a button that says "LOADOUTS" Third, click on the "LOADOUTS" button and look to the right hand side of your screen. This is where you can save, and load any loadouts you have made in the past. Use the leftmost text field to give your loadout a name. Distinguish it with the role, camo, weapon or the like. Finally, click "SAVE" to save the currently equipped items under the loadout name you have specified. You can figure out what "LOAD" does. Misc Information In the rare case that a Scenario (aka "Scripted Mission") is being played, no arsenal will be provided and the items on your character when you are spawned is what you are given, period. (Sections 10 through 13 will provide more info on joining FK main and off-hours missions and other important info when you are prepared to join them.) Section 8 - ACE Interactions "Normal" Interactions Normal Interactions involve you interacting with other things in your environment from vehicles to some objects etc. Pressing then holding (⊞ Win) the Windows Key, will bring up this menu. (Note how there are no options with normal interactions if there is nothing to interact with!) Self Interactions Self Interactions involve you interacting with yourself and attributes related to your equipment etc. Pressing then holding (CTRL + ⊞ Win) will bring up this menu. Interaction Examples * Joining A Squad Cable-Tying (Can be used on any civilian and surrendered enemies, requires cable-ties is the user's inventory.) Section 9 - ACE Medical System (Thanks @Gditz for the fantastic video.) The ACE Medical Menu (and Basic First Aid) The following guide is required reading for training sessions. Section 10 - TFAR Radios Keybindings Push-to-talk button in TeamSpeak Direct Speech. Caps Lock To talk on a radio. CTRL + Caps Lock To talk on a long range radio. CTRL + P To open the personal radio interface (the radio must be in the inventory slot). In that case if you have a number of radios - you can select the one needed. It is also possible to set the radio as active (the one that will be used for transmission). Also it is possible to load radio settings from another radio with same encryption code. ALT + P To open a long range radio interface (a long range radio must be put on your back, or you should be in a vehicle in a position of a driver, shooter, or pilot assistant). If a number of radios are available – you'll be offered to choose one. Besides, one of them can be set as active. Also it is possible to load radio settings from another radio with same encryption code. NUM[1-8] Rapid switching of shortwave radio channels. CTRL + NUM[1-9] Rapid switching of long range radio channels. CTRL + TAB To change the direct speech volume. You can talk: Whispering, Normal or Yelling. Does not affect the signal volume in the radio transmission. (Please keep this volume to normal unless told otherwise by a Squad leader or superior). ESC To exit from the radio interface. Use-Cases for Short and Long Range Radios (Credit to @Kreeper for his excellent comms guide) Short-Range radios are used as intra-squad communication almost exclusively. Avoid attempting to communicate with other squads via short-range unless dire circumstances have arisen. Long-Range radios are for all asset slots, Platoon HQ and for Squad Leads/2ICs only. As an SL/2IC you will use the Long-Range radio to communicate with other squads, Crossroads (Zeus) and Platoon HQ. Platoon HQ includes the Platoon Lead, 2IC, RTO, FAC, Medic and Drone operator. FAC is responsible for coordinating and instructing all Rotary (Helicopters) and Fixed Wing (Jets/Planes) assets. RTO is responsible for coordinating and instructing all ground assets such as Tanks (T-72's), IFVs (Bradleys) and APCs (BTRs). If you need to coordinate with any of these assets you should call in to RTO or FAC respectively. The same idea applies to calling into Platoon. Crossroads (Zeus) is the mission maker, or "dungeon master" so to speak. Call into him if pinging him (CTRL+Y) has received no response in the cases of Arma screwing you over, aka "getting armaed". Conduct Starting a Long-Range transmission: The intended actual you are addressing, "Alpha actual ..." Who is transmitting, "... this is Charlie Actual," Your message, "Be advised, enemy Mi-8 in the air, it appears to be dropping paratroopers close to your position from the Western approach, ..." A Qualifier "... over?" Qualifiers Over - You have finished your transmission and are expecting a response from the other party. Out - You have finished your transmission, but you do not expect a response and the net is once again available. Break - Is for when a transmission "convo" is over, but you wish to start another one Wait - Give me x amount of time to respond, usually used in scenarios where danger is imminent to your or some other similar reason. Keep messages short and sweet. If you need to stop mid-way through your message finish the first part of your message and then state "Break". Stop transmitting until you have finished the thought and have the necessary info to properly communicate the rest of your transmission. When asked for your Status by platoon or whatever element is currently the lead element, use an ACE report. AMMO - This can be a general ("Low on ammo") or more it can be more specific, "Riflemen are low on, but the AR is getting low."). CASUALTIES - State your dead and if you have lost important roles such as medic, SL and or 2IC, specify this. Mention how many of your squad are stable but injured and vice versa. EQUIPMENT - If you still have or are missing your AR (Autorifle) or AT (Anti-Tank Rifleman), specify this here. Short-Range radio as previously stated is only for important intra-squad communication. If it's not important, keep it in "direct voice". Section 11 - BLUFOR vs REDFOR Assets Here are the most common assets you will encounter and or use in Zeus missions from the BLUFOR AND REDFOR factions respectively. BLUFOR M1 Abrams - American Main Battle Tank (MBT) Cougar MRAP M2 Bradley aka Bradley IFV HMMWV aka Humvee M113 aka Lunchbox (aka a fucking deathtrap) Blackhawk (UH-60M) Apache (AH-64D) Chinook (CH-47F) REDFOR (Not everything is BMP, BMD, BTR, etc. Get it right.) BRDM (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina or "Combat Reconnaissance Patrol Vehicle") BTR (Bronetransportyor or "Armoured Transporter") (Specifically the BTR-80) BMP (Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty or "Infantry Fighting Vehicle") (Specifically the BMP-2) BMD (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta or "Combat Vehicle of the Airborne") (Specifically the BMD-2) T-72, T-80 and T-90 (Russian MBTs) Mi-8 (Transport helicopter, can carry and fire rocket pods.) Mi-24 (Gunship helicopter, can also carry small amounts of infantry) This guide will not include pictures of INDFOR assets, uniforms or firearms due to the extremely large variety which exists. Firearms Due to the extremely expansive nature of firearms available to you courtesy of NIArms, RHS, 3CB: BAF (and a few other mods) a truly comprehensive non-biased list of all sides firearms would be not worth the effort. With this in mind I have linked Rorkiy's "Weapons and Weapon Types Index Guide" which is far more comprehensive than anything I could integrate into this guide. Detailed information on all firearms is available in the ACE Arsenal including minute of angle, caliber, weight and more. Take these with a pinch of salt as RHS and NiArms does not use CBA so the accuracy of those numbers can vary. (NiArms does have compatibility with ACE compared to RHS.) Section 12 - AT and AA Intro Launchers There are a few simple (most of the time) differences between HAT, MAT and LAT. AA is classified as: Any launcher with exclusive capability to lock onto airborne targets, (meaning it cannot lock onto ground targets.) HAT is classified as: Any AT Launcher with a form of Lock-On (Almost all HAT launchers are reloadable with no noteable exceptions.) (Semantics are not important. If the launcher does tracking independent of the user's direct input, it has tracking.) MAT is classified as: Any reloadable foot-mobile launcher. No available tracking mechanics as a part of the launcher. Is not a single-use/disposable launcher. LAT is classified as: Any disposable single-use* launcher. Cannot be reloaded.* No available tracking mechanisms in the launcher. LAT is the default type of launcher you should take when you slot as a Rifleman. Zeus determines what kind of AT/AA can be used (if any). Platoon HQ will determine if a squad will take MAT, HAT or AA based upon restrictions placed by Zeus. Backblast AT launchers push a round out their barrel at an extremely high velocity using explosives. Hopefully you already understood this. When this occurs extremely high pressure air and shrapnel will exit the back of the launcher. This requires a step to ensure you will not injure fellow squadmates etc. You need call backblast! The phrase, "Clear backblast!", after you've gotten permission from SL should always be shouted before you fire the AT launcher. Wait until you have confirmation from all nearby friendly infantry, and finally be ready to fire. Keep this in mind at all times when carrying and using a launcher of any kind. If you want to know the exact distance and total angle of the backblast from any given launcher, refer to the ACE Arsenal where you can view such details by selecting the launcher in your "Launcher" slot. (Who would have known!) You will then see a detailed list of statistics related to the launch in the top-left region of you screen. AT/AA Rules These rules determine what and who can take launchers. This also includes what types of launchers. Rocket launchers are limited to Rifleman (LAT) and Rifleman. This can only be relaxed by Zeus under any circumstances. Anyone may pickup launchers in the AO to deal with armored targets, (unless told otherwise by Zeus, squad leader etc). The following combinations of rocket launchers are allowed: Up to three LAT-Launchers.* Up to one AA/MAT/HAT-launcher per squad ** AA/MAT/HAT launchers are generally quite heavy. Due to this potential weight and the importance of having a round on hand at any time, more than likely you will want spread the rockets out to the rifleman in the squad. Your squad leader is the final say in this regard but don't pester him about this unless it's absolutely necessary. (A maximum of 3 rounds can be carried in the squad in total with one round already loaded into the launcher, aka 3+1.)* Zeus can and may change what squads take what launchers and how much they can take with the intent of improving the mission.* Platoon determines which squads take what kind of launchers.** AT vs AA (and examples) There are many different variants of projectiles that can be used in foot mobile launchers but we will only really be covering the two most important types to you as an infantryman. Anti-Tank (AT) AT is classified as any launcher (or launcher round) intended to penetrate a (variable) standard of tank armor. AT and ammunition for AT launchers can be used to fire at air targets, but it is comparatively, very ineffective to Anti-Air launchers (AA). Here are some examples of Light Anti-Tank Launchers (LAT) and Medium Anti-Tank (MAT) from Red Hammer Studios' (RHS) United States Armed Forces (USAF) and Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (AFRF) mods respectively. RHS USAF LAT M136 AT-4 Can be equipped from the Arsenal with High Penetration (HP), High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) or High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) variants. Must be readied by pressing the R key. (Bottom-right most image shows the fully readied launcher.) MAT M3 MAAWS Can be equipped from the Arsenal with a High Explosive (HE), HEDP or HEAT rounds. RHS AFRF LAT RPG-26 By pressing CTRL + MOUSE 2 (aka Right Click), when you bring up the sight to fire the RPG, this view of the sight (shown in the bottom-right image) will be shown from a different prespective. Can be equipped from the Arsenal but can only carry a HEAT round. MAT RPG-7V2 Can be equipped from the Arsenal with HE, HEDP, Airburst, HEAT, Tandem HEAT and many other types of rounds. If you want to know how to use the RPG-7V2 optics, please refer to the image below. This is a general reference image. Anti-Air (AA) AA is classified as any launcher designed to target and destroy Rotary and Fixed Wing Air targets. Here are some examples of Anti-Air Launchers available in RHS' USAF and AFRF mods respectively. RHS USAF FIM-92F (AKA STINGER) Can be equipped from the Arsenal. (No other different types of ammunition outside of defaults for the Stinger are available.) RHS AFRF 9K38 IGLA Can be equipped from the Arsenal. (No other different types of ammunition outside of defaults for the Igla are available.) Be careful with AA. Pressing the "Lock On" key will reset the lock on cycle so be careful! (Check your keybindings). The Stinger and the Igla respectively acquire any target within the line of sight of their targeting system. Always be careful not to fire on friendly assets. AT/AA Extended Nick Aryson has created an excellent and detailed guide to using AT and AA, far beyond what this guide can provide. Please refer to this for more advanced concepts. Section 13 - Conclusion Yikes, this was a long guide but I really hope that it helped you to understand as much as possible before hopping in and playing with FK or maybe it just helped you realize that you had totally missed a really helpful aspect of Arma etc. If all you take away from this guide is how to rebind a few keys and some frustration from having to read it due to required reading from a training session, then that's fine. To those who have scrolled all the way to the end of the guide and have decided to ignore this guide due to it's immense size, take it in parts read certain parts one day, and then some more the next day. If this guide has helped you play with, join and play with FK or even just show you something you didn't already know. Thanks. Changelog