Arma 2 - How to make friends and assassinate people

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » February 23rd, 2010, 10:18

Right, this is just going to be a simple-ish guide on how to sit on the side of a hill, and make people dead. I'll go into worrying detail for some bits, because I can, but mostly it's just to help you shoot accurately and safely.

I'm writing this from a lone sniper's perspective, so calculating drop and windage yourself.

First things First. You need a Gun.

Important things to know are the ranges you'll be working at. There's no point picking up a massive .50 cannon if you'll be at 400m and needing to fire rapidly. For now, look at the map, fine where you want to snipe from, guess ranges, pick gun.

So, The fun bit. Guns, In order of Calibre (and as such, useful range)

5.56x45
Types: Ball, Tracer.
Range: 500m Reliably.

Guns:
MK12 SPR, M4 with a long barrel.
Magazine: 30R Stanag
Fire Mode: Semi Auto
notes: What were they thinking? Only upside to this rifle is that it allows for ammo sharing as it uses standard mags. Also in silenced, to save you the embarrassment. No bipod either.

7.62x51
Types: Ball, Tracer.
Range: 800m easily. 1000m is doable, but can be difficult with wind.

Guns:
DMR, Based on the M14, Remarkably effective, prone to wind at longer ranges
Magazine: 20R
Fire Mode: Semi Auto
Notes: Moderately effective in CQB, but not ideal.

M110, M4 style receiver, fucking long barrel
Magazine: 20R
Fire Mode: Semi Auto
Notes: Moderately effective in CQB, but not ideal. Available in Silenced version

M24,M40 Old fashioned sniper rifles, still effective.
Magazine: 5R
Fire Mode: Bolt action
Notes: These are true sniper rifles, any less than 600m and you're in for a bad day

.50BMG 
Types: Ball, Tracer, MK.211 (m107 only)
Range: 1500m, more is doable, but not particularly reliable

Guns:
AS50
Magazine: 5R
Fire Mode: Semi Auto (but fairly fast)
Notes: Decent rifle, let down by no 10R magazine so far.

M107(M82), Really big gun, made by Barrett
Magazine: 10R
Fire Mode: Semi Auto
notes: Big, heavy, shoots a really long way. Fires MK.211 rounds, which are amusingly nasty.

Tac 50 Y'know that 2.3km sniper shot the Canadian dude made in Afghanistan? He was using one of these
Magazine: 5R
Fire Mode: Bolt Action
Notes: Available in suppressed version

25x59
Types: um, Grenade.
Range:1700m

Guns:
M109, Bottom half of the M107, with a massive fucking barrel.
Magazine: 5R
Fire Mode: Semi auto
notes: Really an anti-materiel rifle, Can be used against people if needs be, worth aiming at the ground to dispatch infantry, as it's a bigger target and usually kills with the explosion. Rounds often bounce off the ground though.

My personal choices are:
DMR for everything up to 800m, It's capable of a lot more, but I find it most capable below 800m.

M107 for when I'm separated from my targets by a decent distance (800m+) or a lake. It's big and slow, but has a large mag, and the option to fire these.

Loadout:
Now you have your gun, you'll need some other stuff.

ACE has implemented a weight and endurance system, which is essential to keep in mind if you're being mobile. But if you're sniping, you're probably not, but it's still worth being smart, don't carry anything you don't need.

The standard loadout by the game, with added big gun can work nicely, However, it's worth adding earplugs and protective goggles.

Ideally you'll want to take a laser range finder, windspeed meter or a spotter to do all the hard work for you.

If you have space left, a PRC119 is massively useful as it acts as a backpack, and allows you call in Artillery strikes and supply drops. The supply drops are especially useful, as it's very possible to run out of ammo, or need to change to a different weapon for an assault.

There's also various mines you can carry, for covering your arse, just inform your team and mark them on the map. (then pick them up after they die)

A real life piece of paper and a pencil can be handy too.

Location/Positioning:
Next useful thing is knowing where to put yourself.

I can't really give much advice for this, there's a million ways to assault a town, and a million places to hide.

Basically, you want to present the smallest possible target for the bad guys to shoot at. This means staying prone as much as possible, not being right at the top of a hill on open ground, Try to find some little ridge, rock or something to provide some cover.

If you're on a roof, one with a lip at the edge is good, and stay back from the edges.

Range and Windage:
By now you should have a gun, some useful toys, and be somewhere.

Now you need to work out your range to targets, and the wind direction.

If you have range finder and wind meter, use them. I'd use the range finder on 2-3 easily identifiable buildings, and note down the ranges, or remember them.

If you're slumming it with just a map and your brain, you'll need to work out enemy locations. try to work out where they are on the map (Lshift + click is handy here) Again, note taking is handy, as it gives you a fast reference.

Zoom all the way out on the map, then zoom back in until the squares shrink by 1 size. these squares are 100m, count the number between you and your targets you don't need to be super accurate, this'll usually get you within 30m, do the rest on instincts and adjustments.

Now hit shift + K, this'll bring up your mk1 licked finger based wind meter, that'll give you basic direction and strength of wind.

By now, you should be prone on the side of a hill, with a wet finger, a big gun, and a useless range-finder because you forgot the cunting batteries.

Shall we kill some people?

Before you do anything, hit Shift + V Open the range card, Check the nearest range to yours on the card, and type the adjustment in at the top, then hit confirm. Don't worry about windage too much unless you're at silly long range, or it's really windy.

Now your bullets should pretty much go where you want them to, zoom in and look at your victims, but don't fire. Hit shift + space to deploy your bipod, and number pad + to zoom right in.

Now you can shoot, there's a fair chance you won't hit first time, but watch for the dust from your miss to adjust, either using shift v again, or just the mil dots in the sights to adjust on the fly (also very handy for range differences in a town)

All being well, you just killed a dude or 30, dodged some ineffective fire and saved the princess.

Pnut · Post by **Pnut** » February 23rd, 2010, 14:17

Theres princesses in this game? Or is that just when Friz is playing?

Cheers Berk quite handy that, prob stuff I have already been told but my memory is shit and I`ve forgotten most of it!