Republic of Folk

Missions:

• Bay
• Manhunt
• Goat Ridge
• Self Service
• In Denial

Tonight marked the first all-ArmA 3 session for Folk ARPS, and 57 brave comrades were there to plant The Party's flag firmly in the soil of Altis. That's a fantastic turn-out by any measure, and on behalf of The Party I'd like to thank everyone who came along: regulars and returning comrades, and especially to the new faces - I hope you'll join us again, and also take a moment to register on this forum and post your impressions. We should also be thankful to the technical comrades, including harakka, wolfenswan and head, who in various ways have been working very hard behind the scenes to ensure that our server would not melt. After tonight, I think we can judge their efforts a success! In short, tonight was an epic way to see in the new ArmA 3 era of FA. Thank you everyone.



We began with a new mission that comrade Wolfenswan and I had cooked-up especially for the session: Bay saw a Party-trained force of FIA rebels land in the North-West of Altis, seeking to take a coastal village and nearby airstrip. Of the 50+ fighters that came ashore, less than a squad were left at the end, holed-up in the main house of Krya Nera. Comrade Draith will receive the first Party-minted medal of this campaign for killing the enemy attack helo that decimated our forces ... just as soon as we work out how to escape from that house!
Next, in Manhunt, the attacking INDFOR troops learnt some harsh lessons about leaving their vehicles unattended, whilst the fleeing FIA forces demonstrated the perils of high-speed road chases (but still managed to escape). Goat Ridge took Party forces to Stratis and plunged us into some brutal ridge-to-ridge fighting with enemy patrols, bunkers and vehicles. Tracers bridged deep valleys, rockets flew erratically across wide spaces, but eventually we were victorious. I'm not even sure that many comrades even died! The same could not be said of Self Service, which was dark, rainy and frighteningly confusing - but in the best possible way. OPFOR was eventually victorious, but INDFOR put up a brave fight (even if it didn't quite demonstrate the INDFOR CO's claim to need 'only one fireteam' for a successful defence). Finally, comrade Draakon become our first Medic-Leader for the mission In Denial, in which he eschewed the Hippocratic Oath to shout orders, shoot people and patch up other people. He died.

As ever, please post your thoughts, feedback, screenshots and video here - comrade YouTube Hero SuperU's FA doesn't just produce our video idents, but provides leadership and guidance to propaganda artists. We also have a new YouTube channel that he manages so if you have any content you think should feature then let him know and he will sort you out, for more info check out this thread!; more guidance on video editing for Folk ARPS is provided by comrade Ferrard Carson. Posts in the AAR threads really help us (the hosts and mission makers), both with understanding how we can improve the experiences, and showing potential comrades what our sessions are like.

Bay - Alpha *coughcough* RAT

The thing I remember most about this mission is how many times I crashed. That's gotta be a good sign, at least.

Manhunt - AAF Recon Team Leader

Being on Recon was a good laugh. Sneakysneaking through town, dodging between buildings, shooting Ferrard before he realized I was a baddie. I eventually wandered into a broken down building, shooting at someone who ran up the stairs. We shot back and forth until I died. If I had thrown a grenade at him, I probably would have killed the two leaders. Ah well.

Goat Ridge - Alpha 1 Leader

The ridge was a good laugh, enemies were poking and wobbling out of every nook and crevice. After Super died, I had to adopt Alpha as my own. Taking them under my wing, and getting a good few of them killed, we pushed up to Goat Ridge, for me to die on my ass.

Self Service - Alpha SL

After being promoted to SL, I was then promoted to SL.





In Denial - Didn't attend.

Goat Ridge, C2 AR
Hiking simulator. I got some kills, unfortunately after they massacred Charlie 1.
Self Service, CSAT B2 AR
We were sneaky as hell, and while I was certain we're going to die fast (charge into the compound first? check what's up that ladder? I'm on the balcony and enemy fireteam is looking at me?) but (almost) all of us survived and we won!
In Denial, B2 AR
I got away from my team and killed some baddies that were bugging B1 for some time. When I got back to my team we got GPed and only I and IceRaiser were alive. Then someone hit me with another GP through the small window.

I can't recount many details of the missions as it is all still very much a blur. I do distinctly remember having fun however.

On the other hand, my performance was very mixed. First mission started out OK but became nigh unplayable at times (while assaulting the town, mostly. when we were holed up in that building my fps kinda recovered). Manhunt was the same, starting smoothly but I lost quite a few fps when we went to town. The last three missions however ran perfectly smooth for me. I may not be representative as I haven't got the best of PCs (Phenom II X4 960, Ati HD4850, 4GB) but the difference between missions was significant.

Bay - B3 FTL
Died from a heartattack


Manhunt - FIA BSL

Bravo was ordered to take up positions east of town and protect the eastern main road, after a few helicopter sightings, a AAF convoy came rolling in, lucky they were sandwiched between B1,B2 and MMG and were successfully fought off, after checking that east was clear , i gave the ordered to return to the meeting point to protect the VIP's, on our way we ran right smack into 2(?) AAF FT in the middle town, and that's when my fps went poof, i think i manged to kill one or two before running into a enemy soldier that managed to take my magazine to the chest before shooting me in the face.

Goat Ridge - MAT - AG
Part of Fer heroes, we successfully murdered everything in our path.
Self Service
Bravely occupied the water tower, shot danny in the face while he was sneaking.
Filled someone with half a clip and he didn't die and his friend shot me in the face.
damm you 5.55
In Denial

Despite having been a bit uncertain and distressed by all this newfangled "Arma 3" business, having a good bustling session with some great missions was just thing to start to alleviate my luddite worries. Bravo to all involved!

Bay - D1 FTL

Taking charge of some new faces, I marvelled at the pretty fogs while keeping our support fireteam back with MAT and MMG while we got our collective business sorted out, which turned out to take quite a while! Also boy is Arma 3 proximity VON loud, with a cacophonous hustle and bustle surrounding us while people milled around. In any case, we eventually got moving, topping an escarpment from where we engaged our first few contacts. From there Alpha went off on one side while Bravo started heading down the road, with us trailing along behind, the new folks picking up fireteam formation and maneuver type ideas with admirable quickness.

Things were going swimmingly as we mowed down patrols left and right, until we heard the whuddawhudda of an approaching attack chopper. With performance starting to slow down (from mid-20s to low teens), we threw ourselves into a little farmyard as we got buzzed again and again with storms of thundering death falling upon us from above, and despite many massed volleys of fire at it, it managed to best first me, then the remains of my FT.

Manhunt - MEETINGFOR Alpha SL/CO

Turning my hand to a little Events Management, I booked some time in at the local business centre for two local business men to have a local business meeting. Coordinating the travel arrangements, I arranged an express chauffeur-driven and escorted journey into the centre of town and laid out some tea and biscuits. Wafflynumber arrived promptly but Rook had a little traffic trouble, or rather, an innocent pedestrian had a little traffic trouble. In any case, the meeting eventually commenced while my security staff took up positions along the eastern road and on the southern hill.

They soon started to encounter interference from some rowdy youths breaking their ASBOs and hanging around on street corners, but they managed the situation admirably despite fresh surges of troublemakers coming in from every direction (well, east and northwest), slowly closing in on the business center to keep things orderly. One of the youths even tried to prank us by buzzing us with a toy remote-controlled helicopter, but it was soon confiscated and destroyed.

Our local minicab firm were kind enough to send over a lovely hatchback and a suspiciously bullet-hole-ridden Strider, and despite a seemingly uncountable number of t's needing to be dotted and i's crossed, business was eventually concluded and the two executives left for a round of golf.


Goat Ridge - C1(?) FTL

A simple premise that turned out very nicely (for Charlie anyway). Starting at the southwest corner of a particular area on the west coast of Stratis, we had to clear the ridge at the northern edge of it. Spreading our elements out in a line and executing a barn-door maneuver, with Alpha at the 'hinge' end and Charlie at the 'swinging' end, were sent to the furthest reaches of the AO on a long, but pleasant hike that culminated in us making a nice, neat, effective bounding push up the ridge to take out a couple of bunkers, then watch Bravo and Alpha follow suit and/or get killed trying.


Self Service - ATTACKFOR CO

A nice straightforward adversarial centred on a fairly large complex of warehouses just north of a fairly large town. At night and in horrible weather, we advanced in trucks and an Ifrit to the western point of the AO, advancing through some rocks and woods. Meanwhile I looped around to the east side on my own with a truck. As soon as I crested the ridge on that side I started attracting bullets, and when I turned on the headlights, started firing tracers and running about like a fool I attracted even more. This quickly lead to my death (at the hands of Satire I believe) but it did give my lads an opportunity to break into the compound, leading to a steady and efficient massacre. Huzzah!


In Denial - B1(?) FTL

Our two squads, lead by the dashing and charismatic Draakon, advanced on a town while taking out various entrenched groups of infantry. Alpha got engaged and pinned down by a bunker, but Bravo were able to loop around and clear it from the flank, after which Alpha, now lacking a Draakon, came up to join us. I took charge for about 10 seconds, which consisted of being told not to get shot, and getting shot. From then the stragglers pushed forwards while slowly being whittled down, except for the exceptionally resilient and courageous trio of Ferrard Carson, Stoner, and Dannei(?), who despite a slightly lackadaisical attitude to glorious doomed charges, racked up an admirable body count before he himself was added to it.


Afterparty - Rally - Pyrotechnics supervisor

We had enough folks left over at the end for a nice little run of Rally, with about 6 cars pelting their way around Stratis while Draakon strafed and harrassed them with the Air Marshall's helicopter, and I rained down a neverending supply of artillery shells, smoke, and mines on their heads, occasionally messing with Iceraiser by using the Splendid Camera to teleport myself all around his car like a freaky alien.

Things got especially explosive around the firing range, with Draakon bombing the hell out of anyone who tried to cross, especially those whose sportscars got stuck in the sand, while those driving their spare vans managed to make it across and leap like dramatic salmon over the ramparts. After completing the sportscar, Ifrit and Quadbike stages, Iceraiser grabbed the victory by being the first to crash his chopper into Airstation Mike, and lo, there was much rejoicing and celebratory fire.

Bay - MAT
Join the Party, see the world. And indeed it was so. The new future equipent did get a bit temperamental, as the lock refused to catch thhe multiple IFVs that were standing right goddamn there in the open. The real problem, though, started when the gunship showed up. I must've sunk well over 200 rounds in it myself, but was still gunned down, leaving my not-so-trusty tube to my trusty sidekick Bodge, who, by the looks of it, proceeded to kick ass.

Manhunt - INDFOR B3 FTL
Past the initial confucion of the ORBAT failing, B3 took the Ifrit and followed the plan: storm the town from the east, as alpha infiltrated from the opposite side. That plan, however, went to hell after the APC was blown apart, taking most of bravo, including my entire fireteam, with it. I took a few potshots at the hill, and retreated towards the enemy. Somewhere along the line, I figured out I have no idea what the enemy looks like, and almost gunned down remnants of Bravo several times. Ultimately, I ended up near a window, staring at a building swarming with some funny looking men with guns. In a combo of 'nades and rufle fire, I knocked down a fair number of them, and relocated. I was shot dead soon after.

Goat Ridge BLUFOR B1 AAR
In a classic party woodland fun time adventure, we jogged through the countryside and ultimately got shot. I'm not sure if it would merit losing the team firepower, but giving the RCO to the AAR only is an interesting idea.

Self Service OPFOR B3 FTL
After making it out of comrade Ferrard's truck alive, we stormed the compound and seized the day! Night! Seized the night!

In Denial B2 AAR
In an astonishing flanking manuever, B2 managed to reach the town without even so much as getting shot at by the enemy. Then we were blown apart by a single grenade. Fun stuff.

Dogface wrote:Rook had a little traffic trouble, or rather, an innocent pedestrian had a little traffic trouble.

I straight up murdered that jaywalking bastard with my justicemobile.

Well organised Dogface, the most fun in A3 I've had yet and our escape was super intense. Your CO skills are glorious.

Though I was FTL for all 3 of the missions I played I didn't actually see all that much of the action, either to being on the far side of the engagement much of the time (as in Bay) or getting pinged by a lucky headshot pretty much straight away (as in Manhunt.) That said A3 seems to be running way smoother now than it was previously and the feel of the game is so much more impressive than A2, which is super important to me.

Here's my death from Manhunt. Proud of the irony, hopefully it's a sign of great things to come

Is the feel something you can describe a bit more, kev? (Anyway, I definitely should play some more Arma 3...)