Hello everyone and welcome back to my series on all things King of the Hill on the Output Gaming’s Oceanic Community (“OGOC”) server. I hope you enjoyed the previous article and my quick introduction to the series.
Following on from that I want to move on to some of the prerequisites for KOTH. Basically, this article will cover a lot of ground on the MANY basic things I wish I knew before I ever played my first King of the Hill game. Before we dive right in, however, let’s gather our thoughts and get a quick idea of who will benefit from reading this.
As I mentioned in the previous article I’m brand new to Arma. I knew absolutely nothing about the game other than reading a review from a guy who had over 4,500 hours recorded on Steam. At the time, I thought to myself that if anyone is willing to commit that many hours to the game and still be willing to give it a positive review on Steam then it must be pretty damn good. Little did I know that 4,500 hours were only rookie numbers compared to the people I have met during my short tenure, so far. So what does this mean for you, the reader? Well, it means you get someone who has a very fresh perspective on the game and from someone who has little-to-no FPS experience and very limited mil-sim experience. I had never played any form of Arma before I had a few hours in Insurgency: Sandstorm which I believe was a spin-off from an Arma 2 mod. Needless to say, I love the game, play it every day and am absolutely hooked. It’s a fantastic experience.
Finally, as I finished writing this article it dawned on me how lengthy it was, even with the images included. I’ve decided to split it into two parts. Part 1, this article, could be considered more oriented towards newer Arma players or returning players while part 2 will focus on some of the more technical aspects of the game. Needless to say, I hope anyone reading this will learn something big or small and can take what they’ve learned here and apply it to someone in a VR suit in the priority!
Let’s get started!
I know we live in the age of the internet and nobody reads the manual with the game anymore. Our natural instinct these days is to find the nearest multiplayer action and jump straight in. I am going to just stop you here and now and say that for KOTH this is a really bad idea for a lot of reasons. Firstly, you will die. A LOT. In fact, you will die so much you probably won’t want to return to the game. You won’t understand controls, basic functions and never mind the idea of getting to the “AO”.
Bootcamp & Campaign
Arma 3’s introductory bootcamp and campaign are… good. They’re not, by any means, the best introduction to the series but they form a great foundation for learning how to move, sprint, go prone, aim and fire a weapon. Pretty much all the essentials for any budding Arma – or KOTH – player. The core (i.e. no downloadable content “DLC”) game has a very good introduction to the game. In addition to learning how to shoot someone in the face you will learn how to make use of cover, work in teams and make split-second decisions in moments of chaos, low visibility and all-round panic. The Bootcamp is an essential part of the game and should be started once you boot up Arma 3 for the first time. Unlike other games the Bootcamp puts you straight into the action and you’re acting on commands from your Commanding Officer (“CO”). The game doesn’t drip feed you, either. You’re not told ‘press X button and get Y result’. You’re given just enough to survive and the rest you find out by yourself. The Bootcamp also servers as the natural transition into the games fantastic single player campaign.
For even more advanced game play you can enter the Virtual Reality Training (“VR”) which goes over everything from basic shotting to advanced helicopter landings with on-screen step-by-step prompts to get you on your way.
So yes, my first tip is super boring. However, it’s essential. I really cannot stress enough how important it is. You really do not want to be that level 1 player who is 0-15 on the kill board running around like a headless chicken in the Area of Objective (“AO”). Realistically, it won’t have any affect on your team or their ability to win the game, however, YOU will not enjoy the game and it’s really not worth it. Take an hour or two in single player, familiarise yourself with basic mechanics and I guarantee you it will stand to you in the long term. Let’s be real you probably aren’t going to start your first KOTH after completing advanced pilot training in VR but you definitely should give yourself a shot at enjoying the game as much as possible.
Read the Rules
Ok, ok, another boring one. I’m going to keep this short and sweet. On Output Gaming’s server there are two ways to read the rules. In-game and online. If you don’t want to get banned just read the rules. This one isn’t rocket science. As I mentioned in my previous article there are slots reserved for admins and moderators for the entire life cycle of the server. Don’t waste your time, their time and your teams time by not reading the rules. It takes approximately 2 minutes.
Online
- Output Gaming’s general rules can be found HERE at this link.
- Output Gaming’s KOTH rules can be found HERE at this link.
- Being a member of their Discord I also see a lot of questions around donators (a.k.a: contributors). Full details can be found HERE.
- Finally, the Output Gaming Oceanic Community Discord can be accessed HERE!
Ingame
Unsurprisingly, when you enter the game you are greeted with the servers rules – exactly like the below:
In addition to this, the first object you will see when you spawn (i.e. have read the rules and clicked Close) will be the server rules board as per the below!
Walk up to the board, press spacebar when the below image appears and the same screen will appear that you read when you first joined the game. This is great for refreshing the rules, reminding new players and keeping up-to-date with any updates and changes made throughout the life-cycle of the server:
Stats Carry over Between Servers
Ok, now that all that is out of the way, let’s get onto all the fun staff shall we?! The next tip I have for you is the fact that your stats (this means level, money, K:D:A, etc.) travel with you between servers! So what does that mean? In the first article we discussed how to access the Output Gaming server in the first instance. Well, they don’t just have an Infantry server. They also have a Light Vehicle server. Travelling overseas? No problem. Joining any Sa-Matra* KOTH server anywhere in the world will have this apply. I know people don’t play video games on vacation but I know as part of my day-to-day life I have to travel. A lot. If I was to bring my laptop with me and jump on a server that is unfamiliar; the game would act as if I dropped into the exact same world. It should be noted, as I stated in my first article, the ping will be a deciding factor in which server you choose anyway. This is interesting in many ways to keep the game new and fresh and diversified. Each server has different rulesets and expectations. Sometimes people just need to step away from the game and try something new. I think this is a really great way to keep people playing Arma 3 and KOTH and not penalising them for trying something new (i.e. a Light Vehicle server).
*I really want to stress the significance of the fact it’s the Sa-Matra Servers ONLY. This is not applicable to all KOTH servers for the simple reason they do not carry the same rule sets as the modern version. They have different perks, different ways to level up, different ways to each cash, etc. It would be very gimmicky if the other versions of KOTH applied in this scenario. Sa-Matra is the most common server.
Renting Weapons
For me, personally, this is probably the suggestion I wish I had known the most when I started Arma 3. Arma 3 is constantly changing and every player is different. When I started getting the basics of the game down I jumped on YouTube like many casual gamers and looked for efficient, fun and interesting ways to level up, earn cold, hard cash and basically unlock as much stuff as possible. What none of those videos told me was that all infantry weaponry AND their attachments in the game are rentable. Honestly, nobody in this game can tell you what’s good and what’s not. Naturally, some of the most popular guns are locked behind levels. But that certainly doesn’t mean there’s nothing to use out there. For example, the starting TRG is a great starter weapon. Play smart, play cool and shoot some bad guys. It works, same as any other weapon in the game. You shoot the guy before they shoot you? Guess what, they die. I know it can be frustrating as hell running out a building you know was safe only to be shot from “less than a hundred” by someone else. The first thing I always do is blame balance too. However, as you level up in the game you get the opportunity to rent ANY gun available to you. Don’t do what I did and start buying weapons based on what someone on a YouTube video from 9 months ago said was a good idea. Everybody’s play-style is different and as you play the game more your style will change, tactics will differ and your general awareness will change. It all takes time. Make the best use of that time and rent a gun, add an attachment to it and have some fun? It can actually be really cost-efficient with the Discount (“DCNT”) Perk but more on that in another article! I’m close to level 50 and I still rent guns regularly.
My suggestion? Save your money, test all the guns – heavy, light, long-range, whatever it might be and when you’ve messed around with each one for a few hours (keeping in mind you are constantly making more money and earning additional experience while doing so!) – add some scopes and then when you’re sure spend your hard earned cash on something fun and effective. Keep in mind it’s what is good FOR YOU. Nobody else can tell you what’s good. Nobody else can tell you what will give you the most kills. There are way too many variables, least of all my impeccable inability to dodge bullets in the priority!!!
Double tap “-” on the numpad
Guys, when you read this one you’re going to be kicking yourself as to not knowing this earlier. I actually didn’t know this one for a long time either. Anyway, when using the third-person (and first-person, actually) you can double tap the minus (-) button on your numpad and it will increase your field-of-view pretty significantly. This is a great tool when sneaking around walls, in buildings or just in general when you’re looking for a better vantage point. Below I’ve outlined some examples which I hope help put things in perspective!
As you can see, the difference is quite significant, including in the first-person. I strongly suggest you take off motion blur in the settings or it will make you feel nauseous! This viewpoint can take a bit of getting used to – especially if you’re like me and only discover this after about 35 levels – but I think it’s a really great tool to have up your sleeve on the battlefield every now and then. Note: this works in vehicles as well. As per usual if the numpad is not easily accessible to you (I don’t have a numpad on my keyboard, for example) you can change the default key for this in the Controls!
Third Person
Speaking of viewpoints, let’s talk about third-person. This is sometimes considered a “dirty” topic in KOTH. First off, let’s just open with the fact that third-person is enabled on Output Gaming’s servers. Simple as. That means you have the OPTION to use it or not. Next off, let’s look at the next fact – third-person, in close quarters combat, gives you an advantage. It does. Nobody should try and argue against that. It allows you to peek around corners, sit in bushes or go prone without getting view blocked by foliage and various other immovable objects.
Now that we are done mentally convincing ourselves why either point-of-view is bad let’s talk about how we enable third-person. The default button to enter third-person is Enter on the numpad. Third-person helps you get a better vantage point of your surroundings, peak through tower windows while in cover, look around hard cover (walls) and drive vehicles a lot easier (in my opinion, anyway!) Let’s explore some of the comparisons below!
In the above images I’ve used an external environmental wall as an example. The below images will demonstrate the difference while inside a building.
There’s no doubt this is advantageous as you are clearing buildings (using Q and E on your keyboard to peak corners) and in close quarters. I admit I cheated a bit in the images above to exaggerate the difference (in the third-person images I am holding alt and moving my mouse to get a better vantage around the corners) but the point still stands. As always this key can be changed in the Controls menu.
Hardcore Bonus – 50%
I can’t have a point around third-person without mentioning the “hardcore bonus”. KOTH does reward players who elect to NOT use third-person. By staying in first-person for the entire round (i.e. when the score reaches 100 for the wining team) you will receive a 50% bonus in EVERYTHING when the round ends. This can, technically, be absolutely enormous as it includes the end-of-round bonus which is already a multiplier of the length of time you played in the game. This is a really great incentive for players who are looking to expedite their experience gain or for those hardcore mil-sim fans. You also have the added satisfaction of knowing that you killed someone who plays in third-person (i.e. me!). Note, entering third-person at any time – even if only for a second or in error – will prompt the “You are no longer eligible for hardcore bonus.” signal to appear in your chat box. This is non-reversible so be careful with your keybinds if you are considering going either fully third-person, fully first-person or a mix of both!
Edit: I want to clarify on the Hardcore Bonus. The hardcore bonus is ONLY applicable to the points you’ve earned during the round and does NOT scale with the end-game bonus. Big thanks for Golden Gaytime ツ for this one as I wasn’t absolutely sure myself. Example can be seen below!
Anyway, guys, I hope you enjoyed reading this article. I had an absolute blast while writing it. It’s a long one but I think it’s a good one. For all you new and veteran players alike out there I hope you took something useful from this. Hopefully my next article won’t take as long to come out as this one did. Unfortunately, it’s financial year-end in Australia in June/July which means that in my line of work there’s no escape. It’s a grind and it needs to be done. As always, if you have any feedback or comments please let me know and I look forward to getting shot in the back by a level 1 TRG sooner rather than later ;). Until next time, OG’s, take care and enjoy the time in the priority!
I just want to take a moment to thank a person who has been helping me and guiding me through the more technical aspects of these articles. Meep. is a player who everyone who plays on the Output Gaming servers will know of. Super nice guy, really high level and a powerhouse for knowledge. When I started writing these articles he was the first guy who reached out saying he really enjoyed it but that if I had any questions or needed anything at all to let him know. He’s delivered on many occasions since. As this series gets more technical I have no doubt I will be contacting him more and more but I didn’t want to sign off without rightly acknowledging his contribution. Thank you very, very much.
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