SirMurficus

Long term conceptual plan is to create a RHS / TFAR / ACE version of IA4 which can run on EU3.

It is with a heavy heart that I am officially announcing what will likely be my complete departure from AhoyWorld. As I have mentioned to some, I will be stepping down from the Enhanced moderator team on June 19; this will be paired with an indefinite hiatus from the community as well, though I fully intend to return when I can.
 
In December of 2017, I enlisted in the United States Navy, with my boot camp date set for June 20th of 2018. After boot, I will be going straight to my respective school, and will likely be deploying after that (this will easily encompass the next 3 years). I will be limiting any computer usage strictly to studying during this period. 
 
To those members of the Enhanced realm of AhoyWorld reading this now, thank you for being my friends and family. I have tried my best to be a player, a moderator, a teacher, and a counselor; and if nothing else I hope I have succeeded in being another human being that you were always glad to talk to. I have spent a good 1,700 hours on Enhanced alone, and have seen many people come and go. Throughout the three years I've spent racking up those hours, though, my mind has never changed that both the server and AhoyWorld in general are diamonds in the rough that is the rest of the Arma 3 community. Nobody will ever be able to duplicate the truly unique things that you all share. 
 
I will still be active up until the 19th. I am just making this notice ahead of time so that I have a proper buffer to wrap things up with, and so that I'm not rushing to get a message out right before I have to leave. You'll still see me on Enhanced as often as always, and on TeamSpeak so long as I'm awake.
 
Regards,
 
Shadow

If you ever wondered what all the buttons of the Mk. V SOC do, what the speeds, seats, accelerations, etc, of the Mk. V SOC, Speedboat HMG/Minigun, Rhib, Assault-/Rescue-Boat and SDV are, why you should use the SDVs lights at night even though you´ve got NV (believe me, you want to do it!) or if you just want to know wich boat to use or just simply like pictures of boats, then this is the topic you were looking for!
(Also I "highlited" the most important things by making them bold. So if you don´t want to read through everything then these are the few things you should read at least)
 
Do also note that there is a section called "Additional" on the bottom that contains informations about emergencys at sea, how they are classified and what signals are to use, some basic stuff and what maritime zones exist.
 
 
Mk. V SOC (Mark five Special-Operations-Craft)

 
Notes: Obviously a large boat than can transport more than enough people (3x full AWE squads while still having a free seat to be precise), while beeing extremely fast and beeing able to reach nearly every point on the water since it has nearly no draft (< 1 m). Do also note that the draft decreses to pretty much nothing when you go faster than 40km/h due to Arma being not very advanced when it comes to boats. Also it is equipped with a lot of firepower to get rid of other boats or enemies on the coast and can load Assault Boats and SDVs. Additional to that it offers a lot of benefits at night as I explain in "Lights" and "Crew". Also you can place down and use mortars on the deck! My personal favorite! Speed: 78 km/h Speed (boosted): 115 km/h acceleration (0 km/h - 115 km/h): 26 s - 27 s stopping (straight): 100 m - 120 m, about 8 s stopping (curved): 90 m - 100 m, about 5 s, 135° turn Curve-speed: 40 km/h Curve-radius: approx. 90 m Curve-speed (boosted): 42 km/h Curve-radius (boosted): approx. 60 m Gliding (Engine off, 115 km/h - 25 km/h): approx. 1 km Gliding (Engine off, 115 km/h - 0 km/h): approx. 2 km Reverse-speed: 30 km/h Reverse-acceleration (0 km/h - 30 km/h): about 3 s Lights: Collision-lights: Starboard(Stb) green, Portside(Port) red, Stern white  (but according to law the "NAV" light also has to be activated. So no this still isn´t all you need to not get the police angry.) Other: All other lights are controlled by the "control panel": "ILLUM": It activates "NAV", "NIGHT", "HORIZ" and "SPOT", when these are on "ON". For safety-reasons it does not affect "DIVE", "DISPLAYS", "ENG SYS", "INSTR" and the "Collision Lights". "NAV": Activates a white light that shines on and in front of the bow and is good for driving in safe areas like friendly ports. Also it is part of the needed lights on an engine-powered boat) "NIGHT": Activates red lights inside the cockpit and on deck. Is good for driving in firendly waters/when out of danger. (Red light is used instead of white light because it is easier for the eyes to accomodate when switching between looking in the dark and looking in the red light than it would be if the light would be white.)
 
"HORIZ": Activates a white light on Deck. Can be very usefull for loading.
 
"SPOT": Activates a white spotting-light that can be moved around by the technican (right click -> move mouse). It can turn up to 145° to each side.
"DIVE": Activates (yellow) dive-beacons wich should be used when divers are in use below or around the boat to keep them safe from other boats.
 
"INSTR": Lights/activates the compass.
"ENG SYS": Activates a few lights like the rudder-angle. But since this isn´t really needed, except for when you are driving with Joystick or wheel, it is pretty much pure cometic aswell.
"DISP": Activates a NV-display in front of the driver wich will be your best friend when driving at night since it hasn´t got any of the ACE-NV-effects and is way higher than the driver. This means that while driving at night you should nearly only be looking on this one because you`ll otherwise have a really hard time seeing anything without lights. Also it activates a TI-display in front of the commander wich shows the same view he would have with his camera. This can also be pretty nice for driving at night when the commander turns his camera towards the driving direction.
Maximum people on board: 41 - 43
Crew: 7
Cockpit-crew: 3
Driver: Does the driving, the loading and controls the lights. Got a NV display in front of him that shows him the bow and what´s in front and a compass. Other than that he also has got RPM (left of the NV-display), the rudder-position (displayed by the joystick aswell as by the displays directly behind it), wether you are accelerating or braking (displayed by the joystick aswell as the displays directly behind it) and how fast you are (displayed by the numbers on the joystick where each increment indicates a difference of about 10 km/h. So 115 km/h is about at 12.)
 
Commander: In command of the boat. Can use a camera with NV and Vis modes. This one also should have a laser wich seems not to be working. Got a TI display that is connected to the camera in front of him and a compass aswell.
Technican: Can use the spotting-light and can read all the instruments except for the compass aswell.
Deck-crew: 4 (wouldn´t be able to stand on deck while driving at high speeds IRL)
(Stb) M2 (12.7x99 mm Ball): 6x100 rnd, no ranging
(Port) M2 (12.7x99 mm Ball): 6x100 rnd, no ranging
(Stb) Mk19 (40 mm): 2x96 rnd, no ranging
(Port) M134 (Minigun): 2x2000 rnd, no ranging
Passanger: 26, all can´t use weapons. (to be realistic maximum 14x because everyone who isn´t in a shock-proof-seat would just be crushed...these boats can generate up to 20G! So good luck standing on deck then...)
Cockpit: 14x
Sides: 4x
Bow: 2x
Deck: 4x
Stern/Ramp: 2x
loadable: 8x - 10x (as above this wouldn´t be possible at high speeds without beeing crushed by wave-impacts)
2x SDV: 2x4 = 8, all can´t use their weapons.
1x SDV + 1x Assault Boat: 1x4 + 1x5 = 9, Assault Boat-passangers can use their weapons.
2x Assault Boat: 2x5 = 10, all can use their weapons.
Cargo/loading:
Cargo: 4 Ace-cargo-spaces
loading: The MK. V SOC offers the option to load SDVs or Assault Boats on its deck and ramp. This can be done by the driver by opening the  "vehicle loading menu", clicking on the Boat/SDV you want to load, then clicking on the place you want to load it on (if you want to load multiple SDVs or Assault Boats always load on the deck first!) and then clicking on "Load Boat".
unloading: To unload SDVs or Assault Boats open the "vehicle loading menu", click on "Switch to unload mode", click on the boat you want to unload (if you loaded multiple SDVs or Assault Boats you will have to unload the one on the ramp first!) and then click "Unload Boat". Don´t do this in very shallow waters since it could lead to exploding everything. Also I would recommend to unload while driving (around 20 km/h) to prevent SDVs or Assault Boats from getting stuck on the ramp. Another problem might be unloading SDVs from the deck since it seems that it was never intended to load one on there (but unloading them from the ramp works fine).
Mortars: As crazy as it sounds (and is) it is possible to place down and use mortars on the deck! But there are a few things to consider: setting it up: Place down mortars only when the boat is standing still because otherwise either the boat kills you, you fall off or the mortar isn´t placed where you wanted it to be! using it: It is possible to stay on the mortar while the boat is moving but I wouldn`t recommend this since it is very unsafe. Also you can just place down the mortar, leave it, drive around and then re-enter and use it but this also can be unsafe and lead to the mortar going overboard. Also it is worth noting that for re-entering the mortar or picking it up again you have to lay down and look a bit over the mortar to get the scrollwheel-action, as shown in the picture below: Reloading: Do note that you can only reload them when the water-depth is less than 3 m. This obviously limits its use to shallow waters but for example on Tembelan you can find a ton of possible locations that aren`t very close to the shore while fullfilling that criteria. Another option would of course be to just place down for example 10 loaded(!) mortars on the deck and then drive off and use them wherever you want. Mortar-recommendation: Due to these circumstances I would also recommend doing this with the BAF M16 Mortar and to pack a few spare-ones in case one goes overboard.  
 
Speedboat Minigun/HMG
 
Notes: Good speed with weapons and the potential to transport a lot of people! Still this one is outclassed on everything by the MK. V SOC except for one thing that makes this one valuable: The MK. V SOC is too big for pretty much any bridge. This means that on Tembelan for example there is a 700 m river-area that just can´t be reached with it and an additional river-area of about 1.5 km that can be reached by the MK. V SOC but only by going around the entire map. But except for these very rare spots and if you are just very short on players there is no real reason not to pick the MK. V SOC above this one if you can get it. Also I would always use these at night over other boats when the MK. V SOC is unavailable (I`ll explain in "Crew" why). Speed: 64 km/h Speed (boosted): 75 km/h acceleration (0 km/h - 75 km/h): about 8 s stopping (straight): 40 m - 50 m, about 8 s stopping (curved): 25 m - 35 m, 135° turn, about 7 s Curve-speed: 40 km/h Curve-radius: approx. 20 m Curve-speed (boosted): 42 km/h Curve-radius (boosted): approx 20 m Gliding (Engine off, 75 km/h - 25 km/h): 50 m Gliding (Engine off, 75 km/h - 0 km/h): about 200 m Reverse-speed: 25 km/h Reverse-acceleration (0 km/h - 25 km/h): about 10 s Lights: Front light: A white light that shines on and in front of the bow and is good for driving in safe areas like friendly ports. And as before this has to be activated together with the collision lights. (But still does not fulfill the ruled criteria as the angle is too small) Collision lights: Activates Starboard(Stb) green, Portside(Port) red (but even with the front-light active it is still illegal to drive because it is missing the white 135° light to the back)
Maximum people on board: 11
Crew: 3
Driver: Drives the boat. Has got an NV-display infront of him without the ACE-NV-effects wich makes this one the top tier at night if the MK. V SOC isn´t available since this display will be your best friend when driving this boat at night! Also has got a display for speed, RPM and fuel and 2x 360° smoke-screen.
Commander: Has got a MK19 (40 mm HE) 200 rnd cannon that offers auto-zeroing or manual zeroing from 100 m - 1200 m, Vis-, NV- and TI- mode and zoom. Also he has got a Vis- and a TI-display in front of him.
 
Rear gun: Either M134 (7.62 mm Minigun) with 2000 rnd or XMG 12 (12.7 mm) with 3x200 rnd, Vis- NV- and various TI-modes as well as zoom. (I would prefer the M134 version for its supression-power since it is mostly impossible to lay down accurate fire from a boat if it is moving or waves are present wich renders the HMG often useless.)
Passangers: 8x, all can´t use their weapons.
Cargo: 8 Ace-cargo-spaces
 
 
Rhib (Rigid-hulled inflatable boat)


 
Notes: A black (Indipendent/Syndicate) or ugly blue/white (Civillian) Rhib with very good speed. The only way to use these ones is again if you want to go in the before mentioned areas but faster than with the Speedboat, if you don´t expect contacts on the way and if you don´t mind not having a NV-display at night or if you are extremely short on players. Speed: 77 km/h Speed (boosted): 90 km/h acceleration (0 km/h - 90 km/h): about 27 s stopping (straight): 70 m - 80 m, about 8 s stopping (curved): 40 m - 50 m, 180° turn, about 5 s Curve-speed: 30 km/h Curve-radius: approx. 25 m Curve-speed (boosted): 33 km/h Curve-radius (boosted): approx 25 m Gliding (Engine off, 90 km/h - 25 km/h): about 480 m Gliding (Engine off, 90 km/h - 0 km/h): about 1 km Reverse-speed: 22 km/h Reverse-acceleration (0 km/h - 22 km/h): about 3 s Lights: none (wich is completely illegal). So better have a Torch or Handflare on you in case a MK. V SOC comes across at night...and someone you can put the blame on in case the police comes across. It can still be used in case of an emergency when there always is a white torch or lantern ready to use. Maximum people on Board: 8 Crew: 1 Driver: Drives the boat. Has a compass in front of him and instuments for speed, RPM and fuel  
Passangers: 7, all can use their weapons. Cargo: 4 Ace-cargo-spaces  
 
Assault Boat / Rescue Boat

 
Notes: A small black Assault Boat for stealthy landings on beaches or a orange Rescue boat for saving lives. Because of the maximum reachable distance and the low speed nearly the only way to really use these is together with an MK. V SOC as "mothership" that dispatches them to land on a beach without a lot of noise, to pick up people in the need of help without endangering them with the huge hull of the Mk. V SOC or to have more boats for search and rescue (more on the topic of emergencies at sea can be found further down below). Speed: 25 km/h Speed (boosted): 29 km/h acceleration (0 km/h - 29 km/h): about 3 s stopping (straight): 5 m - 10 m, about 2 s stopping (curved): 5 m - 10 m, about 2 s, 20° turn Curve-speed: 25 km/h Curve-radius: approx. 30 m Curve-speed (boosted): 29 km/h Curve-radius (boosted): approx 30 m Gliding (Engine off, 29 km/h - 0 km/h): about 60 m Reverse-speed: 20 km/h Reverse-acceleration (0 km/h - 20 km/h): about 3 s Lights: none (wich is completely illegal as well because yes this boat is below 7 m BUT it is faster than 7 kn) So better have a torch or handflare on you in case a MK. V SOC comes across at night. It can still be used in case of an emergency when there always is a white torch or lantern ready to use. Maximum people on Board: 5 Crew: 1 Driver: Drives the boat and has got no instruments whatsoever.  
Passangers: 4, all can use their weapons. Cargo: No Ace-cargo-spaces but can be "pushed" in case it was beached!  
 
Motorboat / Motorboat (Police) / Motorboat (Rescue)
 
Notes: A blue/white police-boat for law enforcement, a very orange rescue-boat to save lifes or an ugly civillian one for whatever you want to do with it. If you want to be faster than with an assault-boat/rescue-boat but not as fast as you would be with a Rhib...for whatever reason. But I guess it does the job aswell. Speed: 50 km/h Speed (boosted): 69 km/h acceleration (0 km/h - 29 km/h): about 8 s stopping (straight): 50 m, about 8 s stopping (curved): 40 m - 50 m, about 8 s, 110° turn Curve-speed: 35 km/h Curve-radius: approx. 15 m Curve-speed (boosted): 38 km/h Curve-radius (boosted): approx 15 m Gliding (Engine off, 69 km/h - 0 km/h): about 130 m Reverse-speed: 23 km/h Reverse-acceleration (0 km/h - 23 km/h): about 11 s Lights: The police-boat has got beacons but the other ones haven´t got any lights...wich is quiet funny becaus they also need to have the needed 4 lights: white 135° light to the back, red 112.5° on Port, green 112.5° on Stb and white 225° to the front. So better have a torch or handflare on you in case a MK. V SOC comes across at night. It can still be used in case of an emergency when there always is a white torch or lantern ready to use.  
Maximum people on Board: 3 Crew: 1 Driver: Drives the boat, has got instruments for velocity, RPM and fuel in front of him.  
Passangers: 2, all can`t use their weapons. (For rescue and Law-enforcement-purposes I would always let one seet free for potential people in the need of help or people to arrest) Cargo: 4 Ace-cargo-spaces and can be "pushed" in case it was beached!  
 
SDV (Seal Delivery Vehicle)

 
Notes: The Seal Delivery Vehicle. More Stealth is not possbile. Definitly a great thing but most likely only usable with an MK. V SOC because of the very short maximum distance and the extremely low speed. But even with its weaknesses that thing is just great! Speed (surfaced): 23 km/h Speed (underwater): 18 km/h acceleration (surfaced, 0 km/h - 23 km/h): about 5 s acceleration (underwater, 0 km/h - 18 km/h): about 3 s stopping (surfaced, straight): 10 m - 15 m, about 2 s stopping (underwater, straight): 5 m - 10 m, about 1 s stopping (surfaced, curved): 10 m - 15 m, about 2 s, 45° turn stopping (underwater, curved): 5 m - 10 m, about 1 s, 45° turn Speed (ascending): 2 m/s Speed (descending): 1.2 m/s Curve-speed (surfaced): 21 km/h Curve-speed (underwater): 18 km/h  Curve-radius (surfaced): approx. 20 m Curve-radius (underwater): approx. 20 m - 30 m Gliding (surfaced, Engine off, 23 km/h - 0 km/h): about 90 m - 100 m Gliding (underwater, Engine off, 18 km/h - 0 km/h): about 40 m - 50 m Reverse-speed (surfaced): 20 km/h Reverse-speed (underwater): 15 km/h Reverse-acceleration (surfaced, 0 km/h - 20 km/h): about 9 s Reverse-acceleration (underwater, 0 km/h - 15 km/h): about 5 s Lights: White-front-lights. These ones are nice in case you are in an emergency and want to be found when surfaced or when you are driving that thing at night because NVGs alone are nearly useless (but more about this when I talk about the driver). Also even though it gives the option to activate the "Collision lights" but there are none. Maximum people on Board: 4 Crew: 2 Driver: Drives the SDV. He has got a compass, instuments for vertical speed, RPM, depth and fuel, an attitude indicator and a Vis-mode display in front of him. By right-clicking the display goes on full-screen and you can access NV-mode aswell. But this one isn´t really effective on its own and should be used together with the front lights as long as the situation allows it. If it is not possible anymore he definitly needs someone to navigate or the SDV has to be abandoned since he is then nearly blind. Also he has the option to "Maintain periscope depth". Do note that this will NOT bring the SDV to periscope depth (around -1m) but insted it will just try to hold it´s current depth but this seems to be not working properly. Can close the hatches for better protection or open them for better view.
Cockpit: Example for why you should drive with lights: Gunner: Has got a compass and the vertical-speed aswell. Also got a Vis-display infront of him that shows him what he can see with the periscope. By right-clicking he can acces the periscope, move it around, use the laser-designator and switch between Vis-, NV- and TI-mode. For having the periscope above the water the SDV has to be at > -1 m. Can close the hatches for better protection or open them for better view. Passangers: 2, can´t use their weapons, can close the hatches for better protection or open them for better view. Cargo: No Ace-cargo-spaces but can be "pushed" in case it was beached!  
 
 
Additional
Emergencys at sea: Safety: The safety of shipping is affected. Example: You spotted an unmarked wreck. Category: all ships call Priority: safety Radio: Urgency: The safety of the ship or of persons is at risk. Example: Your ship is endangered to sink but in very shallow waters/very close to the shore. Category: all ships call Priority: Urgency Radio: Mayday: The safety of the ship and of persons is at risk. Example: Your ship is on fire and you are offshore. Category: all ships call Priority: Distress Radio: Do note that after this call no one except the control center and stations assisting are allowed to use the radio at all until the control center or station in distress declares the emergency as dealt with! Other Signals (the bold ones can be used in Arma aswell): red handflare, red flare, red or orange smoke, constantly using the horn, SOS signal (3x short, 3x long, 3x short), flag November above flag Charlie, waving with arms, gun fired at one minute intervalls, a square flag with a ball above or below it (or at least anything that could be interpreted as ball), emergency beacons
  Equipment when driving boats: compass, map, map-tools, binoculars, toolkit, handflares, flares, red or orange smoke, radio, FAK, watch
  basic stuff to know: "Sides" of a boat: Bow = front of the ship Stern = back of the ship Port = the left side of the ship (when facing the bow) Starboard = the right side of the ship (when facing the bow) nautical length / speed: 1 NM (NM = nautical mile) = 1.85 km, 1 km = 0.54 NM 1 kn (kn = knots <=> NM/h) = 0.51 m/s = 1.85 km/h, 1 km/h = 0.28 m/s = 0.54 kn, 1 m/s = 1.94 kn = 3.6 km/h
  Wind-speeds/Beaufort: The Beaufort-scale is the most common scale to classify wind. In Arma it can be seen together with the wind-direction by clicking "Shift" + "K" (the arrow shows the wind-direction and the dots the wind in Beaufort) 0 Beaufort: 0 kn = 0 m/s < Windspeed < 1 kn = 0.51 m/s 1 Beaufort: 1 kn = 0.51 m/s < Windspeed < 4 kn = 2.06 m/s 2 Beaufort: 4 kn = 2.06 m/s < Windspeed < 7 kn = 3.6 m/s 3 Beaufort: 7 kn = 3.6 m/s < Windspeed < 11 kn = 5.66 m/s 4 Beaufort: 11 kn = 5.66 m/s < Windspeed < 16 kn = 8.23 m/s 5 Beaufort: 16 kn = 8.23 m/s <Windspeed < 22 kn = 11.32 m/s 6 Beaufort:  22 kn = 11.32 m/s < Windspeed < 28 kn = 14.4 m/s 7 Beaufort:  28 kn = 14.4 m/s < Windspeed < 34 kn = 17.49 m/s 8 Beaufort: 34 kn = 17.49 m/s < Windspeed < 41 kn = 21.09 m/s 9 Beaufort: 41 kn = 21.09 m/s < Windspeed < 48 kn = 24.69 m/s 10 Beaufort: 48 kn = 24.69 m/s < Windspeed < 56 kn = 28.81 m/s 11 Beaufort: 56 kn = 28.81 m/s < Windspeed < 64 kn = 32.92 m/s 12 Beaufort: 64 kn = 32.92 m/s < Windspeed < 72 kn = 36.89 m/s
  needed lights: engine-powered: 1x white stern, 135° 1x green Stb, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) 1x red Port, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) 1x white top, 225° enigne-powered below 12m: 1x white top, 360° 1x green Stb, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) 1x red Port, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) engine-powered below 7m and slower than 7kn: 1x white, 360° 1x green Stb, 112.5° (if possible) 1x red Port, 112.5° (if possible) enigne-powerd below 7m and can´t use any lights (because of the boat-design for example): 1x white torch or 1x white lantern ready to use (do note that within darkness it is only allowed to use these boats in case of an emergency!) sail-powered / rowing-powered (can be used): 1x white stern, 135° 1x green Stb, 112.5° 1x red Port, 112.5° if these ones aren´t on the top of the mast it is also allowed to use (additional) a 360° green light below a 360° red light on the top of the mast if an engine is used additional at night the rules of engine-powered boats apply. At day there has to be a black cone with it´s top down. sail-powered below 7m / rowing-powered: 1x white torch or 1x white lantern ready to use anchoring: 1x white, 360° 1x black ball (at day) boats not under command: 2x red, 360° above each other 1x white stern, 135° (if still driving) 1x green Stb, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) (if still driving) 1x red Port, 112.5° (either at the side or on the bow as 2-color lantern) (if still driving) 2x black ball above each other (at day) beached boats 2x red, 360° above each other 1x white, 360° 3x black ball above each other (at day)
  maritime zones: (reference: http://bit.ly/2Fx6PWw, http://bit.ly/2FiDADv) shore - baseline (=mean low watermark): Internal water, national jurisdiction baseline - 12 NM: Territorial waters, national jurisdiction 12 NM - 24 NM: Contiguous zone, restrictied national jurisdiction baseline - 200 NM: Exclusive Economic zone, restrictied national jurisdiction behind 12 NM / outside Territoral waters: International waters, international jurisdiction  
 
Yeah so that´s it I guess. And yes I know that we also can use the Water Scooters but since these ones are for nothing more than doing stupid stuff I wont cover them in this guide.
 
 
Best regards
Noah

Fantastic guide, all we need now is to actually use naval vessels...

Finally finding time to sit down and write this.
So, I've been thinking for a while now and I'm going to be leaving the staff team this Saturday the 17th. I've already discussed this with the team and I reckon they'll do just fine without my brilliance, so I'll leave you all in their very capable hands.
It's not a decision I've come to lightly, but in all honesty, I'm finding it rather frustrating. Ryko said it best himself - "Only do something in your free time until it isn't fun anymore" and frankly, it isn't fun anymore.
I expect to still be around on the server from time to time, but I think part of this will come with a temporary break from Arma (expect to see me in Squad if I've got some time, though!) and from the community here.
Now, for some shoutouts before I lose my staff impunity 
Bare in mind that these are totally my own personal opinion and don't reflect on the rest of the team at all.
@Minipily & Crew (can't remember the others' forum names)
You lot have been a big source of frustration for me at times, but then on the flipside, provided some of the most fun I've had on this server since I joined it - and for me, that totally outweighs it. You and Johnson in particular have been some of the most knowledgeable, down to earth and helpful people I've met in this community, despite all of the hate that gets thrown your way.
@MoonFire
You're a pain in the arse, but see above. 
@Noah_Hero, @Amentes, @Ryko & @Stanhope
Some of my mentors when I joined the server at first. I learned a lot from the three of you, so thank you for that. I know we've all gotten frustrated with each other at times for various reasons but I'd like to think in the end we're all better off for having learned from each other.
@kennychr
The MSO on Lythium was some of the most fun I've had playing Arma in a long time. I didn't think I'd ever be able to be entertained by walking in the woods for hours on end and being frightened by every rabbit or snake I see moving, but here we are.
 
I could go on for days here, but I think it's time to stop and just get it over with.
Thanks folks, it's been fun. 
See you out there
-Blood

Squad Server - now available at an AhoyWorld near you!
 
Hello everyone!
 
As of today, 16 February 2018, we have opened up a public Squad server.
 
For those who don’t know the game, Squad is a teamwork-focused tactical shooter in the same vein as Insurgency and Arma. Logistics, manoeuvre warfare and combined arms all play a part here.
 
In accordance with this, we want to foster a similar environment to our very own AW Enhanced: serious, fun gameplay encouraging camaraderie above all.
 
The server is available 24/7 and those that are interested are able to apply to become a moderator here.
 
We will look into which game modes we want to establish, but rest assured that community events are without a doubt going to be a thing to mix it up and keep it interesting.
 
Brilliantly, thanks to the Steam sale, Squad is currently available for 25% off! So if this tickles your fancy and you haven’t got your copy yet, now’s a better time than ever to pick it up.
 
Hope to see you on the battlefield!
 
Cheers,
The AW Team

Hello!
 
Today, without much fluff, we would like to present to you a new survey. We hope to gather some valuable data and ultimately offer you a platform to direct your voice towards topical issues and feedback.
 
https://goo.gl/forms/cKf0ZrekNDXEbiTF2
 
The form will remain open for submissions for two weeks, or until Sunday, 25 February 2018.
We will then take time to evaluate the responses and provide you with the results in a timely manner.
 
Most sections should be rather self-explanatory, but if there are any questions about the questions, this is the topic to ask them.
 
Of course, we expect all responses to be honest and serious.
 
Thank you kindly,
The AWE Staff Team

Yeah, makes sense. Fixed in 045: you need to be within 150m of the arsenal at main base, or an infantry spawn location in a FOB, to change roles and get the role benefits (it'll also give you the default loadout for that role).
 
Fixed in 045. Until then, don't do that.

Been working on this little video for a while, enjoy!
 
 

Land Rover Snatch FFR - Driver, IC, 3X Passenger, Top Cover // Green, NI, Police, Sand
Land Rover Soft Top, Hard Top FFR - Driver, 5x Passenger // Arctic, Green, Green/Black, Medical Green, RAF Police, Sand, Civ Blue, Civ Green, Civ Red, UN white
Land Rover Ambulance FFR - Driver, Medic, 4x Passenger // Green, Sand, UN White
RWMIK GMG,GPMG,HMG,Milan FFR - Driver, IC, Gunner, Passenger // Green, green/black, sand
Jackal 2 GMG, HMG - Driver, IC, Gunner, 3x Passenger // Sand, Woodland
Coyote L GMG,HMG - Driver, IC, Gunner, 3x Passenger // Sand, Woodland
Coyote P GMG,HMG - Driver, IC, Gunner, 8x Passenger // Sand, Woodland
M113A3 Unarmed, Mk19, M2, M240, Ammo/M2 - Driver, IC, Gunner, 11x Passenger. Note: Additional gunner armour on M2 variant. // Sand, Olive, Woodland
M113A3 Medical - Driver, IC, 3x Passenger // Sand Olive Woodland
M2A3 Bradley (&BUSK I,III) - Driver, IC, Gunner, 6x Passenger // Sand Olive Woodland
M2A2ODS (&BUSK I) - Driver, IC, Gunner, 6x Passenger w/ stinger or tow // sand olive woodland
MRZR 4 - Driver, 3x Passenger // Olive, Woodland Cam, Sand all with muddy variant

Some more friendly stuff for Logi would be nice to make things easier.
 
A logi pilot could be useful but isn't really that necessary, I find using the vortex's to do the job is simple enough and will limit ground forces to using ground vehicles, thus creating a scenario that isn't always done. I've always been a fan of doing recon and doing some legwork between AO's to occupy my guys while a logi will set up for a FOB or, much like @GrandBravo and @Adshield the other day, completely build one from scratch. This took around 30 minutes in total to create a heavily detailed and defensive FOB to use, time which was still occupied by Alpha because we were issued with recon and a few AO's.
 
Logistical support is usually used by most players as a sort of Mobile MHQ from CTI, only difference is it's not mobile. I usually see people just build a spawn point and a car spawn and then that's it, simple lads. Though this is fine I prefer to sink some detail into the FOB's, giving logi the pleasure of building one up and having supplies manually brought in by Vortex while the rest of the people do an AO or two.
 
I do believe FOB defenses could be pretty fun, I get pretty bored of when someone ASL's and will constantly rush to leave base, sit on a hill watching an AO and shooting it then RTB'ing then rinse and repeat. I much prefer to take my time and let the fun come to me rather than rush out looking for it and paying the price, as buggy as ArmA 3 AI can be, they're still pretty smart in their tactics if their not on a stupidly easy difficulty and I think having to defend the FOB from attacks so we can keep using it would be good. 
 
Ambient AI surely does the job, but usually Ambient AI is limited to a few squads or easier yet, a squad inside a truck making one big soft target. I miss the days when Ambient AI used to throw out armor pieces and cluster-fucks of infantry, really forcing you to either fall back or dig in and fight.

you know...becausethe last gamenight din't really happen at all.......

you know...becausethe last gamenight din't really happen at all.......

@PiranhA has a valid point, let's keep this civil and on track please. It's not common for the community to ACTUALLY start discussing stuff and I'd rather not have people just constantly slate on @Stanhope for doing his job. Yes he may be too strict on the little things sometimes but god forbid he does his job.
 
Slating people, arguing publically and jumping on a hate bandwagon is NOT HELPING this community. People complain that the community is "dying" but to be frank, they themselves are just trying to push it in the wrong direction. 
 
If people cannot settle their differences and would rather just stay on the hate train, then please let that hate train take you to a different community and may you have a nice time there. It's sad to see people leave, but not as sad as seeing them stick around just to argue and be rude.

This topic is starting to decline in quality, can have several reasons.
Could be the age, as ive seen kids "talk" like this before but i feel it isnt the case here.
Some people here dont know how to properly communicate on a mature level and to be honest, only mini so far hasnt been completely talking shit.
 
Its very easy to jump the bandwagon against Stan right here and now, nice and from a distance huh? What i think is: 
For those shouting from the sideline and never done anything productively for this community: you have no reason to talk here.
For those who have put in time and efford, i do see a reason in comments tho this is too late. What you put here to pay him back at stan or ahoy is something you guys should do waaaay earlier as feedback on the forum instead of in a private channel in TS.
 
And:
If you really have some balls you go talk with the one you having a problem with, privately talk with them, instead talking in a group about him/her. Being honest and fair feels vulnerable but requires more balls and brain as being the popular guy but i bet there will be a few left who are capable of being this mature.
 
Have a nice day and fun in whatever community you want.

My personal slant on this is as follows:
 
ASL:
1: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
2: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
3: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
4: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
 
Alpha 1:
1: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
2: Just leave it for now do we really need to try and change everything every five seconds?
....
 
I just think that in the past couple of weeks there has been somewhat of a bandwagoning phase in relation to squad arrangement, and that having new suggestions for these things is futile and a waste of discussion. I'll leave it at that because whenever I start going into detail in arguments such as these there is never a pleasant outcome for any party.

My Resignation.
 
First let me say this is not a decision I have reached lightly, nor without great turmoil; it has taken me a considerable effort to reach this decision. If you don’t want to read further into this (but I’d suggest you do); the short version is that I am resigning from all AhoyWorld administrative responsibilities with immediate effect.
 
There have been many great times spent on this server for me, at this point I easily have 1000+ hours of Arma 3 invested with AhoyWorld. I remember the days when I first came to the server, fresh out of a milsim unit, and looking for something just as serious, but more chilled out. EU3, as it was then, was just what I wanted. Back in what I can only describe as it’s heyday back then, 3 was one of the best environments to game in; full of fun, approachable and ultimately very caring people. You had a laugh, but you got the job done while you were at it - you would fight tooth and nail for your team-mates.
In contrast: if I were to compare this to the current environment of AWE, I find myself reaching a stark conclusion - it is nothing close to that now. The AWE we all know now is not one true to the original spirit of EU3. 
 
Not being of the original spirit of EU3 is a crucial issue to me; for now over a year I have been part of the team at the top of AWE. We came into being at a time of great uncertainty for EU3. We worked hard, extremely hard to arrest the freefall the community was facing at that time - and we did just that. In the short term we even enabled the server to prosper - player numbers went up. We managed to start rebuilding. But something went awry along the path, it has led us to the place we find ourselves now. A server where everything has been done with the best intentions, done for the right reasons, but not yielded the right results.
 
I set myself the personal goal of redeveloping EU3, making it into something better than what it had been before steering committee came to be. I wanted, and still do, to leave AWE in a position of strength, a position much better than the one it had been in. I have come to the realisation that this is something I have ultimately failed to achieve. And I hold myself personally accountable for that, for right or for wrong, for better or for worse. I have reached a point in life where I feel I have given everything there is for me to give to AW. Every time we have reached a milestone with AWE, I have known that we can do better, do more. This is perhaps why my goal has proven so elusive. However, the will to push forward, to do more and be more is no longer with me. I find myself more going through the motions, than actively driving myself to do better. I have lost the motivation to continue to fight forward. I must confess that I have been carrying on for some time knowing I perhaps needed a break, but I’m a give it your all, or not at all type of guy. I tried to take some time off during a holiday in the summer; it didn’t go well. Let’s just say there was a heated discussion amongst the staff team. Ultimately I felt that I had to do my part, step up to the plate as part of the team. That stopped me from taking the time away I probably needed to. It speaks to a larger issue within the staff team at AhoyWorld; but I’ll come to that further in.
 
Amentes made me aware of sunk cost fallacy, and this pretty much describes my feelings towards the situation I find myself in, perfectly. I have poured my heart and soul into AW, often to the detriment of other things in my life - but that’s the type of person I am, and I make no apologies for that. It is this total commitment, and the ultimately unattainable goal that I believe has left me in the position of carrying on now, for only the reason I have put so much into AW. That’s not something that is healthy, it is not something I should be doing to myself. It is not something I can continue to do any longer. The stress and weight of the responsibility that I hold is not something I can continue on with; not because of the expectations of others, but because of my own. Without some things seriously changing I cannot continue to give my all, give what I feel you, the community, deserve. And to me, that is not on.

If AWE were to be taken in a new, renewed direction; then I would most definitely wish to continue to fight on. I feel that if we were to return to some of the original beliefs of EU3 then we could, and would, progress forward. I am afraid that nothing will change without a radical shift in thinking though, and this is perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back. Coming to the realisation, that no matter how hard I push, some things will just not happen.
As for the staff team; there are elements of it that just don’t work at the moment. It is in a position of turmoil, where there is very little cohesion, and many divisions. I shall not name names, because that is not something I should do. However, I do believe in honesty and transparency, and so you, the community, should know about it. Those wishing to join the team should be critically aware of what they are getting into. I mean this with no malice, but instead a fundamental respect for those people who wish to step up, and do what is necessary.
 
I would like to pay homage to those past and present who have put every effort into EU3, now AWE; thank them for everything they have done. I would also like to say thanks in advance for everything that those who will follow me do. Without the dedication of so many people AWE would not be where it is now, and it will not go where it may go either. 
In the end I hold myself personally accountable for failings here at AW. Because I know I should do better, but I can’t, not right now, and I don’t know if I will be able to again.

I promise you this, I will do my best to stay around AW as a regular player, to push for change as a regular player. I care deeply for this community, and writing this has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long, long time. I’ve had to stop 3 times now - and I confess, every time has been because I have teared up pretty badly. I suppose, I should probably finish this off with an apology.
 
I am truly very sorry for not doing better by you AhoyWorld.

Best Regards and Goodbye,
Copey
 

Guys, please agree to disagree. You're both bringing up equally valid points but I don't think you're going to convince each other.
 
One point I'd like to underscore:
 
 
This is absolutely valid.

Complains that FSG is a meme team requests that hammer be made available to everyone. surely you can see how this will end if your solution for when someone makes a meme team is to delete the squad they are in they will just jump from one squad to another when you delete them. all this does is punish the people that played the squad as was intended. there will always be meme teams but deleting the squads just punishes the player base.

#BringBackMAT
 

I do not think creating a new role that goes around with anti-tank would be good. Anti-tank is very heavy, limiting what main weapon they can carry OR limiting the number of rounds they carry meaning they are less effective against the armour they are meant to stop. I approve of getting rid of the grenadier role however, grenades are very rarely used and I feel there is a reluctance to use them without a commanders permission which makes the grenadier feel kind of enslaved whilst everyone else can go whilly nilly with their assault rifles.
 
I think FSG should remain. Sure replacing the grenadier role with AT is a good move, but they will lack the amount of munitions FSG can have (if they take a crate of ammo with them). FSG provides the mass anti-armour role that a single rifleman trying to balance a good rifle with his ability to counter armour never will. 
 
I also advise that if FSG should remain, the rules for FSG (and other roles) are made much more obvious.
 
Currently the link to the rules they should follow are buried at the bottom of the setup room (which very few people will actually read as they will either be: new and focusing on how they get in the EU 3 channel rather than what looking at the text OR a regular who will go into the setup room and straight back into Arma and never look at TS until he stops playing at which point he'll just close the program).
 
Also, attempting to search for "rules" on the forums results in a post that contains rules that aren't precise enough: 
 
The in-depth rules should be pinned somewhere more obvious (not in TS) as there are rules in the detailed rules that aren't mentioned there which affect most roles.
 

Hi folks,
 
Thanks for this discussion.  It's topical and time because the AWE Moderators have been discussing it intently, and we are going to proceed with a few changes.
 
Background, and the problem.
 
The original idea behind expanding the HAT & MAT teams was to create a single, unified team to provide a variety of support options to infantry teams.  To that end, HAT, MAT and Torch to some degree were unified into FSG as a single team.  The intention was to allow that team to have access to a flexible range of support options.
 
The problem has been that in practice, it hasn't worked out as intended.  The rules for slotting up into FSG have been poorly interpreted, there are often times when FSG goes out without a squad leader, making coordination extremely difficult, and people have flocked to FSG without populating Alpha first.  I'm not looking to place blame on anyone - those are fun toys to play with, and if you've played a lot as infantry, of course you want a different experience.  The problem is that the resulting chaos and ill communication that results in efforts to populate FSG have created a negative environment.
 
Next steps.
 
1) Effective in Stiletto version 0.22, FSG will be disbanded.
2) A new role in the infantry teams will be created - Rifleman Anti-Tank, taking the place of the Grenadier.  The Rifleman AT will have access to all the same heavy anti-tank weaponry available to the FSG specialist: for the Western factions, the BAF Javelin, the RHS MAAWS, the RHS SMAW, and for the first time, the BAF N-LAW.
3) Torch will be re-instituted as a second armor squad.
 
The Platoon Commander will still have the ability to create custom squads.  If there is a mission-specific need for a specialized support group (Sniper, Mortar, etc) the commander can still select FSG specialists from the list of roles to create a custom squad.
 
To respond to some points:
 
 
I do agree with this, except FSG did come with some requirements about what needed to be filled before you could take the role - which was part of the problem, as that was not being followed well.  Thus, by removing this squad and streamlining the roles, we remove this problem.
 
 
The problem is that the rules have been unclear from the get-go, and impossible to enforce in a meaningful way. Players and moderators constantly poke players in FSG about following those rules. And when Alpha players disconnect because FSG isn't working well, you now have a combat ineffective Alpha, which should be prompting FSG players to reslot, and they don't. There's no easy fix for this current setup, and I won't lose any sleep about seeing it go.
 
And honestly, everything that FSG can do will now be possible with the 2nd Infantry squad fire team (ie., Alpha 2).
 
- R
 
P.S. I'd like to add that a guideline we've discussed off and on, but haven't pulled the trigger on, is to allow Infantry teams to use light armored vehicles such as the LAV-25 and Stryker to provided mechanized infantry options, and save Hammer/Torch for more traditional heavy armor. This will close the loop on the necessity for FSG as that was one of its intended functions.

So uh, what i've been seeing recently is the millisecond alpha 1 is full, the "meme FSG team 2.0" gets 5 people slotted up. and I dont want to speak for other people, so I will just list my personal issues with how this team has been used recently (and why I ask for there not to be an FSG at all when im asl)
 
1: They tend to take a very loose interpretation of ASL's orders, for example if being ordered to stay 200-300m behind ASL they will be 400m "near" ASL (usually in front)
2: They throw a tantrum when they don't get to do what they want, often disconnecting instead of switching to a more needed role like alpha, quoting how asking for more people in ASL than FSG is killing all fun possible.
3: the role seems less capable of dealing with threats than an alpha squad nowadays, I don't know if this is because of bugs like the one affecting the new MAAWS, but from my own experience they sure do seem to become "combat ineffective" after killing 1 tank a lot.
4: this is my biggest problem with the team, they take up 5 players. the server doesn't get as many people as it used too at peak times, and having 5 of them go into a separate team just guts Alpha's already limited effectiveness, causing the rest of the players to be stuck in what feels like an impossible situation (read: 3 alpha guys pinned down by 2 bmp's with no AT while FSG is calling for an evac because they are combat ineffective) 
 
My solution to this "problem" is to tell FSG to go alpha / bravo as an inf squad, and have 3 pilots, 2 in a heavy CAS bird that can engage the kind of targets FSG is supposed too and one dedicated to transport. this provides the same level of "lol point and click no skill izi pizi tank dead" that a well equipped FSG team has, but only taking up 2 people instead of 5. And they have much less difficulty dealing with the specific target you want to die.
 
again, I'm a shit ASL, and this is an opinion. so pls no hate ktnx <3

Interesting stuff here.  I'll counter that I don't think people take SL because of the "perks" of the position: if that was the case, we should make SL and TL into sniper roles, and that would solve it all, right?
 
Wait, no. It wouldn't. Because people aren't pulled towards the positions for the rewards of gear and abilities, they are often pushed towards it because no one else is doing the job.
 
I would almost go so far that if no one is leaping up to take a leadership position, it's not worth playing on AWE. It shouldn't be about one player leading because everyone else took a step back. It should be about one person deciding they want to give it a try, and everyone does their best to support and encourage that player.
 
Team Leads are already plenty useful enough: they should not be sitting back and letting the Squad Lead do everything. If the squad lead is micromanaging the squad, they are doing it wrong.  It's been a while since I've enumerated how command structure should work, so here goes:
 
Platoon Commander: Decides high-level strategy. "We have to destroy that ammo depot. We have these resources."
Squad Lead: Decides ground-level strategy. "Platoon Command has allocated us these resources. We land here and move over ground to this position. Team 1 attacks here, Team 2 supports there."
Team Lead: Decides ground-level tactics. "We land here and attack there. However there are enemy units there, so we're going to move around this other way to accomplish our objective."
 
Further, the Team Lead should be working with the Squad Lead to ensure there is a viable battle plan, and that they have the supplies necessary to accomplish that plan. It's been a disturbingly high number of times we've arrived at the objective only to find out the engineer didn't bring demo charges. That's the Team Lead's job to ensure his guys have the right amount of stuff for the job required.
 
I've often found the Team Lead position the most satisfying, because you lead by example, rather than the Squad Lead who should not be leading; if the Squad Lead is killed, all forward momentum and support gets lost.
 
As for implementing new perks for these roles, I'm not against the idea, but there are pretty important reasons that things are the way they are. Giving Long Range radios to the Team Leads might sound like a great idea, but you run the risk of clogging the radio channel with unnecessary long range chatter, and also the risk of splitting up squads more than necessary. The 1&2 teams should be working together, supporting each other: send them off to do different things, and when things go bad, they are on their own.
 
Finally, adding an AI LAV sounds like a great idea, until you have to rely on them to drive anywhere meaningful.  And then they demonstrate just how awful the AI can be.
 
All that said, if people have any ideas on how to make the role more interesting or easier to do the job their assigned, I'm all ears. But I don't think that adding new perks is going to instantly make new leaders.
 
- R