ARMA 2 patching, bit of help

[DonY]

Ive decided to buy ARMA 2 just because of how realistic it is and i quite like Dayz my problem is its by no means simple. Ive bought the combination pack and currently downloaded the 1st part which is ARMA 2. Now i have to download the 2nd part but the links to the mirrors just arent working and my computer doesnt like that sprocket thing.
Also i noticed when ingame thatt he graphics are horrid. Is there an update patch i should get, if so what 1?

Quite frustrating this and sod all info anywhere.

[Mr. Brewski]

Hi DonY,

Don't worry, you are not the only one who has had problems getting all the patches and things sorted out.

I found this written installation guide very useful. It covers Steam and retail installations as well as other stuff like using patch updaters etc. Alternatively, this video guide also seems to be quite good, although it gets a little more complicated toward the end when he starts talking about an ArmA2 launcher. At this stage, you don't need a launcher but you may find it useful once you've got your head around the whole deal.

I'm not sure if you have the Steam or retail version but either way you will need to make sure that both ArmA2 and ArmA2:Operation Arrowhead (which are collectively referred to as Combined Operations) are installed in the same directory eg. C:\Program Files (x86)\Bohemia Interactive. I run the retail version so if that's what you have, you may find this useful. The principles are essentially the same for the Steam version I think but I don't know the specific in's and out's, sorry.

You will need to run ArmA2 once it has been installed (just to the menu screen then quit out) and also ArmA2:OA once installed. If the game has recognised that you own both ArmA2 and ArmA2:OA, it should show ArmA2 Combined Operations in your Windows Start menu. When you run ArmA2:OA, you will also notice that there is an ArmA2 and an ArmA2:OA icon in the bottom left corner of the menu screen. If this is the case, then you are heading in the right direction. If you do not have either of these indications, chances are that your game has not recognised that it is Combined Ops. If so, you will need to go back to your directory and make sure that both games are installed in the same place. This alone seems to be one of the biggest issues in people being unable to get this game up and running.

Once you have installed and determined that Combined Ops is recognised, go to this link to download the most current patch. Your game may already be patched to the latest version, but then again it also may not be. I bought a digital copy from Amazon and it still required the patch. The patch is pretty straight forward, it's a matter of download it and then run the .exe file. The patch will locate the directory automatically and install itself.

The installation guide should be able to help you sort out the other stuff. In regards to your graphics, did you purchase ArmA2 and OA or are you using ArmA2 Free with OA? If you are using the F2P version it will result in the use of low res textures and such, which may explain why your graphics aren't great. If you purchased ArmA2 and OA and still have bad graphics then we may have a problem. You also mentioned your computer not liking the 'sprocket' thing, which I'm thinking may be a Windows Command Script. Did you try to install the beta patch for ArmA2 at some stage?

Either way, everything is fixable so try not to stress. Have a look at the guide and if you are still having troubles then post back here and I'll see what else I might be able to help you with.

[DonY]

Hi Brewski

thanks for this info the overall problem im having now is ive bought my game via the main site. Ive installed ARMA 2 just fine...downloaded all of the .bin files and setup.exe. Ive run it and its working. The next thing i need to do is download the 2nd game which for some reason when i try to login i get this error...

ERROR:UID is not authorized
select softwrap_id, md5_name, md5, product_size, multi_file, filenames from zen_downloaders_uid, zen_downloader_position where zen_downloaders_uid.UID='SPROCKET2ARMA2ENG001275f8 27a083c2b364866a2012cb03250' and zen_downloaders_uid.downloaded_install < 4 and zen_downloaders_uid.downloader_id = zen_downloader_position.idERROR: Direct download failed!

From here when i go to the download section and try to download the game it just basically goes to a broken link as if ive lost connection to the net. I just cannot get onto the installation of anything else yet until i get both parts installed which due to the above error i cant.

[Mr. Brewski]

Wow. Yeh that's way over my head. Try this link for BI Customer Support. Something has gone tits up at their end methinks.

[DonY]

Ahhh, ok now ive managed to get my computer to like the sproket thing. We are back on track. Ive got to ask though when i played a briefly earlier the graphics were crap. Im assuming the patches will sort this????

[Mr. Brewski]

Yeh I hope so mate, if you have the paid version then you will also have the high def graphics and textures so it definitely shouldn't look off. The game is a few years old but still looks Mickey Mouse as far as I'm concerned. Try the patch and let me know how you go. I'll be hitting sack shortly but I'll jump on tomorrow and see if there is anything else you need a hand with.

[DonY]

Brewski do i put the OA part of the game in the same folder as the ARMA 2 one?

damn this is tough lol?

[Noises]

DonY, bring up the video options in DayZ or CO and open the advanced video options. There's a dropbox below resolution for 3D. It MUST be set to the same value as your resolution (which ever 3D option says 100%). You've described your graphics as both crap and horrid. If what you meant was blurry and badly focused, setting the 3D should fix it. Don't ask me why, don't ask me what it's for, that's just how it is.

[DonY]

Thanks for the video side of things ill take a look at that. Right next issue is getting into a server. All or 95% seem to have a red X next to them. Im sure this means i cant join them and when i do i get cutoff. By the way whats the latest patch...1.6?

Thanks for future advice

[Mr. Brewski]

Yep they definitely need to be in the same directory. Have a look at my first post but basically you need the game to recognise that it is part of the Combined Operations pack. The patch numbers are where it starts to get confusing. The latest patch released for ArmA2 is 1.6. There are also beta patches which would make your version number something like 1.6.9xxx but you don't need to worry about those just yet, we need to get your game working first. The DayZ alpha is also currently running at patch 1.6.0.1 although we are starting to see a lot of servers doing a limited roll out of the 1.7 patch.

Get ArmA2 patched to 1.6 and get DayZ patched to 1.6.0.1 and you should start being able to enter a lot of the servers. The server name will generally tell you what patch version it is running so that should make it a bit easier.