Group

Leading as the Lead Game Master

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The FM outlines our core skills, policies and guides to ensure every member stands ready for the mission ahead.

Conduct a pre-deployment briefing for the Mission Support Team, ensuring all members are well-prepared for their roles. The briefing shall include:

• General overview: Summarize the overall mission plan and objectives.
• Pacing expectations: Communicate the expected flow and tempo of the mission to align team efforts.
• Task assignments: Clarify the responsibilities and expected contributions of Game Masters (GMs), Assistant Game Masters (AGMs) and roleplayers.
• Faction details: Provide the names of:
  • Friendly faction(s) units and role within the mission, 
  • Opposing faction(s) units and the allowed units and vehicles they are to employ.
  • Neutral faction(s) units including any approved units and vehicles for their representation.
• Civilian considerations: Identify whether civilians will be present, how they could affect the game, and the general approach expected when interacting with them.

Delegate by assigning tasks to Game Masters and Assistant Game Masters in line with mission needs and their capabilities. Tasks can range from:

• Broad scope: Assign broad responsibilities, such as the management of a certain objective, overseeing a sector, or coordination of a pack of assets.
• Narrow scope could also involve delegation of tasks such as driving a vehicle, operating a single unit, or executing certain in-game interactions.

What is server performance?

An Arma server is an instance of a game without rendering, hence it can perform better in comparison to game clients even on the same hardware. Much like the client, a server's performance is evaluated through means of frames per second (FPS), though on a server "a frame" would typically mean the amount of "game world updates per second.", A concept similar to "tickrate" used in some other games. 

Why care about server performance?

In modern versions of Arma, server FPS no longer directly affects client FPS. However, server performance remains critical to maintaining a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience. Poor server performance can lead to:

• Bad hit registration: Impacts the accuracy and reliability of weapon fire.
• AI/Vehicle teleportation: Causes erratic movement of units and vehicles.
• Connection stability issues: Results in lag and disconnects for players.

What affects server performance?

Various factors can affect server performance significantly. The following factors reduce the number or frequency of server-intensive processes, leading to better server stability and gameplay experience:

• Entities spawned: Frequent and/or large-scale spawning of units or objects.
• AI units: Great numbers of AI-controlled characters.
• Vehicles: Especially when moving or active.
• Static objects: Too many decorations or functional objects.
• Exploding munitions/submunitions: Explosions or ammunition that have fragmentation or secondary effects.
• Scripted audio: Particularly dynamic/moving audio scripts.

Monitor performance on the server during the mission, performing proactive actions to keep the game flow smooth. This involves:

• Monitor server FPS to spot any potential performance degradation issues.
• Look for causes that contribute to performance degradation due to excessive AI, vehicle usage, or unnecessary static objects.
• Take appropriate action to reduce spawned entities, clean up superfluous assets, and adjust mission parameters.
• Collaborate with other members of the Mission Support Team to implement solutions that prevent performance issues from impacting player enjoyment.

A mission should be planned with some downtime in mind, be it resupply or simply just transit from point A to B. This time allows players to recollect themselves and regroup, and provide a breather in potentially stressful situations. During any downtime, element leaders will be gathering ACE checks and drawing up any battle plan amendments or additions to better prepare for the next engagement.

It’s important to allow time for these brief pauses even if from your perspective nothing is happening often as a MST member the mission can feel slow or boring as a result of your knowledge of the whole battlefield, however, the feeling can be much different from the players’ perspective.

Manage the count of the enemy force to maintain a balance between the following parameters:

• Challenge: The enemy force should be fairly challenging for the player's force and ensure teamwork and strategic thinking from them.
• Player enjoyment: Avoid overwhelming the player force to maintain a positive and enjoyable experience.
• Mission pacing: Time the deployment of enemy forces in concert with the Field Leader's agreed pacing to maintain a consistent flow of action and downtime.
• Server performance: Limit the number of active enemy forces to prevent undue strain on the server, maintaining smooth gameplay.

Distribution of equipment is strictly forbidden except in the following situations, and only with the explicit permission of the Intelligence Officer or the Lead Game Master:

• Missing loadout items:
  • Issuing an item that was accidentally forgotten from the standard loadout.
  • Items intentionally left out of the loadout may not be issued ( FM/BP-711 - Required equipment discretion).
• Communication devices:
  • Issuing of a radio or CTab as outlined in the campaign briefing, so long as the relevant loadout policy is followed.
• Mission-specific equipment:
  • Issuing mission-critical items, provided they comply with existing loadout policies and are essential for mission completion.

Reinsertion procedures must be pre-determined and accepted between the Lead Game Master and the Field Leader well in advance of the commencement of the mission. The Reinsertion method shall consist of one of the following:

• Player transport:
  •  Transportation of the player from the spawn point to the Area of Operations (AO) with an appropriate vehicle or aircraft.
• Teleportation:
  • Teleport the player to their relevant unit, provided the unit is not actively engaged in combat.

Mid-mission adjustments:

If the Field Leader wants to change reinsertion procedures during the deployment, amendments can be made upon consensus with the Lead Game Master.

Technical issues:

Any person who needs reinsertion due to a technical problem has to be returned as fast as possible to his or her unit to minimize disturbance in gameplay.

The general approach to responding to player pings is as follows:

• Multiple pings: Respond to the ping for players who are pinging two or more times in quick succession; that is, three pings, or a series within 30–60 seconds, which usually means the player likely needs attention or assistance.
• Single pings: Generally ignore single pings because these are usually accidental and require no action.

Note that wherever possible, player requests should be pushed through the chain of command rather than relying on pings. This provides better flow and does not create unnecessary interruption to the Lead Game Master or Mission Support Team. Only directly respond to pings if it's clear immediate action is required or the request cannot be serviced through the traditional command structure.