506th IR Realism Unit

Open Forum => Public Discussion => Topic started by: SFC (Ret) Lyon on May 18, 2016, 06:36:45 PM

Title: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SFC (Ret) Lyon on May 18, 2016, 06:36:45 PM
Just hit the one year anniversary of my first official Op with the 506th IRRU.  That, paired with a recent post from a potential new recruit made me ask myself, "What's the one thing you know now that you wish you had known as a new recruit?". 

For me, the answer was simple:  You can lean on these folks.

As a new recruit I didn't want to seem too green and probably didn't ask as many questions as I should have.  That was a mistake. 

The 506th is jam-packed full of men and women who are not only willing, but anxious to help others.  We're all here because we enjoy a co-operative experience.  People here want to help you.  You can post in Global "Requesting volunteer to tutor me in How to Zeus" and have three people fighting over who gets to help.  You can ask a total stranger for help getting your Loadouts squared away and they'll drop whatever they're doing to assist.
Title: Re: A Thing I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: Leeds on May 18, 2016, 07:04:59 PM
This is a good thread. I'm going to go ahead and post things that I wish I knew when I first joined, that I didn't learn until an absurd amount of time later.


(last one's just obligatory)
Title: Re: A Thing I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: Rigger on May 18, 2016, 07:24:54 PM
A PV1 CAN fill-in for an Official Training at the discretion of the person holding the Training.
Do this as much as possible so you can learn and meet people.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: McIntosh on May 18, 2016, 09:44:39 PM
That you can join almost any fun op, even if its in progress, just ask.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SFC (Ret) Lyon on May 18, 2016, 10:29:26 PM
-Ask your Squad or Team leader to suggest important forum threads you should set to "Notify".  Your Platoon and Squad Bulletin Boards are prime candidates.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 1LT (Ret) Marsden on May 18, 2016, 11:22:19 PM
Try to play with a lot of people once you join to see if you like the community. Join fun missions, trainings, or just chill in a channel with some people in it. Then you can narrow it down to a solid group of guys you like to chat with, play with, and have fun being around. You can then request to be a part of that group/team once you finish all of your training. The people around you can really complete and enhance your experience here.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: CW2 (Ret) O'Neill on May 18, 2016, 11:42:16 PM
Talk with guys in your squad and get to know them a bit. It really helps. It's rough being the new guy in a unit of guys that have know each other for 6 months or more but try to be open and talk about stuff (life, gaming, how much ISIS sucks, etc). Let them get to know you and do fun missions or other games with them. Pretty much everyone on is just waiting for someone to talk to or shoot the shit out with or game with.

Play on the assault server every now and then. You work with guys you'd never work with in any other scenario (example, almost no where else will you play with a jet pilot, a helo pilot, an engineer, and a brand new PV2 all dressed in civvies playing scavenger)
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: Oakley on May 19, 2016, 06:21:23 AM
the best advice that i can give and wish i knew was:

Find which MOS you want to do and find info and get some experience at it:

want to be a Helo Pilot ? go talk to section leaders in aviation ? ask what extra training/skills you need to have after OSUT.

want to be a 12B Combat Engineer ? go talk to squad leader/platoon HQ down in engineers, ask if you can fill-in in one of their squad trainings ?

want to be an 68W go talk to company/platoon medics, ask info ....

as someone already mentioned people are always eager to help and explain their role and help others.

it goes to say that we members of the unit are expressly forbidden to actively "recruit" and approach RCT/PV1 candidates as we have a battalion wide "no internal recruitment" policy. but that doesn't mean that YOU can't approach us ask question and be interested to know more. also you can approach people by talking to them on TS or PM on the forums.

SO . . . Approach us and ask. . . because we sure hell can't approach you ;)
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: S. Murphy on May 19, 2016, 09:10:39 AM
Talk with guys in your squad and get to know them a bit. It really helps. It's rough being the new guy in a unit of guys that have know each other for 6 months or more but try to be open and talk about stuff (life, gaming, how much ISIS sucks, etc). Let them get to know you and do fun missions or other games with them. Pretty much everyone on is just waiting for someone to talk to or shoot the shit out with or game with.

Play on the assault server every now and then. You work with guys you'd never work with in any other scenario (example, almost no where else will you play with a jet pilot, a helo pilot, an engineer, and a brand new PV2 all dressed in civvies playing scavenger)
This is a Fantastic Topic and Thank You SGT Lyons!!  I particularly like this that I have quoted more for this part.. 
"try to be open and talk about stuff (life, gaming, how much ISIS sucks, etc)."

As Cheesy as this may sound, there are a lot of resources available to you here at a click or channel away.  More educated, life learned and or just an age difference that can assist in so many different ways and help on this famed road of Life.  Where the hell is this coming from and why the hell state it here??  Because through the members here that you'll eventually become friends with or already have you can share your experiences and relate to them with someone. 
An Example:

First, let me please state that this is in no way shape form or fashion a Brag or LOOK @ Me Post.  I'm not like that and don't want to be.  Second I'm Older.. so there silver in my hair from a lot of experiences anyway...   
I was in a Pursuit yesterday evening.  It was exciting, frightening and such an adrenaline rush it is unable to put into words it started with a Bad Guy, yes a Real Bad Guy intentionally driving the wrong way down an Interstate it had 2 breaks of contact.  It ended with the Bad Guy getting caught however, one thing, anything could've happened that could have gone horribly wrong.  After that rush and exhilaration and that reality hits and then you have the emotional and physical adrenaline dump how do you cope and cope in a good way?  This is an unnatural act which occurs to the human body and you can't do anything immediately anyway so what the hell can you do?? 
Some work out, do PT, read, watch TV, Drink or do some other type of "activity".  Realize some can have and be negative, I generally try to game, confide with my wife and have friends that I have here and elsewhere that I can TALK TO!!  That is my long winded point.  No matter what you may face, whatever comes down the pike, there is someone, somewhere within this Unit that has had the same or at least similar circumstance that you can share with. 
Yes it's formed around the premise of a Game and MilSim Unit but it however has so much more to offer.  Friendships, Brotherhood, Gaming friends whatever.  It's all at your fingertips.  You just have to exercise it.  Don't let the Ranks fool you either, there may be a Military Retiree, A Veteran from back in the day or one that is recent out to someone currently serving their perspective Country that they are from to an Beat Up Old Ornery Patrol Sergeant behind that PV1, PFC or above Rank. 
So to the topic at hand and your resources...  They are here Brothers!!!  Use Them!! 
Thanks for letting me share and Y'all be safe!!! 
Murf
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: P. Grimm on May 19, 2016, 01:36:27 PM
This is a fantastic thread, thank you all.
I couldn't agree more with all of the sentiments shared so far. This is a community and as a community we rely on each other for friendship, knowledge, understanding, tolerance and acceptance. I have found all of this here. Before I joined the 506th, I had 4 friends on steam. After only a couple of weeks, that number went from 4 to maybe 10. Now I have 30+ and 90% are people in this unit. I have made friends with people from all over the world and for that I am grateful to the 506th.

Advice I would give:

Use the assault server to meet people. It's a fantastic tool that I hope doesn't go away.

Don't be afraid to share things about your life. You don't have to broadcast your address, but you should feel free to talk about things in your life, I guarantee there's someone here who can relate to you.

Thanks to all who make this community what it is, especially the people who go out of their way to run it and organize it.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: M. Anderson on May 19, 2016, 06:31:18 PM
Good idea for a thread,

Know that the community here extends beyond Arma and even PC gaming. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people helping, been helped, or helped others with class work, work work, or just about anything. The amount of people here with different skills and experiences means that there's a decent chance that someone has already done what you're currently struggling with
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: Coffman on May 26, 2016, 05:22:34 PM
Just because is says LT before someones name doesnt mean you cant talk to them. Remember this is in all honesty just a game and we are a pretending. That LT is just somebody who has been around a long time. They like to play games and shoot the shit too. Dont be intimidated by an internet title.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: Leeds on July 11, 2016, 05:11:24 PM
Bumping for great justice!
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SGT (Ret) Reilly on December 29, 2016, 09:45:05 PM
With so many new recruits, thought I'd bump this.
My tips: When going around seeing what people are doing, do not immediately talk, wait and listen. Sometimes recuirts will join a channel and start talking while people are in the middle of something. If it sounds like they are not doing anything then feel free to join the conversation and ask what is going on!
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SSG Shundo on December 30, 2016, 09:25:55 PM
Another tip, probably been said before, don't just go around messaging anybody about anything all up and down teamspeak. Find it annoying when a pv1 pokes me on TS while I'm busy then messages me then goes into my channel for something small and only something in their CoC can do.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: K. Knight on January 02, 2017, 05:27:35 AM
Yeah, I've enjoyed nothing but enthusiastic support since day one. It's this kind of attitude that makes me want to contribute. Best gaming experience in 24 years.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 1LT (Ret) Garcia on August 24, 2017, 08:00:10 PM
This unit isn't just another clan, it's almost like a family. I've met people I consider to be very good friends from this unit. Everyone is extremely friendly.

This is the best gaming experience I've ever had. The previous best was clanning in TFC (yeah I'm old) back in 2000, 2001.

As a group we all play Arma, but a lot of us play different games as well together. There's a real sense of camaraderie here.

If you're thinking about joining, you should.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: CPT L. McCoy on August 25, 2017, 01:55:13 AM
This unit isn't just another clan, it's almost like a family. I've met people I consider to be very good friends from this unit. Everyone is extremely friendly.

This is the best gaming experience I've ever had. The previous best was clanning in TFC (yeah I'm old) back in 2000, 2001.

As a group we all play Arma, but a lot of us play different games as well together. There's a real sense of camaraderie here.

If you're thinking about joining, you should.

I'm going to go ahead and echo this for emphasis.  I've only been in about a month at this point, and even after reading everyone saying what a great community this is, I was still blown away at the level of camaraderie here.  In my opinion, its really hard (if at all possible) to actually put into words the kind of community that has been built here. 
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: J Allen on August 25, 2017, 10:53:15 PM
As a former member, I feel compelled to say a piece on this topic.

The 506th, while I was here, is one of the best gaming communities I've ever experienced and will likely ever experience. That being said, it wasn't perfect. No gaming community is perfect, mind you, but I still feel its worth mentioning some of the not so great stuff I encountered while I was here.

There's a very simple fact that I learned while I was here. And that's the more you rank up, the more that's expected of you. For many people, that also means the less fun you are going to have. Trigger time plummets with each rank you gain past SGT in official settings/operations. Honestly though, that's to be expected. When you are a leader, you have people to do most of the shooting and "Fun stuff" for you. As a squad leader, you will mostly be communicating and coordinating, with some shooting on the side. That becomes more and more true the higher you go. For some people, its fun, but for many its boring at best, incredibly stressful at its worst. Then there's all of the out-of-game paper work that's gotta be done. When I was here, it wasn't uncommon for many officers/platoon leaders to say that they didn't even fire a single shot or that they only fired a few during some operations. That doesn't mean they didn't have fun, but the guy that was deep in the shit almost certainly had more fun by most people's measure.

Another thing worth noting, is that not everyone here is friendly or welcoming. And it's generally not because they are assholes, but because they have better things to do than to talk to some PV1 that might not even be here in a month or 2. And on that note, expect to experience the disconnect between higher and lower (Company HQ and the enlisted folk). "Disconnect" might not be the best word to describe it but its the best one I can think of. Its the type of thing where as a SPC or even a SGT it feels like those above you have no interest/knowledge/apathy for the problems effecting enlisted members. You will feel it at some point during your stay at the 506th, but, at least when I was here, company HQ was taking steps to combat this problem. Because the truth is, they do care about what's going on in the lower ranks but "its pretty quiet up on the top" as 1SG Brewer used to say. Speaking of him, he might come off as very intimidating and unapproachable to you newer guys, but he's the one that started taking steps to close the gap between HQ and enlisted with the enlisted meetings. Don't ever think they don't care, because they do.

But on my final note, is that you will get stonewalled, counselled, ignored, and/or (hopefully not) berated during your stay here if you stay long enough and advance high enough. It happens to the best of them. Sometime's it does go too far, as I saw several of instances when I was here of criticism turning into outright personal attacks but they are rare. And if you honestly feel dissatisfied or stonewalled or anything of the things I just mentioned, you can go up your chain of command until you are satisfied with the matter.

And by no means should you let any of this convince you not to join if you are thinking about joining. I completely agree with all the positive things said about this unit and do not regret my time here in the slightest. Most of the problems with this unit are inevitable side-effects of having a unit this size and with this amount of professionalism and coordination. You'll make alot of friends that you'll never forget and have a ball of a time in the process. If you are thinking about joining, then do it. Even if you hate the official operations, the fun ops people arrange are absolutely worth sticking around for. Just keep in mind some of the things I mentioned so they don't catch you off guard as a new member.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SFC (Ret) Lyon on September 26, 2017, 05:00:05 AM
Okay now that I've been in the unit for a couple of years I have a few more-advanced concepts I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit.

-When your buddy goes down:
1). Kill the guy who just shot your buddy.
2). If the guy who just shot your buddy is inside a tank or ghillie suit, skip to step 4.
3). Make sure the guy who just shot your buddy is dead.  And his friends. They all need to die.  >:(
4). Pop smoke.
5). Tell somebody your buddy just got shot.
6). Treat your buddy in place or drag/carry your buddy to a safe location.
7). Help treat your buddy until a medic arrives, then provide security.
(Note: Tea-bagging the lifeless corpse of the guy who shot your buddy is not allowed in the 506th (learned that the hard way.)) :-\

-Engaging Armor:
1). If you don't have an Anti-Tank weapon, your most effective weapon is your Vector rangefinder.
2). When you fire your AT, every enemy that can see you will start shooting at you.  Get down.
3). When your AT-equipped buddy fires, every enemy that can see your buddy will start shooting at them.  Pop smoke near your buddy and/or reference When Your Buddy Goes Down.  :'(

-When driving a vic:
1). Picture two 18-wheelers between you and the next vic.
2). Stop our vic in cover or defilade.
3). FFS stop our vic in cover or defilade.
4). Cover. Defilade. Stop the vic in them.   ???
5). Stay behind your squad when they're dismounted.
6). Turn your engine off when stopped because your ass is loud as fuck and WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?.  :o

-When air assaulting, remember your training:
1). Eyes Aft on landing.  Wait until the soldier in front of you gets out, then get out.
2). Four steps(ish) then flat in 360-degree security.
3). Call up that you're out.
4). Move to cover as soon as the helo lifts off.  If no cover is available, stay flat and wait for orders.   :-X

Immersion matters:
1). Be creative. Be immersive - it's fun.
1a). Your buddy isn't stopping to fix a keybind issue - he broke a shoelace.  Your screen isn't flashing - you're in severe pain.  You don't need to restart Teamspeak - you need to change the batteries in your radio.  Your buddy's down but you've got him, he's gonna be okay, it's just a scratch and you'll have him patched up in no time, don't go into the light. Be immersive and creative and everybody has a better experience.  ;D
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: D. Morris on January 06, 2018, 01:59:42 PM
As a new recruit, the guy or gal this is aimed at educating, this is a good thread. It feels odd to be a recruit again and in a simulated environment as well! No dorm raids or locker dumps, no body screaming in your face. But strangely there is still an element of pressure like going to a new school as a kid. I will enjoy the experience and plan to use the information posted here so keep it coming.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 2nd Lt Leib on January 07, 2018, 04:43:41 AM
You're going to butt-heads with superiors. Your going to see decisions made that upset, irritate, or just don't make sense to you.

And you're going to be surrounded by good friends that make it all worth it as you all get together to have organized, high-quality fun every weekend. Your leadership wants to see you do well, you will never find yourself under-equipped for the tasks given to you during your time here, and if you ever lack information or resources then its a simple matter of asking away from remedying the problem.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: CW2 Zier on July 07, 2018, 04:10:58 PM
The biggest piece of advice I can give to my past PV1 self is to offer to fill in any chance you can get. You won’t do much or learn much from sitting in TS by yourself waiting for someone to invite you. Be pro-active, look through the squad channels and see when they train and try and be available to ask if you can fill-in. The guys around here will teach you if you’re willing to step in and learn.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: De Lang on July 14, 2018, 03:01:38 PM
SGT Lyon, this is exactly the same thing I had during my recruit training, I tried understandinf as much as possible and asked no questions. Now one of my goals is also to become a recruit instructor.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: ISAAC CHAVIRA on August 21, 2018, 06:50:40 PM
I am a firm believer that 'no question asked is the stupid question'. I can give two f--ks about how green I sound. As a former leader in the Military (US NAVY, 1994-2010) I can say it really irked me when my guys didn't ask. I guess I have resting bitch face or something, LOL.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 1st Lt (Ret) Hardman on October 03, 2018, 02:10:32 AM
I'm going to put these out here as some quick pointers, in the vague hope that someone will read them before getting started in the training pipeline:

- Use Push To Talk in Teamspeak
Learn it, love it, live it. The unit has a PTT policy - it ensures we don't hear you chewing, breathing, dogs barking etc.

- Make sure your PTT Key is not CAPS
Caps Lock and T keys are used for TFAR (our radios in game) - so you'll need a PTT key which is separate to these.

- Be on time
"On time" means to be 15 minutes early - at least - you should be present in Teamspeak well before any of your official requirements, and this way your element leader (class instructor, squad leader, platoon hq etc) knows that you are present. In the case of the training pipeline, it means that the instructor knows that he has students today - and then the class can continue to run.

- Take advantage of your ability to fill in
This was already covered above, but make sure you hang out with some guys in the unit while you're still in training. If you're not sure what MOS you are looking for, what role in a team you're looking for etc, filling in with trainings is the perfect way to figure that out. Hang out with the weapons guys. Drop by Havoc 4. Chat with a medic. These guys can't approach you, so hang out with them and see where you want to go. Remember that you don't "lock in" your MOS until the very end of OSUT - so take a second to see what else is out there.

- Ask questions
I'm just going to say this again. Anything that comes to mind that you want to know, ask it. The only stupid question is the question you don't ask.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: CPT Drumheller on December 29, 2018, 06:49:12 PM
- Be on time
"On time" means to be 15 minutes early - at least - you should be present in Teamspeak well before any of your official requirements, and this way your element leader (class instructor, squad leader, platoon hq etc) knows that you are present. In the case of the training pipeline, it means that the instructor knows that he has students today - and then the class can continue to run.

To clarify - This is not the case for the unit after the initial training pipeline. Once you're done with initial trainint, on time means on time. Not 15 min early.

Note to leaders: If you want your guys 15 min early, make sure to schedule the time for trainings 15 min early. Unit SOP for unit-wide missions is that when the clock strikes 2000, then and only then, are you considered late and you forfeit your spot to a fill-in.

It's very nice and convenient for members to be early so that leaders know what spots to fill, but it is 100% not a requirement. A lot of people schedule their daily tasks around unit things, and I certainly don't want to see them putting in X extra amount of time when it's unnecessary.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SPC Price on December 29, 2018, 09:13:26 PM
Communicate - even outside of the game. Let your TL or SL know whether or not you will or will not be at unit scheduled events and trainings. This can also help with the above mentioned issue of being on time - should you be late and don't want your spot taken, let someone know (most squads have a group chat that you would be able to access on your phone at all times; if you know a few days in advance you will be late, you can leave your TL a PM on the forums)

And in game, while keeping in mind that you need to talk as less as possible and transmit your information as clearly and succinctly as you can, while prioritising the information you choose to send out, make sure you do it. If anything feels wrong or you have doubts, communicate them. If the situation is not tense, feel free to raise your questions and concerns - and this goes times a thousand in trainings; that is the place where if you have any questions left after you're done, you did something wrong.

I hope my information was not in any way 'wrong', but I hope anyone coming after me will fix that, should it be the case.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 1LT (Ret) Mallory on March 24, 2019, 03:54:36 PM
While the following is aimed more at helping prospective Warrant Officer Candidates have a better understanding of how to prepare for Flight School, it is by no means necessarily limited to just that pipeline:


-The entirety of this unit will return what you put into it. If you make it a priority to fill in, especially during FTX cycles and squad training, and you pay attention to those giving instruction and apply that knowledge as you perform within Arma, you are generally going to be ahead of the curve from those with similar time in the unit. The less effort the senior personnel have to expend on fixing things like your controls, or remedial topics that you should already have a basic understanding of, the more fun they can have, which translates into more fun you have. That is why we are all here, in the end.


-Speaking of controls, DO NOT be afraid to not only ask questions about other members' control mapping, but also making tweaks on your end to suit your needs. Everyone runs different setups, and work the controls into what best works for them. For instance, I previously used the Additional net transmit on TFAR as my alternate net to communicate with others, but now, after remapping and having to work & monitor multiple channels, I now use the Additional channel as my Primary, since it is far much easier to change a standard channel on the fly using the NUMPAD or CTRL/ALT+NUMPAD to change channel without having to reopen the interface and change it myself or change what channel the Additional net is on.


-For those prospective WOC's & future Rotary pilots, I cannot stress enough- PRACTICE. There is a drastic difference in candidate performance and knowledge retention between those who have flown, or are intimately familiar with flight fundamentals within Arma, and those who have not. This goes back to the first point I made, about investing the effort you want returned to you. Flight School, bother Rotary and Fixed Wing platforms, are long qualification and learning processes by default, with a lot of information that needs to be covered in a short amount of time. While you are encouraged to "test the waters" as a brand new PV2, I- along with the past and present members of Aviation- strongly recommend you be as well prepared as possible when choosing this pipeline. Look at it this way, you applied for this unit with the expressed intent of working in the professional environment we offer, so why not make the most of it by over-preparing for whatever pathway you may choose to play as, rather than waste your time on something you are unfamiliar with the commitment to? Again, we ALL want to have fun, not just the junior guys or the old guard, but everyone.


Flight School is, at a fundamental level- a test of two aspects of a candidate's capability. First, is is designed to test your ability to work at your own pace, responsibly. Secondly, it measures your aptitude for learning and applying the material through every medium of learning- the material readily available to read upon completing OSUT, which is located here (https://www.506thir.net/forums/index.php?topic=18357.0) (this goes for all MOS's, when you hit PV2, make it a mission to learn this forum very well, there is tons of information here that can be learned from), followed by the Flight School instructor both explaining and demonstrating the task to be completed, and followed up by the candidate (You) performing the task. So improve yourself whenever you can by taking whatever time you devote to the unit to practice, learn, rehearse, or ask questions- just remember that there are more than a few questions or bits of info that would be best left to either your respective chain of command during OSUT, or when you get to your first unit- for they are the best and most accurate source of information regarding most of, if not every question you may have. Don't be afraid to ask more than one person, chances are if you are getting different answers, the junior member doesn't know or is working off of incorrect information, and the senior person is correct.


Hopefully this hit a few points without retreading over already provided pro tips.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SPC (Ret) A. Hawkins on August 13, 2019, 06:59:48 PM
You can be in combat pace while jogging with your gun down, and it's slow as fuck. If it looks like you are running with a stick up your ass and you can't keep up with your team, you're probably running in combat pace. Double tapping C will bring you out of combat pace.

Trying to drag someone but you can't move? Double tap "C" and that should fix it. Combat pace is often the culprit if your legs aren't medically fucked.

Below are some options that may feel more natural to use:
Esc -> Configure -> Addon options -> Ace Interaction Menu
Here you can check "Always display cursor for self interaction" and "Always display cursor for interaction" -This makes it so your character doesn't move around when ace interacting with things. I personally have "Display interaction menus as lists" checked as well since I find it a lot easier to navigate, but that's only a personal preference.

I also recommend using medical menu, especially if you're a medic. Under "ACE Medical" if you scroll to the bottom there is a box "Re-open medical menu" which means after you bandage someone the menu will reopen automatically. This is great for heavily wounded individuals who require a lot of bandages. The trade-off however is that some people feel the menu is less immersive than the 3d medical menu.

ACE Nametags: Disable player ranks. It looks so much cleaner and the ranks that show don't correspond to our ranks in this unit.

Now some keybinding things I think will help: Configure -> Controls -> Addons
ACE Pointing: I found it easier to change the keybind from shift+` to just ` so I can point without contorting my hand as much. This is a change that I highly recommend. Also you can never point to much. Pointing is love, pointing is life.

ACE Vehicles: Scroll until you find "fast rope" and bind it to a key. I have it set to my down arrow, but I recommend binding it to a key that isn't bound to anything. If you go through Air Assault School, you'll be told to do this. This binding allows you to fast rope out of helicopters with a keypress. NEVER TRY RAPPELING OUT OF A HELICOPTER LIKE I DID. IT HURT.

Base "Command" keybinds: I unbound all of these. I believe these are only used for single player missions. If you command squads in single player, don't remove these bindings.

Remember to have fun. Stick to your battle buddy like glue and always check up on him if he goes quiet. He's your responsibility and you are his. If at any point you are unable to answer "where is my battle buddy?" you are doing it wrong and you need to right that wrong immediately. Here in the 506th we never leave our buddies behind. We stand alone, together.

And one last thing, never let the bastards get you down.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SGT (Ret) Huang on September 14, 2019, 10:21:44 PM
Specifically to those recruits coming from other units, I should say that the instructors are there to instruct, not to assess your competence. If you have previous experience in a unit like this, and you are considering joining this one, you should keep in mind at all times that nobody knows about you. When an recruit instructor speaks to you as if you are completely useless, it is because most people who are new are indeed completely useless.

It is never a personal judgement, they are doing their duty to affirm that you have a brain before giving you to another NCO for billeting. If you can maintain a polite tone and consider yourself unproven, you will find it very easy to integrate into the community.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: N. De Been on October 14, 2019, 01:22:19 AM
I second this post
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: 1LT (Ret) Mallory on May 01, 2020, 12:31:32 AM
While it has been hinted at in the past in some way or another, the essential function of the forums often goes underappreciated...

Read the forums. Get to using that "Show unread posts since last visit" link at the top left side of the screen under your name. There are often a number of unit announcements or updates that, despite the voicing authority putting links and/or clear instructions in the opening post- still manage to find topics created to answer simple questions that have already been answered, and someone wanted the personal "link & do the work for me" answer.

There is always someone more dedicated in the unit than yourself- it is almost always the case that if you cannot find something or are having trouble locating or performing a task, the problem has already been addressed somewhere in the history of the 506th. If it hasn't, try following the directions- again.

On the same topic- READ THE FORUMS. There is literally thousands of hours worth of 100% voluntary, passionately dedicated knowledge across a vast variety of backgrounds that have found their way to our unit. If Awards & Decorations can track & maintain the ENTIRE history of the unit's individual awards using said search feature, it is bound to have some use for you, too. 
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SPC (Ret) A. Hawkins on March 17, 2022, 11:25:19 PM
Scroll wheel then right click. Use it to get rid of those horrible contextual icons in the center of your screen when next to dead bodies, static weapons, and random trash on the ground.
Title: Re: Things I Wish I'd Known as a New 506th Recruit
Post by: SPC Price on March 18, 2022, 08:16:56 AM
Alt is for independent head movement. If you find yourself not able to turn your weapon or body, double tap Alt.