Joining a running game

Look at the Loadouts

Look at the Map

Read the Briefing

Look at the Tasks

Joining a running game can be quite frustrating, especially when everyone is currently occupied with a mission. It is understandable that you don't want to wait until everyone gets back to base, so you can join the fun and that is clearly not what I would demand of you. What I would want as a Zeus though, is that you try your best to get a clear picture before approaching me via Global. This goes back to what I said about being considerate, every time you talk in the Global Channel you disrupt the flow of the game. So keeping it to an absolute Minimum is the best course of action you could take. So here are some practical tips of how to get an idea of what's going on.Although often forgotten by a Zeus, it still is something you can pick up on rather quickly though. If there are only specific Gendarmerie Loadouts for example or clearly self made Arsenal Loadouts from the Zeus, you can safely assume that you are playing the Gendarmerie / that specific thing the Zeus has readied for you. If the Zeus hasn't really gotten around though to setting them up, you'll just have the Standard Loadouts that tell you nothing really.I generally use the Map to inform Players of current events and make it easier on the Players to get a grasp of their Surroundings. I start the Game most of the time by marking the HQ / current base of Operations and then continue to flesh out the Surroundings. Here's just an example of what you might see there.This Menu provides you with several different Sources of Information. You can look at the current Tasks and previous Tasks, the current Briefing and as well gain awareness of your Team, Players and the current Game Master. If you collect Intel from the Ground it will show up there as well.The next few things are a bit more of an example, but just as a run down of what you can deduce by simply looking at the Symbols and what's next to it.Marked with the Flag of the Gendarmerie their HQ is located there. In this Mission the people were part of NATO, so they had allies there close by and knew the city is safe, as well as could call for reinforcements from there, if they ran an OP nearby.This is something I had marked for a Mission later down the road, where NATO forces had to investigate a missing Gendarmerie Prisoner Convoy. This made them follow the traces of it, until they found it shot to pieces with one survivor left, who gave them crucial information.Although a bit hard to see I had written near that circled exclamation mark “Enemy AA & Mortars”. In combination with the Syndikat Flag, it was obvious that you couldn't just storm over that bridge or fly into it. I set down NATO SDVs for them to use and even addressed that in the current Mission Briefing you would have seen under the “Tasks”-Tab.The IDAP Camp there not only added to the Feeling of the area being alive and inhabited, but I even ran a mission where NATO Forces defended the IDAP guys and Civilians in Moddergat from a retaliation force from Syndikat that had landed in La Foa. But just the knowledge that this thing was there all along, added to the scene as it didn't just jump up at them.Just to ensure that everyone always knew where home is I marked the HQ down there at the Airport. Even if they spawned on a Squad Leader or the Base Commander himself, they would always know where to go when the RTB order came.Even if not all Zeus's do it, the ones that write down a Mission briefing will generally use it to give you an idea of the current Situation. I generally use it to set up the entire Narrative, so you will at least get the Information as to why you are there and what your mission is.If the Zeus isn't deleting his Objectives after they were accomplished you will generally see a list of Tasks that have been accomplished, cancelled, failed or are currently active. Just reading up on them can give you some insight on what is going on and what was going on before. Although it generally isn't required to read earlier ones. Just look at the one that's currently active as Games can become quite lengthy and the Mission briefs add up after a while.As soon as you have done all of that you are generally well informed, at least if the Zeus has set up everything with a bit of flavour text here and there. But even then you might still have some questions that need clearing up.The general approach I recommend to try and get this Information is:Sometimes the people in your own Group can clear out most of the Questions you have, as they have been on the Server maybe for quite a while already.If the answers you got from the Group Channel aren't sufficient ask in the Side Channel, as you will now address all the Players currently on the Server, you should try to be as clear and concise as possible and keep the chatter to a bare minimum.If all else fails, this is your last resort. This is the only way for you to communicate directly with the Zeus. I use this as the last resort option, as the Zeus is generally fairly busy with supporting current missions or setting up new ones. So asking him is really not ideal. Especially as he then has to respond using Global as well and that will be heard by everyone on the Server, disrupting the Group and Side Channels as well.If even that now is not enough you have done everything you could to obtain the Information necessary. So having exhausted your options, you should probably try to look for another Server if you don't get a response at all or wait a little, as the Zeus sometimes goes AFK for a few minutes, as those gaming sessions can become rather excessive.But if everything is okay and you know what the Situation at hand is, you can certainly make your way towards the Mission or if they were at the Base all along and were just waiting for a new mission to come up, coordinate with them and move in with them.