Time Zone Warrior Damorfasu <TZW> has compiled the following usage tutorial for newcomers to
Gamespy Arcade:
Start GameSpy (GS) Arcade, select Operation Flashpoint from the left-side menu and select a room to enter. Recently, GS Arcade has the following rooms defined for your selection:
Everon, Malden, Kolgujev, Co-op, Capture the Flag and Test Zone.
Each room is like a meeting place. Just click on any one of them. You will then enter the room with two windows. The lower window is where everyone chats. I have found this to be mostly useless. No one really has anything important to say here.
What's important is the upper window. You will see monitor icons on the left with names on the right. The monitor icons with an X in them represent games already being played. You cannot enter them in the middle of gameplay (a sad OFP
MP limitation). The monitor icons with a square in them represent games you can still join. The right side will show you how many players can play, how many are already waiting and what ping rate you are receiving back from the game server. I always sort all servers by ping.
Double-click a server with a square in the monitor icon. This will send you to the server's room. You have two windows in this room on the left. The upper window is just for advertising. The lower window is for pre-game chat. Here you can chat with the server host and other players before the game starts. When you are ready, which I suggest you be as soon as you enter the room, press the READY button along the top of the window. This will tell the server that you are ready to begin playing.
On the right side you will see a light next to your name change from red (not Ready) to green (Ready). If you enter the room and see what looks like little rockets in everyone's name, that means that the game was already launched and you've missed the boat. Leave the room and find another game server to play on.
When the server host selects BEGIN GAME, GS Arcade will start your OFP game for you, it will automatically go into MP mode and connect to the server. You must wait for the server to select the Map and Game before you will see anything. Once this happens, you will need to select your
preferred position in the game and, when everyone else has done the same the game will begin.
Good luck soldier.