Getting Started With Multiplayer

So you've finally decided to take the leap into playing multiplayer. Congratulations, you're taking a big step into the unknown here and I'm here to help!

So What do You Want to Do?

In terms of online play there's basically four kinds of servers.

Standalone Player Hosted Servers

These are small scale servers usually thrown up for a few friends to jump on and do pretty much whatever they want. All the way from fighting each other in air to air combat, to working cooperatively to complete a mission. This represents most of the multiplayer servers you'll see in the server browser, and many of them are password protected so that only the host and his friends can jump on and play. These are the simplest to get up and running, all you need to do is find or create a mission you want to play, click "multiplayer" from the main menu, and then click "New Server" and follow the instructions.

Dedicated Servers running PvE (Player vs Environment) missions

These are servers that run for long amounts of time and are designed for players to come and go over time and work together cooperatively to achieve objectives. Many online communities run a dedicated server intended for members of their community and the public to join and fly on. PVE missions generally feature things like radio menu options and text notifications to let you know what the current objectives are.

Dedicated Servers running PvP (Player vs Player) missions

These are the classic "airquake" servers. The entire point is to join a side, get in the sky, and shoot down as many players on the other team as you can.

Dedicated Servers running missions that feature both PvP and PvE objectives

A good example of a mission like this is Mudspike's Blueflag, where players join a side, and work together with their team to capture objectives that are defended by players and AI alike.