Arma 3: Simple (But Efficient) VoiceAttack Profile Creation

A guide that will try to provide some tips on basic VoiceAttack profile creation for Arma 3. This guide will focus on the vanilla Arma 3 command interface, the prefix/suffix functionality, some pointers for creating commands, and issues that I have experienced in my profile creation and how I over came them. This guide will also direct the reader to links and videos that showcase what else they can do with their Arma 3 VoiceAttack profile.

Introduction

Greetings! If you are here, I assume then that you are an Arma player and a VoiceAttack user and wish to use the versatility of voice commands to get away from those clunky Arma squad controls. You have come to the right place.

I have not been a VoiceAttack user for long, but I have been using voice commands in Arma for quite a while now so I know a thing or two about what works and what does not. In Arma, when you are in the heat of battle, you do not want to 1) say a command that is not in the software, 2) have the software not recognize the command, and 3) not sound like a robot while giving commands (Fluidity in commands is a must!). So here, I will show you how to create commands that sound natural and flow easily and will still be recognized by the software. It's a simple process, but it means a lot when it comes to commanding your AI teammates (Sorry, but VoiceAttack does not work on humans). Later in the guide, I will provide some links that demonstrate some of the more advanced features you can use to make a robust profile. Let's begin.

Arma 3 Command Interface and Controls

If you are a veteran player of the Arma series, you may skip this section. If you are new to the singleplayer commands in Arma, or if you are new to the Arma series, please read this section as it will introduce you to some basic commands and the controls to execute them.

Arma's command interface and controls are, by far, some of the worst ones I have encountered in gaming. But this is not without reason. The commands you can give to your squad are vast and diverse, and even more so when you add in mods which expand the number of commands you can give. Here's a general view what commands look like:

• Function keys will select individual squad members. The ~ key selects the entire squad.
  
• The top row 1 key is for general movements.
  
• Top row 2 key is the target menu.
  
• Top row 3 key is for general combat orders (fire, hold fire, etc.).
  
• Top row 4 key is the vehicle action menu
  
• Top row 5 key is for reporting (low ammo, injuries, etc.).
  
• Top row 6 key is the general actions menu.
  
• Top row 7 key is the behavior/stance menu.
  
• Top row 8 key is the squad formations menu.
  
• Top row 9 key is the team menu.
  
• Top row 0 key is the reply/support menu.

Each of those keys aside from the unit selection keys opens a sub-menu which contains the commands you can give to your squad and are also selected by the top row number keys. For example, if you want to bring your squad back to you, you would press ~, 1, 1. Most commands require you to select a unit or team to execute, but some commands, like the formations or reporting, do not require a unit to be selected. This will be important later on in creating the voice commands.

I will not go through the entire command list as it is quite extensive. For quick reference, here is a guide detailing most of the commands available to you. Keep in mind that some commands will require to go through several different menus to fully execute.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=583078857&searchtext=controlling+the+ai

Prefix/Suffix Functionality and Command Efficiency

If you know anything about the AI in Arma, you know that they are a pain to control and give orders to (I'm starting to sound like a broken record now, probably). Voice commands make this process less painful, but there are additional steps you can take to increase the effectiveness of the voice command system.

VoiceAttack offers a nice feature that takes voice command efficiency to the next level: the prefix/suffix functionality. When a command is assigned as a prefix, the software waits a certain amount of time for a suffix command to follow. For example, let's say I assign the command "Rifleman" as a prefix. Now the software will wait until a suffix command follows, such as "Move up". A prefix and a suffix spoken together will make a full command that VoiceAttack will recognize. Here is an example of a command that I use in my personal Arma 3 voice command profile.



Generally, you want your unit selections to be prefixes. Here, I chose unit 6. In order to recognize the phrase "Six" as a prefix, you have to have the command type set to 'prefix'.


Most of your orders will be suffixes, with the exception of a few (will be shown later). Here I have the "Open fire" command open. Like the the previous order, you have to set the proper command type, in this case 'suffix'.

Once this is done, VoiceAttack will recognize the full phrase "Six, open fire". So, set up the prefix command, set up the suffix command, and you are in business for some nice, smooth command phrases.


The advantage here is that in Arma each unit is a separate key with the entire squad having its own macro. Instead of calling up a squad member, waiting for the command to process, and then giving the command, in one fluid phrase one can say "Rifleman, move up" and all the key presses necessary to select the unit and give the order will execute in the same sequence. This also avoids these robotic sounding phrases that, in my opinion, break from the immersion of the game and make your roommates/family wonder if there is something wrong with you.

There is a disadvantage to this system that I am currently trying to work around. The current limitations of VoiceAttack prevent the use of multiple prefixes and multiple suffixes. That is, in Arma, you cannot give multiple units the same order and you cannot give one unit multiple orders using prefixes and suffixes. This can be solved by assigning each command as a full command rather than a prefix/suffix, but that would defeat the purpose of using the system. I will post a solution here if I find one.

A Note About Wildcards

I would like to take a moment to discuss wildcards in VoiceAttack since they are efficient in the area where prefixes/suffixes are not. The main purpose of wildcards is to allow the user to give VoiceAttack a particular command that is in a sentence which contains words not in the command list. This forces VoiceAttack to look for that command within the sentence to execute it. The example given in the help document is something along the lines of "Attack that enemy with rockets", where "Attack" and "rockets" are the wildcards. Those words are picked out by the software as commands and then executed.

In Arma, wildcards will allow you to call up multiple units in quick succession, something prefixes/suffixes are currently unable to do. So if you have your unit calls set up as wildcards instead of just standard full commands, you are able to quickly say "Two, seven, eight" and give further commands from there. This is done by adding the * symbol before and after the word to be spoken. In the case of "Two", the spoken command would have to typed as *Two*.

Before you rush to adjust your profile, heads up: Wildcards are not supported by the prefix/suffix functionality at this time. It was the first thing I tried when I figured out how to work with wildcards. Wildcards will only work with full commands. This means that while you can call up units fairly quickly, you will still have to pause to give those units an order even if, as far as I can tell, that order is also set as a wildcard.

Some Tips for Command Creation

How you go about creating your VoiceAttack profile for Arma is your business. I have described the standard controls for squad commanding, but you may have a different control scheme or keyboard. However, I would like to provide some insights I have gained from creating my own profile.

First and foremost: Train the Windows Speech Recognition software. It's in the manual, it's one of the first things described in the forums, and I believe it even says it on the store page. Having that software trained up to recognize you and your speech patterns is incredibly important. Nothing is worse than trying to say "Two, hold fire" on a stealth mission and then the software thinks you said "Too mold flyer".

Second, believe me when I say "There's a limit to efficiency". You may have noticed in the screen shots from the previous sections that I have the key press delays set to 0.1 seconds. There's a reason for that. The processor in your computer can only read key presses so fast. You may think "Yeah, 0.001 seconds will totally increase the speed of my commands". No. It will not. There has to be adequate delay in order to process the spoken command and key presses so that it will execute correctly. You can experiment with smaller delays, but know that there is a limit to that size.

Thirdly, you do not have to make every command fall into the prefix/suffix system. In fact, it is often beneficial if you avoid this completely for certain commands. The reporting commands are an excellent example of this. One of the commands will report to your squad that you have sustained an injury and require a first-aid kit. Now, if you remember which unit is your medic, you can say something like "Six, injured" and he will come to your rescue. But the way Arma's command interface works allows for reporting to filter down to the entire squad.


As you see here, I have the "Injured" command (Actually it is a status, but that is besides the point) set as a full command. I can simply state "Injured" or "Wounded" and VoiceAttack will recognize it and send the command to my squad. Notice that '(derived command)' is not next to the command, indicating a full command. Now, my medic will be alerted, regardless of unit number, and he will come to re-attach my arm....if that were the case.


Lastly, make commands that are easy to say and remember. This is really a general rule for any VoiceAttack profile you make. In terms of Arma, the sheer number of commands means this applies heavily. Ironically, you can make some commands easy to remember by giving multiple options of what to say to execute them as demonstrated by a few commands shown here. Another example is the command that allows you to set your squad's stance to prone. You can simply say "Squad, go prone", but giving yourself options can help if you try to say something else that you know means the same thing but the software does not. In my case, I have it set so that I can say either "Squad, go prone", "Squad, lie down", or "Squad, hit the dirt". I have used all of them in various cases, usually when I am panicking because an enemy helicopter is about to fly over us, but having these options means the software will not look at me like I am an idiot because I said a command it did not recognize.

Going Further...

This just about sums up everything I can say about VoiceAttack profile creation for Arma. My profile is fairly crude, but it's very efficient in terms of the number of commands I can give and how quickly I can get them out to my squad. I may upload my VoiceAttack profile later so that you can test it out.

However, there are things you can do with your Arma VoiceAttack profile that add so much more in terms of commanding your AI squad. You can assign roles, such as autorifleman or driver, you can focus a unit or units so that you can continously give orders to that unit/s, and so much more. The below video (Credit: woofer) demonstrates a few of these features.

https://youtu.be/A77mdrBEioY

VoiceAttack is pretty versatile, so experiment and see what works. Other than that, I hope I pointed you in the right direction to create a pretty good Arma 3 command list. GG and Good Hunting!

[vibesjazz01]

This is so dope. Im just getting in to the game and glad I found this. would you share you profile with me?

[Child Soldier #191292]

happy new years , im here trying to map controls for Ready Or Not.

[QuasiSnipr1048]

I've tried Articulate before. I both like and hate it. It works fantastically with Arma and its quite easy to set up, but the phrases all felt too rigid. I ultimately went with VoiceAttack for a couple of reasons: 1) My antivirus doesn't have a fit every time I try to launch it like with Articulate, and 2) despite it taking more work to set up, I like VoiceAttack's customizability.

To each their own.

[Sniperturtle]

Just download Articulate.

[QuasiSnipr1048]

There should be some around. You may want to check around the VA forums to see if there are any. I have mine somewhere but I'll have to dig.

And I think one of the videos I linked here, the youtuber uploaded his for people to test out.

[kartitsis]

Hello guys, any current (2018) VA profiles that work with US keyboards?

[LeoGal]

Good morning, problem solved.
Thank you for your time and most valuable assistant.

[QuasiSnipr1048]

Ok, first things first. Do you have an arma 3 VA profile? Second, if you do have a profile, there's a profile selection option at the top of the VA interface, so select it from there. Third, check your mic settings in VA to make sure it's taking microphone input.

[LeoGal]

Also i do not use push to talk.

[LeoGal]

Good morning, thank you for the reply. I am far from experienced on this. How do I activate the voice profile? I do have VA running at the back like an admin.
I remember that the previous time i pushed a combination of buttons (stupid - did not right it down) like for example Ctrl & V and it worked ( i read it on forum searching for the same thing)
So the voice activation can be done from arma settings or voice attacks. ?
So sorry for the trouble, and thank you for your help once more.