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ArmA 2/3

WalkerWalker
edited March 2013 in Everything Else
This game just went from "looks really cool" to "Oh my holy shit on a stick, I need to buy this".

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These two videos, combined with my experiences with OpFlash and the developer's plans for ArmA 2, have completely sold me. I expect multiplayer alone will be awesome, let alone the massively ambitious single player and the tuned-up level creator. I will be shelling out as soon as I have money to spare.

Anyone else excited?
Post edited by Andrew on
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Comments

  • AndrewAndrew
    Just ask Jason.
  • JasonJason
    edited June 2009
    The boy hasn't stopped talking about this since before ArmA1 came out. Which, linear time being what it is, should be theoretically impossible, or at the very least highly improbable. Yet he persists.

    Me: "Hey Andrew, want to play some L4D?"
    The boy: "L4D is a shooter, like ArmA2. Did you know ArmA2 is coming out?"
    Me: "Yes, you mentio..."
    The boy: "ArmA2 has pretty pictures and a big physics engine that make things esplode!"
    Me: "Okay, that's great. I'm not so much into the milit..."
    The boy: "And you'll be able to fly in a helicopter. You can already do this in ArmA1, but this is going to be ArmA2."
    Me: "...."
    The boy: "Here, watch this 40-minute-long video of actual ArmA2 footage. It's from ArmA2. It's coming out real soon!"
    Me: "This isn't really a game. It's more of a simulation."
    The boy: "Yeah. It's got big guns. Look at them shoot the big guns! BOOM! BOOM! ARMA2! OMFG IT'S ARMA2! JASON, ARMA2 IS ALMOST HERE. HOLY SHIT, DUDE. ARMA2!"
    Me: "Calm down, son. There's still a long time before it comes ou..."
    The boy: "I NEED IT NOW OR I WILL KILL EVERYBODY IN MY OFFICE. I HAVE A GUN. IT'S ON THE SCREEN AND IT'S IN ARMA1, BUT XENU HELP ME, I HAVE A GUN. COME GET SOME, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
    Me: "Hello, police?"
    The boy: "I'll bet they have this gun in ArmA2. But bigger. And with more pixels."
    Post edited by Jason on
  • KieyKiey
    It looks neat, but doesn't seem like my cup of tea. Too much running, not enough doing.
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited June 2009
    Don't forget the awesome police chases...


    In all honesty though, it isn't really a game. It's a simulator. If you are going to get this game because you think it will play like CoD4, you are wrong.
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • WalkerWalker
    edited June 2009
    In all honesty though, it isn't really a game. It's a simulator. If you are going to get this game because you think it will play like CoD4, you are wrong.
    Having played through the main Operation Flashpoint campaign, given up half way through the resistance campaign and dabbled in ArmA 1, I fully understand where you're coming from. I call things like Arma, flight sims, and Silent Hunter "games" out of force of habit.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • trogdor9trogdor9
    Don't forget the awesome police chases...
    ...Do you really think that looks fun? I don't mean to pick a fight, but I watch that video and it reminds me of the most frustrating and unfun moments of bad games I've played in the past. It doesn't even look that well-made - take the cop's running animations, for instance. I honestly don't know what you see in this game. Sure, I haven't played ArmA 1, but gameplay footage like this does absolutely nothing for me.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    This is one of the better ArmA 2 videos.
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited June 2009
    ...Do you really think that looks fun? I don't mean to pick a fight, but I watch that video and it reminds me of the most frustrating and unfun moments of bad games I've played in the past. It doesn't even look that well-made - take the cop's running animations, for instance. I honestly don't know what you see in this game. Sure, I haven't played ArmA 1, but gameplay footage like this does absolutely nothing for me.
    The power of ArmA isn't in it's polish. In fact, it's a very unpolished game. However, the actual functionality of the game is within the mission editor and the ability for people to easily create new game modes and environments. In fact, I would say it's quite possibly the most mod friendly game out right now. It's essentially open source with the amount of commands the developers provide. The true enjoyment for me in this series is the ability for people to create massive missions on a scale no other game can match with a level of granularity for the mission makers that no other game can match. It's not perfect, in fact far from it on a polish level. But when I play a custom co-op mission with over 80+ people (I've done it several times), it's been some of the most enjoyable gaming moments for me. It's not every everyone. In fact, it's not for most people.
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • sK0pesK0pe
    It's not perfect, in fact far from it on a polish level. But when I play a custom co-op mission with over 80+ people (I've done it several times), it's been some of the most enjoyable gaming moments for me. It's not every everyone. In fact, it's not for most people.
    That's almost sounds like the feeling I'm supposed to be sold on when bombarded with WOW news, if you can do a co-op mission in an FPS like game with more than 80 people it sounds pretty enticing.
    The official Australian launch is July 9th... so will have to wait and see if there is enough people that hop online or start making custom mods / games / maps.
  • AndrewAndrew
    The official Australian launch is July 9th... so will have to wait and see if there is enough people that hop online or start making custom mods / games / maps.
    That's the best part. Because ArmA2 uses the same scripting language from previous games, all the old content from ArmA will roll over into the new game. Essentially ArmA2 can play all the old mods and missions in a backwards compatible fashion.
  • KidderKidder
    I've clocked a few hours on ArmA and watched my bro play a good few hours of multiplayer as well. ArmA has very little similarity to other large scale military shooters (like BattleField 2) in both gameplay and scope. ArmA was by no means a very fancy looking game, the graphics were relatively dialed down due to the massive scale of the maps and the actual shooting mechanics were a little anti-climactic. Having said that ArmA was extremely immersive if you are into relatively realistic simulation of combat situations. You'll spend A LOT of time crawling around and staying in cover because your ass is toast as soon as an enemy AI spots you.

    I think ArmA is enjoyable if you like to plan and coordinate missions to almost the most minute detail. It's most fun and incidentally most boring on the more serious servers. There will be a basic command structure with a commander and squad leaders and you are expected to follow most orders or else get the virtual boot from the server. If you're lucky, the "leaders" work out their tactics quickly and you're off on your mission (the fun part!). However, if there is also a good chance you'll end up waiting for ages (as in up to and sometimes over 30 minutes) before you even leave base camp as your fearless leaders try to come up with some sort of Sun Tsu's Art of War style battle plan...

    Like others have already said. ArmA and ArmA 2 do not play like scaled up versions of COD4 and BF2. You need a lot of patience to get to grips with all the extra controls and you'll spend at least an hour completing a mission (something like clearing a city takes forever...). Tactics and strategy DO play a role and more often than not, you will get your ass shot to shreds if you don't plan your movements. Good game, but definately not for everyone.
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited June 2009
    If you guys want to check the game out, a demo was just released. Be warned, it's quite large (2.9 gigs).
    Fileplanet
    Torrent
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    I just saw it here, where it doesn't count against my download quota. W00t.
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    So... it's out in America now, I've played the demo and purchased the game (although it's still downloading atm). Never having played Arma or Operation Flashpoint, I had an interesting experience with the demo. I thought it was rather rough around the edges from the demo, and I was rather lost and confused as to what to do and how in the various scenarios I played. I really enjoy the squad-level stuff, where it's you and your squad versus however many terrorists decide to make an appearance, and I really love flying choppers, although I'm pretty terrible at it.

    What I did not enjoy of the demo was the lackluster AI, terrible voices, and mediocre graphics. It sounds like all my teammates are automated response systems rather than people. I would much rather have had less robust but more polished voices. My other big gripe about the game, from what I've seen of the demo, is that high command is not terribly fun or interesting, and the base building stuff seemed really out of place. Again, I would have liked to have seen less emphasis on the RTS stuff and more polish on the AI system and shooter aspects of the game. The graphics, in order to play decently on my mid-to-high end rig, look like a high-end game from two or three years ago, which is certainly not bad, but rather disappointing.

    Overall, it's a really fun game to play, despite these sometimes crippling faults (it hasn't happened to me, but I hear of times when friendly AI will, for instance, run you over with a tank), steep learning curve, and at times overly-complex command interface. It's like GRAW meets CoD 4 meets Insurgency meets Battlefield meets Oblivion, and the overall experience is incredibly satisfying. If only the rough bits were polished up more, it could stand a chance as a mainstream success, but for now, I can't wait to play the full game.

    On a somewhat related note, is there some way to disable/tone down the motion blur? It makes me nauseous and chops the framerate somewhat.
  • WalkerWalker
    On a somewhat related note, is there some way to disable/tone down the motion blur? It makes me nauseous and chops the framerate somewhat.
    Go to the advanced graphics settings and turn off post-processing effects.
  • AprecheApreche
    I just played the demo, and my assumptions were all confirmed. The game sacrifices everything for the sake of realism and military simulation. The result is that it's just annoying to actually play. The user interface is far too complicated, and not smooth at all. A lot of the realistic things they do just make the game incredibly frustrating to play. If I'm doing some sharpshooting in real life, I'll worry about breathing. In a video game, no thank you. The screen bouncing around while I walk, it's a nice effect if I'm watching a movie. Since I'm playing a game, it's just disorienting. I know some of these things can be changed in the options menu, but that's not the point.

    If a simulation is what you're looking for, this is for you. Personally, I have no interest. I want to play a fun game. I don't want to simulate the realities and horrors of war.
  • Loganator456Loganator456
    I just played the demo, and my assumptions were all confirmed. The game sacrifices everything for the sake of realism and military simulation. The result is that it's just annoying to actually play. The user interface is far too complicated, and not smooth at all. A lot of the realistic things they do just make the game incredibly frustrating to play. If I'm doing some sharpshooting in real life, I'll worry about breathing. In a video game, no thank you. The screen bouncing around while I walk, it's a nice effect if I'm watching a movie. Since I'm playing a game, it's just disorienting. I know some of these things can be changed in the options menu, but that's not the point.

    If a simulation is what you're looking for, this is for you. Personally, I have no interest. I want to play a fun game. I don't want to simulate the realities and horrors of war.
    I agree. Not my bag of tea at all, but if it's your thing, more power to you.
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    One thing I'm seeing is that even with the settings turned down low, the game performs really shittily. Normally I can get 30-60fps with max or close to max video settings on new games, but it's a slideshow even on mid to low settings. Anyone got some insight into why that is?
  • AndrewAndrew
    One thing I'm seeing is that even with the settings turned down low, the game performs really shittily. Normally I can get 30-60fps with max or close to max video settings on new games, but it's a slideshow even on mid to low settings. Anyone got some insight into why that is?
    What are your system specs and what settings are you using?
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    Core 2 Duo 6750 @ 2.66 GHz
    2 gigs ram
    nVidia 8800 GTS 512 video card
    I don't think the other specs are relevant

    I'm using mid settings for everything except postprocessing effects, antialiasing, and anoscopic filtering, which are all at low, and shadows, which are disabled. The resolution and 3d resolution are 1440 x 900, and visibility is just above normal.
  • snookernetsnookernet
    I played the demo and I really wanted to get into this game, but it's just not for me. I've been looking for a game that plays like CoD4 does on the tactical realism servers. This game does so much other stuff that I'm not really interested in and it doesn't seem like it focuses on the shooting aspect.
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited August 2010
    An interesting situation has recently occurred with ArmA2 and it's first DLC that is now being released and I thought I'd talk about it. First, a bit of background on the situation. ArmA2 is really just an engine for players to create their own missions and multiplayer scenarios (one of the best features of any game on the market right now). Historically with ArmA1 and Operation Flashpoint, new content was only available via mods. These could consist of new unit models, vehicles, and new maps. The catch is that when someone designs a mission using these models, every single client is required to download said models, which is not really an easy process (although there are some applications which sync you to an almost version control-like system). However, the developers who make A2 want to get into the action with DLC units/vehicles. The problem, is that if you introduce said models you could fraction the community (those who have the DLC and those who don't), which would really limit the multiplayer.

    So, the developers came up with (I think) a very novel solution. When the DLC was released today, they co-released a patch which included every single unit and feature for free, however there is a catch. All the models have a texture cap of 64 pixels. This means that when you play a mission made to include the DLC units, you can still play and join the server, but at reduced graphical quality.

    image
    Texture capped free content
    image
    Full detail paid content

    I'm curious, what does everyone think of a system like this? Would you be supportive of developers who used this system of DLC?
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • WalkerWalker
    1. I'm curious, what does everyone think of a system like this? Would you be supportive of developers who used this system of DLC?

    Either way my computer doesn't run the game smoothly. :P
  • GreatTeacherMacRossGreatTeacherMacRoss
    edited August 2010
    I asked my computer what it thought of this game, and it laughed in my face and went back to drinking from a bottle of Jack.
    Post edited by GreatTeacherMacRoss on
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited May 2011
    My gaming group has been experimenting with a new radio mod that simulates signal transmission and distortion. The results are fantastically atmospheric as well as adding a new level of difficulty to command and control.
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • AndrewAndrew
    omgwtf ArmA3 announced.
    image
    image
    image

    Fanboy engage.
  • AmettoAmetto
    Wooooooow the detail is exquisite.
  • AndrewAndrew
    Wooooooow the detail is exquisite.
    Well, we'll see how it runs in motion, but yeah so far impressive.
    image
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    That first screenshot is interesting. I'm curious as to how far a battle will be able to range.
  • AndrewAndrew
    That first screenshot is interesting. I'm curious as to how far a battle will be able to range.
    ArmA 2 main map is 225 km2. No doubt that ArmA 3 will have similar maps and size.
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