ARMA 2: Private Military Company 1.00 released

[S-M 10]

Ok just played a little of the PMC lite campaign.

Some thoughts........

Personally i feel that they should work on other aspects of the game instead of DLC, the game is still a buggy mess, i am being instructed to "engage that car" but no car exists ?!?!

If you have an enemy in sight and you get the red target around it, if it runs behind a wall, is the red target supposed to move by itself to where the enemy is?

Because half the time its wrong, sometimes it starts to move across the screen when nothing is visible, sometimes its pointing to a bloody none existent car that you can not engage.

As somebody else posted previous, i had regular framerate drops/stutters on one mission as if a script had stopped working properly, say every 7 seconds it would stutter then go back to normal.

I played with the settings but it made no difference, and i only play at 1024x768 screen res, i can not see the "lite" graphics flexing my system at all.

I played up to the SUV mission, it started fine, although the car behind me stopped for some reason and we lost it, then i spotted some enemy's so i started to shoot, bringing our car to a halt, next thing i know the following car comes flying up behind me and crashes into ours :confused:

This must have confused the AI driver as he then took off on a nice 10 min countryside tour, managing to get stuck on some debris at one point.

While this was happening i saw some text on screen telling me about a UAV, but it would appear i was miles off course at this point (where was my driver taking me?) so i never saw/heard any UAV, nor was i able to hear anybody actually speaking about it.

At this point i switched it off, same old, same old

I bought BAF and felt a little disappointed with it, i will not be buying this unless at some point it becomes super cheap.

The story and video style is going in the right direction IMHO, but the entire game still feels like a buggy beta.

I only have around 150 hours logged in A2 and around 65 in OA/BAF so i am still a "noob" compared with some, but i do feel i have a decent enough grasp on the game to decide that it is still a bit of a pain.

[icebreakr 3156]

XM8 is a scraped project and therefor totally unrealistic in a mil-sim game. Its like putting in a H&K G11 or some other prototype project. Hell, give them M41As...

[Richey79 10]

Imo, people are being very sniffy about the XM8, when it only failed to go into production because the US army started to worry it was too much of a leap from what they currently had, it had no SAW variant and there was criticism that a US manufacturer should get such a large contract. The current 'replacements' for the XM8 are seen as stand-ins - a way of putting off choosing a future path rather than being chosen over the XM8. These are all criticisms that wouldn't bother a private company in the least, so it is reasonable that the only thing stopping them from getting the XM8 is that H&K don't have the capability to do full production runs of the rifle (yes, some people will see that as reason enough to never even contemplate putting the weapon in the game).

My own personal view is that the Tavor and FN2000 look more like airsoft toys, and they're production rifles currently deployed by national armed-forces.

Chill out, it's nothing like adding plasma rifles or aliens to the game :p.

If you have an enemy in sight and you get the red target around it, if it runs behind a wall, is the red target supposed to move by itself to where the enemy is?

This is the way it's meant to work in 'rookie' mode. When an enemy leaves your team's line of sight, the red 'target' reticule continues to move in the same direction and at the same speed they were moving when you could see them. They might be where the red reticule says, or might just as likely have turned around and run in the other direction. It's not a magic-map like BF:BC2.

I played up to the SUV mission, it started fine, although the car behind me stopped for some reason and we lost it, then i spotted some enemy's so i started to shoot, bringing our car to a halt, next thing i know the following car comes flying up behind me and crashes into ours :confused:

Two ways to look at this. Firstly, try making a convoy mission before criticising the official missions. Be prepared for hours of testing, wailing, gnashing of teeth and screaming 'God, why hast thou forsaken me?!' when the convoy now crashes into the back of each other because you changed one tiny trigger on the other side of the map.

Second perspective - you're absolutely right. Why would anyone be daft enough to make a convoy mission in this game engine before the AI driving is fixed? If a problem can be avoided, it's easier to do so than to run headlong into it and try to fix it.

[Zipper5 74]

Its like putting in a H&K G11 or some other prototype project.

Uh... *cough*... Played Call of Duty: Black Ops at all? :p

[EricM 0]

@SM : The red target is last known or supposed position of the target based on what the leader AI knows (last seen, heard etc...), not a real position. So most often than not, the ennemy will have changed after a while.

The convoy mission was almost flawless for me. One of the car had some trouble turning at an intersection, but with time it pulled it off. Regarding the UAV, it should be available in the first portion of the mission right after the checkpoint when you leave the small village and enter the road.

Regarding the XM8 : You know you can change your gear in most missions right ? That's what the "gear" button is for in the mission briefing and then you have your SUV where you can stack up all kinds of stuff. I actually almost never fired the XM8... In any case I don't care. It's not sci-fi, it exists, it looks cool, it's a non existent problem, move along people.

Edited December 5, 2010 by EricM

[roberthammer 582]

Uh... *cough*... Played Call of Duty: Black Ops at all? :p

Yea - Hk G11 in 1968 - such lame :j:

[Zipper5 74]

What about the M16A1s with removable carrying handles?

Even semi-realism just isn't tacticool :cool: enough for their demographic I guess.

[h - 169]

The PMC campaign was OK up until the god damn mandatory f****** chopper mission.

[EricM 0]

I love chopper missions... and with a sexy beast like the ka60, it would be a shame no to have one...

[CarlGustaffa 4]

* Being nothing but a prototype, scrapped plastic.

* Not authentic, not used in the real world by mil or security forces.

* Toy looking weapon may atract the unwanted atention of children.

Plastic is good. It doesn't deteriorate, reflect, and it keeps the weight down. This is Armaverse - who knows what happens. Maybe the lobbyists that prevented its success was forced into other jobs :) Seriously, it's problem was it didn't meet the required weight, but it's still lighter than M4/M16.

True about usage, but other modern shape designs are used, such as the Steyr AUG or ACR. Nothing prevents you from using the G36 in a mission over the XM8, but I prefer having an additional family to choose from. Hk416/417? Sure, but they are basically no different in use than the SCAR-L/H we already have, or the M4 for the 416 - their only (game) difference is their looks. At least the XM8 have some unique features (no BDC but compensated by having zeroing capability).

What? You're ruling out a gun by its looks? I don't think that's a valid choice criteria. And I really don't get the kid argument. Well, I'm glad you're not in the committee choosing the weapon types of the future, if looks is your selection criteria :p

Because the XM8 is just not cool enough and in a Shooter game i want cool weapons !

Real Life is another thing. Most people think the G36 is not good looking but i would be my weapon of choice in RL. ;)

In a realistic shooter (vs action shooter), shouldn't real life criteria be the reasons of choosing one over the other? In any case, at least if being part of a military, you're not the one making that call - you get your rifle and you're stuck with it. That's how realistic missions work. You can of course bitch about it all you want (typically, "hey god damn it, I want a scope" - a piece of equipment I never saw while I served - not a single scope in our whole company :p). You get your gun, now go do the best you can with it.

I'm used to 7.62 battle rifles myself, but I'm not experienced enough to tell what I would want in a real world scenario. It might depend on the enemy I was facing (their armor level i.e.). At least in the game the 5.56 feels very inferior to the enemies 7.62 based weapons. I hate the FN-FAL in the hands of the enemy, lol. :D

XM8 is a scraped project and therefor totally unrealistic in a mil-sim game. Its like putting in a H&K G11 or some other prototype project. Hell, give them M41As...

What? It was canceled in 2005, and the XM8 content was probably already made. Why not include it? As for now, the model is already there, why not put it to use and have a complete family, rather than drop having any additional ones due to taking too much time to make something else from scratch?

I'm sure we'll see updated M4s/M16s too eventually as part of some DLC, which may be given to more suitable DLC units. I think giving PMCs the XM8 was a valid choice. As a military game, I don't think the PMCs are going to be the most widely used faction anyway, given their lack of equipment and peoples desire for hardware. And in home made PMC missions, you can give them whatever weaponry you see fit. I really don't see a problem here.

Regarding the XM8 : You know you can change your gear in most missions right ? That's what the "gear" button is for in the mission briefing and then you have your SUV where you can stack up all kinds of stuff. I actually almost never fired the XM8... In any case I don't care. It's not sci-fi, it exists, it looks cool, it's a non existent problem, move along people.

I fully agree on this.

Edited December 5, 2010 by CarlGustaffa

[Tonci87 163]

@EricM

Agree

[h - 169]

They should keep the chopper missions as single scenarios.

Especially when the mission is clearly there just because they added a new chopper..

I'm currently stuck in the chopper mission (like I was with OA campaign) because I simply can't fly, and I have absolutely no interest in learning it either so IMO these kinds of mission should not be there. Or the flying should be optional.

[Alwarren 2767]

XM8 is a scraped project and therefor totally unrealistic in a mil-sim game.

Well, Takistan isn't on Google Maps either ;)

[AussieSausage 10]

you can only make a game realistic to a certain extent, after that it wouldnt be a game, it would be just boring

Arma does this perfect, realistic but fun at the same time

[AnimalMother92 10]

I think the issue is less about being 100% realistic, as we can all agree that would be boring. It's more about suspending disbelief. So, playing a mission in Takistan is believable because it looks like places we see on the news; whereas, a US Army soldier with a Mk16 looks fishy. Just an example.

I think Arma does a good job for the most part with balancing "realism" and fun, but it wouldn't hurt to be more authentic with equipment.

[AussieSausage 10]

i would hate to be restricted to just a couple of weapons, because the RL soldiers use them

[NoRailgunner 0]

Who knows - maybe BIS missions and campaigns are "only" designed to drag more average/casual players into the Armaverse? Of course some of these missions are made to show new features and to show whats possible to make them more immersive. Could be great to have a bigger (winter?) map so people can experience a much better Combined Operation including air/arty support. It seems that mostly-only pvp players are happy to shoot'n'scoot in shoebox areas. :p:D

[Tonci87 163]

I have to say that I´m surprised how good the Gunner n the kasatka can aim with the grenade Launcher. So BIS, when can we see a AC-130 then?

[JSj 12]

They should keep the chopper missions as single scenarios. I'm currently stuck in the chopper mission (like I was with OA campaign) because I simply can't fly, and I have absolutely no interest in learning it either so IMO these kinds of mission should not be there. Or the flying should be optional.

Agreed. It takes quite a lot of time and effort to learn how to fly in Arma 2, and I'm sure there are lots of people who are not interrested in flying at all.

To get past that mission, press and hold "shift" on the left side of the keyboard, then press "minus" on the numpad in the top far right. Release the keys and then type "endmission". You will then end the mission succesfully and can move on the the next one.

Edited December 5, 2010 by Johan S

[Shadow NX 1]

Or you guys just take the 5mins that it needs to get used to the choppers in ArmA2.

Compared to ArmA1 or the Battlefield series the flight model in ArmA2 is working like a charm.

Only thing i disliked in the mission what the part with the BTR-40s... took me a few loaded savegames till i managed to hit anything with the unguided rockets.

[onlyrazor 11]

Uh... *cough*... Played Call of Duty: Black Ops at all? :p

Why waste money on a game bound to be replaced by another game next year... Which is bound to be replaced by another game the year after that? :confused:

[h - 169]

Or you guys just take the 5mins that it needs to get used to the choppers in ArmA2.

If trying to maneuver I crash every 10-30 seconds so do I start the count from 0 after every crash or do I qualify the 5mins after I have crashed 10-30 times? :rolleyes:

I could never learn to fly OFP choppers/planes either.

To get past that mission...

I do know that cheat..

[SPC.Spets 21]

Why waste money on a game bound to be replaced by another game next year... Which is bound to be replaced by another game the year after that? :confused:

Cod fans are hypnotized, buuuuy me, buuuuy meeee, its the same game with a different name, but buuuuy me anywaaaayyyyy :dd:

[nkenny 1057]

At least the XM8 have some unique features (no BDC but compensated by having zeroing capability).

Aside from the poor soundquality how are the XM8's updated in PMC DLC any meaningfully different than the FN Scar variants already in the game?

Authenticity? nope

Meaningful weapons handling difference? nope

Diverse new models/attachment combinations? nope

If modeling time was an issue. Development time would have been much better spent upgrading the M16 and M4 weapons family to OA standard. Perhaps adding a few new variants utilizing already modeled parts.

Once you get to the the point where "it being different" and looks matters more than authenticity bohemia would have been much better served by introducing the

(interesting caliber, smartgunsights, unique underbarrel launcher, popular)

-k

Edited December 5, 2010 by NkEnNy

[icebreakr 3156]

Uh... *cough*... Played Call of Duty: Black Ops at all? :p

Naah, been busy making stuff for A2 ;)