Regarding complaints about realism in ARMA III

[Keine 10]

A lot of people have been throwing around complaints about the setting Arma 3 has taken, set in the near future, in a battleground we’re not familiar with. Bohemia’s choice to take this route with their new game has caused a large split in those in the community who want realism to be the focus in the Arma series. However, this attitude is extremely premature to stand behind from just a few screenshots of the game, and some of the demands and complaints that stand out are a bit selfish, and some completely illogical.

The first and foremost complaint with the screenshots is that Arma 3 appears “unrealisticâ€. The screenshots present it with a mixture of weapons and vehicles not standard to any army. This leads some people to think that the game as a whole will throw realism out the window, and it’ll use the future as an excuse to do this. This is a hasty, reactionary response that doesn’t consider Bohemia’s past in making the OFP and Arma series. First, look at the weapons and vehicles showcased in the screenshots. You can see an F2000, an M14, and maybe a TAR-21. The vehicles shown are a Merkava tank, a Comanche, and the Havoc/Hokum hybrid. With the exception of the nameless Kami-2580, all these are real, existing technology. They are not made up for the sake of being futuristic. They are REAL. While the premise of these machines existing together at one point in time is a creative liberty taken by Bohemia, people forget that this is something they have done MANY TIMES over the course of their games’ history.

OFP pitted US forces against a renegade Soviet force, on fictional islands in a scenario that never existed. There were no cries about realism in the plot there. Arma had a similarly fictional setup, with a communist, Caribbean island state that also had access to Ka-50s, a helicopter used only by Russia, and even then sparingly. No complaints of unrealistic circumstances and technology then. Arma 2 was set in the near future, when the USMC had the F-35 standard, fighting Russians in a fictional, Eastern European country. Operation Arrowhead advanced the timeline slightly further in the future, in a time where the US Army uses the SCAR as its main service weapon. Do you see the pattern?

Bohemia has always favored making its own storyline and setting over reusing cliché, familiar battlegrounds. Yet despite this, their games still maintain that effort to preserve the simulation aspect of the game, and its success in doing so is the same reason so much of its consumer base is this insistent on maintaining realism.

Let’s be blunt, here. Bohemia has been doing this same, successful formula for years, and they do it well. If this wasn’t true, few of us would be here arguing over the next title in the series. It is ridiculous to pass judgment on the game when the only evidence available has been a few screenshots. Just because the setting is not a desert does not mean this will change; it means that Bohemia is doing what they want with the title, and will put their best effort into making something they enjoy. And that’s more than can be said for a lot of games being pumped out these days.

Wait and see how it is, and support Bohemia's choice to experiment. Remember, there's always mods if you aren't completely satisfied.

[enad 11]

+1. I wish people would stop with the unrealistic comments, it's 10 + years in the future so no one here knows what the US Military will be using at that point.

[Stagler 39]

Not only is the Merkava there. There is a IDF Namer behind it also :)

Just putting that story into context with current events it is not that incredible. Middle eastern political uprisings similar to those that are taking place today form a single Middle eastern state. That state with its combined militaries and resources decides to invade north west into europe?

Not so incredible is it?

[Mr Butlertron 10]

After playing what feels like the same campaign year in and year out I don't really care if they change it up. Just wish they'd get rid of that snore-inducing special forces focus.

[Steakslim 1]

Remember the shit throwing flamewars before Arma2's release over the XM8 and the F-35 that would spark up, well mainly the XM8. Well get ready to see that again till mid 2012.

[Heatseeker 0]

And the reason to open yet another thread on the very same subject is?

[Steakslim 1]

Get it out of our systems before the Mod's show up with their pruning scissors.

[nodunit 397]

The portrayal of realism should not be considered the equipment but how the equipment is used and it's functionality, if they keep that then hey it's realistic for me.

[demonized 20]

I have no concerns about what BIS have choosen to do with its coming arma3, i am convinced that they will deliver a even more enjoyable product than arma2 for all of their loyal customers, no doubt about it.

[SPC.Spets 21]

I dont care is arma3 is in the space, I want the game, same gameplay but better graphics, animations, FX, sound, models, etc, etc and optimization offcourse. And anyway, it will be as always 100% moddeable. love that BIS

[nodunit 397]

Eh, graphics can take a back seat to asthetics, and better graphics isn't always the best road, harder graphics=less optimization.

[Nutlink 10]

As long as there are AK variants and some sort of M16/M4 variants, I don't care too much if they add in any oddball weapons. Look how little the XM-8s were used, and even after having them featured again in PMC they're still hardly ever seen in anything other than stock PMC missions. Hell, even if the M16 is of the M16A5 and the M4 gets replaced by the HK416 or something like that I wouldn't mind too much. As long as I don't have to use the F2000 for my West weaponry.

[Binkowski 26]

lol rah-66 commanche only two were ever made. i wonder if the big bad leader is a man with a gravely voice, with a big full accent. he probably has an eye patch and wears a nice suit. this means he is leader of bad guy. he most likely holds a nuclear missile bomb and will never give the nuclear missile bomb to the good guys. but, the main character will say "give the nuclear missile bomb to us leader enemy boss, and then put your hands up". he will reply with "okay", followed by "usa is dominate". this will be the end of the arma3 story.

[Steakslim 1]

lol, a total bond villain.

I think a volcano hideout is in order for the new island.

[Stagler 39]

Nah. I think Scott Miller will be voiced by that same guy who does Cooper/Gambler/Reynolds

[nodunit 397]

lol rah-66 commanche only two were ever made. i wonder if the big bad leader is a man with a gravely voice, with a big full accent. he probably has an eye patch and wears a nice suit. this means he is leader of bad guy. he most likely holds a nuclear missile bomb and will never give the nuclear missile bomb to the good guys. but, the main character will say "give the nuclear missile bomb to us leader enemy boss, and then put your hands up". he will reply with "okay", followed by "usa is dominate". this will be the end of the arma3 story.

I'd actually so buy a game that had a sense of humor for itself like that if it were extended into a full game.

[skadog 0]

I haven't seen any screen shots of invisibility cloaks or shoulder mounted rocket launchers..

[wallace71 10]

in the end, YOU WILL BUY IT ANYWAY BECAUSE THE NAME ARMA IS IN THE TITLE. And you'll never mention "realism" to arma, seeing as it is actually a realistic shooter to begin with. and nobody knows what the future holds, so why not embrace the creative sides of things? @SpetS15, couldn't have said it better myself.

---------- Post added at 03:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:58 AM ----------

lol rah-66 commanche only two were ever made. i wonder if the big bad leader is a man with a gravely voice, with a big full accent. he probably has an eye patch and wears a nice suit. this means he is leader of bad guy. he most likely holds a nuclear missile bomb and will never give the nuclear missile bomb to the good guys. but, the main character will say "give the nuclear missile bomb to us leader enemy boss, and then put your hands up". he will reply with "okay", followed by "usa is dominate". this will be the end of the arma3 story.

that sir, deserves +1 internets. and that's actually Modern Warfare 3's story

[Daniel 0]

I haven't seen any screen shots of invisibility cloaks or shoulder mounted rocket launchers..

There's a very good reason why you couldn't see them.

[Undeceived 392]

[...]

Thanks for your post, Keine.

I really hope that the whining will stop soon!

Nah. I think Scott Miller will be voiced by that same guy who does Cooper/Gambler/Reynolds

:D I hope not! :) I liked his voice in Arma 2 but I'll always remember the A2 (and A1: Queen's Gambit) characters when I hear it.

We need a new voice for the new face!

[Tonmeister 14]

i'm offended by this thread

[dfear 10]

I agree with Keine. All weapons and vehicles screened are real after all. Im sure there will be other models too, not only a commanche and a markeva.. Community and modders will provide addons as always, and we are going to have the same freedom that we have now in A2.

Regarding of Physx, I'm sure that A3 will take a great advantage by using this technology. Dont think just at ragdolls, Physx will affect also axplosion as destructable objects in a way that many of us have already seen in other titles.

I'm confident about BI upcoming code, do the same.

[KEVINMGXP 20]

I'm in favour of the op i would not be able to put it in better writing then he did. +1

Disliking the future settings we even don't know for a fact how the settings are going to be. Anyway its the game play as long BIS keeps the core game play then we will be fine ;)

kind regards

[instagoat 133]

Wait and see how it is, and support Bohemia's choice to experiment. Remember, there's always mods if you aren't completely satisfied.

Well said. I wouldn´t mind the storyline being a bit outlandish. Main part for me is that it´s fun, and that the core gameplay remains realistic. Being able to use real world tactics and having to think and plan before acting is what makes the Arma series for me, no matter the equipment used by the characters. In the end, all guns shoot, their looks are just eyecandy... unless, of course, they introduce a complex ballistic system individually modelling each weapon, which is unlikely to happen.

I´d just hope that the rivet counters would stop complaining so much, either drop it or at least leave it be until you played the game. I won´t pass judgement on it until I have, and before that, I´m going to give BI the benefit of the doubt and defend them against any superficial, childish complaints.

Cheers

Insta

[Archosaurusrev 12]

i'm offended by this thread

I'm from 2025 and I'm soooooo offended.