Do mods really help testing right now

[MrUnSavory 10]

OK, I know people will get pissed at me for this but wanted to throw in my 2 cents worth.

First let me preface this with the fact I have been in the computer industry for almost 30 years. throughout my career I have worn many hats in the industry. The 1 hat I always wore no matter where I worked was beta tester. So I feel my point is valid in being asked.

What good is it to have mods being put in a game when it is still in Alpha? You want us to test the game but when we can't find a server to get on because they are all modded kind of defeats the purpose. I don't see the point in contaminating the product with 3rd party mods. The purpose of testing it to learn the flaws in the basic software. If people are not playing what came with the Alpha and playing something else then the maps and other parts are not being tested. Testing is testing, it is not about just playing the game and having fun. If we want a good product to be produced on finalization then that's what should be concentrating on.

I would suggest locking down the software so that only vanilla ARMA 3 can be played for now. ( I can hear the people getting mad now). It seems that getting the core elements tested would be priority number 1.

I Know modding is part of the fun of the game. But when it is not even a complete game yet it makes it tough for those of us who want to be valid testers.

Like I said, just my 2 cents and I know some will be rude to this post which is expected. Some folks hate if you take away their zombie mods..........LOL

Ross G

[Dallas 9]

Some would say, modding is the game. :)

[jedra 11]

There are probably a fair few clans running without mods and most of the people who are used to hanging around in the Arma2 beta thread will be running without mods too (mostly).

But as Dallas said, I think that BI wanted to get the majority of the community on board from the beginning, and the vast majority of Arma players are playing with at least one mod. In fact there are probably just about as many modders who don't actually play the game as there are players!! I think if they had closed it down for modding then they would not have got so many people pre-purchasing and so there is a financial aspect to this also.

All in all your theory is sound and most projects would be locked to as tight a subset of code as possible for an Alpha, but we now live in the world of instant gratification ;-)

All I would say is that anyone posting to the issue tracker should be posting having run Arma 3 Alpha without mods.

[HitmanFF 6]

I would have to assume that the OP knows the V model, having been in de computer industry for almost 30 years. The V model basically says that you devise and run your tests against requirements. For ArmA 3 obviously you don't have any written requirements (except maybe the minimum systems specs to run the game and some high level requirements), but considering that the game series' life span has been extended considerably because of the moddability, I would say that this ability to use mods is one of the main requirements of ArmA 3. In that sense it's a good thing that the moddability is already tested in the alpha phase.

Also from a player/user's point of view, I would also like to see modders involved in the game as early as possible, so they know what's to be done to build good addons once the game is released :-)

[liquidpinky 11]

Yes, because if a 200 player server isn't testing infantry then what is?

[MrUnSavory 10]

All Valid points. Thank You Guys :) Now I just wish I could find a server to get on :)

[RuecanOnRails 10]

Arma series is heavily based upon community mods.

The one thing that mods can offer is the ability to stress the game in ways that may not have been anticipated by the devs. Allowing for a more in-depth look that the mod focuses.

I enjoy both vanilla and mod/custom mission file gameplay. I do find it hard to find a server due to the majority of servers being locked for people testing with just a few friends. Very few are open to the public and not many dedicated servers are up yet.

[MissionCreep 12]

YES. It does help. If a fully-compliant mod can break the game, then really, how can one expect the final version to be robust and stable?