Thinking about joining ARMA III. Is it that good?

[Yukmout 10]

Just as the title states. Is this game really as incredible as it looks ? I mean, i've played battlefield for quite sometime but it just looks like this game has something over it that I just cant put my finger on. Any ARMA III alpha players care to chime in with your opinions? Thanks in advance.

[Smurf 12]

A3 is the best game in the series that got me (and many others) hooked since 2001. It's not like any other shooter but it *can* be, just a matter of modding\scripting. It's not as hard as people think it is to get into, join a group of nice ppl and you will be fine.

Also, look here: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?154627-Err-What-is-Arma-3-Dumb-Question-Alert

[WalkerDown 1]

Wait for the beta (at least), at the moment the game is in alpha: it is not optimized (very bad performance), and it has very little contents (after a week you may get bored...). Whenever BF is a totally different game, it is "finished" and so is tons more fun (if you like that genre) than ArmA3.. for obvious reasons.

[chortles 263]

You expect an unbiased opinion on the devs' forums? :lol:

But as someone who bought Arma 3, I've enjoyed it so far. I don't know if your experience with Battlefield goes any further back than BF3, but I'm guessing that you prefer Battlefield 3 over COD, and that what puts it over the top for you is both getting to use vehicles that aren't killstreaks and the larger scale of BF compared to COD (we'll leave the Close Quarters DLC aside) in multiplayer... since, frankly, BF3's single-player and co-op weren't that different from COD (I'm not talking Zombies here).

For me what puts Arma over the top is the Editor and the sheer customizability/moddability of Arma -- by default there aren't set match types, level designs, or even classes/loadouts, no level progression, no rank unlocks, no XP grind... I don't care how many people disagree with me here :lol: but think of Arma as an open-world sandbox game with a by-default "psuedo-futuristic military FPS" theme, instead of "Grand Theft Auto style" as it's stereotypically associated with. You'll tend to see the theme be modern-military (there were a lot of purported fans who hate any "future warfare" theme :rolleyes: ) but in general there's a more hardcore feel to the gameplay here than non-hardcore BF3 -- and certainly moreso than COD, since Arma 3 isn't designed around "game balance". :p While you can, as said by Smurf, have a match just "like any other shooter", you can do a heckuva lot more with Arma through the Editor and modding than you can with COD or BF3, since single-player or co-op "missions" and multiplayer "matches" are all made through the Editor, using a variety of scripts or modules to set up features like respawn systems (if applicable), win conditions, the waypoints/objectives, special events for that "mission"/"match" and so on.

Don't know if you've ever heard of DayZ?

As far as what I meant by modding -- in addition to the aforementioned Editor, people can also create custom weapons, vehicles, "units" (basically soldier appearances), and equipment and import them into their copies of the game for use in the Editor or for playing missions that use/require them... and unlike COD map packs or BF expansion packs, these mods ("addons") are free. :D

As a result of the greater possibilities within Arma, sometimes "only in Arma" moments like this can happen (watch it in HD):

For context as to what's happening in that video, that's a massive multiplayer online (MMO) co-op mission, and the air support are players. :D

A3 is the best game in the series that got me (and many others) hooked since 2001. It's not like any other shooter but it *can* be, just a matter of modding\scripting. It's not as hard as people think it is to get into, join a group of nice ppl and you will be fine.

Also, look here: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?154627-Err-What-is-Arma-3-Dumb-Question-Alert

This too, just try to ignore antoineflemming's hostility. :(

I'll say this though re: what WalkerDown said -- the beta is coming soon, but you get a discount if you buy during alpha (now) instead of beta (weeks away) and you still get patched up to the same level as people who wait to buy during beta. Considering that the prices for Arma 3 are $33 now, $45 in a few weeks (not sure exactly when the price change happens) and $60 in the fall... ;)

Edited May 15, 2013 by Chortles

[chrisb 196]

Let me throw the question back, if you don’t mind..:)

What do you want it to be ?

[Yukmout 10]

Honestly, I want this game to be a great online game but also more tactical than BF3. In BF3 they are still nearing towards a COD style of play but I want it a little more fast paced than operation flashpoint. Now, I wont do any modding because I wouldnt even know where to begin but I have played paintball for a huge part of my life and just recently switching over to Airsoft with realistic gun and my camo matching that of a Seal. I need something real! Also I do have a really good computer with a geforce 690 in it. ( not the elite version .... yet ) So i think even with the optimizing issues i've read about I should be able to play flawlessly.

[bad benson 1733]

Wait for the beta (at least), at the moment the game is in alpha

don't listen to him. he's kind of a drama queen.

even if you'll have problems with the game due to it not being finished you can always take a break from playing it until beta or full release. if you wait until the beta with buying it you will have to pay more. buy it now, and you buy the full game for 25 euros or the dollars equivalent and have access to alpha, beta AND the full game. simple.

as for the game itself. watch some arma 3 AND arma 2 gameplay videos on youtube and decide yourself. what you will see is that the gameplay has a huge spectrum and that it's hard to boil it down like in other games. the game comes with a pretty powerful mission editor which does not only mean that you can easily make any kind of mission for you and your friends but also that lots of the popular game modes (what you would call them in other games) are made by players. so there's a lot of variety.

and like in any other more tactical game it's important who you play with. there are public servers and they can be fun but arma really shines when you play it with friends coordinating your movement and stuff. or just put together a simple mission in the editor for you and them to jump some ramps with random vehicles;)

[EDcase 87]

...I want this game to be a great online game but also more tactical than BF3...

GET IT!!!

Just remember ITS ALPHA so it won't be everything you want YET.

There are lots of little bugs and things are unpolished (sounds, animations, etc)

BUT its still the best military style game EVER...

Can you tell I'm a fan? ;)

BTW: Real military around the world use an expensive version of ARMA called VBS2 (Virtual Battle Space)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VBS2

[cifordayzserver 119]

I only bought Arma 2 for DayZ, I had played OFP WAY WAY back in the day, but wasn't a HUGE addict... After spending months buried in DayZ I finally started digging deeper, and realized the game it was based on was the most amazing platform ever... I started working with some really talented people on bringing DayZ gameplay to the Arma I Map Sahrani.

The community is SO amazing, the people are SO dedicated, talented, and amazing, even in Alpha mods and addons are flowing out of peoples homes at an awe inspiring rate.

I say get in early and learn as much as you can NOW, no need to wait, there is so much to do and learn you could literally not pull your head up for years and barely notice the time has gone by.

Arma 3 is such an amazing evolution of the game, the performance, the graphics, the realism, the community, and their open nature is just amazing. I haven't been drawn to any console games, or even PC titles for YEARS, due to their limited replayability, linear gameplay, short sighted multiplayer, and lack of true communities.

The funniest thing is if you had told me a year ago that I'd be playing a game where my favorite part of it was the people I played with and that I would be talking to them on a regular basis ONLY because of this game I would have smacked you in your face and called you stupid...

Arma 3, you had me at "This is War" lol

[Yukmout 10]

I've taken part in many of alpha / beta games. I have absolutely no problem with minor / major bugs and I love reporting them and actually having someone post on it saying its being looked into. I will be buying the supporter edition for sure . Hopefully i can just buy it on steam rather than buying it through the site. I only see digital deluxe edition through steam which kinda sucks to be honest.

I wonder if the Virtual Battle Space players complain about lag deaths. Lol!

Edited May 16, 2013 by Yukmout

[chrisb 196]

Honestly, I want this game to be a great online game but also more tactical than BF3. In BF3 they are still nearing towards a COD style of play but I want it a little more fast paced than operation flashpoint. Now, I wont do any modding because I wouldnt even know where to begin but I have played paintball for a huge part of my life and just recently switching over to Airsoft with realistic gun and my camo matching that of a Seal. I need something real! Also I do have a really good computer with a geforce 690 in it. ( not the elite version .... yet ) So i think even with the optimizing issues i've read about I should be able to play flawlessly.

Well its the few things you mention and much, much more, you won't be disappointed. When you buy it (I know you will;)), try out the Editor, in there everything concerning war/conflicts is possible to recreate almost completely accurately, better than any other game in the genre, well really its in a genre of its own, there is no other like it...

You know the price, you have the pc, so why have you not bought it already...:p:)

A note would be, many other players have had problems with performance, so its not guaranteed. But if your confident you can run it, then great..

[Yukmout 10]

Okay so I bought the supporters edition, WOOT! Now I only see 3 gift alpha's but not my own copy? Did i read something wrong? Also i'm assuming that when the beta comes out it will just show up in my library. Right?

Don't fear I was just being nubby and didnt actually try to install with steam. I just started looking through all the goodies I got. We'll hopefully i'll be online soon! Thanks again.

[EDcase 87]

I can't find much PvP footage which isn't in lame 3rd person.

..and some in more open forest...

[Yukmout 10]

Alright I watched about 5-10 minutes of that video. The second he leaned out I already know I made a good purchase. The lean sells games!

[chortles 263]

or just put together a simple mission in the editor for you and them to jump some ramps with random vehicles;)

Why settle for ramps? :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHzPBBa1Y0o&hd=1

TO THE OP:

Okay so I bought the supporters edition, WOOT! Now I only see 3 gift alpha's but not my own copy? Did i read something wrong? Also i'm assuming that when the beta comes out it will just show up in my library. Right?

Your "gift alphas" are in your Steam Inventory, while your copy of Arma 3 is in your own Steam Library; send the "gift alphas" (by e-mail or to Steam friends' accounts) to whoever might be interested in trying out the Arma 3 Alpha Lite, which is basically a single-player demo since there's no MP or mod support and its Editor can't save or load missions. Send them soon, as Lite will be discontinued when the beta arrives.

For alpha buyers who installed beforehand, the beta will come in the form of a large-file-size Arma 3 patch/update; you do not need to reinstall or install a different game because the beta will use the same application on Steam as the alpha. :) Just note that when the beta arrives, they're going to change the user profile paths (???) "to provide one more proper default detection of options (reset)", but you can copy (with some renaming) existing profile files, and they won't do this when moving from beta to full release.

Also, be aware that when we or devs talk about default/stable branch/build vs. development branch/build, you have the choice to run the normal game (default/stable) or to download/run the dev build -- TL;DR: think MMO games' public test servers; the dev build is newer, gets patched faster and gets first look at some features/content/tweaks so that you can provide feedback/bug reporting before the default branch gets patched, but no prior internal QA is guaranteed, and there's no cross-branch/build MP compatibility, so you're not going to find that many servers for regular MP (as opposed to "oh hey let's experiment and look for bugs" MP :p) compared to the default/stable branch.

[WalkerDown 1]

don't listen to him. he's kind of a drama queen.

Yes, don't listen to me.. neither to this other smart guy, but listen to the numbers:

at the moment i'm typing there's 506 users playing on online servers, and 59 of them are using a pirated version, so we have only 450 users of the hundred thousands that have bought the game. You then should ask yourself: why in the hell there's only few ppl playing this game right after the launch? Are they all hiding? Are they all playing offline (an unexistent campaign)? Or are they get bored already of playing something with bad performance and very little contents (again: since it's alpha)?

Now you can listen to the numbers.. or the fanboys.. your choice. ;)

This doesn't mean it is a bad game, it will be a great game for sure.. it's today that will end to be boring after a little while (until they adds more things).

[ProfTournesol 956]

Because the game isn't launched.

[ozzbik 71]

I only host a multiplayer server once a week (playing with colleagues on stable build). As there's no dedicated server at the moment for the stable build, I guess a lot of people aren't currently hosting 24/7 (Servers are usually 'clan-run' so mostly by invite but sometimes open as well).

The rest of the week I play singleplayer only (development branch) trying out all kinds of different stuff in the editor.

But looking at every dev version that comes out, it's getting better (besides the occasional bug), i'm a happy man.

[dm 9]

at the moment i'm typing there's 506 users playing on online servers

Your numbers always seem low, its 954 for me at the moment.

Which, considering its lunchtime in Europe, stupidly early in the morning in the US and australia's gaming population is tiny, is not all that bad.

and 59 of them are using a pirated version

I'd love to know how you know this.

[papanowel 120]

I'd love to know how you know this.

Crystal ball I guess.

[Forty40 10]

Your numbers always seem low, its 954 for me at the moment.

Which, considering its lunchtime in Europe, stupidly early in the morning in the US and australia's gaming population is tiny, is not all that bad.

I'd love to know how you know this.

The pirates are using an outdated client version, you can easily count them.

[Instynct 1]

The pirates are using an outdated client version, you can easily count them.

Probably why the latest version has very few players.

[purepassion 22]

I am enjoying the shit out of the Alpha and I very rarely touch the multiplayer...

Arma 3's quality cannot be determined by the amount of people on online servers at a random time.

[bad benson 1733]

Yes, don't listen to me.. neither to this other smart guy, but listen to the numbers

i was just keeping him from taking your horrible financial advise. "bla bla wait till beta". yea tell him to get the game but wait until it's more expensive. *sigh*

get off your period already, you are starting to get real annoying. you have posted the same stuff in many threads now, we all know what you think. everyone here is aware of each single issue you bring up as if there was some kind of conspiracy or scandal going on that needs a loud counter movement. don't you ever get tired of yourself?

get a life and stop being such an insufferable person.

[call_911 10]

Huge improvement over previous versions in the series. It's still Alpha phase so still needs time to come into it's own. Have bought every game since OFP an have yet to be be seriously disappointed. Theres been ups an theres been downs, but thats nvr stopped me from enjoying an expierencing a lvl of realism an teamplay nvr b4 experienced in a game. So to answer your question..yes it's worth it an we've not even seen the full potentiol yet. Keep in mind it's a bit demanding on systems just depends on what build u have, but even that phase of the game is still ongoing.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Call_911