PLease forget content for a moment

[dontknowhow 33]

The reason why I'm starting this thread is very simple: the community can add content, but it can't fix bugs. So, if I have to choose between a working game with little content and a buggy game with a lot of content, I take the former. There isn't obviously a situation such that I can have a third choice, like waiting for both the game and the content.

That said, I would like to focus on the more important things, at least for me. I can understand that people are disappointed, but I think it would be worse if it was the other way around, with a lot of nice jets continuously crashing into the ground. I would definitely prefer a nice system to manage the addons, but I can live without it.

So, the conclusion is very simple: if you want to complain because you don't have your Sopwith Camel to fight the Red Barron, or because your boots are too green, there are loads of threads for you. Here I would like to ask comments about:

- artificial stupid... ehm... intelligence

- graphical glitches

- performance

- missing features (not content!)

- any other thing related to the logic and working of the game

Thanks

EDIT: and let's not forget crashes, freezes, and stability in general

Edited September 13, 2013 by dontknowhow

[eymerich 11]

About 1, I have to say that A.I. is greatly improved in Arma 3 and it's better then Arma 2. Unfortunatly, they tend to drive under alchool effect...

2 and 3: agreed. The code needs improvment. It's hard to say, but for me:

2 Units placed (more) on map = 1 less frame in general.

[horrorview 10]

The AI was much-improved (to me, at least) in the last couple of weeks of the beta, post data lock, so, come Monday, when the dev branch starts getting back a lot of the fixes that aren't in the release version, I think we'll see an improvement. It wasn't LIGHT YEARS better, but I found AI pathfinding was actually good compared to earlier builds! I also saw something about floating rocks and other glitches as well as tons of little fixes all being addressed in a mammoth (they said something about GIGABYTES) patch to dev that will eventually find its way to the stable build. As for performance, sadly, my performance NOW is better than what it was in the latter days of the dev branch (post 32bit fix), so I think some things will be broken before they're fixed again! :(

[roshnak 41]

Java. What happened?

[UltimateBawb 1]

The community can add content? You use that as a free pass for BI to release an unfinished game? How about no?

This game had one of the most bittersweet launches I've witnessed, so many empty promises.

[roshnak 41]

The point is that complaints about core features and engine issues are getting lost in complaints about there not being enough cars. More cars isn't going to fix everything.

[smokedog3para 365]

feature Vehicles can now be towed not sure if its in or just not working but can't find any info on it or how to achieve it, also shock waves I haven't noticed them yet or from what ordnance they are tied too.

feature There will be a drop down menu in the editor where you can customize your soldiers gear such as camo,headgear,eye wear, ballistic vest and backpack.

Problems\errors

3d scopes seem to be a problem it halves the frame rates when used and slows to a near freeze when right clicking also binos are the same

General optimization of the models it seems when you put a few down the game starts to slow down and fps drops and a lot of lods are not right when you walk to wards the models like the flat bed truck.

Turned out view textures are terrible not sure what has happened to them but they don't look right to the rest of the model from the out side view.

Loads of modules for the editor are missing or broke.

1 animal in the menu in the editor

Editor menus are messed up example tents and in there is sinks and sleeping bags they should be with objects and tents in military or objects, it seems very mixed up still.

Sounds missing in editor.

[pappi_man 0]

Inventory system in Multiplayer.

It's absolutely total random. Sometimes my friends can take items from a dead body or a crate without any problems, and sometimes they can't take anything.

[roshnak 41]

Oh, and vehicles, including tanks, still don't have enough torque to climb moderate inclines. I can't believe this has been a thing since OFP.

[ric 1]

The reason why I'm starting this thread is very simple: the community can add content, but it can't fix bugs. So, if I have to choose between a working game with little content and a buggy game with a lot of content, I take the former. There isn't obviously a situation such that I can have a third choice, like waiting for both the game and the content.

That said, I would like to focus on the more important things, at least for me. I can understand that people are disappointed, but I think it would be worse if it was the other way around, with a lot of nice jets continuously crashing into the ground. I would definitely prefer a nice system to manage the addons, but I can live without it.

So, the conclusion is very simple: if you want to complain because you don't have your Sopwith Camel to fight the Red Barron, or because your boots are too green, there are loads of threads for you. Here I would like to ask comments about:

- artificial stupid... ehm... intelligence

- graphical glitches

- performance

- missing features (not content!)

- any other thing related to the logic and working of the game

Thanks

EDIT: and let's not forget crashes, freezes, and stability in general

If BIS had done nothing but work on the core of the engine to make it fully and properly utilize multi core technology the sky would be the limit.

[Defunkt 431]

Yep, I'm pretty much done with this series until they actually get around to making the game significantly utilise more than one core and fix the ridiculous hit to rendering framerate caused by multiplayer. Both things were disappointing in 2009 and they're now flat-out unacceptable.

[motorizer 12]

It wouldn't necessarily be the same people adding content as fixing bugs anyway..

Do you really want the 3D modellers, texture artists and animators sitting on their hands waiting for the programmers to fix the bugs?

or are you asking for everyone to work on the same thing at once?

[dontknowhow 33]

Do you really want the 3D modellers, texture artists and animators sitting on their hands waiting for the programmers to fix the bugs?

Are you implying they do? Of course not. I don't see how that would help. The fact that I don't consider content prioritary compared to other issues doesn't mean I don't want any

or are you asking for everyone to work on the same thing at once?

I wouldn't call that just "one" thing, but no, I'm asking to give more attention to the quality of the code when managing resources. That means, as a start, to give a preferences to developers and testers, possibly good ones, when hiring people.

I'm also asking, unrelated to content, to pay more attention when choosing what features to implement. I don't care that butterflies have a shadow if the AI can't jump on a truck.

I have spent countless hours trying to solve very annoying (to say the least) bugs in arma 2; I'm not doing that again. I don't care how many jets the game has. And I'm perfectly fine with the content made by the community

Back on topic: I have been reading a few reviews, and they more or less express the opinions I have seen in this thread. They might be less patient with the AI though. So it seems that the game is not as polished as I was hoping. Maybe not really surprising, but a disappointment nonetheless

[mmaruda 20]

Personally I don't like the way BIS is going with A3. I trusted them to be one of the last PC and community oriented developers out there, but clearly someone got lost in all this. The graphics of A3 look amazing on the screenshots, but once in-game, it's still the same engine with it's flaws hitting you in the face with a blunt stick - the shaders and eye candy is there, but the performance problems and general feel stays the same. The new inventory system is a dated design on arrival - you want to know how it's done, go play Jagged Alliance 2 (released in '99 or something). And then there is the big feature of customizing gear, which you have to do by script hacks like the ammo box - not very new player friendly. Really that hard to add a loadout screen out of the box? Then there is a long list of axed features and each time you mention it on the forums a moderator comes and demands you provide a source confirming it was promised. Not really a nice approach to customers.

Now there is all the content thing and payware mods suggestion and I feel like Arma 3 was a project of great expectations that failed to some extent. We were hoping for a new game on par with some AAA releases and we got basically more of the same with some slight improvements. Not really more user-friendly in some aspects, not really always immersive in other.

People often suggest that BIS lost interest in Arma and moved to DayZ for better profit prospects, but personally I doubt it. Why? Because if they did, that would be the stupidest thing they could do. Arma 3 currently gets more publicity than DayZ and most people got bored with the zombie games a long time ago. It was popular because it was something new and it was free. Noone I know plays it anymore and they would most definitely not pay for it, even if it was more polished and hack-free. DayZ is yesterday's news and the current delay pretty much makes it DOA.

My guess is that Arma 3 was an overambitious project from the start and too much effort went into making the island itself - which is awesome, but to be honest the game could just as well use the Tarkistan map and I would not make much of it. It's not an exploration game and the map just results in someone going "hey, this is impressive" from time to time when in multiplayer, but does not really add much to the game-play.

The list of features that is required to make this game what we had hoped for is long and has been posted a million times here (fastroping, bipods, ability to shoot from vehicles, working stealth to name a few). All of this has been either ignored, or dismissed as impossible to implement.

Case in point, when I remember the initial presentations of the game on E3 and other shows, I feel like we have been promised golden mountains and people eagerly jumped on board when the per-orders started only to get just Arma 3 (you know, as in still the same Arma, but with a +1 to features and GFX). I still enjoy the game a lot and had some great experiences in multilayer, but to be honest, I could as well have those in Arma 2 as well. I know the game will keep being developed, but I fear the "golden mountains" will not arrive. We'll probably see some DLCs with new missions, some vehicles and weapons, a new map and that will be it. So basically content is pretty much all we can hope for, if BIS didn't even bother to add an official loadout selection menu to show off one of their most advertised features.