At what moment did you realize the magnitude of these games?

[chrisb 196]

I'm not into consoles that much, but Elite was the best port to a console I've seen in any case. I dabbled with that sometime in 2004-2005, and I was very impressed by how well it compared to the vanilla pc version..

Had the editor in there not been as simple as it was, I may never have bothered with the series. Just so simple, make a mission in no time and play, great, no worries about performance etc (couldn't overload it), just play your mission, I really enjoyed messing around in there.

Always more complicated gaming on pc, was hoping to move away from it, at that time. Still, best laid plans..:rolleyes:.led to me buying another pc, then arma..

[iceman77 18]

Had the editor in there not been as simple as it was, I may never have bothered with the series. Just so simple, make a mission in no time and play, great, no worries about performance etc (couldn't overload it), just play your mission, I really enjoyed messing around in there.

Always more complicated gaming on pc, was hoping to move away from it, at that time. Still, best laid plans..:rolleyes:.led to me buying another pc, then arma..

I vaguely remember the editor for elite. You were limited to a certain amount of points you could spend I think? Kind of like the "templates" for the pc version. Our MP pvp was terrible though, as in the maps were literally like, someone place some units & vehicles down for each side and like a waypoint for both sides to a specified area lol. No vehicle respawn, only player respawn. The most versatile scenario I saw, was east having shilkas and west having the cobra & apaches... Which ofcourse isn't fair at all haha.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Iceman77

[Azzur33 1]

For me the "Oh man, this is the greatest game ever!" realization came with OFP, the mission editor and FDF-mod I had just downloaded.

I took my time to make a first bigger mission with finnish guerrilla soldiers, finnish winter map (can't remember the name), and a russian convoy approaching at night.

Moving to positions, anticipation in the dark winter forest, looking for your comrades to place mines and run back, hearing the approaching BMPs, trucks full of enemy soldiers, and the feared tank, knowing it may end in a total disaster, or a succesful hit and retreat avoiding the russian MI-8s and patrols coming after us.

And then all hell breaks loose. The graphics weren't that great then, but the atmosphere was still amazing.

Although I loved the OFP campaign(s), the mission editor has always been The Thing, and the reason why these games live longer than others.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Azzur33

[ck-claw 1]

Soo many moments from the CWC campaign- only game to ever ,when i died- made me think ohhh what about if i try it this way??

From that i joined my 1st online gaming 'clan' 22SaS - 1st mod i was told to install????? ECP= WOW

[Gunter Severloh 4067]

For me it was the OFP demo, first mission I tried was steal the car, wasn't used to the freedom as i was used to a linear corridor., even my tactical skills weren't really

any good considering all i ever played was call of duty (1st one), medal of honor Allied Assault, return to castle wolfenstein, and other games.

    But I actually found the game to hard, left, came back a month later and tried it again.

 

My favorite mission that moved me, which I played over and over again, even recreated it in the editor was ambush, after killing some enemy

soldiers and picking up one of their guns, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, after that I had to get the game, but at the time the game

wasn't out, and tbh i actually forget when it released.

 

Once i got into the editor and learned how to put down units, and do a few things i was hooked, the editor is where I stayed!

The OFP campaign cold war crisis was the best, red hammer was great too!

[chrisb 196]

I vaguely remember the editor for elite. You were limited to a certain amount of points you could spend I think? Kind of like the "templates" for the pc version. Our MP pvp was terrible though, as in the maps were literally like, someone place some units & vehicles down for each side and like a waypoint for both sides to a specified area lol. No vehicle respawn, only player respawn. The most versatile scenario I saw, was east having shilkas and west having the cobra & apaches... Which ofcourse isn't fair at all haha.

70 units tops I think, aircraft/vehicles etc = 3, again I think, long time since its been on. Really only smaller skirmish stuff. Suited me coming from larger scale war gaming, was really nice, got me into the smaller combat scenarios, which I now love so much..

Never got the recognition it should have on the xbox, was a really well thought out game, editor was a revelation.

[Harbinger2456 10]

There's not that much "magnitude" here. Look at DCS. Altis would be nothing but a tiny island of a VAST continent in that game.

[RSF TheCapulet 59]

I didn't find the joys of OFP/Arma till Arma 2. So for me, it was Eagle Wing. Starting the beginning of the mission, I didn't think much of it. A pilot of a heli killing a few simple targets while I'm artificially limited as far as altitude goes? Just as I was about to admit an underwhelming defeat and quit, it took a surprising turn and gave me the best atmosphere from any game I'd played in a long time leading up to it. Walking around a desolate ash filled hostile territory, hearing various battles happen around me that quite frankly don't concern me and never will. And all the way up till pulling that match, it just got better.

I honestly struggled with patience with Arma 2, until I played EW. I had a different outlook on this series moving forward from that.

---------- Post added at 08:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 PM ----------

There's not that much "magnitude" here. Look at DCS. Altis would be nothing but a tiny island of a VAST continent in that game.

Cool. When was the last time you had fun playing infantry in DCS?

[Beagle 684]

The real "wow" moment was playing the OFP: Resistance campaign. Every campaign after it has to measure on it and so far only Red Harvest came close to it. And even today, 11 years later I tend to stockpile weapons and ammo in vehicles in every mission because you never know when you need it later on ;)

[froggyluv 2136]

There's not that much "magnitude" here. Look at DCS. Altis would be nothing but a tiny island of a VAST continent in that game.

You must be a real hit at all the parties....:rolleyes:

Dumbest post I've seen to date. You sure spend a lot of time in the forums of a game you just can't seem to like. Bummer dude.

[Harbinger2456 10]

Hey, got to get my $60 back somehow. :)

---------- Post added at 01:57 ---------- Previous post was at 01:55 ----------

Cool. When was the last time you had fun playing infantry in DCS?

Walking around watching the raging battle in DCS after you eject, is in some ways more fun than Arma at times. I and others are pushing for vehicles and real infantry, and with EDGE coming, we just might get our wish.

[mr burns 132]

First small (1/4 page, pre demo) OFP article with a picture of "Ambush" in german PC Games, text said you could pick up any weapon and no invisible walls - right then.

Sure was big news 12 years ago.

[BL1P 35]

While playing MFCTI in OFP and realising that I was currently Commander of lots of other players.

Who where themselves in command of anything from Infantry squads, Groups of tanks and aircraft providing support.

Knowing that the enemy had the same firepower.

And that this is all taking place online on the biggest open world map available in gaming.

With the game rounds taking anything upto 16 hrs to complete.

Before that I was playing Q2ctf.

And now I can do all that in style in Arma3 and smile to myself when I see kids post how they get better fps in other games :)

And arma3 has an even bigger map :)

[andersson 285]

After playing a few missions in OFP I opened up the editor and took a car ride around Everon.

Omg that feeling of "this is all mine to do whatever I like on".

[sektor 2]

Friend and i opened editor in OFP and started to mess around, and we were like, wow, you can put scud there and everything, and were amazed, and then we tried to shoot the tires on the car. And it went flat. We looked at each other not believing. It was the best stuff we saw in video games ever.

[D34 2]

I started with A1.. probably the first moment was the single mission "Convoy Ambush". The red pickup that you spawn next to - what, you can drive the car?? And there's supplies in the car? You can set up the ambush point where you want, deploy explosives the way you want. Then it's just about the waiting.. convoy arrives from an actual base some distance away and you can hear them approaching from far, building up the anticipation.

The next mission I tried was called "Blood, Sweat and Tears". You spawn in Ixel, ambush the truck and seize it. Agent uses it as a decoy while the friendly forces land.. that feeling of being a part of a larger operation. And of course the mission went on.. and on.. and on..

After playing the campaign I downloaded "The Sahrani Run" -mission/mini campaign. You are dropped into Sahrani to meet an agent not really knowing what your mission is. The agent tasks you with assassinating and OPFOR officer, who is known to be somewhere on that island crawling with hostiles that kinda are alerted to your presence. You have to first find out where he is at a specific time, get to that corner of the map in time and take him out. The whole area of Sahrani was used and it was EPIC. I wish a version for Altis would be made..

[call_911 10]

Hands down OFP Battlefields an Fall of Montiac! If u did Alpha A3 u all have it on steam go see for yourself if u nvr played it. keep in my models are 2001 but gameplay an concept/fear of death was yrs ahead of it's time=amasing, an ultimatly Gody OFP 2001.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Call_911

[Tonci87 163]

Hey, got to get my $60 back somehow. :)

---------- Post added at 01:57 ---------- Previous post was at 01:55 ----------

Walking around watching the raging battle in DCS after you eject, is in some ways more fun than Arma at times. I and others are pushing for vehicles and real infantry, and with EDGE coming, we just might get our wish.

Now I´ll give you the reason why DCS will never be able to directly compete with Arma:

Complete and utter lack of micro terrain.

There are simply no places to hide as inf or vehicle while some helicopter that is 7k away from you kills everything you see.

DCS is great at simulating Air-Air combat but it does have it´s problems with Air-Ground and it will always have them.

Now please stop posting this DCS will be better BS all over the forums. You can continue with it when ED finally manages to deliver solid trees for a start.

[iceman77 18]

There's not that much "magnitude" here. Look at DCS. Altis would be nothing but a tiny island of a VAST continent in that game.

Hey, got to get my $60 back somehow.

---------- Post added at 01:57 ---------- Previous post was at 01:55 ----------

Walking around watching the raging battle in DCS after you eject, is in some ways more fun than Arma at times. I and others are pushing for vehicles and real infantry, and with EDGE coming, we just might get our wish.

Harbinger, why don't you start your own thread about DCS? You can talk all you want about it in there. If there are interested people, they will come and join you on the topic. You're acting like a complete tool every minute to get your 60$ back? Yet you constantly complain as if you spent 6000$. If I sent you 60$ via paypal, would you stfu then? I don't think you would though, or I would literally fucking do it.

Why do you insist on coming to all available threads, avoiding the topic entirely, only to harp? Your complaints aren't welcome in this thread. This thread is about the first time you realized the magnitude of either; OFP, Arma1, Arma2 or Arma3. If you never realized the magnitude of these games, then gtfo of the thread. Your snide attitude & rhetoric has been nothing but a worthless plague. Go do it in your own thread or a "disappointment" thread. Not in here.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Iceman77

[whisper 0]

Cool. Which part of the demo though? I mean immediately as soon as you rendered the first mission? Or what? Never got the chance to play the demo =/. Only got the game a few months after it's release. And ofcourse jumped straight into the campaign! Then got my roomates involved, we had some great times with ofp. Couple of my roomys lived in ofp even when Arma2 came out. But, I've convinced them both to shell out the 60$ for Arma3 so we're all on the same page. :cool: Luckily I payed for mine in beta. Wanting to do some serious LAN stuff soon.

Exactly like Kju, it was during the demo times of OFP, with the single mission released.

There's this first feeling when you get onboard the truck, then the hell fight coming out of nowhere where you cannot really understand clearly what happens, then there are these ennemy tanks coming in after you cleared the town, then the chopper extraction....

In 2001, all this merged into 1 single mission was just jaw dropping.

2 weeks later, a few (now well-known) community people had kind of hacked the game files and begun peeking into the mission files and how they were structured, and began building their own missions (remember : still on the demo, full game was not yet released), and a special demo mission appeared, where you were dropped by a chopper on a hot LZ.

The Vietnam feeling there was so intense, I was trapped by the original demo mission, and this modded mission just made sure I was hooked for years, because there was something special right there, something no one else had done.

A community guy built a graphical mission editor (remember : STILL ON DEMO! :) ), and I just saw how the community was responding already.

I was very much into combat flight simulations by that time (mainly Falcon 4), and warned as much as I could everyone around me about the upcoming OFP which was potentially a revolution. "There's this game coming, guys, unbelievable, you can play as infantry in a huge world, and drive cars, trucks, tanks, pilot chopper and planes, and do anything you want! Imagine that! WE absolutely need to get it tested in MP, it must be amazing!"

Then OFP got out

The campaign, the freedom, the built-in mission editor....

The first hilarious multiplayer tests (MP on DirectPlay was quite broken :) )

Steps after steps, this built was has been for me the best game ever.

but really, demo mission + community demo mission are the 2 defining events for me.

Only 2 games have had this immediate "WOW, this game is going to be huge" impact on me, OFP demo mission, and my first Galaxy drop on Planetside in 2003.

[dmarkwick 261]

^^ Those were the days :) looking at recent threads regarding ArmA3 release, it seems the biggest complaint is that gameplay & entertainment is not handed directly TO people :)

[Robertqx 10]

For me it was in an ofp cwc campaign mission (

*Thanks Smurf), where I was all alone in the woods. I'd became separated from my squad and had to make it to the checkpoint all alone. After numerous attempts and getting killed, I scrapped by, crawling with severe wounds several hundered meters, only to find a tractor on the side of a barn to aid in my final escape! I'll never forget that moment of satisfaction and realizing the depth / freedom of the game. And I hadn't even realized the editor yet!

When I first really began to play the beta (new to Arma) and realized the scope and size of the islands, as well as the significant potential of the game, the level of complexity and amount to explore.

[Fulcrum90 10]

"This is Papa Bear to all units..."

[Sgt.Spoetnik 10]

Yep same here, came across a demo of OFP long time ago in a galaxy far,far away:p, there where some great games in those days that had editors,tools to make your own maps and missions, and then i came across something called OFP(demo), soon i started it up i went into the editor and got stuck in there(still there btw),then got the goty version a while later(and still do).

from there got A1-A2-A3, Its the only game that i have been playing for over a decade, and for a military fan or strategist its great fun.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Sgt.Spoetnik
typo

[nettrucker 142]

Watched my friend playing OFP CWC for 3 hours, after that I politely excused myself went to the next store and bought that game straight away. Played for a week straight . . . 2 hours of sleep per night. I just couldn't f--cking believe it. No corridors. no prefixed path I had to follow. I could practically move wherever I wanted . . . no invisible walls. I thought shit this is amazing, since then I was hooked.

I started to learn to play this game and man it was hard in the beginning. I got my butt handed over on a silver plate too many times until I realized. Hey why don't try to play that game as if it was the real thing and it worked out a lot better. The more challenge and the more I had to struggle, the more I liked it.

It was the main reason I felt in love with the OFP-Arma series I supported BI the best I could. I became I mindless fanboy . . . very embarrassing to admit now. Then ArmA 3 was on the horizon and with it came my rehab. I was a former mindless fanboy . . . now I'm only a customer. It's the first time since OFP CWC that I won't buy their new game.

The difference between a fan and a normal customer is mainly one thing.

The fan will to ignore flaws that are dating back still from OFP times. A regular customer doesn't have such ties. He wants a finished and working product for his money . . . a fan will overlook it and accept it with little to no ranting. That's what happened with every game iteration that was released. Customers ranting . . . the fanboys (myself included) defending.

Moreover I have to say that I'm not more willing to overlook these things they (BIS) are a business and managed to screw up most all releases in one way or another . . . that's how a customer sees it.

In any case I just want to say that it was the best gaming investment I ever made in my life. No other game was capable to keep me playing for over 10 years without getting me annoyed and yes BIS long term support is not matched by many other developers. I couldn't tell you one if you'd ask me.

But for being honest I don't want to wait anymore a year until the game catches up to his standard and the most annoying bugs and flaws will be ironed out. I lost faith and hope that the AI driving issues for e.g. will ever be fixed.

Most probably it's the magnitude of the game that brings all the flaws in, in the first place. :cool:

@ DMarkwick

^^ Those were the days looking at recent threads regarding ArmA3 release, it seems the biggest complaint is that gameplay & entertainment is not handed directly TO people

People buying games for gameplay & entertainment. If it's not handed to me when buying the game . . . then what's left? :rolleyes:

Edited October 3, 2013 by nettrucker