What do you think of ArmA3's futuristic setting?

[Sandy* 10]

Yea this is why I think a Cold war setting would be the best for Arma from a purely TVT pvp standpoint.

Lots of variety of weapons but little to no thermals and everything requires experience with the particular tool.

I'd love it if Bohemia took some inspiration from Eugen's Wargame series, it's pure military porn for me. So many European weapons and vehicles rarely (or never) seen in videogames, while the whole "AirLand Battle" concept would be a nice backdrop to promote combined arms.

I know I do. Arma3 has its flaws, but I would never buy it if it were another "AK/M16/Abrams"-fest.

Thanks for taking the last line of my post entirely out of context.

[Corvinus 35]

You're welcome. If anything, Arma3 is not as futuristic as it should be, gameplay-wise. I would expect every soldier to have a combined NV + thermal goggles and "smart" scopes, showing the point of bullet's impact on a target. That's for 2020's. And I don't have any idea how warfare of the year 2035 would look like. So the game takes rather timid approach to handling future warfare simulation.

[haleks 8212]

And I don't have any idea how warfare of the year 2035 would look like.

I'm pretty sure you would see robots being deployed in 2035 - but, hey not in Arma. ;)

[Nicholas 5]

honestly.....thats my take. 'just copy and paste, pretty it up and push it out so we can get some cashflow coming in....don't worry, the community will fix it' :) On the other hand though, we got early access to ARMA 3, Stratis, Altis, plus new stuff over the period its been released. If I had to go back....I'd still buy it...whinge, but still buy it. I guess its the old 'bird in the hand' cliche.

Although I'll admit that there is a quite a bit of copy and paste, this is also the most new content we've ever seen since Operation Flashpoint, I appreciate that. In ArmA 2 and ArmA 1, most of the assets were just recycled (Copy/Paste) from previous games.

[Sandy* 10]

And I don't have any idea how warfare of the year 2035 would look like. So the game takes rather timid approach to handling future warfare simulation.

In this regard, the game's approach to future is completely upside-down in my opinion. As advanced optics become more prominent in the future, it doesn't mean you have to replace all materiel since you can just upgrade the old ones' optics as a budget-friendly solution. Rifles for example have seen little development during the past decades. Even now, my country is refurbishing and upgrading the APCs and IFVs it acquired in the 80's, to run up till the 2030s. Our standard issue assault rifle is a 60's design with no solid plans made public to replace it even as the current ones are starting to wear off.

Everything is too fresh in Arma 3, especially for the poor little island nation's armed forces. Bohemia, instead of just making futuristic variants of what are fresh standard issue gear/vehicles today, picked many weird and random things like prototypes that never made it into production, or gear that is mainly used by special forces today. It would not be a problem if these weapons or vehicles were accompanied by upgraded variants of what is common and mass produced in the countries the factions vaguely represent (to add some familiarity and realism), but they aren't. What happened to all the American and British weapons (or anything NATO, really)? Why create this whole fictional MX rifle? It's like the militaries in question recently replaced their entire catalogue of materiel. This is why I called A3 "theme-driven" earlier, as the choices in assets are very one-dimensional (to make the game look fresh and exotic compared to A2) instead displaying any realistic hints to a history of military acquisitions.

Although I'll admit that there is a quite a bit of copy and paste, this is also the most new content we've ever seen since Operation Flashpoint, I appreciate that. In ArmA 2 and ArmA 1, most of the assets were just recycled (Copy/Paste) from previous games.

If we go down this road, you'll find that a surprisingly large number of assets in A3 have been refurbished from A2, especially from the OA DLCs.

Edited February 3, 2015 by SandyBandy

[Nicholas 5]

If we go down this road, you'll find that a surprisingly large number of assets in A3 have been refurbished from A2, especially from the OA DLCs.

I didn't say that they made all new assets, did I? No. I said that this is the most new content we've ever seen in the series.

[Sandy* 10]

I didn't say that they made all new assets, did I? No. I said that this is the most new content we've ever seen in the series.

Well I guess you're right.

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

To be honest what I don't like is how everyone thinks it's a futuristic setting. I mean I can understand a lot of features were cut, including aliens, and considering they were calling it futuristic before 2012, it's now 2015, and Modern. There's not a single futuristic thing in the game, it's all modern because well, everything can be done right now, and most of it is. Give it a few years and Russia will stick another main rotor on top of the Havoc, and some Cargo space, but the name rights from BIS, and call it the Kajiman.

On another note, BIS mentioned Static weapons long time ago. You know what's future ish that I want to see? Metal Storm. If anyone knows what meta storm is, you'd agree that's a sick idea for static weaponry.

[Sandy* 10]

The game is set in a futuristic geopolitical climate though :p

[Corvinus 35]

... Bohemia, instead of just making futuristic variants of what are fresh standard issue gear/vehicles today, picked many weird and random things like prototypes that never made it into production, or gear that is mainly used by special forces today. It would not be a problem if these weapons or vehicles were accompanied by upgraded variants of what is common and mass produced in the countries the factions vaguely represent (to add some familiarity and realism), but they aren't. What happened to all the American and British weapons (or anything NATO, really)? Why create this whole fictional MX rifle? It's like the militaries in question recently replaced their entire catalogue of materiel. This is why I called A3 "theme-driven" earlier, as the choices in assets are very one-dimensional (to make the game look fresh and exotic compared to A2) instead displaying any realistic hints to a history of military acquisitions.

I think that it was their original intention - to further expand on the "alternative reality" theme of the previous games, fully replacing known assets by "what-if" speculations. As in "what if RAH-66 never got canceled and with time replaced AH-64 as a standard US Army attack helicopter?" It is a questionable approach indeed, since the Arma3 vision of the future looks rather like "shifted" modern times. The only other game following the same approach I can think of is MGS: Phantom Pain, only instead of using prototypes they went even further and their every weapon and vehicle is an amalgam of existing designs, much like Mi-48. Also Resident Evil 6, to an extent. And, IMO, they handle "not quite our universe" motif more gracefully than BI. Just to think of it, Arma3 is outdone by Japanese arcade games about zombies, giant robots and big-titted schoolgirls. Shame.

If it was more about "realistic futurism", we would have Future Combat Systems vehicles instead of Slammers and Scorchers, new Sikorsky designs instead of Blackfoots and Ghost Hawks and so on. Instead we can divide the existing vanilla assets on three categories - the "that's quite believable and suits the setting well" category, like Katiba and MX rifles, HEMTT, Tempest or CSAT helmets, the "they didn't put enough thought in it" category, like the dreadful Mi-48 or Wipeout, with the rest falling into "that's ok, since we won't have anything better anyway".

In the end, all of this boils down to personal opinions - some people like futurism, some prefer modern setting, some are OK with alternative reality setting, some want complete authenticity. My point is - Arma, as a game series, never provided that 100% authenticity. IIRC even OFP was full of anachronisms.

[froggyluv 2136]

Only thing dont like are the names Slammer and Scorcher - sounds less dignified than Abrams etc..

[Sandy* 10]

The only other game following the same approach I can think of is MGS: Phantom Pain, only instead of using prototypes they went even further and their every weapon and vehicle is an amalgam of existing designs, much like Mi-48.

Not only is The Phantom Pain set in the past, the entire Metal Gear saga is alternative reality from at least as far as WW2. Huge mechas with nuclear launch capability had been designed by the 60s, some people have supernatural/magic abilities, some were cloned, the most advanced and flexible piece of stealth technology is a cardboard box, a radar system can sense people by "detecting electromagnetic waves resulting from biological reactions", nanomachines, artificial intelligence, ninjas with high-frequency blades, telepathy & telekinesis, the Illuminati and a million other things.

It's so filled with science fiction, fantasy and general silliness that I don't know where you draw the parrallels with Arma 3. Or am I unaware that Metal Gears are amalgams of existing real world designs?

[Corvinus 35]

It's so filled with science fiction, fantasy and general silliness that I don't know where you draw the parrallels with Arma 3. Or am I unaware that Metal Gears are amalgams of existing real world designs?

Mi-48 - Mi-28 + Mi-24 + Ka-50 + generic V-tail.

MGS: PP attack helicopter - Mi-28 + Mi-24.

CH-49 Mohawk - AW101 Merlin with different engine block, cabin windows and horizontal stabilisers.

MGS: PP transport helicopter - UH60 with retractable landing gear, engine block and interior.

MX - fictional rifle inspired by Bushmaster ACR.

MRS-4 - fictional rifle inspired by FN FAL.

[Sandy* 10]

Mi-48 - Mi-28 + Mi-24 + Ka-50 + generic V-tail.

MGS: PP attack helicopter - Mi-28 + Mi-24.

CH-49 Mohawk - AW101 Merlin with different engine block, cabin windows and horizontal stabilisers.

MGS: PP transport helicopter - UH60 with retractable landing gear, engine block and interior.

MX - fictional rifle inspired by Bushmaster ACR.

MRS-4 - fictional rifle inspired by FN FAL.

How is this any different from pretty much every near-future shooter/action game?

[Corvinus 35]

Care to provide examples of "near-future shooter/action games" where at least 90% of assets got the same treatment?

[Sandy* 10]

Care to provide examples of "near-future shooter/action games" where at least 90% of assets got the same treatment?

No, as TPP or Arma 3 aren't like that either. I didn't suggest that games are entirely composed of vehicles or weapons like that, only that most near-future games always have something borrowed from real life and turned into a fictious future variant. And as such, Arma 3 shares with TPP just as much as the two games share with many others.

[jakerod 254]

We should put this whole futuristic thing to rest:

Dictionary.com: of or relating to the future

Google: having or involving very modern technology or design.

Free Dictionary: Of or relating to the future

Merriam Webster: very modern, relating to or telling about events in the future

Wikipedia: The future is what will happen in the time after the present.

Sorry, I felt the need to repeat that.

[otrebla_snake_ita 2]

I prefer the modern\historic (Cold War) setting, but the futuristic setting of Arma 3 didn't disappoint me...Who knows, maybe in Arma 4 we'll be able to play a story that starts in nowadays and finishes in a "near future", with contents from both these periods? Or directly a "near future" that mixes nowadays weapons and equipment with more futuristic ones?

Those would be interesting mix of different settings into one big(ger) game :D

[Imperator[TFD] 444]

Arma always had this "alternative reality" vibe in it.

Spot.On.The.Money.

The Armaverse has never been a direct representation of the current world. It is a divergent or alternate history setting.

For example: The RAH-66 project was cancelled in the '90s yet still operates in the Armaverse as an armed recon helicopter (even in reality it was never meant to replace the AH-64 but rather augment it.)

[subs17 9]

Was it ace ?

ACE artillery was amazing it made artillery truly powerful not unlike real life but due to the complexity it was a viable option for TVT and co-op modes.

The artillery computer of arma 3 has got to go.

ACE mod is awesome I actually use ACE more than any other FPS the realism it adds to A1/2 is extremely addictive I hope such a mod is one day made for A3.:cool:

[thecoolsideofthepillow 22]

I know the game takes place in like 2035, but it's not really all that futuristic. All the stuff in the game actually exists now. You'd think by 2035 they'd had stuff we don't have now. Maybe not super advanced, but just... Newer.

If anything, I'd like to see it be *more* futuristic, with space ships and laser guns. But still a realistic simulation of those things as they might exist.

[gibonez 18]

I know the game takes place in like 2035, but it's not really all that futuristic. All the stuff in the game actually exists now. You'd think by 2035 they'd had stuff we don't have now. Maybe not super advanced, but just... Newer.

If anything, I'd like to see it be *more* futuristic, with space ships and laser guns. But still a realistic simulation of those things as they might exist.

Thats exactly one of the problems.

It is 2030 where are the

• Medium velocity 40mm grenades aka 800m max range
  
• Airburst munitions
  
• Laser guided mortar munitions
  
• counter battery radars
  
• Fire control systems for under barreled grenade launchers
  
• Thermobaric munitions
  

These are just some of the on going developments in the defense industry yet make no appearance in arma 3.

[pharoah 65]

Thats exactly one of the problems.

It is 2030 where are the

• Medium velocity 40mm grenades aka 800m max range
  
• Airburst munitions
  
• Laser guided mortar munitions
  
• counter battery radars
  
• Fire control systems for under barreled grenade launchers
  
• Thermobaric munitions
  

These are just some of the on going developments in the defense industry yet make no appearance in arma 3.

lol there's another thread on that exact topic called "Arma Reflecting Today's Modern Day Warfare Tomorrow". I've said it before and will say it again. ARMA 3 is disappointing in its gameplay because its supposed to be set in 2035 (ie. approx 20 years from now) and yet almost everything replicated is modern technology. I would've been happier if they'd just modelled modern day tech, not reskin current technology (with its current limitations) and call it something new. I mean c'mon....the A-164 Wipeout (A10C anybody??? this is a 30 year old or so a/c that is in the process of being mothballed by the USAF) and the A-143 Buzzard (firstly why do a/c from opposing sides have the same classification? ie. do the russians name their migs F29s?; secondly this is a current gen light attack a/c).

I could go on and on but you get the idea. I just think the BI devs started on a good idea (ie. 2035) but ran out of ideas (or were 'scared' to try something new) in the model creation phase. Obviously nobody knows what 2035 is going to be like, however just reskinning current get vehicles, etc and calling it future gen is just bad.

[subs17 9]

What if they did a DLC with todays tech or even some of the older stuff like the cold war would rock.

[Wiki 1558]

I miss my Abrams, Apache, Bradley, Hind, T-72, BMP, etc... So Much!!!