ARMA2 single player game, a bit of RPG elements?

[Yapab 10]

I just saw a video of ARMA2 from the AI thread and it gave me a totally different gameplay view of ARMA2's single player campaign.

In the video the developer talks about running around the map "freely" and talking to NPC's to get missions etc... this seems quite a bit like an rpg, similar to say Oblivion etc?

I thought ARMA1 and 2 were games similar to GRAW1 & 2, where the story and missions are basically linear and you follow orders for a specific mission.

With each successful mission leading onto another one with a short video/story etc...

ARMA2 now seems closer to STALKER/STALKER CS... in that game you get missions from NPC's and explore etc.. however I doubt you will be finding weapons in ARMA2.

As I have never played ARMA1, is this an FPS game with some rpg elemnts, or is this new to ARMA2.

Quite surprised by this!

Yapa

[max power 21]

The RPG elements are new to ArmA 2.

[NeMeSiS 11]

The RPG elements are new to ArmA 2.

The freedom to walk around the map was already there though, but in OFP and ArmA1 there wasnt really a point in doing so. Walking around the objective for a kilometer or so was nice so you could suprise the enemy. But you wouldnt go any further cause there wasnt really anything there.

Though I wouldnt compare ArmA2 to Oblivion. You have freedom but you will probably just use it to go from objective to objective and it gives you the ability on how to decide the way you want to complete the objective. And you wont spend hours just walking around, looking for quests, obtaining new weapons etc. You could walk around though, but there world probably isnt completely filled with things to do like Oblivion, just filled with things to make the world look alive.

[Eggnogg13 0]

It was always open in ArmA, but it was open in the Crysis campaign kind of thing. In Crysis, you could explore the island, but all the action was confined to one, single, spot.

RPG elements are new to Arma 2, and I am really looking forward to them, as are a lot of other people I know.

[Spetz 0]

I hope they implement very thorough RPG elements, like magic and dragons :D

jokes aside

I hope you can take strategic decisions like, say a enemy combatant surrenders, you can take him POW and get info or you can let him go after you disarm him

the village won't give you any intel, you either do them a favor fight some bandits, or you can burn their village shoot their cattle and put a hole in their tractor

edit:

speaking of dragons, as a joke they could add a balloon dragon, 'rising' once you shoot at it?

Edited May 7, 2009 by Spetz

[Andi 10]

I think in ArmA 1 there was one single mission near the end where you could choose to either stay with the refugees or go ahead... But that doesn't make it an RPG :D

In QG however you could make several decisions in the missions. But I'd still not consider that an RPG.

I would say it's more of a Jagged Alliance 2 style (which isn't a RPG either), but in Arma2 you will be more bound to your specific objectives rather than traveling around. Mind that in OPF/ArmA/ArmA2 the mission ends when the objectives are accomplished. In other games you normally can do several different "quests" simultaneously.

[Yapab 10]

Thanks for the answers, its not true RPG but the quests and free roam to some extent give it a bit of RPG elements.

I thought initally the game would be like GRAW games... linear but still very good as those games are quite fun to play, especially in coop with a friend.

This is quite interesting... I wonder how it will handle coop then? For example if me and a friend are playing... what if he talks to the commander and gets the same mission?

Or what if we both get different missions and complete them separately? I guess the coop player would have to be a quad mate and bound to the main player (host) otherwise it would be a very complex coop game.

Yapa

[sparks50 0]

In the coop campaign, my impression is that you are in the same squad, so you take the missions together.

Edited May 8, 2009 by sparks50

[Andi 10]

You cannot "get" different missions in coop. A mission normally is a "map". You don't have more than one mission in one "run". What you do have, are several objectives, although it may be that there are different objectives which could be chosen to do in an different order at the beginning.

In this case it might well be that you are either in the same squad, thus doing the same objectives, or two separate squads which can choose different objectives and do them simultaneously (would be awesome).

PS.

talking about coop in general, not specifically the campaign.

[Scrub 0]

Well in that case, (coop in general) you can do anything you want.. Including a perpetual world as done in Sahrani Life. So yes, you can get multiple missions, objectives... Hell you can get zombies.. (hear me o great Z-modders). If you are talking in general, the sky is the limit.

[Andi 10]

I wouldn't call Sahrani Life a coop... That's a RPG mod :D

Evolution is coop. It has one mission: Free all cities.

But I agree that this is more gray than just black and white.

[Eggnogg13 0]

It really all boils down to the mission and how it's made

That's the best part about Arma, you can do almost anything. Like Scrub said, there is even zombie and alien maps out there(I always love a good zombie map), or it can be a massive campaign to take the island (like Evolution)

Edited May 8, 2009 by Eggnogg13

[maddogx 13]

The coop campaign is something I've been really looking forward to. Two mates of mine are going to be buying the game on release day aswell and we plan to jump right into campaign-coop. I'm curious to see how the RPG elements work out in coop mode. For example I believe only one member of Razor team is able to speak the native language. So does that mean only that player gets to understand what the locals are saying, meaning he would have to relay it to the others?

All in all I'm actually pretty excited about it, but there's one thing bugging me: when's the last time anyone heard an official statement about campaign coop? I don't remember having seen it in any of the recent interviews or previews, nor can I really remember when or where I read about it in any "official" feature lists. The feature seems almost like an old rumor right now. Can someone perhaps point me to some pages or posts where the devs or previewers have made comments on the coop campaign feature :)?

[Andi 10]

For example I believe only one member of Razor team is able to speak the native language. So does that mean only that player gets to understand what the locals are saying, meaning he would have to relay it to the others?

I thought nobody of Razor can understand the language, but they can hire a local to translate.

Although your thought would be really funny: everybody would hear Chernarussian, just the guy who actually can understand the language will see the English subtitles :D

[Deadfast 43]

I thought nobody of Razor can understand the language, but they can hire a local to translate.

Although your thought would be really funny: everybody would hear Chernarussian, just the guy who actually can understand the language will see the English subtitles :D

Well, kinda dull point for me seeing that Chernorussian = Czech :D

[Andi 10]

Hmm really? Would be kinda unfair :(

At least they could talk some nonsense (maybe about cake recipes) and just the subtitles would have proper information :D

[maddogx 13]

I can imagine some really cool situations playing with friends:

Player #1: Where can we find the rebel base?

Player #2, speaking in Chernorussian to villager: He asked where the rebel base is.

Villager, in Chernorussian: I think it's in the forest, about two miles north of here.

Player #1: What did she say?

Player #2: She said you are hideously ugly and your presence here offends her deeply.

:D

Also, I quote myself before it gets overlooked:

Can someone perhaps point me to some pages or posts where the devs or previewers have made comments on the coop campaign feature :)?

Anyone?

[GepardenK 0]

In response to the OP:

Looking at some pictures it seems that you eventually get a "hub" base where you can choose missions, sub quests and change gear etc. I don’t know if you actually have to walk from this base to where the missions are, or if the missions are loaded as separate levels.

It is confirmed however that you later in the game get to be the commander of a base and must "win" the war by playing strategy like in the MP mode warfare from Arma1. If you havent played warfare: It works like a normal strategy game: you build buildings, defences, units and stuff. The difference is that you still play in first person and can join battles yourself.

It is also confirmed that choices you make will affect the story and your relationship to the different factions in the game (including civilians).

one more thing: The major RPG elements don’t start until later in the campaign. BIS said the first part of the campaign would be much more linear.

Sound very promising. Hope it works as intended....

[celery 8]

Player #1: Where can we find the rebel base?

Player #2, speaking in Chernorussian to villager: Dude, do you have any money or quality shit for us? My friend is in a bad mood and might shoot you all.

Villager, in Chernorussian: God help us, take it all! Just leave us alone, please!

Player #1: What did she say?

Player #2: She said she welcomes the American soldiers and is happy to be liberated by us! She wants to give us gifts.

Fix'd.

[Yapab 10]

Thanks for all the replies! GepardenK that is even more crazy than having some RPG elements!

You are correct about the base and taking "quests"/"missions" there, in the video they show the player running up to an NPC commander and asking for missions.

The developer shows that you then have a choice of walking, driving or asking a helo pilot to take you to the mission area!

Now that you have added this "rts" element to this game with base building and taking over areas etc... I'm really surprised! This game will be very unique, I just hope it all works out as it seems there are many different game styles here.

These are the videos, remember to turn on captions and there is a second part which shows the "base" and rpg elements:

Yapa

[GepardenK 0]

Very nice! I was hoping you had to get to the mission areas yourself, and now it is confirmed:) love it!!!

[Yapab 10]

The more videos I see, the more posts and previews I read the more the game changes from my original take on it!

Now in another new video posted in the "news" thread... I see you have base building... with the following buildings:

Barracks (US) - $300

Light Factory (USMC) - $400

Heavy Factory (USMC) - $600

So now we have base building with units... you can even choose where to place the buildings and rotate them! Now this is very cool but I'm not sure where the game is heading... I hope they dont try to do too much and it becomes a bit of a mess?

So from my original take which was a linear realistic infantry combat sim ( like opflash1) to some RPG elements and now base building!

Yapa

[Eggnogg13 0]

Operation flashpoint was linear?

Excuse me, but I was unaware of that:D

Oh yea, and building buildings was in the ArmA mode Warfare, I'm assuming you haven't played that game yet?

Don't worry, just because they have the ability to make buildings and the high command mode doesn't mean they are trying to make this game an RTS.

[Yapab 10]

Haven't played ARMA but played OFP1 and yes it was not totally linear but it did have a set campaign/story that progressed from mission to mission etc.. unlike here where you can have a few missions and choose which one you do.. how you get there etc :)

I've been reassured by another poster about the games warfare mode too and this is good, I welcome this "base building" and it could be a lot of fun but overall I prefer traditional campaign!

Yapa

[max power 21]

There were also multiple paths in the campaign so I dunno, it was linear with branches or detours.