Arma 2 and Socom similarities

[stangz9 10]

First of all, I'm a huge fan of the Socom series. Great games. But, I now have an Xbox 360 and I am looking for a game similar to Socom online. I am new to the Arma community but I'm trying to get a better understanding. My question is: How similar will Arma 2 be to Socom?

If you don't know much about Socom, this is how the online works...

3rd person shooter...

8v8...

No respawn...

best of 11 rounds...

customizable weapons...

numerous premade maps...

How similar is Arma 2 online to Socom online and in what ways? Thanks a lot!

[Binkowski 26]

Not really any customizable weapons.

This game is 3rd and 1st person shooter. I prefer having 3rd person off.

No respawn, well that is mission dependant, if the mission maker wants respawn he makes it.

no "rounds" in ArmA2, we have Coop, Adversarial (PvP) which is usually CTI etc.

ArmA2 as of now has two maps. One like an intro island, and the other the big island.

Probably more massive than anything you've seen in Socom.

[stangz9 10]

Adversarial (PvP) which is usually CTI etc.

I have no idea what what means... but thanks for the other info.

Is Arma 2 a respawn game?

Is there a team deathmatch mode?

[Binkowski 26]

There is a player vs. player type of mission yes. Most ArmA2 games however play Coop. But, very seldom they will play Player vs. Player. Some missions are TDM, some are where two teams have an objective to secure, and they fight for it. As I said earlier, if the mission maker makes the mission with respawn. Your mission will have respawn.

[dm 9]

Is Arma 2 a respawn game?

Is there a team deathmatch mode?

If respawn is "active" in the mission, then yes, ArmA2 has respawn (its entirely up to the mission maker, and even then it can be left as a server setting)

If people make TDM missions, then yes, ArmA2 "has a TDM mode"

ArmA2 isnt like traditional games, there are no specific game modes, however you make the mission is the "mode" the mission will be in. If you make it as a TDM, then it'll be a TDM, if you make it as a Co-op, then it'll be co-op. etc etc

There are no limits, so you could make a series of missions that played out like in socom. But you can have considerably more than 8v8 ;)

[stangz9 10]

hmm weird. from what im hearing from you guys it seems like arma is very....... undefined. im getting the idea this game isnt what im looking for.

im looking for a third person team deathmatch type of game with no respawn... and it looks like you CAN do that on this game but at the same time no one does it lol. think call of duty, but third person and no respawn... thats what i want... but it looks like i'll have to look elsewhere. damn.

[Binkowski 26]

ArmA is very open to the community. You make the missions, you make the scenarios that you want to do. Etc, same with modding. It's not like those linear shooters that have you going on a set-path to do something.

[walker 0]

Hi stangz9

ArmA is a sandbox game.

So you can play any type of Multiplayer (MP) you want.

ArmA has an inbuilt editor so you can make whatever mission you want.

MP falls in to two broad categories Player v Player (PvP) and Coop but there are others and indeed merging of those categories. The number of players can 2 to 150 depending on server and mission.

PvP includes death matches (DM) Capture and Hold (C&H) and Capture the Flag (CTF)

Any of these can have Respawn or No Respawn the respawn can be random or at base or at captured point or into AI under you control or user choice via map click or points based or any other damn thing you could possibly think of. It is all down to the person who makes the mission you are playing. If you make the mission you get to decide; many missions have buttons available to the game server admin to set the respawn characteristics.

The most common forms of normal PvP in ArmA were CTF like Hexenkessle and long valley lasting usualy 15 to 30 mins, C&H Berzerk lasting 1 hour, Death Match tended to be rarer. Also Camel dog fights and the like. These are only a smattering. New missions get made in ArmA every week so there is always something new.

Coop in ArmA tends to be realism based so most do not have respawn or it is limited to the AI group you control. 3rd person tends to be turned off as do crosshairs. Missions last between 1 and 5 hours Jinef's Breakthrough mission is a good example of this it originaly came out on OFP; but now with campaign mode expect to see multi; day, week or even month missions.

Very common in ArmA is PvP coop. This is two or more teams fighting in Coop style over an objective.

This has given rise to Capture The Island (CTI) where two or more teams fight against each other and often an AI side for control of the island. These mission often take place over days, with players JIPing in and out and being replaced by new players.

ArmA also has dynamic missions like Evolution and Domination (not like its COD namesake)

Because ArmA missions are made by the community there is an allmost unlimited supply of ArmA missions and new gameforms.

I have not metioned the MMOG and RPG forms like Sahrani Life and capture the serial killer.

As you can see ArmA is a sandbox game like little big planet except ArmA is 3D. It is only limited by your imagination.

Kind Regards walker

[Eggnogg13 0]

What Walker Said.

Arma 2 is almost nothing like SOCOM, sorry but if your into fast-paced action and nonstop killfests, this probably isn't the game for you.

Not to say that you cannot make your own map in Arma 2 that can be similar to SOCOM, but we don't know if you can really make your own maps on 360.

[Nicholas 5]

Coop in ArmA tends to be realism based so most do not have respawn

BTW: Theres no respawn in Socom(Some servers have it on)

I own Socom: Confrontation for PS3, and jsut to tell you they are totally different gameplay-wise, but ArmA II has Co-Op maps where tactical teamplay is required(Like Socom). Most servers in ArmA have respawn on, but thats because they play PvP or giant Human vs AI battles whereas, in Socom, most servers dont have respawn. That's really the only way they are similar.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Nicholas

[Swatman 0]

i dont get why people that play arma hate PVP multiplayer so much. i cant stand co op in this game and it angers me that no one plays PVp

[walker 0]

Hi Swatman

I am sorry Swatman but what you just said is complete rubbish I play PvP regularly about a 60/40 split. My brother who plays more than I do plays nothing but PvP.

The commonest game on ArmA public servers were Domination a coop, Warfare a PvP and Berzerk also a PvP. If you mean CTF people still do play that do a search for Cellery he makes those kind of missions. Then there are the massive reality based PvP coops where two teams fight it out for realistic objectives.

People play the games they like best. If coops are more fun then they play them, if they want a dynamic game they play Domination, if they want a long strategic battle they play Warfare if they want a quick tactical shoot em up they play Berzerk, they want some short CQB they play hexenkesle.

If they want a realistic Asymertric CQB PvP they will play presense patrol on Avgani or run a convoy simulation.

In the end people play what they enjoy.

Kind Regards walker

Edited June 7, 2009 by walker

[Swatman 0]

i dont know what any of those modes are other than coop. beserk? whats that

[walker 0]

Hi Swatman

NOTE these are all old forms of MP in ArmA that will be being transferred to ArmA II but with ArmA II's new features they are bound to evolve and other new forms will appear.

Domination is a dynamic coop mode as is Evolution these missions can last several days players JIP in and out and play in shifts.

Berzerk by Zaphod is a tactical Capture & Hold (C&H) PvP mode where you play as two teams trying to control terrain features, I am sure it is being ported from ArmA to ArmA II as we speak. Battles usually last 1 hour before reassign.

Capture the Island (CTI) is a form of strategic C&H PvP played with between 1 and 3 teams with Base Building and economics based on captured ground played across the whole island usually these last about 5 to 8 hours.

Warfare is a new advanced and official form of CTI. these can last a day or two.

Hexenkessel by Celery is a classic urban Close Quarters Capture The Flag (CTF) PvP

Long Valley is an old school larger open land CTF PvP

Sahrani Life is an Role Playing Game that lasts several weeks I expect a more advanced form of this to be in ArmA II as a lot of new functions in ArmA II such as the Save game in MP feature will suit it.

Capture the serial killer is an Asymmetric PvP where one or two players play the part of a serial killer and everyone else tries to capture or kill them, I expect there to be a plethora of this type of game being made in ArmA as the RPG elements will suit it

Escape and evasion is an Asymmetric PvP similar to the above but this time the premise is downed air crew.

Assassination is is an Asymmetric PvP where a couple assassins attempt to kill a VIP who is making speeches with either a sniper rifle or a concealed pistol while the rest of the players form his close protection squad and try to prevent the assassination.

Presence Patrol is an Asymmetric PvP in form of a standard military patrol on foot and in vehicles through a village or small town while INSUGS try to kill you with rockets, mortars, IEDs, Sniper rifles and the like. BLUEFOR hunt for weapons caches and try to capture insurgent leaders or gain intell from the locals. With the new options for Role Playing Games I expect this to improve with ArmA II

Convoy is an Asymmetric PvP conducted in vehicles from town to town where the INSUGS try to ambush you along the way.

Checkpoint is an Asymmetric PvP where the BLUEFOR attempt to prevent INSUGS from building up sufficient weapons caches in a town for an assault on a key asset or to achieve a spectacular by running check points and search patrols.

I have not even gone over 1% of the missions ArmA is capable and I have not got to the straight Coops yet.

Here is a video of ArmA I game types to be going on with

Kind Regards walker

Edited June 7, 2009 by walker

[eem 1]

I played alot of SOCOM: Navy Seals Confrontation. There are actually a few similariaties between ArmA II and SOCOM:

1) Both can be played third person (ArmA II lets you play first person too though).

2) Both can have game modes with no respawn

3) Both have games like Search n Destroy and TDM

4) Both require teamwork

5) Both have a decent array of weapons (ArmA II Wins here though :)

6) Both have great Clan communities

But that's about where the simalarities end really. After that, they are really two completely different games and cater to two different gameplay styles.

1) SOCOM is geared for the PS3, while ArmA II is mainly a PC based game.

2) SOCOM is online multiplayer only with no single player. ArmA II can be played either way.

3) SOCOM you control just your player. ArmA II will allow you to command a fire team, company, or even larger sized combined forces.

4) SOCOM has a small set of small maps forcing combat around certain centralized objectives that never change. ArmA II's main map is so large that it could take you months to see it all on foot. Objectives can be anywhere at anytime and limited only by the mission designer's imagination.

5) SOCOM has no vehicles! ArmA II has land, sea, and air based vehicles usable by the player.

6) SOCOM is closer to an arcade style shooter with some aspects of realism and a little bit of tactical gameplay, while ArmA II is a military simulator which strives for realism in all aspects and you can't win without employing some common military doctrine.

7) SOCOM probably has a much younger player base than ArmA II so ArmA II game environments and servers contain players that are a little more mature.

8) I rarely found military verterans playing SOCOM. ArmA II has a huge base of veterans since many military around the world use a version of the ArmA II engine to train their troops!

I could go on, but hopefully, OP comes back because he is making a mistake walking away from ArmA II back to SOCOM!...heh. Plus I heard Slant 6 is off finishing MAG and won't be updating the series...

L8r,

eem

8)

[Binkowski 26]

EEM just summed it up.

@Swatman

I play PVP regularly, Warfare, Bezerk, etc, as well as many Coops.

[=SEALZ=Gen.***1cem@n*** 0]

ofp,arma and arma2 can be whatever mode you want to play .. its not necessarily DM mode unless you choose so..the ingame scenarios vary widely due to the ease of modding and map (scenario) making for these games... the scenarios avalible are practically limitless tbh... you just have to dive in and play it..also dont give up the first few minutes ..get to understand and appreciate the complexities of such a game ..

regards,

iceman