Overall Impressions?

[Kophax 10]

I'm dying for a new FPS and Arma 2 has been tweaking my interest. Some of the shots look absolutely amazing.

When it comes to FPS I almost always head straight for the multiplayer. Multiplayer is what makes or breaks an FPS for me. Far Cry 2 was an interesting game but the multiplayer interface was trash and I was totally turned off.

A few questions that would help me make the decision:

a) How is the multiplayer interface? Can i browse a list of all servers, with some form of table view showing latency/name/player count/etc...

b) How is the multiplayer latency? On a good latency (0-100ms), are the character models smooth? Do the hitboxes remain accurate? Do players jerk around?

c) How is the overall multiplayer gameplay? I don't mind having to transport myself to the battlefield, does this get in the way of the experience? How are the firefights? How does the game perform with more populated servers?

d) Is it easy to find populated servers? Are they spread out with 5-10 on each server or can you reliably find servers with 20+ people?

e) Should I avoid getting this on Steam? I checked one of my local retail stores and couldn't find the game but I've heard about a few issues with Steam. Does steam patching screw up the multiplayer?

f) Any other warnings?

FPS's I've really enjoyed:

CS

CSS

BF1942

BF2

TF2(this one is kinda different from the others)

Call of Duty series have never really peaked my interest for multiplayer. Far to much spam and lowest denominator accuracy. For me the ideal game is the BF2 game mechanics, map size, vehicles, etc. with the realism and FPS style of counterstrike.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

---------- Post added at 06:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:46 PM ----------

Also, in follow up to my questions above.

Is the multiplayer more COOP driven or more PVP focused?

Both interest me, but i'd like to have fun at both if possible.

[{USI}_Zombie 0]

a) the interface is good with all the functions you described

b) Latency is dependent on where the server is, sometimes good, others...well

c) There are a huge varity of maps, from shoeboxed to island spanning, so it's hard to answer.

d) yes to both, some small and some large

e) don't use steam version so IDK

Arma is significantly different from the games you have listed, it really is kind of a niche game. There are coops and pvp, but don't expect the twitch type of gameplay that BF2 presents, ( I enjoy BF2 btw, but it IS a different niche). You also need a very beefy system to play Arma2 at a decent rate and settings. I would suggest you d/l the demo and try the coops there to see if you like it and can run it. I think it is a brilliant game, still experiencing some growing pains, and based on BIS's history, will be sorted out, though not as quickly as some would like. I hope you like it and become one of the community but come in with an open mind. If you are expecting CSS or bf2, you will most likely be disappointed.