Would you like to see Vietnam expansion for Arma II?

[shataan 1]

"I realize you are all pretty hung up on the modern or recent (as far back as 1985) era setting of the game series, and I love it too. But a Vietnam game using this technology would be incredible and to me possibly the ultimate conclusion to this game. Let's face it, the whole series is filled with imagery and military culture which is pretty heavily influenced by the Vietnam conflict. I can't help but be reminded of Vietnam during all kinds of moments playing this game. The naysayers are just being stuck up assholes. ARMA series is not strictly about being all neat and tactical. I can only imagine how awesome it would be to experience the game in a historic Vietnam setting, experiencing the chaos of battle and adrenaline-filled gunfights which this game does so well."

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Well said!

Anyone who has played Vietcong will tell you, there is absolutely nothing that can compare to jungle onfoot warfare.... in a Nam scenario. A Nam game with ARMA 2s engine and A.I., it`d be a truly amazing experience.

[trickster1982 10]

I think a Vietnam mod/expansion for ArmA 2 would be great, i'd definitely be interested! Yes i know there was a massive influx of Vietnam games about 5 or 6 years ago which did it to death, but that was different technology with far poorer visuals, (that seemed great at the time though) the AI was a lot dumber & there wasnt really the ability to create huge open worlds full of lush vegetation back then, plus we were all 5 or 6 years younger then so what we get out of games has probably evolved over that time for those of us who are now in our mid/late 20s, or it has for me anyway! So a new take on the Vietnam war era using the ArmA 2 engine would be pretty damn good if done right in my opinion!Personally i dont mind games companies treading back over old ground when new technology comes available :)

[mimc 10]

The Vietnam war was a small unit war in which squads, platoons, and companies engaged in small clashes and assaults. The Liberation Front would fortify villages which the US/ARVN would assault after artillery and airstrikes. The PAVN would fortify jungle bases with bunkers which the LRRPs and SOG units would locate in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The bases in South Vietnam would then be assaulted by two or three US/ARVN infantry companies. The ones in Laos and Cambodia would be hit by airstrikes. Such small unit engagements are perfect for Arma 2. LRRPs can do recon missions to locate the enemy villages and bases. A company assault can be made on enemy villages. Ambushes, hit and run, jungle contacts, assaults on enemy bunkers, and much more would make a Vietnam expansion one hell of a game.

[Bulldogs 10]

Heh.. set terrain detail to very low and the jungle would vanish

[Master gamawa 0]

I would normally say HELL YEAH but given how grass and bushes behave in Arma 2... I think I'll pass this time.

I had trouble surviving in the undergrowth in Chernarus forests... I am going to have my ass handed to me in any kind of Vietnam setting! You know.. x-ray super-vision and all!

[boneboys 0]

I voted yes, simply because I had a great time with VTE in the editor and on-line for ArmA.

[Ferrando 10]

I know a lot of people like Vietnam era war games, but there hasn't really been any good Vietnam era games with great atmosphere and realism since Vietcong game by Pterodon.

Now, ArmA II is a great military simulation, basically everything I've ever wished for in a realistic military game. Having ArmA II's great game play and realism combined with a Vietnam era jungle, units and weaponry would make it absolutely perfect!

All that would be needed is one huge jungle island with right type of jungle trees and some villages and base camps in it. Vietnamese civilians, VC and NVA enemies, Vietnam-era weapons (Basic M16, Thompson, M1 Carbine, AK47, traps, etc). A lot of things are in ArmA II already and just need to be a bit modified, like M16A2 rifle, can be easily modified to earlier version. UH-1 Huey is already there, can be converted to earlier version too.

I guess the most time consuming thing for making a Vietnam mod would be making the textures and stuff for trees and realistic jungle in the island. I'd be happy even if it would be just a "sandbox" expansion with the island and units and nothing more, community could create the missions.

Not really! I think a game like Far Cry 2 would work much better as a Vietnam game.

I really like Chernarus. It's just so perfectly European, amazing scenery, landscape, it's brilliant. And because it's supposedly in the Black Sea region the scenario possibilities are endless. Why not make "Georgia 08" campaign?

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Far Cry 1 would actually be even better. Just replace the human opponents textures with some VC/NVA textures, give them AKs, and you basically have it.

[-)rStrangelove 0]

Would be awesome to have a Nam mod, but apart from the workload the one big problem would be the AI - it's just designed to work for far distance fighting, not close combat. Else we would have combat inside buildings now, but it's simply not possible with this AI.

Afair all nam mods for OpF/ArmA always had problems:

- AI shot you through thick vegetation that the player couldn't see through

- AI shot you after you killed 1 guy of the enemy group (knowsabout issues), no matter how good you were entrenced

- AI couldn't navigate in jungle parts or didn't see you even if standing right next to them

So i guess in order to get a decent gameplay you'd need to redesign a specific jungle AI from the ground up. Will take long to figure out what can be done and a hell to test it in SP / MP.

[FlyinCircus 10]

forget a vietnam expansion, I just want to see the game working first.

[osmo 0]

Not really! I think a game like Far Cry 2 would work much better as a Vietnam game.

The problem is, Far Cry isn't a military simulation in the way ArmA 2 is. I really like the realism in ArmA 2 and the way it feels. I'm sure Far Cry 2 has great nice looking jungle vegetation ready, but it'll never be as realistic military simulation as ArmA 2 is..

I really like Chernarus. It's just so perfectly European, amazing scenery, landscape, it's brilliant.

Me too. I think it's Chernarus has a beautiful landscape and BI developers have done a really good job in creating it. If they would do a jungle island with same quality, that would be awesome.

[SASrecon 0]

BI have made european forest & villages in Chernarus, OA will be desert, i think now its time for snow =DDD

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Yeah, snow would be awesome. A fictional US vs Canadian conflict or something. Language at least wouldn't have to be a problem :) Mixed scenario (going between sides). You don't know who is the bad guy until the very end :D

[banenwn 10]

The problem is, Far Cry isn't a military simulation in the way ArmA 2 is. I really like the realism in ArmA 2 and the way it feels. I'm sure Far Cry 2 has great nice looking jungle vegetation ready, but it'll never be as realistic military simulation as ArmA 2 is..

Me too. I think it's Chernarus has a beautiful landscape and BI developers have done a really good job in creating it. If they would do a jungle island with same quality, that would be awesome.

no but farcry's graphics engine was perfect for a vietnam setting.The engine is capable of realism

[bonchie 39]

Harvest Red is basically a modern Vietnam.

Most of the campaign is based around a recon team in small unit action. You can use helicopters for extraction and insertion at your leisure. You play missions out of a base camp. You have to deal with civilians, some who side with you, others who don't. You spend a lot of missions patrolling through forests and open country side.

Basically, all the things for a great Vietnam game are already there and the mission structure and possibilities are already built in. BIS would just have to make a new setting and a great campaign.

I've been longing for another decent Vietnam game, both realism and immersion/storyline/atmosphere wise, since Vietcong. Aside from the original OFP, there's probably no game I was more immersed in then Vietcong. It just did everything right.

That kind of game in an open world environment would be simply amazing. Yes, the AI would need work, but it needs work anyway. I'd assume any expansion, Vietnam or not, would build on the AI and hopefully fix many of the problems. Mainly seeing through Vegitation and their ability to take cover.

You'd absolutely have to build in friendly AI logic that causes them to take cover once engaged, even with the "follow me" command on. So that as you move, they move from cover to cover as well. This needs to be done anyway though and I'm hoping it's added in OA.

Edited October 27, 2009 by bonchie

[CarlGustaffa 4]

"It just did everything right."

Except for one tiny thing. When you go veeeery veeeeery slowly through the jungle and as silently and stealthy as you can tries to cross a small stream...

SPLASWOSJH!!

I mean, it kinda ruined the immersion at that point. No game has ever managed to pull this one off very good. Vietcong did walking slowly in water good, but it sucked when you entered it.

But yes, you're right when I think about it. Vietnam was a blind mans war, you rarely saw your enemy, only muzzleflashes and smoke. In that respect Arma2 is very similar, except jungle is replaced with forests. Would I prefer jungles? Hell no, I think the undergrowth and density on lower parts of some trees makes it bad enough as it is already :)

By the looks on how many play mainstream missions (i.e. Domination) on public servers, I'd say that too many players are playing this game wrong. Rarely do I see "returning fire" unless they have something in their sight. I often fire blindly where I see smoke popping or muzzle flashes, or if I'm SAW gunner I will suppress as if there was no tomorrow. Too many play like they have to pay for ammo using real life money...

[Blackhawk43 10]

A new expansion? No

Maybe a mod, if the problem with AI seeing through bushes and other foliage is fixed, because otherwise players would be at a HUGE disadvantage.

[bonchie 39]

A new expansion? No

Maybe a mod, if the problem with AI seeing through bushes and other foliage is fixed, because otherwise players would be at a HUGE disadvantage.

That needs to be fixed regardless of what the next expansion is. So I don't see that as a viable reason not to do a Vietnam game.

[wooly-back-jack 10]

look forward to the mod :)

bouncing bettys, punji steaks, napalm, tunnels would be nice if you could manage them

[sic-disaster 311]

I doubt ArmA 2 could do a dense jungle that well to be honest.

European forests yes, but a true jungle? I think it would make my pc cry.

But if it's doable, hell, why not? Only more stuff for us to play around with!

It would make ArmA 2 feel like a follow-up game to the original Ghost Recon game too though, which is great as well.

OGR (Original Ghost Recon) started out in Europe against insurgents and later on the Soviet Army, then got an expansion based on the Deserts, and later on a 2nd expansion based on jungle warfare.

The only thing still missing is winter warfare but that was added with mods :)

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I've tried winter mods (islands and vehicles) since OFP, but I always feel something was missing. I'd like to see a game designed and upgraded by the developers to support new stuff unique to winter warfare. Such as traction/friction problems, snow buildup, slush, winter weather (snow particles doesn't cut it), skiing etc.

[commander jao 10]

i not sure about ARMA 2 in the jungle but i would love to have a battle in ARMA 2 similar to the battle in the "Valley of death" from Vietnam which occurs in the movie we were soldiers

[maximumidiot 10]

This could cause the developers to update the game engine maybe?

I think it would be fantastic to have a Vietnam expansion, DO IT PLEASE!!!

[ForrestDump 10]

I REALLY want to see a Vietnam package. I can't wait.

[Honeycutt 10]

All the best to Snake Man and his team developing Vietnam, The Experience Mod for ARMA2. That was awesome for OFP. Landscapes were beatiful.

Funny thought Force Recon teams supposed go "humping the boonies" without making a sound, set a L shape ambush and taking out a bunch of VC perhaps a big chinese solider as well using claymores - make contact, call for CAS, call for Arty, nick some ak47s and call for an exfil. And when you get knee deep in sh** - call for a reaction force.

ARMA2 Force Recon so far hasn't done any of the sort. Looking forward to a completed VTE.