Should I buy this game?

[Jobrmc 10]

(Hope this post isn’t breaking any rules.)

I have pondered buying this game for a while now. Before I found ArmA 2 I was thinking of making my own game from scratch, since I could never find a game that could satisfy me. I first discovered it after watching this video:

0CMpYJrClUY

After that I decided to look at the wikipedia article, the first things that caught my attention were:

possible to create user made single player missions or campaigns

extensive support for modding the game.

So I was for lack of a better word, "Seduced".

I decided to look into it further and discovered that indeed the game did seem to be all that I ever wanhted from a game, that was until I started looking deeper:

1) Loads of people seem to find the game impossibly hard, to the point that they were not able to kill any enemies, I found myself flooded with painfull memories of commandos 3.

2) Someone said it can take almost a year to create your own terrains, I remember a friend of mine who was able to make the entire British Ilse on Empires: Dawn of the Modern World in a few days.

3) Fatel AI and UI problems.

4) From what I've heard the scenario scripting seems to be signifigantlty more complicated than games like Freespace 2.

5) No snow. :(

Anyway, if anyone can disuade (Or confirm) my fears it would be much apreciated and I could come to a more concrete decision.

Or you could direct me to a game which better suits my needs.

Thanks...

Edited February 19, 2010 by Placebo

[vilas 477]

of course WORTHY - you have addons there, you can add your own favorite army

even more - it is a MUST HAVE title :D

ad1) hehehehe maybe for "Rambo armchair commando", this game is more "military simulator" than "another stupid shooter for 12-yo"

ad2) but you CAN create good island, depends how much objects (custom or not) you want

you can also sew yourself jacket in year... one pocket mothly

ad3) maybe you mix it with Dragon Rising ???

Arma2 is not OFP Dragon Rising

ad4) ? you have mission editor, you can do missions

ad5) buahahahahaha, also no pink pigs, no pigeons, no V2 rocket, no Portugal commando from 1970, no flying saucers (yet)

if you will do snow script , people will be happy

[mosh 0]

You will get very biased answers here... :rolleyes:

That being said, yes of course, buy the game. But a few copies for your friends too.

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

ad5) buahahahahaha, also no pink pigs, no pigeons, no V2 rocket, no Portugal commando from 1970, no flying saucers (yet)

if you will do snow script , people will be happy

Just to let you know, those things I put in bold are out. (Well the V2 will be VERY soon and the Portugal guys are already out) :D

OT: Definitely get the game. Just a warning though. This is nothing like BF2, Crysis, CoD, HALO, or OFP2: DR. It almost shouldn't be classified as a game. It is a simulator. It's as close as you can get to military life (on a computer) without shelling wads of cash for VBS2.

If you think this game is for you, go ahead and buy it. I guarantee you won't forget it.

Note: Guarantee not valid on earth. I reserve the right to shoot you if you attempt to sue me for the above guarantee.

[andromedagalaxe 10]

It's not impossibly hard, although you will die a lot as you learn to play.

Example: if you get flanked without knowing it and get shot from the side angle, you will not realize it until too late ... you will just die like in real life. It's pretty realistic in that way. Think about why the world's best armies need lots of training, you can't just be a good tactician and efficient soldier without learning how.

Like in real life, you can't run across an empty field while taking cross fire and hope to survive.

Like in real life you need to think about cover and concealment.

Start out using the mission editor with the in-game assets before you create your own island --- there is plenty of space to create missions on (225 km2). And others have already created new terrain, so use their work for free!

I am new to the game, but it is pretty amazing. It is open world so there will be bugs from time to time, but if you are good enough with scripting to make your own game from scratch, you should have no problem.

As I said, I am new to the game, but I like to think of its versatility as having several layers:

1. Basic editor, use in-game assets to create missions or multiplayer games with included basic features like waypoints, triggers, etc.

2. Scripting. Improve upon the above by adding scripts, which can add much more complexity to user-created scenarios, but require familiarity with the particular syntax of Arma 2.

3. Addons, mods, etc. Improve upon the above by creating your own terrain, weapons, units, etc.

Right now, I'm still at level 1.

Besides, it's $50 or less, although you need a good computer to run it.

I have to say the mission where you are running toward a city while helicopters and f-35s are flying overhead attacking enemy positions in a dynamic (unscripted) way was worth the price of admission. A friendly helicopter got shot down and crashed right in front of my position and it was a pretty amazing sight.

Edited February 16, 2010 by andromedagalaxe

[walker 0]

Hi Jobrmc

Welcome to the community.

I decided to look into it further and discovered that indeed the game did seem to be all that I ever wanhted from a game, that was until I started looking deeper:

1) Loads of people seem to find the game impossibly hard, to the point that they were not able to kill any enemies, I found myself flooded with painfull memories of commandos 3.

ArmA II is not like other games it does not stroke your ego. To begin with you will die a lot; this is to be expected but one day you will find your self hunting T90's with a group of friends like stone age man hunting mammoths.

The learning curve is a steep slope built on your own dead bodies and each will in turns smash and frustrate you with both their and your stupidity; as well as the hilarity of those moments. In what other game can loosing badly be as much fun as winning. Fear and death will become your friends, like hiding for literaly hours in a bush while an armored behemoth, that knows you are somewhere in that field, plays squash the likely bush, and yes I have done that; but there a moments in this game when its beauty will haunt you.

2) Someone said it can take almost a year to create your own terrains, I remember a friend of mine who was able to make the entire British Ilse on Empires: Dawn of the Modern World in a few days.

How long is a piece of string? Answer it depends how you measure it. Like a fractal the reality you create can be infinite. There are tools and methods to import real world data into the modding tools they can and do speed things up.

Generaly most serious island makers take many weeks or months to create their island master piece. It is up to you how long you want to take.

3) Fatel AI and UI problems.

The ArmA II AI is pretty well the best of any game period.

If you apply proper tactics and procedures they can be coped with and beaten, but as I already said this in not another First Person Ego Stroker. You have no holywood superpowers in this simulation (unless they got modded in for some super hero mod) this is gritty realism. The fact that this is the same game engine that powers the NATO defacato standard simulator should tell you something.

Are the AI stupid? On occasions but no more than people are in similar circumstances. There are times in MP when I would much rather have an AI squad. Certainly I would prefer vanila ArmA AI over a squad of COD players any day of the week. And With Zeus AI I would prefer them over a Squad of been through Basic ArmA players but an experienced human ArmA squad can beat all commers, though they will take casualties against Zeus AI. That said 30 of us have got our asses handed to us with astonishing regularity in particularly intractable mission we keep loosing lately and by a simlar number of AI.

The User interface takes a while to master but the basics are the same as any FPS. The complexity is down to how deep you want to go in each aspect of the simulation. I know some players who cannot even be bothered to learn how to control a squad. Others want all the bells and whistles and can control whole battalions using high command. I have been playing with the Real Virtuality Engine in all its forms for so long now I find all other interfaces to be crippled in comparison. It gets even more complex when mods get added.

4) From what I've heard the scenario scripting seems to be signifigantlty more complicated than games like Freespace 2.

WRONG!

Scenarios are edited in the most easily accesable built in visual editor you could want. Creating a gigantic scenario is something that takes a couple of minutes.

You can if you want to add lots of additional scripted content to a scenario and like all other aspects of ArmA modding there are tools to help and an infinite degree of complexity you can add to it.

Many people script everything from weather to the AI it is an infinite process.

5) No snow.

Allready modded in to several islands. Just go look for one that suits your needs.

Anyway, if anyone can disuade (Or confirm) my fears it would be much apreciated and I could come to a more concrete decision.

Or you could direct me to a game which better suits my needs.

Like many other in this community I have answered this question so often that I now just copy and paste the answer :)

Start here:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_Hints_and_Tips

The ArmA triumvirate. Key things to know:

1) The editor is the place to learn and is probably the greatest things about ArmA as it is the source of thousands upon thousands of new user created content, and is expanding exponetialy. People have played this game engine for a decade, and never played the same game twice, there is not another game that can claim that.

2) The next big thing is MODs no other game even approaches the Game engine for modability, there are thousands of addons the key one you will need is ACE. And ArmA has a suite of tools for making mods the likes of which no other game can boast. Have a look at the Addons and Mods Complete as well as ArmA II editing section of this forum and do not forget that BIS Wiki

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Main_Page

there are also several Mod web sites and news forums:

3) Multiplayer is the final part of the ArmA triumvirate. There is an introductory manual linked on this page of the Forum:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=93078

I suggest you down load Yoma's addon Synchroniser. It will take most of the geek work out of insuring you have the right addons and that are up to date.

http://dev-heaven.net/projects/list_files/yoma-addonsync2009

Do not expect DM and CTF they exist and there are masses of PvP missions of those types but unlike other games ArmA is not limited to them, so it tends to get swamped in the mass of other game types. The easiest way to find specific game types is to join a community that specialises in that game mode. This section of the forum deals with finding a community of like minded people to play with:

http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

But all of us have been homeless ronin at times and just wonder the open public servers. Be aware much of the ArmA community is hidden and locked there are several big communities that do not show up on the Game Spy Browser though most such communities run a public recruiting server as well; those that do not will just run a single server which they may well lock and password on community nights.

This thread deals with some of the many different MP questions people have:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=79628

Because of ArmA's mission editor and modability peoples imaginations have run riot, most everything you can imagine has or is being created in ArmA. This can be a bit daunting at times but if you can think of something new, that ArmA needs there is an experienced community that can help you realise your dream.

Once again welcome to the ArmA community.

Kind Regards walker

Edited February 16, 2010 by walker

[Baff1 0]

It costs like £10.

There is a free demo.

It's worth getting if only to see how much you will like it.

It's well worth the money for anyone who likes army games.

If you are into making your own models, scripts, maps or missions it is in my opinion the premier game series on the market.

The sheer amount of available downloads is testament to this.

[callihn 10]

Try the demo, the full version is cooler. ;)

I think it's much better than most I've seen.

Edited February 16, 2010 by callihn

[jblackrupert 14]

The demo is in rough unpatched shape though and the MP missions there are kinda bleh

after while. The latest patches have cured many of the major problems that appear in the demo.

Don't be too scared off by the "simulator" label. there is Advance and Secure and Berzerk

they are very similar to BF2 with a GPS minimap and enemy/friendly markers on the map.

Theres also a "Battlefield 2" missions someone built that allows you to cap flags in any order.

And yes there are community made snow maps and even Santa's sleigh. No idea if it's armed though.. :)

Edited February 16, 2010 by jblackrupert

[Guest]

Design your own game? lol :P

This games engine has been in devlopment for as long as I have been alive, I don't think you will equal it any time soon lol. (I know that's not what you meant, just saying)

This is one of the most beautiful games on the market, I am not sure what skills you have in designing a game, but if you think it's normal to create an entire Island in a few days, you have another thing coming. It's more like building a car. Sure, you can knock out a piece of junk in 4 days. But if you want a really high class, profesional map, a year seems just fine :)

The game has its flaws, but they are hugely outweighed by its pros. The community here is amazing, and once you have learned the game, you will never turn back :)

(Of course, if you would like to go and create your own game, be my guest, I would love to try something new :p)

No disrespect intended, hope you are well.

Kind Regards,

Richie.

[76 0]

Ask yourself 'is there any chance I'll get less value for money from ArmA 2 than all the shit thats out there'... the answer is no and chances are you'll get 100x more play time from A2.

[rekrul 7]

Although mentioned in more words previously, the learning curve for both the game and the scripting is quite steep but this is due to the massive flexibility you have in the game. If you're motivated to push through that, you most likely will love it. If you want it for 10 minute action-sessions or don't "put the effort in" you'll hate it and then all the little things like the voice-acting, the bugs, the radio comms, performance, etc will drive you nuts.

[Laqueesha 474]

ArmA II is not like other games it does not stroke your ego.

fzGe6E2eWiA

Sorry, couldn't resist! :D

Back on topic here... Yes, you should buy the game. If you're still not convinced by the community's responses, try the demo as even that has lots of gameplay potential.

Edited February 16, 2010 by Laqueesha

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

I wouldn't judge the game by the demo though. I played ArmA 1 & OFP for years before ArmA2 came out. I downloaded the demo for it and it almost turned me off the game.The demo can show you some of the features you can expect, and give you a taste of the stock "island" but be careful before you judge the game on the demo alone.

I suggest you try the demo and read through several different reviews of the game + watch some youtube videos. Then you will have a better understanding of the game and should be able to make a well informed decision.

[Jobrmc 10]

Hi Jobrmc

Welcome to the community.

ArmA II is not like other games it does not stroke your ego. To begin with you will die a lot; this is to be expected but one day you will find your self hunting T90's with a group of friends like stone age man hunting mammoths.

The learning curve is a steep slope built on your own dead bodies and each will in turns smash and frustrate you with both their and your stupidity; as well as the hilarity of those moments. In what other game can loosing badly be as much fun as winning. Fear and death will become your friends, like hiding for literaly hours in a bush while an armored behemoth, that knows you are somewhere in that field, plays squash the likely bush, and yes I have done that; but there a moments in this game when its beauty will haunt you.

How long is a piece of string? Answer it depends how you measure it. Like a fractal the reality you create can be infinite. There are tools and methods to import real world data into the modding tools they can and do speed things up.

Generaly most serious island makers take many weeks or months to create their island master piece. It is up to you how long you want to take.

The ArmA II AI is pretty well the best of any game period.

If you apply proper tactics and procedures they can be coped with and beaten, but as I already said this in not another First Person Ego Stroker. You have no holywood superpowers in this simulation (unless they got modded in for some super hero mod) this is gritty realism. The fact that this is the same game engine that powers the NATO defacato standard simulator should tell you something.

Are the AI stupid? On occasions but no more than people are in similar circumstances. There are times in MP when I would much rather have an AI squad. Certainly I would prefer vanila ArmA AI over a squad of COD players any day of the week. And With Zeus AI I would prefer them over a Squad of been through Basic ArmA players but an experienced human ArmA squad can beat all commers, though they will take casualties against Zeus AI. That said 30 of us have got our asses handed to us with astonishing regularity in particularly intractable mission we keep loosing lately and by a simlar number of AI.

The User interface takes a while to master but the basics are the same as any FPS. The complexity is down to how deep you want to go in each aspect of the simulation. I know some players who cannot even be bothered to learn how to control a squad. Others want all the bells and whistles and can control whole battalions using high command. I have been playing with the Real Virtuality Engine in all its forms for so long now I find all other interfaces to be crippled in comparison. It gets even more complex when mods get added.

WRONG!

Scenarios are edited in the most easily accesable built in visual editor you could want. Creating a gigantic scenario is something that takes a couple of minutes.

You can if you want to add lots of additional scripted content to a scenario and like all other aspects of ArmA modding there are tools to help and an infinite degree of complexity you can add to it.

Many people script everything from weather to the AI it is an infinite process.

Allready modded in to several islands. Just go look for one that suits your needs.

Like many other in this community I have answered this question so often that I now just copy and paste the answer :)

Start here:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA_II_Hints_and_Tips

The ArmA triumvirate. Key things to know:

1) The editor is the place to learn and is probably the greatest things about ArmA as it is the source of thousands upon thousands of new user created content, and is expanding exponetialy. People have played this game engine for a decade, and never played the same game twice, there is not another game that can claim that.

2) The next big thing is MODs no other game even approaches the Game engine for modability, there are thousands of addons the key one you will need is ACE. And ArmA has a suite of tools for making mods the likes of which no other game can boast. Have a look at the Addons and Mods Complete as well as ArmA II editing section of this forum and do not forget that BIS Wiki

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Main_Page

there are also several Mod web sites and news forums:

3) Multiplayer is the final part of the ArmA triumvirate. There is an introductory manual linked on this page of the Forum:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=93078

I suggest you down load Yoma's addon Synchroniser. It will take most of the geek work out of insuring you have the right addons and that are up to date.

http://dev-heaven.net/projects/list_files/yoma-addonsync2009

Do not expect DM and CTF they exist and there are masses of PvP missions of those types but unlike other games ArmA is not limited to them, so it tends to get swamped in the mass of other game types. The easiest way to find specific game types is to join a community that specialises in that game mode. This section of the forum deals with finding a community of like minded people to play with:

http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

But all of us have been homeless ronin at times and just wonder the open public servers. Be aware much of the ArmA community is hidden and locked there are several big communities that do not show up on the Game Spy Browser though most such communities run a public recruiting server as well; those that do not will just run a single server which they may well lock and password on community nights.

This thread deals with some of the many different MP questions people have:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=79628

Because of ArmA's mission editor and modability peoples imaginations have run riot, most everything you can imagine has or is being created in ArmA. This can be a bit daunting at times but if you can think of something new, that ArmA needs there is an experienced community that can help you realise your dream.

Once again welcome to the ArmA community.

Kind Regards walker

This has to be the best answer, thanks.

[An Fiach 10]

I love these kinds of threads, they should be titled "Make my choice for me" it's like asking a crack dealer of it is a good idea to buy some rock from him, you have your doubts but you want the person who stands to profit to reassure you that you are making a good choice.

[Jobrmc 10]

I love these kinds of threads, they should be titled "Make my choice for me" it's like asking a crack dealer of it is a good idea to buy some rock from him, you have your doubts but you want the person who stands to profit to reassure you that you are making a good choice.

Is that your way of telling me not to buy it?

[mosh 0]

Is that your way of telling me not to buy it?

No, it's his way of saying... Come to a heavily biased forum and get a heavily biased answer. :)

We are all big fans of the game (even more so the company that makes the game, BIS) so of course we will recommend it.

[Whiskey_Tango 10]

http://ttp2.dslyecxi.com/

Go there and read up some if you decide to get the game. This is not a game for everyone and it does have a steep learning curve, however once you have become accustomed to the controls and know whats going on it is extremely rewarding.

[An Fiach 10]

Is that your way of telling me not to buy it?

Not at all, I love this game and just convinced a family member to purchase it. I'm just saying this isn't the place to ask that question and even if it were, you are your own person and don't need us to tell you what to do.

Thing is, I did the same thing with a different game and the community convinced me to buy it. It is an online only game and they are now shutting down their servers indefinitely and the game was never really finished to begin with. Total loss of my investment. Asking people who hang out in the forum of the game you are considering will get you a fanboy response and it may not reflect your personal desires.

[SteveJA 12]

No, it's his way of saying... Come to a heavily biased forum and get a heavily biased answer. :)

We are all big fans of the game (even more so the company that makes the game, BIS) so of course we will recommend it.

yes however this is proberly the best place to ask that question because unlike some forums we are an honest bunch, we'l tell you the good points and bad point from people who have played the game as it is ment to be, if the same question was asked on a differnt forum you may recive an awnser from someone who didnt give the game a chance and put you off gettin arma2

[An Fiach 10]

from people who have played the game as it is ment to be,

The game is meant to be played in any way the individual user sees fit. People go to forums where they share the tastes and opinions of the people there so perhaps in another forum they would learn that it isn't worth their money. It does not appeal to everyone and the way folks here in this forum rabidly defend the game, honesty is not the same as objectivity.

[SteveJA 12]

Looking at it in that light i can understand where your coming from however i still think that asking this question here can only be good, as you learn about features you may never of herd from someone else, for example, had i asked my brother whether i should think about getting arma2 i would have been told about, glitchs, bugs and never found out about the amazing community that surrounds this game and the custimizations that ARMA2 allows.

In my case the reason i gave OFP a go was because my dad said, "its got its problems but ignore them, and you'l love it" id of never given it a chance otherwise.

[Sgt.Spoetnik 10]

hi guys, If you are intressed in the game but wonder if you want to buy it, I can only say check out the gazillion pics and movies,read the different forums(not only here)and if you like big military simulation games this is the 1 for you but its nothing like FPS's like BF and COD4, it have a steep learning curve

and can be hard to play in begining,but you will have lots off fun ones you know the game, in SP or MP.

There are lots off sources about the game so you can make up your own mind

about buying it or not!

[An Fiach 10]

Looking at it in that light i can understand where your coming from however i still think that asking this question here can only be good, as you learn about features you may never of herd from someone else, for example, had i asked my brother whether i should think about getting arma2 i would have been told about, glitchs, bugs and never found out about the amazing community that surrounds this game and the custimizations that ARMA2 allows.

In my case the reason i gave OFP a go was because my dad said, "its got its problems but ignore them, and you'l love it" id of never given it a chance otherwise.

No doubt, I think everyone should research things before they buy them, but asking people in a forum isn't research. What got me about this individual is that they seemed to have already researched and made up their mind, they just wanted someone to give them a nudge and tell them it was the right thing to do.