Magog

Takistan would be further in the east, in Central Asia.^

About Iran using Israeli tanks. Iran at this very day have the capability of reverse engineering almost every foreign weapon or machinery they get their hands on, not excluding the UAV which they hacked while it was spying over their territory. I'm sure the Iranians won't lose any sleep over using Iranian-modified Israeli technology if it can help them in any way.

BIS can slowly transition their ARMA series into a run'n'gun game without the need of being taken over.

You contradicted everything you said above in the paragraph highlighted red.

Re-read the story description. NATO is on the verge of being edged out of Europe, and then they decide to send a special forces team behind enemy lines, into an island off the coast of the Mediterranean. Sounds more ridiculous than the original OFP storyline. Nobody's moaning, contrary to how you seem to be interpreting the situation. Also, please try to refrain yourself from immaturity. In my opinion - it's both. Gameplay needs to be as realistic and accurate as possible, meanwhile a simulator must render existing (past or present) elements. You cannot simulate a future weapon or vehicle because it hasn't even been used in real life to begin with.

If you cant spot the exaggerated difference then it's not my problem. I'm sure I wont. I've only played two games from BIS, and only one that I actually bought. I think I can avoid ARMA3, but I'm still entitled to come here and have my say. BIS can listen to you all day and night, and they wont learn anything. No, it's a military simulator, not life simulator. If they cant represent the world of military properly, then they're no longer a mil-sim. From one of their countless pages: Arma 3, the latest installment of the tactical military simulation game from critically acclaimed independent developers Bohemia Interactive, creators of the award-winning mil-sim series Arma. Survive in the rich & authentic environment Adapt to the unsurpassed experience of modern ground combat Win in the open-ended & story-driven campaign Combining the strength of its predecessors with radical engine improvements, Arma 3 provides a unique experience of sandbox-oriented combat gameplay in the most detailed environment of the series.

Point for point, gameplay is what makes ARMA realistic, and I never stated otherwise. Additionally, its content is what makes it a self-classified military simulator. When the content of a game exceeds the boundaries of our present or past realities, it's no longer simulating anything but rather nulling the realism factor. As I said above, a combination of many elements gives a game its realism. ARMA is a game, thank you for the information, but it labels itself as a mil-sim as well. If it wants to do a Battlefield it should no longer call itself a mil-sim for that genre's enthusiasts. Read the story description in ARMA3's official homepage. So you don't waste your time searching for it, here: After years of intense warfare against Eastern armies, Europe has become the last stand for the battered NATO forces. On the verge of being driven into the sea, NATO command embarks upon a most desperate measure. In the hope of seizing what seems to be a well-guarded military secret, Operation Magnitude is launched. A small group of Special Forces and Researchers are sent to a Mediterranean island deep behind enemy lines. However, the mission is compromised and the task force destroyed, leaving Cpt. Scott Miller washed ashore upon the hostile island. In his effort to carry out the mission, he will face the dangers of modern warfare, an unforgiving environment, and the consequences of his own decisions...

The realism behind ARMA has never been about the setting, storyline or environment. Almost all places ARMA games have taken place in were fictional. The storylines were also hypothetical/fiction. Having said that, they were based on real life settings. ARMA: Armed Assault was based on the 1990-91 Gulf War. ARMA II was based on the Georgian-Russian conflict, etc. So there was a rational backdrop behind the fictional settings and storylines. Needless to say, ARMA has never boasted its realism on that. Instead, the simulation aspect of ARMA was its main realistic drive, and that was based primarily on the weapons and vehicles and how they functioned during the game. It was also based on the realism behind actual combat and mission editing. But although BIS tried fictional environments and stories, it's the first time they ever try fictional technology, and that places ARMA in a thin line between simulation and non-simulation. I feel BIS could be treading on thin ice but I hope I'm wrong.

Right now I decided against buying ARMA3 but hopefully I can be convinced otherwise as more information is released.

Personally I don't like it. One thing that made ARMA different than dumbed down games like Battlefield and Call of Duty was the seriousness that it dedicated to its fans. ARMA brands itself as a mil-sim. In order to be a real military simulator, you need to simulate things that already exist in the world of military. There's nothing realistic about weapons or vehicles that don't even exist or aren't in the planning phase of coming to existence 10 years down the road, therefore ARMA 3 is essentially losing its simulation experience. I think the series has taken a turn for the worse and has probably done that in order to attract more interest from the general gaming community. Sadly for those who went after realism and simulation, it only means we might have to look elsewhere in the future for a more appropriate product to buy. There's a difference between fictional stories about warfare, within the realms and boundaries of real-world matters that have existed or continue to exist, and between a future setting that is going to use technology that is merely hypothetical and hence non-existent in our present reality. Not only am I slightly bothered about what other non-existent weapons or vehicles ARMA3 developers have at hand, but I also find the storyline of ARMA3 cheesy in some sort of way.