Question about arma 2

Alright I'm debating on whether I should buy Arma 2 or not. I like large scale tactical war games and this game is very appealing to me.

-Is there a lot of people that play?

-Since this game came out quite awhile ago....Is it noobie friendly :)?

-Thanks

Alright I'm debating on whether I should buy Arma 2 or not. I like large scale tactical war games and this game is very appealing to me.

-Is there a lot of people that play?

-Since this game came out quite awhile ago....Is it noobie friendly :)?

-Thanks

Hi and welcome!:bounce3:

As for your first question, there is a simple Yes. Lot of people and lots of different MP modes. You should also know that there is a big difference between a Public MP (people just join in progress, instant fun) and Clan MP (much more organised, very immersive).

And as for your second question, I would have to say no... but if you have played the original Operation Flashpoint or like to play more complex games you shouldn't be too much terrified by quite cumbersome (yet efficient) user interface and controls.

...

-Is there a lot of people that play?

Yes

...

-Since this game came out quite awhile ago....Is it noobie friendly :)?

NO!

This is game with a serious steep learning curve basicly composed of mutiple copies of your rotting corpse.

But one day you will find your self and a bunch of buddies hunting T90s with a SMAW like your ancestors hunting mamoths with sticks with a sharp stone on the end.

And it will feel good

Start reading:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01/04/arma-2-multiplayer-the-ruined-midsummer/#more-23348

This will point you in the right direction for help to get over the hump when you get ArmA II:

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

Kind regards walker

Buy and find out. :) Not a heavy investment for potentially up to 10 years of play. :)

Alright, thanks guys. I'm probably gonna buy it soon.

Sorry to bring up my old thread. I didn't really wanna start a new one for a another question, so I'ma ask it here.....

- Is it better to purchase Arma 2 off of Steam or buy the disc from the store?

- If I purchase it off of Steam will it affect mods or anything?

thanks.

Sorry to bring up my old thread. I didn't really wanna start a new one for a another question, so I'ma ask it here.....

- Is it better to purchase Arma 2 off of Steam or buy the disc from the store?

- If I purchase it off of Steam will it affect mods or anything?

thanks.

Hey Mate,

Many people prefer Digital Copies, but it is all down to preference!

Regarding steam, nothing will be affected if you purchase from Steam. Just bear in mind, some patches are not auto updated on steam, and you must download them yourself. (Like every one else :p)

The best place to buy if you want a digital version, is sprocket. The developers get a much more fair amount of money that way, and it's cheaper than steam.

Could I ask what your system specs are?

Thanks for the info.

idk I might just get off steam lol. I'll think about it and probably buy it sometimes this week.

My systems specs are - core i5 750 oc to 3.4ghz, 4gb ddr3, ga-p55m-ud2, HD 5850 black edition.

I played the demo it ran fine, except my FPS dropped real low when I record with Fraps. O and I'm terrible on the demo, sometimes I'm like what the hell is my teammates shooting at, then I stand up and get plowed in face lol. awesome.

O and your vids are sick. It makes me want to play arma 2 lol.

Sorry to bring up my old thread. I didn't really wanna start a new one for a another question, so I'ma ask it here.....

- Is it better to purchase Arma 2 off of Steam or buy the disc from the store?

- If I purchase it off of Steam will it affect mods or anything?

thanks.

Depends where you are in the world, if in the EU you can get it from Play.com for around 14 Euros last I checked which probably makes it cheaper than Steam.

Depends where you are in the world, if in the EU you can get it from Play.com for around 14 Euros last I checked which probably makes it cheaper than Steam.

I live in the U.S. I think the cheapest I seen it is like $30 off of best buy, it's $40 on steam.

I just got an email from a friend who got A2 through Steam, and had a very difficult time getting some mods to work. He bought a "normal" copy and it worked fine, right out of the box.

So much of the ArmA experience centers on community addons, it is probably better to avoid the risk that Steam might not be as easy as it should be in this regard.

You might look at a download alternative to Steam, like gamersgate. That's where I got mine. For whatever reason, it is basically the release version, but downloadable. :)

You might look at a download alternative to Steam, like gamersgate. That's where I got mine. For whatever reason, it is basically the release version, but downloadable. :)

Better still Sprocket, supports the developers much more ;)

http://www.sprocketidea.com/joomla/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-honza.tpl&product_id=30&category_id=2&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2&vmcchk=1&Itemid=2

I just got an email from a friend who got A2 through Steam, and had a very difficult time getting some mods to work. He bought a "normal" copy and it worked fine, right out of the box.

So much of the ArmA experience centers on community addons, it is probably better to avoid the risk that Steam might not be as easy as it should be in this regard.

You might look at a download alternative to Steam, like gamersgate. That's where I got mine. For whatever reason, it is basically the release version, but downloadable. :)

I can assure you, there is NO problem installing mods on the Steam version.

I can assure you, there is NO problem installing mods on the Steam version.

I can assure you, there is NO problem installing mods on the Steam version.

I can assure you, for at least one individual, there was. ;)

Sure, it might've been his mistakes, but since he was able to immediately get the same addon setup working in a store-bought version, I doubt it.

The thread asked for opinions - there's mine. :)

I can assure you, for at least one individual, there was. ;)

Sure, it might've been his mistakes, but since he was able to immediately get the same addon setup working in a store-bought version, I doubt it.

The thread asked for opinions - there's mine. :)

Sorry, not directed at you , but I tire of all the misinformation about Steam content. Aside from the location of the game's installation folder there is zero difference from a boxed version. Of the 60 or so odd games I have on Steam I have never once had an issue with one acting differently than a retail boxed version.

There was even some guy on this forum who after downloading the game via Steam, copied the game folder contents to a new location and deleted Steam. The game continued to work fine.

Now I understand that some people have had issues with games and Steam, but that's not a Steam issue, it's a user issue. Sorry, but that's the simple truth.

At the risk of turning this into a battle of opinions, there are very few simple truths in issue-tracking of commercial software. :D

In this case, there is an equal chance of it being a software problem or user problem. I don't know how technically savvy the guy is who asked for opinions. I know my friend is VERY technically savvy, and unlikely to have made a user error.

To look at it in a Venn diagram like way, the vast majority of people who have addon issues will have the same issues regardless of which install they have. But, there are certain people who have problems specific to Steam. It isn't about who is to blame for those errors, it is a "simple truth" that the Steam version varies from the regular version. That variation includes errors that would not happen with the box version.

There is no misinformation. Steam is different.

And I'm glad I didn't get mine from Steam. ;)

lol guys, thanks. I'm just gonna buy from where ever it's cheaper when I decide to buy it. Steam seems a little high in price right now, so I'ma wait a little to see how much it costs in retails stores here.

hehe

Pragmatism FTW. :D

At the risk of turning this into a battle of opinions, there are very few simple truths in issue-tracking of commercial software. :D

In this case, there is an equal chance of it being a software problem or user problem. I don't know how technically savvy the guy is who asked for opinions. I know my friend is VERY technically savvy, and unlikely to have made a user error.

To look at it in a Venn diagram like way, the vast majority of people who have addon issues will have the same issues regardless of which install they have. But, there are certain people who have problems specific to Steam. It isn't about who is to blame for those errors, it is a "simple truth" that the Steam version varies from the regular version. That variation includes errors that would not happen with the box version.

There is no misinformation. Steam is different.

And I'm glad I didn't get mine from Steam. ;)

Well, apparently I have the only trouble free version of Steam in existence or I live in an alternate universe because unlike your friend there isn't a mod for Arma2 that I've tried that hasn't worked.

Tell ya what, just so I can be sure I'm not just being argumentative, ask your friend what mod he had trouble with. I'll install it and let you know my results.

Finally straight from the horses mouth (DWarden) in the FAQ on the Steam forum:

Q: Are there any feature drawbacks of Steam version compared to retail version?

A: No, all features are same. As with any other version, community-made addons and scenarios work with the Steam version.

Steam can be a bitch to use with beta patches, so mod-related troubles are not unheard of.

I once got Steam's launch options working by deleting the parameters, clicking okay, then re-entering the exact same parameters. Presto.

Steam can be a bitch to use with beta patches, so mod-related troubles are not unheard of.

I once got Steam's launch options working by deleting the parameters, clicking okay, then re-entering the exact same parameters. Presto.

You don't need to use Steam launch options. I think that's where most people get confused. A shortcut directly to any game exe works just fine.

A shortcut created by Steam would look like this:

F:\Steam\Steam.exe -applaunch 33900

It still works fine if I keep it this way and add my mods:

F:\Steam\Steam.exe -applaunch 33900 -nosplash -world=empty -winxp -mod=@cba;@mods;@islands;@units;@vehicles;@rug_dsai;@gl4;@zcommon;@CSM2

But I created my own shortcut that looks like this:

"F:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2\arma2.exe" -nosplash -world=empty -winxp -mod=@cba;@mods;@islands;@units;@vehicles;@rug_dsai;@gl4;@zcommon;@CSM2

I certainly won't state that people who have had issues with Steam and Arma2 are liars because I believe they actually have/had a problem. But my experience has been trouble free so forgive me if I'm skeptical of those that claim that there is some inevitable and inherent flaw with Arma2 under Steam.

There are no two people who play A2 the same way.

For example, I am exclusively an editor player.

*Edit - So anyway I decided to buy it off of steam. Now It's dloading. So here comes the newb questions. lol

Do I have to manually download and install the newest patch? Do I need to install every patch leading up to the newest patch?

What should I do to prepare myself for the game? Any Mods? lol

Do I have to manually download and install the newest patch?

Yes. http://www.arma2.com/support/updates/folder.html?lang=en

Do I need to install every patch leading up to the newest patch?

No.