Arma 3

[PeanutButterDimond]

How come there is no topic for this ambitious series!? This series, despite being a war game is by no means like Call of Duty or Battlefield. This is a very realistic open world part RPG military simulator.

(This what happens when someone has a lot of fun with ARMA 2's editor)

First off, there is a official free version of ARMA 2 so download it right now because this series deserves a shot!

http://www.arma2.com/free

Now on to explaining what the series is.

What's Arma?

ARMA is an open world part RPG military simulator series that strives for realism when it comes to practically everything(infantry, patrolling, vehicles such as cars, trucks, and planes of various types). So mcuh so that several military groups have had the developers BiS, make several training simulators using the same engines for the ARMA series.

You will often find yourself waiting. Whether you just called in an airstrike on an enemy facility or patrolling through a town full of civilians. This game is tense and brutal. Sometimes you control a squad or you are part of it. You don;t have to take their orders but doing so is usually the best option. This game is hard. The best way to win is to use actual military tactics. Managing your squad and yourself is vital. It's all about teamwork.

(ARMA 2 screenshot)

There will be times where you or one of your squad need to be healed. This can be done through bandaging yourself or the injured person to stop bleeding and applying first aid. You can also drag the injured(preferably to cover). There are MODS like ACE that make this even more realistic.

The game isn't just an infantry simulation. it also has vehicles. You can either use them yourself or command your guys to do so. Vehicles include tanks, cars, trucks, buses and various types of aircraft. And as of ARMA 3, there are now boats. As you could imagine, these are all handled very realistically. You need a team of people to operate a tank just like in real life.

ARMA 3 is now adding underwater warfare. There will be submarines, scuba gear, periscopes, wildlife and so on. Also specific guns made for use underwater. Which do exist. In prototype form at least. ARMA 3 takes place thirty years in the future and most of the stuff are based on actual military prototypes and concepts so don't expect any hovercrafts or lasers.

ARMA is in contrast with many modern shooters in that there is no railroading. The ARMA series takes place on various large islands. To demonstrate how large they are. All of them are over 200 squared kilometers. Skyrim is a mere 40 squared kilometers. The game let's you explore it all at your will and the game let's you approach missions however you want. So much so that since ARMA 2, there's been added RPG elements such as actions in missions affecting what factions(Civilians, different armies, so on) will tell you if you ask for information(You can ask civilians if they've seen anything odd).

I encourage everyone to give the free version a try or to buy ARMA 2 or ARMA 3 when it releases.

New features the game will have in comparison to it's predecessors include:

• 3D mission editor
  
• Support for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11
  
• 20km view distance
  
• Ragdoll physics
  
• Physics enabled vehicle handling and environmental objects (PhysX)
  
• Underwater environments, vehicles and diving
  
• Weapon and uniform customization
  
• Volumetric clouds
  
• Hands are properly animated (for example steering a wheel of a vehicle)
  
• Render to Texture
  
• Improved lighting engine
  
• Support for Java
  
• Improved flight model from Take On Helicopters
  
• Support for 6 degrees of freedom
  

The developers are planning a community alpha release in Summer 2012 and a beta release later on in the year.

For videos of Arma 3, look here:

http://www.youtube.c...l?feature=watch

And have some more screenshots.

For more images, go here:

http://www.arma3.com...ilance/imagery/

Edited November 8, 2012 by PeanutButterDimond

[PeanutButterDimond]

A look at the sounds of the game.

http://www.bistudio.com/english/company/developers-blog/290

An interview with the animation lead.

http://www.bistudio.com/company/developers-blog/294-report-in-interview-with-zdenk-vespalec-animation-lead

A video of the new island that was announced in the game.

Also screenshots.

[PeanutButterDimond]

Two workers at BiS have been detained in Greece. They were accused of espionage. They're going to be judged on the tenth. They have been in jail for over sixty days. They claim to have only been touring. I certainly feel bad for them and their families.

http://forums.bistud...ained-in-Greece

My colleagues and I were shocked when we found out about the detention of our co-workers and friends, Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta, on the Greek island of Lemnos. Everybody who knows them realizes that they’re not spies and certainly never intended to threaten Greek national security.

It’s been 36 days since Bohemia Interactive confirmed that two of its developers had been arrested during their trip to the Greek island of Lemnos. Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar face up to 20 years in prison for charges of spying, which they continue to deny. And now, a strike in Greece’s judicial system is impeding any progress in their case.

To get an update on Ivan and Martin, I spoke with Jay Crowe, Creative Director at Bohemia, about the imprisonment of two of his friends and colleagues.

PCG: Thanks for the opportunity to speak about this, Jay—we’re wishing you and the rest of Bohemia well during this unfortunate incident. Have you personally been able to speak directly to Ivan or Martin? What have they told you?

Jay Crowe, Creative Director: We don’t have any direct form of communication with the guys, but they’re able to call their families. Obviously, being in a foreign prison they don’t feel great, to say the least. They’re trying to stay strong and maintain a faith in justice.

Do you have any sense of Ivan and Martin’s emotional state?

Crowe Having not been in direct contact with the guys, it’s hard to tell. But, knowing Ivan, I can say he’s a real family man. This year, while presenting our game at E3, Ivan and I were roommates. On account of his famous snoring, you might say I’d drawn the short straw. But, after a long day of presenting, we’d share some beers, and he’d share funny stories about his wife and baby daughter. He missed them both terribly after only a week away from them. I can’t begin to imagine what he’s going through right now.

Although the more recent trip by Ivan and Martin was a personal trip, Bohemia has previously spent time in Limnos for game research. Had Bohemia previously had any interaction with the Greek government or military, either in person or to notify officials of the purpose of their visit?

Crowe Actually, none of the visits to the island have ever been beyond the scope of what tourists are entitled to do and, as such, there’s never been a need to establish any formal contact with local authorities.

How did this situation arise, from your understanding?

Crowe: As it stands, it’s an incredibly frustrating situation, one which we’re still struggling to comprehend, really. From what we understand, Ivan and Martin didn’t enter any military areas and—from what their lawyer has presented thus far in the media—it’s impossible to think that they’ve documented anything that could even remotely be classified as “espionage.” They were arrested near their hotel and the fact they’ve found themselves caught up in this ongoing situation is simply mind-boggling.

It really does seem to have spiraled out of all proportion. Only hours after their arrest some bizarre media campaign seemed to kick into gear—talking about Czech spies arrested in the act of photographing military complexes to be used in Arma 3—all despite the fact that they weren’t actually formally charged with anything until much later on. I can’t imagine that helped the public perception of the situation.

In a previous press release, a statement made by Ivan and Martin described their conditions as “tough,” although they also mention that they’re treated “fairly and correctly.” What are their living conditions? Where are they being detained?

Crowe: The latest information is that they’re being detained at a facility in Chios. Obviously, I can’t speak for the guys but, personally, the idea of being torn away from family and friends and imprisoned in a foreign jail is, well, “tough” would be putting it mildly. Their summer holiday turned into an unmitigated disaster. Being accused of espionage after visiting an island on vacation might somehow sound like a bad joke, but it’s a real nightmare for all involved.

Has the Czech government involved itself on Bohemia’s behalf, and if not, do you expect it to?

Crowe: From what we know, local authorities have already accused them of espionage and have filed formal charges. As we understand, their lawyer is seeking bail so that the guys can return for the duration of the investigation; however, we’re aware of reports in the media suggesting that a protest by judges and doctors over austerity budget-cuts may delay the judicial process in Greece. The whole thing is a real mess, totally frustrating. While Bohemia itself is not directly involved in this situation, we strongly hope that Czech and EU institutions are already closely monitoring the case.

How has this event affected development of Arma 3?

Crowe: It’s come as a shock to us all. Maxell (Martin Pezlar) is a passionate artist—we even named Arma 3′s Camp Maxwell after him—and, of course, Ivan’s the heart of Arma 3. Setting out the initial vision over two years ago, he’s been a driving force in the project ever since. Following this incident, development has continued—albeit a little less splendidly—and the team has focused upon reviewing and executing the tasks identified as being key to the release of our public alpha.

On a personal note—having worked side-by-side with Ivan since last December and across previous projects, and having benefited from his wealth of experience and peerless zeal—I certainly look forward to their swift return home.

What’s the most effective way that gamers can offer support to Ivan and Martin?

Crowe: Keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and wish them a speedy return home. If you feel able to support them in any way, please do so. Friends, gamers and concerned citizens have already started up some activities online, so perhaps it’s best to start by checking those.

Edited November 8, 2012 by PeanutButterDimond

[PeanutButterDimond]

The alpha had been announced for march fifth. There will be a deluxe and supporters editions of the alpha. Buying the alpha will let you play the beta and full game when they come out.

http://m.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/arma-3-alpha-launches-mar-5-includes-eventual-beta-access-and/

There is also a revamped site.

http://www.arma3.com/

Edited March 1, 2013 by PeanutButterDimond

[Alpha13]

I'm a tactical shooter gamer myself and must say ARMA 3 will rock the tactical shooter genre. I don't have any intention of buying Arma3 at all, but I'm glad ARMA 3 is sticking to the tactical shooter genre and not joining the deceased series: Operation Flashpoint ( Codemasters), ghost recon ( Ubisoft), battlefield ( EA), rainbow six ( soon to be deceased thanks to ubisoft) and SOCOM US Navy seals ( Zipper Interactive).