Arma 2

[[29ID]B|Pvt.Mickd]

Re: Arma 2

ArmA 2 is not mainstream. PVP, or versing other players, only leads to unrealistic, arcade gameplay. The game is best played against AI.

ArmA 2 is not a fragfest. You have no real reason to desire playing against other people, apart from a slight lack of AI intelligence. PVP only leads to a misunderstanding of what this game is about.

ArmA 2 is about teamwork, and cooperating, hence why COOP is the most played mode.

If you don't like playing against AI because you want to kill humans, then you are into this game for all the wrong reasons.

You couldnt be more wrong KC and im surprised to hear it from someone who atleast on the surface seems to have expereince of ArmA to a large degree & be so dismissive. its not a typical trait for someone who is involved in this kind of niche gaming community. Both are excellent COOP and PvP.

COOPs tend to feel slightly more immersive as the AI tend to stay where their told to stay. That might be a patrol path, or guarding a base or whatever. This means that you can take your time (depending upon the mission paramters etc) and build up a nice deliberate assault which is great & when it works its a beutiful thing to behold. However, i find that the unpredicitability of humans adds a great dimension too as you 'know' how the bots are going to react. Saying either or is very narrow minded i feel. Its how the mission is set up effects the gameplay, not always the participants be it AI or Human. I tend to play more PvP than COOP but i do enjoy both.

Have you ever tried anything like IC-ArmA KC? For those of you who do wish to experience organised PvP games, you should check out our new tournament for ArmA II here: http://cfarma2.com/

We ran one for ArmA (which is still going btw) and we regularly had over 100 people in the server running organised battles.

Opinions of ArmA II
I love it, but i loved ArmA. Visually its stunning. I was getting dropped off in a Seahawk in a field surrounded by trees. It was like i was really there. It was kind of frightening.

Another experience i had was while playing a COOP with a few guys. I was going to pick them up. I was driving down the road and a little bunny rabbit ran accross the road infront of me and dissappeared into the forest. Its full of nice touches like that.

For those of you who have never played the series i would have one piece of advice. Do not reject it at the first attempt. The learning curve is the steepest for any FPS i have ever played and thus its easy to get disillusioned. However, the abiding sentiment is that 'the more your put into it, the more you get out of it'.

[KC-10]

Re: Arma 2

I'm not interested in leagues or tournaments. I like teamwork on public servers, and the only teamwork I have ever encountered has been in a COOP mission. Even BF2 has actual instances of teamwork on public PVP servers (at times).

However, the problem with PVP missions in ArmA, lies not in the players. It lies in mission makers who do not create the missions in a way that encourages teamwork. Most PVP missions are pure fragfests, nothing more.

The movement system also prohibits PVP, PVP brings fragfest to mind. Fragfest brings hitting WASD and SPACEBAR to mind. Its very hard to enjoy the game in a CQC fragfest, which is what most players on this site would like.

I'm sure that with its rehashed movement system, ArmA 2 is more than capable of providing some nice PVP. But good PVP will require mission makers setting realistic objectives for each team, and it will also require publishing these missions in a manner that appeals to public players, not only league.

You must however, admit that anyone looking for a fragfest/deathmatch will be very disappointed in this game.

[stilla-killa]

Re: Arma 2

So is it worth getting?

[[29ID]B|Pvt.Mickd]

Re: Arma 2

So is it worth getting?

Yes it is depending upon what you want from the game. Read below.

I'm not interested in leagues or tournaments.

Which is fine. However, its an avenue to achieve what a lot of new players top the BIS series of games will want.

However, the problem with PVP missions in ArmA, lies not in the players. It lies in mission makers who do not create the missions in a way that encourages teamwork.

So you admit then that the biggest issue is not the game, its the people who make the missions. I agree 100%.

I started work on a series of Objective Based TvT maps a little while ago. These in essence where typicall COOPs but instead of the enemy being AI, they were people. Taking one example i made was 'Destroy the Aircraft on the Airfield'. I think you will agree this is a pretty typical kind of COOP mission, go here, then do that and you succeed. However, i made the missions where instead of the Bots defending the aircraft, it was humans. If your side doesnt defend the Aircraft, your going to loose pretty quickly, likewise if you ride in on a wild horse, the other guys are going to Zerg you and your dead. Its very easy to do and achieive the desired results. It just takes a bit of imagination and thats where the Mission Makers come in.

The movement system also prohibits PVP, PVP brings fragfest to mind.

I cant factor in your own perceptions of what is and isnt in a game. My perception is totally different. If PvP means fragfest to you then its your own perception telling you that from the expereinces you have had over time. Thats understandable. It means something totally different to me.

Fragfest brings hitting WASD and SPACEBAR to mind. Its very hard to enjoy the game in a CQC fragfest, which is what most players on this site would like.

I agree that the ArmA system controls are not set out ideally for what your term to be Fragfest. However, this does not mean that it doesnt work for PvP as PvP is not only about CQB. Im not sure that everyone on the site will be pleased at you telling them what they like though lol.

I'm sure that with its rehashed movement system, ArmA 2 is more than capable of providing some nice PVP.

It does and so did ArmA

But good PVP will require mission makers setting realistic objectives for each team, and it will also require publishing these missions in a manner that appeals to public players, not only league.

Yeah it does. The Objective Based PvP missions are the kind of idea required. I also agree about making the missions available to the public, its something that at Charlie Foxtrot we are certainly going to try and do.

You must however, admit that anyone looking for a fragfest/deathmatch will be very disappointed in this game

Definitely. Its not that kind of game whatsoever. However, just because it doesnt excel at that, doesnt mean that PvP is rubbish as you alluded to in your orginial post.

I think we both agree that there is a large element of which falls upon the mission makers to make missions which do that.

[stilla-killa]

Re: Arma 2

How are the graphics?

[[29ID]B|Pvt.Mickd]

Re: Arma 2

How are the graphics?

Visually and more importantly atmospherically its stunning. Please be warned its a system hog. Its more of a proccessor hog than a graphical one so the techs tell me but you still need a good video card.

[Numptie]

Re: Arma 2

i have been playing on the same server all weekend, XR-ArmA 2 server | 100 mbit, running Crcti Warfare .04 18v18. i love it seems to be the perfect game mode for me, although sometimes you hardly see an enemy.

[stilla-killa]

Re: Arma 2

Are there in game stats, ranks, ribbons, badges, like BF2?

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Arma 2

I'm still interested in maybe getting this. I like the discussion going on here as it's helping formulate in my mind what this game is really like before I decide to buy it or not. Keep up the discussion.

Any word on the demo yet?

And I have a quad core, q6600, so I'm glad to hear it leans more towards the processor side of things.

Hmm, I think I almost need some type of demo, even if it's training, to decide before buying b/c I'm a little on the tight side with my money right now.

[[29ID]B|Pvt.Mickd]

Re: Arma 2

Are there in game stats, ranks, ribbons, badges, like BF2?

Nothing of the sort which is a good thing in my book. IN one game mode called Evolution you have to gain rank to drive vehicles to stop idiots jumping in helos and crashing them in the first minutes (resources are finite). However they are not stored externally or transferred from server to server.

[imported_Whiskey]

Re: Arma 2

If someone who has Arma2, and a fairly powerful PC/vid card, could post up some nice screenshots or vids, I'm sure many here would appreciate it.

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Arma 2

Not a whole lot changes in this vid, but it's cool to know that there are over 1500 AI, unscripted and it really has the feel of a chaotic war going on.

Vid here

As some mentioned, the muzzle flash...eww, but I'm not sure if that's b/c of everything else going on.

This video here is cool to watch.

They definitely did a good job with the running and the atmosphere and feeling. They skimped on some things, but word, pretty cool.

And lastly...lol vid.

I lied, but you have to see this plane spam, ROFL!!!
View here.

[Iwantcable]

Re: Arma 2

I lied, but you have to see this plane spam, ROFL!!!
View here.

Now that was :awes

[KC-10]

Re: Arma 2

Mickd, I apologise for not elaborating on some of those points. I was a little too quick to judge PVP, and I should have stated that not all PVP is rubbish, but it does require careful and smart mission making.

Now, I admit that I am in a rush to defend this game against the arcade-gamers who could potentially destroy it.

No one here can help you guys understand this game and what it is about. You must download the demo for yourself and decide whether or not you enjoy the game's open design.

Open design does not mean infantry one minute, tank driver the next and fighter pilot finally. The game is open in the sense that it allows a large degree of freedom in what it can and cannot simulate, right out of the box, and it also refers to the fact that ArmA 2 is not a linear corridor shooter like CoD. Whatever gameplay mechanics you were used to in BF2/CoD, are next to useless here.

As for stats, rank and awards - as Mickd said, the omission of such filth is only a good thing. ArmA 2 should be about teamwork, and stats are unrealistic and detract from any possible teamwork. Even the ranking in that one mission, Evolution, ruins the mission (really, Evolution ruined the mission though, because it is in no way realistic).

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Arma 2

Mickd, I apologise for not elaborating on some of those points. I was a little too quick to judge PVP, and I should have stated that not all PVP is rubbish, but it does require careful and smart mission making.

Now, I admit that I am in a rush to defend this game against the arcade-gamers who could potentially destroy it.

No one here can help you guys understand this game and what it is about. You must download the demo for yourself and decide whether or not you enjoy the game's open design.

Open design does not mean infantry one minute, tank driver the next and fighter pilot finally. The game is open in the sense that it allows a large degree of freedom in what it can and cannot simulate, right out of the box, and it also refers to the fact that ArmA 2 is not a linear corridor shooter like CoD. Whatever gameplay mechanics you were used to in BF2/CoD, are next to useless here.

As for stats, rank and awards - as Mickd said, the omission of such filth is only a good thing. ArmA 2 should be about teamwork, and stats are unrealistic and detract from any possible teamwork. Even the ranking in that one mission, Evolution, ruins the mission (really, Evolution ruined the mission though, because it is in no way realistic).

Is the demo out? I really do think that others on here, along with myself, need to actually try this thing out before we can decide.