By Alec Meer on June 7th, 2011 at 2:51 pm.
AND YET IT STILL COMES. The next offering from the infinite wheel of trailers is BIS’s Arma 3. They’ve gone for the live-action teaser trailer approach with this one, and something of a mood piece rather than giving much away about the game. I’ve attempted to ameliorate this by including a second, fan-made video composed of all the screenshots to date stitched together and given an ominous soundtrack.
[REMOVED DUE TO THE NEED FOR AN AGE GATE. - JIM]
And that gallery piece:
Here’s some official blurb about the game too, confirming some of the features we can expect from Arma 3. Sounds an awful lot like Armas 1 and 2 mind, but then again I guess that’s the point.
- Single-Player Campaign – Evolve from lone prey into a military
commander in the open-ended & story-driven campaign. - Vehicles & Weapons – Control a multitude of aircraft, vehicles and
ships with accurate simulation; shoot anything from pistols to
sophisticated weapon platforms. - Customizable Soldier Load – Choose your uniform; assemble your weapon
kit; change your load-out; get loaded up. - Physical Simulation & Improved Animations – Take advantage of PhysXT
supported vehicle simulation, in-game interactions and the revamped
animation system. - Rich & Authentic Environment – Explore an unsurpassed military combat
experience set on an authentic Mediterranean island modelled from real
geographic data. - Multiplayer Gameplay – Experience both cooperative & competitive
scenarios with the full support of dedicated servers for both Windows
and Linux. - Completely Extensible & Moddable – Design & create countless
customizable scenarios using the intuitive & easy-to-use mission
editor.
More on Arma 3 on RPS soon, you’ll be glad to hear.
07/06/2011 at 14:56 simoroth says:
Hopefully they can make air combat/support a bit more fun. I was convinced into buying Arma II by oldmanbob, but in the multiplayer its mostly a ground pounder.
07/06/2011 at 17:25 Rob Maguire says:
I strongly agree with this. Some of my fondest memories of OA are when I was playing as a helicopter pilot, especially when things went wrong. Fighting the controls when the tail rotor is destroyed; frantically trying to find a safe surface when my fuel tank is punctured; trying (and failing) to auto-rotate when my engine is disabled; the jolt of adrenaline when a missile indicator appears… the infantry portions simply don’t compare. Though, at least with infantry your death doesn’t usually completely screw over your teammates.
It’s just the time spent waiting for infantry to complete their objectives that I dislike about most air support missions (especially when flying transport). And getting shot in the head from kilometers away, but that’s hardly exclusive to vehicles. ;-)
07/06/2011 at 14:58 theCHENRY says:
I was just thinking of getting AMRA 2, but I guess I’ll wait for more Arma 3 details.
07/06/2011 at 15:01 EBass says:
And not getting Arma2 because you’re waiting for Arma3 is rather silly. I doubt it’ll be here until at least 2013 and its not like you can fill in your realistic warsim desire with any other game (if anyone says OFP:DR I will stab them)
07/06/2011 at 15:12 Joshua says:
OFP:RR :P
07/06/2011 at 15:45 Pathetic Phallacy says:
@Joshua
Operation Flashpoint is more action than simulation. Arma 2, as far as tactics, is a bit more complex.
In terms of complexity and tactics, I would rank it:
1) Probably some indie game I have yet to discover
2) Arma
3) Operation Flashpoint
4) Battlefield
95) Call of Duty
07/06/2011 at 17:02 BAReFOOt says:
@Pathetic Phallacy: That went riiight over your head. ^^
Also, realism is a bad thing. If I want realism, I go outside. If I’d want war realism, I’d go outside in Iraq or something. (Ok, or Alabama as a black Arab yuppie.) ;)
Why anyone would play a game that’s deliberately designed not to be fun (real war is never fun), is beyond me. But OK, then again, there are masochists too, who have just as much a right to fun, so I guess there is a interest group. :)
Also, there seems to be a strong correlation between simulation player behavior and the type of people that “audiophiles” are: More focusing on the errors than having fun. And some extremism and hatred towards that which is deemed inferior by their own rigid rules. Which may not be in a causation relationship with the preference, but which definitely doesn’t indicate a very well-balanced mind. Maybe because of a dad who expected the perfect son?
07/06/2011 at 18:00 Arclight says:
@ BAReFOOt
You’re saying everyone who likes ArmA is a masochist? Really?
You don’t think it might have something to do with actually prefering a challenge over a turkey-shoot?
07/06/2011 at 19:02 Grape says:
Wow. Way to make yourself sound like a complete idiot, BAReFOOt.
07/06/2011 at 19:51 Tams80 says:
The want for realism was parodied somewhere (probably here). You want realism?
Objective 67: Clean latrines.
You failed to clean the latrines.
100 press-ups and run to the tree of knowledge and back 50 times. With a full bergen on.
Shot by sniper in process. Once your dead, your dead. Game self destructs.
08/06/2011 at 04:21 MadMatty says:
Well, i like Arma 2, not as much as Flashpoint tho, which had a better single player campaign.
And yes, i am a masochist.
Nothing like a sniper bullet to the face from 1 kilometer away to tell you that youve approached the target area from a unwise direction, without scouting, without intel ;)
makes you think.
08/06/2011 at 05:49 lurkalisk says:
@BAReFOOt – “Also, realism is a bad thing. If I want realism, I go outside.”
No, that’s sort of the point of a videogame. Many people don’t actually want to kill anyone, or risk being killed.
Though I would agree where sports games are concerned.
07/06/2011 at 15:00 EBass says:
Day 1 purchase obv.
07/06/2011 at 15:27 heretic says:
Day when-I-have-the-monies-for-a-new-pc purchase obviously.
07/06/2011 at 15:00 Novotny says:
And Alec comes in with ameliorate, flinging down the gauntlet for today’s E3 coverage. Can any other RPS writer put a more interesting word into one of today’s reports? A strong start from the funny looking one.
07/06/2011 at 15:32 McDan says:
Can any other writer do that period
07/06/2011 at 15:03 kataras says:
How am I supposed to get any work done today with all these trailersssssssssssssssssss????
At least if I could play them, it wouldn’t be so bad.
07/06/2011 at 15:17 Nighthood says:
The funny thing is that in this case the live action trailer is very much representative of gameplay.
07/06/2011 at 15:18 coldvvvave says:
Merkava-4, why do they think you are T-95?
07/06/2011 at 17:57 Lack_26 says:
I’m still not sure which side has the Mekeva, in the screenshots we see NATO troops backing them up with close infantry support and another with a western APC and the Eurocopter Tiger (French, German, Spanis and Australian armies), but in this video we see US special forces and Comanches trying to blow one up.
07/06/2011 at 15:18 Koojav says:
ARMA – the only game that makes aiming and shooting from a rifle harder than it is in real life.
If the same studio was to release a simulator of peeling potatoes it probably would be operated with feet.
07/06/2011 at 15:25 Nighthood says:
ArmA’s shooting is fine once you get the hang of it. There’s little more satisfying than hitting a target at 700m through clever use of zeroing.
07/06/2011 at 19:03 Grape says:
ARMA – the only game that makes aiming and shooting from a rifle harder than it is in real life.
^ This, for fuck’s sakes.
08/06/2011 at 00:56 HeavyHarris says:
It’s true, the guns sway FAR too much in the game. It gets quite frustrating after a while.
08/06/2011 at 04:31 MadMatty says:
Not to mention moving around indoors, the soldier moves like a drunk rhino, taking steps in 1 meter intervals.
They tried to make walking more realistic- they failed… what can i say. The initial headbob that was on when Arma 2 first came out was nearly like he was riding a pogo stick. Fortunately it could be adjusted in the menus.
I still had a good time with the outdoor stuff tho, actual exciting moments DID materialize in multiplayer.
This game lacks adjustable sights, but thats no biggie.
The other realistic warfare game out there is Red Orchestra, with the latest version of the Darkest Hour mod (both available on steam!).
It ain´t pretty, but thats War (Unreal 2.5 Engine) for ya.
But it *does* play a hell of a lot smoother than Arma- a lesson could be learnt by Bohemia with that one.
07/06/2011 at 15:27 McDan says:
that’ll be me not crouching, then getting blown up. A lot.
07/06/2011 at 15:28 Teddy Leach says:
ENEMY. MAN. AT. 50. METERS.
OH. NO. TWO. IS. DOWN.
07/06/2011 at 15:54 coldvvvave says:
ALL. DISEMBARK.
07/06/2011 at 16:54 jonfitt says:
OH NO. ONE. IS DOWN.
I AM THE NEW ACTUAL.
07/06/2011 at 17:07 Durkonkell says:
TARGET thatTARGET at.
TWO.
SIX.
CANNON.
FIREFIREFIREFIRE
(*Boom* CANNOT FIRE. CANNOT FIRE. CANNOT FIRE)
Or, my favorite if you’re trying to play tank commander:
FORWARD!
LEFTFORWARDRIGHTFORWARD. LEFTFORWARD. LEFT. FORWARD. FAST!
HALT.
(Command menu: Move to Driver’s Seat).
07/06/2011 at 15:31 Nallen says:
BF3 has much better graphics than that first video.
07/06/2011 at 15:47 txalin says:
how the hell could a game engine have better graphics than a movie? This trailer is movie/cgi based…
07/06/2011 at 16:15 Unaco says:
Graphics mean very little in this instance… it’s all going to be about the gameplay, the opportunity for tactics and flexibility, the dynamics of the battlefield. And BF3 and ArmA3 are (going to be) two entirely different games in that respect. For example BF3 will have ‘maps’ as we know them from video games… ArmA3 will have a map, like you get from the Ordnance Survey.
07/06/2011 at 16:42 subedii says:
He. Was. Joking.
Wow, seriously guys, stop getting mad at everything.
07/06/2011 at 19:52 Nallen says:
;)
08/06/2011 at 04:34 MadMatty says:
@ txalin
close, theyre probably just using a 2000 £ PC
think mine is worth around 400£ new at the moment :0
07/06/2011 at 15:36 Ba5 says:
BUT DID THEY FINALLY PUT IN A DECENT UI.
07/06/2011 at 15:44 anjin says:
Ameliorate is an excellent word
07/06/2011 at 15:46 Ertard says:
I only have one question that might make me consider buying this: will it work on day one?
Arma 1 and 2 were fundamentally broken games. Let’s not even talk about the optimization.
07/06/2011 at 16:31 Zarunil says:
I really hope they make a single player campaign that is playable, unlike in ArmA 2. I bought it at release, and had to dodge as many bugs and illogical game design desicions as I dodged bullets, until the mother of all bugs hit me and my game could progress no longer. I remember the mission where it all ended. As soon as the mission started, my men stood still and did nothing. The multi player was excellent though, and the mission editor was fun.
Bohemia has always been one of my favorite game studios. Countless hours of the original OFP in LAN with my buddies.
07/06/2011 at 16:47 arigram says:
A wealth of screenshots in here:
http://www.zing.cz/screenshoty/index/2625/arma-3
07/06/2011 at 16:55 Anton says:
A Merkava? I don’t see those belly dancer thingies at the back of the turret…
07/06/2011 at 22:08 pepper says:
I think it is, Its not a T-95 though.
The belly dancer thingy’s on the merkava may be just something used for desert warfare.
07/06/2011 at 16:50 Anton says:
Weird… AFAIK the Comanche project was cancelled… does that mean ARMA 3 will be cancelled? =P
07/06/2011 at 17:38 El_MUERkO says:
The Comanche project was ‘cancelled’ But then the OBL raid was done in some form of never before seen stealth Blackhawks, so was it really cancelled?
07/06/2011 at 18:00 Lack_26 says:
The ArmA world is an alternative reality, I believe they said that the project was either started up again or never cancelled
They said this was so they could use lots of cool military hardware that never made it to the battlefield, which means more explosions, always good.
07/06/2011 at 19:44 godwin says:
This future soldier stuff is getting a little ridiculous though hmmmm. And OPFOR this time round sure operates a lot of IDF equipment?
08/06/2011 at 04:38 MadMatty says:
You´d be surprised at what equipment some nations have.
The Americans are selling to everyone who they havent been fighting for the past 10 years, and alliances change quite a bit over time.
Remember the USA giving the Taliban stinger missiles around 1990 to fight the russians etc.
07/06/2011 at 21:57 Ricemanu says:
I sincerly hope they fix the completely unusable controls. They were bad in Arma1 and only got worse in part two. I bought ArmA2 about a year ago and waited since for a patch against the terrible mouselag.
The unlimited potential wasted here is just stunning me.
08/06/2011 at 02:21 HeavyHarris says:
I think the weapon “lag” is intentional, to give you a feel for the weapon’s heft. Personally, having handled an AK here and an AR there, I think it’s wholly misused. Weapon heft should probably only be applied to something like a PKM or an M240-B. And the sway, good lord the sway! Also, as I’ve seen it, weapons do not sway side to side like that when you walk forward. When a designer tries to make a game realistic, there are good things they can can do and horrible things. The most fun I’ve had with realism in a game is with Project Reality. You’re not gonna hit much if you fire wildly. You’re rewarded for patience, aiming your shots and keeping your head down. In Arma I’ve always felt like I was being punished for playing the game. But that’s just my opinion.
07/06/2011 at 21:59 Apocalypse 31 says:
Oh ArmA, how the players have sugarcoated you so much over the years…
AI is fucking horrible. Just god aweeeeeeeeeeful.
Personal movement is the WORST in any game I’ve ever played.
Game needs a new engine.
07/06/2011 at 22:24 wodin says:
The high command thing I hate…as soon as it starts in a campaign I stop playing…is it that popular that they keep on putting it in the sim?
I tried the last OP iteration and it was for me dire…looks and gamaplay…ARMA beats the latest OP games…just ahte the high command nonsense…
08/06/2011 at 00:08 soldant says:
Can’t wait. Of course all I want out of ARMA3 is improved AI, imporved physics, and framerates somewhere around the high 30s without turning all the graphical features down and playing at 640×480.
08/06/2011 at 02:17 LJFHutch says:
I only wish they decided to make the game authentic instead of all this high-tech futuristic never-fielded stuff. With each game ArmA becomes less and less believable … It may be somewhat realistic but it’s more out of touch with the real world than Call of Duty now.
Is it too much to ask to have real weapons, armies and countries to fight with?
08/06/2011 at 05:07 dsi1 says:
Does that tank fire a… railgun?