Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I don’t know why I am surprised to see Arma 2 players effectively role-playing in their game, but it was still a bit strange to watch this video (below). It’s a bunch of footage shot by a “cameraman” as he and a reporter accompany the chaps from UKTF clan in their patrols on the game. They get ambushed, obviously, and plenty of dodgy-voice acting and life-threatening excitement ensues. Get through the first couple of minutes and it actually becomes pretty tense and exciting. Good job, those men.

Relatedly, if you an Arma 2 fancier, why not join our Arma 2 community?
Read the rest of this entry »

Arma 2 is going free-to-play. Really. It’s a bold move from Bohemia and a fascinating one. It’s basically a cut down version of the game, allowing you to play the multiplayer aspect – complete with multiplayer servers and the powerful editor – for free. The original games will remain, and you will need those if you want mod support, the full suite of graphics options, or the story campaigns. This is, then, like a big fancy demo. Of a genuinely great PC game.

Trailer below, some additional info here, and we’ll have more on this next week.
Read the rest of this entry »

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

We do love a bit of Arma 2 action here at RPS – it’s a regular for game nights, and an all round top manshoot – and so it’s a delight to be able to announce this year’s Bohemia Interactive Community Awards. You can nominate your favourite mods, missions and videos just here. For a reminder of the highlights of last year’s event, check out the winners here. Full details of the awards can be found beneath the click.
Read the rest of this entry »

We revealed the new Arma 2 expansion a couple of weeks back: Private Military Company is BIS’ take on the murky world of the mercenary companies working in modern warzones. The latest trailer is one dressed up in the style of media coverage of the activities of these soldiers of fortune, which implicates someone or other in some kind of badness. Hmm!

Don’t forget we have some community-based Arma 2 action this weekend, with Operation Arrowhead games going on. Check out this post for details.
Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so most of our games for this Game Club thing are going to be cheap or free, but there will be a few full-price excursions. One such is the first of our community-led evenings, which will take place on the Unofficial RPS Arma 2 server this coming weekend. To play on there you will need Operation Arrowhead patched up to 1.54, or whatever the latest is if BIS randomly release another one. The server can be found at “RockPaperShotgun – Unofficial edition” or 81.19.209.123:64738, and there is a mumble server at the same address. Password for both the server and Mumble is: rumpus

The server crew will be operating some big, organised (as much as these things can be) operations on both evenings of this coming weekend, 6th and 7th of November, starting between 18:00-19:00 UK. So come join in, it’ll be friendly and fun. I’ll be along on the Sunday night, myself. There’s an ongoing forum thread about all this general shooty business here.

We’ve got the scoop on the second bit of DLC for Arma 2, right here. Following on from British Armed Forces (BAF), it introduces another playable faction and campaign along similar lines. It’s called Private Military Company, and features the activities of a team of private military contractors within the Arma 2 world, or what BIS are call the “Armaversum”. It’s designed to be both single player and two-player co-op, across ten missions. Needless to say, there will new weapons and vehicles, as well as a new map. It’s going to hit on November 24th for £7.99/€8.99/$9.99.

For further, exacting details you should check out our chat with the authors of the DLC, Karel Moricky, senior designer, and Jay Crow, who is the creative lead, below. (And there’s even a trailer.)
Read the rest of this entry »

After the mild success of our previous adventures in Arma II: Operation Arrowhead, we’ve decided to do one more event on the borrowed RPS server before it is placed on a flaming barge and pushed out to sea. The event will take place this Saturday, 11th August September, from 8pm BST. I will post a new password in this thread half an hour before we start. First come first served and such.

So, having run a competition to equip some of our cleverest readers with copies of Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, we set out to play one of the game’s co-operative missions on a splendid 64-man server provided for us by JestServers. Thanks, Jest!

We picked one of the community-made missions for the game, of which there are many different kinds. This sprawling, multi-objective desert operation would test us to the very limit, write new legends, forge new heroes, and make some people feel a bit silly.
Read the rest of this entry »

Update: the password is “rumpus”.

Server is up and called “RockPaperShotgun”. I will restart and password it tonight just before the game, and post the password here.

So the ongoing saga of getting a proper co-op game of Arma II: Operation Arrowhead with RPS types – and particularly our competition winners – should be coming to an end. JestServers have sorted out a lovely, glitzy server and we’re going to host a game on Wednesday night at 8pm BST. Don’t worry too much if you can’t make it then, because we will do another game in a week or so, probably at the weekend, for the sake of getting everyone on board. Hooray!

Following the release of Operation Arrowhead BIS have continued to add to their Arma II line-up, and the British Armed Forces pack is next in the pipeline, as DLC for Operation Arrowhead. You will be unsurprised to learn that it features a range of units that appear in real British military, including soldiers, weapons, and vehicles, which will be available to play in multiplayer battles. Trailer below, natch.
Read the rest of this entry »