ARMA & ARMA2

[RedRaven]

Edit by Moderator:

This post/topic was originally part of the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and therefore you'll find lots of posts that belong to specific boards in ArmA2. Thanks to PZ we now have  these extra boards :)  :-X

/edit.

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hi all, who out there can help me out with some info?
have read that Arma is based on OPF, so presume Arma2 will be based on OPF2. would like to know how Arma compares to OPF, pro`s and con`s of each etc cos dont want to spend money on games just to have them sit on shelf. All opinions will be greatly appreciated as only play FC2 and Stalker at the moment so pretty new to FPS genre games. cheers guys (and gals if any out there)

[PZ]

Sorry, I'm new to FPS games as well so I don't know anything about ARMA, but now I'll eagerly await the reply of someone that does!

[Art Blade]

Although I'm veteran to FPS, I know naught about these.

[DKM2]

 :)  I tried a few searches, some kinda game
Not very main stream by the looks of it, only turned up about 100 results from yahoo.

[JRD]

Been checking the official ArmA2 site

http://www.arma2.com/

It looks just beautyful too, but I know nothing about story or gameplay. Only thing I know is that it was made after OFP by the same studio (Bohemia Interactive Studios - BIS) after a split in the company...
ArmA got a 7/10 at gamespot whereas Operation Flashpoint 1 got 8.7/10.
Reviews are always dependent of the reviewr, of course, but overall they hit the spot on my taste, so I believe it's quite reasonable to assume ArmA is an attempt to get OFP players however not too successful!
Besides, OFP1 was released in 2001, while ArmA was released in 2007... can't compare engines, graphics etc... but it seems that ArmA carries the same mistakes OFP commited 6 years latter despite the progress in technology!!

Apparently ArmA 2 is trying to release at the same time as OFP2 to compete for gaming dollars....

Read the Gamespot review for ArmA here and for the original Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis here.

As I read a lot of OFP2 forums, most guys says ArmA is not a good choice to spend your cash...... but I'm really curious about it, so if someone that has played both games read this thread, please, post your thoughts... we appreciate ;)

[PZ]

Impressive research, J, and I must say and impressive game as well.  This one bears watching, and seems to cover quite a bit of the world - I like that.

[RedRaven]

cheers guys, got original OPF game of year release with all expansions, installed it, Proper trip back in time. even at max settings graphics look old, will give it a few hours game play and report back, 2 looks much nicer on the eye tho.

[JRD]

dke58.. I'm just curious.. did you give a go on OFP1? Have you moved further in the game?
How do you like it?

[RedRaven]

 installed it, set graphics to maximum, started a game and Oh Lordy does it look dated, found the controls a bit clumsy too.
so put it on shelf for later on, still hooked on FC2 ( currently on 5th & 6th play thru.)
and been kinda spoiled by trailers of OFP2.
but ARMA2 out first..... cant wait ;D

[JRD]

I thought you would... I re-played OFP1 in 2005, I guess, and couldn't go too far in the game too.. blocky graphics and crappy textures for today's standards.
Controls are clumsy indeed, hope they can get it fixed for OFP2....

[PZ]

Some of the old games evidently have a great theme, but not the graphics to warrant purchase in these high def days.  I kind of liked Medal of Honor: Airborne, but the graphics keep me from playing it again - a bit too blocky for my taste - I'm just spoiled, I guess.

[Art Blade]

same here... these days are the days of the days we always wanted when those games were out. Only very few games were cool enough to still inspire and attract me... one of which is HitMan-BloodMoney.

[RedRaven]

Play.com has got a little calender thingy up, ARMA 2 out in 16 DAYS. ...........its like being a little kid waiting for christmas

[JRD]

Thanks for the heads up dke58... will check ArmA site for more info  :-X

Can be a fix while OFP2 is delayed  ;D ;D

[RedRaven]

sweet ;D

from what i've read about them both OFP2 is FPS whilst ARMA2 you command AI squads and vehicles to achieve objectives and PvP too, (not sure how small "scale" of it is. ie- if it is playable as FPS)


they both look really amazing, trailers very good, some looking like could be straight out of a war film...

OFP2 is Autumn (until they put it back again!!)

[gvse]

hey guys, just a heads-up that arma2 is available for download from a german online retailer. I have already tried the game and after good two hours with it I can say I am not itching for more. Major gripes:
1. It is damn difficult to spot the enemy, and so my squadmates (AI) do most of the shooting. As a result it looks like I'm there on an unexciting trip that is limited to setting up explosives and marking targets with laser.
2. Controling the avatar (especially aiming) is really difficult as there is a lot of weapon sway and recoil. It feels as if the head is attached on a spring and so looking around feels unnecessariliy wobbly.
3. Unless you have a really powerful computer you will not be able to enjoy all the eyecandy, and besides I think that the graphics of the game do not justify the poor performance (I'd compare the visuals to StalkerCS, which I can run on dx10 high).
All in all if you like the arcadey element of FC2, COD games, or Ghost Recon chances are Arma2 is going to feel more like a chore than a game. I hope OF:DR has more responsive character control and performs better on my system.

[PZ]

Thanks for the review, gvse!   :-X

[JRD]

1. It is damn difficult to spot the enemy, and so my squadmates (AI) do most of the shooting. As a result it looks like I'm there on an unexciting trip that is limited to setting up explosives and marking targets with laser.
2. Controling the avatar (especially aiming) is really difficult as there is a lot of weapon sway and recoil. It feels as if the head is attached on a spring and so looking around feels unnecessariliy wobbly.
3. Unless you have a really powerful computer you will not be able to enjoy all the eyecandy, and besides I think that the graphics of the game do not justify the poor performance (I'd compare the visuals to StalkerCS, which I can run on dx10 high).
All in all if you like the arcadey element of FC2, COD games, or Ghost Recon chances are Arma2 is going to feel more like a chore than a game. I hope OF:DR has more responsive character control and performs better on my system.

Thanks for the heads up gvse
1 - In OFP1, the original, spotting the enemy was pretty hard as well. especially in the beginning, when you are just a private following orders and your sqad knows what to do. As you progress into the story you get more control of squad mates and get to do most of the shooting, hopefully OFP2 will be a true sequel.
2 - Looking and aiming was quite weird in OFP1 too, don't know about ArmA 1, too bad they sometimes try to bring realism to the game and end up screwing it up instead  :(
3 - Don't know why companies try to come up with games today that should be played in tomorrow's PCs... its so frustrating. Having a top of the notch machine (not my case) and not being able to play it maxed out with good performance. Crysis did it on release (2007),
Hope devs learn how to please regular users (like me, and maybe you) and owners of NASA-like computers.
I am a big fan of Ghost Recon and now, after your great review, I'll wait for more reviews and gameplay videos before trying this one out.
Well done mate  :-X

[gvse]

guys, it's not really a proper review, just some impressions after a couple of hours with the game. I will try to play it some more to see if I can grow to like it, but so far the campaign is by no means riveting. The most frustrating is that AI keep telling me there are hostiles ahead but, for crying out loud, I cannot spot them!
As for performance, don't get me wrong, the game looks good enough on a quad core and 8800gt (Im planning to get a 285gtx in November) but e.g. FC2, Crysis and Cod4 look better and are more responsive.
So yes, watch gameplay videos (there are more and more of them on youtube) and get a demo once it is out before you decide to splash out on this game.
I read on gamespot today that OF:DR has character control just like in any other FPS so here's hoping that it's not as cumbersome as Arma2.

[JRD]

Even if it's not a review, these are your impressions of the game but works as one though  ;)

Post whatever are your thought about ArmA2... I'll be watching some gameplay vids on youtube tonight  ;D

[gvse]

I just played a bit more and tried to run a guy over while driving a police car and... I couldn't even though I hit him. Twice. My squadmate got out of the vehicle and gunned down the enemy. It looked hilarious; so much for hardcore "realism." FC2 gets this aspect better!
I scaled down the graphics to eliminate the lag I was getting but now the game looks really so so, and it still stutters occasionally. Well, I will try and bring you more updates if I have enough patience to play some more.

[JRD]

Wow..... sounds bad!
What's the memory capacity of your 8800? 512MB?
Thats the recommended config right?
How about RAM?
You should be able to play smooth with a quadcore / 8800GT... no suttering or lag should happen....  :(

[gvse]

Yes, it's the 512 version of 8800gt, and I think it's either recommended or minimal requirement, I forget which now. I have 4gigs of ram. The lag occurs once you increase the fillrate value (I read it's the equivalent of AA) which makes everything look smoother. I might experiment with switching off shadows and see what happens.

[gvse]

A small update for you guys. Unable to enjoy the campaign I turned to single missions, and for me this is where the game begins to shine. Smaller focus aids in immersing the player in the game's world, and even when nothing is happening I know it's not a bug, and I just need to be more patient in approaching the objective. Arma2 forum people have already translated OFP missions to this game, and it looks like there is loads to do outside the campaign.
I play on the easiest difficulty setting, but even then the gunplay is anything but easy. Still, I got my first kills, and firefights can get quite intense, especially after a slow and painstaking approach, which is a must in this game.
On the other hand, I couldn't do much about graphics settings to make the game beautiful and highly responsive at the same time, so each time I return to FC2 I am smitten by its eyecandy. I hope DR will be better optimized.
well, anybody considering the purchase of this game?

[PZ]

Looks promising after reading you latest report - I'd definitely like to see a demo before I purchase, though.