ARMA & ARMA2

[Art Blade]

At this point I'd like to point out some aspects of the game:

(Still) many mean bugs that can spoil missions or render them insolvable. The voice output is simply a joke (but you can get used to it). The game needs high-end equipment to run smoothly on maxed-out settings (so no worries there, PZ). Enemies shoot with deadly precision (sometimes through walls) and you don't have medipacks to heal yourself (so, yes, closer to real life and a plus for those who love realism)

Also, I'm on the easiest level possible, it is so hard to master simple things such as a take-off in a plane. You wouldn't believe how many times I crashed that VTOL just trying to get it off the ground. In the air it is a constant play with throttle and steering and the weapon systems are not self-explanatory. This game claims to have super modern weapon systems and vehicles, but you can't lock on a target and have your board computer match its speed and direction... all eye-hand-coordination, at least as far as I got in the simulator.

The savegame "options" are buggy... before the patch 1.02 you could only have one savegame file and override it when on easy difficulty. Now you have I think 5 savegames, they show date and time, but... disappear once you change the mission. At least for the bootcamp it was like this: Do one kind of training, say VTOL, and hit save, it saves. Up to 5 times it just saves, the 6th time it recognises it'd need to override so it shows a dialogue and lets you pick the slot. Then you finish VTOL and go back to select another training, and oh... it starts over. Somewhere it seems to keep track of what you did, but you can't go back to VTOL savegames. It resets them for new missions, as far as I understand it.


How to: move, operate, issue orders, use weapons... I've never seen such complicated a menu. For example, again VTOL: Hit Action Menu Button (AMB) to access a scroll-down list of actions, such as enable VTOL for your plane, and hit it again to approve selection. Steer with aswd and rudder xc, throttle qz. Hit AMB to extract flaps. Twice to fully extract them. Steer somehow to the runway, hovering in mid-air like a heli and fight it not to roll over and crash, but hey, hit Q to accelerate slightly and retract landing gear (hit AMB and scroll down the list to find it) and retract flaps fully (=twice) so hit AMB, scroll down and select, approve, but hey, keep steering properly and get up! Oh, retract landing gear, so hit AMB, scroll down and select, whoa, why am I so looooooowww. BANG.

Get the picture? :) About the same when in command of a team. Almost all the time you keep fighting with buttons, scroll-down menus, maps, radio messages, and some more AMB. And you have to keep your eyes peeled for enemies who're laughing at you fumbling with the manual :)

In short: It's unnecessarily difficult to operate. And the other stuff mentioned above. So you have got to be a patient man, and willing to fight for fun  ;D

[Art Blade]

just something I didn't think necessary but hey, since I got it already, here's me viewing at and talking to myself  ;D (changed "team" so became Travis, so could talk to the leader Art)

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[Art Blade]

In the pic below you can see changing weather... to the left it is still raining, to the right it's clearing up. I'm in some "white car" for a race against another white car. The race is plotted on the map (Kontrollpunkt = checkpoint) and there is a line connecting checkpoint 4 with 5 across a hill. When I tried to "race," the max velocity was 35km/h (a good speed for a regular bicycle), and on that hill like 6km/h (I walk faster than that). Needless to say but... what use is a race with cars you can outrace on foot, or send cars cross-country when they're not cut out for that :) By the way, during the race I had to do very small tasks, like "keep the speed at 20km/h for 20 seconds" or "turn your car 180° within 10 seconds" - what on earth is that? Slowing me down and turning me around during a race ?  8) Those tasks and the race were part of the menu option where you can check out weapons and vehicles and creatures you have unlocked so far, and the reason to do stuff like those races or mini tasks is to gather points that will unlock more items. And I have no idea what to do with those unlocked items  ;D


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The next thing I did was pick a Humvee with a gunner and got two missions. One was playing taxi (pick up soldiers at point A and take them to point B)

Then I had a mission "steal an item from the enemy and deliver it" which was great with a gunner on board who helped clear the area, and, thinking of gvse's report when he stated he'd tried to run over an enemy but couldn't, now you can. At least with a colossal car like that... I ran over 4 mercs  ;D Then I arrived at the search area. The goal was to find a thing that had a cryptical name, let's make this up: "OG-153-XZ" no idea what that might be, but I got out of the car, walked around for like 5 minutes, nothing I could spot (was on a plain field next to a forest). Then I thought hmm, at the border of that forest over there are those fluffy white spots... let's check that out. I walked there and found a monster of a tank sitting unguarded... remember, white=neutral, enemy=red, goal "steal from enemy." Out of fun I hopped into the tank and oh... it was the "item" I was supposed to steal. Now I had only 1 minute left to return to my employer.... too late. That is something frustrating. I had no idea what it was I had to look for, and didn't expect it to be a neutral tank. If I had had a chance to check details, but no... just an alien name for an item. No reference. Hrmpf... but it was fun driving around with a gunner  ;D It was also frustrating that you cannot save during those test missions and give away points that would have unlocked more items. The missions are random and I couldn't redo it either. But... there's always a next mission :)

[PZ]

Sounds like a complicated game - on in which you can spend countless hours if you become addicted.  I kind of like the simplicity of FC2 though, I typically suck at video games anyway!

[Art Blade]

if you can stand it, I'd wait for OFP2. I'll buy that one too, and report here how it goes. My expectation is that it will be easier to handle and I hope for a less buggy overall appearance.

[PZ]

Oh yeah, I'm the king of delayed gratification - there is nothing that I want that can't wait.  Thanks for the tip on ARMA2 and OFP2 - both are games that have interested me.  In the analysis of things, I have come to realize that I like shooters, and other games are not ones that hold my interest for long.  Also, I find that the more true to life, the more I tend to like them.  for instance, I'll not play a game where there are monsters, zombies, and the likes.  One of the reasons I like FC2 is that the mercs look like anyone you might see in "real life", and the environment is also one you might expect to find on this planet somewhere.

[Art Blade]

I am much like you there, I think I prefer games that simulate something you recognise as "true" such as FC2 environment and opponents (unlike Crysis where you are soon to face out-of-the-ordinary stuff including aliens and nano-suits) yet I'd extend that to racing games such as RaceDriver:Grid (codemasters :) ) and TestDriveUnlimited.

Usually I don't like too much realism, as JRD stated so nicely, "too bad they sometimes try to bring realism to the game and end up screwing it up instead." ArmA2 is one of those, I reckon, mainly because of the unspeakably horrible interface how you use things and issue orders... overcomplicating things.

In that respect I liked the idea of Crysis where you had to press your mousebutton and on screen appeared a circular menu with icons, you swirled your mouse a little, highlited for example weapons, then got a small menue with your upgrades, click this or that, and close the menu. Easy as that, once you got used to that control system.

FarCry2 is even better, you whip open your map while seeing your environment and being able to walk etc, or one key (I used "F") that opened doors, kicked over boats, grabbed weapons, enabled chat with characters etc. ONE key that did it all :)

Of course, simulations have much more options and are prone to many commands, but still... ArmA2 forcing you to use the keyboard and the mouse to struggle with menus, like pull-down menus during starting a plane... that virtually killed me over and over again.

I think codemasters have demonstrated nicely in the past that they know how to combine simulation with arcade feeling and make handling commands etc easy for the player. I hope they still know it while producing OFP2 :)

[PZ]

I guess that the problem is too many games from which to choose - it is difficult to keep track of all of the characteristics.  For instance, I had no idea that Crysis involved aliens and other futuristic characteristics.  Maybe one of these days we'll put a spreadsheet or some kind of grid together that lists the attributes of the games we are interested in.  That would be kind of cool, a spreadsheet in which you can find exactly the kind of game that suits you, based on characteristics like open world, realistic, aliens, zombies, environment, driving, shooting, first person/third person, etc.

[Art Blade]

sounds appealing  :-X

So far one general rule is "Open World Games"  ;D

[Art Blade]

Oh I wanted to add, that mission "find an item" -- that tank -- I was supposed to drive  that tank to the start point. I haven't had driving lessons for a tank yet... the mission might have had more surprises up the sleeve for me.

And the car race... if you check the map, you'll notice the green "start" marker in the north, on a road, and a red marker to the west of that, in a field... me. I was supposed to drive to that start and suddenly a message popped up like "you have 20 seconds to reach the start" omg aaaargh.

there is nothing that I want that can't wait [...] I like shooters [...] the more true to life, the more I tend to like them

While you wait, I strongly recommend you try HitMan:BloodMoney (read on our forum). Should be down to nothing, moneywise, but still a lot of fun, and all, and it might be something you'll dig out again and again :)

[Art Blade]

Something nice to tell you :)

I had to do another race, this time against another Humvee (I can't pronounce the military code for that car, HMMWV it is) and it was pretty much straight forward (except for another 180° request) and I found the start point, after checking my map, in time. The fun was: DESTRUCTIBLE ENVIRONMENT  ;D I hit a tree with that rig, and the tree produced a crackling sound and fell over! Next I came across a farm with a long metal fence-door and I wanted to know if... CLANK... down goes the door, on goes the car. And my gunny mate whimpering "I'm hit". After a couple of painful obstacles, which we ran over entirely, relentlessly and regardlessly, we won the race  ;D

And now... having gained some points during the race and +50 points for winning, I unlocked three items. At the right side, bottom, of the green plate. "Huhn, Hahn, AKM" which translates to "hen, cock, AKM" - WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A BUNCH OF CHICKEN! And I don't know what AKM stands for, perhaps "alright, kill me"  ;D This game keeps getting better LOL

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[Art Blade]

Now I know it. You can be a real cock in this game (who said pun? who??  ;D )

Actually the game suggested I ran 220m in 30 seconds... I blew it  ;D ;D ;D

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[gvse]

Having read your impressions Art one things seems pretty clear: you can play this game almost any way you want to! You do the challenges and try out different vehicles (like a rooster ;))whereas i explore the standard FPS aspect and turn the game into a military, more realistic FC2 experience.
For instance, last night I opened the editor, navigated to lumber yard in Chernarus, put there a russian radar, grunts and specnaz troops guarding it. Then I put three us spec ops in a motorboat and set objectives: go to the shore, infiltrate lumber yard, destroy the radar, get out of there, go to the port (guarded by the enemy of course) and find your extraction boat. All set at 5am with clear skies, which gives a nice ambiance and allows you to move around in darkness without nightvision goggles. I am half way through the mission and having a blast! (sometimes literally) :) I actually have put waypoints for my team and am learning new things about the editor. Later i will post some screenshots, and once I am happy with the mission I will place it somewhere for you to download if you are interested.
The bottom line is you can play the game your way and use basic commands and still get your kicks and finish a mission successfully! What is more, there are always new things to discover. For now I avoid any and all aircraft as they seem impossible to steer.

[Art Blade]

very nice input, gvse  :-X great you have a different approach, like that it offers a better view to people who haven't got the game. And of course I'd like to test your mission; I read you can play those selfmade missions in the menu I got to play a rooster (thanks for that word hahaha) but I have not the faintest idea of how to.

[Art Blade]

I'm now on to something I know dke58 will love to see... tanks. Driving and commanding of a M1A1 Abrahams :) I've been warned that it'd be easy to run through a house with that piece of equipment  ;D Oh, gvse, there is a bicycle in front of that tank, I might try get out and ride that for a bit  ;)

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[Art Blade]

Accidently I learned that vehicles like tanks and cars use Q to drive slowly, and E to drive fast (wsad is regular). The VTOL used Q for thrust (making it fast). Now I realise I screwed up the race hitting Q like a maniac trying to make that car go faster... LOL I need to do another race in that white car (or a red one, for a change) and slam down E like a moron. Let's see if I can top 35km/h  :)

Alright, tank training was relatively easy. <sips coffee> You get in as a driver first, drive it to a truck that gives you ammo (you just sit tight) and then a few strides ahead a truck that fuels you up (again you just hang in chillaxed), then drive to a nearby bush, next to it a shooting range for your MG. Then you change seats with the gunner and train your giant sights on the cardboard muppets. I noticed my MG was slightly off to the right, adjusted my aim and mowed those paper comrades down. Then I got driven to a set of two tanks and had to train my cannon on the nearest, firing with some boom, taking out the tank. I then had to change ammo, got some high-explosive stuff and shot the tank farther away, nice job, thank you, and received command of the tank, changing seats again. This time I was on top of the thing, enjoying the view. I ordered my driver to proceed to the next waypoint (great option, just say "next waypoint, please" without having a clue where that'd be on the map, but the driver knows his way) and we rattled across a field. The driver knocked a tree down with the tank which didn't give as much as a wheeze. I then had to tell him which target to shoot (just aim, click right mousebutton when on target, and boom... done).

I finished tank school and marched on to this... which is going to take a little more time I reckon ;D

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[Art Blade]

Now I'm fed up with keyboard- and mouse-driven aero-rigs. I just bought a Thrustmaster "T.Fl!ght Hotas X" 3-axis Joystick plus thrust lever.

Attention PS3 users: the manual reads compatible PC & PS3 !

On a sidenote... configuring it I made the game choke winXP to unconciousness... cold reboot. The game realises if two functions are assigned the same key, but allows you to do it (marking it red). When I wanted to exchange 2x2 (something to do with +/- X axis and +/- Y axis = 4 assigned functions) the game froze on the 3rd red marked function. So, better don't get more than 2 red marks in the key configurations... ;)

[gvse]

Ok, bad news now. Friendly AI started acting up: they get lost, do nothing when I tell them to attack enemy, go through walls, get into water and lose guns. Plus, once I preview a mission that I have just set up in the editor, it turns out some items are missing. I am taking a break for now cause apparently I am gonna have to redo the whole mission from scratch, which has ticked me off a bit. I feel like playing FC2 for a change, but gotta get some w@&k out of the way first.
Good luck mastering those flight maneuvers! :)

[Art Blade]

Sad story there, gvse  :( One thing though, the game manual says that you may lose equipment when swimming (referring to a crash landing with you ending up in the sea) so losing items in water is not a bug. Funny, actually  :) "Hey, let's go for a training swim, and the guy who loses most of his stuff buys the next round!" lol

I know how sickening bad it is to lose self-made maps (or missions, in your case) or having to do them from scratch again because some editor cocked up. Can't say "roostered up," now can I  ;D

As for the flight manoeuvres, cheers  :) ...actually it brought a tear to the eye of my instructor.

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perfect landing

Took a while to configure the joystick to my taste and to get used to it, but the results are very satisfying. By the way, I just found out what HOTAS stands for: "Hands On Throttle And Stick" LOL

And something else to add, if you use a joystick, most of the commands I was so furious about having to pick them from a drop-down menu can be bound to some keys, and also to a joystick. Which makes life much easier.

Nevertheless, I too have experienced another bug. I landed like 30m from the pick-up point, and the soldiers didn't come to get picked up. I saw them nearby, but wow, they're picky indeed  ;D Had to do the mission again.

[Art Blade]

I finished heli training. I admit that it's not an easy task. Controlling a heli is like juggling raw eggs... don't grab them too hard, keep flicking them, don't drop them... and when you hesitate or panic, you're screwed  ;D It is interesting to steer such a beast, and strange that throttle means "go up" and push down the nose means "gain speed" and if you pull too hard, nose up, you start flying backwards. It's an interesting mixture of steering and changing height, let alone keep it from dangling in the air like a drunken bumblebee  :)

The remaining two trainings "high command" and "building" (bases, hospitals etc) is something I don't feel like checking for now, looks too advanced.

Now I'll go find something in the game that I haven't done, or something I liked doing :)

[PZ]

While you wait, I strongly recommend you try HitMan:BloodMoney (read on our forum). Should be down to nothing, moneywise, but still a lot of fun, and all, and it might be something you'll dig out again and again :)

Yes, I remembered your recommendation and looked for it on the shelf at GameStop and BestBuy, neither of which had it in stock.  :-\

[Art Blade]

Crikey. Well, there's hope  ;D ArmA2 isn't far, OFP:DR is close (I can almost taste it, haha) and all the other games... soon you'll be busier than you can imagine (well, sure your wife can ;D )

I'm going to break my joystick in ArmA2 now  ;)

[PZ]

Wow, this thread has had over 300 reads - quite a few in such a short time.  From reading the reports from both of you, ARMA2 does sound like quite the simulator - you can do what you want, specialize in anything.  It will probably be difficult to master everything, but I imagine that you can become proficient with a narrower focus.

I love the destructible environment, and also the tanks and flying vehicles (clearly missing that in FC2).  Also, the missions that you can create (if the editor gets sorted out) will extend game play indefinitely.  Just in case you get some mission saves worked out, I'm going to add an ARMA2 download category so you can upload your files.  Sharing missions would be really cool...

[Art Blade]

Something I'm going to check sooner or later is how savegames w@&k here. HitMan did a ba$t@rd of a trick, the saves had internal markers that expired. So copying them to a different folder and pasting them back simply didn't w@&k - and I haven't looked into ArmA2 saves yet.

I'm also thinking of the editor, I like the idea of creating a SP mission that could be played by fellow members. But if I start stuff like that... the mission goal might be something like "infiltrate the enemy barracks and use their washing room" LOL  ;D ;D

[PZ]

hahaha, you're a funny guy, Art!  :-X