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Gaming Arma II Review

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Sifter3000, 26 Jun 2009.

  1. Sifter3000

    Sifter3000 I used to be somebody

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    http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2009/06/26/arma-ii-review/1

    Arma II is the latest realistic military sim from the original developers of Operation Flashpoint. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be solider, tank crewman or pilot in the military this is the game for you. Just don't forget to bring a sturdy pair of boots along with your flak jacket and assault rifle.

    :lol:
     
  2. DeadMan

    DeadMan Betterer

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    Great review! although its a shame I have to wait until Tuesday 30th to play it on steam :|
     
  3. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    Very much agreed.

    Had it since launch day, and have played it every day. Friend and I loved ArmA and its expansion packs, this is a very welcome overhaul.

    Infact, my biggest problem with it is some of the weapon sounds. The M107 sounds very, very subdued in comparison to a real one. I guess its only a matter of time before that's modded or changed, though.

    I found tank driving to be incredibly difficult in the third person perspective - Although a lot easier to 'drift' the tank, actually commanding and getting decent hits was a damned nightmare.

    Very impressed with the game, though, especially in Veteran mode - So goddamn hard.

    I dunno about you, James, but I found it incredibly hard to pilot planes/choppers/anything faster than a tank with mouse&keyboard. I actually failed one of the bootcamp missions because I accidentally veered off the road and hit a cow >.> Still not passed the flying training, either.
     
  4. Lizard

    Lizard @ Scan R&D

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    If you're having trouble mastering flying I'd suggest loading up the editor, plonking down the aircraft of your choice and just flying around freely. The benefit of pracitising in the editor like this is that there are no mission objectives or enemies to get in your way so you can simply fly around and do as you please.
     
  5. Ending Credits

    Ending Credits Bunned

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    Also buy a 360 controller. :p

    Also the flying training seems to be bugged on the transport mission as either nothing happens after you land the chopper or it says you fail the mission for Friendly Fire.
     
  6. lewchenko

    lewchenko Minimodder

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    I may have missed this in the review, but for the flight vehicles can you use a joystick/fly stick.
    I have a Saitek ST290 Pro which worked well in BF2, so could potentially make this game/sim very enjoyable too.


    I'll be honest though.. it looks complicated and massive, and a huge time sink. I had feelings like this when trying Supreme Commander for the 1st time as well though.
     
  7. Jack_Pepsi

    Jack_Pepsi Clan BeeR Founder

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    Thanks for the review, really enjoyed the reading that. I've been excited about ArmA II for a while now, started downloading the demo last night and depending on my experience(s) I'll most likely purchase it considering my [gaming] community are all salivating over the idea of actual tactics and the potential to have some freaking awesome matches.

    One thing I did spot was easy instead of ease..

    ... grammar Nazi or something ay?

    ;)
     
  8. Lizard

    Lizard @ Scan R&D

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    Yes, you can fly with a joystick. However, although I'm also a flight sim purist I actually find it easier flying helicopters with the keyboard and mouse.
     
  9. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    I would if I felt like pouring the time into getting good - I much prefer sniping :D

    Much, much easier, and (IMO) much more satisfying. One hit kills <3

    My friend is a chopper addict, though, so he usually does all my flying for me on LAN's/online games.
     
  10. Lizard

    Lizard @ Scan R&D

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    Thanks :), it's fixed now.
     
  11. Faulk_Wulf

    Faulk_Wulf Internet Addict

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    What would one consider the minimum system to run this with the 3km view distance? I need to get a new budget video card anyway.

    (This is what I thought FarCry 2 would be: Massively Open World First Person Shooter)
     
  12. Lizard

    Lizard @ Scan R&D

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    It would seem to vary enormously depending on what OS you are running, although we haven't had to chance to check this claim out, according to multiple reports on the official forum, Arma II runs much better on XP than Vista or 7. As an example, my Core i7 and GeForce GTX 285 rig running Windows 7 can just about cope with a 3.6km viewdistance most of the time at 1,920 x 1,200 with most of the setings on high, and a few on maximum.
     
  13. Action_Parsnip

    Action_Parsnip What's a Dremel?

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    oooooooh this is bf2 sized timesink ALL OVER AGAIN! damn u i had plans for the summer! :p

    what kind of settings/view distance could i squeeze out of a q670@3ghz, 4gb ram and a 4870 512mb at 1400x900 under Win XP???

    Could it even run 10km for a laugh or would that be a frame buffer issue??
     
  14. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    I get decent performance on the rig in my sig at 1920x1200 with most settings at high/v.high and a draw distance of ~2.3km. Running Win 7RC

    I turned shadows down to medium-ish settings, though.

    I'd have thought that you'd be able to either match or get close to those settings at your res on XP.
     
  15. Fredrics

    Fredrics Hmm...

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    Great review, first one i have properly enjoyed reading in a long time!

    I will definitely be purchasing this game, it sounds like a game that can be totally engulfing.
     
  16. Tynecider

    Tynecider Since ZX81

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    Having been a big follower and supporter of the OFP and ArmA (1) series, Im much looking forward to porting my projects into ArmA 2.
    ArmA 1 was great when you actually sat down to mod it and customise it, or install other mods that improved gameplay.
    BI studios are very much a community games house, unlike others, a lot of what you see in arma 2 is directly from the community.
    Its quite big.
    The loadouts for soldiers seems fairly accurate, although I'm sure the modding community will change that in weeks to come.

    Overall Im impressed with the game, and Im looking forward to playing it modded to hell.
     
  17. Teq

    Teq What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the review, I've played OFP and Arma in co-op for many hours over the past few years, simply awesome and I cannot wait for the next installation.

    That doesn't sound quite right ;)
     
  18. Lizard

    Lizard @ Scan R&D

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    Well spotted - fixed now, thanks.
     
  19. $h@d0w

    $h@d0w What's a Dremel?

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    For everyone asking about system requirements and optimal settings - just go ahead and download the demo. It's very full featured and has tutorial, single player missions, multiplayer and editor all included.
     
  20. Hamish

    Hamish What's a Dremel?

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    lol i flew straight into a tree trying to use kb + mouse in a chopper
    plugged in my trusty sidewinder FF2 joystick and yay, full force feedback support!

    my biggest issue so far is the terrible cutting together of voices
    man
    FRONT!
    FAR!

    target
    THAT!
    man

    etc
    it actually really breaks the immersion imo :(
     
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