Armed Assault 2 (ARMA2)

[evolvedbullet]

They've run the game on low with a Pentium 4. So yes this game scales, there might be still some optimization issues but I can't find out until the 19th. I too have a GTX 285 SC edition and a i7 920 processor. So I guess we can do some comparisons. The guys who made the game were using 8800GTs to build the same so if it doesn't work on higher end hardware it's an optimization issue. Unless your friend was trying to play at a view distance of 3 miles or something crazy.

Originally posted by: minmaster
what's more hardcore; ARMA games or WWII Online?

Hehe its interesting, almost everyone who enjoyed WWII online enjoys Arma/OFP. Most servers I go into always have some WW2O players in there.

The thing about the AI thats important to take note, is that in your typical Call of Dutys etc., The AI are mindless and purely scripted. In OFP/Arma, the AI have to actually think (and are not scripted), the have to assess every situation in order to determine the best course of action. Nonscripted AI is the hardest to program and has never been done successfully yet in any game. I think OFPs/Armas AI are actually quite good, though I mostly play PVP missions online rather than PVP with AI.

Originally posted by: brblx
on the subject of realism, i just don't think a 'super realistic' game is ever going to be very popular.

They have this entire market almost to themselves. OFP sold over 2 million copies, so for a company to own this market all to themselves is something thats worth exploring. IMO the games realism eventually kicks out all the kids who usually bunny hop in your BF2s/CODs and ruin everyones game. The realism may not appeal to a lot of people, but I think thats the point. To weed everyone out who doesn't like it, because for those who do like it - get hooked.

 

[brandonb]

Just bought Arma2. I like it. But that's just my 2 hour impression.

Helicopters are hard to get used to, the flight model is completely different than say BF2... Such as the rudder doesn't work once you gain a certain amount of airspeed.

I noticed patch 1.02 is out now. So I get to install that but I didn't really have any issues with the 1.01 patch.

Performance is good on my machine, at first it was sort of bad but realized I had AA and AF forced on in my driver control panel. Once I turned it off it, and stuck with application mode, it was much better. I can't say what it actually is because I haven't found a FPS meter in the game, but I'd say its 30ish on average if not better. And that is at 1920x1200 resolution.

It's hard to strafe ground targets with a jet. The gun platform just isn't as stable as in games like BF2. The thing rocks and shakes more and it's hard to keep crosshairs on targets.

The only thing I don't like is in the training missions between steps (like going between different helicopters between training exercises) the game does NOT autosave. So if you crash on step 3 out of 3, you have to start over and redo the first two steps. That's my only frustration with the game so far.

 

[OCGuy]

This and the original ARMA are not for the young ADD idiots. It is the real deal. This will consume most my summer.

 

[minmaster]

is it available in US?

 

[skyofavalon]

I think this video just sold me on trying it out. That looked pretty damn intense.Does anyone know for sure how optimized it is for Quad core CPUs ?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KK6Fo3Y0AU

 

[Dkcode]

Ok Arma 2 is a great game. The campaign is good and it oozes atmosphere. There is nothing else out there at the moment that compares to it. But...

It runs like an absolute dog. Nor does it support SLI or Crossfire so you could throw 3 grand on a system and it will still run like shit.

I can handle bugs and stupid AI, annoying as that is i can not play anything that does not feel smooth. You have to resort to pre 1999 resolutions and as a consequence it looks like shit. I just can't play it with everything being a blurry mess and still running at 30 FPS.

I have tried all sorts of tweaks, editing config files and messing with my video control panel. It still falls short of 40 FPS at the most modest of settings. When it counts to have a high FPS like when engaged in combat around a village then the frame rates descend into the negative values. Its just not fun at all to play like this.

Its great BI made a proper PC game with depth and detail and once hardware is out that can crunch through it with the help of some patches it will be a must buy. But at the moment BI aint doing the platform any favours by releasing stuff that can not run on £2k's worth of equipment.

Wish i had saved my 25 pounds.

 

[minmaster]

so does it run like crysis when it was released?

 

[Coldkilla]

Yea I'm just counting the days now, got my new i7 PC and from what I'm hearing about Arma2's system hogging - I hope mine will run decently for what I paid for.

New Patch for Arma2: 1.02
http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6006

 

[NYHoustonman]

Those videos look spectacular O.O, this game could be one of those concepts that I've been waiting for, for a while (in polished form, anyway; I tried the ArmA demo and wasn't impressed).
I need a demo XD

 

[brandonb]

I think I've mastered flying the MI-24 HIND, just haven't mastered landing.

That said, the multiplayer is interesting. I play on a map where you have to take over towns randomly on the map. Sometimes the enemey (AI) stages counter attacks, then I see helicopters lifting airplane wreckage back to base and people repair it to fight in the next battle.

Sort of weird, but fun at the same time.

The only thing I don't like, is with the size of the map, you are dependant on heli's to get anywhere. Which is funny because on the base, you will see bicycles you can ride. But i've noticed there are some really good heli drivers in the multiplayer games.

 

[Dkcode]

Originally posted by: minmaster
so does it run like crysis when it was released?

Probably worse. At least in Crysis you could secure a high frame rate by turning everything off or to low.

 

[minmaster]

what you can't lower settings in arma2?

 

[brandonb]

Thats nonsense.

With the lowest settings in ARMA2 you can easily get 100+ fps but the game seems to be capped at 60 fps. (must have vsync + triple buffering on)... I installed fraps and played with the settings.

I can get 30 fps with most things on high at 1920x1200 resolution. Shadows kill the framerate the most, and fillrate optimizer (an AA of sorts)... If you have fillrate at 100% (no AA) and shadows at low, you can easily get an acceptable speed in most if not all settings in the game.

 

[ViviTheMage]

You can pre-order it on Amazon :

http://www.amazon.com/ArmA-II-...&qid=1245793075&sr=8-2

 

[NYHoustonman]

Demo is out now, I'm downloading it from Fileshack. Almost 3GB!

 

[43st]

Demo also on Steam... I just played for 10-15 minutes and I've never felt so much heat coming out of the blow hole on my computer (285GTX, E8500). But it is smooth at the higher settings, so that's good. Movement and doing things seems quite convoluted though, but I recall Op:Fp was similar.

 

[minmaster]

man my PC isn't very well cooled, maybe i shouldn't consider this game. i already fried a 8800gt.

 

[fatpat268]

I played the demo (but I already preordered the game on steam) but I was left wanting more.

I'm just now learning how to use the editor in arma 1 so arma is still new to me.

 

[TehMac]

How do you jump in ArmA2?

 

[brandonb]

C is the default key.

It's not really a jump so you can bunny hop around, but it does let you jump over fences and other obsticles when you run into them.

 

[cheapherk]

What's with the blur whenever you turn to lokk around or run? Is there a way to turn this off?

 

[wheels]

It sais arma 2 is out now on steam, but not out till july 4 everywhere else??

 

[Alex C]

I tried the demo and so far it's not too great. It runs fine on high settings, but the gameplay is kind of confusing. I can't seem to find a good mouse sensitivity, it's either crazy fast or ridiculously slow. Is there a way to turn off the irritating robot voices telling you people's locations every time they spawn? I can't even figure out how to change classes, every time I die I spawn with a different weapon. I hope it gets a little better once I figure things out a bit.

 

[thilanliyan]

The demo ran fine for me...about 50fps...with the comp in my sig. 1920x1200, mostly high settings except shadows, post processing, and AA at medium I think.

 

[jtvang125]

I downloaded the demo last night and IMO it's awesome. I love games with wide open spaces and varying terrains. In comparison with Arma 1, just about everything in 2 is better. The controls are smoother, better AI, and better graphics. Other small details that stand out are the ejecting brass casings that land on the ground with a nice thud and glare from car windows and windshields at certain angles when hit by the sun.

A new addition to the game is being able to render first aid to a wounded comrade or drag them away from direct fire. I believe on lower difficulty levels you can be healed too but you'll still die instantly from nades or heavy machine gun fire.

One big problem that still exists are the robotic voices, One...go to...that building. Not as bad as before since it's sped up with less of a gap in between but it's still there. All in all I'm enjoying it but it really isn't for everybody. If you like the fast paced, shoot everything that moves type FPS then you'll probably get bored of Arma very quick.