Link: Co-Optimus Entry

Please keep all discussion of ArmA II for the PC in this thread.

I've heard this game is really quite ambitious but equally buggy. Buzz around the internet makes it sound like a close mirroring of Demigod's release, with patches being rolled out nearly every day.

I've yet to try the demo but was hoping to hear some opinions from people who've played it before using the bandwidth, so... how is it?

I think we had some pretty good discussion about Arma 2's playability in this thread

US retail copies are finally available in stores for anyone interested in picking this up.

Amazon has it for $3 off + free shipping.

This is an amazing game if you get tired of the regenerating health, running & gunning, bunny hopping, linear maps, respawning enemies, whiny kids, paying for content, etc. from console FPS's. There's really nothing else like it, and the mission editor is unparalleled. The community that exists around Bohemia's games is phenomenal. Fans are still releasing content and mods for the original Flashpoint!

With the ACE mod installed, ArmA is the closest experience an end user can have to being on the battlefield.

Don't worry about the bugs; Bohemia is very good at patching their games. Unfortunately they are a small studio and almost everything they release starts off as a work in progress.

How long should I wait until the game could be considered a "final product". I have other games to play until this one is perfected, but I'm very intrigued by the possibilities of the game.

Does anybody know how strict the game is concerning LAN parties? Can I have a few friends play off the same copy?

ArmA 2 is final product right now, it just needs to be optimized a bit for the newest cards. Most people are having problems because there are no systems that can run it with everything maxed. This has been the case with all of Bohemia's games upon release.

Turning post processing off fixes most peoples' difficulties.

As far as the LAN party goes, you should buy as many copies of the game as you need...

ArmA 2's new version of FADE has been cracked, but the game is patched regularly; there is no group releasing patches in tandem with Bohemia's updates. If you like military sims, you will get frustrated waiting for the latest update to be cracked. Buy the game.

The cracks for ArmA 2 bypass the cd-key check and work when playing offline. However, there's a second key check used by almost all of the servers; on the slim chance you are able to play online with a cracked copy (these CD keys are quickly blacklisted), you'll be turned into a seagull. Everyone on the server will know you're using a crack ("real copies don't FADE"), and you'll be ID/IP banned when the server's admin goes through the logs.

I know in the original ArmA you could disable the hash check for clients connecting to your server. I presume there's a way to do this in the sequel if you want to play on a private LAN with your friends (and they're using cracked copies of the same version you're running).

The problem with FADE is that it can be difficult to spot. If the disc isn't detected, the game will degrade gradually, affecting your weapon's accuracy, radio commands, friendly AI, etc. This has even caused some people not to buy the game because they presume "the guns don't work" (although this is mostly whiny warez kids who had no intention of purchasing it). Unless you turn into a seagull after a few minutes of playing (failed key check), it's hard to know whether FADE has been activated.

I know it gets expensive, but ArmA 2 is a definite buy for anyone who wants a real FPS. The editor alone is worth the price.

I'm definitely going to buy the game, but I'm not about to buy a copy for every one of my friends. They're all a tad bit more stingy about their money than I am when it comes to buying games, so I was hoping to be able to just buy one copy and let them play LAN w/ it while their at my house. We wouldn't want to play online, just offline LAN co-op plan.

I'll look into the LAN partying with it, but you say that it's a final product now, so worth my money regardless of the LAN situation? I love creating interesting situations in map editors and trying my hand against my own (very) difficult scenarios.. is the game worth the money for that kind of play?

And finally, how many users of this site have the game and would want to play with me?

edit: I realize I make myself sound quite stingy as far as buying games is concerned, but.. I'd heard it was only half of a game when it was released.

Absolutely. It's one of two games I've ever considered to be "worth every penny." I love putting myself and other players through the grinder with very tricky missions that require planning, teamwork, and communication. There is no other title like this when it comes to ArmA--except maybe Virtual Battle Space 2 (also made by Bohemia), which has more depth but isn't much of a game.



There doesn't seem to be very many from CO, but the community for OFP / ArmA is the best I've ever seen. There's always people to play with and they tend to be a mature, intelligent bunch. It can be as casual or hardcore as you like (e.g. there's a small contingent of people using it to play Army, some of whom are vets).



I understand. They're very expensive these days, and there's so many intriguing games coming out this Fall. The older I get, the harder it is to set aside time to play. The nice thing about ArmA is that the editor and the mods make it a game you can always come back to. You can also buy extra hardware (like a Track IR unit or triple displays) to increase the level of immersion.