ArmA3 for Single Player...

After being flat bored by other shooters, I'm curious about this game for the single player experience.

I know it's radically changed since release, and I have no desire to jump on a server. Just wondering if it's worth $60 if I never plan to play MP.

My gut would say "probably not." That said, I think it IS worth getting for SP, but not at $60.

Wait for the Turkey Day sale, or whenever in November it is, and buy it then. For SP alone, I'd say it's easily worth $30 (note by getting the pre-release alpha I paid $37 IIRC) but the real staying power is in the MP. So if you're not going to go that route, I'd put $30 as the limit for what you can do both stock and with mods.



The Jedi Master

The SP is decent. And they've worked on the AI quite a bit since the release.

The campaign is actually well done the first two acts. The 3rd act not so much. But overall, it's still an enjoyable experience.

And the steam workshop is great. Makes it so much easier to view and download user made content. Plenty of great user-made single-player missions/campaigns on there.

I didn't figure. Thanks, guys.

FWIW, I'd like to add another comment.

I've been playing mostly SP as my english and FPS skill aren't that compatible with intense multiplayer infantry operations.

At first the SP felt quite better than ARMA2, but still clunky at moments.
I suspected it could have been me, so I decided to go and do some training.

While browsing through the Workshop I noticed a simple mission that seemed what I needed.
One gun, three clips, one bandage pack, versus 10 identically fitted *bad guys*.

The first ten times I felt like an idiot.
Dying, dying, and then dying some more. I could kill two guys, three at most.

Then... something clicked.
I fire up that mission one night and I manage to down all the opposition with only a grazing hit on an arm.

It.
Felt.
GLORIOUS.

You see, it's not the victory per se.
I simply won because I was finally moving without thinking about key presses.

The control system works really well, even if it might take a bit to work it out.
This is finally the step ARMA series had to take to step into the third millennia.

It really works.
Mind you I just paid it roughly thirdy bucks... maybe sixty is a bit too much for just SP.
But the great thing is you get such an immense sandbox along side the SP that you'll have to play for years.

And that even before you download a single mod, of which nearly half have very strong SP components.
Many are specific for a vehicle, if not for the whole class (say helicopters or airplanes).

If you then have a friend into it, co op is just one mouse click away.
It really stands on solid ground.

Peace,
Komemiute out.

i do what jedi suggested, wait till a sale and pick it up on the cheap, the SP aint great compared to other games, but it can have its good bits.

it was on sale this weekend!!

I like Whole Lotta Stratis/Altis for single play.

Uhm, good find- marked down. Going to try it!

Hi komemiute,

What is your secret?
I tried this game once at my friend,
it seems harder compare to regular FPS,
I die a lot, too.

And what is the name of your "simple" mission?

Hi to you Tirta!
Well, as I said it's hardly a secret- it's the whole meaning of ARMA3.
Unlike any other FPS, as you've found too, movementsw behave differently- I might say, closer to reality IMHO.

Not completely realistic yet, but more to a point compared to -just for argument sake- Battlefield series or the Call of Duty series.

My little story above is the perfect depiction of what I went through.
And that's practice. I also come from a long time spent in Operation Flashpoint( the Bohemia Interactive one, not the #%&*$# children from Codemasters), ARMA 1 & 2...

The characters movements and behaviour in general is very similar, and until ARMA 3, not very friendly.

The one "secret", so to speak, here is simply to choose a control scheme (or keep the default one, it works and it's okay to get to know the game physics) and play a simple mission over and over again.

The one I use... Unfortunately now I'm at work and I can't recall the filename for the life of mine...

Tonight I'll update this thread with pics and stuff, if I manage to remember.

thanks for the reply, komemiute.

can you recommend some simple missions for beginner?

Dang! I totally forgot about this last night...

I should really embrace the German way of the wife, and start making to-do lists...
Let me see if I see something.

This is what I was talking about, called Survivor.

Music CAN be off putting, personally I love it.
Also from the same guy (click on "ffredyk [CZ]" icon on the right side, under "Created By") some interesting concepts.
Didn't try them all, but Survivor Endless was of my liking.

Sigma's task - Part 1 is pretty easy, try it!

Back on the subject:

Survivor, puts you in a town against 10 enemies.
All have the same inventory (a gun and few clips).

You can win by escaping the town, killing them all, or manage to hide and waiting until they are bored (it does happen).

Things that help:
- Enemies starts always in the same spot, but do not replicate the behaviour. Every time they look for you in different ways.
- They can't see you through walls, and can't hear you unless you do something loud. Use this at your vantage.
- DON'T give up! As I said you'll die, ARMA 3 doesn't put you in the BDU of an invincible hero as Battlefield or Call of Duty. You a soldier. Stop. But that means that by applying common sense and realistic tactics you CAN prevail!
- A bit of mental pressure.

Things that DON'T help:
- The music can be annoying and every time you die there's a few seconds before you can restart, it's not immediate. When you die a dozen time you start hating it.
- Enemies spawn always in the same spot- it CAN put you in a tight corner at the beginning. But you soon learn how to get out of it.
- The music. Seriously. Gimme some Nine Inch Nails- This mission smells heavily of Man on Fire. And NIN was a perfect choice.
- A bit of mental pressure. It's actually both good and bad, but sometimes make you fumble with the stance keys.

hi komemiute,

thanks for the links.
however, I am not used to steam workshop.
how do you download from it?

I have created an account, then log in, then subscribe.
but I am still confused,
where is the download button?

Usually when you subscribe- that's the signal for steam to start the download of the content.

I have tried several browser, but the result is always the same:



it seems you have to have arma3 run in the same computer with the one you use for downloading it?

that is too bad, since arma3 is installed in my friend's home computer which has no internet connection.

Ach, well... yes. I thought that was a given. You need to have the game to download stuff...

I'll tell you what- It's mainly a memory problem- if I remember I'll pack the mission files in a .zip and e-mail them to you. Just create a new e-mail account (so you don't have to use your personal one- if you don't want) PM me the address and if I'll still have an useful brain, tonight I could remember to send you the stuff!

You can then surely find a way to take it to your friend.



Just a question, how did he download the game/handle Steam with no internet?

thanks komemiute,
I send you a pm.

Received it, answered.

Hey, just wanted to say that for me, the single player experience is all about the editor. If you like tinkering as much as actual play, Arma is great.

I haven't finished a campaign since Operation Flashpoint. What I have done for the past 12 years is set up any situation I could think of in the editor, and then play it out from the perspective of different units. I usually end up with about 10 or so "stock" engagemnets that I continually tweak, revisit, replay, or just watch. And, the editor makes it very easy to build in randomness. Like playing with the little green/tan army men when I was a kid.

I will go against the grain a bit and say it is worth it. A better price is good obviously, but $60 for something you might get a hundred hours out of is well worth it IMO. I play mostly SP and I would have been OK paying $60.

Someone mentioned Whole Lotta Stratis earlier, and that's the sort of thing I like. Here is a thread with a brief run through of my experience.

http://frugalsrefugees.com/showthread.php?253-CTI-Whole-Lotta-Stratis

bad link?

Sorry, the site has gone off the air. No longer available.

I highly recommend the mod though.