Bohemia Interactive’s seminal FPS, Arma 3, had a big year in 2015, and the developer is looking to go big again this year. The Marksmen DLC, new End Game mode, and the pivotal Nexus update were three of Arma’s biggest news pieces last year, but now Bohemia is Scanning The Horizon and looking towards the future. All plans point to Arma 3 Apex, which will serve as the game’s next big expansion, and will see an armory full of new mechanical tweaks, vehicles, and other goodies wrapped in a nice DLC package.
So, what’s on the menu for 2016? In short:
- Arma 3 Apex – Players will dive into Tanoa, a 100 square kilometer archipelago in the South Pacific.
- New Vehicle Classes such as Light Strike and the VTOL will be added to the game.
- A large graphical overhaul aimed at improving the game’s lighting while also introducing “Sea Shader” and “Screen-space Reflections” tech.
- An audio overhaul to complement the anticipated Visual Update.
- The long awaited Eden Update, which will elevate Arma 3’s mission Editor to a new level of greatness.
- The “Launcher-based Server Browser” is a huge quality of life feature which gives players better filtering options, as well as the ability to auto-download dependent mods before hopping into a multiplayer match.
- Finally, numerous tweaks, both big and small, will continue to make Arma 3 the best game it can be:
- Improved weapon switching, cleaning up the UI, Arma 3 Units expansion, Scripting improvements and additions, and expanded multiplayer systems like Revive and Dynamic Groups.
In short, Bohemia has a plate full of delicious updates coming this year that will propel Arma 3 into the future, both in game and in the real world.
Star Citizen Alpha 2.1
Several weeks ago, Cloud Imperium Games finally released a somewhat persistent version of Star Citizen. I took a look at it, here, and I still stand by my words: It’s a lovely mess. If you’ve been following the game as long as I have, it was extremely gratifying to see the beginnings of Chris Roberts’ promises coming together. It’s not release worthy yet, by any stretch of the imagination, but running/flying around with friends and other SC players is a thrill.
CIG and RSI have lost no momentum as 2016 begins, and in fact, we’re already at update 2.1, which adds and fixes a healthy number of things. The patch notes themselves are extensive, but here are some of the standout updates:
Sadly, the new EVA system is off the grid for the time being, as it needs more time in the shop before deployment. However, 2.1 does give us some nice treats:
- You can now select your “Instance” from the Universe UI (Best thing in 2.1!)
- The Vanguard Warden is available to owners of the Harbinger and Sentinel, as a loner (AKA not in the Hanger). Also, the VW is a bit too maneuverable, so expect some tweaks to be made to its balance soon.
- The Million Mile High Club is now available in the Universe interface… if you’re cool nuts enough to be able to get there.
- The AEGIS Sabre is ready for your Hanger and the MISC Freelancer model can be viewed and flown in Crusader.
- Dual missile lock/fire is now ready!
- Ships with the WillsOP Targeting Computer (Origin 325a) can lock/fire 4.
- The Covalex Shipping hub now has a multi-path/ending mission!
- Some needed animation fixes and performance improvements made it into the game.
- I still have a really fickle experience while on Crusader, however.
What are you guys looking forward to most in Arma 3 Apex, and how has your experience in Star Citizen fared so far? Discuss more about it here at the SimHQ Forums!
