Since i switched the alpha to development build a while ago i got the beta today!
I have to say that the new build has severely hurt my framerate so that i had to tone down the graphics to compensate!

Thanks for the heads up, will have a look.

Just had a look and very nice! Like the 2 attack helos, nice and fast and the amphibious APC are great too. 3D scopes are in now and make a big difference to aiming and look far better.

Great update!

I gave it a whirl. I didn't really notice any drop in frame-rates on my machine. It did suck that they deleted my key bindings though. I had to spend another 15-20 minutes or so re-mapping everything.

I paid for the alpha so how do I get the beta?

if your on the dev it'll update to the beta content now ... if your on the "stable" build .. wait till tuesday and it'll auto update to the beta

Beta is great, lot's of new cool stuff!

To be clear, meatshield is referring to opting into the "dev branch" option in the alpha. Right click the game in your steam library> Properties> Click the 'Betas" tab> Chose the "development build" option from the drop down.

yea thats what i ment


and so far ... if the dev build has the full beta which their gonna release on the 25th .. theres still a lot thats pretty dodgy ... and the massive recoil and excessive gun sway is still there.

Also am i the only one who thinks the Mi-48 just looks stupid?? it doesn't even have doors (yet?)

If you're talking about the cargo door on the lower half, they're actually open. If you get in troop transport seats, you can actually close them.

Setting to disable all MOTION BLUR and still crank up the rest are now in the menu!!!!!

FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the beta in a rush to fix Tao Folding Maps, which turns out to only be broken because of a bug in CBA.

My impression: the Alpha content felt new, but these additional units feel like Arma 2, right down to the ugly gunsights for attack helicopters and the lack of 3D interiors for the IFV driver/gunner (expected, they said so at E3). No backup cam for the IFVs is nearly unacceptable when the tech is demonstrably available in the engine. But I like Arma 2, so it's alright. I'm not blown away though, like I was when I first moved around as infantry in A3 Alpha.

They needed to add more futuristic stuff to the vehicles, and forget the 'haters.' Some space-IFV I've never heard of shouldn't feel and be controlled exactly like an '80s-vintage BMP. But, whatever.

I thought I would like the 3D gunsights better than I do, but I'll adapt. It certainly looks more 'modern.'

Weapon recoil hasn't been changed in CfgRecoils but feels different somehow -- an engine change? Or just my imagination. The MX seems to be easier to control in full-auto, and the new GREEN 5.56 rifles are flat as can be, though they have a monster left-right shake in the recoil. I still don't like the way the recoil feels, and I don't like virtually 'muscling' my gun back on target after firing. Sway when standing with magnified optics at total rest with no fatigue/stress is preposterously exaggerated, though perhaps it assumes some combat stress at all times.

I understand why these gun mechanics have been implemented the way they are. They'll improve firefights and also TvT gameplay markedly, I expect, by encouraging suppressing and area fire versus 'fast-paced clicking on heads action.' They're going to have to grow on me though, that's for sure.

nice review of all the new weaponry in the beta

I'm not a fan of the extent they've upped the weapon sway. I can understand the sway if one is shooting from a standing or even crouched position, but I feel like it's overdone for the prone and high prone stances. We're already paying a price in mobility for a lower profile and more stable shooting stance, the pay off should be a (near) rock steady aiming cross-hair.

As it is, While I feel they are a move in the proper direction, the combination of weapon sway and uber-recoil make the new sights far more difficult to use than they should be.

Make sure you hold your breath. Default control is "Hold Right Mouse," though I prefer to map it to Left Shift. That reduces the sway enormously in all stances. It's VERY IMPORTANT to use now. In A2 it wasn't really worth bothering with unless you were trying to make a snap shot from standing.

I don't know if I should play online with A3. I can't hit #$%^ with that recoil.

If you've got A3 already, you might as well give multiplayer a try. All players face that same recoil, so it evens out.

The question is do the AI get the same recoil?

I cannot say for certain at this point.

Up through the Alpha, AI tended to be a very mixed bag. Default settings, they tended to have a decently steady aim, but deadly spotting skill. They'd see players at considerable range if just a bit of them was peeking out. Adjusting their accuracy skill pretty quickly went from the hilarious (AI unable to hit me with multiple full clips at 30 feet), to laser sniper.

Carefully weaking their settings allowed increases in enjoyable play. But it is/was still not ideal. Once they were tuned well for longer range engagements, they were completely laughable in urban areas. Taosenai put together a script with variable aspects which could be applied based on where the AI were intended to be encountered (unlike my own early attempts at global settings).

I have not played the beta yet, so I don't know what improvements may be included.

I think my variable script is the best solution to the AI. AI meant to be encountered in the open are set to one profile, AI meant to be fought in town are set to another. It allows the mission maker much finer control over the AI behavior. Of course, the result is some more work, but the default profile works alright. I'm still adjusting it. AI detection remains preposterous. My teammates put accurate map marks for enemy mortars firing 500m away after two shells landed, heh.

The recoil needs fixed, and BI needs to say something about it soon, frankly. It's absurd, even if only in appearance. From third-person I can watch my character's shoulder buckle back like he's firing an M82 from standing when I fire one shot from the MX. They'd might as well model the stock resting half up over my shoulder and a big chicken wing, lean-back stance while they're at it. I can easily mod the guns to handle like Arma 2's recoil, but that never felt great, either. It was too little.