FROM: Project Lead
TO: Beta Users
INFO: Patch released, Dev branch highlights, Early release prep
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

After last week's release of the second large Beta patch, we are now storming towards what is likely our last patch opportunity ahead of release. The goal for that patch is still to include the second content package (sporting various aerial and ground-based drones), as well as Workshop support. The latter is ready to release from a technical point of view, but we are getting the publication side set up with our partners at Valve. Read more about how the final stages of development and patching will work further on in this report. Oh, and later in the week we should have the first episode of a new season of Community Guide videos ready for you; a spectacular look at rotary wing flight!

INTELLIGENCE

The Artwork tab on the Arma 3 Steam Community Hub has been enabled. Show us and the rest of the world some of your cool Armart!

The deadline for submitting details for the Supporter Edition credits has ended. We are doing final checks on the submissions and are integrating them into the game. For those unaware: the first 2500 purchasers of this edition will be seeing their name in the credit listing - as a thanks for their investment into Arma development.

Development branch has been seeing some rather sizable improvements recently. There's been work done on a new style collision envelope (for characters with rifles only at the moment). Helping with issues like clipping, sticking and general handling, the animation team is continuing to do apply fixes. Most recently going up steep stairs has been tweaked. Other changes target the flight models of helicopters (more below), and there's been a cool change to the RPG42's sights and implementation. Give it a go if you don't mind the risks and frequent data transfers on dev branch.

We've officially announced our attendance of the Gamescom expo in Germany this year. Go hands-on with one of the Arma 3 Release Candidate iterations - including Altis, Main Battle Tanks and new showcases. DayZ Standalone will also be available, showing off the improvements since E3.

Our colleagues are releasing the next entry into the Take On series this Thursday! Take On Mars will be available via Steam's Early Access for all aspiring Mars Rover engineers, and can be pre-ordered via our Store!

OPERATIONS

A while ago we disabled rain because we were not satisfied with the graphical state. In the meantime, we've investigated some options for improving it, and identified a modest set of refinements we hope to include for the final game. A more significant overhaul is desired, but we're rather saturated with other tasks right now.

Task Force ROFLcopters, comprised of virtual pilots like Ondřej Kužel and Ivan Buchta, spotted several slow-moving helos on the horizon and decided to re-tweak them. New parameters were added thanks to joint effort of Vojtěch Hladík and Petr Kolář. It is no longer needed to handle distribution of mass in the model, and hope for better results by shifting a few pounds around the vehicle. Some issues have arisen while using strange values - beware of AI getting into endless spirals upwards while tweaking your own helicopter. This still has to be disposed of by moving the center of mass.

LOGISTICS

Moving into the final stages of development for the Q3 release will have impact on our patching cycle and Development branch updates. More details are going to be announced, but in general: we need to stop patching the default Beta branch at some point. One reason is the re-skinning of the game from Beta to full release. Once we start this, we cannot easily keep the Beta updated. Therefore, after the release of the third patch, further changes will only be made available on dev branch (some of which you will welcome with open arms - without a doubt!). The first update of default branch after that point in time is to be the game release.

Internally we are going to also apply what we refer to as 'data locks'. Hated by many of the team's developers, they are a necessary evil to be able to assure quality of the critical Q3 release. We cannot continue development right up until release day. Every little change has the potential to affect other parts of the game. No realistic amount of testing can cover this effectively. The data lock means our developers focus entirely on testing and fixing critical issues that prevent release. Every change needs to be authorized before it gets accepted into the Release Candidate. Then, after a hopefully successful release, we continue to a fairly similar pattern of patches and daily dev branch updates.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 25th July 2013

Calling in the support of two extra vehicles and the BattlEye anti-cheat engine, Bohemia Interactive today released a major new update for the Arma 3 Beta. The ‘APC Package’ adds the BTR-K Kamysh and IFV-6c Panther, while the integration of BattlEye (BE) aims to improve the Beta’s MP experience.

The first vehicle in the APC Package, the OPFOR's BTR-K Kamysh, serves as a prime example of first-class Russian engineering, The Kamysh is equipped with a CTWS turret fitted with a 30mm cannon, coaxial machinegun and 2 guided AT missiles, making the vehicle significant in the infantry support role.

Its NATO counterpart, the IFV-6c Panther, boasts strong armor to achieve maximal protection for the transported crew. A standard Panther is armed with a RCWS HMG, 40mm grenade machine gun and smoke flares. They can take up to 8 soldiers in the cargo area.

Another highlight in the update is the much-anticipated arrival of BattlEye - the anti-cheat software developed by BattlEye Innovations. Providing a new layer of multiplayer security, this anti-cheat software helps server hosts detect and respond to multiplayer hacks.

Combined with various other improvements and fixes, players will download the new Arma 3 Beta update automatically via Steam. The complete overview of changes is listed in the changelog and/or can be found on the official Arma3 website.


Arma 3 Beta
To participate in the Arma 3 Beta, people can purchase the regular Arma 3 Beta (34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD) or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD) on Steam and Store.bistudio.com (both editions include a Steam version of the full retail game upon release). Prices will increase once the full and final game becomes available.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Beta Users
INFO: Upcoming patch, AI tweaks, Firing Drill improvements
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

As the working days slowly start to melt together, we are preparing the release of the second Arma 3 Beta patch. This update will bring the BattlEye anti-cheat implementation and tracked APCs to the main game branch. Speaking of these armored vehicles: in the full version of the game, both will have Anti-Air variants as well. Sneaking up on us after that is the next content addition, which you probably have spotted a glimpse of in the official Beta trailer. Another huge focus is the full game and its release. All personnel is being mobilized, we are working with our external partners, and finalizing the release schedule. Within weeks you should know the specifics of the Arma 3 Q3 release, as well as some of our plans beyond that.

INTELLIGENCE

Visit the Arma 3 website for another cycle of the Community Focus widget. Shown off this time are two cool Beta videos and an impressive-looking mod package adding Private Military Company content. We look forward to seeing this mod continue development of even more equipment, as well as progress on other quality mods out there! Finally, we reach out to one of the German community hubs over at Armed-Assault.de. Incidentally we are today hosting a small studio visit for a German game website and magazine. They are getting a sneak peak at full game content, so stay tuned for coverage.

Programmers Vojtech Hladik and Krzysztof Bielawski have taken on the effort of communicating the Artifical Intelligence work we have done and are still doing in this Captain's AI log on the forums. Not everything is as visible as adding a new APC or helicopter, and these changes are fundamental to gameplay. It might give players a better understanding of what it takes to develop and improve AI for a game as big as Arma 3.

OPERATIONS

Thanks for your feedback on the Firing Drills added with the Beta. In the full version you'll find a few additions that some of you have mentioned would be nice. The mode will be enhanced with optional bonus targets, adding a trade off between speed and bonuses collected by finding and engaging these. There is also more emphasis on bonuses for accurate target engagements. Will you go for the quick hit on-the-move, or do you take your time to aim and get a center-mass shot off. The types of targets are expanded with steel, popper targets and skeet clays. After we finish the full game's Courses of Fire, we may try to trickle some of this into the Beta drills.

Today our audio team has begun recording the final actors for the Radio Protocol - bringing more variety to the collection of voices. They are also improving the use of the direct speech channel now that the overhaul of the protocol itself is complete. This aims to bring back hearing radio communications nearby as well as over the radio. It would also move combat shout messages back to this channel rather than a squad's intercom.

LOGISTICS

Senior Designer Karel Mořický has started a useful page on the Community Wiki to track documentation relevant to modders. We'd like to eventually integrate these updates into the (now) Beta hub as well, especially after release. This is when we intend to step up our game when it comes to tools and documentation. Recently, Karel has been documenting enhancements to the editor module framework. How to use it as a scenario designer, how to design and configure your own modules, and more.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 18th July 2013

Bohemia Interactive has released a brand new trailer for Arma 3. Presenting the new SP showcases, MP scenarios, firing drill challenges, faction, vehicles and weapons available in the Arma 3 Beta, the video also teases vehicles and military hardware that will be added in the near future.

The Arma 3 Beta features the 20 km² island of Stratis, 20 weapons, 18 vehicles, 3 factions, 8 showcase missions, 4 multiplayer scenarios, 4 challenges, the scenario editor and modding support. To participate in the game’s development, people can purchase the Arma 3 Beta (34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD) or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD) on Steam or Store.bistudio.com. Both editions include a Steam version of the full retail game upon release. Prices will increase once the complete game becomes available.

Starting with the successful Arma: Cold War Assault (originally titled Operation Flashpoint*: Cold War Crisis) in 2001, Arma 3 is the latest installment in Bohemia Interactive’s award-winning tactical military shooter series for PC. Set in a massive Mediterranean sandbox of over 290 km², featuring 40+ weapons and 20+ vehicles, Arma 3 provides an authentic, diverse and open combat experience - supported by a wide variety of singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay.

*Operation Flashpointâ„¢ is a registered trademark of Codemasters Software Company.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Beta Users
INFO: Beta patching, MP invites, Fatigue effects
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Later this week we are wanting to release the first Beta patch on the main branch. There is a long list of cool updates that many of you have already seen on Development branch (a few are highlighted below). This first patch will not yet contain the bigger additions you are no doubt waiting for. As we stated before, we will stage and test those on dev branch first. This patch release is the starting signal for that deployment. We will begin with BattlEye, Workshop integration and content package #1. This package is to feature two brutal new heavy vehicles - one for BLUFOR and one for OPFOR. They both embody the firepower and logistics themes we're exploring in the Beta perfectly. Before the assets appear on the branch, we'd like to share a teaser shot of these beasts via our usual channels - stay tuned!

INTELLIGENCE

Continued efforts to leverage the Steamworks-integration have brought a few small cool features. You can now invite Steam friends into your public MP game. Those friends can accept the invites within the game and connect to whichever server you are on, without having to search the server list.

Another nice fix has been the removed need for a loading screen when closing the in-game map. You can now much quicker get back to the action after checking your position on the battlefield.

OPERATIONS

With the release of Beta and newly separated Post-Processing video options, came feedback about the blurring caused by fatigue. These effects had been in Alpha for many weeks, but it became apparent to people because they were no longer linked to any of the settings. Since the blurring causes motion sickness and head aches for some people, we feel it's important to be able to disable this type of feedback. Our first step in addressing this has been to switch to a type of blur that can be disabled via the PP options.

There is one graphical enhancement we are going to have to take out for the initial release of Arma 3. You may have noticed more use of functioning doors on vehicles while getting in and out. Unfortunately there are issues with this approach we do not have time to address (without taking away resources from more critical areas). Examples relate to doors on large shared passenger compartments and grenades thrown into vehicles. Even if we were able to correct those, we would not have time to enable it for all vehicles (their meshes are not all prepared for it). This inconsistent state is not acceptable to us and therefore we will disable the doors for release. Since it does look very cool, we hope to re-visit this post-release and do it right.

Another enhancement did finally make it in: animated fire mode selectors on personal weapons. It's a little touch to be able to see the selected mode on your weapon when looking down (especially when bullpup rifles place them in rather awkward places!), but it's cool nonetheless.

LOGISTICS

The Community Focus widget on the main Arma 3 website got refreshed with two nice fan-made Beta trailers. We also link out to our friends in the French community. Finally, there is a look at the added freedom to look around when using 6DOF head-tracking in helicopters.

Our programmers have recently had some wins in the field of optimization, but we want to be careful sharing these performance gains. As we keep saying: this is a forever ongoing effort. Just because we were able to sneak in a few extra frames per second here and there, does not mean we believe this task is done. Please also understand that there are many types of optimizations. Some are global, some relate to specific graphics hardware vendors and / or drivers, some work only in specific game scenes, some are CPU-based and some GPU-based, some relate to network traffic, etc.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Beta Users
INFO: Beta release, content additions, BattlEye and Workshop
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

Last Tuesday we transitioned from Arma 3 Alpha to Beta, and it went quite smoothly. This was yet another simulation of the release in Q3, letting us improve the processes. As with the Alpha release a few months back, this second major public milestone helps lift our spirits for the final sprint. We enjoy reading your positive comments and take your feedback and criticism to heart. We followed up with several days of significant changes and fixes on Development branch and will continue to do so. While we do not yet want to reveal the specific Beta additions we are planning, we think you'll be very happy to receive them. Two content packages are being readied with priority and they are both larger than the Sniper Package for Alpha.

The next couple of months are going to be a major test of our endurance. We need to support and maintain the Beta, but also prepare for the release later this year. That release comes with a lot of extra project tasks which must be done, but take away resources from in-game development. Games need rating, games need localization for various regions, the boxes need finalization, the disc-versions need a special installer and much more. Luckily we have some amazing people working with the core development team, helping with this publishing work.

INTELLIGENCE

Besides being busy with the Beta launch, the second reason for not doing a SITREP last week was the release of the next Community Guide video. In his fourth update, titled 'SITREP I', Andrew Gluck took a last look at the Alpha, ran through several community mods, and finally discussed the contents of the Beta.

We've also published another Report In! interview, this time with Quality Assurance Lead Miloslav Cinko. Read about how Arma 3 gets tested, and how Miloslav's team supports us to try for the best possible level of quality for every release.

OPERATIONS

One of the additions to the Beta was the Firing Drills challenge game mode. It's been insane seeing the record times and play through videos you've posted! This was just the first release of this mode, which will get updated with new features and of course additional drills. A key update coming as soon as possible is accuracy-based scoring. This will introduce an interesting trade off between moving through the Course of Fire quickly and scoring higher bonuses for accurate target engagements. Additionally, one of the goals for the Firing Drills is to make it possible to design an entire COF within the editor using modules, and to share it via Workshop. This is not yet possible now, and setting up a drill requires config work. Stay tuned for updates!

LOGISTICS

The two primary updates to the Beta we want to roll out on Development branch a.s.a.p. are BattlEye anti-cheat and Workshop for SP& MP scenarios. Both are being prepared now, so we can get them tested on that branch, before including them in a main branch update.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 27th June 2013

Providing a SITREP of development so far, Bohemia Interactive has published a brand new video for Arma 3. The latest Community Guide explores the game’s new features, provides a recap of the Arma 3 Alpha, and looks at some of the most popular community-created content. The video concludes by demonstrating the new faction, vehicles, weapons, scenarios and challenges from the just-released Arma 3 Beta.

Together with Andrew Gluck (better known as Dslyecxi) from ShackTactical, Bohemia Interactive is creating a series of videos to explain some of the basics of Arma 3. The first video presented Arma 3’s core principles, the second video explored infantry combat, while the third Community Guide provided tips on effective multiplayer teamwork. This new SITREP video records a major milestone in Arma 3’s development as the game transitions from Alpha to Beta.

Starting with the successful Arma: Cold War Assault (originally titled Operation Flashpoint*: Cold War Crisis) in 2001, Arma 3 is the latest installment in Bohemia Interactive’s award-winning tactical military shooter series for PC. The Arma 3 Beta, which aims to involve players into the game’s development, features 8 showcase missions (Infantry, Vehicles, SCUBA, Helicopter, Combined Arms, Supports, Night, Commanding), 20 weapons and 18 vehicles, 4 multiplayer scenarios, 4 firing drill challenges, the powerful scenario editor and modding support. The Arma 3 Beta is located on Stratis (20 km²), while the final game will also feature the 270 km² Mediterranean island of Altis,

The Arma 3 Beta (34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD) and the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD) are available for purchase from Steam and Store.bistudio.com (both include a Steam version of the full retail game upon release). The price of each edition will increase once the full and final game becomes available.

*Operation Flashpointâ„¢ is a registered trademark of Codemasters Software Company.

Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday 25th June 2013

Supporting the development of its upcoming tactical military shooter Arma 3™, Bohemia Interactive has released the anticipated Arma 3 Beta. The Arma 3 Beta expands the game’s diversity by focusing upon heavy firepower and military logistics. Combined with the playable content from the Arma 3 Alpha, the complete package features the 20 km² island of Stratis, 20 weapons, 18 vehicles, 3 factions, 8 showcase missions, 4 multiplayer scenarios, 4 challenges, the scenario editor and modding support.

Jay Crowe, Creative Director on Arma 3, adds:
“The Beta is a big opportunity for us to involve more players in Arma 3's development and is the next step along the road towards our full release. With a variety of new singleplayer and multiplayer scenarios and a whole bunch of new sandbox content, we're looking forward to introducing players to what true combined arms combat really means in Arma 3.�





People who participated in the Arma 3 Alpha will gain access to the Arma 3 Beta by downloading the automatic update on Steam. Those who are new to Arma 3 can purchase the Arma 3 Beta (which includes the full retail game when released) from Steam or Store.bistudio.com.

Here they can choose between the regular Arma 3 Beta (34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD) or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD). Those who would like to sponsor development further, also have the option to purchase the Arma 3 Supporter Edition (69.99 EUR/59.99 GBP/91.99 USD) from Store.bistudio.com. The price of each edition will increase upon launch of the full and final game.

Arma 3 is the latest installment in Bohemia Interactive’s award-winning tactical military shooter series for PC. Set in a massive Mediterranean sandbox of over 290 km², the game will have 40+ weapons, 20+ vehicles, a wide variety of single- and multiplayer gameplay, and limitless options for content creation.

More information on Arma 3 can be found on www.arma3.com

Key Features in the Arma 3 Beta

Stratis Island
Take your first steps in Arma 3 by exploring the 20 km² island of Stratis. Navigate its rugged terrain, expansive forests and man-made airbase.

Showcases & Challenges
Enjoy a taste of Arma 3’s diverse gameplay by completing a selection of 8 showcase missions. Or run through the competitive firing drills to hone your shooting and movement skills.

Multiplayer Scenarios
Form a squad and team up to fight against your enemy in 4 co-operative multiplayer scenarios.

Vehicles & Weapons
Master air, land, and sea with the 18 vehicles featured in the Beta; choose your gear, pick from a collection of weapons, customize your loadout.

Content Creation
Start creating your own experiences with the powerful scenario editor; create mods for others to play; and join our creative community.

Revamped Engine
Navigate the battlefield with fluid new animations; feel the devastating power of combat with the upgraded sound engine, new ragdoll simulation and PhysXâ„¢-supported vehicles.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 20th June 2013

Today Bohemia Interactive confirmed the 25th of June as the official release date for the Arma 3 Beta. Building upon the well-received Arma 3 Alpha, the Arma 3 Beta features a varied selection of brand new content – including 10 vehicles, 7 weapons, 4 showcase missions (Combined Arms, Supports, Commanding & Night), 2 multiplayer scenarios and 4 challenges.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Stratis (20 km²), the Arma 3 Beta turns its focus towards firepower and logistics. The Challenges game mode will also be making its first appearance, enabling players to practice their weapons handling and movement across a selection of firing drills. Plus, all of the content from the Arma 3 Alpha will be available, alongside the popular scenario editor and modding support.

Joris-Jan van ‘t Land, Project Lead on Arma 3, adds:
“Having just showed off the Beta for Arma 3 at E3 2013, we are keen to get it into gamers' hands quickly. Bringing some heavy firepower and additional transport options will allow for more diverse scenarios in both singleplayer and multiplayer. We also can't wait to open up the Steam Workshop scenario publication, which will make content-sharing with other players much more convenient.�






People who are currently participating in the Arma 3 Alpha will gain access to the Arma 3 Beta through an automatic Steam update. Those who are new to Arma 3 can join in by purchasing the Arma 3 Beta (which includes a version of the full game) from Steam or Store.bistudio.com.

The price of the Arma 3 Beta, in comparison to the Arma 3 Alpha, will be increased. The regular Arma 3 Beta will be available for 34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD (current price: 24.99 EUR/19.99 GBP/32.99 USD), while the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition will be sold for 44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD (current price: 39.99 EUR/34.99 GBP/49.99 USD). Please note that the current (heavily discounted) Alpha deal, which includes Beta-access and the full game, will still be available until Tuesday June 25th.

Those who would like to sponsor development further have the option to purchase the Arma 3 Supporter Edition (69.99 EUR/59.99 GBP/91.99 USD) from Store.bistudio.com. The Arma 3 Alpha Lite, a free but limited variant of the Arma 3 Alpha, will be discontinued after June 25th.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Alpha Users
INFO: E3 2013, video options, stream-safety
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION

The E3 team is back from Los Angeles: tired but proud. We had a good show, nice booth and many great visitors! And let's not forget the lads on the home front doing the second pre-E3 livestream while we were airborne. They showed the Combined Arms Beta Showcase twice, failing miserably both times! To top it off they included a very nice presentation of the full game's Altis terrain. Community Intelligence Officers set to purpose to piece together all shown frames of the strategic map, arriving at a rather 'unique' version of the map.

One set of content we had not revealed until E3 is the Challenges game mode. The Beta will release with four Firing Drills, which are quick, fun and addictive shooting (sports) courses. They allow for training of weapon handling and movement and can be a nice change from the regular scenarios. This and more is demoed in video coverage like here, this, and another one.

We should also clarify a statement about fully modeled vehicle interiors. Most, but not all vehicles have these rich 3D interiors. The philosophy is similar to Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead for the same reasons. Primarily heavy armor driver and gunner positions lack 3D interiors, but their passenger spaces are available!

Still recovering from some jet lags, we are now all straight back into Beta finalization. As announced at E3, it will release next Tuesday, June 25th. Staging on Development branch is still something we're trying to make happen before the weekend. Standard Development branch updates can become interrupted while we prep.

INTELLIGENCE

Unlike previously announced, the Alpha Lite program will run until Beta release on June 25th.

User Interface guru Vladimír Hynek shares with us two great new things slated for Beta. In his wise words:

"A long time anticipated feature - tweaking of post-processes separately, was added. The layout of the whole video options dialogue was redesigned, so it is easier to find which options are placed under which tab. A couple of smaller tweaks like a FPS indicator, EditBoxes connected to sliders, and permanent highlighting of tabs were added. While still Work-In-Progress, the dialogue works better already."

And another tidbit streamers have been waiting for:

"To make the life of our live streaming community a bit easier, we've introduced a Stream Friendly UI switch to the Game Options. It hides the player's name from all dialogues including map and inventory and also from the name tag displayed when cursor is pointing at another player. Player's chat and server name in the multiplayer score table are hidden too."

OPERATIONS

A forever hot topic is game performance. One of our programming leads Ondřej Martinák is in the process of writing a development blog on this topic. He will share a bit more details on how our engine operates, explore what has already been achieved in terms of optimization, and what will still be done for Arma 3. We'll of course let you know when it's published.

LOGISTICS

Beta will come with a number of class changes to Alpha content, which will break user scenarios and other content until it gets updated. We will however this time release a full conversion table to make the transition smoother. Going into Beta we will also become more strict about class changes for released content. It will be our goal to prevent it almost entirely (unlike we have said for Alpha).

The next game EXE to be released on Development branch will likely already be Beta-skinned. Its description and icon will look like it's the Beta. More importantly: it will already change profile paths, registered file extensions, etc. Be aware of this when you go looking for your settings and other content!