Prague, Czech Republic, Friday 7th June 2013

In anticipation of next week's E3 exhibition, Bohemia Interactive released a brand new set of Arma 3 screenshots. The special E3 care package includes screenshots taken from the upcoming Arma 3 Beta, as well as screenshots from the full game.

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 Mediterranean sandbox of over 290 km², featuring 40+ weapons and 20+ vehicles, Arma 3 provides an authentic, diverse and open combat experience. The game features a wide variety of singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay, as well as limitless options for content creation.

For those who missed Bohemia Interactive’s official E3 invitation, the studio will present an exclusive first look at some of the new Arma 3 content, focusing upon heavy fire-power and military logistics. Visitors can also go hands-on with the playable showcase missions (Combined Arms, Commanding, and more) from the upcoming Arma 3 Beta.

The Bohemia Interactive booth at E3 is located in the South Exhibition hall (booth 2523). The other games on display are DayZ and a brand new game in the Take On series.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 6th June 2013

Live from Bohemia Interactive HQ, the Arma 3 development team will host a second pre-E3 hangout on Saturday June 8 at 17:00 UTC. Offering a sneak peek at the upcoming Arma 3 Beta, this official livestream on Twitch.tv presents the Combined Arms Showcase – available in the upcoming Arma 3 Beta. Altis, the 270 km² island from the full game, will also make a brief appearance.

Following a successful first livestream on scenario editing, Mission Designer Thomas Ryan and several other Arma 3 devs will do multiple playthroughs of the new Beta mission, placing an emphasis on the dynamic gameplay in Arma 3.

The session is expected to be about one hour and viewers are welcome to join the conversation on Twitch chat and Twitter.Those who do not want to miss out can already enlist for the official event via Arma 3’s Facebook Page.

Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday 6th June 2013

Right before heading out to Los Angeles for the E3 Expo, Bohemia Interactive released a content update for the Arma 3 Alpha. The ‘Sniper Package’ includes two powerful sniper rifles and supplementary ghillie suits.

The first rifle, the Gepard GM6 Lynx, is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle using 12.7x108 mm ammo. Its purpose is to stop or disable targets such as light armored vehicles, armored rifle troops, light shelters and helicopters from 600–800 m range.

The second weapon, the M320R Long Range Rifle, is a .408 caliber sniper rifle, valued for its accuracy up to 2000 meters.

Furthermore, besides new camouflage clothing (ghillie suits), the Sniper Package also features sniper optics (long range scopes) and a rangefinder (special binoculars). All content will be added automatically via a Steam update (0.60), which also includes the ‘stance indicator’ and several other game improvements and fixes. The full details are listed in the changelog.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Alpha Users
INFO: Livestreams, Beta reveals, final Alpha patch
PRECEDENCE: Flash
SITUATION

Our last week before E3 2013 and the build is pretty much ready to go. Then there are a few mad weeks of tweaks, fixes and polish before the Beta release. We're feeling good about the package. There will be no Altis just yet, but you're getting a load of new firepower and logistical assets: 4 helicopters, 2 wheeled armored units, trucks, a whole bunch of new weapons and the first part of the Green faction. Next to that 4 showcases and more playable content to be shown at E3.

Last weekend we hosted our very first Arma 3 livestreaming event on Twitch.tv. It was rather improvised and casual, but fun to do and we hope you've seen and heard things you liked. Understandably the 'tutorial' aspect was not necessary for seasoned players, but keep in mind there are a lot of players who did not yet tinker with the editor. The ability to quickly set up a scenario is one of the things we find key to Arma and so we want to show it off when we can. This was also a trial run before we play through a Beta showcase featuring more content this coming Saturday. Some members of the previous cast will be flying to LA that day, and some new faces join the fray live.

INTELLIGENCE

Lord Master Petr Kolář configures the spotlight onto himself and his role as Encoding Lead in another episode of the 'Report In!' developer interviews. The article also contains a look at the Marid Beta vehicle and some fancy behind-the-scenes diagnostics (numbers everywhere!).

After revealing work on BattlEye anti-cheat last week, some people asked why we are not using Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC). The thing is: we are not saying we will not include VAC at some point. Our first priority is getting BE running; also because of experiences gained with Arma 2. Then we still consider VAC as another (optional) layer of security for admins. It cannot be confirmed now.

Let's highlight three topics to come out of the first livestream: 3D optics, Steam Workshop and Altis:

The Beta will enhance certain weapon optics with a much nicer-looking 3D version. We are aware of a few known issues with this technique, but feel the benefits outweigh these massively. Your reaction to seeing them proves this!
Not long after Beta release we intend to enable scenario publication to Workshop. This is a huge step forward in sharing and discovering user content. We are integrating this in stages and starting with scenarios makes sense. Add-ons are trickier and we are not sure when we can support this yet (unlikely before the initial release).

Two primary concerns have been voiced so far: how it affects existing content providers and the license terms. We can try to address this in a blog later, but briefly: we honestly do believe there will always be an important place for websites sharing content. There are many ways to differentiate, evolve and offer things Workshop itself does not. Secondly, we are discussing options with Valve regarding the license terms for Arma 3, but to manage expectations: if that does not go through - you will need to accept the existing ones to use this functionality. In any case, we'd like to point out again that we are not stripping away the old methods of saving and loading scenarios. Workshop is an optional enhancement which we do believe massively benefits the user experience.
Altis will not be part of the Beta. We want to finish it more first and it will be worth the wait! There is a chance we will stage it on Development branch ahead of main release for testing.

OPERATIONS

The actual plan for Alpha is to release the final Alpha patch (0.60) tomorrow. This includes the Sniper Package and even the stance indicator. With regards to the latter, you may need to reset your profile to see it properly. Alternatively, wait for an interface positioning option coming with the Beta. After this patch we start 're-skinning' the Alpha to become the Beta over the next few weeks. This means changing the default interface color to Beta blue, updating logos and icons, and of course sneaking in the content.

LOGISTICS

Two reminders: the Arma 3 Alpha Lite ends June 18th and access codes become unusable then. Going to Beta, we will change the user profile paths and file names. If you really want to you can rename manually. We prefer you to test default settings again however.

Arma Tactics THD Released For NVIDIA Tegra-Powered Devices

Prague, Czech Republic – June 3, 2013 – Bohemia Interactive, the award-winning independent Czech development studio, today announced the release of the turn-based, close-combat strategy game Arma Tactics THD exclusively for NVIDIA Tegra-powered devices.

Arma Tactics THD takes the best from the popular strategy genre and goes mobile. The finest assets used in the critically acclaimed Armaâ„¢ series on PC now come to life on the Android mobile platform, in one of the best looking mobile games to date.

Arma Tactics THD is a turn-based close-combat strategy game, where the player takes control of a four-member Special Forces team. There are no given strategies, rails to move on, or paths to follow; it‘s up to the player to decide how he will play through both the story-driven missions and generated missions with randomized objectives. Whether using stealth or a more direct approach, players will need to use their strategic thinking and use both basic and advanced weaponry while facing many different opponents - ranging from unorganized local militia to smart and skilled mercenaries.

With highly re-playable missions, weapons to unlock and whole campaigns to be regularly added, Arma Tactics THD offers many hours of intense ever-changing action.
Explore highly detailed battlefield environments that come to life with sophisticated particle systems and post-process effects
See your men come to life with realistic animations captured by a powerful motion-capture solution
Lead them through a thrilling single player campaign or improve your skills in generated missions
Gather experience points to level up your characters, upgrade weapons and unlock special equipment
Choose your difficulty – we make sure the game is fun to play for both casual players and hardcore gamers
Take part in challenging special game modes
Play as you like – by touching your screen or by using gamepad controls

In June, gamers will be able to take Arma Tactics THD anywhere with NVIDIA SHIELD, an open source gaming portable designed for gamers who yearn to play when, where, and how they want.

For the people who missed the stream/don't want to rewatch it:

Things that will be included in the beta (more to come):

3D scopes
Strider (MRAP similar to Ifrit)
HEMTT (Truck)
Comanche
Zafir (future version of the pkm)
AA Launcher "Titan" (Uses Javlin sighs)
Green Faction (Greek Army)
Mi48
FN2000
New lighting
SDV underwater vehicle (the mini-submarine)

Things that might be added later to the beta:

Altis (developer build)
Stream-friendly UI
Steamworkshop integration

Things not included in the beta:

Static AA/AT
MBT's (Main Battle Tanks)
Java support (might be added later)

Other usefull things to know:

Q3 2013 is still the aimed release date for ArmA 3
Beta will be release a few weeks after E3
Beta content will be first released on the Developer build of the Alpha

Hello,

With E3 2013 just around the corner we wanted to lay out details of what Bohemia Interactive has planned this year, and to ensure that exposure is maximized and everyone that can be in attendance will be.

2013 is promising to be a vibrant year for our company and as we continue to progress on a number of different projects we’re excited to be able to present those to the gaming world via meetings with the press as well as an open invitation to the gaming public.

At E3 2013 Bohemia Interactive is proud to be able to present a beta build of Arma3, the current work in progress version of DayZ Standalone, and an exclusive reveal of something fresh from the Take On universe. The booth will feature playable versions of all three games on 12 PCs.

Arma3
"The team returns to E3 to present the very latest developments in Arma 3, the award-winning military shooter series by Bohemia Interactive. Visitors to our booth will have the opportunity to get hands on with our new content, which focuses upon heavy fire-power and military logistics, and get an exclusive first look at the latest playable missions on offer in the upcoming Arma 3 Beta, experiencing combined arms combat, commanding, and more."

DayZ Standalone
“Be one of the first people to play DayZ, the standalone version of the award winning Arma 2 mod. DayZ will feature a completely reworked inventory system, a new crafting system and completely new animations. Survivors will return to Chernarus which has been improved with more towns and a greater amount of enterable buildings to give a much more intense apocalyptic atmosphere.�

Take On (reveal)
“Explore the scarred face of another world. Journey through rocky terrain and sandy wastes, pushing your vehicles to the max in this new installment to the Take On series.�

You’ll find Bohemia Interactive at South hall, booth no. 2523.

Gearing up for the E3 exhibition, the Arma 3 development team is hosting pre-E3 livestream hangouts – offering a glimpse of what will be on display in Los Angeles. Both sessions are scheduled for 17:00 UTC on Saturday June 1 and June 8, and will be hosted on the official Arma 3 channel on Twitch.tv.

For the first livestream, on Saturday June 1 at 17:00 UTC, Mission Designer Thomas Ryan (supported by several others Arma 3 developers) will give a basic tutorial in scenario editing - using some of the weapons and vehicles from the upcoming Arma 3 Beta.

The second livestream, scheduled for Saturday June 8 at 17:00 UTC, consists of a playthrough of the brand new Combined Arms showcase mission, which is also scheduled for release in the Arma 3 Beta.

Both sessions are expected to take about one hour and will be streamed live from Bohemia Interactive HQ in Prague. The setting is casual and viewers are welcome to ask developers their questions via Twitch.tv chat and/or Twitter.

Last but not least, those who want to make sure they will not miss anything can already enlist for the official event via Arma 3’s Facebook page.

FROM: Project Lead
TO: Alpha Users
INFO: E3 2013, BattlEye, particles
PRECEDENCE: Flash

SITUATION
Another week has passed and our E3 2013 build (very similar to the Beta) has seen huge progress. Today we are plugging in the voice-acting recorded last week for the new scenarios. This always gives them that extra boost towards completion. Stay tuned for designer Thomas Ryan getting twitchy with Beta content ahead of the expo. Also keep checking the social channels (Facebook, Twitter). Korneel van 't Land has a tendency to post E3 materials there before they are fully released - like this screenshot!

Oh, and let's not forget that we released version 0.58 of the Alphas last week. Some issues sneaked in, even though they were known to you and us both. They have been marked for swift termination. Our plan is to release 0.60, including the Sniper Package staged on Development branch, before E3 starts. This will allow us to start re-skinning the game to "Beta" when we get back from Los Angeles and get things ready for the transition.

INTELLIGENCE
The main page Community Focus section was updated again. Gaming community Comrades in Arms prove that a little innocent bribe works sometimes ;-)

OPERATIONS
On the multiplayer security front, we can now finally share that we're working on getting the BattlEye anti-cheat engine up and running. Look for the early stages of the Beta for its inclusion for server admins who wish to use it to protect their servers. You may wonder why this has taken so long, or why we have not confirmed it before. We have finally agreed with all parties on how we intend to include this third-party software and how to use it within the Steam distribution of Arma 3. As with many things, this is not a simple copy-and-paste from Arma 2 technology.

LOGISTICS
Quite a lot of enhanced particle technology exists in Arma 3. Designer Borivoj "Druid" Hlava has taken some time for public documentation of the new parameters and options.

Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 23rd May 2013

Bohemia Interactive has released a major new update for the Arma 3 Alpha. The most notable improvements in version 0.58 involve the new dedicated combat and stealth radio protocols, plus all-encompassing tweaks to lighting and audio. Also, Multiplayer Dedicated Server administrators now have access to a separated executable to host such servers more conveniently.

The complete changelog for 0.58 is provided together with the update and can also be found on the official Arma 3. The Arma 3 Alpha will update automatically via Steam.

To participate in the Arma 3 Alpha, people can choose from the Arma 3 Alpha (24.99 EUR/19.99 GBP/32.99 USD) or Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (39.99 EUR/34.99 GBP/49.99 USD) on Steam or Store.bistudio.com. Prices will increase once the Arma 3 Beta and full game become available. For a complete overview of the separate editions, be sure to visit the Arma 3 website.