So, I am back from the
Gamescom 2012 in
Cologne . I went there on Sunday 19, the last day then. I have been in touch with
Bohemia Interactive and I was welcomed by
Ivan Buchta himself. I went there with a recorder, but due to the literally deafening environmental conditions on
Bohemia Interactive booth, it was proved impossible.
![](http://www.armedassault.info/ftp/pics/news/pics1/where is Ivan_1s.jpg)
What you will find here is the story of my "hands on" experience on the
Arma3 Alpha build Gamescom . I have nothing to add -from pictures or videos- to what you have seen in pictures and video already published.
So my first try of the game is with the "showcase underwater." Small disappointment, no sub here , just a scenario of diving. For me, who have done a lot of snorkeling as a kid, I can say that a major effort was made to make real the feeling to be under the water, on the wrong side two or three times, I have been stuck in anims near obstacles, that part need some tweaking.
Second test with the "showcase with guns", there is no miracle, I was as bad a gunner here as in Arma2, I have not seen a significant difference in the movements and gestures. Playing as it was set, the textures were extremely detailed and the view distance was up, the game was very fluid.
From what I feel, the rigs behind it were high end PCs ... to be confirmed.
Lynx, the sniper rifle Hungarian is having a very high recoil ... quite fine to shoot, but I can tell nothing about the sound, despite the speakers and the subwoofer, I've never been able to judge the sound quality of weapons because of noise around. The inventory is very different but not too surprising for a player OFP / Arma.
Third test with the "showcase vehicle driving." There I felt the most important differences, the vehicle does not react in the same manner as Arma2, you can get the difference on obstacle climbing and also in relation to gravity, in the downhill, taking speed is very realistic.
After this first contact, my impression is that the game environment, the island of Stratis, the placement of objects, ground textures, the clutters, but also the effects of light are well developed, but that there are still work in progress for some parts ...
![](http://www.armedassault .info/ftp/pics/news/pics1/stand bis 1s.jpg )
![](http://www.armedassault.info/ftp/pics/news/pics1/stand bis 2s.jpg)
Playing with a screen up high enough before the eyes was quite tiring for me, so I left my slot and went to talk with Ivan.
On the question of "AI cheating with grass," Ivan told me that at the moment nothing had changed, they had tried several solutions without success, until now the solutions penalized too much the IA operations, and at the present time, rather than setting up a complex set of AI tweaks with multiple cursors in lieu of single "skill" cursor, BIS is moving towards a system limiting detection modes/perception by AI.
Regarding the 3D editor, there is no progress there because BIS does not have the means for it. All scripters being mobilized for the implementation of
PhysX 3, for the animations, the AI and the GUI ... and especially for the integration of all these elements.
In fact, if I understood correctly, BIS made lots of tests that work more or less well. Ivan told me that for example in VBS, they found a way to include objects underground to tunnels, passages ... and it works in VBS, but in Arma3 environment , AI perceives the object hidden in the ground as a barrier and tends to avoid it... which is not the goal .... Furthermore, the IA refuse to engage in tunnels created. So for the moment, no underground objects in Arma3.
I went back playing again, for once again I have been allowed to do so ...
For this second contact, I tried again diving to be sure of what I felt the first time and I can confirm ... movements underwater do need tweaking. Then I returned to the small wheeled vehicle ... I took the opportunity to leave the track and see what we usually do not see ... the land is beautiful, the vegetation -I have a particular weakness for these superb oleanders-, the buildings, the environment is quite good , shadows and lighting effects are superb.
Then I tried moving infantry in the valley, nothing to say but a special preview of a great new anim for obstacle clearance. I ended up killing the hostile hidden in the tin shack by shooting him in the foot ... no big change here then.
Then
Ivan came to show me things in development, the bounding mines, claymores and the wire traps. I have been able to disarm the jumping mine and the tripwire and re-used them afterward. I have also been able to detonate the jumping mine in the distance with a rifle shot. And then Ivan showed me the artillery, MLRS and howitzer ... shooting in the night, this was beautiful, I was also entitled to a demo rather successful CAS support by RAH-66.
![](http://www.armedassault.info/ftp/pics/news/pics1/pilsener urquell1s.jpg)
I again left my place to go discussing while drinking a Czech beer offered by Ivan ...
If I understood well, the
Community Alpha should be delayed until this Autumn or this Winter. Basically the Community Alpha should be only Solo, but as it has been postponed a bit and at the same time the work is done on the multi-player mode, nobody can say at the moment what it will really contain ... this is an info ... !
In the Campaign, you should play different characters, often alone for FS type missions, sometimes as a specialist, as a helicopter pilot or tank for example.
There should be a system of injury derived from the existing one, each soldier should have a first aid kit with a limited number of actions.
There will be no fast-rope in the game even if with PhysX, there could be a string realistic physics. Admittedly, this is an attractive component for the game but said Ivan, all the soldiers I met think in reality it is a source of problem solution in a real fight ... and the initial state of BlackHawk Down is related to the use of fast-ropping.
Work on the
GUI is going to change the actions on objects, the idea of having to use the mouse wheel to select an action, then click to run but to use a function key to get the action after selecting the action with the mouse.
Frankly, I have not been disappointed with the home folks at BIS,
Ivan Buchta took me in hand and took the time to talk with me at length. For what I have seen some things are in working order and other need some work, but BIS have done a tremendous job and I am ready to wait a bit for a top
Alpha Community .
Note: I hope you will soon be able to communicate the characteristics of machines that were running the game at Gamescom.
I also hope to share with you the spectacle of night shooting of the MLRS on Stratis, I need a little patience.
Edit:
Gamescom PCs were high end machines :
i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 (4 GB VRAM), 8 GB RAM