Guys, not sure if there is already a thread for this, if there is point me to it.

 

I am wanting to know more about ARMA, what is it like compared to PR?

 

From the screenies on the Pics from ARMA frontline thread it looks alot slower than PR cause of the map sizes.

 

I am a little reluctant to try it out cause i am worried about the amount of time needed to get to know the game etc

 

Is it worth the move or not?

IMO ArmA is better than PR and worse at the same time lol.

 

Simply put ArmA is the most realistic warfare game you are going to get you hands on. A heavily modified version of practically the same software that is used to help train real world military soldiers (including the ADF).

 

People either love it or hate it generally. If you are a realism whore you'll love it, if you prefer more spammy fast paced games you won't like it at all.

 

Better:

Graphics, draw distance, map size, MUCH MORE REALISTIC, tons of different missions/gamemodes/weapons/vehicles/etc, coop with some decent teamwork can be better than sex.

 

Worse:

High system requirements, steep initial learning curve, smaller player base, some PvP maps/matches can have a tendency to turn ugly. (Mainly those with no weapon restrictions, a huge map, and heavy vehicles (Cobras, Tanks, A-10s) coming out of the daemon hole. Again this depends on the mission setup, it is not always that bad.

Edited August 13, 200816 yr by mrchickenfool

Some people will also be quick to state that PR has better Close Quarters and Urban combat, IMO this is untrue due to the amount of bull**** that happens in PR (prone spamming in an area that you would normally not be able to or would hurt yourself doing so). Besides once you learn how, room clearing is quite easy in ArmA.

I play ArmA a fair bit.

It's awesome because it has everything we want in PR.

However its buggy boxy and lags lots.

The Ai are to predicable.

The community in ArmA are rude and treat others with disrespect.

 

I play PR allot

I love it.

The end

 

(If u say ArmA is better then PR it's because u cant work PR properly)

I play ArmA a fair bit.

It's awesome because it has everything we want in PR.

However its buggy boxy and lags lots.

The Ai are to predicable.

The community in ArmA are rude and treat others with disrespect.

 

I play PR allot

I love it.

The end

 

(If u say ArmA is better then PR it's because u cant work PR properly)

 

PR is quite buggy, it's just that since we've evolved with it, we just get used to the bugs.

I agree on the AI front, it's one of the main things that brings me to fire up PR rather than ARMA... I get very little satisfaction killing a squad comprised of segments of code... when I know GruAnch is cussing on the other end because I just HS him for the third time in a row, now that's gaming satisfaction

 

On the rude/disrespect front... few people notice but as a community we're not exactly the most friendly/welcoming to nubs, not new people who like the game already... I'm talking about vanilla people showing up to 'have a go', and they're met with barrel loads of cynicism and put-downs, I know because I do it a lot... particularly about the sniper kit.

 

(If u say PR is better then ARMA it's because u cant work ARMA properly, or like every human alive, you have a personal preference )

ArmA is no more buggy than PR is, and if you get heaps of lag it is client side 95% of the time.

 

Who exactly is rude and disrespectful in the ArmA community? It seems awfully convenient for you to generalise. In my experience the community is very similar to the PR community that is to say there are always a few guys trying to make trouble but the vast majority are great guys to play with.

 

(If u say ArmA is better then PR it's because u cant work PR properly)

 

Yes it must be....

 

 

Anyway that comment aside, AI in arma can and has been vastly improved by certain mods. SLX is probably the greatest example, with AI now properly supressing and covering as well as consolidating in buildings now, a task they would've only previously done by accident.

Edited August 13, 200816 yr by hous_bin_farteen

Is ARMA also like PR in that you join a server and play other humans on the other team? all the youtube clips iv seen of it is 1 or 2 people playing against bots, is that what its like?

Is ARMA also like PR in that you join a server and play other humans on the other team? all the youtube clips iv seen of it is 1 or 2 people playing against bots, is that what its like?

 

Depends. You can have completely player vs player (which isn't as good as it sounds trust me) mixed player and AI teams or do coop against AI (most of the time platoons full of AI) which is where the magic happens.

I've had Arma for just under a month now and over that time I've played a lot more PR than i have Arma. i would not say ones better than the other but they are in different categories like PR is my Competitive Player Vs Player game and Arma has a good co-op side of things. Arma is only good if your doing good missions with people you know like the first one we did last TNA (Tuesday Night Arma) was a bit on the difficult side in some stages but we were getting through it with teamwork and good gameplay. small hard missions (i say small as in not to clear out 20 towns) with some good teamwork players is where Arma comes to its best.

 

if you want to compare PR vs Arma I'll jot down some positive/negatives from my point of view for both

 

Arma Positives

• Extra Large Map Sizes
  
• Customizable Kit Layouts
  
• In Game Dynamic Weather (just Fog and Rain)
  
• Day to Night
  
• High Model Detail
  
• Large Arsenal of Weapons Vehicles to select from

Arma Negatives

• Large map size gets boring if you have to drive/fly literally for 5mins to get to your mission
  
• Most Vehicles go extremely slow if your not on the set roads
  
• Buggy (a lot of disconnect-reconnect when features just start to disappear like the Action menu, being able to move or not able to be revived)
  
• Flying the helicopters is for want of a better word gay. they are way to easy to fly yet at the same time they fly like a retard and have a delay of like 10 seconds for any action you take swing left and don't expect anything to happen for a good few seconds. go 90 degrees facing downward and you are still going to be fine for another couple of seconds in fact thats how you normally take off.
  
• terrain detail - while the map is so big it takes away from all the terrain detail the map is just made up of big 30-40m squared flat blocks
  
• extremely bad performance - 30 fps on low-medium settings whilst i get 100-200 on PR with Full settings
  
• no or less detail on the animations - for example reloading the guy will grab near where the magazine is but that just makes the magazine disappear.

I'm sure there is more for both the positive and negative side but thats good enough for now. Well in closing PR is no Arma and Arma is no PR

Completely depends on the game mode. You can play:

 

coop against AI

PvP

coop against AI with AI on your side too

PvP with AI on one side

PvP with AI on both sides

Hell you could even have AI vs AI and just stand there and watch

Is ARMA also like PR in that you join a server and play other humans on the other team? all the youtube clips iv seen of it is 1 or 2 people playing against bots, is that what its like?

 

It can be either way... depending on game mode, mod or whatever. I've always preferred PVP but it's pretty cool running with your squad of 6+ people on a night mission in ARMA, despite the fact that the enemies are dumber than a pile of bricks at some points, but once they 'see' you [without NV goggles no less!] watch out for their 300+m unscoped rapage

So what about the mods ... which ones are the ones to play?

So what about the mods ... which ones are the ones to play?

 

Like I said in the other arma thread, mod is a very broad term in ArmA. ArmA has a system of plug in and play addons, however addons range from being new units/weapons/islands/etc to actual gameplay and game code changes.

Keep it on topic guys and to coin a phase I hear often in the work place leave your **** at the door, it has special meaning here since this thread isn't about you. It is about politely debating the merits of ARMA & PR in a reasonable fashion.

 

My personal 2 cents on the matter is ARMA is a big step up from PR especially given the needs of the engine and the different style of game play and controls. While PR strives to be realistic within the confines of a arcade engine, ARMA is a toned down realism simulator and as such its very hard to compare the too. I find its very hard to play it on my current PC however I haven't written it off its just sitting quietly on my shelf waiting for my inevitable new/upgraded PC.

Edited August 13, 200816 yr by chambersAUS

see this is the attitude u get in ArmA wen u ask something

 

 

You EXPECT everyone to drop to there knees to help you but when you are given simple instructions to join TS so we can TALK and tell you, you repeat the same thing, NO I dont like TS, NO I dont want to etc. (good to see you in TS last night, not sure if you were there long tho.. Its a start!)

 

I love to help people that appreciate it IE, old1 , affa etc who let you know they appreciate it, they give everything a go and they will learn it quick. You on the other hand always seem to expect everyone to help you as if they owe you something, when you figure it out off you go on your own again. Not everyone in life owes you something, you have to earn somethings.

 

I never feel asif you are one of us in the group, I feel you seem to always neglect your self from the group in one way or another.

 

Last night you actually joined TS didnt hear you say more then about 3-4 words tho.. But its a start.

 

 

Now, for the question, take a look at answers from people that are new to arma or have just started getting into it latley and they will give you the best comparison between both games.. mediace, old1, affa, lorien, pmdw1234 etc.

 

I prefer arma then PR, as arma feels more normal to me now since Ive played it alot in the last few months. To start with it felt DIFFERENT, now PR feels DIFFERENT. I feel like when I play PR im playing a dodgey/kids/arcadish game or something.. Arma feels like a more simulation war/ stragedy /training /realistic game.

 

 

Along the likes of mediace's post, if you want action 24/7 arma might not be your game, if you want the full experience of walking/ traveling to the battle field/ fighting then extracting etc you might like it. PR is like ONE type of mode, arma has many many modes.

In PR if you die, you walk a few metres to the next gun fight or something.. In arma you could end up walking for over 15min if your heli or car is shot down early of your objective.. Welcome to a real battlefield, not the 1.5/1.5 km's your use to.

 

Its got alot of good COOP and a few PVP servers (action like PR but with BIG air/land assits)

Edited August 13, 200816 yr by DoomKillsU

I'm not a very accomplished player (i.e; relatively new to the game) but thought i'd add a couple of my comments;

 

Not sure about a lot of the 'it's more realistic than PR comments' yes some functionality is infinitely more realistic (ballistics, effects when injured, map sizes) but on the other hand some others are unrealistic - vehicle speeds - like if you drive a humvee offroad you seem to go at a snails pace, on some maps you still get spawn vehicles......

 

Things I like;

 

.map sizes

.having to gain points before unlocking the good kits (unless it's an unlocked map)

.variety of weapons available

.weapon deviation

 

 

Things I don't like (and remember this is based on my own limited experience);

 

.in coop if you're not playing with team orientated people - people seem to worry about getting their own points up so teamwork as such is non-existant sometimes

.coop maps (EVO) seem a little repetitive (i.e; clear town, capture officer, blow radio tower - rinse repeat)

.vanilla sounds - need a sound pack apparently to make it sound half decent

 

 

Just another thought - if you only have a couple of hours gaming time... ARMA is probably not the game for you... maps can take several hours to finish.

Edited August 14, 200816 yr by Sapper28

the problem is arma itself is very realistic, however most of the missions people make for it which are the most popular and so the ones you see on the servers all the time are the unrealistic spammy ones which dont require much teamwork, ie they were designed for pub arma games when arma used to not have voip.

 

arma has the capacity to be perfectly realistic ie without respawning vehicles, hell even without a respawn for players, limited weaponry instead of one giant ammobox full of everything, and the objectives can be extremely various/numerous. its just the most popular pub missions are evo and domination, which have the opposite of everything i just wrote.

I'm not a very accomplished player (i.e; relatively new to the game) but thought i'd add a couple of my comments;

 

Not sure about a lot of the 'it's more realistic than PR comments' yes some functionality is infinitely more realistic (ballistics, effects when injured, map sizes) but on the other hand some others are unrealistic - vehicle speeds - like if you drive a humvee offroad you seem to go at a snails pace, on some maps you still get spawn vehicles......

 

Things I like;

 

.map sizes

.having to gain points before unlocking the good kits (unless it's an unlocked map)

.variety of weapons available

.weapon deviation

 

 

Things I don't like (and remember this is based on my own limited experience);

 

.in coop if you're not playing with team orientated people - people seem to worry about getting their own points up so teamwork as such is non-existant sometimes

.coop maps (EVO) seem a little repetitive (i.e; clear town, capture officer, blow radio tower - rinse repeat)

.vanilla sounds - need a sound pack apparently to make it sound half decent

 

 

Just another thought - if you only have a couple of hours gaming time... ARMA is probably not the game for you... maps can take several hours to finish.

 

If you think arma has repetitive missions then you must really HATE PR maps!

Things I like;

 

.map sizes

.having to gain points before unlocking the good kits (unless it's an unlocked map)

.variety of weapons available

.weapon deviation

 

 

Things I don't like (and remember this is based on my own limited experience);

 

.in coop if you're not playing with team orientated people - people seem to worry about getting their own points up so teamwork as such is non-existant sometimes

.coop maps (EVO) seem a little repetitive (i.e; clear town, capture officer, blow radio tower - rinse repeat)

.vanilla sounds - need a sound pack apparently to make it sound half decent

 

 

Just another thought - if you only have a couple of hours gaming time... ARMA is probably not the game for you... maps can take several hours to finish.

I am assuming the above is based on experience from only/mainly playing EVO. There is nothing wrong with this and I don't mean to be rude by correcting you, I just want to clarify so that people are not misled.

 

In EVO you must earn points by kills and completing objectives to gain access to better weapons and assets hence the name evolution. This can lead to everyone playing for themselves just to get points and get better stuff. Though if you have a bunch of good guys playing it can still be great fun as you know they will work as a team. EVO also has a pretty simple/repetitive mission structure, the main missions consist of clear a town, destroy the radio tower there to stop them getting reinforcements and bring the officer and any POWs back to base at the end of it. There are a bunch of interesting side missions too that most people don't even know about but I won't go into that now. Also EVO is a very very big mission. What I want to point out is that most of this is specific to EVO games only.

 

What must be realised the vast majority of MP missions in ArmA are made by the community for the community with new maps being released all the time, and EVO is just 1 mission that has been made. There are literally hundreds of missions out there to play so if you think one is repetitive you need to switch to one of the bajillion other options out there. The editor is very powerful and very moddable so really the sky is the limit with regards to what missions can be made, there is no "this is hardcoded" in ArmA any limitation in the maps you play is much more likely to be a limit of the mappers imagination rather than a limit of the game engine.

 

However as the missions are all player made you have to accept that in some missions there may be bugs. This leads people to think the engine is buggy sometimes when it is actually the mission maker that has made a scripting error or the like. Good mappers usually revise their missions and the updated ones are obviously going to be a whole lot better than the beta builds. If you are new it is a good idea to hook up with some of the vets as they know what is good to play.

Edited August 14, 200816 yr by mrchickenfool

If you think arma has repetitive missions then you must really HATE PR maps!

 

Not necessarily... Of the three times I've played ARMA [destruction I think it was, and a halo drop one] I found the gameplay more repetitive mostly because the AI is scripted and thus even though the area was different, it was the same formula... playing against a different team on the same map is a lot less repetitive IMO, but again it all comes down to the personal preferences of the player.

 

I suppose it once again comes down to the fact that I don't feel satisfied knowing I've 'outsmarted' a bot, but when I see a team of good players on the other side in PR and we still cream them with great tactics and teamwork, I come away really enjoying the round. Having said that I really enjoyed playing alongside CW, pogoman, mediace, ACC... ummm old1 and PMDw that night a week or so ago, but it really is like comparing apples and oranges.... as I said to PMD last night:

 

You might as well ask me if I prefer C&C3 to PR... it has about as many relevant comparisons.

thanks for the clarification - like i said I have limited experience and yes mainly in evo maps on another isps server (play there due to the reason as it doesn't count against my download quota - which means I can download other stuff ).

Not necessarily... Of the three times I've played ARMA [destruction I think it was, and a halo drop one] I found the gameplay more repetitive mostly because the AI is scripted and thus even though the area was different, it was the same formula... playing against a different team on the same map is a lot less repetitive IMO, but again it all comes down to the personal preferences of the player.

 

I suppose it once again comes down to the fact that I don't feel satisfied knowing I've 'outsmarted' a bot, but when I see a team of good players on the other side in PR and we still cream them with great tactics and teamwork, I come away really enjoying the round. Having said that I really enjoyed playing alongside CW, pogoman, mediace, ACC... ummm old1 and PMDw that night a week or so ago, but it really is like comparing apples and oranges.... as I said to PMD last night:

 

You might as well ask me if I prefer C&C3 to PR... it has about as many relevant comparisons.

 

I know the feeling as I use to feel the same way. Then Ive started to enjoy a different side of gaming, the side where you dont have to feel "satisfied" to get kills in the first place, but to help your team do what your mission is, and do it well with minimal casualties, its like bonding time almost, when you play music over voip and you are all in the cars, geared up, extra ammo is loaded, just listen to the stupid kunfo fighting music rhodsey or someone else will play as we drive our convoy towards the war.

 

When I play pvp (which I do around 5-6 days a week) Thats when I get my, I killed you before you killed me satisfcation. And its alot more challenging to do it on more levels then with a hat, tank, apc, and a truck or car.. Caz we get all kinds of crazy assets to use and maps that make pr look like your inside a big building the whole time.

 

So coop nights are there to experience maximium team work and team spirit, its a feeling youl never get on battlfield of any shape or form, and I dont feel the need to impress anyone on the score board, But come to PvP and its a whole nother ball game, I do all that I can do to be a force to be reckoned with!

^What ACC1 said. It is more about the teamwork than the "Oh I killed that guy therefore I am better than him".

 

BTW the AI in ArmA ARE NOT DUMB/STUPID/SLOW/PREDICTABLE/ETC this is a fact.

 

The problem is that as I said the AI as well as everything else can be set by the mapper. The AI can be set to a variety of different skill levels and modes depending on how you want them to act.

 

The AI is fully capable of suppressing, flanking, calling in air/arty support on you, retreating, fleeing, surrendering, etc, etc, etc. Hell I've even seen an injured Opfor rifleman run over and use a dead Blufor medic's medical supplies to heal himself in a battle.

 

If you are playing a map with stupid AI then it is the mappers fault for making them that way. And the sad fact is that is seems some mappers will set their AI to around 20% skill level which makes them appear to be dumb/stupid/slow/predictable/etc.

Edited August 14, 200816 yr by mrchickenfool

exactly right. hell ive even been up against AI (set to high + a addon/script) that pinned me down with their heavy MG then sent a team of 4 to flank me while another team moves up on the front and keeps the pressure on.

 

also ive been sniping the bastar*s and they will go into cover and try to see where it comes from and wait for me to shoot again then ocne they know where i am they would pop smoke in the streets move and continue keeping me busy while a squad moved up on my flanks.

 

in many cases the AI can me ALOT more challenging than a human player, mainly becuase they are harder to trick.