For a month now, three of our editors have been trying to play the latest version of the Arma military simulator. Unfortunately, they are constantly struggling with unstable servers, which has caused this article to be repeatedly delayed. In the end, we decided to publish the article in a way that matches our previous experience with the game.
Martin Pritula
Before I move on to my impressions of the new part of the ARMA military simulation series from the Czech studio Bohemia Interactive, I would like to explain what ARMA Reforger really is. This is by no means a full-fledged part, and in its current state it is mainly a pre-access test platform containing a tutorial, a multiplayer section, and a Game Master, which is basically a simplified Zeus mode from previous parts. This platform will then receive at least twelve months of content support and will primarily serve to familiarize the modern community with new development tools and get feedback from the studio that will be used in the development of a full-fledged ARMY 4. Last but not least. , Reforger is sure to appeal to anyone looking to get a taste of what the series has to offer in the future.
If you’ve played any of the brand’s previous episodes, you’ll notice one huge change almost as soon as Reforger launches. For the first time, it leaves the Real Virtuality series of engines that the previous installments ran on, and moves on to the new Enfusion engine, the capabilities and technological complexity of which are obvious at a glance: the game looks and works just fine (the best PC). However, this graphic page is just some tinsel that will never create a quality game on its own, so now I will try to describe most of the fundamental changes that Reforger brings.
For the first time, ARMA is switching to the new Enfusion engine.
Already at the announcement of the game, I noticed concerns that the developers were also optimizing the game for consoles, which could lead to compromises in the complexity of the game and its control on PC in such a reliable simulation. That didn’t happen, and in fact it’s the best managed ARMU to date. For example, the developers got rid of outdated context menus that popped up almost every time you tried to interact. Now everything is decided by icons – you look at the part of the car you want to sit in and just press a button (it’s a small change, but a friendly user interface is the basis of a good game). Control is then connected using a variable-speed crawl or squat wheel.
Reforger has also greatly improved the animation. Everything is beautifully fluid and these improvements also affect the flow of the game – until now, for example, it was not easy to determine whether the character was pointing at you or not, which is now possible. Another significant change is the sound, which is absolutely top notch, although at the time of writing these impressions are not spatial.
Despite the console version, there are no obvious compromises in the management of the game on the PC.
As far as content goes, things really wobbled pretty much shortly after Reforger came out. In multiplayer you will find the classic Conflict, Capcure and Hold or Free For All modes. In Game Master, you can create any kind of clashes on the huge map of Everon. Almost everywhere you can place objects from individual models to entire sites and then simply build up to three opposite sides. However, Game Master is only a small part of what ARMY 3’s advanced Eden editor offers, so you will have to limit yourself to very simple conflicts with infantry units (artificial intelligence does not control the vehicles available in the game yet). In these conflicts, you will definitely notice partially destructible environments, especially windows and fences and functional ballistics.
Reforger doesn’t offer much content yet.
Probably the biggest issue that I would not recommend the game based on my experience is its stability. I ran into countless crashes while playing where the multiplayer mode in particular was practically unplayable, so I would recommend waiting with a purchase for now. Object blending, camera bugs, rendering and other details are now typical of the game. I haven’t run into any major issues that have prevented me from progressing through the game. However, despite the stability issues, it is clear from user feedback that the crashes in the game do not affect all players, and if you are lucky, you will surely have a great time with Reforger. The developers have already fixed most of the problems that were in previous games, but it must be taken into account how poor the content is, at least for now, and that we will have to wait for the long-awaited ARMU 4, because this is only the first step towards it.
David Bernard
First of all, I have to point out that the Arma series hasn’t kissed me yet. That’s except for the spiritual predecessor in the form of Operation Flashpoint, in which I ran back and forth as a ten-year-old and had no idea what I was really doing. To be honest, not much has changed since then. Therefore, I ask you to take my impressions from the point of view of a complete beginner. I’ve always liked multiplayer shooters, but I’ve avoided simulations. I prefer Call of Duty or Battlefield constants. However, the last episodes of both series didn’t turn out so well, and when the keys to the new Arma Reforger arrived at the editorial office, I thought it was time to try a little more hardcore.
I have played airsoft several times in my life, so I have a general understanding of tactics and movement on the battlefield. So it’s clear to me that it’s impossible to play CoD-style Arma. After an introductory lesson that introduced me to the basics, I jumped into action. And so I stumbled upon. I have not seen such terrible servers that obviously interfere with testing the game in any other game. The constant disconnection for several minutes prevented me from trying the game properly. The reason remains the same, because Arma Reforger, according to the authors from the Bohemia Interactive studio in Brno, is more of a test environment for the upcoming fourth volume. If creators need quality feedback, then stable servers are the basis. This cannot be discussed.
But when I got into the game, the realism of the combat breathed in on me from all angles. One or two hits and you’re down. You really need to think as you move forward, which is a nice change from the crazy run in Call of Duty. The audio-visual processing is a success, and the optimization that the series has suffered from over the years is much better in the case of Reforger. The environment of Everon Island is treated to the first place. I liked the weapon’s behavior because it wasn’t a laser-accurate weapon of death. If you get carried away, in 99% of cases it will end in your death. I must say that such a hardcore approach does not suit me very much. For military enthusiasts, airsoft players, and veterans of the series, this is an enticing name. That is, if you enter the game. But if you’re not an avid fan, you’d be better off waiting for Arm 4. Reforger is unfortunately unplayable in its current state.
Daniel Yarotsky
From the first sight, Arma Reforger fascinated me by returning to Everon Island, which I still remember very well from Operation Flashpoint. I already felt a certain breath of nostalgia for modern graphics in the introductory passage of the tutorial. However, Arma Reforger is primarily intended to illustrate the capabilities of the new Enfusion engine, which has moved the graphics page significantly from Arma 3.
After playing through the mentioned part of the tutorial, I was looking forward to a couple of multiplayer modes that make up the main content of the game. It was on this, but in my case, all the most interesting ended. Despite my best efforts and regular testing, I just couldn’t connect to the server. After a loading screen and a few seconds of waiting, instead of connecting to the game, I only got an error message. I sent out about the game three times everywhere. However, even in these happy cases, the game disconnected me from the server again after a few seconds.
It can be seen from various discussions with colleagues and players on Steam that persistent server issues continue to be the most serious problem for the new Army, which, unfortunately, has not been resolved even more than a month after the release. At the same time, it is clear that there will be players who will get into the game and the game will disconnect them from the server, for example, after tens of minutes of the game.
Some players are just unlucky and basically can’t play the game.
However, some players, like me, are just unlucky and basically can’t play the game. Despite the regular supply of updates, this problem, unfortunately, is still relevant and, at least in my case, clearly overshadows the positive aspects of the game. So at the moment there is nothing left but to wait for a possible repair. However, due to the relatively large number of players on the servers, the question is whether it will be too late.
Source :Indian TV
