Armed Assault
Encyclopedia
ArmA: Armed Assault also known as ARMA: Combat Operations in North America
, is a tactical military
first-
and third-person shooter
which was developed by a 40 member team at Bohemia Interactive
(BI), an independent game developer based in the Czech Republic
.
ARMA is the spiritual successor to Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and features an overhauled game engine
, with improved graphics, physics, multiplayer functionality, scripting capabilities, and new units and vehicles. An expansion pack titled ArmA: Queen's Gambit was released in 2007.
Because of legal issues between BI and Codemasters
(the original publishers of Operation Flashpoint), Codemasters owns the intellectual property
to the name Operation Flashpoint. Since BI severed its connection with Codemasters and no longer has the legal right to use the Operation Flashpoint name, Armed Assault is considered to be the direct descendant of Operation Flashpoint. ARMA 2
(previously referred to as "Game 2") was released in June 2009. Codemasters has released a rival title to BI using the name Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising with which BI has no participation.
island of Sahrani, a nation which is divided into a northern communist
regime (called the Democratic Republic of Sahrani - DRS) and an oil
rich southern democracy
called the Kingdom of South Sahrani. The narrative begins with United States
forces, after a few months of training in the south, leaving the island. The northern leader uses this moment of weakness to attack the rest of the south. The player takes on the role of one soldier in one of the platoons not rotated off the island before the conflict began. The platoons aid the Royal Army Corps of Sahrani (RACS) in fending off the more powerful neighbour's offensive being spearheaded by the Sahrani Liberation Army (SLA).
The campaign follows a linear storyline. However, each level
in the campaign has options for the player on how to progress through the mission. The player's in-game performance and choices determine how the storyline progresses and ultimately will have a bearing on the war itself. For example, a mission to seize a crucial town can have a substantial effect on the story depending on the player's level of success or failure. Failure to successfully complete an objective does not result in the game ending but will affect the storyline. Hostile squads act independently of the player's actions so that they may be engaging in an activity dictated by the game AI
that does not necessarily involve the player. This implies that the game has high replay value as no two games will be identical.
ARMAs expansion pack
, ARMA: Queen's Gambit, was released on September 28, 2007 and contained a followup to the original storyline and added a second event afterward.
The content of Operation Flashpoint is currently being converted to ARMAs format, and released as a free addon, titled Cold War Rearmed. This addon contains the original islands, models, and campaign.
s are also available in multiplayer missions, both as allies and foes, while the mission editor allows users to script battle scenarios. A cooperative mode of gameplay is also included, allowing players online to complete the single player missions as a human player squad. The Armed Assault community also creates custom content such as new missions, campaigns, factions and weapons.
A new multiplayer mode that blends FPS and RTS elements was released as ArmA Warfare in the official update 1.14. ArmA Warfare contains team-based multiplayer missions with realtime strategy. Two sides fight for control of the entire map or destruction of the enemy base. Players must capture whole cities to gain resources that can be channeled into manufacturing even more weapons and units.
. IGN
said "ArmAs adherence to realism and accuracy in terms of weapons and world design is highly commendable and hopefully will inspire other developers in similar directions." GameDaily
praised its "spectacular graphics" and its multiplayer, but criticized its bugs and "complicated menu system". Computer Games Online said "It’s hard...to believe that they actually thought that such an unpolished game would enjoy any kind of success." WorthPlaying concluded its review with "There are so many things going for Armed Assault: Combat Operations in terms of presentation, concept and effort. Unfortunately, it slips up in so many ways that affect the gameplay to a serious degree that it turns what could have been a great military combat simulator into a test of patience. ...That said, ArmA is one of the more authentic first-person shooter war games out now, so...ArmA is worth considering."
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, is a tactical military
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
first-
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
which was developed by a 40 member team at Bohemia Interactive
Bohemia Interactive Studio
Bohemia Interactive , also referred to as Bohemia Interactive Studio , is an independent computer and console game developer based in Prague, Czech Republic...
(BI), an independent game developer based in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
ARMA is the spiritual successor to Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and features an overhauled game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, with improved graphics, physics, multiplayer functionality, scripting capabilities, and new units and vehicles. An expansion pack titled ArmA: Queen's Gambit was released in 2007.
Because of legal issues between BI and Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
(the original publishers of Operation Flashpoint), Codemasters owns the intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
to the name Operation Flashpoint. Since BI severed its connection with Codemasters and no longer has the legal right to use the Operation Flashpoint name, Armed Assault is considered to be the direct descendant of Operation Flashpoint. ARMA 2
ArmA 2
ARMA 2 is a tactical shooter video game for the PC developed by Bohemia Interactive Studio. It is considered the spiritual successor in the Operation Flashpoint-series following its predecessor, ArmA: Armed Assault . ARMA 2 was released in June and July 2009...
(previously referred to as "Game 2") was released in June 2009. Codemasters has released a rival title to BI using the name Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising with which BI has no participation.
Storyline
The campaign in Armed Assault takes place on the fictional AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
island of Sahrani, a nation which is divided into a northern communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
regime (called the Democratic Republic of Sahrani - DRS) and an oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
rich southern democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
called the Kingdom of South Sahrani. The narrative begins with United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces, after a few months of training in the south, leaving the island. The northern leader uses this moment of weakness to attack the rest of the south. The player takes on the role of one soldier in one of the platoons not rotated off the island before the conflict began. The platoons aid the Royal Army Corps of Sahrani (RACS) in fending off the more powerful neighbour's offensive being spearheaded by the Sahrani Liberation Army (SLA).
The campaign follows a linear storyline. However, each level
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
in the campaign has options for the player on how to progress through the mission. The player's in-game performance and choices determine how the storyline progresses and ultimately will have a bearing on the war itself. For example, a mission to seize a crucial town can have a substantial effect on the story depending on the player's level of success or failure. Failure to successfully complete an objective does not result in the game ending but will affect the storyline. Hostile squads act independently of the player's actions so that they may be engaging in an activity dictated by the game AI
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
that does not necessarily involve the player. This implies that the game has high replay value as no two games will be identical.
ARMAs expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
, ARMA: Queen's Gambit, was released on September 28, 2007 and contained a followup to the original storyline and added a second event afterward.
The content of Operation Flashpoint is currently being converted to ARMAs format, and released as a free addon, titled Cold War Rearmed. This addon contains the original islands, models, and campaign.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer aspect of the game features a "Join in Progress" option, so that players can play without waiting. The number of people allowed in a multiplayer game is limited only by the server's capability. NPCNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s are also available in multiplayer missions, both as allies and foes, while the mission editor allows users to script battle scenarios. A cooperative mode of gameplay is also included, allowing players online to complete the single player missions as a human player squad. The Armed Assault community also creates custom content such as new missions, campaigns, factions and weapons.
A new multiplayer mode that blends FPS and RTS elements was released as ArmA Warfare in the official update 1.14. ArmA Warfare contains team-based multiplayer missions with realtime strategy. Two sides fight for control of the entire map or destruction of the enemy base. Players must capture whole cities to gain resources that can be channeled into manufacturing even more weapons and units.
Reception
ARMA received average reception on its release, praised for the unique believability of its action but criticized for its difficulty, complexity, and bugsSoftware bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said "ArmAs adherence to realism and accuracy in terms of weapons and world design is highly commendable and hopefully will inspire other developers in similar directions." GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
praised its "spectacular graphics" and its multiplayer, but criticized its bugs and "complicated menu system". Computer Games Online said "It’s hard...to believe that they actually thought that such an unpolished game would enjoy any kind of success." WorthPlaying concluded its review with "There are so many things going for Armed Assault: Combat Operations in terms of presentation, concept and effort. Unfortunately, it slips up in so many ways that affect the gameplay to a serious degree that it turns what could have been a great military combat simulator into a test of patience. ...That said, ArmA is one of the more authentic first-person shooter war games out now, so...ArmA is worth considering."
See also
- Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
- ARMA 2ArmA 2ARMA 2 is a tactical shooter video game for the PC developed by Bohemia Interactive Studio. It is considered the spiritual successor in the Operation Flashpoint-series following its predecessor, ArmA: Armed Assault . ARMA 2 was released in June and July 2009...
- VBS1VBS1VBS1 is a military simulator which relies heavily on modern game technology and is therefore generally referred to as a serious game. The platform is derived from the first-person entertainment game Operation Flashpoint and is developed by Bohemia Interactive Australia. The system enables the...
, VBS2VBS2VBS2 is the successor of the battlefield simulation system VBS1. It was developed in close cooperation with the USMC, Australian Defence Force and other military customers of VBS1. VBS2 was officially launched on 17 April 2007....