FiringSquad:What multiplayer features are you planning at this point for the game?
Paul R. Statham:ArmA and multiplayer are really going to slot together well, our netcode has really matured as we've worked on it and certainly we're expecting ArmA to support 60 players as minimum. But for us multiplayer is never simply about the numbers of players involved, it has to be more than that, more substance, more content. ArmA's multiplayer is going to be oozing substance, and content. Obviously as with singleplayer, multiplayer will feature the whole island, a plethora of vehicles and weapons as well as the great depth and possibility offered by the AI, use them as enemies, use them as friends, choice is yours. Mode wise ArmA will feature a wide range of choices, from the usual quick action types: deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag etc. onto the the modes which offer a little more strategy and depth: cooperative, capture and hold, attack and defend, hold location, sector control etc. Then a level beyond that we're going to have hard coded into the game a mode of play similar to the immensely popular capture the island, this aims to be a persistent, largescale conflict, fought over the whole island for hours, even days at a time. It will have a constantly changing battlefield, a real ebb and flow type warfare that really challenges gamers.
FiringSquad:What can you tell us about the graphical features in Armed Assault?
Paul R. Statham:Obviously graphics are important in any game, for us we look at graphics as a way to build a sense of style into the game, a contributing part of the immersion and experience of the game as a whole. ArmA will support a number of the more useful DX9 features such as pixel shaders, normal mapping and HDR range simulation. When we look at using a graphical feature we don't look at is as a way to check off a box in the list of "geek speak" we look at it as a way to implement something that has a practical purpose, for example one of the really cool things about the HDR lighting we have in the game is that bright lights such as sunlight or explosions affect how well you can see the world around you, what that means in practical terms is that if you have the sun in your eyes, and you're about to ambush the enemy you put yourself at a disadvantage due to your decreased ability to see.
FiringSquad:Are there plans for any mission editors and mod tools for the game like Bohemia release for Operation: Flashpoint?
Paul R. Statham:The modding community is part of the reason we're still around today and in a position to create our future games. ArmA will ship with a built in mission editor, this mission editor is completely fully featured and is essentially the same one that we use to create the campaign, single player missions and multiplayer missions, using it gamers can create their own campaigns and missions, create their own cutscenes, implement music and speech files into their missions, basically do any of the things that we ourselves do in the content that ships with the game. In the areas of modding support we're definitely looking at ways we can help the community to make a jump start on getting their content created and released, we're looking at releasing the tools they need around the same time as the game ships and we're already working on the documentation they'll need to use the tools. Operation Flashpoint has seen thousands of addons/mods released over the years, everything from TV Show and movie tie ins, onto mods covering virtually every war fought in any period and every nation of soldier that's carried a weapon, so of course nobody wants to see that great work go to waste, fortunately with a little tweaking all content from Flashpoint can be converted to work with ArmA so basically as soon as ArmA is released people should start seeing addon/mod content released.
FiringSquad:What are the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?
Paul R. Statham:The question as to when it will be released is down to the publisher, at this moment in time we don't have a global publishing deal with any publisher so we continue to be available for discussions with interested parties. At this year's E3 we're represented by IDEA Games who will be showing Armed Assault to journalists and publishers, so anyone wishing to arrange an appointment should contact them [http://www.idea-games.com/index_main.php?id=contact]
FiringSquad:Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Armed Assault?
Paul R. Statham:I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who reads this interview, we're really passionate about the games we create so it really means a lot to us to get a sense of the excitement and anticipation that's building up around ArmA. I know people are eager to get their hands on the game, just as we're eager to finish it and start seeing some of the amazing content the community produces, so hopefully it' not going to be too much longer before it's released. And before that we can promise to release more and more new information and media about the game, following the period of silence where we had to focus primarily on the development side.
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
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Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!