Save up to 80% on the Arma series as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time
Save up to 80% on the Arma series as part of this week's Weekend Deal*!
*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time
A 160MB data patch ensuring Arma 2's compatibility with the recent Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead update has been released.
A 160MB data patch ensuring Arma 2's compatibility with the recent Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead update has been released.
Bohemia Interactive has taken the next step to ensure that Arma 2 survives the Gamespy shutdown . A new 1.63 update for Operation Arrowhead will ensure that online matchmaking survives by formally transitioning from Gamespy to Steam.
Bohemia Interactive has taken the next step to ensure that Arma 2 survives the Gamespy shutdown. A new 1.63 update for Operation Arrowhead will ensure that online matchmaking survives by formally transitioning from Gamespy to Steam.
A nice slice of DayZ is on display in the mod-gone-standalone's first video developer diary. The 15-minute entry introduces its new menu system, how to put together a fetching outfit, item spawns which require actual searching to find, new swampland, the recovered island of Utes,
A nice slice of DayZ is on display in the mod-gone-standalone's first video developer diary. The 15-minute entry introduces its new menu system, how to put together a fetching outfit, item spawns which require actual searching to find, new swampland, the recovered island of Utes, and more.
"Development is continuing to progress in extremely positive ways for us," creator Dean 'Rocket' Hall said in accompanying blog post, having recently delayed the game.
"We're working very hard on the inventory system even more, and it looks like the crafting system is close in next in our development. It would be fair to say that inventory and crafting are the key development objective currently, second only to the client/server architecture (makes DayZ more like an MMO), and new zombie AI mechanics (an ongoing task)."
You may have noticed that the standalone version of smash-hit ArmA 2 mod DayZ missed its planned December launch, but there's a very good reason for that. Creator Dean Hall explains in a new blog post, "Put simply, DayZ Standalone isn't here because we had the chance to go from m
You may have noticed that the standalone version of smash-hit ArmA 2 mod DayZ missed its planned December launch, but there's a very good reason for that. Creator Dean Hall explains in a new blog post, "Put simply, DayZ Standalone isn't here because we had the chance to go from making a game that was just the mod improved slightly, packaged simply, and sold--to actually redeveloping the engine and making the game the way we all dreamed it could be."
The inventory and item management system has been "completely removed and rewritten from the ground," Hall explained yesterday, which lets DayZ do far fancier things. "The new system opens the door for durability of items, disease tracking (cholera lingering on clothes a player wearsâ¦), batteries, addon components, and much more," he wrote. "If you shoot a player in the head to take his night vision, you will damage the night vision."
Your inventory will be less horrible to manage too, with drag-and-drop 3D models. The UI is being reworked in general, inspired by the simplicity of Minecraft's rather than hacking up a military sim.
Hall also shared new screenshots of the revamped environments, noting that the DayZ team at Bohemia now includes a texture artist working on post-apocalypse-ing up interiors. Work on the Chernarus map is still affected by lead architect Ivan Buchta's imprisonment, though Hall says he is providing advice in letters.
As for when DayZ will actually come out, that's not yet clear. The team plans a private beta test for 500-1000 people to test the new architecture, then will decide upon a date once it's fixed any problems which crop up. For now, enjoy these new screens:
Here is a joke for you: What food do zombies like to order at this bar? The answer is ghoulash!!
We already know that Day Z lead Dean Hall wants to make his popular ArmA 2 mod go standalone sometime this year, but he's setting his ambitions even higher to multiplatform development as well. Apparently Hall would like to release the game on consoles as well, and actively meeti
We already know that Day Z lead Dean Hall wants to make his popular ArmA 2 mod go standalone sometime this year, but he's setting his ambitions even higher to multiplatform development as well. Apparently Hall would like to release the game on consoles as well, and actively meeting console developers at Gamescom 2012.
"You're not going to put it on the consoles if you're only going to sell 100,000 units or something like that," Hall told Joystiq. "DayZ will be driven by its PC development and it will innovative on that. And, once we're at a point, we'll take it and do a Mac version, 360 and PS3."
To that end, he confirmed that he's meeting console developers at GamesCom, but says he's not going in blind. His experience at Bohemia Interactive has made him aware of the "pitfalls and horror" involved in developing for console platforms.
DayZ creator Dean 'Rocket' Hall has spoken before about a standalone version of the smash-hit Arma 2 zombie mod, but now it's properly official. The day after the mod hit one million players , Hall has announced he'll be leading the standalone project at Bohemia, following "the M
DayZ creator Dean 'Rocket' Hall has spoken before about a standalone version of the smash-hit Arma 2 zombie mod, but now it's properly official. The day after the mod hit one million players, Hall has announced he'll be leading the standalone project at Bohemia, following "the Minecraft development model."
Hall, who already works at Bohemia on the Arma series, explained that it'll be introduced as an alpha version at "a heavily discounted price," updated in "fast iterations." A bit like how the mod already works, really--and how it'll continue to work.
"Development and updates of the mod will continue in parallel with the development of the game, so anyone who is playing the mod now will be able to continue to do so," he reassured.
Watch the standalone's official site for more.
People might be getting tired of zombies, but they apparently aren't getting tired of hyper-realistic games that border on the impossible. Sheer gamer masochism is the only possible explanation for the Day Z mod having surpassed a whopping one million unique players today, after
People might be getting tired of zombies, but they apparently aren't getting tired of hyper-realistic games that border on the impossible. Sheer gamer masochism is the only possible explanation for the Day Z mod having surpassed a whopping one million unique players today, after only four months on the market.
The Day Z Mod site ticked past the threshold and the development team sent out word with a tweet. More than 2.1 billion zombies have been killed, which might make Day Z sound like a relatively zombie-free paradise. But that assumption would be wrong since almost 4 million characters have been straight-up murdered by other players. As usual in horror fiction, man is the real monster.
That's just the kind of breakout success that might tempt players and publishers to come for its standalone version, which is hoping to launch later this year as long as things go smoothly.
Raini won't steal your beans or kill you for your ammunition. All Raini wants to do is share her soda and tent with you. DayZ - Making Friends
Raini won't steal your beans or kill you for your ammunition. All Raini wants to do is share her soda and tent with you.
DayZ - Making Friends
I don't even...what the hell is...ah whatever, don't question it. Because this is undoubtedly the best dance off in video game history, thanks to what looks like some funny bugs in Arma 2 . What the fuck kind of dance is that?!
I don't even...what the hell is...ah whatever, don't question it. Because this is undoubtedly the best dance off in video game history, thanks to what looks like some funny bugs in Arma 2.
What the fuck kind of dance is that?!
Yeah yeah sure zombies great, but what about army men? For those who like to get together with their chums and simulate a little military action, Bohemia Interactive today launched its 'Army of the Czech Republic' DLC for Arma 2: Combined Operations . It brings shiny newness incl
Yeah yeah sure zombies great, but what about army men? For those who like to get together with their chums and simulate a little military action, Bohemia Interactive today launched its 'Army of the Czech Republic' DLC for Arma 2: Combined Operations. It brings shiny newness including vehicles, weapons, missions, and fittingly for this fine weather, two summery terrains.
As you may have guessed, Army of the Czech Republic lets you play as the Czech Republic's army. They have their own vehicles, like the L-159 Alca jet and Pandur II APC, and weapons including the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 submachine gun and CZ-805 BREN assault rifle. You know, army stuff. You get to play with this toys in a 15-mission campaign, plus multiplayer and all that jazz.
You can buy the add-on now direct from Bohemia for $12. A Steam release is due mid-August.
Pew pew
If Day Z has been a little too crashy for your liking, rejoice, for Arma 2 patch 1.62 has arrived with changes which developer Bohemia says "make zombie hunts much less prone to crashes and should improve server stability." Given that the smash hit mod has a whole new audience bu
If Day Z has been a little too crashy for your liking, rejoice, for Arma 2 patch 1.62 has arrived with changes which developer Bohemia says "make zombie hunts much less prone to crashes and should improve server stability." Given that the smash hit mod has a whole new audience buying the military sim, it's only natural that it should get a little extra care and attention.
The full changelog is on the Bohemia forums, but here are the highlights:
You can download patch 1.62 here at Shacknews, but Steam users will need to wait for that edition to update automatically.
Day Z is such a romper-stomper of a success, with over 850,000 players, that it's looking to go standalone, perhaps even this year.
The Day Z mod for ArmA 2 has been a runaway hit, boosting ArmA 2 sales and raising its profile among PC enthusiasts. The mod team has been open with its plans to spin off into its own stand-alone game, but it sounds like that's happening sooner than expected. Modder Dean Hall tol
The Day Z mod for ArmA 2 has been a runaway hit, boosting ArmA 2 sales and raising its profile among PC enthusiasts. The mod team has been open with its plans to spin off into its own stand-alone game, but it sounds like that's happening sooner than expected.
Modder Dean Hall told VG247 that making it a stand-alone product could happen "certainly before Christmas," but that will rely on reaching an agreement first. Apparently he has entertained offers, but felt they were based on the mod's rocketing success rather than an understanding of the game.
"We're really on borrowed time," he said. "I want to see it become a standalone game, following the Minecraft model of a low price point, but that will only work if we say that everyone is going to pay, and in order for people to not feel ripped off we need to have a load of new content; so, things like base-building, tidying and cleaning up animations and add ragdoll physics as the like."
Today, the 12 MV-22 Osprey aircraft arrived in the Japanese city of Iwakuni, where it was met with protests. People in Japan believe that the aircraft is not safe, pointing to recent Osprey crashes in both Florida and Morocco. As AP points out , the U.S. military contends that th
Today, the 12 MV-22 Osprey aircraft arrived in the Japanese city of Iwakuni, where it was met with protests.
People in Japan believe that the aircraft is not safe, pointing to recent Osprey crashes in both Florida and Morocco. As AP points out, the U.S. military contends that the aircraft has solid safety records and plans to station Osprey at American military bases in Okinawa.
To illustrate how unsafe the Osprey is, Japanese super blogger Kikko-san (who writes one of the most widely read blogs in Japan) tweeted a video of an Osprey crash to her 95,000 followers. It was a crash alright—an Osprey crash in tactical PC shooter Arma 2.
Mistakes happen! Especially on Twitter. Kikko-san quickly switched out the video game Osprey crash with a real Osprey crash (below). If Arma 2's goal is to be a realistic looking shooter, it seems it passed the smell test—for one person, at least.
きっこさん、PCゲーム『ARMA2』で作成されたオスプレイの墜落映像を本物だと思い込む [トー速]
After a short delay, the Day Z 1.7.2 patch for ArmA 2 has launched. That delay didn't quite stamp out all of the bugs, though, because the mod developers say that this update might make you lose some equipment. It also packs in a host of fixes and new features, as usual. A tweet
After a short delay, the Day Z 1.7.2 patch for ArmA 2 has launched. That delay didn't quite stamp out all of the bugs, though, because the mod developers say that this update might make you lose some equipment. It also packs in a host of fixes and new features, as usual.
A tweet from the development team said it could cause "equipment loss and loading problems," but on the bright side it improves server performance and lag. Other fixes include noise reduction through objects and a spawn fix. A few new features include smoother visibility based on the weather, bear traps that break players' and infected legs, sound reduction in rain and fog, and a replacement of the player syncing system.
The team says that over 420,000 people are playing it now, with 22,000 concurrent at peak and 10,000 off-peak. The team originally planned to have two servers, but the game now sports more than a thousand.
This fake news report (an intentional fake, not a proper one ) is notable for two things: use of farm animals in a naval situation, and maybe the best impersonation of a BBC newsreader I've heard in my life . It was made using military sim ArmA 2, which explains both the janky vi
This fake news report (an intentional fake, not a proper one) is notable for two things: use of farm animals in a naval situation, and maybe the best impersonation of a BBC newsreader I've heard in my life.
It was made using military sim ArmA 2, which explains both the janky visuals and the fact you can put an aircraft carrier and a goat in the same level.
ВОЗБУЖДАЮЩАЯ НОВАЯ ТЕХНОЛОГИЯ [Beagle240290, via Reddit]
Despite the summer's dearth of new releases, the Weekend Confirmed crew get into some spirited discussions about Diablo 3's questionable end-game, and what it's like to be a vampire in Skyrim 's new expansion, Dawnguard. Garnett, Jeffs Cannata and Mattas, and regular guest Andrea
Despite the summer's dearth of new releases, the Weekend Confirmed crew get into some spirited discussions about Diablo 3's questionable end-game, and what it's like to be a vampire in Skyrim's new expansion, Dawnguard. Garnett, Jeffs Cannata and Mattas, and regular guest Andrea Rene also delve into some talk about the Day Z beta mod that brings hardcore zombie survival to ArmA 2, and opine a bit about ZombiU and Sim City Social as well. The eclectic mix of topics all wraps up with another batch of Finishing Moves.
Weekend Confirmed Ep. 120: 07/06/2012
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Round 1 00:00:30 â" 00:28:15
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Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest Album, The Wait is Over on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter @delriomusic.
Del Rio's next album, Club Tipsy, is also just a few days away from its July 10 release. Check out his official web page for more information.
(Editor's note: If you missed the first installment of the Shack Tactical Community Spotlight, you can read it here .) Dozens of infantry are lined up along the side of an airstrip. These soldiers are ready for battle. Meanwhile, another dozen soldiers cross over a nearby thresho
(Editor's note: If you missed the first installment of the Shack Tactical Community Spotlight, you can read it here.)
Dozens of infantry are lined up along the side of an airstrip. These soldiers are ready for battle. Meanwhile, another dozen soldiers cross over a nearby threshold and encounter enemy resistance. The battle with the enemy has begun. This is the next part of Shack Tactical's latest video, Town Sweep. Soldiers fight as a cohesive unit with a great sense of discipline. It takes a special breed of player to become a part of Shack Tactical. Among those that help determine who can hang with this group is Shacknews Chatty's own Andrew "dslyexci" Gluck.
Such a structured community naturally receives its fair share of applicants. Gluck notes that the recruiting process is mainly passive. Would-be soldiers can find information on Shack Tactical through Bohemia Interactive's forums and through some occasional Chatty posts. However, the group is more reliant on word-of-mouth, their YouTube presence, and media exposure. Hundreds apply, but only a few have the discipline to see the whole process through to the end. The idea is a "quality over quantity" philosophy, he said.
Despite the stringent requirements, there are hundreds of hopeful ShackTac applicants, something Gluck attributes to the increasing popularity of DayZ, a zombie mod for ArmA 2. He said he has had to change the way it handles applicants and brings them on to the team, replying to inquiries on Thursday and Friday, and only bringing new people in on Sunday and Monday. He has gotten more than 90 emails in the last three days alone.
"Out of those, perhaps 15-20 will progress further," Gluck said. "When all is said and done, I would expect to see 10 of them with us at the end of the year. I am excited to see who those 10 people end up being, and that's one of the driving motivators for me -- meeting and getting to game with cool new people who share my interests and want to contribute to our group's success."
Getting into Shack Tactical is tough. Let's say some wannabe jarhead actually does manage to rise above the rest of the maggots and earn their stripes. What's the learning curve for this rookie?
Not everyone makes it through the screening process.
"As far as learning curve goes, we've written a great deal of material, contained in our forums, that is oriented towards the new players," Gluck said. "We'll take new people aside in small batches to run them through a 'ShackTac Orientation', which consists of a more experienced player giving them the rundown on what to expect, how our modset works, and gives the new players a chance to ask questions. The first taste of our gameplay happens in our Wednesday sessions, which are oriented around further teaching the new players how to play, giving our more experienced players room to spread their wings and try more challenging roles, and just generally promote an enjoyable and less stressful environment for play -- thanks to most of the missions being against AI, instead of humans. Our Saturday sessions ramp up the challenge quite a bit, as approximately 80 percent of the Saturday missions are player-vs-player. Fighting against AI is enjoyable, but fighting against players is something else entirely -- quite the rush, and much less forgiving of bad plans, leadership, shooting, etc."
Of course, knowing how to play is only half the battle. Gluck said that ShackTac only accepts the most model of citizens and will not hesitate to boot soldiers for behavioral reasons. Describing ShackTac as a self-policing community, he said the group has stringent expectations. Fortunately, behavioral issues have proven to be rare.
With a devoted community ready to continue fighting on a regular basis, ArmA III is already on the Shacktac radar. Gluck had a chance to hang out with the developer crew at E3, including DayZ's Dean Hall and ArmA III's Ivan Buchta. Unsurprisingly, the ShackTac community has high hopes for the next entry into the ArmA series.
"ArmA III is another evolution of the series that I am excited to see us transition to," Gluck said. "Personally, I am most interested in the movement and control refinements they've done -- it's great to see ArmA finally have the same responsiveness as your typical modern FPS, and the polish and improvements that have happened already in that area are going to do a good deal to help make ArmA accessible to an even broader audience without compromising the series' integrity. There are all sorts of other aspects of it that I'm hyped for. The new functionality for modular gear and weaponry is a big one - I look forward to seeing what kind of creativity the mod community does with those features. Any multiplayer networking improvements that allow us to take player counts higher and higher are going to be worth their weight in gold, too."
Gluck has plans for the next stage of growth for Shack Tactical.
As the Shack Tactical community continues to grow bigger, the group has gradually drifted away from the Shacknews community. The reason is not personal, Gluck said. "As ShackTac grew larger, more complex, and began to occupy more of my time, I found myself needing to do things for the sake of our player base that would inevitably lead us further away from Shacknews. The two most significant were the establishment of our group forums and our adoption of IRC as our means of intra-group communication. As admin load became heavier and heavier, I began to post less on Shacknews in response -- though even today I still find time for it and frequently read the Chatty. I've never considered myself to have 'stopped' being a Shacker, I've just found myself to be a very preoccupied one."
Despite Shack Tactical increasingly branching off to become its own recognizable entity, Gluck has not forgotten the group's roots.
"The community that Shacknews developed, from 2003 when I started participating, to 2006 when I began ShackTac, is a key part of our success. It would never have been possible to grow as smoothly as we did, with such a high-quality founding member base, if not for being able to initiate and grow the group through the Shacknews Chatty. Every new member we bring into ShackTac, to this day, must read a historical "Where we come from" page that talks about those early days, why we're called "Shack Tactical", and what our insignia is a reference to. We are proud of our history, and Shacknews was where it all started. To everyone who played with us, posted encouragement -- thanks. We could not have done this without all of you."
If you can still conceive of using Arma 2 for anything other than simulating the zombie apocalypse in the smash-hit mod Day Z, its 'Army of the Czech Republic' DLC might pique your interest. Announced today by Bohemia, it'll bring new environments, weapons, vehicles, missions, an
If you can still conceive of using Arma 2 for anything other than simulating the zombie apocalypse in the smash-hit mod Day Z, its 'Army of the Czech Republic' DLC might pique your interest. Announced today by Bohemia, it'll bring new environments, weapons, vehicles, missions, and other gubbins.
AotCR will send players to the pleasing summery terrain of Bystrica and Bukovina for 15 new single-player missions as the--you guessed it--Army of the Czech Republic. Naturally, a new force means appropriate new weapons, including the CZ 805 BREN and CZ Scorpion EVO III, and vehicles, like the L-159 Alca and Pandur II.
Army of the Czech Republic is coming between July and September this year. Hit the announcement for more information, or pre-order now for $11.99.
Czech it out
Women are hugely important in any zombie apocalypse scenario, as those baby factories shall be needed rebuild the human race. Accordingly, smash hit Arma 2 mod Day Z added lady characters in a new patch on Sunday. Oh, and bandits now look like everyone else. Good luck with that.
Women are hugely important in any zombie apocalypse scenario, as those baby factories shall be needed rebuild the human race. Accordingly, smash hit Arma 2 mod Day Z added lady characters in a new patch on Sunday. Oh, and bandits now look like everyone else. Good luck with that.
Day Z's ladies look a little something like this. Players will be presented with a one-time option to switch to female characters when they first connect to a server after applying the patch.
This is irreversible, tied to your CD key, and applies to all future characters you make, so you may not want to be a lady for a lark. Especially considering how charmingly hostile some players can be to ladies in multiplayer FPSs, and how easy Day Z makes it for someone to ruin your fun.
As well as adding ladies and changing the bandit code so players don't automatically don a mask when their humanity dips low, patch 1.6.0 adds switchable outfits. You can persuade a player to part with their vestments, perhaps at gunpoint, or go scavenging for your own.
There are a few tweaks to the new temperature/sickness system introduced recently too. Check out the patch notes for the full run-down of what's new, and download the new version from the Day Z site.