OFP in a new box.
I did not expect Armed Assault to have the same impact as Operation Flashpoint did; but neither did I expect the disappointment I was in for. Very little has changed! This is basically the same as OFP, with but with the option of heavier graphics that kill your computer.I have a decent computer. It's got 1.5GB of main memory, and GEForce 6800 with 512MB of memory, an P4 3.2 Ghz; and yet I had to use 800 x 600 resolutionand turn all graphics settings to "low" or "very "low", in order to get acceptable frame-rates - I'm getting about 18fps now. Not good, but acceptable, and at least playable.
The graphics are definitely better, but they aren't anything special by today's standards. I'm not too worried about that. It just seems odd that this is the same 3D engine as used by OFP, that's just had some pretty things added to it like grass, reflections and heavy textures. In other words, a 3D engine that is six years old. Nothing clever at all when one compares it to 3D engines like Source or Unreal .
Prior to it's release, I had heard so much about this vast new environment we would have as a battleground; but all we get are two islands - one big one like Malden in OFP Resistance, and the other a tiny desert island. That's it. I was left wondering whether I'd bought the right game, or whether I'd bought a "lite" version or something. I was definitely starting to worry at this stage. I couldn't believe it.
One of the things I'd heard had been improved was damage modelling. So I checked this out. They've certainly got rid of the horrible mesh deformations that were used in OFP. Vehicles that explode are swapped, under a big cloud of fire an smoke, with burned out models. Firing a big gun at a structure will eventually cause it to collapse in big cloud of dust, again to be replaced with a wrecked model - this time a rubble mound. Fences, walls, trees, pillars fall over exactly like they did in OFP. This new damage modelling actually works quite well, and after an hour or so of battle a town can look very different and unique due to the number of variations the new damage modlling brings.
Driving certain armoured vehicles - view modes are now limited to virtual cockpit, or third person. The optics view that was available in OFP seems to be unavailable in certain vehicles. Not sure if this is a bug or not. The problem with the virtual cockpit view is that is has a poor visiblity for driving - and it is a fixed viewpoint so you can't move the position of your head a little to get a better view when needed, as you would in real life. The third person view is just "gamey", but now we're forced to use it in some vehicles.
This game, although very playable, gives one the impression that the developers lacked the enthusiam that was behind the original OFP. I think the original OFP was brought out to impress the big potential customers like the US military, as a kind of fore-runner to Virtual Battelfield. A lot of effort went into that original game. It was new and innovative, and must rank amongst the best ever games for PC. ArmA, on the other hand, bears the hallmarks of a game that was rushed & brought out prematurely. There are quite a few bugs in it - the fact that they've brought out a 500MB "patch" so soon after the first release is a telling sign that the first release left a lot to be desired. I just think the developers' hearts weren't in this one. But, let us not forget that OFP is still a great game, and so is this. It is at least equal to OFP, and as such, ranks as part of the best battle simulation series there is. It is still in a league of it's own. Of course I will continue to use it, and hope that it improves over time. We shall have to wait and see what future patches come out, and what add-ons.