ArmA III goes into a purchaseable Alpha on March 5th, includes Full Game

Feb 26, 2013

Bohemia Interactive today announced their plans for the upcoming PC-exclusive tactical military shooter game, Arma 3. From next week onward, Tuesday March 5th, all are welcome to try out the authentic military gameplay and assist in the game’s development by participating in the Arma 3 Alpha. The Alpha will feature a limited amount of playable and sandbox content, receive regular updates and remain accessible until Arma 3’s Beta starts – which is expected in the second quarter of this year. The full and final version of Arma 3 is scheduled for release in Q3 2013.

Featured in the Arma 3 Alpha are four showcase missions (Infantry, Vehicles, SCUBA and Helicopter), a limited subset of weapons and vehicles, two multiplayer scenarios, the powerful scenario editor and modding support. The 20 km² island of Stratis, which is positioned right off the coast from Arma 3’s main destination ‘Altis’ (270 km²), will form the backdrop of the Arma 3 Alpha.

Jay Crowe, Co-Creative Director on Arma 3, elaborates:

“The Arma 3 Alpha is a big milestone in the project’s development. Testing early and often puts us on the right track towards improving performance, stability and delivering on our goal of creating a robust final release. It’s also a big opportunity to get the game in the hands of our passionate community, which enables them to start work on their own creations, tailored to the fourth generation of the Real Virtuality engine.”

To participate in the Alpha, people can purchase the Arma 3 Alpha (24.99 EUR/19.99 GBP/32.99 USD) or Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (39.99 EUR/34.99 GBP/49.99 USD) on Steam. Extras in the Digital Deluxe Edition include a digital soundtrack*, digital maps*, digital tactical guide*, and a Steam Gift of Arma: Cold War Assault (formerly known as Operation Flashpoint™: Cold War Crisis). Both versions include access to the Arma 3 Beta plus a digital copy of the complete game upon release. The price of each edition will increase once the Arma 3 Beta and final game become available.

Those who would like to sponsor development further, also have the option to purchase theArma 3 Supporter Edition (69.99 EUR/59.99 GBP/91.99 USD) from Store.bistudio.com. Besides the additional Arma development support, this edition ships with all the extras from the digital deluxe edition, a Steam Gift of Arma X, all future Arma 3 DLCs, a special forums medal and the opportunity to have their names featured in the game’s credits. The full overview of editions, and their conditions, can be found on Arma 3’s new website.

Last but not least, Bohemia Interactive also intends to release a free, limited version of the Alpha, named Arma 3 Alpha Lite. The Alpha Lite will be available one week after the initial Alpha release, on Thursday March 14th, and does not include a multiplayer component and modding support. Access to the Alpha Lite is invite-only and can be obtained from people who have purchased the Arma 3 Alpha. Invites will also be randomly distributed via the Arma 3 social channels and as giveaways by selected media outlets. The Arma 3 Alpha Lite expires on June 15, does not provide access to the Arma 3 Beta and does not include a copy of the final game.

The Arma 3 Alpha will be available on Steam next Tuesday March 5th, 2013. For more information on the Alpha, be sure to visit the brand new Arma 3 website at www.arma3.com

*These bundle extras will be available upon release of the full and final game.

ArmA III will be a Steam-exclusive title, says Bohemia Interactive

Feb 21, 2013

Ahead of their release plans announcement, Bohemia Interactive has revealed that Valve’s Steam will be required to play Arma 3. In a developer’s blog post, Project Lead Joris-Jan van ‘t Land explains the studio’s motivations, stating that the game could otherwise not be released in 2013.

The “Full Steam Ahead” blog post mentions a difficult phase in development, which also involved the recent incident in Greece. These setbacks drove the studio to re-evaluate the project, and Joris-Jan van ‘t Land refers to the decision for Steam as one of the steps to set Arma 3 back on track for a 2013 release.

“As an independent developer, we’re constantly evaluating the way we develop, distribute and publish games. Valve made tremendous improvements to their system, which made the installation/update process much more user-friendly – for both developers and customers“ , adds Bohemia Interactive’s founder and CEO, Marek Španěl.

“We realize that some people may find it difficult to migrate to a new platform, especially if they were used to purchasing and playing our games without any external third-party application. We have evaluated the pros and cons, but in the end Steam enables us to release Arma 3, brings massive advantages to the game, and improves the end-user experience. Not to forget, the majority of our players already come from Steam.“

Bohemia Interactive is also exploring the further integration of Steamworks functionality, which would enable game features that are impossible to develop in-house, on time. Joris-Jan van ‘t Land: “Valve’s Steamworks offers some cool features that can help us to enhance the Arma experience where it matters. We’ll save the exact details for a later update, but to summarize our priorities in two key words: user-generated content and multiplayer.”

Based on the latest progress and the current state of Arma 3, he ends his blog post in confidence: “We feel strongly that our decision is paying off, and soon you’ll get a chance to see why.”

The entire development blog post can be found at Bohemia Interactive’s website.

Boxed copies of Arma 3 will still be available at retail in most regions. These will either be Steam Codes in a retail package, or also contain DVD data to speed up installation.

ArmA II: Complete Collection is Now Available

Feb 15, 2013

Bohemia Interactive, the award-winning independent Czech development studio, is delighted to announce the release of Arma2: Complete Collection, finally available as one complete package fans new and old alike can experience all that Arma2 has to offer.

Perfect choice for all new DayZ devotees! All Arma 2 games and DLCs combined in a neat package for one great price – this is Arma 2: Complete Collection.

Everything you need for the DayZ Mod* and more. Built upon over 10 years’ experience, the collection thrusts gamers into the heart of the most realistic military combat simulation ever developed, featuring cutting edge technology and vast, detailed environments and authentically modeled units, weapons and vehicles. For one price you receive 6 campaigns and countless single player and multiplayer scenarios spread across hundreds of square kilometers of Chernarus and Takistan maps.

*DayZ Mod requires Arma 2 and Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead to run, plus Arma 2: Private Military Company to display all textures in the highest quality – all are included in Arma 2: Complete Collection

Arma 2: Complete Collection contains:

• Arma 2
• Operation Arrowhead
• British Armed Forces
• Private Military Company
• Army of the Czech Republic

Until it becomes elsewhere, you can purchase at: https://store.bistudio.com/arma2-complete-collection

Bohemia Interactive renames the main island in ArmA 3 to “Altis”

Feb 01, 2013

Bohemia Interactive has renamed the main island of its upcoming mil-sim game, Arma 3. The new name, ‘Altis’, reflects the distinctive Mediterranean identity of its environment, but distinguishes it from the real-world Greek island of Lemnos, which has served as the main source of inspiration.

The decision follows an incident involving the arrest of two Bohemia Interactive employees, who were spending their holidays on Lemnos. Both were detained for 129 days on suspicion of espionage. They were recently released on bail.

Arma 3’s main island (approx. 350 km²) is inspired by the beautiful environment of the Greek island, Lemnos (approx. 475 km²), artistically re-created based on commercially and publicly available data. It was originally chosen to be the centre-piece of the game after Bohemia Interactive’s CEO, Marek Spanel, visited the island on vacation several years ago and shared his impressions with the Arma 3 development team.

However, in view of recent events, the team no longer feels passionate about using the previous name, ‘Limnos’, and hopes that the new identity, ‘Altis’, will help emphasize the fictional nature of the game. A secondary, significantly smaller island in Arma 3, ‘Stratis’ (approx. 20 km²), will keep its name.

Joris-Jan van ‘t Land, Project Lead on Arma 3, explains:

“As part of the creative process, our virtual environments are often rooted in real-life locations and, during development, they evolve and grow along with our design. The resulting fictional environment is often close to its inspiration, but it’s never exactly the same – nor would we want it to be. For us, ‘Altis’ echoes the Mediterranean heart of our island, but differentiates it from any undesired real-life connotations.”

Starting with the successful Arma: Cold War Assault (originally titled Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis*) in 2001, Arma 3 is the latest installment in the award-winning tactical military shooter series by Bohemia Interactive. This PC-exclusive video game, which is set in 2035, provides an authentic combat experience in a massive military sandbox. Running on a brand new version of the Real Virtuality™ engine, Arma 3 features a wide variety of single- and multiplayer gameplay – supported by limitless opportunities for content creation.

Arma 3 is scheduled for release in 2013. More precise details will be announced later this month.

ArmA Tactics being developed for nVidia’s Project SHIELD

Jan 30, 2013

Bohemia Interactive, the award-winning independent Czech development studio, proudly announces the development of a turn-based close-combat strategy game entitled Arma Tactics; planned for a Q2 2013 release for NVIDIA Tegra devices.

Arma Tactics is a turn-based close-combat strategy game, where the player takes control of a four-member Special Forces team. There are no given strategies, rails to move on, or paths to follow; it‘s up to the player to decide how he will play through both the story-driven missions and generated missions with randomized objectives. Whether using stealth or a more direct approach, players will need to use their strategic thinking and use both basic and advanced weaponry while facing many different opponents – ranging from unorganized local militia to smart and skilled mercenaries.

Arma Tactics is coming to mobile, taking the best from games like Jagged Alliance™ and X-COM™. The finest assets used in the critically acclaimed Arma™ series on PC now come to life on Tegra devices in one of the best looking mobile games to date.

Arma Tactics takes full advantage of Project SHIELD’s console-grade controller, and when connected to a television, the game utilizes Project SHIELD’s unique multi-screen gaming, allowing the audience to experience entertaining vantage points that differ from the player’s. Optimizations for NVIDIA Tegra 4, the world’s fastest mobile processor, include enhanced physics simulation, bloom post-processing effects and increased objects and geometry.

With highly replayable missions, achievements, weapons to unlock and whole campaigns to be regularly added, Arma Tactics offers many hours of intense ever-changing action.

Arma Tactics Key Features:

• Exclusive launch title for the upcoming NVIDIA Tegra 4, Project SHIELD Developed in close cooperation with NVIDIA Explore highly detailed environments that come to life with sophisticated particle systems and post- process effectsSee your men come to life with animations captured by a powerful motion-capture solution
• Lead them through a single player campaign or improve your skills in generated missions
• Gather experience points to level up your characters, upgrade weapons and unlock special equipment
• Choose your difficulty – we make sure the game is fun to play for both casual players and hardcore gamers
• Play as you like – by touching your screen or by using gamepad controls
• Potential future platform iOS, Android, PC, MAC, Linux expecting released date Q3 2013

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Our Friends at Bohemia Interactive

Dec 24, 2012

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission deploys Windows PC demo

Oct 04, 2012

Sea trial – Just two days after its worldwide launch, Bohemia Interactive has commissioned theWindows PC demo for Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. The demo introduces players to the unique Carrier Command gameplay as they lead two demo-exclusive assaults on the islands of Thermopylae and Granite.

Narrated by one of the developers, the demo kicks off with an action-packed sequence in which players control one of the amphibious Walruses. Once they complete their first objective, the demo fast forwards to another island. Here, the gameplay opens up and players will be able to switch between driving Walruses, flying Mantas and ordering units via the tactical map. Overall it takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Based on the groundbreaking classic from 1988, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission offers a refreshing blend of vehicular combat with tactical and strategic elements. In a massive open world – consisting of 33 unique islands hosting 6 distinct climatic zones – players are put in command of a futuristic military carrier holding multiple remotely controllable and customizable units. By traversing the seas and establishing a strategic network of island bases for mining, production and defense, players set out to conquer the archipelago on the planetoid Taurus.

The Windows PC demo for Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is now available for download at: www.carriercommand.com/demo – A Steam release is expected at a later date.

Launch trailer sends Carrier Command: Gaea Mission into battle

Oct 02, 2012

To celebrate the long-anticipated release of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission, Bohemia Interactive has just shipped the game’s launch trailer. As of today, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is available in stores worldwide for both Windows PC and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/UEr7e1kp418]

The Fundamentals of Warfare in Carrier Command: Gaea Mission

Sep 20, 2012

Briefing – Just eight days away from launch, Bohemia Interactive has released a brand new trailer for their upcoming Windows PC & Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft video game, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. The new ‘Fundamentals of Warfare’ trailer highlights the core mechanics to showcase the refreshing gameplay contained within the game.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/bvnnKAD1d9I]

Some Clarity on What Happened in Greece with ArmA III Devs

Sep 17, 2012

This is a follow-up to my story last week about the detained employees of Bohemia Interactive. Now, they’ve updated their information.

Since last Sunday, when two Bohemia Interactive, a.s. employees, were arrested on the Greek island of Lemnos, much speculation about what happened has circulated online. It’s been rumoured that they entered restricted military areas or gathered photographic references of military bases in order to improve the visual fidelity of Arma 3, a PC game currently under development by our company. Far in advance of any formal charges – only hours after they were detained by the local police – many media outlets immediately suggested spying and, only one day later, specifically referenced Arma 3.

Having travelled there, and after meeting personally with them both, as well as their lawyer who is fully acquainted with the Greek authority’s investigation file in detail, we can assure you that these insinuations are completely false and without substance. These employees – our friends, Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar – visited the island as tourists. Their holiday was a product of their interest in the island, triggered by their work on Arma 3 over the past two years of development.

They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen. It’s very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.

We sincerely hope that the whole situation is no more than an unfortunate and deep misunderstanding. The in-game Limnos is close to completion, and it’s far from an identical replication of the real place. It was heavily modified to fit the game’s backstory, a purely fictional 2035 setting. It was rescaled to only 75% of the real island, and it does not attempt to display any real world military installations situated on the island of Lemnos.

To summarize the situation:

• They visited Lemnos on their holiday as tourists.
• They did not enter any military area.
• They did not take any pictures of any military objects to be used in Arma 3.

Martin and Ivan, currently being detained in Mytilene, relayed this message to their friends and family:

“The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained. We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon.”

We apologize for any possible delay or lack of communication regarding this important matter. At present, all and every possible effort goes towards supporting Ivan and Martin, their families, and to getting the guys safely back home. Any form of support for our imprisoned colleagues and friends will be more than welcome.

ArmA 2 rearms Take On Helicopters in free DLC

Sep 13, 2012

Armacopters – With the release of update 1.06 (codenamed Downtown), Bohemia Interactive has rearmed its latest game Take On Helicopters. Aside a large number of fixes, improvements and optimizations to the core engine, the new Downtown update also implements a major new free DLC called Take On Helicopters: Rearmed. This DLC offers a convenient way for people owning titles suchs as Arma 2, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, Arma 2: Combined Operations to get that content into Take On Helicopters.

Take On Helicopters Project Lead Joris-Jan van ‘t Land about the Rearmed initiative:

“When we initially developed Take On Helicopters, its focus was on civilian flight. We still believe in this non-combat gameplay, but of course our studio’s origins lie in military gaming. By using some clever ways of merging installed products, without the player having to tweak manual settings, it is now possible to combine the two worlds. Take On Helicopters gets an incredible amount of new content, while many of the improvements are applied to it as well. I love flying a helicopter over Chernarus, bathed in improved lighting and covered by the beautiful clouds. Takistan is a more detailed part of South Asia and the ideal playground for combined arms desert operations.”

Additionally, a number of fixes and improvements to the core technology, which had recently been applied to other Bohemia Interactive games via the Operation Arrowhead beta patch program, have been ported across to Take On Helicopters – resulting in a significant performance boost when flying over densely populated areas such as Seattle Downtown, plus increased stability in the multiplayer code.

Last but not least, aspiring pilots might like to know that the price of Take On Helicopters, and the Take On Helicopters: Hinds DLC, has been significantly reduced. It means people can now start flying for up to 37% less than the original price.

To apply the Downtown update (including the free Rearmed DLC), players can download the installer from the updates section on the game’s official website. The Steam version of Take On Helicopters will be updated automatically.

Patch highlights:

• Take On Helicopters: Rearmed
• Disappearing cockpit bug fixed
• Stability and performance tweaks merged from Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead

Open Letter from Bohemia Interactive’s CEO on Arrested Employees

Sep 11, 2012

If you’ve read/heard about the employees working on ArmA III who were “spying” on a military base in Greece, I just received a letter from the CEO of Bohemia Interactive. This is what he has to say on the issue:

Hello,

We can confirm that two Bohemia Interactive employees, our colleagues and friends, were arrested during their holiday trip to Lemnos. They visited the island with the sole purpose of experiencing the island’s beautiful surroundings.

Since its establishment in 1999, Bohemia Interactive has created games based only upon publicly available information. We always respect the law and we’ve never instructed anybody to violate the laws of any country. The same is true for Arma 3.

Currently, all our effort goes towards supporting the guys over there, as well as their friends and families affected by this difficult situation. We sincerely hope that this is an unfortunate misunderstanding of their passion as artists and creators of virtual worlds.

On behalf of the Bohemia Interactive team,

Marek Spanel, CEO

 

 

 

Bohemia Interactive a.s.

Czech Republic

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission deploys Xbox 360 trailer and screenshots

Aug 30, 2012

Bohemia Interactive has released a new trailer for their upcoming game, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. This video, titled Xbox 360 Assault Trailer, shows bits of the story-driven Gaea Mission campaign combined with in-game footage captured from the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/ppAcPdnUTx8]