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Arma 3 Alpha - March 5th - 25 Euros

Jackpot

Banned
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.

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 the Arma 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.

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I'll wait for an invite. Wouldn't pay for a demo, much less an alpha build.
 

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
I can only imagine how badly a Bohemia alpha engine would run.

I bet we're looking at sub 1 FPS.
 
I wonder if they will also send out invites, but since this is cheaper than the full game it sounds tempting to get here.

You have to wonder though, if you look at ARMA 2, how buggy and non-polished will this game feel in an Alpha stage? I do think the final game will be a bit more polished than ARMA 2 though, since they should have gotten a revenue boost from the additional ARMA 2 sales gained by DayZ.
 
I'll probably pick this up on Steam. I've got hundreds of hours in ARMA2.

I can't imagine how bad its going to run on my PC though.
 
They also mention distributing invites through competitions and giving them to gaming sites to hand out.

Then I don't see a very high change of being able to get one through this, since it is quite a large price that is asked for it.

EDIT: I was referring to the non-lite version, sorry, did not read the lite part about it being invite-only.
 
Sorry.

http://www.arma3.com/news/plans-for-arma3-in-2013

Re-reading I guess it's not too bad. They should have phrased it as "pre-order the game, get alpha & beta access!" instead of mentioning them as after-thoughts.

I had the exact same reaction. This press release stops many interested readers halfway through before explaining the real benefits. And who would mention the pricing first before explaining the actual benefits?
 
Hope they fixed the general incumberance of the user interface. Ladders, backpacks etc.

Barely played Arma II, had no idea what was going on. Could never find a game, and when I could it was just a bunch of 14 year old russians running around spawn killing. I know it's like Planetside 2 in the sense that the barriers to entry are necessary to have that kind of sprawling experience but they could do a lot more to make it more approachable to casuals like me.
 

Foffy

Banned
Will the alpha have any toolsets so people can start making/converting mods? As much as I love ArmA, the ACE mod has easily been the defining piece to enhance the experience, if ArmA II is any indication.
 

Orgun

Member
Will the alpha have any toolsets so people can start making/converting mods? As much as I love ArmA, the ACE mod has easily been the defining piece to enhance the experience, if ArmA II is any indication.


Well, they mention in the press release that "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...."
 

Sethos

Banned
I hope the updated PhysX with make driving fun. Driving in the old ArmA games was always a disconnected feel, like a chore.
 

ironcreed

Banned
One of the games I am hoping to see come to PS4, beings Bohemia Interactive is on the list of devs supporting the system.
 

robin2

Member
Being it a steamworks game, if I buy on BIS Store, I'll still get the game through steam right?

Since I already have an account on their store, I'd like to give them whole sum.
 

Sethos

Banned
Being it a steamworks game, if I buy on BIS Store, I'll still get the game through steam right?

Since I already have an account on their store, I'd like to give them whole sum.

Yup, sound like the game is full steamworks and needs to be registered on Steam. Most of the bonuses are downloaded through their stores I believe.
 
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