Announced at E3 today

Today at E3, Bohemia Interactive announced that the "Apex" DLC for Arma 3 will be released on July 11. Apex takes place in a new warzone, with additional vehicles, weapons, and gear. You can see the latest trailer be??low if you want to get a look at what to expect.

Fans have been waiting on this one for a while, but now it's less than a month away. I've been admittedly far removed from the Arma series for a while, but I may check out Apex if I have time.

The post Arma 3’s Apex DLC is out on July 11 appeared first on Destructoid.

DayZ hit 2 million in May...

We're always talking about DayZ sales -- now over 2 million -- but the game that made DayZ possible, Arma, is quietly doing well in its own right for developer Bohemia. Arma 3 has just crossed one million sold.

Bohemia boss Marek Spanel announced the milestone on Twitter and provided a visual roadmap for the next two years of Arma 3. It includes a major expansion and helic?opter and mark?smen DLC.

The post Arma 3 sales cross 1 million appeared first on Destructoid.

They're being sold as DLC

I have a real love-hate relationship with April Fools' Day. I love the creativity on display, but hate that most of the cool things "announced" on that day are often just videos. Sometimes, the gags are real, and the results are terrific. Bohemia Interactive made a video featuring go karts in its military first-person shooter Arma 3 and now that stuff is real, playable DLC.

Arma 3 Karts is available now ??on Steam for $1.99, with a portion of proceeds going to the Czech Red Cross. A fun add-on, to be sure?, but there's plenty more serious content on the way too.

Players will want to read up on Bohemia's strategy for not segmenting the multiplayer community with paid content, as detailed in this blog post. Essentially, premium DLC can be experienced even if players don't "own" it, though there will be some restrictions in place as far as single-player scenarios go, and there are notifications. It's the studio's way of continuing to support Arma 3 and treat fans well ?given t?he "realities of running a business and the costs of quality development."

The post Arma 3 go karts are no longer an April Fools’ Day gag appeared first on Destructoid.

Curate personalized experiences for other players

Taking a cue from Dungeons & Dragons, the free Zeus DLC planned for Arma 3 in Q2 2014 will give players the opportunity to become GMs across existing game modes and a new one called Zeus Game Master. It's here that they have the real freedom to dictate objectives, spawn units, and more. And since this is Arma, the Zeus system will be open to modders.

"The best thing about Arma 3 Zeus is how naturally it fits within the game," said design lead Karel Moricky.?? "Dynamic combat, massive islands, and editing features -- it was all there. But now we've added an interface which gives players full control over the multiplayer experience."

This DLC is something which sounds intriguing in the unexpected context of a game like Arma III but also slightly terrifying -- I'd surely stick with being a mere pawn in the grand scheme o?f things. For a certain type of player, though, the role of GM will be a blast.

The post Arma 3’s Zeus DLC introduces a new role: Game Master appeared first on Destructoid.

Big plans for next year

"Make Arma Not War" is the name of an upcoming Bohemia Interactive contest which should greatly help incentivize community-led content creation for Arma 3. The studio is giving out €500,000 in prize money and here's the kicker: "Projects which show a lot of potential mi??ght also be offered a contract by Bohemia Interactive, whether they have won the contest or not." Potentially the start of someone's career, in other words.

The competition spans four categories -- single-player, multiplayer, add-on, and total modification -- with the top prize of €200,000 going to? that last category. The other three will have the prize pool divided up into first (€50,000), second (€30,000), and third place (€20,000).

Interested parties can begin working on their projects, but a?pplications for Make Arma Not War won't be accepted until next year. Submissions are due by October 28, 2014, and the winners will be announced on January 15, ?2015. This contest is exactly the type of thing I'd expect Bohemia to do -- hope it works out for them, content creators, and players.

The post Bohemia is giving out ?500,000 to Arma 3 modders appeared first on Destructoid.

Free stuff is always welcome

Arma 3 came out a while ago, but without any single-player campaign. Bohemia Interactive decided to release the campaign after launch as free downloadable content. The first of the three planned campaign DLCs is out now, and it's already installed for you through the magic of Steam if you have Arma 3 installed.

The ?campaign story is filled with exciting military things like NATO, civil war, flashpoints, task forces, and a soldier named Ben Kerry. Even if the campaign doesn't sound exciting to you, it adds more content to the multiplayer and mission creator tools.

The post Arma 3 rele??ases first chapter of campaign as f?ree DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Three DLC episodes in all

Bohemia Interactive plans on releasing Arma III's campaign in three free episodic downloadable content releases. The first episode is called Survive, and will be released within a month of the main game's actual release. The following two episodes, Adapt and Win, will come out a few months later.

&ld??quo;This was not a decision we made lightly," project lead Joris-Jan van 't Land stated. "As game creators, we love developing and playing through campaigns so, to those awaiting ours, we say: sorry for the delay. After talking a lot about a focus on quality over the last year, it simply did not feel right to compromise now. Rather than pushing back the entire game, we launch this year with an awesome package – a splendid kick off for the Arma III experience.”

I feel like most fans of the Arma series are mainly interested in the multiplayer anyway. It's certainly a smarter decision doing it like this rather than pulling a Battlefield 3 with its horribly rushed campaign.

The post Arma III’s campaign will be released as free DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Also next gen fish AI, beating CoD: Ghosts to the punch

Arma 3 is officially in beta, with four new showcase missions, two new multiplayer missions, and a bunch of new vehicles -- helicopters, transport trucks, minisubs -- in tow. Full beta details follow after the break. The extra realistic military shooter/simulator is available through Steam and its own store. Purchases give ?y?ou access to the present beta as well as the eventual full release.

My favorite addition over the?? alpha is the nighttime solo mission that tasks you with wreaking havoc and then slipping away, mostly because when I fail miserably I don't have to worry about the enemies seeing the look of embarrassment on my face.

I'm quite terrible at Arma 3, but I definitely appreciate the nods?? towards realism and higher stakes it carries. There's natural pacing in the running around and doing military things between actual engagements, chronicles by some amusingly stilted voice acting, and cowering behind a rock for ages is a welcomed strategy. Plus on one mission your squad mate keeps addressing a "Nichols," but it totally sounds like he's saying "pickles." I laughed every time. This is w?hy I wasn't allowed in the military.

Key Features in the Arma 3 Beta

Stratis Island
Take your first steps in Arma 3 by?? exploring the 20 km² island of Stratis. Navigate its rugged terrain, expansive forests and man-made airbase.

Showcases & Challenges
Enjoy a taste of Arma 3’s diverse gameplay by completing a selection of 8 showcase missions. Or run through the competitive firing drills to hone your shooting and movement skil?ls.

Multiplayer Scenarios
Form a squad and team up to fight against y?our enemy in 4 co-operative multiplayer scenarios.

Vehicles & Weapons
?? Master air, land, and sea with the 8 vehicles featured in the Beta; choose your gear, pick from a collection of weapons, customize your loadout.

Content Creation
Start creating your own experiences with the powerful scenario editor; create mods for others to play; and join our creative communi??ty.

Revamped Engine
Navigate the battlefield with?? fluid new animations; feel the devastating power of combat with the upgraded s??ound engine, new ragdoll simulation and PhysX™-supported vehicles.

The post Arma 3 beta brings more vehicles, larger scale appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out the realistic first-person shooter from Bohemia Interactive

Bohemia Interactive, the development studio behind Arma III and DayZ, will be hosting a couple of livestreams to showcase Arma III before E3 2013. Both sessions will be taking place at 12PM Eastern on June 1 an??d June 8.

On June 1, mission designer Thomas Ryan and others f??rom the team will give a basic tutorial in sce??nario editing. On June 8, we'll get to see a playthrough of the brand new Combined Arms showcase mission.

Each strea??m will last around an hour, and fans will be able to ask the team questions via the Twitch chat room or through Twitter.

The post Arma III devs hosting two pre-E3 livestreams appeared first on Destructoid.

Fan created, developer approved

Hey look at that. Developer Bohemia Interactive worked with a fan to pro??duce some player guides. It's like Bohemia actually cares about their players! Seriously, it's awesome to see a studio work so closely with their fans in order to allow everyone to have a fun experience. 

In thi??????????????????????????s particular guide we get some tips on how to be a good team player. Essentially, it breaks down to actually communicating with your allies. You can't just go aroun?d being a lone wolf, you need to work together here.

For more on Arma 3 check out our impressions of the on-going Alpha.

The post How to be an effective team player in Arma 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Lite version will offer limited access

Arma 3 is ready to launch into its first public alpha test on Steam, and anyone who pre-orders will be given access to this early look at the game. There isn't going to be a?? lot of content included, but there will be four missions that try and show off different aspects of the military shooter ranging from scuba div?ing to infantry and vehicle combat.

If you haven't pre-orderd Arma 3 yet, don't worry -- you'll still be able to check out a free invite-only "lite" version when it arrives a week after the full alpha that's landing on March 5, 2013. However, similar to the current free version of Arma 2, you won't be able to play multiplay?er or ?use mods.

Bohemia Interactive is hoping to ?be into beta by summer with the full game release coming in the fall. I wonder how long it will be before someone makes a zombie mod?

The post Full and lite Arma 3 alpha builds coming so??on to Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Buchta & Pezlar's situation seems to have worsened

Bohemia Interactive's Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta have been locked up for some 70 days now, having been arrested whil??e on holiday on the Greek island of Lemnos. The two are accused by the Greek government of espionage after they were found to have taken several photos of Greek military installation?s. Pezlar and Buchta had appealed for bail, but today it has been revealed that the Greek government has shot down their appeal.

With the Greek government having denied Pezlar and Buchta bail, the ArmA III developers will have to face trial in a Greek court. If found guilty, they can face up to 20 years in prison. Their families are now seeking help from the president o?f the Czech Republ??ic.

After 70 day?s awaiting trial, jailed ArmA 3 devs refused ??bail [Eurogamer]

The post ArmA 3 devs to remain?? in jail afte?r being denied bail appeared first on Destructoid.