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Chalex4
25th June 2009, 02:13 PM
This is the official demo for the PC game ArmA2, released by Bohemia Interactive.

http://arma2.com/

[SEE BELOW FOR DOWNLOAD LINKS!!]


================================================== ======================
***** ARMA 2 DEMO *****
================================================== ======================

Copyright © 2009 Bohemia Interactive. All rights reserved.

>>> www.arma2.com <<<

Installation
=========

System requirements:
--------------------
Minimal PC System Requirements
• Dual Core CPU (Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz, Intel Core 2.0 GHz, AMD Athlon 3200+ or faster)
• 1 GB RAM
• GPU (NVIDIA GeForce 7800 / ATI Radeon 1800 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 256 MB VRAM
• Windows XP

Recommended PC System Requirements

• Quad Core CPU or fast Dual Core CPU (Intel Core 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or faster)
• 2 GB RAM
• Fast GPU (NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT or ATI Radeon 4850 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 512 or more MB VRAM
• Windows XP or Vista

Setup
--------
To install the game, please follow the instructions provided in the setup process.



Troubleshooting
===========

Useful links:
-------------
Main website: www.arma2.com
Developed by: www.bohemiainteractive.com
Forums: forums.bistudio.com (English Only)
Community wiki: community.bistudio.com (English Only)

Installation problems:
----------------------
- Uninstall ARMA II DEMO completely from the Startmenu.
- Manually erase all datas found in the installation folder of ARMA II DEMO
- Install ARMA II DEMO from scratch again.

If at any point during a mission you become stuck, or the mission does not progress it is recommended that you restart the mission from the beginning.
If the mission looks too hard for you, restart it as well with lower difficulty or try different approach. Missions can be played differently every time.

If you encounter any sound or graphical issues while running the game, please make sure you have installed the latest versions of your hardware drivers and try to tweak your audio and video options.

Overview
========
ArmA 2 demo allows you to experience the unique gameplay featured in the full version of ArmA 2 including multiplayer,
as well as samples of the vast amount of vehicles, weapons and units and realistic environment.
The demo also contains a part of Chernarus terrain, which is based on the real-life landscape. Visit http://www.arma2.com for more information about the game.

Overview of the demo content:

Boot Camp:
----------
Boot camp provides you with several scenarios which can help you to better enjoy the ArmA 2 demo.
To play the scenarios, start the game and select SingleplayerBootcamp from the main menu. The following tutorials are available:
Basic Training - You can learn the basics of the game controls, movement and principles of first aid and infantry combat in this tutorial. If you’re new to the world of military simulations, it is strongly recommended to learn these basics.
Parachute Jump - In this tutorial, you have a chance to try precision-jumping with a steerable parachute.
Helicopter - Learn the basics of helicopter flight, transportation of troops and attack chopper tactics.
Team - Learn the basics of your team’s command and control. This tutorial will teach you how to command your subordinates and manage your team.
High Command - You are often given command of whole groups in the bigger battles (e.g. Death Valley scenario). This tutorial describes the basics of the high-commander’s job.
Construction - In a large-scale scenarios (Death Valley in the demo), you can construct defenses, HQ buildings or structures which enable you to enroll certain unit types.
This tutorial will teach you the basics of the construction interfaces.

Singleplayer:
-------------
Three scenarios and an editable mission template are featured in the demo. Scenarios are accessible from the main menu’s Singleplayer > Scenarios section.

Trial by Fire – A marine assault team is inserted on the Utes island to capture an OPFOR base. To successfully complete this mission, advance together with the rest of your team, follow your orders and avoid being too brave.

Death Valley - Small mission to introduce and also teach you how to use the RTS/FPS blend mode for ArmA 2 - The Warfare mode.
In this large-scale battle, your objectives are to capture all strategic locations or destroy all structures on the enemy base in your area of operation.
It is recommended to play Team, High Command and Construction tutorials before you start playing this mission.

Benchmark - This scenario is an unplayable cinematic benchmark test that will help you determine the best setting for playing ArmA 2 on your computer or to compare your hardware. Average FPS is displayed at the end of this scenario.

Mission Template: Basic - To start this mission template, activate “My missions...”, select “<New mission>”, “01:Basic”, choose the side you want to play for, and edit the mission conditions.

Multiplayer:
------------

It’s possible to play a multiplayer battle or customize some of the available mission templates.

To start the template-based multiplayer, select “<<New - Wizard>>” and select from the list of available templates. Note that templates are customizable, and you may prepare many variations of existing setups.

Death Valley - Multiplayer version of the scenario. Up to 16 players may take part in this battle. In “Create game”,
Multiplayer Mission Template: Deathmatch - Free-for-all fight for up to 16 players.
Multiplayer Mission Template: Team Deathmatch - Two teams fight in a small area. Up to 16 players may play in this scenario.
Multiplayer Mission Template: Seize The Area - Cooperative scenario for up to 6 players, whose task is to eliminate all hostile units in a designated area.

Mission editor:
---------------
Limited version of Mission Editor is present in the demo. Note that it's not possible to either save or load a custom mission in the demo.

Check http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor to learn more about the basic features of the editor.


================================================== ======================
Copyright © 2009 Bohemia Interactive. All right reserved.
Full end user license agreement is in the game manual.

I've put up the links in the ATK downloads area:

ArmA2 Official Demo - Gamershell (http://www.atkcommunity.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=20&act=down)
ArmA2 Official Demo (torrent) - Direct Link (http://www.atkcommunity.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=19)

Enjoy, I'm downloading now :).

Zealous
25th June 2009, 02:31 PM
This is just what i'v been waiting! Now I can see if my computer blows up when I play it lol.

Trigger
25th June 2009, 02:32 PM
Ditto, ill see if my graphics card can hold out

Chalex4
25th June 2009, 02:39 PM
Yeah, this will be the perfect acid test for your PC. Noone wants to buy a game then not be able to run it :eek:.

I also updated the first link to go to Gamershell rather than Fileplanet, queues are boring.

Calneon
25th June 2009, 05:39 PM
I got the game yesturday, was disappointed at how badly it run on my PC. However, today I upgraded my graphics drivers and fiddled with the settings and it's running quite well on about normal settings for me. There are a few things you can do to improve performance so just ask if you want help.

As far as gameplay, i've been doing the training missions, it takes a while to understand all the controls and sometimes you fail and have to start over. It's still fun flying a chopper though.

EDIT: I just found this (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18024779), going through it at the moment to see what else I can improve.

VoX
25th June 2009, 05:51 PM
DLing now, was hoping for a demo before I buy.

Trigger
25th June 2009, 06:10 PM
Yeah, this will be the perfect acid test for your PC. Noone wants to buy a game then not be able to run it :eek:.

Yeah i imagine if someone had like loads of games like Gta, Mass effect, crysis, empire TW they would be pissed off if they were unable to play them because his Graphics card likes to overheat ;)

VoX
25th June 2009, 06:20 PM
*Looks at DP*

Even though you didn't mean him, it's funny cause his 9800GT has corrupted mem :p.

Chalex4
25th June 2009, 06:20 PM
My initial impressions are that although this game is really complicated at first glance, there is a lot of potential in it. I love the flexibility of choosing any weapon you want, manufacturing machines and deploying turrets.

My only real gripe is the millisecond lag time between moving your mouse and your character moving. As Vox has told me, this is probably meant to be a feature of this battle simulator, but it gets on my nerves. Having said that, I could probably get used to it.

I'll tell you more when I have played more :).

D_K_Head
25th June 2009, 07:42 PM
There's lag? hell if that's a feature... if they haven't optimised their game, it's a bug, not a feature.

VoX
25th June 2009, 08:17 PM
No, I'm guessing it's to stop twitch-shots and run-n-gun idiots.

D_K_Head
25th June 2009, 08:22 PM
If it takes a second for your weapon to move when you move your mouse, we do not call this a feature. We call this lag.

trust me, I suffered with it in CS for ages. Lag is not a feature... (except in crysis)

VoX
25th June 2009, 09:21 PM
Millisecond not second.

Change of plan, gunna DL while at work tomorrow.

D_K_Head
26th June 2009, 11:19 AM
It's not lag, or a feature. it's very bad motion blur... Just go to your video options and remove post processing effects. Easy...

Vicious Horizon
26th June 2009, 12:07 PM
It could also be simulating the time between you turning your head to look at the target, and bringing the gun up, as you don't move the gun like a fixed arm like in other FPSes. And if it's less that 0.5 seconds, it shouldn't be all that noticeable.

Calneon
26th June 2009, 06:15 PM
It's a cool feature, it blurs your view when you move your head quickly like in RL. However, it can get annoying and it chews up performance so I turned it off.

D_K_Head
26th June 2009, 06:23 PM
any FPS is a milisecond thing... It's noticable, trust me...

VoX
26th June 2009, 07:19 PM
Ok, this is seriously complicated and really stressful, the controls are just wtf complicated and you need to spend ages learning them.

Also, it's obvious the demo is an older version, it's got obvious bugs left in it.

I'll play over the week-end and make a decision then, probs won't get ArmA2 until I've mastered the training, should have gone down in price by then too.

I may just spend the £30 on a nice sound-card...

Calneon
26th June 2009, 07:37 PM
The demo probably is from an earlier version, but don't think that all the bugs in retail have been fixed :P. There are still a few in training and I haven't done much of the campaign so far.

The controls are complicated yes, but you do get used to them, pretty much everything is in the context sensitive menu. I haven't tried commanding the squad yet though :(.

VoX
26th June 2009, 09:32 PM
I got pissed of when trying to fly a heli, found it annoying that when hovering the controls were diff to moving (ish.)

Took off head bobble as it was giving me a headache so will play some INF later and see what I think. Am going to get the soundcard though and get ArmA2 when its cheaper.


EDIT: Played some scenarios and it's aright, will have more of a go another time.

Oh, and if you're expecting to play this game at 1920x1200, you'll need good Gcard(s) as in the benchmark (this is more or less everything other than view distance maxed) I get 25 FPS, clocking my 280 to 285 speeds gets me 26 FPS lol. I'm also surprised that my CPU doesn't run at 100% load during this, as normally at-least Core 0 is fully loaded. I'll try OCing my CPU a bit more and seeing if I can get any gains, I have a feeling that my CPU may be bottlenecking my GPU (even at 3.2Ghz lol.)

Target
26th June 2009, 11:58 PM
I'll downlaod the game when you guys have decided whether its controlable or jsut fucking annoying :P

Colonel Mitch
27th June 2009, 09:49 PM
I got pissed of when trying to fly a heli, found it annoying that when hovering the controls were diff to moving (ish.)

Took off head bobble as it was giving me a headache so will play some INF later and see what I think. Am going to get the soundcard though and get ArmA2 when its cheaper.


EDIT: Played some scenarios and it's aright, will have more of a go another time.

Oh, and if you're expecting to play this game at 1920x1200, you'll need good Gcard(s) as in the benchmark (this is more or less everything other than view distance maxed) I get 25 FPS, clocking my 280 to 285 speeds gets me 26 FPS lol. I'm also surprised that my CPU doesn't run at 100% load during this, as normally at-least Core 0 is fully loaded. I'll try OCing my CPU a bit more and seeing if I can get any gains, I have a feeling that my CPU may be bottlenecking my GPU (even at 3.2Ghz lol.)


1. SOUNDCARDS ARE A WASTE OF MONEY
2. This is why we choose ATi over Nvidia ;)
3. 3.2GHz is nothing :)

VoX
27th June 2009, 11:07 PM
3.4Ghz was unstable, BSOD as soon as I ran Intel Burn Test. Needs moar voltage, but 3.2 is good for now, until I grab 2 1900RPM Scythe Kazi's for a Push-pull and I'll be able to take higher temp/voltage/speed, although I probably could go further with what I've got.

And soundcards are good if you want to enable "Ultra" sound settings and games/do a bit of audio editing, you don't have to buy everything on the cheap mitch.

Calneon
27th June 2009, 11:45 PM
I changed the Heli controls a lot, to be almost the same as BF2 heli controls. Much easier now.

VoX, make sure you force Vsync off in Nvidia control panel. Also, open the ArmA2.cfg file in your documents and make sure 'localVRAM=1073741824' (1GB for GTX280), and set the setting ingame to default. Make sure you also set the file to read only so it doesnt change it back.

I get about 30-50 FPS with most things on normal and textures on very high. I also set SceneComplexity to 1000000 in ur profile file, which improves image quality quite a lot. Post processing is on low because I think it looks best :).

Target, the controls are fine once you learn how the menus work, go ahead and download it.

VoX
27th June 2009, 11:51 PM
I'll do that when I get the chance then lol, should hopefully make a diff.

And agree on the post-processing, it is slightly overdone on high.

Calneon
29th June 2009, 07:43 PM
This looks very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wXx3vMy_AQ&e