ARMA 3’s received a big update on the way to its large 2016 expansion. The Nexus Update, so it’s called, adds a few sexy extras to the competitive End Game mode, as well as a spectator cam that’s been designed for it, but should be usable in other modes too. There’s also some new mod support and tweaks to the stamina system and hit-point model.
Kabloom. Pow. Zing. It’s the best FPS games on PC.
A trailer has been released highlighting the major changes:
The new version of End Game, titled 2.0, is interesting and seems to be ARMA’s attempt at a hyper-competitive, MOBA-ish mode that could work as an e-sport. It blends PvP and PvE into one, having squads of up to 16 but as low as 8 – slightly bigger than most competitive team games but not unmanagable – set up bases, fight for intelligence and finally retrieve schematics in an asymmetrical final phase. It looks pretty cool, even if my skills as a player and patience as a person are both far too low for a game like ARMA.
As seen in the video, the new stamina system mainly effects sprinting and actions afterwards. What kind of terrain you’re running across and the weight plus distribution of your gear will be factored in when judging how long you can do it for and what state you’re in afterwards. Meanwhile the new hitpoint system is making weak-points in armour more lethal to shoot through, rewarding eagle-eyed snipers.
The update is free and should automatically download if you have the game installed. This likely serves as a good time to jump in, if you’ve an interest and you can get ARMA 3 on Steam.