3 Things I Want to See in Arma 3’s Big Expansion

Arma 3 is pretty much as close as we are ever going to get to real warfare (until Arma 4 comes out). It improved a lot of the series’ core mechanics, from driving to animations, from weapon handling to stamina, from adding more stances to adding the ability to heal in prone. And a host of other additions. But like everything, it is far from perfect, so let’s take some time and pin down what the Arma 3 expansion should add to enhance the experience that is Arma 3.

1. More locations and settings

Arma 2 improved from Operation Flashpoint to no end, adding amazing new locations, new guns, and new vehicles, but it kept the setting in the past. Whereas Arma 3 opted for the near future. But why not bring back the past with Arma 3’s engine? And I don’t just mean modding. (There is already a Community Upgrade Project which is porting all Arma 2 assets, including Operation Arrowhead into the Arma 3 engine.) But I’d like to see the team at Bohemia Interactive Studios create some more locations. Maybe Afghanistan, Iraq, or even Syria. Not going as far back as the Cold War, but the near past. That way all the modern weaponry and vehicles currently used can also be added.

2. Fix the AI

Just like with Arma 2, the AI was simply too good. They could shoot you out of the sky, and knew where you were even when hiding behind a bush. This was all fixed in the Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead expansion, so I am expecting a fix for the AI in Arma 3 expansion also. Maybe some CPU usage needs freeing up? Why not use the AMD Mantle API? This may then allow for a slightly more seamless port over to DX12? It will also be a great way to bring a performance boost to the game, which, considering the scale, runs amazingly well on most configurations.

3. Action menu, be gone!

Oh, how I loathe the Arma 3 action menu. It’s the one thing the series could do without.

The action menu, oh how I sometimes loathe the action menu. It’s the one thing the Arma series could do without. If you’ve never played Arma, let me introduce you to the action menu. You know that one family member that you have to put up with every Christmas? They don’t ruin Christmas, but every so often they do something outright stupid. That, in a nutshell, is the action menu. Perfectly sane about 70% of the time, the other 30%, it just doesn’t do what you want. Take this as an example:

If the action button is pressed and nothing is interactable nothing should happen. Most games do it this way, so why shouldn’t Arma?

Fixing the action menu is not an easy task, but add in a few tap-to-activate and hold-to-activate options would be greatly appreciated. Make sure that the focus point is what your gun is pointing at, as you can freely move your head around in Arma. You can look around and open a door in front of you in real life, so in Arma you should also be able to.

Take the weapon switching out of the action menu and bring it into a CTRL+(Number) system. Put it this way, if you click the action button, and there is nothing interactable then nothing should happen. Most games do it this way, so why shouldn’t Arma? The action menu has been around since the first game. It’s time for it to change, to adapt, and overcome.

The Arma 3 Marksman DLC is coming soon and with it, a new bipod system, weapon resting, recoil, and weapon sway enhancements for the free updates. If you pay, you will get the new weapons and showcase.

What are you hoping for in the expansion for Arma 3? Let me know in the comments below.