What timeline do you think ArmA 4 will play in?

[CHR3S]

Just speculations...

I would personaly find the ArmA 3 Setting very interesting and optimal. Since you have lots of stuff you can modify into the past and into the future.

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

hope = ww2
reality = Cold War to 2000s (a guess)

[ItIsntJack]

As per the reforger FAQ's it sounds like Cold War.

"Although a separate enterprise, Arma Reforger is also a stepping stone towards Arma 4.

The environment, historical context, and all of the assets, as well as our modding tools and features, will all be redeployed for the next Arma instalment, alongside a slew of extra content. Arma 4 however, will release as an independent title and will build on all the lessons learned from Arma Reforger."

- https://reforger.armaplatform.com/faq

[stburr91]

Originally posted by ItIsntJack:

As per the reforger FAQ's it sounds like Cold War.

"Although a separate enterprise, Arma Reforger is also a stepping stone towards Arma 4.

The environment, historical context, and all of the assets, as well as our modding tools and features, will all be redeployed for the next Arma instalment, alongside a slew of extra content. Arma 4 however, will release as an independent title and will build on all the lessons learned from Arma Reforger."

- https://reforger.armaplatform.com/faq

Yes, based on this I'm expecting a late 80's, early 90's setting for Arma 4.

[Cwad]

My guess is the goal for Arma4 is to make a re-imagining of OFP, with a bigger focus on PvP.

In a lot of ways it makes sense. Since Arma 4 is the first game to use the new engine the focus is on the basic Arma mechanics, cold war is the perfect base platform for this, as a lot of the sounds, animations and 3D assets encompass a large timeline. With Abrams, t72s and many cold war vehicles still being used extensively to this day.

My guess is Arma4 will be sort of like a forever game, in the same way Arma3 is, but with an Engine that can be better upgraded over time. With a bigger focus on a more polished PvP mode it should be able to maintain a healthy player base. Then the next step will likely be to add content packs and expansions that add new features over time to the engine. So a possibility will be to eventually add Arma2 content, since most the weapon platforms and gear kind of carry over, and due to the likely popularity of roleplaying a conflict that sort of looks like a current war. So we could see a Chernarus 3.0 map with official conflict support as an expansion.

That's my hope, and sort of guess on what the plan might be. Although a new setting and continued story from Arma3 would be nice. It makes sense in my mind to make Arma into a sort of all in one realistic military sandbox, with CDLCs and mods padding out the content to allow people to do what they want with the game, ww2, vietnam, whatever, all in the same place.

[bybee1234]

I want 2010's.

that would be fun

[bybee1234]

Where does it say that Arma 4 will be cold war, in the FAQ?

[bybee1234]

oh jk i saw it linked earlier.

darn. i reallllllyl just watch an apachie attack helicopter.

give me black hawks or bring me death

[Desiire]

1989 is bae

natopunk and blocpunk are bae

give me arma 4 or give me death

[TheToasterInYourBathtub]

Preferably modern time period. Think like 2013 to 2023. That way things such as modern NVGs, and targeting systems are already developed with the game, instead of having to be made by modders.

It's kind of hard to explain, but it would be easier to mod BACK in time as opposed to modding FORWARD in time. I know that's an awful explanation.

I think what im trying to say is it would be easier to mod Cold War stuff for a game set in modern times instead of modding modern stuff for a game set in cold war times.

[Melinda Safitri]

Originally posted by stburr91:

Originally posted by ItIsntJack:

As per the reforger FAQ's it sounds like Cold War.

"Although a separate enterprise, Arma Reforger is also a stepping stone towards Arma 4.

The environment, historical context, and all of the assets, as well as our modding tools and features, will all be redeployed for the next Arma instalment, alongside a slew of extra content. Arma 4 however, will release as an independent title and will build on all the lessons learned from Arma Reforger."

- https://reforger.armaplatform.com/faq

Yes, based on this I'm expecting a late 80's, early 90's setting for Arma 4.

so Arma 4 is cold war?

[stburr91]

Originally posted by TheToasterInYourBathtub:

Preferably modern time period. Think like 2013 to 2023. That way things such as modern NVGs, and targeting systems are already developed with the game, instead of having to be made by modders.

It's kind of hard to explain, but it would be easier to mod BACK in time as opposed to modding FORWARD in time. I know that's an awful explanation.

I think what im trying to say is it would be easier to mod Cold War stuff for a game set in modern times instead of modding modern stuff for a game set in cold war times.

Yes, I completely agree with you, it would be much easier to mod cold war stuff because it isn't as advanced tech.

However, I expect BI will make Arma 4 in the cold war, or just post cold war so they don't have to develop all the modern tech.

Originally posted by Melinda Safitri:

Originally posted by stburr91:

Yes, based on this I'm expecting a late 80's, early 90's setting for Arma 4.

so Arma 4 is cold war?

That's just a guess, but I, and many others do think it will most likely be set during the cold war, or just post cold war.

[Ibuprofen]

They would be foolish to start anywhere near ArmA 3 with totally fictional equipment and unbalanced warfare. They are very bad when it comes to predicting the future or understand modern weapon systems. I guess they understood that when they noticed that they underdelivered the “future warfare” setting in ArmA 3 which is why they probably go on the modern warfare route. Most likely around 2020-2030.
No Nanaosuits, no railgun tanks but modular weapon systems like the AR-15 and maybe the MCX Spear LT.

The bigger question here is who will be the enemy in this new scenario? Russia is a joke to any other real military super-power which is why we will probably get another fictional enemy that NATO can fight. The predictions of ArmA 3 with some sort of high-tech wielding Iranian-Russian coalition forces while the US dumped their insane militarism couldn’t be further away from what actually happened.

Right now, in 2023, the US is still obsessed with war, blowing billions into their defense budget outperforming every other nation by far when it comes to spending. Iran and Russia are still underdeveloped places that can not compete with the vast technological heads-up and budget the US had since the end of the first cold war.

I just hope it won’t be a “war on terror” game again. I seen these scenarios so many times that those feel as stale as WW2 settings.

[stburr91]

Originally posted by Ibuprofen:

They would be foolish to start anywhere near ArmA 3 with totally fictional equipment and unbalanced warfare. They are very bad when it comes to predicting the future or understand modern weapon systems. I guess they understood that when they noticed that they underdelivered the “future warfare” setting in ArmA 3 which is why they probably go on the modern warfare route. Most likely around 2020-2030.
No Nanaosuits, no railgun tanks but modular weapon systems like the AR-15 and maybe the MCX Spear LT.

The bigger question here is who will be the enemy in this new scenario? Russia is a joke to any other real military super-power which is why we will probably get another fictional enemy that NATO can fight. The predictions of ArmA 3 with some sort of high-tech wielding Iranian-Russian coalition forces while the US dumped their insane militarism couldn’t be further away from what actually happened.

Right now, in 2023, the US is still obsessed with war, blowing billions into their defense budget outperforming every other nation by far when it comes to spending. Iran and Russia are still underdeveloped places that can not compete with the vast technological heads-up and budget the US had since the end of the first cold war.

I just hope it won’t be a “war on terror” game again. I seen these scenarios so many times that those feel as stale as WW2 settings.

Actually, BI was very accurate with it's predictions of the future. Nato nations in decline, and the rise of a multipolar world, we're watching these things unfolding right before our very eyes.

[Desiire]

I second that arma is at it best when it has conventional militaries going at it, but at the end of the day I would argue that a massive, massive, massive majority of players that play arma prefer the co-op experience over conventional PVP (as far as vanilla arma goes). To that end, that means that players like co-op where it's 8 spec ops players vs an infinite amount of unconventional, unprepared forces like vietcong or taliban fighters. On arma 3, a massive chunk of co-op servers are themed around the war on terror or operation enduring freedom or whatever, and I also agree that it gets super stale

but at the end of the day it's the players perogative to make servers and mods that fit their desires--so they can find likeminded people who share the interests that they have. and that's the beauty of arma. don't like the cold war setting? RHS has been going crazy porting over all of their modern tech stuff, so it'll be there in no time

[Ibuprofen]

Originally posted by stburr91:

Actually, BI was very accurate with it's predictions of the future. Nato nations in decline, and the rise of a multipolar world, we're watching these things unfolding right before our very eyes.

Last time I checked NATO was never as strong willed over the last years, numerous, united and willing to spend cash on the military as it is now. Most NATO countries are still thriving (economically speaking, growing GDPs) while the Redfor factions in ArmA 3 actually have a recession right now (including china).
I do not know how deep you are in the ArmA 3 lore, but in the game, NATO (especially the US) actually had massive defense budgets cuts in order to get through an economic crisis. In reality it is actually the opposite. Especially with the US since their budget is going up and up and up since years and recent events will further fuel that.

In 2021 the US spend more on their military than India, the UK, China, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Araba and South Korea together.
That is the exact opposite of what happened in ArmA 3 before the conflict started. Check real numbers, ground yourself in reality.

ArmA 3 also predicted caseless ammunition to be a big thing in the future, while the US military actually opted for new hybrid case rounds. They also never tried to adopt something like a Scar 16 Clone (as they did in the game) and are now going for assault rifles that are mostly made of metal parts instead of plastic upper and lower receivers. They also did not adopt the Israeli Merkava tank and will not do so in future. Their prediction of AA vehicles that use guns was also wrong. ArmA 3 was a real stretch in terms of development. The only thing they predicted that was right was massive caliber LMGs such as the Sig MG 338. Everything else about small arms was wrong. And there are no rail gun tanks for Iran in sight for the next 30 years.