Like most things that are too awesome to stay an April Fools joke ARMA 3 Karts is coming, in-fact it’s actually HERE! As part of the latest ARMA 3 update, version 1.20 Bohemia Interactive has added the option to purchase the Karts DLC.
If you think this is just a cash grab because of the insane player reaction to the April Fools video you’re right. But that cash grab isn’t just some lazy dev taking the easy way out, Bohemia is committed to giving a portion of the proceeds from the ARMA 3 Karts DLC to the Czech Red Cross, how cool is that?
The total cost of the ARMA 3 Karts DLC is $1.99 so really if you own ARMA 3 there is no good reason not to purchase the DLC. Of course there are more serious DLC’s for ARMA 3, the Helicopters DLC and the Marksmen DLC but if you are interested in everything you can save some cash and get the ARMA 3 DLC Bundle for $19.99 that includes all three.
Of course there are other goodies scattered throughout this update that Bohemia put out. The second best news is that Bohemia has done right by the players and the DLC will not split the community like so many DLC driven games do. Should you not own a DLC asset you’ll be given some restrictions on usage and it sounds like the longer time goes on that you use it the more notifications about not owning the content become, all in all not a bad solution. Be sure to check the devlog here for the full rundown.
Source Link: YouTube | ARMA 3 Version 1.20 DEVLOG | http://www.bistudio.com/english/games/arma3
PRESS RELEASE
Bohemia Interactive presents Arma 3 DLC strategy, releases Arma 3 Karts DLC
Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 29th May 2014
A few weeks after the studio shared its 2014-2015 development roadmap for Arma 3 (announcing upcoming DLCs and a major expansion), Bohemia Interactive today posted a new devblog to explain how it aims to prevent a split in the Arma 3 playerbase.
DLC often fractures a game’s playerbase, which is most noticeable in the multiplayer environment, where such a split prevents players that do not own DLC from joining friends who do own it. Given the nature of Arma 3 as an open platform, Bohemia Interactive set itself the goal to develop an alternative solution. While the new strategy is somewhat experimental, Bohemia Interactive’s plan is to make all Arma 3 downloadable content available to all owners of Arma 3, with reasonable restrictions applied to those who have not purchased them.
Consequently, Bohemia Interactive’s approach will enable those who do and do not own Arma 3 DLC to play together. Furthermore, it provides players with a generous try-before-you-buy system. Players will also be able to purchase the DLC directly from in-game, which will unlock the content immediately without having to download additional data. Alternatively, people can also still buy the DLC out-of-game, directly from the Steam Store. Besides offering advantages to players, the new strategy also benefits the Arma 3 development team, who no longer have to maintain multiple sets of data, and will not need to test every single combination of ownership for every game update. Plus, with regards to future playable content, the development team can, to some degree, rely on all players having access to DLC content and features.
Joris-Jan van ‘t Land, Project Lead on Arma 3, explains:
“A key component of our new approach is the idea that, while new content is paid, new features are entirely free. This enables us to grow the platform with significant new gameplay updates for everyone who owns Arma 3, while offering up great extra content for those players who want to experience it and support our ongoing development.”
To try out the new DLC approach from a player, technical, and business perspective, Bohemia Interactive today released Arma 3 Karts – the first paid DLC for Arma 3. Originally announced as an April Fools’ joke via the Splendid Split parody video, the Arma 3 Karts DLC features a 20hp 4-stroke engine go-kart, several kart liveries, playable race driver and marshal game characters, new kart-racing Time Trials and Steam Achievements, plus various race objects to build your own racetracks. As the Karts DLC is considered to be a fun little side-step – and also as a way to trial the new DLC strategy – a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Arma 3 Karts DLC will be donated to the Czech Red Cross. The total amount raised will be announced on www.bistudio.com in June 2014.
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Last but not least, Bohemia Interactive revealed the pricing of their planned DLC packages. While the Arma 3 Karts DLC is available for the exceptional price of 1.49 EUR / 1.99 USD / 1.19 GBP, the Arma 3 Helicopters and Arma 3 Marksmen DLC will be sold separately for 12.99 EUR / 15.99 USD / 10.99 GBP. Those who want the complete Arma 3 experience can save more than 25 by picking up the Arma 3 DLC Bundle for 19.99 EUR / 24.99 USD / 16.99 GBP, which includes Arma 3 Karts, plus the upcoming Arma 3 Helicopters and Arma 3 Marksmen DLC.
The main game Arma 3, which has sold over one million copies to date, is available for purchase from Steam and Store.bistudio.com, where people can pick between the regular edition (44.99 EUR / 39.99 GBP / 59.99 USD) and Digital Deluxe Edition (49.99 EUR / 42.99 GBP / 64.99 USD). The Digital Deluxe Edition includes digital extras such as the Arma 3 soundtrack, maps of Altis and Stratis, a 350-page tactical guide, and a Steam version of the original Arma: Cold War Assault. A boxed version of Arma 3 is sold at many major high-street retailers.
The entire development blog post can be found on Bohemia Interactive’s website.
For more information about Arma 3, please visit the official website atwww.arma3.com and follow Arma 3 on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Bohemia Interactive
Established in 1999 in Prague, Czech Republic, Bohemia Interactive is an independent game development studio which is primarily known for its award-winning mil-sim Arma series, starting with Arma: Cold War Assault. Published in 2001, this debut title became the no. 1 bestselling PC game around the world and has won many international awards. The hugely successful series was followed by Arma 1 and Arma 2 on PC as well as Arma 2: Firing Range on mobile devices, before a standalone PC expansion Operation Arrowhead was released, as well as three DLC which greatly added to the series. The latest installment in the Arma series, Arma 3, pioneered Steam’s Early Access form of development, and was successfully released in September 2013. Bohemia Interactive is also the developer of Take On Helicopters, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission and Arma Tactics – a turn-based strategy game for Android, iOS, PC, Linux and Mac. In addition to their ongoing support Arma 3 , the studio is currently working on Take On Mars and the standalone version of DayZ, which are currently both available as Early Access titles on Steam. More information about Bohemia Interactive is available at <gp_link type=”http” loc=”//www.bistudio.com”>www.bistudio.com.
