Differences Between Arma and OFP Editors?

[mboshell]

I'm late to the PC editors' party, comming over from console, and am currently engulfed in the original OFP editor.  My current PC won't run Arma, but my best gaming buddy from console was recently persuaded to come over to the PC.  Of course, he went out and got a gaming PC and is not wanting to settle for those outdated graphics and has me contemplating rushing to upgrade.  I need some reasons other than just graphics first.

I'm hoping for a list of differences between OFP and Arma:Combat Operations.  I welcome all comments that you feel would be helpful to me, but some of the things that I'm wondering about are...

1. Urban/indoor combat: OFP had limited urban combat with just the small towns, and the indoor combat is horrible with characters walking through walls and things.  Was this improved upon with Arma?

2. AI movement animations: In OFP, when AI changes directions, or gets in vehicles, they move to the waypoint, stop, turn, then proceed, looking extremely robotic.  Has this been improved?

3. AI driving: OFP has some great driving as the vehicles always seem to make it to the waypoint, but the drivers all seem to be under the influence of alcohol.  How has this been improved or has it been worsened?

4. Terrain: All open terrain in OFP (aside from desert terrain) looked like a golf course.  I can't quite tell how well this has been improved by the videos.  Are open, undeveloped areas covered with tall grass as they should be?

5. Misc. Editor Changes: Can groups be attached to other groups to improve overal coordination?  I heard this is possible in Arma II, but I'm not sure about Arma.  What other changes/tweaks have been done to the editor?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated  

[savedbygrace]

Skip Arma altogether. Go straight to Arma2. It has better performance, better graphics, better interface. The AI in Arma is worse than OFP and not much better in Arma2. The problem in arma is that the AI prefer to travel the middle of the road wherever they go.
The AI do not use elevated objects such as two story wall structures found in the larger cities of Sahrani and yes the cities are larger and the buildings are more middle east style but the island still lacks personal touches.

Arma2 is astoundingly beautiful when it comes to graphics, tall grass, moving trees, bushes, insects, detailed textures. But the AI do not interact with elevated structures in this title either, which means harbors and dams. I am not certain that they function well in the high rise buildings either.

SO both titles are tremendously improved in the graphics area but shite in the AI interaction. Arma2 being the better of the two. Collision is better in both later titles concerning walking through walls.

There are fewer useful animations in Arma then in OFP and some of those are buggy. I' haven't explored the Arma2 animations yet.

waypoint assignments will never change I'm afraid. They will always move to the waypoint before changing course.

You are not limited to 63 groups in either of the later titles and you have the ability to create groups and sides after mission start unlike OFP(which helps in spawning to reduce lag)

Buy Arma to experience it but be warned, the missions and campaigns are crap because they have no working cinema; just background scenes with narative. I think they did it that way because the animations are crap too.(User made missions are much better). There is also a queens gambit expansion pack that you can purchase and should have come free with additional upgrades but they needed more money I guess. It adds another small island, mini campaign and more units.

[mboshell]

Sorry I'm late replying to this.  I thought there would be more activity in this forum. 

Thanks for replying Savedbygrace.  All helpful info.  However, should I really skip arma:combat operations altogether?  Even if it's exactly the same as OFP, but with better graphics, I still feel as though I could spend a couple of years on it.  Only way I wouldn't is if it is somehow worse than OFP. 

You mention the AI tending to travel the middle of the road?  Is this only in vehicles, infantry, or both?  Seems like it would be an improvement if it's just vehicles, as OFP drivers are all over the road. 

I would be pretty much focused on user made missions from the community, and care little about the missions and campaigns of the core game. 

Thanks a ton for the info.  I guess I don't need to hurry up and buy it, but skipping it altogether is a tough pill to swallow.  I'll likely be on OFP for at least the next 6 months and then will look forward to moving on to the sequel(s).

[savedbygrace]

Well, to each his own. Its a pretty game for sure but the AI ruins everything. They tend to adhere to the center of the road regardless of whether they are on foot or in a vehicle. They do not interact with traffic, and objects in close proximity very well. There are other things but you should try it for yourself. That's the only way to judge it clearly.

[mboshell]

I will end up trying it for myself.  However, I think I will agree with you as the AI behavior is important to me.  Even though I will eventually try it anyway, this thread still does serve a great purpose for me.  Thanks to your info, I won't be rushing to upgrade my PC to play Arma, and instead will wait until I finish all of the projects I have in mind for OFP first.