Arma 3 alpha gets an update to version 0.52

Bohemia Interactive have been collecting player comments and keeping an eye on how the Arma 3 alpha has been functioning, in order to make changes and tweaks to the game as necessary. This latest update, version 0.52, is the result of those studies, and brings with it a fair few changes.

The best of which is quite clearly “Fish should be less inclined to travel on land.” They’re not necessarily going to STOP travelling on land, they’re just less inclined to do so now.

Here are the rest of the changes and updates, copy-pasted for your convenience.

CHANGELOG

DATA

• Showcase SCUBA:
  • More forgiving alarm threshold
  • Added more hints
  • Improved scenario endings
  • More rockets for the launcher added
• Showcase Helicopters:
  • Performance optimizations
  • Few minor tweaks
• Showcase Vehicles:
  • More forgiving alarm threshold
  • Few minor tweaks
• MP: Escape from Stratis
  • Fixed: Mission success after resuming game
  • ‘Combat Get In’ module added
  • Respawn time is now 30 seconds (was 120)
  • Improved mission endings
  • New task appears when both choppers on the airfield are destroyed
  • New mission ending “all boats and helicopters destroyed”
  • Warning hint pops up when the group leader is AI controlled
  • Patrolling Ka-60 Black now unloads troops when under fire
  • More enemies at the airfield
  • Some new map locations populated
• MP: Headhunters
  • “Exfiltrate” task is now set as current after all targets are eliminated
  • The mission will now end when either all players are near the exfil marker or in a boat
  • ‘Combat Get In’ module added
  • Possible respawn desync in multiplayer fixed
• New scenario ending screen added
• Task notification visuals improved
• Seagull in “BIRD”, “GROUP” and “SIDE” respawn replaced by a basic spectator camera
• Scenarios-button now always available, even when there’s no content
• Added more entries into Field Manual
• Compass and watch re-sized
• Ka-60 minigun now rotates
• Ka-60 doors and glass made correctly penetrable
• MH-9 passengers can now see the tail
• Helicopter weapons tweaked
• Class names for Ifrits changed to be the correct ones
• Alamut and MX SW now have correct icons in command menu
• Countermeasures now stored in one magazine per vehicle
• Correct Alpha Lite logo in splash screens added
• Most windows in houses are now destructable
• Static weapons should be more durable, shouldn’t be targetable by guided missiles and shouldn’t be flippable by user action when destroyed
• Added more camoflage selections for vests and helmets
• Red faction uniforms have proper class names
• Changed priorities in action menu
• TRG iron-sights remodeled after feedback
• Collimator sights are now default primary on combined optics (Ctrl + RMB is the default switch)
• Camera shake on 6.5mm ammunition removed
• Server browser UI overlapping fixed in some places
• Squad URL is no longer automatically upper-cased (and thus broken)
• Editor loading took long when using MX rifles – fixed
• Added freelook in vehicles via default option
• Correct tracer colors have been distributed among factions
• Fish should be less inclined to travel on land

ENGINE

• Shadow improvements implemented
• Improved network performance (vehicles are no longer lagging as much)
• Fixed several game crashes
• Fixed synchronization of cargo poses in MP
• Fixed various inventory-related bugs and crashes
• Improved vehicle collisions
• Grenades can no longer be thrown under water
• Fixed airplane / helicopter camera shaking
• Default and Development versions have different numbering to prevent incompatibilities in multiplayer

If you fancy reading my take on the Arma 3 alpha follow this link. You can also watch the IncGamers team blunder about on Stratis, here.