You're in the ArmA Now, Introduction

I bought ArmA: Armed Assault.

I suspect the audience just divided itself into four neat groups.

In right corner we have group 1, milling about clutching Wiimotes and wondering what on earth an 'ArmA' is, and whether it supports Friend Codes.

In the middle we have the second group. They're mostly apathetic, expressing how they heard of that game once, but got Call of Duty instead. Then they talk about Prestiging for five hours. Expect high incidence of the phrase 'so awesome.'

To the left a number of people have thrown themselves to the ground and put their hands over their heads. Some of them have started talking to their invisible friend Ralph, or else are frantically clicking through their cellphones for their therapist's number. The more lucid among them are looking at me and going 'you poor bastard.' before walking away shaking their heads.

In the far right the last segment of the audience has instantly put on strange looking hats adorned with motion sensors, split into four man fireteams and established a perimeter. As I finish typing this, three of them have finished setting up a casualty clearing station. A couple of guys with sniper rifles are doing overwatch.

These four groups are, in reverse order: The fans of Arma, the broken husks of people who tried the game, those who don't care, and those without a clue. Since I see the fans are setting up a spotting position for close air support, I feel I should make a statement before things escalate.

To the fans: Weapons are not free. Repeat, weapons are not free. Stand down, you do not have permission to engage.

To the broken husks: Try some deep breathing, and maybe some drugs.

To those who don't give a damn: We know your golden Deagle is like, so cool.

To everyone else: I'll tell the fans to 'neutralize' the next person who mentions Mario Party. Now shaddup and listen up, and I'll explain before anybody gets hurt.

ArmA: Armed Assault is a very, very hardcore FPS for the PC. So hardcore it is perhaps more simulation than game. Specifically it is a simulation of being a soldier, but because it is a sim, it takes away most of the props you usually get in an FPS. Bullets will kill you very, very fast, and there's no health packs or magical regeneration. You get shot, and if you're lucky enough to still have a pulse, you're stuck with a wound for the rest of the mission. Get shot in the arms, you can't shoot as accurately, get shot in the legs and you can't sprint. Or so I've read, I'm not far enough in the game to have actually been shot yet.

Even more than the health though, the guns are hardcore. I'm a pretty good shot in most FPS games, able to reliably put lead into people's brains with assault rifle and sniper rifle alike in games ranging from Half-Life 2 to Crysis and even S.T.A.L.K.E.R. After a few tries I can't beat Arma's training range. Nor is it because I have some super exotic weapon with funky sights. It's an M16A2, a rifle any self respecting gamer has fired hundreds of times.

In Arma you have to control your breathing, account for bullet drop, and lead targets if they are moving. There's even a sizable 'dead zone' in the center of the screen where you can change your aiming point without changing your body's orientation. That's right, your gun isn't bolted to the center of the screen, which takes a bit of getting used to.

This will be my journal of sorts as I play through the game. It will chronicle the good, the bad, and the bugs. Also the ugly, the boring, the thrilling, the heroic, the touching, and the slightly mental.