PC gamers get playable Arma 3 build post-E3
New screenshots released.
PC players everywhere will be able to try upcoming shooter Arma 3 after E3 this year.
But Arma developer Bohemia Interactive has warned that the game's full release has been delayed to enable the company's rigorous schedule of testing.
Bohemia will first release a 'Community Alpha' build of the game to players following the annual E3 extravaganza in June.
This alpha version will be "quite limited in the terms of the assets it includes", Arma 3 project lead Daniel Musil said on the company's blog.
But the test build will allow the game's "passionate community to prepare their mods for the very latest version of the Real Virtuality engine", Musil explained.
"Ours is a large and complex game - being developed by a relatively small team - so we really appreciate your opinions, thoughts and feedback."
A "more extensive" beta programme will then follow "later in the year".
These dual rounds of testing come at a price, however. Bohemia Interactive told Eurogamer earlier this month that the game will now launch in "Q4 2012" - at some point between October and December.
It had been due out in the summer.
"As you may have recently picked up on, we plan to delay the full Arma 3 release," Musil wrote.
"With this additional time, we're focused upon creating a feature-rich, polished, and bug free experience. For us, it all comes down to delivering a quality product. We've achieved a great deal, but we don't want to rush things at the expense of what we finally deliver."
