My Opinions
So what is my opinion of the VBS2 package? To be honest, it is not worth the price of admission, especially with Armed Assault already out and well supported, and Armed Assault 2 arriving soon.
VBS2 is more a “sandbox tool”. There are no missions included besides the three tutorial missions. Finding multiplayer games is almost next to impossible. It’s a small group of gamers that usually have VBS2 and get together for multiplayer action. We’ve had up to a dozen once or twice, but the majority of the time you’ll be lucky to find 4 players online.
The graphics and sounds are great, as compared to Armed Assault. The interface and features are fantastic. Very few bugs or problems, but there are always a few. Tons of military equipment, weapons, and gear. A class “A” editor and AAR tool.
VBS2, in my opinion, is nice to have… no, great to have. But not a necessity, and not recommended for the average or even above average gamer. The AI is no better than in Armed Assault that I could see. BIA does claim it has been improved over ArmA. Maybe so. I still get located and shot from enemy AI units hundreds of meters away in heavy brush, or even darkness.
All that said, I’m glad I have it, love it for SP missions, along with an occasional MP session. Love it for the editor and AAR tool, and actually use it for police tactics and survival class, which I teach in my Department. But yes, the $500 USD could have been better spent.
BIA uses a hardware dongle for security.
Purchasing VBS2
You can either buy VBS2 from a contact at BIA, or they have a link on their web site to e-mail potential customer inquiries.
Feel free to contact me via a SimHQ private message for any additional questions or information, or for a connection to Gordon, BIA’s Business Development Manager. He’s a fantastic guy and a great contact at BIA.
Special thanks to the serious VBS2 gamer community, and to “Ghost” and “W0lle” for the majority of the excellent missions we play. To “djfrogstar” for the majority of the new land masses we download. To “Wicked” for the excellent screenshots he always takes and shares (including the ones in this article, posted with permission.). To “Dslyecxi” for his excellent VBS2 videos, and finally to Pete and Gordon from BIA. Two great, incredible guys that help bring VBS2 to us “serious gamers”.
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