Actually, this kind of inconsistency is something of a theme in Operation Arrowhead's strategy. After a somewhat baffling presentation which stuttered like an inebriated Gareth Gates on my PC, I found myself taking part in an airborne invasion of an airfield in the forged country of Takistan (no prizes for imagining which conflict-ravaged country BI's new terrain is founded on). The mission itself was intensive and exhibited what ArmA 2 did perfect – realistic infantry combat and heart-and-minds warfare against the backdrop of a much bigger continuing conflict. Weirdly, the playable quest also ran much smoother than the unplayable intro, however the frame-rate still has a tendency to drop significantly in built-up areas.
Takistan isn’t unpopulated both; it’s full of civilians and guerrillas (each hostile as well as pleasant to the US Army) plus the local government forces, which you could play as, or battle against. There’s a new campaign too, and this can be played both offline and cooperatively with many other homo sapiens. The campaign is very short and even pretty buggy as per the course for a Bohemia Interactive game, but offers numerous missions, including an airborne infantry invasion, armoured convoy escorts and special ops infiltrations.
With regards to utility, it's the thermal imaging systems that have the biggest impact; in the end, it's hard to hide from a warrior who can see every heat source in no time, be it a warm wheel hub, a sweat-beaded brow, or an insomniac chicken. FLIR sights may even function in the sweltering heat of a Takistan noon or maybe when blocked by smoke clouds. Practical? Evidently so. The only defects I've spotted are minor ones. The modelling doesn't look like they might simulate corpse cooling, weapon heating, or perhaps extend to a number of units from the original ArmA II.
