Combat arms for mac5/31/2023 ![]() Kills, captures, defenses, etc all gain you progress toward your rank, and also apply to your points bank, which can then be used to purchase your upgrades. Game Points, which are separate from Nexon Points, are earned through game play. The other major difference is that upgrades are temporary. Additionally, some of the pitfalls that come with individuals running servers (network drops, shoddy admin practices, etc) are eliminated, creating an overall stability that some of the other games can’t guarantee. Since Nexon maintains strict control over the server environment, the possibilities for hacking and malicious behavior are greatly reduced. While many would, and do, complain that the inability to run one’s own servers in the Combat Arms environment, I find that it really helps to keep the environment stable. This allows everyone to play the game based on their skill, rather than simply by who has the most cash on the server. Fortunately for people who can’t/don’t want to spend money to play the game, the items you buy are purely aesthetic, and can’t help you play the game better. Something that Combat Arms shares with some MMORPGs, actually, is the ability to buy “Nexon Points” using real money which can be applied to your character in the game. ![]() ![]() Sounds pretty cool, but what makes Combat Arms unique? The largest map is currently about 2/3 the size of the average BF2 map, so crossing the entire field of play on foot doesn’t feel like it takes forever. ![]() Several of the maps in Combat Arms are very small, making for some intense fighting and high scores, which increases the excitement in my mind. Truth be told, vehicles and large maps are very difficult things to maintain and keep track of, and require a lot of development and server horsepower. Since the game is free on all fronts, it’s expected that there will be some things that just aren’t there when compared to the big players. Personally, neither I nor anyone I’ve played with to-date has really had an issue with this. This is not a huge issue in the PC space, but all of you chatty XBL players might find this a bit frustrating. This is not something new to the online FPS world, but it was nice that they included it even in a free environment. This is made a little simpler by the ability to create your own channels and password-protect them to restrict membership. The lack of a co-op and LAN mode make it a little more difficult to get in and play with your friends exclusively. This helps keep someone from feeling overwhelmed while they try to get their bearings in a new play structure. Fortunately, this is mitigated by the server structure, where a few of the play locations are restricted to un-ranked and new players. Someone new to online FPS gaming might have a little trouble getting acclimated at first. It took me a solid month of playing individually before I ventured out into the real world with other players. When I first started playing Battlefield 2 (my first real combat FPS after Counter Strike, which I hadn’t played in a few years at that time), I spent many hours in the single-player mode learning the ropes of the game, how to get around maps, how to work the vehicles, etc. The aforementioned lack of a single-player mode. This freedom does, however, carry with it a few burdens. Additionally, Combat Arms does not (at this time) maintain single-player, co-op, or LAN modes. The main difference is that the Combat Arms client is also free, where the others all maintain a price. Just like the Battlefield series, Call of Duty, and all the others. There are plenty of similarities between Combat Arms and its non-free cousins: You install a game client, register your account, and play on servers which provide different game modes and maps for free. I played for more than 3 months before I came across my first hacker. Additionally, it seemed that their anti-hacking measures (HackShield) were doing a fantastic job. New maps, additional character updates, new weapons, and more. As time went on, the experience only got better. From the first time I signed on and joined battle, I was impressed with the attention to detail and almost utter lack of flaws (glitches, slowdowns, etc). I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Now, the first thing that came to mind when I first heard about Combat Arms was simple: Well, if it’s free, it’s probably not very good. That’s right, Combat Arms is completely, totally, 100% free. The real kicker that got people into the Combat Arms community was one little word “Free”. In the beginning, things were basic: A couple of maps, limited characters, and a base set of weapons. Nearly a year ago, a little Korean gaming company called Nexon created a new FPS game with one intent: make it awesome, and free.
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