Well, today is a great day! Two quite impressive games got released today, both of them are made by very experienced developers teams and totally should get your attention!

So let's roll with the first one:

FROSTPUNK

Firstly, let me mention how the developers describe their creation:

"Frostpunk is a brand-new title from the creators of This War of Mine. It’s a society survival game that asks what people are capable of when pushed to the brink of extinction. In an entirely frozen world, people develop steam-powered technology to oppose the overwhelming cold. The city’s ruler has to manage both the citizens and the infrastructure they live in. The leader’s tactical skills face challenges that will frequently question the morality and the basic foundations of what we consider organized society. Optimization and resource management often clash with empathy and thoughtful decision-making. While city and society management will consume most of the ruler’s time, at some point exploration of the outside world is necessary to understand its history and present state."

If you were a fan of the tycoon-survival games, like Rimworld or This War of Mine, this "Siberia simulator" should definitely pull some of your strings.

You can check other info on the Steam-store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/323190/

Next one is the well-known universe, which probably older than the majority of the community =)

BATTLETECH

Next one is the well-known universe, which is older than the majority of this community =D

From original BATTLETECH/MechWarrior creator Jordan Weisman and the developers of the award-winning Shadowrun Returns series comes the next-generation of turn-based tactical 'Mech combat. 

The year is 3025 and the galaxy is trapped in a cycle of perpetual war, fought by noble houses with enormous, mechanized combat vehicles called BattleMechs. Take command of your own mercenary outfit of 'Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war. Upgrade your starfaring base of operations, negotiate mercenary contracts with feudal lords, repair and maintain your stable of aging BattleMechs, and execute devastating combat tactics to defeat your enemies on the battlefield.

So, this is a great turn-based game by the people, who are really know how to make a good turn-based action-RPG, especially with the story, written by the same guy who had written a lot of original Battletech novellas.

You can check other info on the Steam-store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/

Electronic Sports Masters is an organisation that plans and creates Tournaments for Arma 3 and other games in the Bohemia library. In October, they are hosting an Open Tournament for 8 Teams. We've been invited to take part in this Open Tournament. This was organised between myself and @Trinoc, so you can really thank him for this opportunity! The four matches are taking place on the 13th and 14th of October and we need your help to finish our team. Each team consists of 6 players, and we want 3 reserve players.
So far, the team consists of :

1. Sarissa (Team Manager - Not Playing)
2. Trinoc (Team Leader)
3. Neilzar
4. Vericht
5. OPEN
6. OPEN
7. OPEN

RESERVES : 

1. OPEN
2. OPEN
3. OPEN

If you want to take part, we need to know by the end of this week. The first match takes place at 19:30 CET. 

Other teams in the Tournament are : 

• Spartan 1-1
• Laughable Antagonists
• United Nations Army
• Tactical Training Team
• Bohemia DEV Squad
• 88th Co. "Walking Death"
• Team Brrrrt

This is how the match-ups look :

And yes, this does mean our first match will be against the Bohemia Dev Squad!

I'd like to close this by reminding everyone that this is a friendly Tournament, and our goal here is to introduce ourselves and basically have a good time. So, if you want to take part then please, comment here! We'll look through all the applicants and announce the team on Sunday.

The final Team has been selected, these are the members who shall be representing our community in the upcoming ESM tournament. 
Thank you for everyone who applied, and we wish the best of luck to our competitors! 

FK TEAM ROSTER

Team Manager : @Sarissa
Team Captain : @Trinoc
@NeilZar
@Vericht
@Netheral
@Alex
@andyt90
@Chefla (Reserve)
@ThePointForward (Reserve)
@Tomo(Reserve)
 

So with the release of The Division 2 and a few of us playing the Game an FK Clan has been created for ease of members getting groups together. So "what are Clans?" you may ask. Here's a quick description.

Some people have already been asking about it and should have Invites sent to them already, if you are interested in joining there are a few ways to get invite's to can do 1 of the following:

1. PM MulletShock(Clan Commander) on the Forums or Discord.
2. Ask in the Division 2 Thread on the Forums Here.
3. Tag Mullet with your Uplay Name in the Misc Games channel on Discord.
4. Ask someone already in the Clan for an invite.

For more information ask Mulletshock, and also here is a more in-depth video as to what the Clan can bring to the game:

Third-Party DLC was announced back in October 2017, at which time they were looking for people interested in releasing premium DLC. Now one and a half years later, we are still none the wiser what the new DLC's will be. In that time I have heard a lot of comments about the Third-Party DLC, but no one knew for certain what it is supposed to be. I have done some research and hope to explain to you what the new Third-Party DLC's mean.

WHO MAKES IT?
The most common misconception is about who makes the DLC's because this is not the first time there has been a Third-Party working on Premium DLC for Arma 3. The Jets DLC was the first and so far only Premium DLC made by a Third-Party, Bravo Zero One Studios. They were also responsible for the Encore Update, a free update that introduced the destroyer, USS Liberty. Bravo Zero One Studios was explicitly formed to create the Jets DLC, headed by the creator of the F/A-18X Black Wasp addon which won third place in the Make Arma Not War competition. So will make the next Third-Party DLC? We can't say for sure yet, but there is some information available.

In October of 2018, there was an Arma 3 Creator Bootcamp where 18 community creators were present, most of whom work on potential Third-Party DLC's. Some of the people attending were IceBreakr, maker of Lingor, Panthera, Isla Duala and many more maps, and LAxemann, creator of Dynasound, Enhanced Soundscape, several other mods and also the sound designer for some of RHS. All the Third-Party DLC's will be created by community creators, but what they make is not what they have already made before.

WHAT WILL BE MADE?
We don't know yet what will be made because the list of creators and what they will make has not been announced yet. But there are some certainties; the new DLC's will be unique content. Bohemia Interactive has said that they do not want the Third-Party DLC's to be something that was previously free. So we can only really speculate what could be made, could be something similar to IFA or RHS, or it could be smaller things like individual Firewill jets or maps. Who knows, maybe we will see a functional ship rather than the static ones we currently have, although I doubt it.

There is one big difference between all previous DLC's and the upcoming Third-Party Premium DLC's. The upcoming DLC's are optional installations! What this means is that the content is not downloaded to your computer until you buy the DLC, so if you don't own the DLC it will not show up anywhere in the launcher or the editor. Whether the DLC's will be used in our missions remains to be seen, at this point the complete functionality is unknown. Expect content that is up to Vanilla Arma quality, though. All the content creators working on Premium DLC have access to the guidelines for technical and quality requirement, get support with the Quality Assurance process and get support from BI for promotion.

Bohemia themselves won't be sitting still, however; they will continue working on improving already existing content, bring new content that builds on what already exists, and their Amsterdam office is working on something experimental that builds on Arma. In the future, we can probably expect more updates like Warlords and the NATO Pacific vehicle retextures but don't expect content that will drastically change how elements of the game work.

WHEN CAN WE EXPECT IT?
Simple answer, we don't know. There has been no information other than the original announcement and the updates of the Creator Bootcamp. We know that we can expect a few per year so that it won't be a very rare occurrence. When the DLC's stop coming is unknown, but the best guess is when Arma 4 is announced or is close to release; It is still unknown when that is though. I'm going to make some guesses here though; the first DLC will come later in the year, probably end Q3/start Q4, and I think Arma 4 will be announced in 2022 with a release in 2023, which will coincide with the 10th anniversary of Arma 3. 

Again, all of this is speculation based on information already provided by Bohemia Interactive. I just hope this clears up some stuff for people.

APRIL 2021 Modpack Update

         After many weeks of hard work, it's here! The latest update to our main Arma 3 modpack. This modpack is the result of the third iteration of our Mod Testing Team process, and I would like to thank all who contributed for their hard work during the process. 

We welcome back BWMod and Redd'n' Tanks in this update. These two mods do go hand in hand, with BWMod dealing with some somewhat modern assets and gear, and Redd'n'Tanks handing out some cold war equipment. Some of you might remember having these before, and BWMod is one of the highest quality faction mods on the workshop at the moment. Just watch out for Gas Attacks. At least you will now be protected by the M40 Protective Facewear.

We have also added a mod to include some new markers. Metis Marker will allow you to add some detail to your marker at a glance. Depending on popular demand, we might look into a full guide on the various markers.

We have diversified our map pool, and going to South America for a small trip, watch out for cartels as you wander through Colombia though, and see if you can see some lost Russian army enthusiasts wandering round in Russian Winter kit.

While there have been a fair number of changes here, the modset size has actually only grown by around 3.5GB. For those of you who like the stats, here are some below.

Old (April) Modset Size (MB):    63151
New Modset Size (MB):     66773 
Removed Mods (MB):    5052
Current (November) Mods Count:    53
New Modset Count:   59 (6 Removed, 12 added)

Anyway, onto some useful information. The modset will be live on FK 1 from Monday, the 3rd of May. Updates to our own internal mods will be happen earlier that same day to avoid impacting Main missions on the Sunday.

Below you will find a full list of what's come in, but the important parts are next: Mod Presets!

Mod Preset & Installation

The simplest way to get the new modset ready will be to import our new official modset.

Instructions on how to do this can be found here. Remember we will be using this Modset starting on 3rd May.

Mods Added and Removed

Added

• BWMod
• Redd n Tanks
• Laghisola
• Rosche Germany 2.0
• UMB Colombia
• Russian winter Retextures
• M40 Protective Mask
• BettIR
• Grenades in the Tank Hatch (Thanks @johnb43 for this)
• Metis Marker
• MS_IFF_Strobe
• Metis Nature

Removed

• 3 CB BAF Equipment
• Eurofighter Typhoon
• CUP Terrains - CWA
• F-35B - Armaverse Version
• Vinjesvingen
• Virolahti - Valtatie 7

Huge thank you to the CM Team, Tech Team and Mod Testing Team for all of their hard work putting this together.

Remember that our staff are all volunteers and that FK Gaming is run solely on donations. If you'd like to donate to our platform please visit https://www.fkgaming.eu/donate/

November 2021 Modpack Update

After many weeks of hard work, it's here! The latest update to our main Arma 3 modpack. This modpack is the result of the fourth iteration of our Mod Testing Team process, and I would like to thank all who contributed for their hard work during the process. 

Unlike previous iterations, we are not rolling out any new factions. The focus this time is building up on some of the factions we already have, as well as giving out some great new options for both players and Zeus' to enhance missions.

3CB Equipment and Units both make their return. One provides a bunch of high quality uniforms for British Forces, and the other helps out with having some more AI units that can be placed, already equipped with the BAF stuff. We are also adding in some new options for any scenario post Vietnam (Gulf war etc) with the introduction of DHI Uniforms.

On the weapons side of things, we are now switching over to the latest NI Arms All-in-One. This includes the ill-fated XM8 family of rifles, as well as opening up the historical side of things with the M1941 Johnson LMG. We are also bringing in another weapon pack in the form of BC Weapons Pack. There are some weapons that are duplicated in other mods, but it does also give some new options that we don't see very often. This includes both new and older stuff.

For Zeus', we have a few things for you. First, we are rolling out some new sounds, in the form of the Zeus Immersion Sounds mod. As it says on the tin, it will help you tailor your experience for  more immersion. We are also giving you the option for some Electronic Warfare. This should open up some new options for objectives.
And finally, if you have always wished that your RPG carrying troops would actually fire at groups of infantry, LAMBS might be able to help you out there...

As for some of the smaller pieces, we are adding Enhanced Movement into the modset. Over the first few weeks, the settings for the mod will be adjusted for balancing reasons, and as with all things... If things don't seem right with the settings, please let us know.

In the last few months, we have had a number of mods in our modset grow in size a fair bit. As a result, despite the number of mods changing significantly, the modset is only increasing by ~140MB.

By popular demand, your passwords will be hidden by default. This should not impact any other mods you use to give the same effect.

Current (April) Modset Size (MB):    73112.8
New Modset Size (MB):     73254.07 
Removed Mods (MB):    11388.8
Current (April) Mods Count:    58
New Modset Count:   70 (13 Removed, 26 added) (Was initially 71, but has been updated to reflect changes)

Anyway, onto some useful information. The modset will be live on FK 1 from Monday, the 8th of November. Updates to our own internal mods will be happen earlier that same day to avoid impacting Main missions on the Sunday.

Below you will find a full list of what's come in, but the important parts are next: Mod Presets!

Mod Preset & Installation

The simplest way to get the new modset ready will be to import our new official modset.

Instructions on how to do this can be found here. Remember we will be using this Modset starting on 8th November.

Second Server
Because FK Mods is still being used for main missions until release date, if you want try out the new mods on the second server in the meantime you will need to use the FK 2 PRERELEASE Week Preset (No longer required 07/11). Please only use this preset if you want to try out the new mods on FK2 before full release on FK1, where both servers will use the main preset from the above point.

Mods Added and Removed

Added

• 3CB Equipment
• 3CB Units
• Anizay
• Backpack On Chest Redux
• BC Weapons Pack This has been removed from the modset
• Bornholm
• Breaching Charge
• Crows Electronic Warfare
• DHI Uniforms & Equipment
• Enhanced Movement Rework
• Extra Map Icons
• Ihantala
• Ihantala Winter
• Kujari
• LAMBS_RPG
• NIARMS All In One (The official one)
• Project Lightning
• Pulau
• Summa
• Suursaari
• Zeus Immersion Sounds

Removed

• Backpack on Chest
• Distrikt 41
• Fapovo Island
• GOS Al-Rayak
• Isla Abramia
• Isla Duala
• Laghisola
• Napf Island A3
• NATO EU RETEX
• NI Arms All in One (The old deprecated version)
• Reshmaan Province
• Saint Kapaulio
• SU-35 Flanker E

Huge thank you to the CM Team, Tech Team and Mod Testing Team for all of their hard work putting this together.

Remember that our staff are all volunteers and that FK Gaming is run solely on donations. If you'd like to donate to our platform please visit https://www.fkgaming.eu/donate/

Credit to @Cyico for the cover image

May 2022 Modpack Update

After many weeks of hard work, it's here! The latest update to our main Arma 3 modpack. This modpack is the result of the fifth iteration of our Mod Testing Team process, and I would like to thank all who contributed for their hard work during the process. 

Unlike previous iterations, we are not rolling out any new factions. The focus this time is on refreshing the maps that we have, as well as giving out some great new options for both players and Zeus' to enhance missions.

On the weapons side of things, we now have a UAV drone that comes with attachable weapons, the KA-137 UAV mod.

On the vehicles side, we now have a Landing craft that can be loaded with vehicles and/or troops to give Zeus' more options for beach landing missions or similar, we are also adding in the Hatchet H-60 Pack, this gives more UH-60 models for Zeus' to use in mission, these birds have a more involved operation procedure for those pilots that want more immersion, with the caveat that Zeus' be willing to offer the RHS version if asked.

For Zeus', we have a couple of things for you. First we have the Smarter tanks mod, to try and make the AI smarter in their use of tanks, whether it be the type of shell to use in the main gun or their tactics against infantry/other tanks, along with the O&T Expansion mod to give mission makers greater access to objects that otherwise are hidden in the game engine

In the last few months, there hasn't been much in the way of updates to the mods in our modset and we had to remove one mod due to broken updates. As a result, despite the number of mods increasing, the modset has only grown by a modest ~1607 MBs

Current (November) Modset Size (MB):    72947.6
New Modset Size (MB):      74580.4
Removed Mods (MB):    4053.1
Current (November) Mods Count:    70
New Modset Count:   80 (6 Removed, 16 added)

Anyway, onto some useful information. The modset will be live on FK 1 from Monday, the 2nd of May.

Below you will find a full list of what's come in, but the important parts are next: Mod Presets!

Mod Preset & Installation

The simplest way to get the new modset ready will be to import our new official modset into the Arma launcher

Second Server
FK2 has been setup with the new modset for testing, the modset above can be used on the server and from the go-live date the same modset will be used so you do not have to download 2 different modsets. The password on FK2 has been reverted back to the same as on FK1

Mods Added and Removed

Added

• Advanced Urban Repelling v2 (remade)
• Cup Terrains - Maps 2.0
• Grenade Windows Breaker (mod version)
• Hatchet H-60 Pack + Framework
• Interiors for Cup
• KA-137 UAV
• Kerama Islands
• Maksniemi
• O&T Expansion Eden
• Panthera
• RKSL Studios - LCVP Mk5 Landing Craft + RKSL Library
• Sanagasta Map
• Smarter Tanks
• Tembelan
• Uzbin Valley

Removed

• Suursaari
• Rosche, Germany
• Pulau
• Ihantala
• Ihantala Winter
• Bornholm

November 2022 Modset Update

After many weeks of hard work, it's here! The latest update to our main Arma 3 modset. This modset was unique in that it's the first time FK opened to the modtesting to everyone Regs+ and their vote weighed equally to staff members who voted. The modset was determined by the FK community. Therefore, if you have a complaint you should look to your left and right and ask your buddy, who either participated in the mod-testing or didn't. FK staff & techs would like to thank all who contributed for their hard work during the process.

Now, onto the new FK November 2022 modset.

On the faction side we have made some changes, BW Mod and Redd'n'Tanks have been removed and AMF has been added. It's not perfect, but is in active development and provides the community with a new faction.

We have refreshed our map list, adding back in some favorites along with some new maps, notable of which is Fapovo Island. The great map modder Jerichron will be applying his magic to give us an improved version of the map.

On the gear, uniforms and equipment side of things, we have replaced Military Gear Pack (MGP) with USP Gear & Uniforms AIO. USP AIO brings most of the same items, uniforms and equipment as MGP. We have also included the mod, ACE3 Arsenal Extended for USP AIO which allows for a new more compact way of choosing the options for uniforms, vests, etc. It allows for a smaller or better organized menu. kMaN has made a short video explaining this new feature afforded by the new mods.

On the vehicles side, the community decided to stay with what is still some of the better mods that provide vehicles, ie - RHS series, 3CB, Firewill's aircraft, etc. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much regarding new mods for vehicles. AMF will be the sole mod to brings the community new vehicles.

For Zeus', we have a new Breach mod which adds new items for players to try to breach doors

To celebrate the new FK November 2022 modset, kMaN has ported three of his scripted missions, using @Malbryn's MalFramework to support the new modset. They can be played at any time or in-leu of a main mission Zeus ran mission on FK1 or 2. You don't need to subscribe to his missions as they are on our servers already, but you can see them on the Workshop:

Operation Ice Fire I (USP)
Operation Ice Fire II (USP)
Operation Ice Fire III (USP)
 

One of our goal's for the November 2022 modset was to try and bring something new, ie - weapons, equipment, helmets, vests, accessories, immersion, system, maps, etc. As a result, despite the number of mods increasing, the modset has only grown by a modest ~9 GBs which is still under the hard limit of 75 GB.
 

Current (May 2022) Modset Size (GB):      65
New Modset (November 2022) Size (GB):      72
Removed Mods(May 2022) Size (GB):    12
Current (May 2022) Mods Count:    112
New (November 2022) Mods Count:   79

Anyway, onto some useful information. The modset will be live on FK 1 from Thursday, the 8th of December.

Mod Preset & Installation

The simplest way to get the new FK November 2022 modset ready will be to import it into the Arma launcher.

FK7 MTT Server
FK7 has been setup with the new modset for testing, the modset above can be used on the server and from the go-live date the same modset will be used so you do not have to download two different modsets. The password on FK7 has been reverted from the MTT password to the same password format that is used for all of our Arma servers.

Below you will find a full list of what's come in, and what was removed.

Mods Added and Removed

Added

• Dynamic Camo System
• Mutambara
• Breach
• VS Static Line Jump MOD DEPENDENCY CHANGE Backpackonchest - Redux
• Ace Armor Adjuster
• AMF AIO
• RHSTERRACORE
• Isla Abramia
• ACE3 Arsenal Extneded Core
• ACE3 Arsenal Extended for USP AIO
• ACE3 Arsenal Extended pour AMF AIO
• Diyala Map
• PLP Containers
• Al Salman 2.0
• USP Gear & Uniforms AIO
• USP Gear - IHPS
• Fapovo Island
• UMB Armavir
• G.O.S. N'ziwasogo v2 APEX
• Improved Craters
• USP Gear - Ace
• USP Gear Fix

Removed

• UMB Columbia
• Summa
• Kujari
• Sanagasta Map
• DHI Uniforms and Equipment
• TFAR Compat DHI
• Tembelan Island
• Anizay
• Military Gear Pack
• BWMod
• Redd'n'Tank Vehicles
• Project - Future Vertical Lift
• Maksniemi
• Kerma Islands by [Veterans]
• Hatchet H-60 pack - Stable Version
• Hatchet Framework
• Breaching Charge

Cover photo was made by @Melo