The original Arma game is getting a remaster as engine goes open-source

Bohemia Interactive has marked 25 years since the release of Operation Flashpoint by announcing Arma: Cold War Assault Remastered. The announcement arrives alongside a free playable demo on Steam and the public release of the game's engine source code on GitHub. 

For those unfamiliar with the history, Operation Flashpoint was the original title that launched the studio's military simulation lineage back in 2001. Following an internal split with Codemasters, the publisher kept the IP naming rights. Bohemia retained the engine and subsequently re-released the original game as Arma: Cold War Assault in 2011.

The remaster is built on the game's original Poseidon engine, which has been entirely rebuilt in modern C++. It is configured with CMake and Clang to run natively on 64-bit systems across Windows and Linux. The remaster introduces widescreen support and code updates to ensure better compatibility with modern PC hardware. While the full game's launch date has yet to be finalised, a self-contained slice of the experience is available via a free Steam demo.

The demo features the classic AI, vehicles, and dynamic mission systems that helped lay the foundation for the tactical military simulator genre. Beyond being a playable experience, Bohemia states the demo doubles as an official asset pack for the Arma modding community. Alongside the demo, Bohemia uploaded the engine source code to GitHub. The public repository includes comprehensive developer documentation, licensing terms, and a scripting reference guide.

KitGuru says: Opening up the source code of a genre-defining title after 25 years is a fantastic tribute to the community that kept it alive, and rebuilding the engine for modern 64-bit systems ensures its preservation for years to come.

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