This Upcoming Milsim Game Has a Striking Vision | Bellum First Devblog Released

[@HaebyungDance]

We’ll be returning to some good ole fashioned Squad gameplay in my next video.

[@BackwardsReverse]

Still like the coverage of Bellum. I saw the preview a couple weeks ago I believe it was, and it peaked my interest. I too believe the heart of milsim has waned and there hasn’t really been a solidifying milsim experience since Arma 3 at its peak (at least for me). I’ll be excited to see the future of this game, and I hope it fills the void I’ve felt in the realm of milsim for some time.

[@HaebyungDance]

Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t gotten many negative reactions so far which I’m glad to see.

[@davidlondon9242]

Bellum looks incredibly promising! Even in pre-alpha, the gameplay systems like ATAK, prone movement, and first aid already feel so well-thought-out-it's clear the developers love what they're doing. The attention to detail is impressive, and as a graphic designer, I have to say I love how the iron sight shapes the 'M' in the logo. Well, done, team! We’ll be watching your development with great interest!

[@griffin2776]

Karma's squad mod D&D was the best thing in squad back in the day, it brought teamwork, slow squad oriented gameplay and actual supression in the pre-ICO days. Unfortunately it seems not many people remember it these days, sadge :C... + all their KOG missions are insane in the way they realistically depict modern combat. I fully trust Karma to build this into a very niche altough very very good tactical, realistic and team focused game.

[@LtActionCam]

1:56 it’s interesting that most games that feature the 249 or 240 like to reload the weapon systems by locking the bolt to the rear first. It isn’t wrong but then the player doesn’t maintain positive control of the charging handle as they reload the weapon. It really doesn’t matter but I wonder how prior automatic riflemen and machine gunners feel about it every time they play a game and they see that happen.

[@HaebyungDance]

As long as you engage the safety the bolt will not move, and because it's open bolt the charging handle is just a loose piece at that point (at least it was on the K3)

[@LtActionCam]

@@HaebyungDancethe 240 and 249 are the same way. We were taught to maintain positive control even when the safety is engaged when the cover is open.

[@HaebyungDance]

Gotcha - that’s interesting. I was taught reloading from open bolt (in an era when the K3 was falling out of use so who knows if that’s best practice) but I see the advantages of keeping positive control of the charging handle and I don’t think there’s a real drawback to it. The prospect of an ND for example while reloading is terrifying esp with the SAWs and their issues.

[@Mr_Centipede]

The biggest variable here is the player(s). Karmakut events are fun to watch, because they are a community, just like Dsylecxi's video. Everyone knows their job and what role to play. Put in some randos in the mixed, you'll see solo rambo one man army sniper rpg gunner. That is my biggest concern.

[@Wub-rv9xx]

watching Moidawg as a relatively casual arma PvE dork, I expected Squad to be way more hardcore but half the time two guys in an MBT drive deep into enemy lines and get tracked by AT they didn’t see ‘cuz they had no commander and were gunning the engine. I kinda wonder if the PvP nature of it makes people act more game-y, ‘cuz peeps would get a lot wackier in our PvP sessions.

[@dragonkght320]

Lucky you got in mate

[@warpup7778]

now we can larp at maximum numbers!

[@figurehead3021]

"Another one" - DJ Khaled

[@Justinred87]

ROK Marines are hard chargers. Good to see ya.

[@NEXUSIX-T9]

I am looking forward to Bellum!

[@KODigital-z5u]

Let’s gooo

[@KoylTrane]

The choice not to do MBT is interesting. And judging by what you said about Dynamic Direction, logistics isn't really a concern too. Is's interesting, my biggest hope is for more QoL stuff for SLs and commander

[@HaebyungDance]

Logistics was a big part of dynamic direction from the main base to the AO. Overall I think they’re looking to portray low intensity conflict

[@KoylTrane]

@HaebyungDance oh, I assumed there was just one main base for the blufor in the designated area. Looking forward to more news about the game!

[@WanuboiOfficiel]

Building a PvP milsim FPS tactical shooter is an immensely difficult task, which is why only a handful of game over 15 years (less than five) are truly well-executed and legit in this genre. The challenge lies in balancing realism, gameplay mechanics, and a solid technical foundation. Many projects on Steam, like Bellum, often get it wrong because they prioritize flashy visuals, gun customization, and superficial content over the core essentials, robust netcode, really well written code to support all the hard features those games are aiming for. These foundational elements are what make or break such games, yet they’re the hardest and most time-intensive to develop, at least if the devs want to create the next big thing and bring something solid in the milsim FPS genre. The skepticism towards Bellum is valid, after just few years of development (i'm betting on 2 years at max, but if someone have a info on that, don't hesitate to answer) with a small team, delivering polished trailers raises red flags. High-quality visuals at this stage often mean critical systems and the CORE of the game have been overlooked or rushed. A proper milsim requires years of iteration to ensure every realistic feature works seamlessly and when it's a PvP multiplayer environment it's even more. Without a rock-solid core, the game will inevitably crumble, no matter how good it looks. The track record of this type of releases with same patterns shows that it will leads to failure except if they find massive investements, experienced devs in the genre and that the leaders completely knows what they are doing. For now it's just glitter thrown at our eyes like the hundreds of other similar projects with similar promises and trailers but which have all ended up in complete disappointement or were real financial failures. I think with all the examples we got to there, the most appropriate way to approach this new project is skepticism. EDIT : Just to remind few, really just few of the failures or big disappointement that were presented as the next big thing in the Tactical or Milsim FPS genre and all these are just PvE or little scale PvP (5v5) games, cause they were released way too early or poorly built with wrong priorities in the developpement : DIRECT CONTACT OPERATOR GROUND BRANCH OPERATION HARSHDOORSTOP ZERO HOUR The only milsims multiplayer success and legit games since 2013 : - ARMA 3 - SQUAD - HELL LET LOOSE - SQUAD 42

[@HaebyungDance]

I think you raise a good point. But my question is why you’re focusing on the alleged glitter when the entire devblog is about about the core systems + gameplay footage? I think skepticism is healthy, but I also think the Bellum devs, for a first devblog, have shown us some solid stuff.

[@WanuboiOfficiel]

@@HaebyungDance If the game as been developped by few devs in less than 2 years which i guess, again i'd like to know if someone have answer, than having a trailer and gameplay that advance is all but a good sign. You just need to get back in the past, look at presentation of "promising" tactical/milsim games built with UE with similar fancy things to make tactical nerds like me and you excited and see how it sucks at release. The main problem is that they are focusing their attention on gun customization, fancy controls and camera, nice vegetation before ending the fundations of their game, which results in failures like one of the most recent one, Direct Contact. They also have shown lots of gameplay before release, everyone was hyped up, and then we got to put our hands on the game and it was completely broken cause poorly coded cause those devs are for the most part unexperienced and don't realize how much experience and how long it takes to make such games, and if it's large scale PvP .... So yeah. It's easy to make a gameplay and trailer look good. All milsim FPS failures we got had ones. That is what i'm saying, chill guys, don't get excited for nothing, they have shown none, let's wait when it gets in open Alpha or EA and we'll see there. Cause for the moment the cycle repeats again and again, same patterns, but players still get suprised to have poor product at the end.

[@trazercreations8478]

squad 44 is a failure that cant even hit 1000 concurrent players LMAO

[@WanuboiOfficiel]

@@trazercreations8478 I'm being kind by adding it, but the game is basiclly squad in WW2 and it works, just that people in WW2 are more interested by Hell Let Loose experience. But at least the game works properly. but milsim dont make high numbers anyway, just 3000 right now on the most popular milsim that is Hell Let Loose u know

[@ДушманКакдела]

Squad 44 isnt a failure lol, the game has a good amount of recurrent players. ​@trazercreations8478

[@PotatoflakeJake]

SQUAD COMPETITOR LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO

[@invdrzim5600]

There should still be some level of knockdown and damage in the armor simulation, especially for larger calibers against level IV plates.

[@JeuneF]

What scares me the most with this game is if it will find a player base interested in such depth towards realism

[@IvanKolyada]

I can already see it not finding the player base. At least not large enough/sustainable. As much as we want Squad to play out better, right now is probably the best we can get in terms of population/quality of players. Server I usually play at can have some nice to good levels of communication between squads, and at least half of the blues would listen to you. Not perfect, but better than having low population of super dedicated players or overpopulation of “casual” morons.

[@JeuneF]

@ yeah I share the same point of view unfortunately, players base will probably be only English speakers, and we’ll have to plan game sessions in advance through discord. Not sustainable in the long run I’m afraid :(

[@gadfizz]

If we state that a team is 36 players... Could we maybe see engagements against multiple factions at the same time ? 1v1v1 (36v36v36) Or even 1 conventional platoon v 2 non conventional platoons (36 well equipped v 72 lesser equipped ?) Or maybe multiple platoons per team then :) Like a mechanized or engineer platoon with another simple infantry platoon or something like it different type of platoons could also be fun :D

[@HaebyungDance]

I’m really not sure we’ll get three-way fights but your idea of assymetric player count per team is certainly interesting, along with different types of platoon ORBATs

[@Brutaful]

Asymmetric playercounts could be very interesting, and we haven't seen many other games do it. What I'd like to see, especially is just a larger playercount in general. I'm tired of 100 players being considered "massive". I understand how difficult it'd be to run smoothly, but I'd love to see 200 or even 300 playercounts. It'd be interesting to see how company level tactics play out.

[@HaebyungDance]

Company tactics would be cool. How to do that with any level of cohesion is a question.

[@Brutaful]

@@HaebyungDance That's true, but I think part of the fun is figuring out what from real works, and what doesn't. I do worry that hardly anyone would want to take on a company commander role, since it'd probably be pretty stressful and we already struggle with getting people to lead squads in Arma, Squad, etc.

[@ArcangelGamingEntertainment]

Cant wait for this to launch in early access for $30 and after 2-3 years and minimal updates to announce that they have had a great journey with the community the next update will be the last one.

[@jsnbl3790]

This perfectly sums up modern games.

[@JuliaAckinson]

Yeah, this game gives that vibe. When an “innovative and groundbreaking” game is so hyped, it usually ends up incomplete.

[@patlecat]

Hope they will add detailed maps of West Russia soon, this would be very helpful.

[@HaebyungDance]

They don’t have any plans to go outside of Africa currently

[@patlecat]

@@HaebyungDance It's deplorable though, they should not be afraid.

[@HaebyungDance]

I think it’s a stretch to say they’re afraid when their vision is to portray assymetric low intensity conflicts in a COIN-type scenario

[@patlecat]

@@HaebyungDance that's one way to put it ;)

[@primisto7530]

Many games sound, look and are first shown to be promising only to end up really bad and then forgotten or even disdained. I'm jaded at this point, only when a game has launched into what is considered to be a playable state ready for sale can its quality be judged. For all I know this game will launch unfinished but with lots of promising features planned but will get abandoned within a year or 2. Very few games that launch into "early access" or a (paid for) beta and aren't good in that state tend to recover.

[@siluda9255]

no vehicle combat ? meh

[@TheGoodWizard81]

Do you think the Rangers will be adding this to their MilSim repertoire?

[@youcantpredictthat]

I love Karmakut videos but I'm skeptical. It's PvP oriented so in order to really work they will need to introduce mechanics that encourage team work. That's pretty hard on its own. Secondly it seems they're already going really deep into detail and I'm worried it will be at the cost of a big picture gameplay. Level design for example seems a bit weird (sure, too early to tell but the flat map with trees and 1-story buildings looks underwhelming). All in all I see how it can compete with Squad and Arma in the sense it will drain the most hardcore playerbase from these titles. I don't think it will be enough.

[@sneed777]

Every game has potential, then they turn out to be cashgrab slop

[@johnlennon2752]

Not gonna waste money on “ Early access “ or “ pre-alpha” . You either bake something worth Hours or for me is a big nono. I learned it from GZW. Waste of money.