City Life RPG 2 is a free life simulation mod for military shooter, ARMA II: Operation Arrowhead. Putting players in the shoes of a citizen of Chernarus, players will embark on a journey to grow and develop their virtual avatar in to whatever kind of person they want to be. ARMA 2 may not be an MMO, neither is this mod – but it’s already opened up the door for many MMO-like mods that often offer more features than full release titles that are actually MMOs, while doing a better job. City Life RPG is one of these mods.

City Life RPG features many MMO qualities on a smaller scale – skill progression, missions (jobs), crafting, persitent world, and more. With just over 100 players in the 225 km2 map of Chernarus, citizens start out with a small amount of cash in the bank and the clothes on their back. Ready to head out in to the big world, players will try to make something of themselves, becoming powerful and rich – or just getting by, it’s up to you to choose.

The mod is an attempt at a life simulation, therefore players can choose to live by hostile or non-hostile means, the PvP enthusiast can join a gang or the police, while the more humble player can take up a job like fishing or business. Starting out taking odd jobs, players will work to get some cash in their pockets in order to work their way up in the world.

There are many jobs in City Life RPG and each have their own skills and requirements, players can choose from – Bus Driver, Delivery Driver, Drug Dealer, Fishing, Hunting, Pilot Instructor, Repo Man, Street Sweeper, Taxi Driver, Miner, Farmer, Drug Dealer, Police Officer, Paramedic, Senator, Shop Owner, and many more unique roles available by utilizing the various game mechanics in the mod. The point is to give players the ability to live out their virtual life however they choose, you aren’t limited to one job or role – they are all there for you to make your own choices. Much like many other sandbox mods and games, there isn’t any hand holding.

City Life RPG isn’t a very difficult mod, the trickyness only comes down to figuring out how everything works and what you are supposed to do. The mod team have put together a large wiki which explains everything in the mod, which can make figuring out the mod a lot easier – but once you wrap your head around things, you begin to see the beauty of what the modders have created. So if you have a little trouble at first, stick in there and do some more research, it takes a while to truly experience the mod.

Taking jobs requires certain skills and in some cases, much like real life, requires a particular license. Players will generally start out buying a bicycle and taking delivery jobs, both require no skills or licenses and can be a great way to gain some starter cash. I happily rode around Chernarus delivering packages to different stores and houses, a post office will give you a package and ask you to deliver it to a random location in the world – offering a cash reward based on how far you had to travel. Generally this is around 1000 to 2000 dollars and requires a 5-10 minute ride from town to town, or in some cases across the map.

It’s not the most exciting work, but it definitely gave the feeling of being in the lower class. This was until I saved up enough cash to apply for my drivers license and take the test. Players must take a test for each vehicle license, driving the vehicle from one spot to another within a certain time limit. Getting a car allows you to take some better paying jobs, in my case I decided to buy an old pickup truck and collect iron ore to process and sell to car makers. This requires gathering iron ore, taking it to a factory to process it and then either finding a player to buy it or selling it on the market.

At the point of getting a proper vehicle, players can really do as they please. Mining for iron isn’t the only job once you get a vehicle, as I mentioned previously you can do anything you want within the limitations of the game mechanics. Taking the test for a license, gaining the required skills for a job and figuring out the most efficient way to do it – there’s a lot of depth here that is extremely surprising for a simple mod. It goes beyond jobs though, City Life RPG isn’t all about making money and finding a career.

In life you are met with choices, you can either choose to do what is considered to be right or wrong. The same choices take place in City Life, players are given the opportunity to break the law and lead a criminal life or wear the good citizen hat and stay out of trouble. There are laws to follow, speed limits on roads, police to enforce the laws, and actual jail time for criminals who decide to break the laws. Criminals can mug people, rob banks, break and enter, and steal, but there are consequences that may follow.

Making the choice to be a criminal, starting a gang, or just being a law-abiding citizen. It’s all great, but there needs to be more – and there is. One of the beautiful things about City Life RPG is the amount of content available, there is so much on offer for the player who truly wants to invest in the long-term to this mod. With the persistent world, saved characters and assets, players can truly make something of themselves in City Life. Taking a simple job, making enough to buy some luxuries and just getting by is fine, but there is much more available to the citizen who is much more ambitious in their virtual life.

Criminals can start gangs, waging war on other gangs, dominating territory, robbing and causing havoc. The limits of a gang is only in the creativity of their crimes, everything from kidnapping to car bombs is at a criminals disposal. Citizens can also start companies, invest in a shop or build their own – selling goods that are bought or crafted and placed in the player store. The player who is looking to become a more permanent resident of City Life can also get their own house – a great place for mass storage. For those who have the highest goals, they can run for Senator who controls taxes, has their own private villa with car storage.

Overall, City Life RPG is a mod that offers an addictive and must-try style of gameplay for anyone seeking a life simulator type game.  For those who are roleplayers at heart and want a modern-day setting, you will fit in perfectly here and I highly recommend it. With ARMA 3 on the way and a planned City Life RPG 3 to run on the new engine, there should be some very interesting new things to arrive in this mod. I definitely think I will keep playing, this mod is a little gem and offers mechanics that a lot of high-budget MMOs just failed to deliver on. If you want to try City Life RPG for yourself, check below to find out what you require to become a citizen.

Mod Requirements:

• ARMA II: Operation Arrowhead
• Teamspeak 3
• Working Microphone

How to Play:

Visit the official City Life RPG site, sign up and reach the official instructions on installing the mod and joining the server. Players are required to take part in a quick Teamspeak interview, you will be asked to answer a few questions about the game rules before entering. This helps weed out those who just want to enter the server and deathmatch, if you want to play there will be some effort required first, stick in there though it’s worth it! If you have any trouble playing the game, try researching on the official wiki (Cliki).