Bohemia Interactive has announced today on their site their plans for ARMA 3 in 2013, as well as launched their ARG site for the game. Starting Tuesday next week, March 5th, the alpha will finally be available for purchase (alongside full access to a final copy of the game), where all players are invited to "try out the authentic military gameplay and assist in the game's development". Featuring a limited amount of playable and sandbox content, it is the prelude to the Beta which is expected to launch in the second quarter of the year. More information on the Alpha can be found here, which tells us that four showcase missions (including one highly interesting underwater SCUBA mission), a limited variety of weapons and vehicles, as well as two multiplayer scenarios, and editor and modding support would all be available. As to quote Hay Crow, the Co-Creative Director on ARMA 3:

"The ARMA 3 Alpha is a big milestone in the project's development. Testing early and often puts us on the right track towards improving performance, stability and delivering on our goal of creating a robust final release. It's also a big opportunity to get the game in the hands of our passionate community, which enables them to start work on their own creations, tailored to the fourth generation of the Real Virtuality engine."

The Alpha will be available for purchase either here, or on Steam, going at base value for around 33 USD. Other editions may also be bought, including the Deluxe and Supporter editions, as well as a free edition that comes out as invites alongside the normal edition.

Furthermore, keep your eyes peeled at the ARG game site for ARMA 3, which currently contains a bunch of white noise, a confidential connection to a strange system to which one may log-in, and a strange reference to "(WOPR) AMES1 M-26 maintenance console". I have to admit, despite being in the army, I have absolutely no clue what that means. Any ideas? Let us know below in the comments.