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OP Flashpoint 2.


andym

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Ok i bought this the other day and to be honest i dont like Shoot em ups,BUT i love this one.Now dont get me wrong,its not a true sim, but it is fun.However on most of the OPFP sites its getting a real slagging!Its not perfect but then no game ever is especially so soon after release!Any thoughts?

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A pair of well balanced and informative reviews there.Not a lot more to be said really.Still love the game.Completed the 1st objective on the way to the secondary one (SAM site) a lovley chopper landed,i had no option tom go and look inside,it took off and that was the 1st mission completed.:biggrin::biggrin:

Cracking view from the helo though!Also if you get the PC version use a n Xbox gamepad,its much easier.

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So what is the tank element like? Codemasters said the demo would be released before the actual game, but still waiting for the release of the demo to try it. It does look more like COD than OFP, look to ArmaII for the real OFP sequal (although the tank stuff in Arma 2 is paaannttss!!)

Anyway, love to know what the M1A2 SEP is like in OFP2, is it good, or an ater thought?

Regards

Whisky

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to bw honest i am amazed about the negative remarks made about the AI. Codemasters, more than any other game developer, hyped the AI to be something ground breaking and amazing. It was pretty much the only thing that Ian Hislop?!?! talked about, that and the new ego engine.

When the demo is released i will try it out.

Regards

Whisky

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I've been playing it for a few days now on the PC.

The tanks:

Well the first thing to know is that there aren't any tanks for you to use in the campaign (it's a pretty short campaign and there are only 6 tiny single missions with no vehicles witch you have to enter codes off the web to unlock.) infact there aren't any missions where you aren't infantry (you can boot out the AI in vehicles you encounter and use them if you want, I took an AAVP, LAV and Seahawk).

So you've got to use the editor to drive the tanks around, the gunnery on the tanks could be considered slightly better than ARMA2 as OFP2 has functional thermal sights on allot of the vehicles. There's a LRF too but it doesn't do anything except show the range out to about 500m.

The game runs really well on a crap computer but this comes at the cost that it's basically running under the limits of a console. Things look all fine and dandy up close but 400m away stuff looks pretty bad (low poly models, low rez textures) past that stuff might actually start disappearing (enemys will still appear usually). The ground mesh is like ARMA run on very-low, at only a few hundred metres it simplifies the mesh and hence you can see stuff floating in the air and look right through crests (the ground looks really fugly at >1km).

This limiting also means that bodies disappear real fast and if you have over a certain ammount of vehicles on screen some will vanish (I guess you've heard that it has a hard limit of 63 entities max at any time too).

That tall grass and smoke (the black fire smoke) looks real nice but you'll start to dread it though, the AI can LOS right through it and plug you full of holes while you can't see a thing.

Add onto this a clunky semi broken UI, hit-n-miss AI, enemies that can take 6 shots to kill and DOA multi-player and you've got a game that could be great on PC but needs some more time in the oven (funny, that's how ARMA/ARMA 2 was described on release too!).

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True Flanker,esp the bit about ARMA2,im sure that once mods get hold of the Developers Kit things will change fairly swiftly.I think as ive not really played that many Shootem ups i havent really got much to compare it with,which could be a plus.One friend i do know has had no end of problems with ARMA2.Once hes joined the RN he will be buying SB Pro PE though.:biggrin::biggrin:

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"There's a LRF too but it doesn't do anything except show the range out to about 500m."

Actually on the M1A1 it shows the distance for 1000's of meters, and if you watch closely it adjust the elevation of the main gun to hit the target... but still no tank sim.

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Got the PC version off Steam. Here's my initial impressions:

First, to clear something up. I love playing ARMA2 and BF2. with this in mind OFP2 is by no means crap.

I'd decribe this game as similar Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter2 (on PC) with much more lateral freedom, but the same washed out visual theme.

Basically what you get with the infantry combat is a cross between the control method and presentation of BF2 with the tactical flexibility and reasonable AI of Original Ghost Recon. It is by no means bad, but it's less of a sequel to OFP than ARMA.

The limited experience I've had with vehicles (LAV/AAV-7A1/M1A2/HUMVEE) is that the gunner's position is better than ARMA2 in the sense of having a working LRF (though, given the lack of drop over the ranges involved, not really an issue) and a solid FLIR system.

Driving the M1A2 is a bit clunky, or maybe I'm just used to the physics in ARMA2 for it. There is a A cool inclusion is that the M1A2 can generate smoke through exhaust. There is no loader's MG, but the commander can use the .50, not sure if it can be used internally (ie, incorrectly).

The LAV-25 is much the same. All ammo types you'd normally get are there, with the added bonus of the commander being able to use the pintle M240. LRF and FLIR make an appearance. The commander has an 'always on' orders menu when turned in, I believe it uses some kind of left click on targets/right click to move.

The AAV-7A1 is what you'd expect. It's got FLIR, no LRF and a .50/40mm mount. It also carries a whole lot of dudes.

Controls are reasonably conventional until you start wanting to change ammo or call in arty. RIGHT shift key anyone? the apostrophe key? F5 for VOIP? wtf. Wrong end of the keyboard my friend, maybe thier PC HMI engineer had massive hands. Also, the scroll mouse functionality seems to quit halfway through missions, leaving you to randomly use the arrows or WASD to navigate menus. Speaking of which, the command menu shows promise, but if you go to far in one direction with selections, you can't backtrack, you have to re-initiate the whole thing. Adding to this is the fact that the menu stays up after you give an order. The usual situation is after bringing up the command to get your guys to regroup (down or 'S') you go to move off (forward, or 'W') which, if the menu is still open is 'move there'. Cue your team running into the enemy position they were supposed to be observing. The whole thing works once you develop a memory of it and hit Q when you are done.

Small Arms sound and present well. The SAW is useless in ironsights largely because it jumps to about 1 meter above a 50-100m target and then stays there, obscuring the sight picture totally with muzzle flash. I shoot from the HUD. you get Night aiming devices and IR strobes as well, all the beams of death sweeping over an engagement area look really cool under NVG. Thermal sights also make an appearance and are good by both day and night.

A particulary unique and cool feature is selecting and reloading AT weapons (SMAW/Javelin and QueenBee). When you select the AT launcher, the soldier places the launcher on the ground and attaches the round after uncasing it (you are watching this at the time). he then hefts it onto his shoulder and away you go. This is a great realism thing as, while you may jog about with a SMAW resting on your shoulder in the loaded condition, it would be knocked down while in transit. It also means you can't rapidly switch rifle/AT. Have yet to see an M136 or PLA equiv.

Multiplayer is fun, particulary coop, but it will need a dedicated server if it is to survive until Christmas. Currently hosting is peer-peer and all the fun lag that entails. VOIP seems alright. I'd be interested to see some 'hardcore' (no hud AT ALL) PVP games.

Overall, the game is above average. It runs very well, is fun to play, and has some promise in MP. It just needs to clean up it's UI and MP lobby functionality. A thinking man's BF2 and an ARMA players action game. Oh, and not since the days of 'Soldier of Fortune I' have I seen the top of a man's head blown off.

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FWIW, I have been playing it on the Xbox 360 and I like it a lot (yeah, i know, "ewww, 360... GHEY!!!"). The funny thing is, it sounds like the 360 version is of course lacking the editor, but has a more streamlined and easy to use interface. OFP: DR is quite realistic and I don't really see the AI "problems" mentioned in those various online reviews, but I think the primary issue there is that those special people writing the reviews just expect the team to follow you around and stay out of your way while you get all the the kills. Quite unrealistic expectations if you as me. The team command system is intuitive and easy.

I dare to say that I like OFP: DR much better than ARMA 2, it just feels more realistic to me. ARMA 2 is fun, sure (but only after the many updates -- it was a stinking pile o' poo when it first came out), but everything is more polished in OFP, the weapon sounds are actuals, and the weapon effects on impacts are much better, weapon reloading times are more realistic, and for the love of god, the voice recordings are much, MUCH, better when the actual talking during the mission is going on (ARMA 2 voices will make you cry and cringe at the same time, whilst trying to go to the options menu to try to turn them completely off). The command system in OFP: DR is leaps and bounds better as well, and the interface (gear and weapon selection) is much easier and intuitive to use too. ARMA 2's command interface is a nightmare by comparison (press 2, then 1, then 3, then 6 etc. just to tell your guys to be cautious -- I am exaggerating). You can't even give quick tactical commands in ARMA 2, unlike OFP where you just point and click on the ground and you can tell your team to advance or flank to the right or left, change their ROE, formation, interval and tell them to rejoin formation with a couple of quick clicks of a button. But then again, people don't really use ARMA 2 for tactical commands to their squad, they use the squad as a follow on pool of spawns not the least of which, because they are too hard to control, and not very bright either. All of these also go to contribute to the fact that ARMA 2 is not a realistic tactical shooter which, in this regard, OFP: DR is much more of a tactical simulation in comparison.

Having been an infantry team (and then squad) leader for four years... you can take these observations for what it is or you can leave it, I don't care. One thing is certain, it is worth the money; I wouldn't just wait until it is in the bargain bin for $9.99 if you enjoy the polished turd that ARMA 2 is. The sad thing is though, everyone wants to compare things like this to ARMA 2, because apparently ARMA 2 is the most realistic defacto infantry "sim" because it is now considered "military training software" so, therefore, they MUST have the fidelity for that capacity, right? I laugh at that, and it does not give everything a fair shake in comparison since you are comparing something to the standards that make up a quite unrealistic game in the first place. (None of this is directed towards anyone, I am just speaking in general in terms of all the online "reviews" of OFP: DR).

Small Arms sound and present well. The SAW is useless in ironsights largely because it jumps to about 1 meter above a 50-100m target and then stays there, obscuring the sight picture totally with muzzle flash. I shoot from the HUD. you get Night aiming devices and IR strobes as well, all the beams of death sweeping over an engagement area look really cool under NVG. Thermal sights also make an appearance and are good by both day and night.
Well, this is part of the unrealistic nature of ARMA 2 that everyone has gotten used to. The SAW (all types, not just the M249) are suppression weapons that you are supposed to use in short bursts of 3-4 rounds. Having shot both the M249 and M240G, yes, it is very hard to see if you hit something with a long burst. The way it is in ARMA 2 though, it is THE WEAPON of choice because you have 200+ rds and can hit stuff with quite a bit of accuracy with long bursts. Well, it isn't that bad in ARMA 2, but it is definitely one of the weapons o' choice if you want the high kill counts. The reality is, that weapon is used to suppress the enemy as another element flanks them. To that end, there is a "suppress" command in the command menu which works nicely with the SAW when left in the hands of the AI. If you are actually carrying the thing, then life is quite dull in terms of "kills", your sole purpose is to just shoot an area to keep the enemy's heads down while others get the glory. Such is the life of an automatic rifleman. :(
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Well, I agree with V. Mainly because I was there keeping him alive in these missions. Its too bad Mog is so ghey, he could be helping me save V's ass.

Out of all the good things with OFP DR I would say the Sounds are #1. Simply the best I've heard in a war game. They really hit a home run.

The damage/wound system is pretty sweet as well. You can stop the bleeding, but your still hurt for the remainder of the mission. It will go a long way to keep Rambo's out of multiplayer, and force people to work as a team.

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applying a field dressing only stops the bleeding, but a medic can heal you back to full health.

Not if you shoot them though.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

There are already 12 Sp missins and an alternative Campaign played from the PLS viewpoint for download.Also i have the codes for unlocking the 6 bonus/Training Missions if you want them (PC Version only)

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Out of all the good things with OFP DR I would say the Sounds are #1. Simply the best I've heard in a war game. They really hit a home run.

Well, I think that is an overstatement. I can think of a few games that have sounds just as good *cough cough wink wink* --although I haven't gotten inside of a tank in OFP yet, I am quite sure they don't have all the appropriate sounds in there. ;)

In any case, I definitely think that OFP: DR has the best sounds in any infantry based game yet made, certainly better than ARMA 2's infantry sounds. The sounds of the individual rifles are what I remember them to be (for the US ones at least), and the grenades sound realistic too. It also has nice Foley effect sounds for infantry movement too.

Edited by Volcano
forgot winky
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