Ofp2=1970's vietnam,africa,and cantral europe

[Cannon Fodder 0]

One of the biggest draws of Operation Flashpoint was the level of freedom it offered to the player. I remember being amazed by the fact that missions could take place over huge area - anyone who played the 'demo' missions (missions coded for the demo using FPEdit and the such like) would agree that first playing a mission that used the whole of the (admittedly undeveloped) island was mind-blowing. I can remember playing 'Dragunov', hiking (or driving, but it was too risky) into the mountains of Malden and trying to get the best angle on the target by running all around the hills surrounding Dourdan. No other game has allowed me that freedom, and that's perhaps why I bought the game.

In terms of having an 'on-rails' experience, it could provide for a much more tight, scripted affair ensuring that nothing could go wrong in the missions (such as enemy units appearing at the right time, in the right place etc.) but you lose the freedom it affords. Restrictions on where you can go would ensure the player couldn't use his/her own initative in completing a mission - something Op. Flash has always excelled in.

[colt 0]

I completely agree with you Bucket man.

One of the reasons why OFP is such a landmark game is the freedom the player is given. I hope OFP 2 has natural boundries such as the originals ocean / sea.

The thought of running into a 'wall of trees,' an unclimbable mountain, an uncrossable canyon gorge or running to one end of the map and re-emerging at the other end ( ok for planes) would seriously Do. My. Head. In.  

Still BIS' mention of terrain streaming is interesting. I just want my freedom , man  

[Thud_and_Blunder 0]

1970s? Fantastic! If I had the modding skills I'd be sorting out a Dhofar campaign mod right now, but it'll be worth seeing if OFP2 contains the material to allow me to put the basics together. It'd get around the perennial problem of not being able to dig-in with the current engine, too (the jebel being too hard in Oman; building sangars took the place of burrowing below ground...). The ideal campaign in many ways; limited air support ops, conventional tps (including an Iranian brigade), irregulars and SF ops. Could be some problems with modelling the very steep terrain, though...

Now, if only Oberon can be persuaded to finish his Ferret and Wessex, then put together a Saladin, some 25lb-ers and a 5.5" for OFP1...

[cbfasi 4]

Being 1970's based this is going to work very very well with the Falklands Mod, most of our kit in the mod is in effect 1970's kit, with a few exceptions.

We already have the infantry weapons, most of the ships are from the 70's or earlier, the vehicles will be valid for the 70's too.

Although there have been recent wars, remember the 70's was the height of the 'cold war' and also the end of the last of the old colonial empires.  There was actaulyl a greater range of kit around, and it was better balanced with only a few contries having kit that was significantly better than that used by others.

I see this to be a good sign as its going to come not down to what your using but how you use it, which will mean a greater challenge.

I think one reason that this 70's era is not so popular with soem is that they dont know what happened in the 70's. I only know because I study military history. Most of the younger generation (no insult intended guys) don't look that far back, for quite a number its one or two generations ago...

[gore 0]

Maby bis will get around the invisable wall problem with some sort of randomly generater hills and vegitation which goes on forever like the sea in ofp does? maby it would be possible with thier improved streaming?

[DpS 0]

I think Vietnam will be a cool background for ofp 2. I like jungle and guerilla stuff. However, hearing what Merek said;that he wants fans to mod more than ofp 1 i am happy with this. But the sad thing i hate is that vietnam limits the number of gadgets weapons and planes that we can use. I hope BIS will allow people to give more addon so we can play current stuff

[ExtracTioN 0]

I hope they make later a upgrade for OFP2 with modern Era stuff like Desert Storm or Black Hawk Down that would be awesome

[Eviscerator 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ExtracTioN @ 11 May 2003,02:13)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I hope they make later a upgrade for OFP2 with modern Era stuff like Desert Storm or Black Hawk Down that would be awesome <span id='postcolor'>

No, it wouldnt, Black Hawk Down would be far too linear a mission for ofp, it would lag from all the AI not to mention the poly count from the city itself, BHD in ofp or ofp2 is a bad bad idea...

And Desert Storm was a relatively boring war, it only saw 100 hours of ground warfare, with a lot of it just having the Iraqi's surrender, also it would be really easy if made realisticly as the balance on the sides is enourmously in favour of the Iraqi's...

[LaPoieto 0]

Well in OFP land they could just have evil Guba break out of Jail and be one of Saddam's generals. Then it would be interesting.

[PFC_Mike 2]

Oh come on. I don't care if you're Russian or otherwise but you can't rape a baby and eat it at the same time. It's just not possible and you should know better zverushka.

It took me so long to figure out I shouldn't just rip into Guba with my XM-177.

Anyway, it's going to be interesting however BIS decides to tackle the border problem. This is really offtopic (like most of my reply) but it's still good. Anyway, Warren Spector of Deus Ex and System Shock 2 fame said that character interaction was the hardest part of FPS/RPG design so for SS2 they just killed everyone on the station. For OFP1, they just made the water infinite and besides, you couldn't swim.

Anyone know where most US SF troops in Vietnam were operating in 1968 or so?

[ZIKAN 0]

Africa is the theatre that I am most curious about, and anticipating the most. How it will be incorporated into any overall story is quite a puzzle. However I am guessing it may involve diamonds....

"Across vast stretches of Africa, diamonds fuel war. Diamonds are so lucrative for predatory governments and marauding rebels that war has become a useful cover for hugely profitable smuggling enterprises"

For the better part of the last 50 years, the cold war and the white-minority governments of southern Africa injected cash and arms into regional wars.

In Africa here we have the cold war again, East v West:

The Central Intelligence Agency, for instance, supported Unita in the early 1970's and again in the late 1980's. The Marxist government of Angola received military assistance from the Soviet Union and up to 50,000 troops from Cuba. When the C.I.A. was not helping Unita, the rebels got military backup from white-ruled South Africa.

Both 'East and West' were in some form or another supplying money and weapons and 'expertise' to the war torn countries of Africa, adding fuel to the fire so to speak...

[suffocating_alien 0]

cant say im particulary pleased that its going to be set around the 70's, its a bit of a backstep for me, i think they should have expanded on the game and brought it up to date even more, the game has so much potential and i fell that it will go to waste in this era.

For a start its not far enough back from original flashpoint to have any novelty impact in useing older style weapons like WW2 classics had like MOHAA, BF1942 etc, im not saying it should be ww2 either thats been done a thousand times, and going back will just frustrate players , taking away our blackhawks etc etc. at least if they brought it foreward we could dtill have all the old vehicles and some new ones, the whole game could get the technological feel to it which i feel is where it lost out to ghost recon in a few places.

upon saying that BI didnt dissapoint me with my long wait for original flashpoint so i put my trust in them, they must know what they are doing.

[Eviscerator 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (suffocating_alien @ 11 May 2003,15:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">For a start its not far enough back from original flashpoint to have any novelty impact in useing older style weapons like WW2 classics had like MOHAA, BF1942 etc, im not saying it should be ww2 either thats been done a thousand times, and going back will just frustrate players , taking away our blackhawks etc etc. at least if they brought it foreward we could dtill have all the old vehicles and some new ones, the whole game could get the technological feel to it which i feel is where it lost out to ghost recon in a few places.<span id='postcolor'>

A lot of WW2 era weapons were used in Vietnam, if not by the americans than by the ARVN (south vietnamese) or the VC/NVA, so if BIS make it right there should be a shitload, out of the weapons i can remember being used:

M1 Carbine, M1A1 Carbine, M2 Carbine, M1911A1, M1919A4, M1919A6, BAR, M2 .50, M1A1 Thompson, M3A1 Grease Gun, M1 Garand, PPSh 43, PPS 41, DP Machine gun, DShK .50 cal, Mosin Nagant, SVT 40, MP44, MP40, MG34, Maxim MG, Tokarev, K98, DPM, SG43...and i cant remember any more...but that should satisfy your WW2 urges, they were all used during the Vietnam War...

[Guest]

Maybe, maybe, maybe... the october war (1973).  Some of the largest tank battles in history across the sinai desert.  Fantastic assortment of western and warsaw pact equipment...

it.. would... be... awesome              

[Major Fubar 0]

It would be nice after the relase of OFP2 if they included multi-era expansions - modern day, WW2, WW1 etc. although I guess this is more likely to be done by mod teams than by BIS themselves.

[booradley60 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">rufusmac Posted on 12 May 2003,02:30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe, maybe, maybe... the october war (1973). Some of the largest tank battles in history across the sinai desert. Fantastic assortment of western and warsaw pact equipment...

<span id='postcolor'>

That would be awesome. Throwing back the entire Arab world (outnumbering you in armor at least 9 to 1) off of your doorstep and saving Israel... destroying the Syrians in the Golan Heights and beating the Egyptians back across the Sinai... (God, I hope I'm talking about the right war...)

[scario 0]

Hmm...

I think that the problem with different areas in the game is that we wont have a nice continuing story, like in 1985 or Resistance. Not very nice...

Well, gotta hope that they make it up somehow...

[Supah 0]

Well in the end all that would matter are the engine improvements right? I mean any modern weapons you would want can and will be made by the modding community, but now with cool new OFP2 features. Especially if they make addons backwardly compatible, wasnt that said by the developers? And though i am not that interested in vietnam central europe and africa sound good enough

[Acecombat 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (rufusmac @ 12 May 2003,02:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Maybe, maybe, maybe... the october war (1973).  Some of the largest tank battles in history across the sinai desert.  Fantastic assortment of western and warsaw pact equipment...

it.. would... be... awesome              <span id='postcolor'>

Yes yes this is more like it except that this time US wont stick its long nose in and Egypt and Syria get Russian tanks and then we play

[Blake 0]

Most excellent choises by BIS! I'm especially interested in Africa as it provides endless oppoturnities for mercenary action and interesting terrain. I don't know why people keep bashing Vietnam, few mediocre games have come out about that conflict and they are very shallow in the end. Hardly doing justice to that very fascinating war.

Central Europe is a big question mark, full-scale Soviet assault into West-Germany or Czech invasion of 1968?

[Blake 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (scario @ 12 May 2003,11:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hmm...

I think that the problem with different areas in the game is that we wont have a nice continuing story, like in 1985 or Resistance. Not very nice...

Well, gotta hope that they make it up somehow...<span id='postcolor'>

Actually it is much much better this way - you get 3 different plots, at least 3 different main characters and vastly different situations and plot lines in which you have to adapt to. Almost like getting 3 different games in one.

It would be stupid to have some uber-macho Gastowski jumping around Europe, Africa and Vietnam.

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

New email from codemasters

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Bringing you the latest Action, Stealth and Strategy

News

INTRODUCTION

Another month and another newsletter!!! This is the

second instalment of the CCC newsletter which debuted

last month, which some of you may have missed. Shame

on you This is aimed to give a bit more insight

into up and coming Action games that we are

developing/publishing and share some news from the

development side of things. I may even get out some

screenshots!!

It has been quite a hectic month as most of you may

have gathered. Not only did we release the new IGI 2

Map but there has been much speculation regarding the

newly announced Operation Flashpoint 2 title.

Alongside this there has been many a question thrown

my way about Battlefield Command, which is dealt with

later in the letter.

So lets get to it...

IGI 2 - COVERT STRIKE - LATEST NEWS

Well believe it or not, the guys at Innerloop have

been working very hard on producing not one, but two

maps this month. This is why it has taken a little

longer then expected to release them. Some of you may

have already seen the Libyan Village screenshots

floating around the net, but we also have a map based

at the Docksides. The plan is to release these 2 maps

as Beta maps so that we can get feedback on them, and

iron out any bugs found.

Alongside this we are planning on releasing the Linux

Server and testing this simultaneously. This has been

worked on some more over the last few weeks after

getting initial feedback on the first candidate, which

as we expected was a bit buggy.

Due to this and the predicted influx of potential bug

reports etc, the beta forum was re-opened a few weeks

ago, so that any problems concerning the maps and

server could be posted here. That way I can collate

the info and report it.

http://www.codemasters.com/igi2

IGI 2 HOT TOPICS -

I know a few of you are eagerly waiting to get your

grips on the new Map Editor. I have word that the guys

are concentrating fully on this after the release of

the two maps. They apparently need to design a

tutorial on how to operate it. Sounds a bit difficult

to me but then again Im no Modder. An exact date on

the release of this tool is unknown at present but

rest assured I will tell you when it is available.

OPERATION FLASHPOINT 2 - LATEST NEWS

Well what can I say....its on its way and has

finally been put into development at Bohemia

Interactive Studios. The sequel to the award winning

Operation Flashpoint has been clouded in secrecy

regarding its location and time setting. But today

is the day that I can finally reveal to you where

the next game will be set. Unless you are at E3,

consider this an exclusive

Now there has been much speculation from the community

on both the BIS Forums and on the Codemasters Forums

with many a poll running on potential locations. The

result showed that Vietnam was the most likely

scenario but not necessarily the most wanted. This

wasnt to be expected, but its not a perfect World.

So you may be shocked or not to hear that one of the

Theatres of War will have a Southeast Asia setting. So

in some ways most of you guessed right, but as you may

have just picked up that is just one of three Theatres

of War. Instead of one setting we thought we would

spoil you and give you a mix of landscapes, weapons

and missions.

The game will still strongly focus on the Nam setting

but also include the other original Theatres to vary

the combat environments. So what are the other

Theatres I hear you asking? Well there will be a

Central Europe Theatre setting as well as an African

Theatre. All will be based around the 1970s so not

quite as modern as some wanted but it will still have

that original Flashpoint feel.

You can chat to other fans live at the Quakenet IRC

Channel #flashpoint2

Also check out the forums at Codemasters Flashpoint2

Forum:

http://community.codemasters.com/forum....mid=167

or at BIS Flashpoint2 Forums here:

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard301/ikonboard.cgi

If you havent already you can sign up and register

your interest at http://www.codemasters.com/flashpoint2

FLASHPOINT 2 HOT TOPICS -

The forums have been so busy since the original news

release that Flashpoint 2 was in development. As

mentioned above the hot topics have revolved around

the setting for the game, plus ideas of how to further

improve the Flashpoint Series.

BATTLEFIELD COMMAND - EUROPE AT WAR 1939-45 - LATEST

NEWS

Well as I promised last month heres the Q&A session

that I took with Andrew Wafer, Senior Games Designer

on Battlefield Command. I have to thank all the guys

on the forums for their questions, of which there were

many ranging in topic. I will answer a few now and

some more next month. Keep them coming and Ill try to

keep on top of them.

http://www.codemasters.com/battlefieldcommand

Q&A SESSION -

The layout is as follows. The questions are quoted

from each person and then followed by the answer from

Andrew Wafer.

"Rummy - Ok I'll go. How much individual control of

units will we have?"

Andrew Wafer: Your units are fully under your control,

sure they can think for themselves and some are

naturally smarter than others, but at the end of the

day youre the Battlefield Commander. You can issue

them with many different orders like telling them to

attack strong targets over weak targets, or take

longer to aim, but aim more precisely.

"Tellu - How will be the spotting of enemy units

handled? If one unit sees the enemy does that mean all

the others in the same side instantly and magically

know where that one enemy is? If one soldier from the

squad is seen is the whole squad visible?"

Andrew Wafer: Line of sight and fog of war are all

handled by accurate and realistic models. Each unit

has his own vision radius and distance, which can

actually be increased as the unit becomes more

experienced and adapt at spotting the enemy. The

player only sees the enemy units that his men can

see.

"Hata -

1) Do all the AFVs have realistic fire range as their

counterparts in reality? Let's say if LOS is clear,

heavy tank like King Tiger or JS-2 are able to

engage in long range (2km+) but light tank can only

engage maybe within 1.5km.

2) Does this game have authentic (realistic)

penetration calculation? So light tank would not be

able to destroy heavy tank from the front in

distance. Something similar to Combat Mission is

really welcome.

3) What is the max drawing distance in this game?

Would it be adjustable like the slider provided in

OFP-Resistance with default in 900m? Since this

game is based on IL2 engine.

4) Does this game has save-replay feature like the one

in IL2 so after every mission we can save the

replay as a track and replay it later with the

ability of switching to different camera? If not,

please consider this feature coz it's really

entertaining and good for tactical analysis also.

Thanks."

Andrew Wafer:

1) Some AFVs may have to have their fire ranges

limited slightly as the game map is 1km, but in

general they will be very accurate.

2) Yes of course armour penetration models are

accurate!

3) In the game you are responsible for 1km square of

the battlefield, you will be able to see all the

relevant action required to make the best tactical

choices. Of course the battle will be raging on all

around that area, as always with PC game draw

distance is limited to the video settings you

specify the game to run at, and the spec of your

machine.

4) Finally the save replay feature you mention could

potentially be incorporated into Battlefield

Command, weve still got quite some time to run

with development and there are hundreds of

additional features we want to add to the game,

time permitting.

Look out next week for more questions answered.

FINAL NOTE -

Well that seems to be it from me. All I can say is

Ill be back next month with more news and quite

possibly a cheeky little Flashpoint 2 Video that I

couldnt fit into this month's letter.

Happy gaming everyone

Mike

Michael Rowland

Community Liaison Officer

IGI2/Battlefield Command/Op Flashpoint

Codemasters

ccc@codemasters.com

<span id='postcolor'>

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

In relation to the 'border' problem it might be helpful to note the locations of the theatres of war.

-Central europe (with massive expanses of fairly featureless land stretching out in all directions)

-Africa (with its large expanses of featureless plains)

-South east asia (with its large featureless expanses of jungle)

Notice a pattern? All major land masses with large fairly featureless landlocked areas,

It may well be as others have said that similar to the current OFP, OFP 2 will simply have the endless plains of africa of central europe and the jungles of asia stretching off into infinity as the 'border'...

[haunted 0]

In responce to the story not having the continuing ending like before, maybe you play as a raw recruit like in Cold War but instead of shooting up the ranks in a small period of time you do it over the years...

[CopyCon 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IsthatyouJohnWayne @ 16 May 2003,17:06)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">-Central europe (with massive expanses of fairly featureless land stretching out in all directions)<span id='postcolor'>

I'll bet "A place you will never be" is not located in Europe.