Hidden & Dangerous 2 is out

[Major Fubar 0]

Just wondering if anyone has played H&D2 yet? If so, what are your thoughts?

Apparently there is no co-op ( ), but I think it's coming in a mission pack...

Cheers  

Official Site

Review

[Tex -USMC- 0]

I have mixed feelings on this one.

Haven't tried the MP yet. The singleplayer is... okay. It's kind of fun sneaking around and being stealthy, until you realize that it would have been a lot easier to just run in guns blazing- it's like the game goes out of its way to punish you for being tactical. You spend your first two hours of gameplay dealing with the range and power limitations of a silenced Sten and a knife, and then you find out that you can make all the noise you want in a firefight and only the enemies that are bound to that particular area will come running- and when I say area I mean about 100 yards square. Also, the objectives for any given mission pretty much rule out subtlety: on a mission where you have to infiltrate a research plant, the mission objective is to kill the entire guard detail. Yes, that's right, you have to infiltrate a facility, but first, kill everyone. So that pretty much means that stealth is meaningless unless you have no interest in completing mission objectives. The combat's exciting enough, but your AI buddies are kind of dumb (think Raven Shield but not as good shots), and the interface is really cumbersome. The iron sights are good, as are the graphics overall (especially damage modelling- individual bullet hits register on soldiers, not to mention a physics engine that makes for some great deaths), but that doesn't really matter to me. I think that overall, it just isn't enough of an improvement over the first one for me to be happy about spending 45 bucks for it. Maybe the game improves as it goes along, but I've found playing it to be more of a chore than anything.

All the ingredients for a great game are here- visceral combat, a good concept, and a wide variety of deadly weapons. However, the game steers away from what could have made it special, and heads directly towards all the derivative gameplay mechanics that make you go "Oh man, not another shooter..."

[kegetys 2]

They took out the best aspect of the first part, the coop mode. duh! And to get that i'm supposed to wait for the mission pack and then buy that too?

I'll wait for both to be on the bargain bin before i'll consider supporting the developers ;)

[SpeedyDonkey 0]

Honestly, I'd rather wanted them to make mafia 2

[Assault (CAN) 1]

I don't know why people are making such a big deal about there not being any co-op. It's really a non-issue with me, but hey, to each their own. A free patch is coming out that is supposed to include co-op along with some bug fixes within a week or so.

Tex made some good points, especially about the stealth issue. Why bother shooting people with a silenced Sten gun or a De-Lisle carbine when you can blast away all you want. You'd think automatic gunfire going off in the middle of an airfield would sound some kind of alarm, but I guess not.

As for the AI; sometimes they are brilliant and sometimes they aren't. When you stop moving in a field or in a house, they automatically go into an all-round defensive. As you move along in a house they will sweep rooms and cover down hallways, all by themselves. On rarer occasions, they will let enemies into a room and not even shoot them, but apparently this is a bug issue and will be fixed in the upcoming patch.

I'm glad I got the game, but I still feel that the developers have turned a possible '10.0' into a 6.5 - 7.0. But if you have any gripes, go to the official forum at godgames.com and let the developers know how you feel. If enough people bitch (and it seems they are) I'm sure they will do something about it.

Tyler

[shadow 6]

I've been playing H&D2 for some days now, and I can't get enough of it. Love the action, love the atmosphere, love the environments.

The campaign can be played in 3 modes. The "campaign" (objective-based), Lone wolf (same but you only have one soldier), Carnage (same as the first, but in addition you have to kill every enemy on every mission).

I've played "campaign" and "lone wolf". I'm now at the first jungle-mission in "carnage".

I hope you like micromanaging your men. It usually took me up to 5 minutes to choose the inventory of every soldier the first time I player the campaign.

The AI is'nt very smart but atleast it looks more like AI than COD  

Your teamates ocassionly will get stuck in objects (AI pathfinding-glitch), but other than that I have'nt noticed any gameplay-affecting bugs.

I did'nt have any expectations about this game, but it took all my spare-time last week. Well worth the price. Especially compared to COD (IMHO)

Great fun.

Looking forward to the expansion with coop.

Quote[/b] ]A free patch is coming out that is supposed to include co-op

Please tell me where you heard that

I heard from a press-release that coop would be included in a expansion-pack, not a free patch.

[Tex -USMC- 0]

I did have one experience with the game's AI that impressed me. I was fighting from a burned out building, and had attracted the attention of about 5 Germans. I retreated to the back of the building and drew a bead on the door because hey, that's where AIs always enter a room from. So, imagine my surprise when, at the same time, two Germans hop in through windows and shoot me dead. Very impressive- unfortunately I haven't seen anything similar to that for a while; it seems that the AI are pretty easy to manipulate once you are aware of the force compositions in a given mission. And no, I haven't seen the friendly AI do anything noteworthy (in the positive sense) at all- maybe my copy's busted? Heh.

[ZIKAN 0]

I loved the original despite the bugs, HD2 I feel is exactly the same...... an entertaining, immersive game, but with bugs. The essence of HD is still there, a sense of being in some old WW2 movie with a lot of cheesy voice acting, I love it.

The different amount of options when selecting the right kit before and during the mission is what many T/FPS games miss out on, and makes HD2 stand out. The ability to micro manage your team really adds to the playability.

There are better graphics, quality animations, lush maps, and improved AI. The multiplayer maps are very good, no co-op though.The AI is sometimes remarkable, but other times plain stupid, its a pure contradiction sometimes, and with the various other bugs combined its a little frustrating to say the least. Hopefully the patch due to be released anytime soon, will correct these problems. I still wonder why a game with alot of potential thats been in 'development' for so long( 4 years?), is released to the buying public with these frustrating bugs.

Despite these negative aspects , I still recommend this game to any OFP player.

[shadow 6]

I still wonder why a game with alot of potential thats been in 'development' for so long( 4 years?), is released to the buying public with these frustrating bugs.

I think the longer the development time, the more features you put in it.

The more features the more possebilities for bugs to arise.

IIRC that's why BIS only fix the bugs that directly have a serious impact on gameplay for OFP1.

[GoOB 0]

Hmm, I have been waiting for this since H&D. But Max Payne 2 will be at my door tomorrow so this will have to wait until Christmas. I really hope there will be a demo though

[toadlife 3]

Anmac messaged me and told me it was out - I'd been waiting since 2001 for this game and I missed the realease date!!

Anyhow I immediately drove 45 miles and bought the game as soon as I got his PM. OVerall, the game kicks ass - some parts of the control interface are even like OFP.

The one drawback is the part of the AI that Tex mentioned - you can fire off round after round and AI men who are not in the immediate area, but SHOULD be able to hear pay no attention.

Once the AI does notice you, they can be pretty good - not as good as OFP AI, but still pretty good.

[Dauragon 0]

I'm currently having an overload playing time on SSX 3 and Worms 3d,

this game can wait a week then i'll see

[4 IN 1 0]

all i am waiting for is the show up on the stock of a Hong Kong software store ,hope to see them soon.............

[toadlife 3]

After playing this game bit more and finishing the 1st campaign (there are multiple campaigns which comprise of only a few missions), I am enjoying this game much more. At first I was frustrated with it, but this was due to me not properly learning the control interface. For me, once I 'got it' the game instantly became the immersive monster that both H&D1 and OFP were/are to me.

<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'>Should I get Hidden and Dangerous 2?</span>

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(An imcomplete, yet usefull guide for fans of OFP and the original Hidden and Dangerous.)</span>

Introduction: (i.e. Well, should I?)

Read my comments below of various aspects of this game and decide for yourself. If you like OFP, and/or like the Original Hidden and Dangerous, then chances are you will love this game. If you prefer "shoot-shoot-kill-kill" games like MOHAA, Quake, ect, then you might even like this game, but I doubt it.

Control Interface:

After really learning the control interface, I'd have to say it is a HUGE improvement over the first. Like OFP's, the game's control interface will be complicated and frustrating for the average Quaker who just likes to shoot things up. Commands can be given to your men with the touch of a key and the roll of your mouse wheel. Actions can also be performed on items in your environment entirely with your mouse wheel and buttons - much like the action menu in OFP. Because you can only control 4 men in the game at one time, the menus system has an advantage over OFP, as the 'F' keys are not really needed. Almost all relevant commands for your men can be given using keys on the numpad.

Friendly AI:

The Friendly AI is much improved from H&D1. For those of you that played the first, you probably remember the AI men doing a myriad of stupid things when ordered to follow you, like running to their death in the river, climbing to the surface from the tunnels and getting shot, getting hit by the train, ect. ect.. The AI now will follow you, only they will keep a *formation* - formations are simple (remember, there are only four people), and include - 'point', 'line', and 'column'. You can command your men to spread out while following you and conversely command them to tighten formation. The AI can also navigate tight terrain surprisingly well. They will climb ladders, walk thin wooded planks and sparse ledges without falling to their death, and open doors when following you. Of course they still can block your way when in tight quarters, but they make a good effort to get out of your way. When following you, AI men will mimic your behavior - if you are crouched, they will crouch, if you are stood straight up they will stand straight up - *at least until they see an enemy*. Your comrades also call out if they see an enemy. If the AI spots an enemy which is far away and can't see you, they whisper something to the effect of 'enemy sighted' - in their best British accent. They also call out when they hit or kill and enemy - something the AI rarely if ever did (kill enemies, that is) in the first H&D.

General AI Combat Skills:

Picking up from the last section, the friendly and enemy AI's combat skills are much improved in the new installment of H&D. In this version, your teammates are much more than just useful decoys. Your teammates are good at spotting enemies, and they are just as good a shot as the enemy. For those of you that never played the first Hidden and Dangerous, the enemies were all crack shots. Getting popped in the head from 800m away by a Nazi officer armed only with a pistol is now a thing of the past. In the limited time I've been playing the game, I've actually been *saved* by my AI teammates numerous times. Enemy soldiers move and behave in the same way as your squad mates will. They creep slowly, take cover behind objects when threatened or hit, and are general less stupid than their H&D1 counterparts. Did I mention they are NOT crack shots anymore?

Stability/Bugs

With the first hidden and dangerous there were constant crashes, and weird game killing bugs (falling through the ground/wall/ect) in the early versions. While there are scattered reports of bugs for H&D2, I have only seen one minor graphics rendering bug which is fixed by a simple restart of the mission. The game has performed flawlessly for me, though I haven’t traversed through enough of the missions to give an accurate statement on the overall quality of the game. It is rumored that a patch for the game is soon to be released to address the bugs that have been discovered. The game comes with an automatic update feature, and with the prevalence of broadband today, this is something that every game needs these days. Hopefully it will work.

Graphics:

Based on an updated version of the LS3d engine, which is used for the game, Mafia, Hidden and Dangerous is a nice a looking game as any today in my opinion - yes that includes halflife2. The engine uses DirectX9 features, so those of you who have a late model Radeon or NVIDIA card will get the most eye candy out of this game. I own a GeForce4 ti4800SE, which is a DX8 card and the graphics are still stunning to me - I'm probably missing some effects due to my 'outdated' card, but I really don't care - the game looks damn pretty to my eyes.

Sound:

The sound is very good and it looks as if the developers took the time to make sure it the games 3D sound it well supported under my SB Live (Value) card. Many games don't like the SB Live series, but this one does. As I said, I use a SB Live Value card and a nice set of Altec-Lansing surround sound speaker system. The sound levels are very consistent and realistic, and the little details make the game that much more immersive. These include the sound of your equipment clanging around in your backpack when you move, and the creaking and clattering of your boots as they touch the floor. When inside, the footsteps of enemies who coming down the hallway can be clearly heard - as they would be in real life. One of the strong points of the first Hidden and Dangerous was the sound, and the developers at Illusion Softworks have continued this tradition in Hidden and Dangerous 2.

Performance (i.e. Will it run on my crap system?):

As expected, you're going to need a nice system to run this game, but fear not; You don't need a 3GHz processor, and a brand new $400-$500 graphics card just to run this game and have it perform well. My system is an AthlonXP 2800/Geforce4 ti4800SE/512 RAM and I am more than pleased with the performance. The auto-detection set my game to 1024x768 with no anti-aliasing, but I manually set it to 1152x864 with 2xAA and the game not only looks stunning, but it runs at a very nice frame rate. I'm not sure how it will perform, but later on I might install it (just for testing) on my old Athon 750/Geforce3 system and see how it performs.

[ralphwiggum 6]

but later on I might install it (just for testing) on my old Athon 750/Geforce3 system and see how it performs.

let us know when you do this. that is my current system now

to expedite this, i'll PR you until you experiment.

[Blake 0]

I've got 1266 Athlon Tbird+Radeon 7200+512MB and it runs pretty smooth on 1024x768 resolution with 32bit textures. I presume it should run adequately on 750-900mhz system too with 16bit textures and some details turned down.

[GoOB 0]

Very nice "review" Toadlife, made me look forward to playing the game even more!

But please, do tell me that your AI team mates have more visual variation than they do in H&D1 (All friendly AI use the same model, with the classical "Brit moustache")

[shadow 6]

But please, do tell me that your AI team mates have more visual variation than they do in H&D1 (All friendly AI use the same model, with the classical "Brit moustache")

All the SAS look different. The only thing they have in common is the uniform (if you choose the same for all soldiers).

Their skills are easily noticeable in-game too. Especially how aware they are. Some report enemies miles away, others don't report untill the enemy steps on them

I'm running the game in 1024x768 with everything on max except FSAA is off (I did'nt notice any difference with AA so I disabled it). P-IV 1.8, 512RDRAM and GF4Ti4600. The game runs smooth all the time, even in the massive battles.

Hopefully the game runs okay on 1280x1024 too.

Getting a Samsung 193T 19" TFT today

I hope the expansion-pack will feature more of the Austrian terrain with a river etc and the Czech map with the town and the Czech map with the sawmill. Those maps really gave me the real H&D-feeling the first game gave me. "Urban combat" is very fun too.

Favourite weapons: Enfield with optics and MP44(STG44),

but the Garand has a nice ring to it too bang-bang-bang-spoing  

[shadow 6]

Fortunately H&D2 runs completely smooth in 1280x1024.

It's looks simply amazing on a flaty (Samsung 193T)

[Badgerboy 0]

Fortunately H&D2 runs completely smooth in 1280x1024.

It's looks simply amazing on a flaty (Samsung 193T)

As long as the AA and AF is maxed out!

(I love my Raddy 9800 Pro)

[shadow 6]

Fortunately H&D2 runs completely smooth in 1280x1024.

It's looks simply amazing on a flaty (Samsung 193T)

As long as the AA and AF is maxed out!

(I love my Raddy 9800 Pro)

I did'nt buy a TFT and then make the graphics blurry....

I never use AA. I prefer crish and sharp graphics.

If I want blurry graphics I'll buy a console and play on a tv

[toadlife 3]

As long as the AA and AF is maxed out!

(I love my Raddy 9800 Pro)

I wonder what I am 'missing' with my GeForce4, as opposed to a real DX9 card. I run it at 1152x864 with 2xAA, and get 25-60fps. I tried 4xAA but noticed no difference in picture quality, so bumped it back down. I might try 2x AF to get a little more quality, but as it is, it looks damn good to me.

This game rocks more and more, the more you find out about it. Here’s a little story from the second mission, where you investigate the complex.

I had heard that you can steal uniforms from an enemy, but not unless you can get them to surrender, so I kept this in mind as I descended to the lower level of the complex. I slowly made my way through - blasting/ambushing everyone in the lower level. After making a near complete circle around the lower level, and having just about eliminated everyone, I happened into the last room where a Nazi officer armed with a pistol was mucking around doing something. He was looking at something, so he didn't notice me as I came to the entrance. In a split second I decided to try to get him to surrender. I had only read sparsely detailed stories about *how* you actually get someone to surrender in he game, but since this guy only had a pistol and I had a sten gun, I thought this was as good a time as any to try.

I had a full clip in my sten, so I tried to do the "dance sucka" thing to him. This was very effective. As soon as a started spraying bullets around his feet, he screamed like little red riding hood and dropped his pistol. He probably dropped a load in his pants too, but this game only goes so far to simulate things ;p . After he dropped his pistol, he yelled out some other things and bolted for the door. This was going to be harder than I thought! I reloaded my clip and proceeded to give chase. I had to be careful when chasing him through the lower level, as I wasn't 100% sure everyone was dead yet, so he kept a considerable lead on me - until we got halfway around the lower level and I realized that it really was only HIM and ME (MUuuhaaaahahahahah!). I picked up the pace, and focused my attention on the unarmed-fleeing-poopie-pants-Nazi officer.

As we got into a hallway, I started to get frustrated. "Where the hell is this guy going?", I thought. There really was nowhere to run for this guy. If he tried to make it to the upper level, I would have had to shoot, but fortunately it didn't come to this. I sprayed a few bullets at his feet again as he was only about 5 meters in front of me and one clipped his foot. He yelled, and still went on a bit, but after spraying another volley of rounds at the back of his feet he stopped and yelled something else in German. He then proceeded to stand up and put his hand behind his head! VICTORY at last! I walked up to him and 'captured him'. With hid hand ties behind his back, I was able to take him cap and uniform. I dropped my sten gun and all of the ammo and dropped my snow-white camo backpack, and picked up a German MP40 and some ammo in the next room. I then found a room with a German Backpack and grabbed that. With my outfit complete, I proceeded to the upper level, which was still crawling with Germans. I moved from room to room, walking past countless German guards without them knowing a thing. I would find rooms where there were only a few people and either knife them or shoot them. I would then move to another room and take cover for a second and then proceed to move to another room, slowly clearing out the entire upper level while being able to walk amongst the German guards *almost* freely. When in disguise, you can only be in the sight of the enemy for so long before they figure you out, so you have to move to an empty room and chill for second after encountering/killing and enemy.

[ralphwiggum 6]

from the official website HQ section

Quote[/b] ]Things we learned:

German weapons are pretty hard to find but are really good.

Japanese weapons are even harder to find, because at the end of WW2 the Allies destroyed most of them. Those that weren’t destroyed found their way into servicemen’s backpacks as ‘souvenirs’.

Italian weapons were rubbish. Really rubbish!

Russian weapons are ugly

There were no French weapons, quelle surprise.

Used grenades are especially difficult to come by!

[Tex -USMC- 0]

I did'nt buy a TFT and then make the graphics blurry....

I never use AA. I prefer crish and sharp graphics.

If I want blurry graphics I'll buy a console and play on a tv  

Huh. The only AA mode I've ever seen that reduces image quality in terms of texture sharpness is Quincunx anti-aliasing... every other mode I've used on both Nvidia and Ati cards increases image sharpness noticeably, if not dramatically.

[shadow 6]

After making a near complete circle around the lower level, and having just about eliminated everyone, I happened into the last room where a Nazi officer armed with a pistol was mucking around doing something.

As much as I hate to burst your bubble, but that officer would have surrendered right away if you just approached him in a regular matter (let him hear you).

The few soldiers that surrender are always the same soldiers every time you play the missions.

If they don't surrender right away just shoot one round right above their heads and theyll surrender ;)