Ofp needs to be updated

[Unhappy customer 0]

If anyone here is following the "Super Config" project you will see that pappy boyington has made a completely new game out of OFP by substituting the outdated low resolution BIS models for newer flashier addons. One example was that he substituted the BIS MI-24 CSLA mod's improved, higher detail MI-24 (which also has retractable landing gear). Another subtitute which is in the talks is a real Russian made DSHK in place of the East side M2 machine gun. Also newer AKs and M-16s with improved looking gunsight views have been substituted for the BIS models. Also the ECP mod is used which gives improved explosions and makes use of chopper dust scripts. Also we have replaced the old cold war crisis era Everon with an updated version that features high resolution vegitation taken from Nogova. On my CPU I even have a new version of Kulgujev that replaces the old kulgujev vegitation with new Nogova vegitation. Anyway playing OFP with all these new improvements is like playing a whole new game.

So here was my thought.... What if BIS released a whole new official update pack that made improvements like this permanent? The pack would include updated versions of the old pre resistance islands, and new higher detailed replacements for a lot of the standard BIS weapons and vehicles, and new sounds. This way everyone could enjoy a completely revamped OFP that would make everyone start playing OFP again, and put Battle Field 1942 back on the shelf. In reality BIS wouldn't have to do much. All they would have to do is ask the mod' out there like CSLA and FDF if they can use their models and textures in an official pack (with recognition for their work from BIS of course). All BIS would have to do is make a pack that would update the existing files, tweak the config.bin file, and put it up for download as version 1.97 or something like that.... The idea is to make OFP (which is getting old now) competitive with newer games like BF1942 (personally I like OFP better). With new models and textures, BF1942 can't stand up against OFP in my opinion. Does this sound interesting to anyone?

[Gordy 0]

Marek Spanel would tell U, that it's highly unrealistic for them to release that kind of update.

1. Because they are working hard on OFP2 and propably on the military simulator as well.

2. The same since they do not want a competition to their upcoming, improved game.

[deathsai 0]

Plus, not everyone's system can handle nice vegetation, and the ECP mod notably brings down the amount of action you can handle on the screen at one time. Operation Flashpoint is an old game, so older computers can run it well.

[Lumamorod 0]

I don't think Flashpoint, old as it may be in gaming terms, feels outdated in anyway. The game engine is still very unique. One can only hope that they improve on what they have right now. Some flaws are well documented, the fundamental improvements have been discussed to exhaustion...

The only thing that would make the present OFP better would be, in my view an improved editor interface and database management, in order to easily take advantage of all the great add-ons the community produces. But that itself would be already too much work, i imagine.

[RN Malboeuf 12]

yea you could remake this game 100 times over in any detail you want, probly why she lasted so long

.........

wow as im typing this a hobo spider walked on to my left arm

HMMMM play toy (they nasty)

[Gollum1 0]

OFP 2 is the next OFP, not an upgraded one. That's the BIS line, and it makes perfect sense. Starting to upgrade OFP will only end in tears, it will produce MORE bugs, users will complain when the system requirements are higher, and then you'll hear lots of complaining when "well BIS improved this, why didn't they do this then it wouldn't take much work at all I guess they're lazy wah wah".

It would also increase the workload for OFP 2, the bar would be raised.

Don't many addons take textures and models from BIS files? Then they would probably be broken or messed up.

We have, what, 1000 active players now, if even that much? You think the tens of thousands of BF players will suddenly flock to OFP because the poly count of vehicles has been improved a bit? I don't want players to OFP that are swayed by pretty graphics.

Why would BIS want to make it competitive btw? It isn't sold (or at least bought) in any large extent any more, and as I said above it would be impossible without changing the game a LOT and breaking everything old.

[zayfod 1]

Plus, not everyone's system can handle nice vegetation, and the ECP mod notably brings down the amount of action you can handle on the screen at one time. Operation Flashpoint is an old game, so older computers can run it well.

This is about to be dramatically changed--stay tuned.

Zay

[Balschoiw 0]

It wouldn´t be realistic to think of such anyway. Copyright issues , etc., etc.

If it was done by a Mod, like it is done already afaik it´s ok.

Problems would be modified messages during MP games and a unfied structure (the addons look great on their own but often don´t work in relation to each other in optics or style) and a "line" between all them. You know what I mean ?

[toadeater 0]

I agree BIS should release an update, but only if OFP2 is going to be as late as it appears to be. Otherwise it's not worth the time. Let's also not forget they're working on the Xbox version at the moment.

*Maybe* someone at BIS or Codemasters can pick some community models, graphics, and sound updates, quality test them and add them to an official "super config" but even this would take significant time and $$$. Things like ECP still don't work 100%, and it would require coding and testing to get them to be commercial quality and be compatible with all the missions. Anyone here feel like playtesting the all-new models and the new config on every OFP mission and then fixing all the bugs and conflicts you find?

But I think that's not OFP's main problem. I think the main problem is a lack of join-in-progress multiplayer play. There are some amazing multiplayer mods out there, but actually getting a chance to play them with a decent amount of players is too difficult for the average person. Keyword here "average person", not OFP fanatic.

[Gollum1 0]

But I think that's not OFP's main problem. I think the main problem is a lack of join-in-progress multiplayer play. There are some amazing multiplayer mods out there, but actually getting a chance to play them with a decent amount of players is too difficult for the average person. Keyword here "average person", not OFP fanatic.

I agree.

It is pretty much impossible to play new mods and addons (single addons are 90% useless for MP use because you can't get over 4 people in one game to download an addon for one mission , but addon release policy is another topic...) publicly unless you're very lucky to be at that one server at the start.

Even in private it can be hell to get everyone to download a new mod, but that can't be helped.

[sputnik monroe 102]

I think I might have a solution to the addon multiplayer problem. Why doesn't the community get together and release a addon pack that contains a lot of the best addons?

This way people would all know they have the same version for example, call it something like "Best of OFP Volume 1".

This way multiplayer games can put in their name something like "Best of OFP V1" and then people would know "oh that one has lots of addons and I have that pack exellent". I think if this was to be done we could finally see a lot of addons getting some use in multiplayer.

[Silent Pro 0]

One problem with that idea Sputnik, servers are already doing this by providing a "Zeus Addon Pack", "MTCO" pack or even a "Citadel Pack" for download. The packs are in excess of 100MB's usually and by the time OFP2 is released we will have server addon packs that reach past 600MB's.

So on top of the size of the package, now there are several of these packages floating around with many of the same addons enclosed within them. So what you have is people downloading different addon packs for different servers with redundant addons in each package. Waste of space and time.

The only way your idea would work is if BIS officially put their stamp on the package, released a patch to prevent modified config messages in multiplayer and unified the package across all of OFP's compatible platforms. Then the community would accept the addons as a standard, and only then.

Until then every server, modfication team, clan etc... will continue to have it's own agenda and thus it's own idea of what addons they deem useful. Even if one or two servers participate in creating a standardized addon pack...the problem still lies in getting the concept to take off with the community.

The best solution I think are the replacement config modifications which others including myself have created, which simply replace units with newer and better versions. The community seems very enthusiastic about this for the following reasons:

The user simply has to download what they need, the config replaces the desired units so now the problem of creating missions for the addons is no longer an issue. You can replay OFP's single player missions, Multiplayer missions, CWC, resistance, or red hammer campaigns with the new units.

It also allows mission makers to avoid the complication of requring users to download addons for their missions as they can be played wtih the config mod, or without...its up to the user.