Ofp...dead?

[blackdog~ 0]

To be 100% honest, I am waiting for CSLA to release their mod, and then I am pretty sure I will be done with this game. I won't move to another one, but really have a lot of other things going on now, and OFP is beginning to get boring.

[dmakatra 1]

To be 100% honest, I am waiting for CSLA to release their mod, and then I am pretty sure I will be done with this game. I won't move to another one, but  really have a lot of other things going on now, and OFP is beginning to get boring.

Someone plant a C4 on CSLAs server and THEY'LL NEVER RELEASE IT. YOU'LL BE STUCK WITH US FOREVER! BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!

OK, I'll go take my pills now.

[sv5000 127]

OFP is numbah won GI

oh yeah and for NX "Hell Yeah"!!!!

[Dallas 9]

As long as there's no decent substitute for OFP, it will never die. OFP will never die, it'll just become OFP2. Four years is a very long time for a game that isn't as accessable as Counter-Strike. Games are a part of life and like life, there is tide and ebb. Four years is four years and we're all bound to hit the wall at some point, if we don't take some R&R. Combat-fatigue hits everyone: Players, scripters and modders. Take some breaks, uninstall, go play other games. We all come back for shorter or longers tours, because there is no game like OFP.

I don't play much anymore, but I reinstall from time to time, just to be in the OFP engine. Sure some argue that OFP isn't the prettiest game, but it's like the matrix to me. I don't see the old graphics, I just see the OFP world that no other can replicate. I'm just a lover of the game, I haven't really comtributed to the community. I can't believe what this old engine is capable of and how the community has expanded the limits and amount of vehicles and units.

Thank you all, I'm still in awe.

[MetalSynth 0]

I reinstalled flashpoint when I was asked to do the music for HIN and uninstalled it afterwards.

I played this game a heck of a lot for a long time because when I got tired of playing,I could just practice scripting or make addons for the hell of it.

I like the general concept of flashpoint.Nothing out there is like it from near or far and the best part is that a lot of talented artists got the chance to bring their models to life without being a programming nut. ( Even if it does take a bit of browsing to understand the basics. )

When it comes down to it though, I dont find the game exiting anymore. I like fiddeling around in it but some limitaions are just too frustrating now considering what other games are doing. I like going in there with things acting the way they should and flashpoint has a real hard time with that.

To me, it's more like an "art tool" than a game.

Edit added : Oh yeah,and it's one of the best knowlege base for any military equipment out there.I'm pretty sure the ofp community is one of the most well informed in the world.

[Rommel 2]

Operation Flashpoint will never die; unless the game is the absolute best, OFP1 will never die. I have currently purchased 3 copys of Operation Flashpoint. (CCW,GOTY,GOTY) I purchased GOTY twice because the 1st one had a tiny scratch that stopped it installing.

[LizardX 0]

Oh yeah, no game before, no game after OFP (maybe the Jagged Alliance games, but they're only No.2). Man, I've seen the first screenshots in a magazine in... err... around early 2000? Hey, I cannot remember because it was so long ago! And I'm still in OFP-business, I check the OFP-sites almost every day. Got small time to play, got small time to make addons, but since I have the editor, O2, OFP-anims, wrp-tools and such, I will never stop to enjoy! Until I have a PC, ther will always be a folder named "Operation Flashpoint"!

Hell yeah!

[cozza 24]

Been a long 3-4 years I've been playing this game. I still remenber being at EB wanting to buy Real War: Land Sea air, but it was out of stock so I had to buy CWC. Went home, Installed it, and got punched in the face by BIS

[x582gr51 0]

Ofp, isnt dead and will never die it's a classic and a record in the game industry.

But maybe ofp is for a particular type of ppl that always want more and i'm not saying that as a negative point cuz this force the making of addons and textures and breaking or getting arround engine limitations.

This lead to releases about every 3 days and make a large amount addons availables.

It also can reveal a weak point wich is the mission editing. Players are well informed of warefare and tactics from real military sources. Wich make ppl want addons the way they like from a config point of view for example. Also some missions really need the tweaking of some addons to be playable.

The mission editing itself required tons of scripts and command lines on triggers and waypoint of such complexity. It's require a PhD to do what appear a simple thing. Not userfriendly any to create missions.

But there is a solution that can solve this mess. If you are one of those with lot of advanced knowledge then why don't you make tools that can be manned by the stupidest human being on earth.

For an example, if someone want to chg the cfg of a particular tank then why not have a program that load the addons in wich the vehicle is and extract all related lines used for the specfic MBT and automaticaly write it in a new cfg file.

From this new cfg file each words are linked to a definition stored in a database.

Then when the user drag the mouse onto a word that show an information window telling him for what this word is used into the cfg and also explain about the values needed and the dependencies.

This tool can save lot of time to addon makers and missions editors and can solve the re-textured addons issues so the server run the original addons and the client run a mod that patch configs when its for textures and sounds.

An other tool can be made wich is an external mission editors including the previous cfgpatches tool. A program that load up addons, islands and everything needed to ofp mission editing and work same as the actual ofp editor.

You see the island u place units, waypoints and triggers just like we do now but with a database of all words that can be in an init field or activation field and the such. Also with a definition and values explanations.

Added to this the automation of all scripts for todays enjoyable missions. Like the AIrespawn could be a type of trigger placed on the map and then popup another windows with scrolling field so that u can choose the unit then show a loadout window for that unit and all these infos are then writen in the script file and the dependencies.

This also can save time to missions editors and make things more userfriendly.

These are the things i see that can boost up mission editing.

Else it require least a PhD to get arround todays complexity of creating a decent mission.

I know the making of these tools require a lot of time and efforts also patience but in the end less charges are on a few ppl with knowledge while the average ofp are waiting and asking for more and more without being able to do some.

The only thing that will left to do is that every member of the ofp community take it as a duty to beta tests missions and report so editors can apply corrections and then evolve.

Thinking userfriendly is the Key!!!

[Tomislav 0]

To be 100% honest, I am waiting for CSLA to release their mod, and then I am pretty sure I will be done with this game. I won't move to another one, but really have a lot of other things going on now, and OFP is beginning to get boring.

ok, as you're going to wait for the csla mod, then you'll be here until ofp2 for sure, cause it will take a while until lacerta is released

[Metal Heart 0]

The mission editing itself required tons of scripts and command lines on triggers and waypoint of such complexity. It's require a PhD to do what appear a simple thing. Not userfriendly any to create missions.

Uhm... what? Making simple missions is really easy in OFP. Just throw in a handful of units, maybe a few waypoints for them and a couple of triggers and you're done. I can't imagine how it could be much easier. And if you don't want to learn scripting there's lots of user-made scripts for many purposes that you can use in your missions.

Sure, it's not like you can just ask the computer for a certain scenario like in Star Trek, but it's not that difficult either.

Correction: Doh, I didn't mean that you can make missions for other players this easy, of course, but for your own amusement. And it's not just seek & destroy missions that are this easy to create. For example you can also make defend area/object or protect convoy type missions and they'll work reasonably well considering that they were put together in just some minutes.

I am aware that good missions require a lot of hard work.

[twisted 128]

it's hard to see how ofp can be dead when new people discover it and love it even tho its about 4 years old.

i started playing ofp for the first time in february this year. and its amazing. incredible gameplay. and after having played all the newer games i can safely say in gameplay ofp outguns them all.

the add-ons and mods give even more life to it. and the easy mission making is a real plus. i even had to go out and get another copy the game so i can play via LAN with my wife (who NEVER plays games but is very taken with ofp].

about the only negatives are the dated graphics (which addons fix to some degree) and the very clunky multiplayer interface.

so i say that as long as this continues ofp will not die. at least not until OFP2 comes out.

[x582gr51 0]

@Metalheart

You just gave the example of what make ofp missions boring, placing a few units there there and there and a squad of playables that will have to ruch into the enemy zone having for man downs then the remaining kill the 36 units take control of the airport and wow goodjob mission accomplished.

This was good 3 years ago but todays missions need tougher ai's that will make you engage in a least 20 minutes firefight with reinforcement when a there is a specific ammount of lost or when ldr and gunners are dead and the rto is still alive. Some of the reinforcments are to flank the enemy.

It also require new rules of engagement like snipers engage targets at 1500m, scoped gunners at 800m, heavy gunners at 600m, scoped soldier at 400m and unscoped soldier like m16 at 300m.

Squads or groups from a Mec infantry don't move too far from the apc cuz they must protect it as they advance cleaning what the apc gunner missed and watch for mines and ied's.

I have an example if you take a mission that was made about 2 or 3 years ago by an authority into mission editing from let's say a modding studio that count members that are now working for BIS and play it today u will find it boring.

But remake this exact same mission with todays units and weapons addons add to this scripts like unitcreate, airespawn, hunterkiller, MecInfantry create and enhanced anims. There if the players doesn't have emotional issues against you the author of the remaked mission then they should somehow like the mission.

While learning how to implement todays magic behind awesome missions i did some training exercices in lab that consisted to updated a few old missions with good scenarios to todays expectations.

I'm not expert there is till lot of scripts that i can't apply cuz they are too advanced for me and this result into load of missions waiting on my HD's. I have been talking with lot of ppl from the community and many of them in the same situation.  

You cannot place a few units at a specific location so the player rush there trying to kill targets that are running in all directions and expect the player to have a good opinion of OFP anymore.

All these missions details and sudden events and hidden objectives that make todays missions enjoyables as they require scripting knowledge that not everyone possess.

Making tools that change the current mission editing more userfriendly might increase the amount of mission releases and also the quality.

And about Star Trek what you are refering as a computer is more an Entity. Sci-fi if not soon to be real there at some secret labs or basements... expect that living things will be cloned and used as processors and ships.

There are researches about this in the real world and we already know about voice recognition.

Read some science magazines or sites from thrustables sources...

It can also be quite entertaining and give you ideas for scenarios.

[Winters 1]

The mission editing itself required tons of scripts and command lines on triggers and waypoint of such complexity. It's require a PhD to do what appear a simple thing. Not userfriendly any to create missions.

Uhm... what? Making simple missions is really easy in OFP. Just throw in a handful of units, maybe a few waypoints for them and a couple of triggers and you're done. I can't imagine how it could be much easier. And if you don't want to learn scripting there's lots of user-made scripts for many purposes that you can use in your missions.

Sure, it's not like you can just ask the computer for a certain scenario like in Star Trek, but it's not that difficult either.

When i first opened the editor i knew nothing about scripting or programming. Now i could make a mission without even going in the editor (although i wouldnt) at all.

Don't tell me it's not user friendly.

EDIT: The problem lies in a mission makers creativity, you could be a pro at using the editor but if you lack imagination and creativity you wont get very far there is nothing in OFP that makes a mission boring, thats on the person making it. Of course you will always find missions that just didnt have much effort put into it but there are also plenty (old ones and new ones) that are great.

For a game that has been out as long as OFP has and to still have the following it still has is nothing short of remarkable. Sure there may not be servers bursting at the seams with players but because the "crowd" has thinned out now, you get to play with people who are quite good at the game because they have been around playing it for a long time.

OFP2 will bring back all the band-wagoners but is this game dead/dying?

I think not.

[cozza 24]

Mission editing is really easy. I'm 16, I have a low IQ and I started using it just after I got the game

[x582gr51 0]

@Winters

I never said the ofp editor isnt user friendly but i said that it need and update including new triggers types, new scripts that can be directly applied through it and the possibility to make cfgpatches.

As i am seing u are member of this forum since early 2002. So if you are into mission editing since that year then that made a lot of time for you to gain your current skills.

But think about those that started recently to sneak behind the scene.

They have a lot to catch up, if you compare it to the time it took you to gain your skills. I just think that it would be nice to limit the training time.

And if you can make a mission without using the editor at all then i wonder how do you memorize all the pos of objects and the elevations from an island and the such.

Well u must be one exception.

[Winters 1]

Well, i never said it would be a good mission    I was just trying to illustrate that i didnt know anything about programming but now i know lots.

While the editor can be improved on i really dont see that as an obstacle. I may have been around this forum since early 2002 but i didnt just suddenly reach a high skill level. A few months after starting to use the editor i had everything i needed to make high quality mission.

[x582gr51 0]

@Batdog

About IQ, i wonder what would be the results of an human being can get after one month of having one meal only per day and being able to sleep only 2 hours and all the other hours u will spend them sitting on a chair and be very limited into your movements.

After only one month of this your IQ will get below 90 wich is not the average. But this is not a natural condition so the results are not reliable on this except maybe those that really are below 90 they may rely to this kind of tests or informations.

oh yeah show business is made for those below 90 so it's not to be taken seriously.

One more thing a bad emotional quotient will reduce the intellectual quotient and the opposite a high intellectual quotient will reduce the emotional quotient in some temporary natural situations. This is the kind of thing not to be tested in lab...

@winters

High quality mission after a few months if you refer to 2002 expectations but not todays. 2002 expectactions are quite low if you compare them to what it need now to make a good mission.

[Winters 1]

BUT when Invasion Phase 1 is released, you can bet that I install OFP immediatly...

We are gonna hold you to that friend  

Quote[/b] ]I hope Inv44 will make it more that it feels that you are just a small part of the whole mission/ operation - a normal grunt so to say.

Thats the plan  

EDIT: @Fat Tony: there were missions made in 2002 that are better than most missions being made today. And on a personal note i recently recieved e-mail from someone who had just finished the first mission i ever released who was quite pleased with it.

My point is that once your a good mission maker your a good mission maker, the only thing that changes over time is the stuff available to use in mission.

[x582gr51 0]

Obviously a good mission maker is a good mission maker.

But back in 2002 there wasn't enhanced anims and there wasn't AIrespawn, revive, hunterkiller, group link, realistic fx and config and many more as we have now. All these that make what we call good present scenarios and what is expected righ now.

Sure on simple player old mp missions can be fun. Lot of past multiplayer missions i converted into SP missions because i liked the scenarios. But SP is another thing not to be compared to MP.

You can't refer to 2002 for 2005. U can take the best 2002 coop mission and play it today then you will find it somehow boring because u know better.

Take clean sweep,  it's still good before going to sleep but when u feel good and normal it's quite lame so you probably would like to see more patrols in towns and u would replace tents by barracks and use them as airespawn for least 20mins. Also a few Mec infantry and apc maybe one or 2 MBT with one chopper on reinforcements that arrive creating some unexpected events after some triggers activations. Yeah and add to this snipers that limit the area that you can cover and a strong counter attack then finish the whole thing by a hunt for an high ranked officier near by that if you miss then you get shelled by a tank group that cover the escape wich if succed make you fail the mission. All this last escape part in a very limited amount of time that require to be swift and precise.

Then i think this reworked scenario is not to be a boredome.

From a simple mission u had more difficulties and plausable events that make an acceptable 2005 mission that can satisfy

most ofp players.

This wasnt possible back in 2002 because it required huge amount of cpu time and memory. Now we have script's that permit these kinda of scenarios with reduced lag to almost none event on 2000-2001 hardware.

There is many factors involved into mission editing and you can't say that 2002 stuffs are enjoyable now 2005. Honestly 2002 editing is very lame and playing it now can make you asleep if you are an ofp "Veteran".

[AKM 0]

If OFP can be found, OFP is not dead.

One of my friends, one of his friends, just bought Red Hammer, Resistance, and of course, CWC. This was two days ago.

I'd say it isn't dead. What's left of the community is pretty strong, provided that mission makers continue learning. A lot of the guys I know, their skills just plataeu (Sure, I could look up the spelling, but that'd take precious seconds), and then their creativity begins to stagnate.

Or they do what I do; create dozens of mission concepts, but never have the time to act on them and actually build the mission they were envisioning.

For a decent MP experiance, I'd say it's prettymuch crucial to be part of a well-organized squad, preferably with a dedicated server; but that's not actually a nessecity. My unit has been getting along splendidly without one for - about four years now.

Like everything else, OFP evolves. Players become more capable as time goes on, and missions and addons become more complex as well.

I still like most of the missions I made in early 2003, although they've become massive multipart operations that somehow involve the CoC CE - because you can't match the feeling of power you get from ordering a mechanized company to "sic" with anything else.

Bottom line - Provided there are new players coming in and at least, say 25% of the "Old Guard" remains to educate them (Thus we don't end up with anecdote #1, below), and some mod-teams that focus on plausible scenarios and the like remain, which I don't think is a real worry, then we'll be good to go up until OFP-2, which will then kick the community in the ass and force it to a new level.

Although there's the "modding twilight" to deal with when that happens - very simply, creating addons for OFP-2 is going to be very, very difficult unless we're supported by the designers, since we've lost a lot of the pioneers that we had in early 2002. So we'll see OFP-2 base, and then maybe a few addons working in it, and suchforth.

* Anecdote one: "Every civilization learns what it needs to, and the next one forgets it."

- And yes, I did get that off CSI. Good show, that.

[Angantyr 0]

BUT when Invasion Phase 1 is released, you can bet that I install OFP immediatly...

We are gonna hold you to that friend  

Quote[/b] ]I hope Inv44 will make it more that it feels that you are just a small part of the whole mission/ operation - a normal grunt so to say.

Thats the plan  

Yippieeee!    

*angantyrpassesavirtualbeertowinters*

I think I'll install OFP again today...

Now I've to download llaumax and kegety's dxdll thing....

[Winters 1]

I stand by my statement that there are plenty of missions made in the early days that are much better than ones being made today.

Sure we have fancier toys to play with but thats not what makes the mission, it's the content of it that does. Ever see a big budget hollywood special FX bonanza that dazzled your senses but it still sucked because it had a nonsensicle plot?

nuff said.

Operation LoJack

Siberian Fox

Silent Night, Deadly Night

Speed (not sure if thats the right name)

Sturmovik

These are just a small sampling of great missions made in the early days that people can still learn a thing or two from today.

[Andy Mc 0]

I got my hands on OpFlash: CWC back when it came out four years ago... A few months back I picked up the Bestsellers copy -- so I'm still busy working my way through the original game and the expansions -- four years on...   ( Anyone else find CWC harder than Resistance..?? )

It's just as alive ( maybe even more ) than it ever was IMHO

Version 1.96 looks nicer than ever, plays nicer than ever, most of the bugs from the original version are gone, the numeric command menu is fluid and effective and there's STILL NOTHING out there that matches OpFlash's gameplay after FOUR YEARS!!!

Many mod's coming out daily ( so many I don't even track 3/4 of them ). The newest version of Y2K3 being my most recent download...

There's plenty more life in the game yet -- after I complete the campaigns with the original units -- I'll have to finish them with Y2K3

I've have to get ECP 1.075, Falklands Mod and the WW2 one when they're finished aswell  

My only concern is how OpFlash 2 is going to surpass the original game with mod's installed....they've got a tough task ahead...

It's only as dead as you make it

[Colossus 2]

The gold age of OFP is over and, for me, that came soon after BAS ended. Addons and mods has kept the puls of OFP beating in many years now, but sadly I think the puls is getting weaker and weaker.

316 pages of addons and mods have we made, an incredible effort from the addon makers, but this can't be stand as the time fly and new games arrives.

I have installed, uninstalled and reinstalled this game some times now but the time gap between uninstall and reinstall the game has been expanding over the last 2 years...

All I'm saying is that OFP is soon gone be dead if nothing is done, to boost the numbers of players on MP or info about OFP2 could be something to help this "dead-OFP" problem.

Now that I have said this I feel I was wrong.. again.

OFP isn't dead! I'm installing the game again!

Why oh why is it so hard to resist?!    

EDIT: Post 1111