Good Article on Boomtown

[Spy17 1]

Great article!!!

This is kind of what I was waiting for!

I think the screens do not tell that much... there are many games with superb graphics -but nearly all feature only scripted events and linear game play. You can not see that in a picture.

It seems I can keep my hope up BIS will bring some real inovations to the genere!

-destructable buildings

-better damage modelling (the pic with the separated wheel looks like it)

-a truly dynamic campaign ("Free this country" and then leaving you to solve the task pretty much as you like.)

you got to love it

[MATRA 0]

Why are some of you so against UBIsoft? I know they butchered GR, but look at Silent Hunter III, Sturmovik, Pacific Fighters. Great unit sims... Isn't OFP just a multi unit/environmental sim? I believe UBI does a good job representing the military. Besides, did they EVER say that GR was a simulation? I never saw it.. It is a game, catagorized in their list scroll down a bit as 'action' - on par with Prince of Persia.

Is there something I don't know about them? If so, please tell.

I have to admit the UBI has the best sims avaiable on the market Lock on, IL2...

[ebns72 0]

YES! I need more info. Wow.

Rolling waves, swaying trees, dynamic campaigns, dynamic building destruction (!) weapon mods, weapon animation, ai (talking to soldiers about enemy location? wow!) I want more info

[funnyguy1 0]

OMG

Nice job dudes...indeed nice job...

[InqWiper 0]

Really nice article!

Seems like OFP2 will be even better than I expected!   

Dont worry about weapons not casting shadows and stuff like that, they have 1.5 years time to fix it  

-edit

This should remove 99% of the doubts some people have  

[Heatseeker 0]

Really nice article!

Seems like OFP2 will be even better than I expected!   

Dont worry about weapons not casting shadows and stuff like that, they have 1.5 years time to fix it  

1.5 years to complete such a huge and daring project isnt all that much, i mean its not like putting a splinter cell game together, id took 5 years to make Doom3 and that was just a regular FPS, this is grand scale warfare. It problably seems not much time for them and an eternity for us .

Lets see how much HW will progress in 1.5/2 years...

[ebns72 0]

I hope the game has ragdoll physics...I don't want to see them boast about a physics engine that doesn't have ragdoll.

[Acecombat 0]

A new article from Gamespot:

Quote[/b] ]Operation Flashpoint 2 E3 2005 Hands-On Impressions

As of right now, Bohemia Interactive's latest PC project exists in something of a state of flux. Designed to be the sequel to its excellent 2001 military shooter, Operation Flashpoint, the game that would be Operation Flashpoint 2 is currently without a US publisher or official release date. The reason? Codemasters, Operation Flashpoint's publisher, still owns the franchise name, and currently Bohemia is engaged in something of a struggle with them over the game's release. However, undeterred, Bohemia is championing ahead with the project, and even if they have to call it something else, they'll find a way to get the game out. In a small meeting room at E3 2005, Bohemia gave us a look at what we'll call Operation Flashpoint 2.

The original Flashpoint was an interesting game, in that it took a very realistic approach to its gameplay. Battles were largely squad-based, and combat generally took place over long distances, with lots of carefully placed shots, rather than the kind of fast-paced, run and gun shooting found in many modern-day shooters. For those who enjoyed this brand of shooting gameplay, Operation Flashpoint 2 seems like it won't disappoint. We were shown a few different battle scenarios, and the mechanics seemed to work very much the same. One new aspect to battles is just the sheer number of units that will be available on-screen during the game. Battlefields will be around 400 square kilometers in size, and literally hundreds of soldiers and vehicles will be able to coexist on them. One example of this was shown to us, and it was quite impressive watching huge groups of allied soldiers march across a battlefield with tanks and other vehicles following along.

Whereas the original Flashpoint took place in 1985 during Cold War operations, Flashpoint 2 will take place during a fictional near-future conflict in the year 2010. You'll be able to play in three different areas, including Southeast Asia, Central Europe and Africa, and you'll play as three different soldier types during each section of the game, including a Marine Corps solider, a US Army officer and a Special Ops operative. As you play the game, you'll be able to upgrade your squads and soldiers through what Bohemia refers to as something of an RPG-like leveling system. In another nod to RPGs, you'll also be able to chat it up in real time with NPC allies, and learn valuable reconnaissance intel from them.

Obviously, a big draw for Flashpoint 2 will be its improved visuals. The first Flashpoint was a good looking game for its time, but the dedicated fans of the series are likely looking forward to what Bohemia can do with current generation PC technology. A big part of the visual upgrade is the damage modeling, which is fully dynamic across the many set pieces you'll find on the battlefield. The developers showed us one example, where when driving a tank, a nearby building was targeted and fired upon. The first hit did a little damage, but nothing too devastating. The next hit took a big chunk out of it, and the next one practically eradicated it. The developers state that no two explosions will look quite the same, as the debris will always fall dynamically. This, coupled with the huge numbers of units on-screen at once, and the generally upgraded soldier models and environmental designs, should prove to be a big upgrade from the first game.

Of course, Flashpoint 2 will feature online multiplayer. Bohemia wasn't able to provide exact details of what kinds of modes, or how many players you'll be able to compete with or against, but they stated that they plan to make the multiplayer a big part of the game, and will try to squeeze in as many players as they possibly can. One notable improvement over the original Flashpoint's multiplayer is that in this game, you'll be able to join battles in progress. In the first Flashpoint, you'd have to wait for an open server, or sit in the chat lobby waiting for your friends to finish. That won't be the case, here.

Another thing that Bohemia wanted to emphasize was that they recognize and appreciate the fan communities that have developed from Flashpoint and its expansion packs. While not the biggest game in the US, the game certainly had its fans here, and internationally, Flashpoint developed a big mod community. Flashpoint 2 will once again include a robust map editor for committed players to mess around with, and like the first game, Bohemia fully intends to support the game with new content long after its release.

The cloud that currently sits over Operation Flashpoint 2's release possibilities is certainly unfortunate, but Bohemia seems thoroughly undeterred by the situation. One way or another, they fully intend to release the game, so you won't have to worry about them just giving up on the project any time soon. While the demo we were shown had some rough edges, we're excited about the prospects that this shooter holds. We can only hope that Bohemia's gung-ho attitude continues, and that they keep hammering away on the game and get it a North American release. We'll be sure to bring you more on Operation Flashpoint 2 in the near future.

By Alex Navarro, GameSpot POSTED: 05/20/05 08:34 PM

Source

Took them long enough and they are saying BIS doesnt have a publisher for america what does that mean? Does europe and elsewhere have theirs already?

[Evishion 0]

nice review.. si it wil be in asia. europe, and N africa after all just in modern days.. gonna be AWESOME!

[MATRA 0]

Quote[/b] ]The developers showed us one example, where when driving a tank, a nearby building was targeted and fired upon. The first hit did a little damage, but nothing too devastating. The next hit took a big chunk out of it, and the next one practically eradicated it. The developers state that no two explosions will look quite the same, as the debris will always fall dynamically.

Dynamic buildings and explosions (debris), SOUNDS GOOD! , I want AGEIA support

[berghoff 11]

@ May 20 2005,12:25)]

I'd really wonder if the don't find a publisher for SUCH a game! I mean, publishers shoul actually be fighting to publish such a game . . .

Well let´s hope that EA doesn´t come in picture.

lol, so true

[Gollum1 0]

The most interesting part I found was that you play as USMC, Army and some kind of Special Operator (SF, Delta, SEALs, or something generic like in OFP1, who knows). Judging by the screenshots there are a lot of USMC in the desert (Asia), guys with Woodland camo in the forest (Europe), altough here I must point out that BIS missed the boat.

In 2010 all Army soldiers, most certainly those deployed abroad, will have the grey ACUPAT camo pattern, the Woodland camo in these screens will be a thing of the past. They also won't be using M16A4s as standard issue, that's for sure.

If Africa is still in the picture maybe the Spec Op campaign will take place there, so we would have desert, wood and jungle maps, 3 maps like in the original OFP!

If you are USMC, an Army officer and then a Special operator then I think you will play the game in this order, starting as a Marine.

[MATRA 0]

Quote[/b] ]In 2010 all Army soldiers, most certainly those deployed abroad, will have the grey ACUPAT camo pattern, the Woodland camo in these screens will be a thing of the past. They also won't be using M16A4s as standard issue, that's for sure.

So true, in 2010 the M-8 and the digital grey camo will be the standard in US Army, maybe BIS change the textures till then.... or the comunity will