FP : DR - News & Discussion

[Pulverizer 1]

Jets, jets, jets, jets... OFP2 is not a simulator, it's a game and there's not gonna be no damn jets in it. And good riddance, who needs jets if they work nothing like they are supposed to.

Soldner sort of had like 25 km view distance (only low res ground geometry visible far) and that game came out 2004. It would be useful to see the general area, for visual navigation and better situational awareness (seeing the land, instead of just fog higher up).

Screens from Soldner:

http://soldner.jowood.com/?RubrikIdentifier=729〈=en

[Balschoiw 0]

I agree that jets are overrated anyway. As long as they are integrated on a real simulation level they stay arcadish at best. For sure it´s fun to fly around doing low-level terrain flights, bombing runs and all that but to be honest I´d personally like to see a different approach from the companies when it comes to integrating vehicles into a mil-sim.

Wouldn´t it be be a blast for longterm-motivation if it would take a learning curve to master vehicles ? For me it´s simply a bit boring to just hop into a helo or jet and take off within seconds and go straight for the target. I´m missing the working cockpit controls, I´m missing the different radars, anti-measures, missing ground control, inflight coms, the pysics that individually affect different airvehicles and all that. In the end flying a helo or jet ingame is not more than driving a hmmv after a while in most games.

I´d like to have:

- selectable loadouts

- realistic startup sequence ( timewise )

- working cockpit (clickable)

- realistic weapon systems

- realistic physics simulation

- ground com (vectors to target, traffic, guidance)

Imo this would be a big chunk of longterm motivation for sim-gamers and in the end create a bigger comunity than all that hop-on vehicles we are served today.

Just my 2 cents though.

[Prydain 1]

I think  a Christmas release is closer than a summer release.

Frankly if they manage a summer release, it bodes poorly for the amount of content included in the game.

Why? It has been in development for a long time.

[Deadfast 43]

Yeah, but the lack of any in game materials is kinda disappointing

[chops 111]

There was a recent (feb), 6 page article in pcpp australia that had abit about it.

Here is some pictures of the pages i quickly took, i don't think there is anything new or all that interesting in it, exept maybe that they say mod tools will be available on launch and that the SP campaign will be playable in co-op but that is probably old news(?).

http://rapidshare.com/files/195803510/ofp2.zip.html

Thanks for that, was an interesting read. There was a bit of arse-kissing going on, but they did counter that by mentioning that 'accessible' often means 'dumbed-down'.

[EricM 0]

Let's wait for next friday to see how much progress they did since last game convention in Leipzig.

They were far behind Arma 2 at that time, BUT they have a bigger team and budget, so they could have caught up some terrain.

With a late summer release, they still have about six months ahead to add content and improve performances.

The longer they wait, the better Arma 2 will sell, and the better OFP2 will be in the end. It's a win/win situation for the fanbase (maybe not so much for Codies' budget though).

[walker 0]

Hi all

On the matter of Jets:

Jets were in OFP1 so they should be in OFP2. Surely any major retreat from what OFP had is going to viewed by real OFP1 fans as a con, wont they?

And yes I know it was BIS that developed OFP1 not Codemasters but if Codmasters want to take the cudos they have to match up to it, dont they?

Clearly if OFP2 is going to be an inferior product people will not buy it, will they?

Kind Regards walker

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]Jets were in OFP1 so they should be in OFP2. Surely any major retreat from what OFP had is going to viewed by real OFP1 fans as a con, wont they?

To be honest I don´t give much weight on them. It´s better to leave them out than to implement them half-cooked as they were/are with OFP and Arma.

My opinion though...

[Lepardi 0]

I think it's better that you're able to call them for strike.

[Pulverizer 1]

OFP had two slow ass ground attack planes and even their features and handling were completely off. I wouldn't call leaving them out a major retreat, more like a minor improvement.

[chops 111]

Considering how important a part of modern infantry tactics CAS is, it'd be a huge hole in the game to go without. So if planes are included, may as well make them flyable.

I agree with Balschoiw that flying would be more rewarding if you had to invest time in mastering the aircraft, but better to include OFP style basic planes than nothing.

It makes no sense to argue to exclude things. If you don't like 'em, don't fly them and don't call in any airstrikes.

From the next to last video of Arma 2, there was a quick shot of a helicopter cockpit. Sadly the same old bullshit fuel and 'armour' meters were there, floating in the corner of the screen.

I was hoping they'd do away with them in ACE too.

[walker 0]

Hi all

A few days ago I played an MP game where we had an A10 pilot being called in by our CAS forward observer. The two of them had to liase to kill tanks and superior infantry forces that our mechanised infantry had fixed.

Meanwhile our ground forces SF teams dealt with enemy mobile light armored AA vehicles and our mechanised infantry teams surpressed and destroyed infantry AA threats.

It was the all arms battle that the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 before it are famous for. No other game gives you that. They all just fake it with pretend fast air.

It is the communication that makes the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 so good in MP; a "fake" OFP withour Jets will turn off potential customers, wont it?

Surely few true OFP fans will want to buy a game that retreats from that all arms vision?

Kind Regards walker

[7 0]

Hi all

A few days ago I played an MP game where we had an A10 pilot being called in by our CAS forward observer. The two of them had to liase to kill tanks and superior infantry forces that our mechanised infantry had fixed.

Meanwhile our ground forces SF teams dealt with enemy mobile light armored AA vehicles and our mechanised infantry teams surpressed and destroyed infantry AA threats.

It was the all arms battle that the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 before it are famous for. No other game gives you that. They all just fake it with pretend fast air.

It is the communication that makes the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 so good in MP; a "fake" OFP withour Jets will turn off potential customers, wont it?

Surely few true OFP fans will want to buy a game that retreats from that all arms vision?

Kind Regards walker

It is my opinion that, judging from my personal observations, Codemasters aren't looking to attract old OFP fans. More like trying to attract Battlefield 2 (PR excluded) and Call of Duty 4 fans.

[Lepardi 0]

Hi all

A few days ago I played an MP game where we had an A10 pilot being called in by our CAS forward observer. The two of them had to liase to kill tanks and superior infantry forces that our mechanised infantry had fixed.

Meanwhile our ground forces SF teams dealt with enemy mobile light armored AA vehicles and our mechanised infantry teams surpressed and destroyed infantry AA threats.

It was the all arms battle that the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 before it are famous for. No other game gives you that. They all just fake it with pretend fast air.

It is the communication that makes the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 so good in MP; a "fake" OFP withour Jets will turn off potential customers, wont it?

Surely few true OFP fans will want to buy a game that retreats from that all arms vision?

Kind Regards walker

It is my opinion that, judging from my personal observations, Codemasters aren't looking to attract old OFP fans. More like trying to attract Battlefield 2 (PR excluded) and Call of Duty 4 fans.

We'll see that on friday.

[maruk 80]

Some new screenshots

Not sure how are these related to the expected revelation but it's always good to see some new in game material and not just rendered imagery...

[max power 21]

It looks like they have a ways to go yet!

[SaBrE_UK 0]

Agreed, graphically it looks inferior to Arma 2, at least at close range. Once you're zoomed in looking at the distance in ArmA (I can't speak for Arma 2,) with the shadows gone, the grass not drawn and the textures low quality, then the game doesn't look very good at all.

Still, the graphics are still fine, I just want to see gameplay of both games.

[7 0]

Some new screenshots

Not sure how are these related to the expected revelation but it's always good to see some new in game material and not just rendered imagery...

Thanks, Maruk. What is it with Czech sites and military games anyway? Why do they always get the news first?

Screenshots look OK, the grass is nicely done but all we've seen so far is a couple of US Marines posing in the sunlight.

[shinRaiden 0]

I see...

* clone anims coming up the beach

* low counts of high-poly vegetation

* endless waves of billboarded grass (q: why are the camera angles so much lower than eye level?)

[Maddmatt 1]

Close up detail there looks decent. But it seems like they are trying to hide the more distant scenery. Possibly because it still looks as terrible as it did in those old screenshots with the chopper.

The textures look quite low res there but that may be because they are being made with the consoles in mind, PC version should have much higher res textures if they want it to make use of high end PCs.

Grass definitely needs a better texture, but it looks good in the distance.

Sky and smoke looks grainy. Whats with that?

"35k viewdistance" nowhere to be seen of course

Can't judge much but the graphics here though. But I guess that's why they aren't releasing many screenshots, the ArmA 2, and even ArmA 1, screenshots make it look bad.

The lighting looks weird, I really hope they do something about that.

So much for it looking anything like the CGI

Seems BIS is interested in this game too  

[Lepardi 0]

Those screens must be from the console version. Tank textures look nearly like OFP CWC.

[walker 0]

Hi all

Question for Lepardi as you appear to be working for them/with them /part of the beta test team?

So on Friday will Codemasters be announcing that they have decided to put playable Jets in OFP2 after all and that is why OFP2 has been delayed?

Or is it that the bad graphics is the cause of the delay in OFP2 and they are trying to fix them?

Or is it some other matter that has caused them to postpone the release?

Kind regards walker

[Spokesperson 0]

It's being released for console games at the same time as for PC? I don't know any good such games. Maybe Worms 4 but it's a completely differeny type of game. GTA4 was ok but I cant imagine playing a non-arcade game like OFP like that. Controls + Camera + Graphics + Interface is horrible on consoles.

[Pulverizer 1]

It was the all arms battle that the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 before it are famous for. No other game gives you that. They all just fake it with pretend fast air.

It is the communication that makes the BIS developed ArmA and OFP1 so good in MP; a "fake" OFP withour Jets will turn off potential customers, wont it?

Surely few true OFP fans will want to buy a game that retreats from that all arms vision?

OFP was missing many key pieces of an "all arms battle" too, as you very well know. Its design wasn't some divine perfect creation that can not be refined or improved on. Sometimes it's better for the big picture to take something out that doesn't quite work, even if it would be kinda sweet if it did.

We don't know anything about OFP2 really at this point. Leaving out jets could be a really good thing for that game. Just maybe, maybe some stupid half-assed arcade air combat would be completely unfitting in the OFP2 athmosphere so they have taken the artistic liberty to not include it.

And OFP2 is not a game made exclusively to OFP fans. They are a tiny little niche that do not have the money to make a game as big as OFP2 profitable. Almost tiny enough to disregard altogether.

Of course CM would never say that officially for PR reasons. They would go with the obligatory "we're really respecting the original game and its fans" bullshit even if they were doing the exact opposite.

[Pulverizer 1]

So on Friday will Codemasters be announcing that they have decided to put playable Jets in OFP2 after all and that is why OFP2 has been delayed?

Or is it that the bad graphics is the cause of the delay in OFP2 and they are trying to fix them?

Or is it some other matter that has caused them to postpone the release?

Kind regards walker

Why you so anxious about knowing everything of OFP2 developement all of the sudden?

And why the malevolent tone in your barrage of inquiries?

Why are you asking all this here and not in the CM forums?

It's almost as if you're trying to rally OFP fans against CM... And that's just sad.