Dragon Rising has been released

[space 10]

Ive been playing it for a few hours. Its a solid game somewhere between ARMA and BFBC. Kind of like Ghost Recon in some ways.

Quite a few minor problems with controls and animations - some things aren't intuitive. The game has no major problems ( other than lack of dedi servers ) and it seems very polished.

Graphics are far better than what Im able to achieve when I play ARMA2, though Im sure that in the future when I upgrade, ARMA2 will be capable of more. Online play is fun when you get a good host, but not having dedicated servers is a major fail. Quite a few disconnects and things like that. Online its a bit of a cluster**** at the moment, as people are still getting to grips with the game.

I've not really played the campaign much as I've just got it. It has arcade features compared to ARMA2 just like ARMA2 has arcade features compared to games like Black Shark. If you go into it with an open mind, and ignore the name, then youll enjoy it.

[sic-disaster 311]

I kind of wish i hadnt have to say this, but i told you so.

I always saw this coming, and it does not surprise me even one bit.

I've seen it happen to the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon series before this one as well, it broke my heart really.

Now though the reviews are actually being more objective then they once were, giving low scores to DR for not living up to the OFP name, i love that.

It hurt to see all the reviewers give great scores to R6:Vegas, because Vegas was such a shitty game in comparison to the original Rainbow games.

But hey, it looked slick and hollywood, so great game! The same thing for GRAW etc.

It felt like i was being deserted. So to be honest it surprises me that now they dont give that same treatment to DR.

I've said it many times before but i will say it again: different developers taking over a gaming franchise is NEVER good, and you can bet your ass the 'sequel' is going to suck.

For another example i'd like to point out 'Gothic 4'. Basically Gothic was a great RPG series with it's own attitude and style, it was a great singleplayer experience. But the new game (being developed by another company) looks like a Korean grinder-MMO instead of a sp RPG, adding so much crap 'for ease of use' that it destroys the whole living world feeling Gothic was so renowned for.

[Raptor13270 0]

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2302196

Very realistic damage model. Not.

[Scrub 0]

Not being an OFP veteran the name thing never really bothered me, just business, but now I feel for BIS seeing something that would have been so valuable to them go to waste in this way. BIS must surely march on the console market themselves now with OA. Hopefully they will still be motivated (with competition vanquished) to improve the titles for PC also.

You are right, imagine the game AND the name used together.. So many people on CM forums saying 'I liked the first one so I can't wait for the second.' This is the same problem with publishers and investors: They think that because they throw money at a project, they own it, or are more important than the ones who actually make it come to life, so they have their name biggest and first. They need to 'get it' - they are simply the grease allowing things to run more smoothly, not the machine that makes it happen.

If BIS do a port to console, you are sooo right. They would stomp all over the genre like they did with OFP:E... BUT! They need to be forward looking in this, make it for the next xbox360, PS4, and such.

Either way THAT is how a game stays good, start with the PC version loaded down with features, and then pare away to make it fit in the consoles parameters. They, after all, are historically used to 'accessible', limited and short featured games, and would tolerate the differences much better. Especially since this would be far above what they have experienced.. Actually, not sure how it would compare to DR on a console.. Mission editor would be a plus.

Hmm, anyone who knows care to comment on the feature differences from OFP:E and DR (graphics not included)?

Thanks

[Bulldogs 10]

Some Pro's and Con's about it that I've noticed :

Pros :

Hasn't crashed for me yet (well, neither has Arma 2).

The flags are fairly helpful in non-hardcore mode.

The command radial menu isn't as bad as people make out, it's actually pretty good, could be better though.

The FLIR scopes are extremely handy for spotting the enemy.

The AI can be tough to spot due to the grass and at a distance due it can almost seem like good camo.

It runs extremely fast (getting 100 fps on max settings with a 9800GT)

The AI have moments of brilliance.... moments.

The Artillery/Morty strikes are excellent and very handy tactically for cutting off flanks.

Being able to vault over objects effectively feels better than pressing V and waiting for an animation.

The lighting effects look pretty good and make good use of the environmental shadows (especially at dawn).

Cons :

Graphics are really lacking, especially the textures, and the trees seems to be 2d rotating model. The grass also seems to be a line of 2d textures.

The view distance. Has the same kindof falloff effect as Arma 2 but loses detail early and the rest of the ground looks like Tribes 2.

Non-adjustable settings. Things like view distance and grass detail feel like they should be adjustable, several other settings that can't be changed don't feel quite right.

No free look. Guess I've been spoilt by Flashpoint/Arma and it just doesn't feel right now being able to free look.

Running/walking feels odd. Reminds me of watching the models in Arma 1 run from 3rd person perspective.

The AI often have moments of... well.. lacking the I in AI. Things like walking towards you randomly shooting in your general direction in the open.

Squad AI is generalised in management. Meaning you can tell them to mount something, but you can't tell them to take cover and such, actually aiming them at cover makes them move to the general area.

The enemy AI have been dumbed down a little too much. A lot of the time they will kill you, but it's more like they happened to hit you while spraying and praying. There's moments where they will stand 60m away from you with clear line of sight and 10 of them will miss you for up to 1 minute.

The enemy AI are difficult to spot through grass and at a distance (mentioned in the pros, it's a pro due to how easy the AI are) this means that trying to take out AI at a distance can be tough due to it being a mess of textures in the distance, hard to differentiate.

The FLIR scope is good, but every other scope/ironsight is horrible (especially the ACOG)

The whole game looks the same (other than dawn) to the point that it's a mess of brown textures that get drab and repetitive.

Squad AI will sometimes shoot you in the back, even if you haven't moved for 2 minutes, and will often stand in the open taking fire.

That's what I can remember of it for now.

---------- Post added at 11:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 PM ----------

Oh, one last thing I forgot to add to the list, but this is either a pro or a con based on preference :

Dragon Rising is not a military simulator. This is the point that has confused many a person across the world of the web. Basically Dragon Rising is a tactical shooter, like the Rainbow 6 series, to the point where it feels very much like playing old school ghost recon (only with drawn weapons)

[space 10]

Bulldog - Press F1 when you are in the graphics setting page - all the advanced settings are there.

Most people have everything like view distance, textures etc set to low by default.

I dropped my AA to x4, and put everything else upto high - my FPS is a stead 30 FPS now ( instead of 60 before ), but the game looks 1000x better

[Bulldogs 10]

Yep, did that, didn't notice a view distance option, but I just set everything to high (highest setting). I should point out that without AA I get 100 fps, with max AA I get 45 fps (but mouse is a little jerky)

[dmarkwick 261]

Billboard trees? Really?

[HamishUK 0]

The backlash has already started on the CM forums.

I'll hang fire on any purchase right now as it doesn't seem to tick the boxes I had hoped it would.

I am no fanboy for either game but on reading even though ArmA II has it's issues BIS have generally got it right. Just a rough diamond that needs some polish.

[jw custom 56]

Bulldog - Press F1 when you are in the graphics setting page - all the advanced settings are there.

Most people have everything like view distance, textures etc set to low by default.

I dropped my AA to x4, and put everything else upto high - my FPS is a stead 30 FPS now ( instead of 60 before ), but the game looks 1000x better

Whether i set the advanced settings default(low) or everything on high i see very little difference. I play with all maxed out and still my eye bleeds by the consolish look :nervous:

[Bulldogs 10]

As I mentioned, if you play it just remember that it's not a milsim, it's similar to the original ghost recon. A lot of people have problems with it because they thought it was going to be like flashpoint, and that let them down.

---------- Post added at 12:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 AM ----------

Another con I forgot to add, the vehicles, when you hit a small rock or a tree, your apc/tank go's flying backwards like it is made of rubber

[Deadfast 43]

I just had a 15 minute play of DR.

The driving model (at least of the PLA jeep I got to drive) is beyond broken. It has a steering radius of a ferry boat.

I wasn't able to play any longer because of motion sickness, something I never got from a game before. I'll list some deeper thoughts later on when I get better...

[maddogx 13]

Another con I forgot to add, the vehicles, when you hit a small rock or a tree, your apc/tank go's flying backwards like it is made of rubber

I thought DR was supposed to have uber physics?

So far I've heard about pushing people as if they were on rollerblades, wooly driving physics, an unimpressive helicopter flight model and now rubber vehicles.

[TimRiceSE 10]

Whether i set the advanced settings default(low) or everything on high i see very little difference. I play with all maxed out and still my eye bleeds by the consolish look :nervous:

This is what im experiencing too.

And i fucking hate the either blue or brown washed out look from the lighting effects.

[Nosedive 10]

Fuck it, i was really looking forward to this game, preordered and everything, it's not even here yet and all i see on the internet is people tearing it to pieces. Why can't a game just deliver for once. IS IT REALLY THAT HARD.

[Grimnirsson 0]

They would stomp all over the genre like they did with OFP:E... BUT! They need to be forward looking in this, make it for the next xbox360, PS4, and such.

They better don't wait for the next consoles because both the 360 and the PS3 will be alive for many many years to come. Sony usually has a 6 year life cycle for their consoles before a new generation is on the market and MS also said the 360 will not be replaced with a new console as it was done with the Xbox 1-> 360.

Grim

[Nazul 10]

Why do we have to push enter at the title screen?

[Deadfast 43]

Why do we have to push enter at the title screen?

Because there is no START button on the PCs? :)

I agree, it is annoying.

Overall I don't like the whole main menu. Sure, it may look nice, but all the cute animations get annoying when you're changing something in the menu.

[Zipper5 74]

Why do we have to push enter at the title screen?

Because it's a bad console port. On the console versions, you would have to press the Start button. They just changed it to Enter.

Edit: Deadfast was, well, faster.

[Nazul 10]

Yeh i realise its a bad (is there any good?) console port, but ive never understood why consoles need to press Start either. Is it to wake up the lounge kids?

[Leopardi 0]

Yeh i realise its a bad (is there any good?) console port, but ive never understood why consoles need to press Start either. Is it to wake up the lounge kids?

There is no game install so you just press start.

[Fergal 10]

Dragon Rising is very poor.

Compared to the original OFP, and the Arma series, it's just bad.

[jw custom 56]

I really feel sorry for those very dedicated OFP fans that waited for so many years for the sequel and then get this cheap ported shooter :(

Dragon Rising is a little like the new Wolfenstein game, you really wanna like it but it's hard :o

[bascule42 10]

Ive had a go...and Im going to play it some more, but:

Ja Ja Binks. Thats my review of OFP DR

[Zipper5 74]

Ja Ja Binks. Thats my review of OFP DR

I believe it's Jar Jar, but oh well. That's the best summary of the game I've heard to date. :D