Sion Lenton, OFP:DR's exec producer has released details of the HardCore mode:
We have 3 levels of gameplay; Assisted, Normal and Hardcore. I like to think of Hardcore as turning the game up to 11, we’ve had to add the number 11 as a result of the feedback from you guys on our initial hardcore screenshots released back in May.
You lot are a bunch of masochists but, you’ve got it; the hardcore mode in Operation Flashpoint will contain no HUD/UI elements at all other than radio chatter subtitles. That’s right, no crosshair, no compass, no gun or ammo displays…Nothing…
There will be no objective markers, no bleed meter, no direction of fire indicator, no enemy location highlights and no damage indicators. Nothing!
To show you what we mean, here's an example for you all taken with the new hardcore settings.
All navigation will have to be done via the map; calling up your QCR (quick command radial) will show you your fireteam status only while the button is held, and pressing weapons select will bring up the weapon/ammo selection menu, again only visible whilst the button is pressed. In addition there are no checkpoints, no soft saves and no hard saves, there’s only one word for it, HARDCORE!!!
I hope that satisfies your ravenous appetite for pain and misery ive gotta say after playing it for the last few days im already loving it!
Time to sign off now, games don’t make themselves.
Thanks again for all your support, there’s been some fascinating discussions on the forum over the last few weeks and im pleased my feedback on the E3 demo allayed some of your concerns
So, until the next time, I’m look forward to popping a cap in your head online, nothing to serious, but enough to make you bleed, badly.
Sion
Posted by Akira_AU on Sunday 28 June 2009 - 15:27:55
Word from the forums has it that BIS will be releasing a 2gb ARMA 2 demo sometime this week. Also they have just announced that the game will be released in the US on July 7:
Prague, Czech Republic, June 22nd - Bohemia Interactive, creators of award winning military simulation Operation Flashpoint* and ArmA: Combat Operations and Got Game Entertainment, US leading publisher of interactive entertainment games, announced today their partnership for the North American retail release of ARMA II, one of the most anticipated PC Game of 2009. The two companies have partnered together to bring the game to most major retail outlets throughout North America this July.
Bohemia Interactive once invented the genre of realistic military sand-box games and it aims now to re-define that genre with its upcoming game ARMA II, the ultimate military simulator, powered by the 3rd generation of their original Real Virtuality engine that's also used to train soldiers in numerous countries from Australia to the United States.
"North America is one of the most powerful and important markets in terms of a game's marketing and distribution," said Marek Spanel, Bohemia's CEO. Spanel continues "We were looking for responsible and credible partners who will focus on ARMA II with the kind of drive and enthusiasm that this huge project deserves. We feel Got Game Ent. will be the right partner for us and I believe together we will make ARMA II a success in North America."
"We are very excited to bring ARMA II to the North American market," said Got Game Entertainment President Howard Horowitz. "This caliber of game brings Got Game Entertainment to a new level of excellence and certainly ushers in a new era for our company."
ARMA II will offer the ultimate realistic combat simulation experience in a modern day setting. With unprecedented freedom of movement, actions and tactics, unbeatable detailed weapons and military hardware, easy-to-use built in mission editor and one of the most dedicated online communities around. The game will allow players to immerse themselves into the battle as never before.
ARMA II is scheduled for an in store Date of July 7th, 2009.
Posted by Akira_AU on Monday 22 June 2009 - 15:38:03
ARMA 2 has been launched in Europe. BIS has released a trailer to celebrate this...and btw, grab the obligatory release patch while you're there.
Patch fixes: - Improved AI driving skills - Lowered enemy AI skills for regular and recruit difficulty levels - Improved Micro AI tactics, attack in pairs, path limiting to avoid passing through walls - Fixed multiplayer session NAT negotiation - Improved game stability (various crash opportunities fixed) - Multiple save slots supported - Improved terrain shape beyond map borders - Various campaign and localization fixes and improvements - Modules (F7) support added in the Mission Editor - Added option to disable various post-process effects (bloom, blur etc.)
Posted by Akira_AU on Sunday 21 June 2009 - 00:07:29
ARMA2 has been tested on 18 CPUs and the verdict - it thrives more on cores than megahetz.
ArmA 2 needs almost more CPU than GPU power and is scaling surprisingly well with higher frequencies and additional cores - nevertheless a single core is too slow. Intel's Core i7 family is dominating the competition with the Core 2 Quad models about 20 percent behind them. The latter ones are about 20 percent faster than equal Core 2 Duos running at the same clock speed. While AMD's Phenom and Athlon 64 processors are able to compete with the Core 2, the Phenom II line is too slow in comparison - although this is obviously caused by the game itself.
Posted by Akira_AU on Saturday 20 June 2009 - 23:58:14
In America's Army 3, Every Detail CountsTM and as a result, the game has more authentic military elements including training, technology, weapons, and audio than any other military game. Built on Unreal Engine 3, AA3 delivers stunningly realistic environments, lighting effects, animations, and team-based experiences so that America's Army players can experience how Soldiers train, live, and advance in the Army. Players are bound by Rules of Engagement (ROE) and gain experience as they navigate challenges in team-based, multiplayer, force-on-force operations. In the game, a player's actions and demonstrated Army values are integral to successful mission accomplishment and affect a player's career progression.
The game is launching with five different environments, each with three different mission scenario options for a total of 15 different map/mission combinations. Initially, the core of the gameplay focuses on an Infantry Soldier (11B). Players first complete Basic Combat Training and then progress to Advanced Individual Training for a variety of specialized roles that the Infantry Soldier performs, such as Advanced Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Squad Designated Marksman, and Grenadier. This advanced training allows players to unlock new abilities and gear, customize their gear and equipment loads, increase their in-game skill level, and progress in their Army careers.
Posted by Akira_AU on Thursday 18 June 2009 - 15:55:11
Sion Lenton , the executive producer of OFP Dragon Rising has spoken out following a chorus of discontent amongst hardcore OFP veterans, disappointed about the lack of realism seen from the latest videos:
First of all, Kudos to the Dev Team for a lot of hard work putting this build together, the reaction from the show floor was consistently positive and the queues were long.
I guess its one thing to play a game and be immersed in it and another thing to watch a recording off the screen of some “dumb COD player” (that would be me thank you very much!) playing this level for the benefit of the many press who came to see it.
Please remember we are now in an intense period of balancing and polish.
* As you all correctly surmised this is a modified version of the intro/tutorial level running on XB360. The thinking behind this was to make something users could pick up and play, we generally had only 10 minutes to demo the game and so needed something more compact. It is not representative of the main campaign missions which are much longer and more atmospheric/tense/dramatically paced * This mission also has a number of secondary objectives which (if they choose to) the player can attempt, you hear them called out at the beginning * The demo is absolutely definitely on Assisted (Easy) mode * We were next to the Lego Rock band stall, nuff said! After day 2 it did begin to grate a little, however by day 3 we’d lost our marbles and were happily dancing and singing along * These videos do not do our game justice; they are filmed from cameras pointed at a wall-mounted screen, positioned above the screen we were playing on, so the angle wasn;t great. Our game looks beautiful! * The ‘Russian’ fireteam leader is supposed to be Hispanic! I don’t like his voice either, we are re-recording him! * Artillery will make a noise as it falls thru the air (if you’re close enough) * Alex Vestin’s estimates to run the island do not take into account recovery times from sprinting * Sprinting and jogging animations have been addressed; focal point is now more static whilst still retaining the ‘handheld’ impact of footfalls * We are still optimising particle effects, smoke grenades and smoke mortars already last much longer (minutes instead of seconds) this would have been easily observed if I had set one off * Time of day/lighting/colouration/balancing etc. Call it what you will is under constant review * Reload animations; not final speed * I enjoy the occasional banana, but I’m more of an apple man * Darth Eclipse, I recall meeting your dad, he must have been the guy who ‘Had to play this game and report back’ * Artillery times were faster for the demo * Bottom right of the map = Time of Day * Everyone has exploding red barrels, and I mean ‘everyone’. (I checked ) * Last comment on the barrels, they are not one shot explosions, often in the demo I would need to fire a couple of bursts to get it to explode * There is definitely distanced based sound delay, im surprised you didn’t notice it! (must have been the Jackson 5) * Weapon sway is in, but wasn’t in E3 build * The build did not lag, I refer you the filming methods * The guns sound like the real thing, I’ve compared both, trust me. The sound in OF: DR is fantastic, youtube does not do our awesome audio dept justice. The recent sound team updates give you a glimpse at the amazing work they are doing on the game * Muzzle flash differs for every weapon * The command radial is 3 layers deep, you only see a fraction of it in the video and it is context sensitive * If you want to know what hardcore really looks like, look out for an upcoming video dedicated to the hardcore mode * The USMC turned up and enjoyed seeing the game in action and so did the Army (obviously they thought they should have their own game as well ) * My personal highlight of E3? Watching half a dozen infinity ward devs queuing to play OF: DR
I hope this info is of use to you, we most certainly do read and discuss the forums (when we have time) please bear that in mind next time your about to press submit I’d like to thank you all for your comments. We try to take as much on board as we can however we are approaching the end of development so time and resource is very precious.
It seems the reaction on the whole has been very positive and this is a real shot in the arm for the whole dev team.
Oh, one more thing, I’ve just been informed we have been nominated for best PC shooter of E3.
Sweet!
Posted by Akira_AU on Thursday 18 June 2009 - 13:34:45
PC Games Hardware have put several cards up against ARMA2. In short, it seems that ATI cards run better than their NVIDIA equivalents but all the cards struggled when the game was run at max settings.
However, ARMA2 does look beautiful maxed out but at 21fps...its more useful as a military poster maker at those settings.
Posted by Akira_AU on Wednesday 10 June 2009 - 12:39:00
Steam has announced that America's Army 3 will make use of Steamworks features. If you can't wait for the June 17 release date, then the freeware U.S. Army-developed military shooter sequel is now ready for preload at Steam!
America's Army 3 (AA3), the only action game that delivers an authentic and entertaining Army experience by reflecting the training, technology, actions, and career advancement of a Soldier within an exciting free game experience, is now available for pre-load via Steam. AA3 is free and will be released on June 17, 2009. Those playing AA3 through Steam will also get the benefit of Steamworks features such as auto-updating, Steam Achievements, and Steam Cloud.
For more information, please visit and and aa3.americasarmy.com.
Posted by Akira_AU on Wednesday 10 June 2009 - 07:48:00
on April 9, when Atomic showed a 30-second promotional clip at a publicity event put on by the game's distributor, Konami, Fallujah relatives responded immediately. "The war is not a game, and neither was the Battle of Fallujah," the group Gold Star Families Speak Out said in a statement. "For Konami and Atomic Games to minimize the reality of an ongoing war and at the same time profit off the deaths of people close to us by making it entertaining is despicable."
Konami is a Japanese company that distributes and underwrites mostly family-oriented games with names like DanceDanceRevolution and Karaoke Revolution. Two weeks after the publicity event, Konami's Los Angeles–based executives told Tamte in a conference call that the company was ending its involvement with Six Days. Atomic would have to find a new distributor.
Posted by Akira_AU on Tuesday 09 June 2009 - 16:17:53
Recent revelations of the gameplay of OFP:DR has raised widespread concerns amongst veterans of the OFP gaming community. Taking into account that this is still 'work in progress', it is just a little alarming to see that the gameplay is leaning toward the arcade end of the spectrum.
There is also no evidence from these videos that the much touted AI really are as smart as they have been claimed to be. Adding to these concerns is news that the lead AI designer and face of OFP:DR over the last 6 months, Clive Lindop has left Codemasters to join Crytek - circumstances unknown. Its a case of "Mission Incomplete" as the developers have acknowledged that the AI still needs further refinement.
Watch this space....
Posted by Akira_AU on Tuesday 09 June 2009 - 16:10:26
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knight 02 Nov 09 Lol Ghost... where do you live Surrey? Second of all the Canadian army can suck more than foreign armies because your stuck in the prairies with nothing to do and conducting training in -40 in the winter time. Sucks BALLS
knight 10 Oct 09 OFP2 is out and according to many sites it gets an average score of 80 out of 100. But gamers like you say no. Apparently it suffers from "consolitis" like all PC games these days.
Ghost 29 Jun 09 France kicked ass in the southern part. The people were very friendly and talkative, the weather was amazing and the screnry was incredible.
It's not like Canada where you have to arm yourself and travel in packs so you don't get attacked.
Ghost 05 Jun 09 They starve and beat you plus they took away all my kit and refused to give me new stuff then told me if I didn't shave I can't eat.
I tried to reapply with the Canadian Forces the day after I got back and they told me they would never hire me because they didn't like the look of my face.
I also got jumped by 6 guys the same night I got back to Canada so its been one hell of a week.
Akira_AU 05 Jun 09 Ghost - fill us in on the details.
Call the French consulate before you book a non refundable 1 way flight.
Ghost 29 Mar 09 I'm leaving in a few weeks so fire away.
P@LaD!n 28 Mar 09 Btw, in regards to citizenship and a wad of Euros after your contract is up, it's not likely to be both at the same time. If you decide to go for citizenship, you are then taxed on your earnings for the 5 year period of your contract...thus a good percentage of that wad is going to go back to the gov't.
P@LaD!n 28 Mar 09 If you're really planning on joining the FFL, please msg me. I am a former legionaire and can tell you about my experiences and what you have to look forward (or not forward) to.