Operation Flashpoint 2 Dragon Rising MegaThread

Aug 11, 2009
200
Arlington, Texas
Operation Flashpoint 2 Dragon Rising

Official Website: http://www.codemasters.com/flashpoint/

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Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending?
Genre: First Person Shooter / Mil Sim
Players: Local 1 Player, 4 Online Coop, PVP 4vs4 + 12vs12 AI
Release Date: North America – October 6, 2009 | Europe – October 9, 2009
Achievements: Yes

Description:
This sequel to Codemasters' popular Cold War-themed shooter will take place in a modern setting in which tensions are high between China and Russia.

Experience the intensity, diversity and claustrophobia of realistic modern warfare from the unique perspective of Infantry Marine, Helicopter Pilot, Special Forces and Tank Commander engaged against the full force of the Chinese military on a scale never previously experienced in video games. Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising takes players into the most realistic war game experience they'll have ever encountered. It provides an unparalleled scope of different military disciplines, vehicles and equipment for players to utilize, and simulates an immense conflict between two advanced military forces. The players journey is tied into a believable and dramatic storyline set in a vast and incredibly detailed environment.

Features:
* Play as Infantry soldier, tank commander, helicopter pilot and Special Forces, either single player or cooperatively
* Players will battle against platoons of enemy forces, in the biggest battles ever seen in a First Person Shooter video game
* Unparalleled levels of realism and variety of military forces, equipment, weapons and tactics
* Immense play areas giving the player a multitude of tactical decisions on how to best accomplish missions
* Delivers realistic injuries and wounds to the characters, vehicles and buildings within the game

Screenshots:

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Videos:
Gameplay -1- Take the Beach Part 1
Gameplay -2- Take the Beach Part 2
Gameplay -3- Blinding the Dragon Part 1
Gameplay -4- Blinding the Dragon Part 2
Preview -5- Vehicle Trailer
Preview -6- Hardcore Mode Trailer
Gameplay -7- Preview of Coop
Gameplay -8- Hands on at gamercon
Gameplay -9- Gamestar Coop Video Part 1
Gameplay -10- Gamestar Coop Video Part 2
Gameplay -11- Sounds of War
Gameplay -12 tvgry gameplay video
Preview -13- Codemaster Coop video
Preview -14- Codemaster Coop Video HD
Timeline -15- Introduction of events leading to story
Mashup -16- Video Mashup of multiple sources
Gameplay -17- XPlay Showing off Gameplay Video 1 of 3
Gameplay -18- XPlay Showing off Gameplay Video 2 of 3
Interview -19- Xplay Interview Video 3 of 3

Latest News / Previews:
Preview Reticle
Vehicle Destruction Comment from devs
Vehicle Sound Recording on Location
Gamer Zines on DLC
Console Media screenshot
Rock Paper Shotgun Preview
Operation Flashpoint 2 Interview
Gaming Union Hands On
Console Monster Preview
Rundown of Command Interface
IGN's Hands on Preview
First Hour with Operation Flashpoint
Preview from ElectronicTheatre
IGTv Interview
27/08 - Co-Op Video Due Out Tomorrow
Helios addresses community over AI concerns
PSC3 Interview [Translated]
PSC3 Interview [German]
IGN Section dedicated OPFP
Q/A Session

Community Functions:
IGN Flash Command
Download the OFP2 Toolbar
FlickR
The mailinglist subscriber form
The Mibbit WebIRC
The OFP: DR FAQ!
Official Forums
Operation Flashpoint 2 News Site
 
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Well keep it in mind for your budget ;):D then I will get it day one and tell you if its pimp for sure so u can get it on day 2 :p
 
Damn, it's getting really difficult to avoid this title.

Yes but now meza control the threadz muhahaha.

Well keep it in mind for your budget ;):D then I will get it day one and tell you if its pimp for sure so u can get it on day 2 :p

I kinda followed the template cali gave and adjusted it for 360 and some minor additions.. I think it looks pretty clean... the list of links I think help as well..

Maybe the other OpFP thread could use some redecorating ;)

Oh well be careful Horhay I think he wants to get a head start on you... :p :hilarious:
The last picture makes me feel better, on the left a 360 and on the right a ps3.. :p
 
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=9611701a44284addcd3b16f1f&id=d6d4ff67c7&e=a23a271317

A video first look at Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Co-op

Posted a few hours ago was the first look at Co-op Gameplay. It is a excerpt from the longer GameStar.de video and no one in the community seems to have access to. This video is two minutes long, the full version can be found here (pending you have a premium account): Gamestar.de - The video shows combat assaulting a small unwalled base in tall grass. The overall impression from the comments has so far been fairly negative. This video shows medic healing, weapon sway and artillery call in. There has been some screen grabs photos uploaded as well and they are found below.

Things to note:
  • This video should just is a small overview of the co-op gameplay and doesn't represent the whole mission.
  • You'll be seeing some footage from this mission in the next official video by the way - It's very intense stuff!
  • The circle in the bottom right corner absolutely shows the positions of your team mates within a certain radius.
    • Helios: It also indicates to you the distance you are allowed in-game to stray from your other fireteam members (don't worry, it's a long way) before the game punishes you for it.
    • It's on all modes, as it's pretty essential that will need to know how far you can stray from your teammates. It only gives you a rough indication of where they are though so it doesn't detract really from the hardcore experience of the toughest difficulty level

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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZDU9nIrnnts&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></object></center>Link for Non HTML Clients
Rough Translation from 1ntersept:

Codemasters set up a small firing range at the huge ESL stand, where we could test the Co-op for the first time. The Team consists of two members of the CM developer team and two members of the gamestar magazine. One of them takes over the part of the Medic. The Mission is called “Operation Eagle” and the main target is to capture an airport and defend it. On the way to the airport we have to take out two enemy tanks. The CM developer which is packed with the Anti Tank launcher is very familiar with it and knows this situation very well. Shortly after that we have to daff a road block aside. Therefor the hq provides us some mortar fire. We don’t ask twice and use it to blow the road block up. Afterwards our AAVP arrived, unloaded more soldiers and together we go for the airport. Our mission is to capture the control tower, but there is a lot of enemy movement. Anyway to get more into action I direct my teammates right into the enemy position. I got hit, but after a couple of seconds I’m back on feet .>. Thank god the medic revived me. Continuing to the control tower where… what there happened you will find out at the 8th of October.

Follow up reply by Helios:
Firstly just wanted to point out that when playing in co-op all the human players are in the same fireteam, just it seemed that some people thought that in co-op each human player commanded their own fireteam which is not the case.

Due to technical constraints the tether distance in co-op is 275m, but this shouldn't impact at all on the realism of the game, as in reality USMC 4 man fireteams are trained to stick together as a unit and support each other without becoming separated by too great a distance.

Also I can confirm that in SP the tether is not present and you can separate as far you'd like from your other fireteam members if you wish, though of course this is not recommended and will normally result in a quick death!

Source
 
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Preview

http://www.electronictheatre.co.uk/...re-preview-operation-flashpoint-dragon-rising

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is the successor to 2001’s widely respected Operation Flashpoint, see for release from Codemasters on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows – LIVE in the UK on October 9th. At a recent showcase held by Codemasters, Electronic Theatre was privilege to some hands-on time with the game, and coming away feeling positive about the unique and often inspired direction the series appears to be taking, we can now bring you the lowdown on what currently looks set to be the most realistic combat simulator available on the Current-Generation.

The original Operation Flashpoint was often criticised for being unfairly punishing to the player. With most First-Person Shooter (FPS) players recoiling in anger as their fifth, or even fifteenth, attempt at storming an enemy barricade was swiftly dealt with by a bullet to the temple from an enemyElectronic Theatre Image which remains entirely out-of-sight. In that which we’ve played, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is undoubtedly a fairer game, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the enemies have been “dumbed-down”; far from it, in fact.

Enemy intelligence is directly related to that of real-world properties. Take out one of a number of patrolling guards and the alert will be raised, sprint across a field in open daylight and it’s likely one or two enemies will begin trying – and often succeed - to take you out. While these experiences are commonplace in many modern FPS titles, for every measure of intelligence the enemies are capable of, the player has the necessary equipment and skills to overcome them. The most impressive of which Electronic Theatre has witnessed is the volumetric smoke; not only does it looks gorgeous, but it actually directly affects the vision of not only the player, but the Artificial Intelligence (AI) opponents also.

Great strides have been made in order to build Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising as an authentic war simulation experience, with both visual and aural Electronic Theatre Imagequalities of the weaponry standing head-and-shoulders above it’s peers. The weaponry has been accurately modelled on real-world armaments, and for the most part have had their reload and firing sounds recorded directly for inclusion in the game. The area in which the player is tasked with removing military occupation, the island of Skira, is undoubtedly of an impressive size – 220km2 is currently being boasted as the sum of the EGO Engine’s capabilities – but even more impressive is the fantastic detail incorporated into each area, and the sheer variety of environments the player will encounter. Though Electronic Theatre only got to sample your typical beach and forest locations, each was rife with assault opportunities that any cunning tactician could make exemplary use of.

The main campaign, which can be played through by up to four players simultaneously, spans eleven missions across Skira. Electronic Theatre has been told that each mission, at its most basic and without too much of the requisite planning, will last around an Electronic Theatre Imagehour. But of course, with such a vast landmass to explore, many players will no doubt find themselves roaming through shores, woods and hilly inclines as much as tackling the objective at hand. Playing alone will grant the player a great deal of control over the actions of the remaining three members of your fire squad, though in co-operative each additional player will replace on AI member of the team. In the standard online versus matches each of the eight players will each take control of their own customisable fire squad, creating matches with up to thirty two on-screen opponents.

The authenticity of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is being touted as its’ strongpoint, and it’s easy to see why. For all the inventive gameplay opportunities and environmental detail that the title presents, it’s the fact that is so intrinsically founded in reality that astounds. Many modern FPS titles may purport that they have reached an unprecedented level of realism, but none have come as close as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.
 
Achivements.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/operation-flashpoint-dragon-rising/achievements/
<table class="ac" id="dataTable" width="498" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
florence_nightingale-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Florence Nightingale Award</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Apply the field dressing to other wounded soldiers 20 times</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
hed_up-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">All Patched Up</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Apply a field dressing to an injured friend in co-op</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
_hands-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Unbloodied Hands</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Complete a mission without directly killing anyone yourself</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
killer-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Company Killer</td><td class="ac4" align="right">50
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill or incapacitate 100 enemies</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ounder-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Platoon Pounder</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill or incapacitate 50 enemies</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
squad_slayer-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Squad Slayer</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill or incapacitate 25 enemies</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
alling-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">The Sky is Falling</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill an enemy with a helicopter without using its weapons</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
_skies-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Clear Skies</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill an enemy vehicle with an AA weapon</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
_metal-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Scrap Metal</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill an enemy vehicle with an AT weapon</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
w_blow-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Low Blow</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Kill an enemy vehicle with an AT mine</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
d_rain-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Hard Rain</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Call in your first artillery barrage</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
nd_awe-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Shock and Awe</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Call in your first air strike</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
arning-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Without Warning</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Destroy Radar emplacement</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ts_sam-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Saber Beats SAM</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Disable the SAM sites</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
es_out-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Tide's Out</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Successfully hold the beachhead</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
relief-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Runway Relief</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Capture the airfield</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
viours-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Sandman Saviors</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Extract the downed air crew</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
y_paul-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Get to the extraction chopper</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
gement-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Resource Management</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Secure the fuel depot</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
rescue-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Heroic Rescue</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Rescue the hostages</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ruggle-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Uphill Struggle</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Eliminate the PLA mortar site</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ug_out-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Bug Out</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Reach the extraction point</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
hip_it-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Ship It</td><td class="ac4" align="right">20
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Assault the Naval base</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ndtour-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Skirinka Island Tour</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Find the PLA helicopter and fly it around Skirinka Island in Dragon Rising</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
st_ops-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Ghost Ops</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Eliminate the PLA Commander in Blinding The Dragon</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
eative-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Get Creative</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Destroy the PLA APC at the top of the beach in United We Stand</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
hooter-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Hip Shooter</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Destroy the fleeing PLA transport helicopter in Eagle Offense</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
hicker-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Hitchhiker</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Destroy the PLA armored units around the ghost village in Powder Trail</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
e_fire-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Fuel the fire</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Destroy all of the PLA fuel trucks in Hip Shot</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
ciency-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Ruthless Efficiency</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Eliminate the remaining troops on the second line with one mortar barrage in Bleeding Edge</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
rescue-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Perfect Rescue</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">All hostages must survive in Looking for Lois</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
olling-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Keep 'em Rolling</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Ensure all of the Abrams reach the supporting fire position in Trumpet's Sound</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
_stone-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Two Birds, One Stone</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Eliminate Han and the radio station with one JDAM in Decapitation</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
opment-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Vertical Envelopment</td><td class="ac4" align="right">30
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Pilot an MH-60S safely to the designated landing zone in Dragon Fury</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
Rising-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Dragon Rising</td><td class="ac4" align="right">70
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Complete the campaign on any difficulty</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" class="ac1">
rdcore-1.jpg
</td><td class="ac2" height="20">Dragon Rising - Hardcore</td><td class="ac4" align="right">100
gp-g.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="ac3" height="40">Complete the campaign on Hardcore difficulty
</td></tr></tbody></table>
 
IGTV: Operation Flashpoint Dev Interview

http://www.incgamers.com/Interviews/210/IGTV-Operation-Flashpoint-Dev-Interview
Tim Brown, good to see you again, especially after E3. The game has come along leaps and bounds since we saw it at E3. What's the biggest change you've made since that early build?

Obviously we've tweaked up the graphics a bit, we've put a lot of polish in as you'd expect in the final stages of the game, but one of the key things you're going to notice - and have probably already seen - is that the balancing of the game, the general way the game feels, has been turned up to 11. The other thing is the AI. As you can imagine, with such an advanced set of AI features that we've got in our game, there were issues that people would see at E3. You're going to see a lot less of those. We're still working on it, and we're just getting rid of those last few ones.

We've used various different advisers throughout the development of the game, and not just on weapons but on tactics and everything like that. What we did have access to was a lot of the weapons – not all of them – and obviously the PLA, the Chinese weapons; it's very hard to get hold of those weapons. So some of those have been recreated using video footage and then the sound designers have done an absolutely sterling job on recreating that audio. But a lot of the weapons we recorded the sound of, at a firing range out in... Nevada, I think it was.
We're very proud of the authenticity in creating this game, and obviously weapons are a massive thing. Obviously we couldn't get a Javelin to fire, because they cost a ridiculous amount of money, and the US military are a bit worried about game designers just playing with that type of hardcore weaponry.

On the weapons, we have modelled realistically the amount of time it takes to reload. From the basic weapons such as the M16 we have timed how long it takes for some of the guys to reload the weapon – not our guys, some professionals - and we've also modelled things like the SMAW and the anti-tank Javelin missile and how long it takes to reload that. So you'll see how long it takes to reload in real-life in our game, and that brings over a completely tactical point to the game, because you have to consider “Do I have enough time to assemble my Javelin and pop a shot off before any enemy spots me, or do I need to fall back and find a better location to take the shot?”

Did you use a British military advisor for the tactics, or did you use somebody from the US Marines?

We used both, actually, in some cases. Because it's obviously a lot easier to get hold of British military advisers, we did use a few guys. A lot of the stuff like the mo-cap [motion capture] that was done originally for the animations was done with an ex-SAS guy just to get the motion and everything correct, but the actual advising on tactics, that came direct from some United States Marine Corps guys who have given us a huge amount of information. We've got reams and reams of data on all sorts of things, and stuff that we're not using in this game but who knows, may be used in future games.

The reason we chose United States Marine Corps is they have a lot of the toys that people want to play with, not least me. *grins* So yeah, one of the reasons we went was partly to do with a bigger audience would like to play with United States Marine Corps weapons over British or that sort of thing. And the British do use quite a bit of US kit over in Afghanistan and Iraq at the moment. That's not to say that in the future we might not be doing anything on other armies and things like that, or military wings, or that kind of thing, but we did feel that it would be very interesting to see United States Marine Corps versus the Chinese PLA.

A lot of the people who are on the dev team are original Flashpoint fans, so that was one of the things that already helped us. At the same time, we knew that the other games were in development and we wanted to make the game more of a... obviously a sandbox game, but a tactical shooter. We also knew we were going to be bringing it to the console market, so that was something that we knew from the outset and something we had to do. We didn't want to dumb it down for the console market. There's this ridiculous opinion that PC gamers are better than console gamers, or console gamers are better than PC gamers. At the same time, gamers are gamers. Everyone's intelligence is the same. So we didn't want to dumb the game down for the console market, and we didn't want to worry the PC gamers when we said we're bringing it to the console. But the game you see now is three years hard work of really, really crafting it into the great little package that is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

We have seen a lot more map editors and other kind of editors within the console range. Far Cry 2 is the thing that comes to my mind at the moment. Why didn't you opt to put an editor in the console version?

One of the things, it was going to be a push to get the editor to work on the console as well as the one on the PC. The one that the PC guys are going to get is almost the exact same one that the mission designers at Codemasters use.

So does that mean they can create as big or as small an area as they want?

Absolutely. They can make entire missions. They'll be able to do missions as good as the dev team from-

But is there a limit on the perimeter of how far they can create?

Not at all. They can do exactly what the mission designers can do at Codemasters. We can't wait to see what happens when the PC version comes out with the editor, because we're looking forward to seeing what the community comes up with, with all the cool things you can do with the editor, because at the end of the day we've only got ten mission designers, and when you open it up to thousands of people, it's going to be really, really fun to see all the new stuff that people come up with, especially as you can create entire missions based around being the PLA rather than the USMC, which will be cool.

Going back to the point about editor on console though, yes, it is a thing that we've been hearing from the community, and it's something that obviously we said we're not doing now, but who knows for the future, or possibly future projects? One thing that we are proud of is unlike the last Flashpoint, this game is coming out on console simultaneously with PC, which is something that's never been done before from Codemasters of the Flashpoint brand. We're very proud for that and we hope that the console guys stay with us. The game, when it comes out - we're not going “Right,

here's your game that you've been waiting for for ages, that's it, we're off doing something else.” We have lots of plans for DLC and we are going to be supporting the community because the community has stuck by us and has supported us for a long time, and so we want to give something back to the community. So there is DLC planned, and I can't really go into more detail than that.

You can!

I know, I know.

You can. It's only me, Tim.

I know. But no, I can't. I'm sure you will hear stuff... I'm not exactly sure when, but likelihood is sometime shortly after release.

Obviously it's now four-player co-op, which is brilliant. Is it drop-in drop-out?

It's not drop-in drop-out. Unfortunately we're not doing drop-in drop-out, but to allay some of the fears of “Oh, what happens if my mate gets disconnected, or someone has to go for the tea,” or that kind of thing, if they drop out, AI will take over and it will be using the exact same advanced AI that's in single-player, in multiplayer. So you don't have to worry that you'll just suddenly lose one guy or two guys or however many people leave; you'll still be able to play it all the way through.
Are there any limits on the vehicles that you can use?

No, there's – well, there are a few limits, but this is more in the single-player than in the multiplayer, but that's more from a balancing point of view. So certain vehicles we don't expect the player to just be able to run up to and get in and use; or, say, a vehicle you've destroyed, obviously you can't just magically repair it and use it, but that's not to say that in the editor you're going to be able to do whatever you want with all the vehicles available.
That said, the player is always able to attack objectives and complete missions in totally new ways. We give the player an idea of what they may want to do, we sometimes give them tools for the job so they might get the Javelin, but there may be two tanks and they've only got one Javelin.

I know you said it's not necessarily a kind of training game, as such -

*laughs* Yep.

- which I find quite hard to believe, since your trailer is effectively “Be the best” - the army adverts!

Yeah, I think it's safe to say this is the most realistic shooter you're ever going to play – oh, sorry, not ever going to play. The most realistic shooter on console this year, and almost certainly next year. I'm very confident to say that. I think it's a very authentic game to be playing on PC. Obviously there are competitors out there that are also military simulator-type games, and that's why I describe it as a tactical sandbox game, because we're not the same as Armed Assault II. It's a different game. People seem to think that there's a big fight between Codemasters and Bohemia

Interactive. I disagree. We haven't had a chance, because we've been too busy on this game, to look at Armed Assault II yet but I'm looking forward to it once this game's finally out.

There must be something that you like especially about Operation Flashpoint 2.

There are, yeah, lots of things I like. If I had to choose one it would probably be the artillery and airstrikes and stuff. We've spent a lot of time on that, looking at the video footage from Afghanistan and Iraq, getting it looking just right, and it's still fun to call it in. Unlike the E3 demo we've now fixed it so that there is a simulated delay between the shells coming in for artillery, or when you call in an airstrike it doesn't happen instantly. You have to wait some time for the plane to come in, and then you'll hear it fly over, and then you'll see the missile coming in, and that's added a massive amount of anticipation in the game, and it's great. It's very satisfying to call in an airstrike on a target and then you wait, and then it comes in. Very cool.
 
Helios addresses community over AI concerns

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375552

Hi all,

I know quite a few members are concerned at some of the AI shown in recent preview videos, but I feel that the vast majority of you are missing one vital point.

All of the preview videos you've seen recently from Gamescon etc have been played in normal difficulty with all the HUD elements turned on, meaning that enemy soldiers will appear as red dots on your compass towards the top of the screen. Obviously this makes the game quite a bit easier and gives you a phenomenal advantage over the AI as you know in which direction they are located. I'm sure that in real-life as well with an advantage such as this you'd find it a lot easier to eliminate an opposing force than you would without it. It is also entirely possible that god-mode may have been switched on in some of the videos as this was presented to people as an option at Gamescon if they wanted to use it.

In the hardcore difficulty mode, which I'm sure a lot of you here will be using, the compass is not present. Meaning that even when enemy troops have been spotted by yourself or your other fireteam members, you won't have any visual HUD aids to help you in locating them other than your own eyes, and also the map if you have the time to use it. The enemy AI in the game use cover well and are in general very well concealed, and this has been stated over and over by numerous people from both press and public who've played the game, and I'm sure you will find it a challenge in the hardcore mode.

I'm not just saying this as I'm a CM employee, I've played the game myself and know first-hand how difficult the game can be. More often than not the first time you'll know that an enemy is nearby is when you hear them firing at you, see tracer fire flashing past your head, bullets hitting the dirt near to your position, or the "you are dead" screen

**As an aside, I've just found out that there is an OFP: DR 4 page hands-on feature in the next edition of PC Zone UK (Nov 09). Here is "the lowdown" from the article.

+ Huge Map
+ Improved AI
+ Not Dumbed Down
+ Massive Draw Distance
- Very Easy to Die
- No chickens or sheep
__________________
Ian 'Helios' Webster
Community Manager
 
27/08 - Co-Op Video Due Out Tomorrow

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375559

Just wanted to give you a heads-up to confirm that the 4 player co-op video I've mentioned briefly previously is due out tomorrow at approximately 2pm. For the UK you'll be able to find the video on Eurogamer, but unfortunately I'm not sure where our other territories are placing the video. Don't worry though, you'll all get to see it somewhere no matter where you are

Here are a couple of screengrabs taken from the video footage we recorded for the video, with the images being taken from the Xbox 360 version of the game.

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jeez I've never seen a game give out so much info haha. I'd say they are doing their damnest on internet promotion. :)
 
Most of that is because of a very active community, one that quite frankly will spend there own cash to collect every review preview for this game...

I hate to say it but these people are hard core.

I also have to say Helios is a machine ive never seen such an active community manager for any game.