Community?

[Rico]

Good mod so far though. I'm just scratching my head as to how I'm only just now hearing about it.

Curiously then, how did you hear about the mod? It's been going for about.... 5+ years (furiously checks his registration date)

[Snazz]

The biggest thing to get used to is uniforms looking identical for the opposing team.

Yeah it takes getting used to. You'll eventually notice the differences in camo and equipment. It's probably easiest to distinguish sides in Insurgency but even then sometimes people swap gear with dead enemies.

It's best to just get used to quickly checking your map to confirm friendly positions before engaging anyone.

why sometimes my rifle is on burst or full auto and sometimes it's on semi.

It switches fire modes when you press 3, which reselects your primary weapon. By default the guns are usually on semi.

I'm just scratching my head as to how I'm only just now hearing about it.

I think it is the most-populated, free FPS mod available, but it is somewhat inaccessible to the mainstream crowd due to it's unique complexity and reliance on teamwork.

It gets a little bit of publicity through occasional reviews, vBF2 pop up ads and ModDB awards.

[Headcase_Fargone]

I actually heard about it on an Insurgency server. Someone mentioned it in voicechat. I'm usually on top of these sorts of things, and I've been looking for a replacement for Infiltration for ages. Shame I'm only just now hearing about this.

[XX55XX]

Hi. I am a new player as well - I have been playing BF2 for a while now, and I have heard quite a few things about Project Reality for a very long time. I am downloading PR at the moment, so how is the learning curve for this mod? I've played realistic shooters like Red Orchestra and Insurgency, so I am quite adept at aiming on iron sights only. Anything else I should be aware of?

Edit: I don't have a microphone. Is it recommended that I have one?

[DankE_SPB]

Edit: I don't have a microphone. Is it recommended that I have one?

you better get one

[XX55XX]

you better get one

Is it required, though? Or will I be kicked out of every single damn server there is for my lack of one?

[DankE_SPB]

you wont be kicked from every single server, but a)you will lose lots of experience b)i can almost guarantee you that during game some questions will arise and you would like it to be answered
mic will make your and others live easier and give more gaming experience

[StuTika]

No, but it's basically impossible to fight effectively without one, and squad leaders won't like having you in their squad. Typing is just too slow and stops you from moving etc.

[Snazz]

Shame I'm only just now hearing about this.

It's all good, the community is as strong as ever.

It's been about a year since the last major release and rush of new players, so the current regulars are experienced and don't mind helping the occasional newbie.

The overall quality and content variety of the mod is also better than back when a lot of us started playing. Some aspects of the game play have dramatically changed over the years so we haven't necessarily got a head start either.

The next major release is apparently coming out at/by the end of the month, so that should draw back a lot of the irregular players who've taken a break from PR due to getting bored with the current maps.

I can't see the mod winding down anytime in the near future either, as there really isn't anything else quite like it and probably won't be for years. There's always a hardcore crowd that keeps the main PR servers full all year round.

how is the learning curve for this mod?

Quite steep, there's a lot of technical and tactical skill to be learned before you're a competent and effective player.

I am quite adept at aiming on iron sights only. Anything else I should be aware of?

Having played RO and INS should help you play tactically at the basic level, by that I mean using sights, taking cover and using suppressive fire. But there are many other things you should be aware of that are unique to PR.

I suggest you at least browse over the manual to familiarize yourself:
http://www.realitymodfiles.com/manual/ProjectReality_v087_Manual.pdf

Is it required, though? Or will I be kicked out of every single damn server there is for my lack of one?

No, it's only 'strongly recommended'.

It's up to you really, you'll probably find lots of occasions where you wish you had a mic. But usually as long as you follow your squad leader's orders you're ok without one.

Being new it would make your training easier.

[NyteMyre]

Learning curve of the regular soldier isn't that hard. Join a squad and do what people tell you to do. It gets harder when you want to pilot/crew/squadlead. Especially first time pilot makes people hate you, i can tell you that

[Headcase_Fargone]

Good to hear. Infiltration never really "took off," so the playerbase was always pretty limited. But especially toward the end of its development cycle there were only the so-called hardcores left, so playing against the same people all the time got dull. I was pleasantly surprised to see more than two or three servers with a large number of players on them last night.

I'll try to get a few friends to check it out too, but games with steep learning curves are definitely not for everyone.

[Boris.T.Spider]

Lets get this one out the way first : Read the Manual, then to get context, play a few hours, then read the manual again. If you are stuck, ask on squad chat, not on all chat, or this will trigger an automated "RTFM" response.

Initaily look for an infantry squad which has a Squad leader (icon is ||) If your new, its a good idea to let your SL know, they will give you a lot more leeway, use less jargon and is less likley to give you a complex or mission critical role. If you dont have VOIP, let your squad leader know, type responses to orders into squad chat, lest they think you ignorant (most Comm-Rose commands no longer have text echos). Most people dont mind having non-VOIP users in their squad, so long as they know you arent ignoring them.

[Gunner4712]

I mean, today alone we've had over 1000 people on the forums.