Is it time for PR to move beyond BF2?

[bonjovi]

I’ve been playing PR for a while now, and honestly, I love what makes this game unique—the teamwork, immersion, and moments you just don’t get anywhere else. But at the same time, I can’t help noticing how old the BF2 engine feels these days. Crashes, clunky mechanics, and it’s harder to get new players interested compared to modern games.

So I’m wondering—should PR try to move to a newer engine someday, or is it better to stick with BF2 and keep polishing what I have?

Part of me dreams of a “PR Remastered,” but another part worries it wouldn’t feel the same. What do you all think?

[SShadowFox]

That's basically what Squad has tried to do, and it falls short of PR because it lacks the amount of content that PR has, and a new PR game in another engine would face the same issue.

PR has 20 years of development, and all that development has been tailored towards it being a BF2 mod (and later a BF2-based game), the content made for PR can't be easily salvaged into something that can be reused elsewhere.

PR also currently lacks developers. There was a time when PR had dozens of devs with all sorts of specialties, but nowadays there's only a handful of devs and community contributors keeping the game alive. There is some content in a sort of development limbo because they need to be finished but basically no one has the time or knowledge necessary to do whatever needs to be done to put some of that stuff in game (like the frigate for the Falklands map, the RPG-29 and the Ka-52, to name a few).

I'd say the best hope for something PR-like would be a mod for Arma Reforger (and Arma 4 when that comes around). There used to be a very good mod for Arma 3 called Tactical Battlefield which was essentially the Arma 2 version of PR ported over to Arma 3, but it never caught on and died years ago. The extensive amount of content made for Arma means that you could make pretty much any faction you want, you'd only need to have all required mods installed, which would take a massive amount of work off of the devs.

As for PR in BF2, I think that it can still flourish once more, but what we need is greater influx of players, with whom would inevitably come people with modding knowledge who could help making more stuff for the game. The problem is I feel that's unlikely to happen.

PR can't be easily found, and looks like a game from 20 years ago (because that's what it is). If someone wants to find a tactical shooter, they're likely to find Squad first and only then come across PR, at which point they'll only be interested in PR if they can't run Squad.

In my wildest dreams, I hope for a day when EA will just allow games based on BF2 to be published to Steam (even if only for non-profit purposes), then at the very least PR will be a lot easier to be discovered by people. Maybe they could even make the engine open source and allow people to delve into it and make whatever they want, but that's even more wishful thinking.

[Grump/Gump.45]

This game is a good investment content wise, to copy and paste with development tools that should give us a base model to work with. As technology becomes less expensive with these newer advanced CPUs, as development tools advance. Of course you would want this game on a very nice Virtual Reality engine.

Imagine taking 3D scans from this games assets, factions, equipment, vehicles, maps, then putting it in a engine for VR development to refine the graphics. Quick and easy development with new software, rather than develop everything from the ground up.

I have covered this, aside from keeping 50 vs 50 size for the classic.

Games like War of Rights have up to 500 player servers.

So we want:

"Project Reality" content/gameplay

"Hotdogs, horseshoes and hand grenades" VR control mechanics down to individual bullets

Environmental destruction from Battlefield

"War Of Rights" player counts and gore.

Gore from RDR2, COD WAW, Fallout

Then something like this for Medics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fe7crNlfPo


Have this in both VR and non-VR. Goal is to beat every other games lame content.

Also teach players how to play strategy and skill wise, like camoflage or maximizing assets available and coordination. (3 TOW + 3 AA + 6 HMG + all armor and vehicles_

[izmash]

I thought about starting such a topic after I've bought Arma Reforger recently. Refractor and PR is aging more and more and still no successor emerged, for me squad is total failure (even more after recent update).

Going back to Arma, It seems that Bohemia is cooking very hard on making decent fps engine with these improvements:
-huge maps (Everon from Reforger is 51km2) with good level of detail, so It's enough for making maps for a mod like PR
-networking finally works pretty well, where 128 players can exists together on one server, there are some flaws, but overall it just works
-most of vehicles are already implemented except airplanes, they also work well not like in e.g. Arma 2 when drove truck on field and couldn't move further because of rough terrain
-gunplay, not great, not terrible, could add a little more sway with drained stamina to slow it down
-kits are WIP right now, so it will be a vanilla way to select kits instead of gearing yourself up every time you respawn
-healing is complicated and should be simplified just like PR, because PR healing system is just fine™
-local/squad/SLs voice chat exist
-fob/emplacement system exist, you can build thing based on supplies, but for me physical supplies like crates in PR are just much better
-currently game lacks any proper gamemode like AAS from PR (there are some attempts on, but it doesn't feel good)

The main thing that Reforger lacks for me is PR core teamplay and cooperation where and when players spontaneously gather togheter in squads and follow objectives to win, but overall It might be good platform to start something that could be future alternative to PR. We might also wait for Arma 4 (with relase date of 2027) which will have polished engine based on experiences from Reofrger and It could be ultimate way to give life to PRBF2 successor.

[Wicca]

Just slowly replace the games engine parts with another engine.

First the sound, then the User Interface. Then the Terrain etc.

I have no idea how to do it, but if you could slowly replace parts of the game, and sections of the game to a new engine, you could retain the effort for the last 20 years, and have a better engine.

(Hurr durr its easy bruh)

[Grump/Gump.45]

Marketable VR capable platform. 5 year window to search for the resources to assist asset and map scans, physics, collision and all the rest. Wait for better CPU capabilities to become more standard, I5 was 2009, I15 was 2024.

500 players VR capable game, with destructive environments, high level graphics, gore medic system, body retrieval. Napalm and all. WW1 to modern day FPV warfare eras.

Player vs player on the ground until every asset is workable from VR headset. All games today are an updated work in progress.

[SShadowFox]

I thought about starting such a topic after I've bought Arma Reforger recently. Refractor and PR is aging more and more and still no successor emerged, for me squad is total failure (even more after recent update).

Going back to Arma, It seems that Bohemia is cooking very hard on making decent fps engine with these improvements:
-huge maps (Everon from Reforger is 51km2) with good level of detail, so It's enough for making maps for a mod like PR
-networking finally works pretty well, where 128 players can exists together on one server, there are some flaws, but overall it just works
-most of vehicles are already implemented except airplanes, they also work well not like in e.g. Arma 2 when drove truck on field and couldn't move further because of rough terrain
-gunplay, not great, not terrible, could add a little more sway with drained stamina to slow it down
-kits are WIP right now, so it will be a vanilla way to select kits instead of gearing yourself up every time you respawn
-healing is complicated and should be simplified just like PR, because PR healing system is just fine™
-local/squad/SLs voice chat exist
-fob/emplacement system exist, you can build thing based on supplies, but for me physical supplies like crates in PR are just much better
-currently game lacks any proper gamemode like AAS from PR (there are some attempts on, but it doesn't feel good)

The main thing that Reforger lacks for me is PR core teamplay and cooperation where and when players spontaneously gather togheter in squads and follow objectives to win, but overall It might be good platform to start something that could be future alternative to PR. We might also wait for Arma 4 (with relase date of 2027) which will have polished engine based on experiences from Reofrger and It could be ultimate way to give life to PRBF2 successor.

I do remember seeing someone (can't remember if it was a R-DEV or R-CON) talking about this possibility on discord some weeks ago. Nothing official from their part so far, but still signifies that the thought is out there.

I think such a project could be started in Reforger, since I'm pretty sure that Bohemia stated that stuff developed for Reforger will be fully compatible with Arma 4. I've been brainstorming some ideas to modify the game enough to fit the PR gameplay style.

I have also been trying to start trying to put some of these ideas into motion by being handheld by Gemini to make this mod, but even AI can't help the fact that I'm terrible at coding, it also seems to use some outdated sources, so I guess I'd need to actually read the documentation and learn how to do this stuff by myself, or get someone that actually knows how to mod Reforger to do this stuff.

[PR9INICHEK]

The main thing that Reforger lacks for me is PR core teamplay and cooperation where and when players spontaneously gather togheter in squads and follow objectives to win, but overall It might be good platform to start something that could be future alternative to PR. We might also wait for Arma 4 (with relase date of 2027) which will have polished engine based on experiences from Reofrger and It could be ultimate way to give life to PRBF2 successor.

Update 1.5 is coming soon, which will be the beginning of the squad systems with a specific goal.

After six months, you will be able to see how the game has changed

[Grump/Gump.45]

Aside from finalizing its final full form grabbing what we want from real life, then just like functions have a manual, there needs to be a basis for strategy for new players.

Maximizing assets among squads, 3 TOW + 3 AA + 6 HMG + 2 mortars + tanks + APC + logistics supply/repair + AA vehicles + jeeps all in support.

1 Squad per super FOB, 1 area attack per super FOB, maximum size and distance, ready to support armor as it spawns then waiting to listen for enemy armor direction, outnumber, outgun enemy with all available support mutually defending last flag. Never leave this advantage.

Explaining your strongest flag, which is your last flag having your main base and everything else close, while enemy has everything else far.

If you go deeper into the map coordinating will be harder and having the enemy asymetrically all around you. While last flag defense from the start has major time advantages plus strategy benefits.

For enemy commander to look at your last flag, it takes more UAV fuel, for enemy to get supply, RTB, it all just gives you more time while everything you need to win is closer.

[Fabio Chavez]

"siri, make project reality but new."

[tomaytotomato]

I am working on a proof of concept mod for BF6 which will try and emulate PR.

It's an early start and I won't claim this is going to replace other milsim games, but hopefully it will prove that it can be done as a mod in BF6.

The POC will be an Insurgency game mode with cache hunting.

From the videos below you can see some of the mechanics working already.

I just need to get some sort of map marker working and then I can disable the hud fully for a more realistic feel.

WIP 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWlquMI7ZQA[/youtube]

WIP 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR3DmEojFI8[/youtube]

[Grump/Gump.45]

Use on the part of YouTube links after any = or - signs like this part of your first link sWlquMI7ZQA ... The letters only



Project Reality Virtual Reality, transfering this game over is the next step.

[Grump/Gump.45]

Platorms of game aside. Virtual Reality is the next big thing, just need to wait for better development capabilities and tools which should be researched, tested and collected. Enough to build base game files, 3D scan and extract maps inside and out to newer compatible engines for VR.

For Project Reality Virtual Reality, it should be a mix of the games in terms of functions, gameplay and controls...

"Hotdogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" virtual reality for the controls, reload functions of loading individual bullets into weapons, mags. Object interactions, accessing gear off body with VR controllers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLqR0gaQNPQ


"Battlefield 4" or any of them for the destruction, craters and such, any Battlefield game with the best destructables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNzcsdpQY84


"Squad" for the graphics, functions, combined arms, super FOBs and Star Wars mod.

"Onward VR"- another generic FPS VR example

"Red Dead Redemption 2" for its gore

"Call of Duty World at War" for its gore

"War of Rights" for its graphics and 500 player server counts, wounds, gore

"Project Reality" for all its factions, eras, assets, historical maps

Also whatever this is with the tourniquets but Squad level graphics or 100% realistic graphics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fe7crNlfPo


Imagine Project Reality Virtual reality. Imagine 500 player servers like "War of Rights" has.

Lots of VR games with gore, then you add the medic system of patching or tourniquet on wound. Imagine fighting with one arm, reloading and all


The Graphics level is good enough, going Squad level or higher like to "Body Cam" game level would require everyone to have a crazy PC, then extra costs to cover. Could go all 3 levels of performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9IekiLk5qc


You will need an Inline exhaust fan for your computer, 400 cubic feet per minute MINIMUM air movement, 6 inch exhaust duct on your PC case.

Beating every other game in therms of access, playability and platform, centralizing players into one game.

Goal is to beat Call of Duty and undo what it has done, teaching skills and simple ways to teamwork like "One man per piece of cover".