Posted: 2007-06-26 07:35
Looks like the .6 beta release/upgrade on the popular servers will increase solid gameplay, that is after the lookieloos leave an go back to vBF2.
0.6 is a major improvement over 0.5 in almost all respects. There are especially two things you should be commended for: Insurgency mode and the new commander assets. Both of these are highly original additions that add whole new aspects to the game.
When I heard of the changes you were planning for the Al Basrah map I was distressed. 0.5 Basrah is an awesome map - the whole scenario of massive US military might against a ragtag islamist insurgent force is awesome. So when I heard you were going to take all the hardware away and replace them with a much lighter equipped British force, making it a pure ground forces map, I was not too happy. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. The new gamemode with the ammo caches and especially the civilian class are examples of pure genius inigenuity. The civilian adds a whole new layer to the game, creating a form of combat never experienced before that is both authentic and a nice break from the usual maps. Just perfect! Still, I want to say that the 0.5 Basrah massively asymmetrical battle scenario was just too good to be left out. You really need to create a new map like that, preferably with the USMC this time and including the lovely civilians again.
Commander mode has always felt like a chore to me. Scanning terrain for enemy rally points by frantically clicking the map is not my idea of fun. Even at the risk of battles becoming disorganized I can see why the Desert Conflict mod left the commander mode out. Of course, you cannot do that with PR. In 0.6, commander mode is still a chore but now you at least get to make interesting RTS-like base building decisions which require you to do some footwork. That means the commander role is more demanding and involves the commander directly in battle rather than just being some eye-in-the-sky. Good stuff.
The changes from 0.5 I do not like are the new movement system and the radio system which I have some minor gripes about. Due to the BF2 engine's severe limitations some rather drastic compromises will have to be made with regards to movement since we cannot have that '5th gear', but I think you have cut off the wrong part. It is really, really bad that there is no longer a real sprint and equally bad you can no longer storm enemy positions properly. Also, the basic movement speed is simply too slow. I made that elaborate thread with ideas to revamp the whole movement system but being that - again, due to engine limitations - you cannot have different forward, strafing and backwards movement speeds I can see that it simply would not be possible. In that light I can see why you made movement the way you did - I am also not a fan of Joint Ops style sidestepping firefights - but I would still raise overall speed slightly. The tradeoffs are just too big: You gain a slow walk useful for a limited number of tactical situations but you lose both the widely used tactical trot and sprinting. Actually, come to think of it I suppose you could say to your credit that you also gain a realistic running speed since 0.5's was probably too fast. I think the conclusion must be that your system has its merits and so has mine. No matter how much you try to think up the best system, however, you will come to the conclusion that BF2's movement system is lacking, so it really is an unfortunate situation.
Overall, I am overjoyed with the new radio system simply because it cuts down on the spam. In 0.5, on for example the Ghost Train map, the spam would get so bad it in fact markedly reduced my enjoyment of the game. It was just so loud and constant. You could not listen for enemies or much of anything else for that matter. Much of the reason why it was this bad, though, was because stupid players kept spotting the same enemies over and over and several times. When a vehicle rolled by a squad every member of that squad would spot it. At the same time. And some would spot it not once, but frantically click the commo rose spotting it several times as well as placing question marks all over. That problem is fortunately in the past now, however, or has at least been greatly reduced. Nice move muting the 'question mark' sounds! I also really like the radio transmitted 'friendly fire!' warning. IIRC that was not in vanilla, is that correct?
What I dislike, however, are two things. First, it is the new sounds. I think the old ones were so much better. Why fix something that is not broken? I kind of picked up in game chat - not quite sure - that it was changed to eliminate radio distortion sounds, but that does not sound like a good argument. Surely the distortion has a place in a realism mod and adds to the atmosphere? The second thing I dislike is how you hear yourself talking over the radio when saying something when I want you to always hear your local voice. I posted about that here: http://realitymod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23046 Sofad said this was due to - yes, again - engine limitations but gave no explanation which left me kind of puzzled: The game is incapable of playing the local version of the sound for you and those nearby but the radio version for those far away? What I want is anything said near you - no matter by whom, squad leader or not - to be spoken locally and anything said by somebody far away transmitted over the radio. That must be the most realistic way, right? But it is impossible?
Then there are all the lesser but neat changes. Squad leaders not being able to set up rally points on their own is a very good change. The faster, far more impressive and frightening jets coupled with much greater view distance is awesome (the flying experience on old 'Greasy Mullet' left much to be desired - you could not see a thing, felt awkward). Accuracy when not looking down the sights/scope seems to be better now which is also good.
I am a bit concerned about balance on some of the few maps I have tried, though. Seven Gates seems to favour the British with the lack of PLA vehicles. Assault on Mestia seems heavily in favour of the British. I do not see how the Militia team could win against team of British of equal skill if both teams are well organized: The British have superior vehicles and equipment, large numbers of limited kits readily available from rally points, an uncappable main base, can revive their fallen, have the Commander set up base structures and need to capture just one CP to stop the bleed. I believe it was you, Eggman, who suggested it might be necessary with both tower CP's to stop bleed, but I fear even with that change the British will still be too powerful.
These are my sentiments with 0.6. Now, I do not think this post should be longer and will write no more.
)
