The Dilemma of Battlefield

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Last night, while enjoying the great company of Dutch, Macca and Joyce, and jumping around with shovels , we talked a little about various other games and in particular Battlefield 1942.

As I mentioned, while I believe it to have better offline play, and provides for better online play in certain aspects (particularly huge maps, AI bots, various vehicles/aircraft, etc), unless you already own it or can pick it up really cheap (which I think you can), perhaps one should wait until BF2 if you are interested in this series. Dutch was lamenting about too many good games and not enough time. Really wasn't much sense to a hardcore gamer like myself; plus it was really late for him so many he was just too tired to think straight.

Anyway, here's some screenshots I quickly grabbed to show what other folks are up to in this genre. Again, notice the scale of the settings and the "openness" of play. While I prefer the WW2 setting, this is why a sniper vs. an assault solider really makes a difference.






Look Helo a helicopter!

[:FI:Falcon]

you forgot one Tac ...



"Asteroids!"

I have the new secret three-color beta version!

<nodnod>

[Stovies_]

it looks great Tact!!

I am enjoying bf (original), but as you have said CoD kicks butt in the graphics dept.

Massive maps tho!! and great fun so far!!

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Excellent. We must get together sometime, somehow with Snoop and Napier.

[:FI:Dutchman]

So, what do you say here my Friends ???

I need BF 1942 the original and the add ons ??

tell me it's not late now so normaly i think strait then as far that count's for me.

Or is COD/OU better indept ?? and not worth buying it now,
knowing that COD II is in the spotllights.

the shot of this new BF look very good but That's it, because there are serveral modern warfare games to pick and to me BF II is just one of them.

I think we have to make a choice here, and i preffer to wait for the sequell of COP/UO --> " C O D II " and it's worth waiting i guess.
On the other hand we if we jump again to an other game wher is the end.

i really like a lot of games just got BIA still at the first levels and played only twice online after 6 weeks , ' lock on ' installed it only, and Silent hunter III is on it's way and got my eye on Age of empires, and i got yesterday a copy of combat mission from moog..

there is really no time left and there is a family life too.
(well i've got the family pretty involved, that was a hard game on its-self)

further COD/UO, BIA, combat mission ,Oh i forgot the free downloadble game Ameria's Army, IL2 series and now silent Hunter III. that's six wargames
where does it stop ??


This is not a complain but just facts,
and it's simple to me, if the whole platoon or a lot of us want to play Battlfield 1942...after a while who am I i'll follow i realy do.

But so many of us bought the game COD/UO so i think this have to go on at least untill COD II is out and then we can make a a choise go on with COD/OU or sitch to COD II or an other gamer beside COD/OU because COD/UO will stay if it is on me... but time will tell..

lets see but we hang around the IL2 series for a while and not MS combat series and So I see COD/OU too. first lets wait for the sequel an than we will see what is on the market, Cosacks VIII, battlefield 2006, IL3, silent hunter VI, battle of Britain II, Astroids XXI 4D ???

hmm....... looking up I starting to write like tactialS and moog i'ts a long post for Dutchie i stop out of selfprotection before i starting to change.,

prrrt pfth goohoahooooooha triiieghhaaaarrrggghhhhhhhh, count conrad count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ......

GOOOOOSHFRABAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH

whrere are my pink fluffy ones ????? Nicoooooooooooooool

[:FI:Macca]

Well.....


I have played BF 1942 a couple of times on my friend's rig.I must admitt ,that was great fun. Even when there are only few human players you can add bots and conduct massive battles, the maps are great,esp these in the Pacific Theatre.
I realy enjoy Cod/UO, regardless if it is with the GFM or without it.Now with the Mod the game seems to be reborned as the Mod is such a fantastic thing.
Though the BF 1942 is realy cheap here - I mean only the main part, the addons are quite expensive, I could buy the original BF1942 without addons.But only if more Toonies want to play it online.
I still have my studies which take more and more of my time - the exams are coming and I have to learn more and more. And there are also other important areas of life, much more important than gaming- family, girls, girls,parties...ekhm..education too, I suppose When I get my camera I also want to try to do a little photographing.
To be honest I would rather wait for the sequel of Call of Duty. The Deluxe Edition of CoD is the best 25 euros I've spent for gaming, never before I played any gamo so much online.
I'm also looking forward to GTA San Andreas and Imperial Glory and Battle Of Britain 2-but I'll think of these games when I'm back from Duxford, if I plan to go somewhere after Duxford and Dublin I won't buy them.
Soon Silent hunter 3 is going to be my precioussssssss.
So.If more ppl wanna play BF 1942 in the evenings - I'll join you with pleasure.

Mac(why a day has only 24 hours)ca

[:FI:Moog]

I have BF1942, The Road to Rome, Secret Weapons, and BF: Vietnam. I played them on a par with CoD before joining the Platoon back around September/October of last year but since then they haven't had a look in.

As far as I know, you can buy a value pack with BF1942 and the two add-ons to save a lot of money. They've been out for quite a while now so they shouldn't cost too much at all.

I forgot you could add bots to multiplayer games! I think a BF1942 server (or BFV with the WWII Pacific Map mod) populated by FI and bots would be incredible! I'm sure there are some excellent mods out there now too if we wanted more realism or variety. I'd be more than happy to host, I'll do a bit of research into the requirements but if any of you have experience with this then work away and I'll sure connect time and again.

BF 'feels' very different to CoD and UO. The massive maps and land/sea/air vehicle combo added fantastic new tactical elements to online FPS wargaming but with the release of UO and it's big (but not AS big) maps and vehicles this didn't seem quite so revolutionary. I think what I'm trying to say is that the two games offer suitably different experiences to warrant playing both for quite a long time to come.

Come to think of it, it could be the perfect game for the FI - a combination of FPS ground-based warfare and aerial combat (and yes Dutch, there's PLENTY of ground-pounding in BF1942 - check out the B-17 on the desert maps!!! )

See you on the Battlefield (1942) soon mates

-Moog

PS: if we go down this road, will it eventually lead to WWIIOL?? I've always been wary of pay-to-play online games.

[:FI:Moog]

I've spent my lunch break surfing the net and catching up with the BF community.

Check out http://www.battlegroup42.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - it's a realism/teamplay complete mod for BF1942. There are a LOT of new features, custom vehicles, many many custom maps, and a sort of historical campaign thing with chronological progression. I think it's the one for us! (but the 1.0 download is 800Mb and the latest 1.1 patch is another 292Mb!!! )

If you misunderstood me in that last post, the developers of BF:Vietnam released an official WWII mod which takes the three Pacific maps from BF1942 (with all of their vehicles etc.) and allows you to play them through the newer BF:V game engine, with better graphics, more foliage, etc. But of course this is no use to the FI if all the members have to go out and buy BF:V just to play these three maps!

BF multiplayer was always hit and miss in my opinion, but then again so was Call of Duty until I found the FIP. I think if we could get some decent numbers behind this it would be amazing fun!

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Firstly, my dear Dutchman I only play a therapist on TV; in real life I'm just a municipal planner. So unfortunately I cannot address all your stated concerns.

Where does it end? Well, I suppose most of us here are looking forward to gaming for a long time to come. And given the fun of online gaming with real people, well I think that's an important reason why we are still are playing IL-2 together, right? The Fightin' Irish has become a fun community to enjoy gaming, whether it is strictly IL-2 pursuits, a mix of IL-2 and other gaming, and now an emerging smaller group of folks who are only associated with the Platoon.

As I mentioned the other night, I wouldn't change anything personally Dutch. As long as there are sufficient folks enjoying CoD and the new Mod why would you?

Now for those who either have Battlefield 1942, or are looking for a little change, it is a great choice given its cost and lower system requirements. I can't speak for Snoop, but certainly agree with him that we are having fun with it when we do play.

I hope the makers of CoD do incorporate some of the aspects of the Battlefield series, namely AI bots and larger maps for greater immersion/depth.

Now, having said all this, what if when BF2 is released in the next month or so and it is awesome, and the Platoon is looking for a little change by then, I think folks might enjoy it until CoD 2 (assuming their systems can run it and we have the spare cash). Do we all have to buy it? Can we run different/shared servers? Well, who knows at this point. Maybe something else will emerge and certain folks will want to game together. And why not, eh? To me :FI: is about a small, fun-loving community of gamers, and I think it is healthy to enjoy a wider "diet" of gaming in any event.

At this point I honestly don't even know I would pick it up. While there are lots of FPS out there for sure, the BF and now CoD series still outshine the majority of knock-offs. So many games, and like you Dutch, I prefer to fully enjoy (i.e., get my money's worth) any that I do buy. Presently still enjoying Rome: Total War (offline), IL-2 (DCG campaigns offline mostly), and when I can CoD (German Mod) and as long as Snoop (and others?) are interested a little bit Battlefield 1942.

What's next? There are some nice strategy games coming. And yet summer and summer weather, vacation, gardening and home improvement projects too!

OK, now I need some therapy.

Tact - "enjoy what games you want to mates" - S!

[:FI:Dutchman]

Okee you are all right.

when it is late i am not thinking straigt,
when it is early morning i am too grumpy

Now in the full daylight and a little Bacardi Rummy ( been on the terrace at Joyce's work )

I am (shit) convinced here is da deal..


you'll get you arse to the shop and get Silent hunter III so we can hunt in a wolfpack
And i get my arse into the shop to get the BF with it's addons is'nt there a special pack with the add ons together ....


sigh

Dutch(no backbone) man

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Is that you or your "drink" talking mate?

Would it not make more sense to wait until BF2 comes out given it's pending release date? I would hate for you to pick up another FPS and the Squad not like it as much due to it's older graphics engine (which is still very nice on high detail).

Pretending to be your mother, "Wait my son until BF2 release then decide." Sound like good motherly advice Dutch? Or have you purchased it already? Besides I'm sure you will be enjoying the German Mod until than anyway.

What do you think Moog? At best I just wanted to generate some interest for those with BF1942 already, just in case more of us wanted to try out BF2 when it was released.

Given my limited online gaming time, especially with my dear Euro mates, I personally am very uncomfortable pressuring anyone in buying anything.

Now can I have the money you would have spent on BF1942?

P.S. One thing I would like to mention is BF1942 is very easy to host and create custom maps for; hopefully this will not change in BF2.

Best regards,
TactS!

[:FI:Dutchman]

I mentioned if you'll play the game BF 1942 now with the guys who have it now,
i might join because i not want to stay behind and i do not know if i gonna
buy BF II because it's release date is near to COD II is it not ??

and what about BF Vietnam is that a game on it's own or do you need the BF 1942 for it that's maybe a nice one in a differend scene/enviorement ??

well let me know you opinions,




Dutch..,

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Not sure but that never stops me from answering questions so here I go yet again -

According to EB Games North America BF2 to be released June 21, 2005 and CoD II August 1, 2005.

I think Vietnam is a standalone but not sure. Moog could you please advise.

----------

Snoop and I enjoyed another fun session last night in lieu of flying. As I said, even with only two mates there's plenty of AI to fill out the rosters and really add to the immersion.

The game does a good job in keeping teammates together, and when you call for medic and vehicle pickup, etc...

Enjoyed a huge desert map, Iwo Jima and a Normandy invasion mission. Planes, tanks, jeeps, trucks, boats - it was all good.

----------

I think Dutch if you purchased BF1942 you would certainly enjoy it. If just for the Squad, given your time zone, unless we played a little on Sunday not sure how much enjoyment you would get online without some of the CoD regulars also picking it up.

However, as previously mentioned, folks with lower end rigs would probably enjoy playing this game as the system specs are not too demanding.

BTW here are BF2 unofficial system specs (may not be accurate - just leaked from French site):

- OS: Windows XP (incompatible con Windows 2000 y Me)
- Procesador: Pentium 4 1.7 GHz. Recomendado: Pentium 4 2 GHz Athlon XP
- Memory: 512 MB RAM Recommended: 1 GB RAM
- DVD: 16x
- Tarjeta Gráfica - Video Card RAM ?: 128 MB.
Radeon X700 (PCIe)
Radeon X600 (PCIe)
GeForce 6600 (PCIe)
GeForce PCX 5900 (PCIe)
GeForce PCX 5300 (PCIe)
GeForce 5800 Series (AGP)
ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition
ATI Radeon X800 PRO
ATI Radeon 9800 Series
ATI Radeon 9600 Series
ATI Radeon 9550 (RV350LX)
ATI Radeon 9500 / 9700 Series
ATI Radeon 8500 Series
ATI Radeon X300 Series
NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra
NVidia GeForce 6800 GT
NVidia GeForce 6800
NVidia GeForce FX 5950 Series
NVidia GeForce FX 5900 Series
NVidia GeForce FX 5700 Series
- Tarjeta de sonido: Compatible con DirectX Versión 9.0b
- Multiplayer: 1 DVD por PC
- Red: TCP/IP Compliant, 2-32 players
- Internet: Banda Ancha 2-32

[:FI:Moog]

I think Vietnam is a standalone but not sure. Moog could you please advise.

BF1942 is a standalone game. The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WWII are two add-on packs for it that add new maps, vehicles and weapons. They're worth getting. BF1942 and each of these two add-ons give you a unique CD-key for playing online. Myself and a friend both owned copies of BF1942. I bought 'Secret Weapons' and then lent it to him to try out but because we were using the same CD-key we couldn't play online together. 'Desert Combat' is an extremely popular modern-day mod for BF1942 which may have inspired the upcoming BF2. 'Battlegroup 42' is a WWII-era mod which strives to provide historical realism coupled with balanced teamplay.

BF:Vietnam is a standalone game. It 'feels' very similar to BF1942 but uses a newer graphics engine so there's more eye candy. The two games are not compatible with one another i.e. you can't load BF1942 maps into BF:V and vice versa, although the game's developers, DICE, recreated the three Pacific maps from BF1942 in the newer BF:V format and offered it as an official download on the BF:V website.

The key strength of the BF series is it's ability to provide the player with the choice of combined arms. You can spawn as a sniper, then run over to a jeep, drive it to a tank garage, hop in a tank, use it to capture a strongpoint such as a ridge with artillery positions on it, then jump out and man an artillery gun, request a target spot from somebody closer to the action, use that to send in accurate indirect fire, then request a pickup, hitch a lift to the airbase, jump into the cockpit of a fighter-bomber, engage enemy air and ground targets, sustain damage, bail out over water, swim to a landing craft, use it to get to a destroyer, bombard an enemy coastal position with the ships heavy guns, then get out on deck, jump overboard, comandeer a submarine, submerge, work with sonar and periscope to find enemy shipping, sink a few with torpedos, crash dive to avoid depth charges, go too deep, undergo massive hull damage from the pressure, and finally succumb as a twisted wreck on the seabed.

And that's just your average game of BF1942... - no, really!

[:FI:Spitsfire]

hey Falc, I wasent addicted to that game