TOG - The Older Gamers

ContraVersE · 3rd March 2005, 01:52 AM

I have read the first preview of CoD 2 in PC Gamer mag.
8O If you don't have a top of the line graphics card, you'll need one.
This game looks nothing short of amazing...
Not only are the map sites modelled after the actual aerial photos, but the men in your squad automatically move into positions of cover when attacked. Most of the potential good points of BiA are met and, possibly surpassed by all of what CoD already gets right.
I absolutely cannot wait for this one, boys and girls!

*edit* more info added...

Remember to expand to read.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Gamer/Apr 2005

North Africa is the new theatre for CoD 2. Infinity Ward staffers made a photographic odyssey through the sites of the major battles, and used the photos as sources for the hyper-detailed mission environments. the new maps use normal-mapping, specular-mapping, bump-spec, real-time lighting and shadows- in short, every trick of the 3D art is employed here....The net effect is what counts- an all-senses immersion in World War II.

That should give you an idea of what kind of card you'll need to "optimally" run CoD 2. BiA is going to have a tough battle on it's hands in the graphics department, as it is simply breath-taking.

The graphics aren't the only thing to be revamped...

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Gamer/Apr 2005

Call of Duty is rightly considered the high-water mark in military-themed shooters. Many of it's innovation-shellshock effect, aiming down iron sights- are now standard features in first-person shooters, but no game has gotten anywhere near CoD's leve of hard-hitting, cinematic immersion in combat.
Nevertheless, it's developers feel that the original was too linear, too scripted. Their new approach is to place objectives in a mission and then let you decide how you want to attack them, and in what order.
"The player has a more open battlefiled [now]," says Thaine Lyman, executive producer at Activision. "We're still not Grand Theft Auto World War II, but a lot that was scripted before is now pure AI working in a context-sensitive battlefield."

But wait, there's more... 8O

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Gamer/Apr 2005

Infinity's plan for the sequel is to allow you to attack objectives in any order you want, giving the mission a significantly different feel if you use alternate routes. for example, in a given scenario, you may have to neutralize a set of enemy strongpoints- approching them in a geographical order would result in a direct frontal assult, while a roundabout flanking approach would involve more sniping and stealth.
...Call of Duty features another big twist on it's predecessor- this time around, you're able to jump from mission to mission among the three different campaigns. no longer do you have to follow a campaign from start to finish (nor do you have to worry about getting "stuck" on a mission you can't solve or don't like. Once you've knocked off all the missions in a historical year, you can move on to the next year.

I'm so ready!!

Belta · 3rd March 2005, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContraVersE

I'm so ready!!

Just gotta get the new graphics card and I WILL BE TOO

Ned · 3rd March 2005, 08:17 PM

Nice!

mayday · 3rd March 2005, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContraVersE

....... If you don't have a top of the line graphics card, you'll need one........

bugger, while I agree that it's an impressive looking game, the graphic card statement kills me.

ContraVersE · 4th March 2005, 06:13 AM

8O more info added....

I read some more info from the article that I thought was worth posting for those who won't get the chance to read it anywhere else...

This is mostly about the single-player aspect of the game, but the map dynamics and innovations will pour over into multiplayer, I'm sure.

Remember to click expand to read.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Gamer/Apr 2005

Alongside The "Desert Rats"
>>>Toujane, Tunisia, 1943. the Desert Rats are taking the fight to Rommel in the desert towns of North Africa. The mission in Toujane is to knock out a trio of deadly 88mm anti-tank guns and their crews. And if you think Fritz is going to sit still for it, you haven't been paying much attention to this war.

The mission opens up with a convoy of British tanks and supporting infantry. You're snaking your way through the streets of Toujane, a stark desert town that looks like it's been crumbling for centuries.

Two Highlanders are recounting the story of a "lucky" comrade who gets to go home because he got his leg blown off. An explosion interrupts the conversation, and the convoy comes to a sudden halt, with soldiers diving to the ground and taking cover behind the tanks.

It's on. you've got three objectives on your familiar "mission compass," but it's up to you to choose the order in which you tackle them. On one go-through, we take the direct route, and find ourselves in a head-on collision with German emplacements. There's a ridiculous torrent of fire coming at us, and the sir is alive with the distinctive sound of the MG-42. (Curse the Krauts and their sweet machinegun.)

The first thing you notice (other than the F-ing amazing graphics) is that your AI squadmates are much more involved in the fight this time around- they make assaults as you flank, they take out enemy positions on their own, and, most impressively, they call out the locations of enemy gunners. The context-sensitive AI will call out "German sniper on the second floor!" and they won't be kidding...you've been warned. In fact, you'll often use your squadmates to cue you on where an enemy is hiding- for example, you observe a buddy shooting over your shoulder, and then realize a German has slipped behind you.

With your head down behind cover, you can take a moment to notice that the palm trees are swaying in the breeze, telephone wires are moving, awnings are fluttering, and volumetric dust is blowing down the streets. About the only thing missing from this environment is the lice. (Please, God, let there never be lice in computer games. I'm not sure I could take that.)

On an alternate run through Toujane, we slip down side alleys in a flanking maneuver, attacking the enemy gun positions from behind. This time through, the mission plays out as a series of close-range fights and sniper duels. A new sniper mode replicates the real-world challenge of markmanship under fire, giving you a down-the-scope view complete with a booming heartbeat and the head bob of your breathing. (holding your breath will staedy your aim, but you can hold it only for a few seconds.) Enemy soldiers react to your new location by trying to pin you down with fire while their fellow Krauts move to flank you. (You can even start to pick up the German being spoken, to help you decipher what the enemies are ordering each other to do.)

Which is not to say that the game is totally un-scripted. Scripted events occur, but since you can approach key nodes of the map from different angles, you'll have different perspectives on the scripted event. Replay value should be high, considering that the flow of a battle will readjust itself according to your postion on the map.

Historical Tactics
>>>New battles incorporate historically accurate tactics. In particular, one major new factor is the use of smoke as concealment. Equipped with smoke grenades, you can now pop a smoke screen to hide your exact position from the prying eyes of enemy gunners. (Note, though, that the snoke is not "cover"- as military advisor John hillen is quick to point out, sometimes the enemy will simply pour bullet down a smoke-filled street. But you should be relatively safe from snipers.)

For the set-piece battle of El Alamein, the designers hinged the mission on a mind-boggling bit of WWII history. In hopes of deceiving rommel, the British disguised a fleet of jeeps to look like tanks, and drove them off into the desrt to draw off some of the German defenders. The gambit worked- but resulted in a horrific fight for the decoy units, which found themselves in battle against German tanks. The Alamein mission puts you in one of these dummied-up jeeps for the thunder run against the Panzers.

A mission in Libya puts you in the middle of a massed tank assault. Since your Crusader tanks are less powerful than the German armor, you have to employ a desperate tactic.

"The tactic, as suicidal as it was at the time, was to haul ass and close with the German tanks, because the Germans could range them," says Hillen. In the Call of Duty II rendition, you make a white-knuckled sprint scross the killing filed to get in close and shoot at the German tanks' sides and rears.

The developers promise that maps like Alamein will be presented "on a scale of miles," with tank engagements occurring across vast sweeps of desert.

In the Normandy campaign, at the village of Bocage, you'll be treated to grim face-toface fights as you make your way through the hedgerows.

The Russian campaign kick off with the defense of Moscow. As German tanks close to within sight of the Kremlin spires, the Soviets unleash a massive counterattack, turning the tide against Hitler.

And, of course, the team is returning the action to Stalingrad- the scenario that made Call of Duty a must-play. The principal additon this time is the weather, which promises to be a tangible factor affecting the street-fighting in Call of Duty II.

The developers walked me through the new Stalingrad map, which is much denser and more detailed than its forebear. The buildings are both bomb-blasted and hauntingly lived-in, with graffiti and family portraits clinging stubbornly to the walls of even ruined structures. Snow flurries will obscure your vision, and harsh weather conditons- such as pouring rain in Normandy- will be an in-game obstacle, just as inclement weather was a serious impediment to real soldiers on these battlefields.

This last part is about the extent of detail in store for the single-player game, but note especially, the weapons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Gamer/Apr 2005

Faces of Battle
>>>Infinity Ward's other goal is to invest Call of Duty II with even more of the human impact that shook us in the original.

"we're telling new, interesting stories," says Vince Zampella, Infinity Ward's chief creative officer. "The guys you're with get promoted, die, grow jaded become accepted, [and] make friends."

Indeed, the team is going to epic lengths to provide dialogue and voice-acting on a scale probably never before even considered for a first-person shooter. Infinity Ward expects the game to have 100 or more individually voices roles, with several featured parts for well-known Hollywood talents.

On the hardware front, the sequel will boast several key vehicles and 15 new weapons, including the lethal German Gewehr sniping rifle, which you can pick up on the battlfield and turn against its Hun owners. One mission will take you for a wild ride on a captured German Panzerkampfwagen II, and both Americans and Russians will have access to the classic Jeep. (Thank heavens for the Lend-Lease Act!) The British Crusader tank and Russian T-34 will also play starring roles.

and for the first time since Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, the Infinity Ward gurus are turning their powers to the D-Day beach landing. they wouldn't spill any of the beans just yet, but cryptically promised that they've got a new spin on D-Day, and "it will be interesting."

"At this point," Lyman tells us, "these guys have been doing World War II games longer than the war actually ran. So they know their stuff."

*Drool*