operation Flashpoint Red River.. new low!
Posted: 25 Apr 2011, 02:51
I cannot believe codemasters has put this out, it's horrendous. This is a very good example of a console port as an after thought for the PC, plane clipping is closer then the distance of the sniper scope in the game, ( which is about the same as the assault rifle ACOG for frik sakes!! ). So as a Soldier I may be critical , but code masters has specifically said in their online 'virals' that this game was developed around 'realism'.. MW2 has more realism then this game.
However when they do the realisim thing they get it right , unfortunately they also get it very wrong.. take for example the sniper bullet physics, it's good, at a specific distance you need to lead your target and take into account wind and elevation, unfortunately the sniper scope is a joke, the magnification is actually less then the ACOG on the M4/M16, and sight glass is 3x the distance from your eye then the ACOG which makes the visable 'magnified sample' smaller, which leads to the cross hairs being 10x too thick, the cross hairs are so thick they actually hide your target, even when leading them..
Graphics are absolute crap, form the 8 missions i played ( i couldn't actually play anymore and keep myself sane), the characters animations did not change one in the back of the humve, i think i saw one texture change with added blood for each character, that's it. one thing that made me just shake my head was when your team mates were running beside you and they were ~ 10 yards from you, their weapons just sort of .. disappeared.. move closer and they return. but this was a common problem, on MAX resolution for everything, I had to lower the AA to 4x because my 6950/70 was at 18fps... this is a game with graphics, that even at max, are about the same as you'd find on say BF1942, this includes the 1942's ~200 yard model and texture clipping plane. ( a distance I must state that is less then the effective range of the weapons in the game..
Controls are adaptable to a good keyboard/mouse setup, the game found my eyefinity setup right away and the interface is centre screen with now H/V distortion. however the weapon control is overly sensitive and takes some time to dial in a setting that is not so console like. Going back to my sniper example, the gun physics are good, but if they are going to implement good physics then they need to give you some control over the sight, as it is, with the 1992 style cross hair and no hash marks or sight adjustments it makes an annoying game even more annoying. The sound is also very very bad, no matter where you are what yoru doing the voices are always coming over a headset, even if the character is sitting beside you in base camp, leaning over to take to you.. still using the mike and headset.. sound positioning is non existent as well, possibly a 2.1 setup but not 5.1.
upgrades and tools are setup up for a console and you ahve to switch between mouse clicks are the arrow keys to navigate. even then the upgrades are pretty lame you start out with the options for iron sight/red dot suppressed or open muzzle. there is, as far as i can find , an upgraded scope for the sniper, so that class is a write off. Voice directions from your Sgt. who sits in the humvee while you go off on your missions is done using pole co-ordinates, so " enemy south west 500 yds" which is fine, problem is, the game does not give you a starting heading nor a usable compass to find your bearing from..
game play can be summed up like this.. 4 hr game 3hrs of riding from place to place in the Humvee listing to Sgt. "Apone' be the classic ride your raggedy ass all day Sgt. and 1 hr of combined actual game play and menu hopping. if your a fan of the Afghanistan map in MW2 and the colour pallet there then you will be in heaven with this game pallet, everything is shades of kakhi.. everything.
So, to sum up:
crap console port
poor graphics, optimization and implementation
poor sound design
REALLY poor game play
lousy weapons mechanics
good gun physics ( too bad they did nothing to support it).
This is a game you look at on the shelf in the game store and thank the Buddha that you did not pre order during all the hype for it.
However when they do the realisim thing they get it right , unfortunately they also get it very wrong.. take for example the sniper bullet physics, it's good, at a specific distance you need to lead your target and take into account wind and elevation, unfortunately the sniper scope is a joke, the magnification is actually less then the ACOG on the M4/M16, and sight glass is 3x the distance from your eye then the ACOG which makes the visable 'magnified sample' smaller, which leads to the cross hairs being 10x too thick, the cross hairs are so thick they actually hide your target, even when leading them..
Graphics are absolute crap, form the 8 missions i played ( i couldn't actually play anymore and keep myself sane), the characters animations did not change one in the back of the humve, i think i saw one texture change with added blood for each character, that's it. one thing that made me just shake my head was when your team mates were running beside you and they were ~ 10 yards from you, their weapons just sort of .. disappeared.. move closer and they return. but this was a common problem, on MAX resolution for everything, I had to lower the AA to 4x because my 6950/70 was at 18fps... this is a game with graphics, that even at max, are about the same as you'd find on say BF1942, this includes the 1942's ~200 yard model and texture clipping plane. ( a distance I must state that is less then the effective range of the weapons in the game..
Controls are adaptable to a good keyboard/mouse setup, the game found my eyefinity setup right away and the interface is centre screen with now H/V distortion. however the weapon control is overly sensitive and takes some time to dial in a setting that is not so console like. Going back to my sniper example, the gun physics are good, but if they are going to implement good physics then they need to give you some control over the sight, as it is, with the 1992 style cross hair and no hash marks or sight adjustments it makes an annoying game even more annoying. The sound is also very very bad, no matter where you are what yoru doing the voices are always coming over a headset, even if the character is sitting beside you in base camp, leaning over to take to you.. still using the mike and headset.. sound positioning is non existent as well, possibly a 2.1 setup but not 5.1.
upgrades and tools are setup up for a console and you ahve to switch between mouse clicks are the arrow keys to navigate. even then the upgrades are pretty lame you start out with the options for iron sight/red dot suppressed or open muzzle. there is, as far as i can find , an upgraded scope for the sniper, so that class is a write off. Voice directions from your Sgt. who sits in the humvee while you go off on your missions is done using pole co-ordinates, so " enemy south west 500 yds" which is fine, problem is, the game does not give you a starting heading nor a usable compass to find your bearing from..
game play can be summed up like this.. 4 hr game 3hrs of riding from place to place in the Humvee listing to Sgt. "Apone' be the classic ride your raggedy ass all day Sgt. and 1 hr of combined actual game play and menu hopping. if your a fan of the Afghanistan map in MW2 and the colour pallet there then you will be in heaven with this game pallet, everything is shades of kakhi.. everything.
So, to sum up:
crap console port
poor graphics, optimization and implementation
poor sound design
REALLY poor game play
lousy weapons mechanics
good gun physics ( too bad they did nothing to support it).
This is a game you look at on the shelf in the game store and thank the Buddha that you did not pre order during all the hype for it.




