OFP 2

[macguba]

Am thinking ahead here to ofpec strategy to get maximum hits on the site from people transiting from ofp1 -> whatever. Becoming a premier site for compatibility fixes and information....

The Admins are already talking about that.

[Sefe]

Just eye candy Homefry, although it is nice, I'm more interested in engine improvements.  ;D ;D


Planck

You can see some of the engine details by simply looking on the pictures. The first thing I noticed is the use of stenciled shadow volumes, clearly visible by checking the shadows and the fact that the models are shadowing themselves. Anisotropic filtering seems to be improved, but that could also be an effect of the better graphic hardware that is availble now. The particles (smoke, dut etc.) look better now (but most likely that is achieved by the sheer amount of particles enabled by the better graphics hardware).

Over all, the changes are quite disappointing. The soldier models still look rather crude, if there is bump mapping I can not see it and the textures are crappy as ever (look at the closeups - eek). All changes that I see are enabled by the raw power of the modern graphics hardware, with stenciled shadow volumes being the only real technical improvement. But even this technology is quite old and the only reason why you don't see it in older games is that the graphics hardware was not powerful enough (you multiply the number of rendring passes by the number of lights - which effectively means you only have 1/2 of the original framerate by only adding one light - plus the necessity to calculate the shadow volumes for each light, which reduces the framerate even further).

And what I would like to see is the whole thing in action. OFP1 hat a quite bad framerate combined with a rather bad graphics quality, even compared with the games back then (just look at the resolution, number of colours and sheer framerate of the even then much older q3a engine, even on the large terrain maps in q3ta). The pictures don't promise an improvent. If you see what's technically possible today and what is actually done by the others, the pictures don't impress me much. With some few exceptions the main thing BIS seems to do is pumping more of the same data into the GPUs pipelines.

You can expect OFP2 to be rather slow on older systems. Another thing I'd like to see is if there are any improvements in the view distance. In my opinion that is the biggest problem of OFP1, since this really affects gameply. I'd make a bet that the graphical improvements will eat up so much of the GPU performance that we will not see this issue resolved in OFP2. But I'd be happy if BIS would prove me wrong.

I think BIS is going to the wrong direction with these pictures. OFP was never about graphics, it was about gameplay. Instead of lowering the expectations with unimpressive screenshots, they should tell us what gameplay improvements we can expect. Will we have some improvements in AI or the causualty engine? Do the doors and hatches of the vehicle really open now (so that we can stand on the back door of a chopper or take cover behind the door of an apc)? Can we fire from the firing ports of a BMP? These are the things I would like to see in OFP2. But I think we will not see most of them.

[DBR_ONIX]

I think the biggest non-flashy-graphics change is some of the scripting stuff added on to VBS1 (the read to/from files, for example) will be added.

As for compatitbily, unless they change anything big in the scripting/config/model files, they should be mostly compatible with OFP1.5, erm, I mean Armed Assault..

IMHO Armed Assault is basicly getting Flashpoint noticed again, without hyping it up to HL2 levels
I know some people that wont buy it because teh grahics are old, and they'd rather play [insert name of shiney new game] instead. Which ArA (Hmm, bit better that AA..) might convince them to do other wise..

I still don't see why they (BI) are "wasting" time working on another game, instead of using the people working on that to push the OFP2 release forward a year

The new engine is for OFP2 I think, if you look at the screenies on Gamespot I think that is kinda obvious ;D

But OFP1.5, if it works with OFP:R addons, even stuff like Join-In-Progress in is worth buying, espically as I host almost all of our squad missions (Driven half way across the training map, then two members join server, "Restart", "grr..." )

And if VBS1 was more efficant, and better graphics, given that they've had more time to fiddle with it, it should be even better running ;D

As for OFPEC, it will always be one of the, if not biggest, OFP editing places, the site is very nice to use, aside from a few minor things, but they've overlookable [Note to self : Stop making up words ]

Wonder if that made any sense
- Ben
Edit : Just saw Sefe's post, the graphics aren't the best in those screenshots, but if they went to, for example, Doom3's level, there is no chance it would run on any PC. The screenshots still have, what, 3-6 moths work left on them, and I guess making the models all nice and, not shiney.. muddy.. will be a later job, besides I'm assuming they were taking in a hurry for E3. Anyway, I'm not bothered how much they improve the graphics, as long as it's a more effinant game, and doesn't run slowly on a normal-spec PC, I'm more than happy

[Fragorl]

In light of macGuba's article 'Confused? You won't be', what will OFPEC's new name be? Will it be (as someone mentioned before) OFP2EC.com or will it be The-game-formerly-known-as-OFP2-but-not-the-Codemasters-one-the-BIS-one-so-not-actually-OFP2EC.com? ;D

What I'm trying to say is, if indeed there are two games which come out of the possible parting of the ways between BIS and Codemasters, will ofpec support one of them, both of them, or neither?  (obviously not the latter)

[456820]

who ever the name 'Operation Flaspoint' is copyrighted to i think they should allow the other people i think is Bis to call it 'Operation Flashpoint 2' because that what it is. I dont see why they wouldnt allow them to call it ofp2

[macguba]

what will OFPEC's new name be

Much too early to say even whether we might need a new name.

The current intention is to support Armed Assault and the future BIS game.    We don't yet know enough about the Xbox game to know whether it will require support.   (Information about the mission editor is very vague and it may turn out to be just a "mission generator".)   And we don't really know anything at all about the Codie's OFP2.

The name "Operation Flashpoint" has commercial value.   The shareholders of Codemasters, the owners of the name, would not be too pleased if the directors of the company simply gave it away.     They'll probably make more money by producing their own game than they would by selling the name to BIS.

[penguinman]

why isnt codemasters publishing BIS's 2006 game and letting it use operation flashpoint 2.

they obviosly know how big the fan community is and they would make a ton of money if they published BIS's 2006 game.

 

[Mikero]

Codemasters wouldn't be looking at the fan-base figures because they have no way of measuring it.

They are a distribution company, of which, ofp is only a small part of the whole, and it (ofp) is not as popular as it should be in the United States.

They would watch sales volumes.

The fact that bis have re-scheduled to very end of 2006 (which in itself is a figure pulled from the rear end of a white elephant), means Codemasters are no longer prepared to open ended funding of bis as they have been doing for a long time now.

Commercially, they've made the right decision based on no great sales of late and nothing in the pipeline. they have more profitable avenues right now. Car racing turns a dollar and is promised a lot quicker.

You can take CM's waffle about their own ofp2 with a pinch of salt. When bis are ready, they'll get back into bed together, but it won't be real soon, and ofp2 will be a bis creation later, rather than sooner.

[456820]

the thing is ive shown some of my mates some pics and they say they are 100% getting it aswell as other people i know, and of course everybodt in the Bis forums, ofp info and of course here will be getting it and thats still quite alot of people already of course not really millions but when the adverts of this come out they will see how good it looks and of course buy iy so if Cm and Bis dont make up before the release there going of whanted to from the amount of sales

[Mikero]

Note that not one of your 'forums' where "lots of people will be getting it" are Codemasters. They, Codemasters simply dont have the resources applied to information gathering of how poplualr this game might be. They are, a marketing and distribution company that feeds of sales figures. Period, all waffle from them about developing, helping to develop, or going to develop in the future is wishfull thinking. They do not, have the people. Period. They are, what you might call 'misleading the parliament'. A nice way of telling big lies.

I hope also you are in fact referring to ofp:aa (armed assault). Any 'screenshots' of ofp2 are pictures of my mum on holidays. A dream, a wishlist, a non-existent event. One large hype of nothing. It doesn't exist. I too can upload screenies of umm errr photos of Madagascar.

As for armed assault (ofp:aa) Bis will most likely try and market this themselves as a learning curve and litmus test on how well they might do with ofp2 when it eventually hits the streets a long time in the future.

Consider this. If bis, the makers of ofp are saying they aint got nuthin till 2006, what chances do you think Codemasters have in producing something from scratch BEFORE then???

Apart from that, your comments are valid, bis, are _very_ aware of the demand, due mostly to the internal reports they generate from their own website. They'll push ofp:aa as an interim measure.

[RichUK]

I am sure that many others would like like to join me in letting BIS know how very much the OFP community appreciates BIS commitment to them. For those who have not already seen it, please see the "Open Letter to the Operation Flashpoint Community" (published June 22, 2005) at URL:

http://www.bistudio.com/flashnews/OpenLetter/openletter.html

It seems that there is still a chance that "Armed Assault" may yet be published by Codemaster (more fool them, if they don't!), but if not, perhaps it could be called Operation <somethingelse> to help keep the association clear?

[OFPfreak]

I simply cant wait for OFP 2 either, altough I am wondering very very very much about ragdolls and other physics like in Half Life 2. Hopefully they'll be there!

[Mikero]

If you read the open letter OFPFreak, you'll realise OFP2 does not exist. OFP:AA does, and Bis have had the frighteners put on them from withdrawn funding from Codemasters. A little hunger is not a bad thing.

I think we will indeed see a new version of ofp before the end of the year, very close in construct to :resistance. Not the same thematically, but a new, improved engine much the same as the improvements that occured for 1.76. It will be a quick 'n dirty, a fast way to grab revenue for continued efforts. There's a lot of waffle in there (and circulating around) that AA will have new improved bigger better faster graphics, but the bottom line is, any of it that is preventing it's release will be castrated, right now, in order to get the cash flowing.

This will, for us, the ofp freaks, be a good thing (tm) because it will mean AA will be much more closely compatible with existing addon makers and scripts than the tempation Bis would have to scrap the lot, in favour of mythical 'second generation' gameplay.

>Half life physics

don't hold your breath, and dont be dissapointed. AA will be a flame that keeps the candle burning. Tha's all.

Look at it also from poor Bis's point of view, they have to come up with something 'better' than the magnificient stuff the community has already created!

[XCess]

IMO improving the graphics is pointless. I've played Half Life 2. And beautiful it was. But since then I've also played OFP:R with DxDll and RHS' new offering, they GRU units. Running around with them, a few HYK troops and CBT Bradleys on Nogova is one of the most beautiful things I've seen on a computer.. and thats with my anisotropic filtering turned off. graphic improvements are an unecessary waste of resources time and CPU power. I say they should simply concentrate on giving the mission designer more control over the AI (well tbh.. everything should be controllable through scripting IMO) and ofcourse the physics. Get rid of the damn clipping problems. Let me shoot from vehicles. Let me put some AIs on rails. Let me record events for cutscenes and the previously mentioned on rails scenes. DONT waste my computer's resources on pointless shading effects.

If you disagree with my view on the graphics. Load up OFP:R with DxDll and run around northwest of Davle with terrain detail on high or max and see if you still disagree.

[456820]

in that letter they say there going to make it compattible to use existing addons with AA how about missions ? does anyone know