Thoughts on Red Orchestra 2?

[Toonces]

My local Gamestop has a copy for $20.  I didn't pick it up, yet, but came back and read some reviews on it.  Seems like SP is porked, but MP is fun although it has some "balance issues" on some of the maps.

Anybody playing this in MP?  Is it worth picking up?

I don't think I have any other WW2 FPS except World at War, which I haven't installed yet...I'm not even sure where the disk is anymore actually.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

It's alright.  Most of the bugs are gone but there are still some issues (especially deploying MGs and AT rifles while prone).  There also seem to be too many high end weapons floating about.  Lots of guys running around with STG 44s and SVT 40s.  The biggest issue I had with the game was that there wasn't enough variety in the maps.  As it's trying to recreate Stalingrad, the maps are all pretty much close in fighting with lots of hidden snipers.  It got old pretty fast.  Hopefully the mod community will put out some open terrain maps for armoured combat.   

[Toonces]

Thanks for the quick feedback SDR.  From what I understand, there are some pretty amazing mods in the works?

Also, rather than start a new thread, what are everyone's thoughts on Hidden and Dangerous 2?  I was browsing the SimHQ forums and came across that game...never really heard of it before and it sounds interesting as well.  Cheap, too.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

H&D2 is still one of my favourite games of all time.  Awesome mission design and great depth to play.  It won't look so hot nowadays and a lot of the gameplay will seem rough around the edges, but it was way ahead of its time when it came out.

You select and command a 4-man SAS team during WWII, starting in Norway, then Africa, Burma, Italy, Normandy, Germany, and Czech.   You can play in FPS mode and give quick orders using a context sensitive on-the-fly command system similar to SWAT 4, or you can puase the game and issue chains of orders from the 3D tactical map.  The command system is similar to a bar of music.  Each order takes a certain amount of time and this is shown on the order bar next to each soldier.  By inserting pauses in your chain of orders, it's very easy to coordinate complex actions between members.  Finally, you can play the entire game from the 3D tactical map as an RTS type game similar to the Commandos series.

[Oche]

From what i've seen on videos Tank interior animations and eyecandy look upgraded from RO1. However i've recurrently seen players saying that they still prefer RO1 rather than the actual RO2 (until it gets improved by further patching).

I'm holding out too for now.

[jomni]

Steam says I've already played 53 hours of it.  Kinda bored already but still fun if I want to shoot something.

[Toonces]

I went ahead and picked it up.  For $20 it's worth the gamble.  Plus, I'm reading Enemy at the Gates and this game will complement that nicely.

If you see "Toonces" online, go easy on me!

[LongBlade]

I haven't played it since the late beta. Most folks seem to concur that it's missing a je ne sais quoi.

As a gaming writing, I'm not satisfied to simply say it's missing something - I should at least attempt to explain what is missing.

In this case, I believe it's what it added. The maps are huge. The game is, if anything, more realistic. A guy with a Kar-98 can pop you from across the map and you'll never know exactly from where. The game now really requires teamwork - somebody needs to be calling smoke, the MG has to really lay suppressing fire...everything needs to actually be there. Before the maps were small enough it was possible to play as an FPS and not fully need a couple of squad leaders to direct everyone's actions. Now? You need a platoon leader and a couple of squad leaders to effectively assault in this game.

At least, that's how it seems to me. If all you do is show up and expect to start shooting, you're probably in for a rude awakening.

That said, there are probably enough of us with the game that we should give it a go some evening just to test that theory out.

[Toonces]

We should.  I don't know why we all don't game as a group more often (or at all).  I mean, most of us have the same games, or at least enough of the same that we could have weekly gaming sessions.

[W8taminute]

I picked up RO2 a while ago now when it was on sale in Steam.  Have only played maybe 2 hours worth of the SP experience.  I like it a lot but again I'm still on the honeymoon phase with this game.  Have not had the chance to come back and put more time into it, but I'm dying to see what the fuss is about with the MP experience.

[jomni]

Skip the SP and do MP.
But MP is now like SP nowadays (dwindling population).
This is the same problem I had with the first RO.