Call of Duty 2 Demo out
mod
Since I feel slighted by steam and I don't want to pay (again) for DoD, I was pretty happy to see some other WW2 shooter action for free.
http://www.pcgameworld.com/downloads/file.php/id/6304/
http://www.pcgameworld.com/downloads/file.php/id/6304/
Replies
What was great about the original CoD was its intensity. Unfortunately that relied heavily on scripted events. I think they got away with it back then, but now the formula feels distinctly tired to me. It was just so incredibly linear. As a player I had very little choices to make. I was simply led down the path that the developer forced me on. It was a fun ride, but only once.
It even disheartened me in the industry a bit actually. As a 360 launch title, this is supposedly a 'next gen' game, and it made me realise that all most developers seem to want to improve over current games is graphics. Let's hope I'm proved wrong.
When I play online games most of my skill being able to pop up in unpredictable spots by taking the road less traveled, or switching up routes I take. But with CoD2, it's the running of the bulls.
I wonder how hard it would be to have 3-5 sets of scenes per each scripted sequence and have them play at random independantly from each other. I really wish developers would work on features like object rotation when a map loads. It doesn't have to randomly create the entire map but have 5 total routes from A-B and only open 3 of them (at random) per map load. Switch up the MG locations, open shop fronts ect.
Having a mondular design like Expendable is talking about would be a great idea and could make lvl design easier? If you could randomize the modules themselves it would be even better. Example, have a module of a store front with 3 random ways it could be presented/used.
1) closed and or blown out
2) open but vacant
3) open and used by the millitary
I don't think it would take that much more time since you are pretty much taking the same asset and changing it slightly, most of the time this idea of recycling art is already done. Something just has to be done about putting it in randomly into the lvl. It seems like a small feature to add but would give games such great replay value. But like Daz said its graphics first everything else second... pitty...
Don't get me wrong though I am all for thinking and choosing the best approach to a given situation. I am also very
As for the demo. tbh the difference between DirectX 7 and 9 modes were fairly, meh! Graphics reminded me a lot of Brothers in Arms or whatever it's called. It's nice but, no real difference from any other WW2 game really.
The level felt better structured than the original. Still far too linear though. I mean there was literally no-give in where you could go, which is disappointing after your ferried in over the dessert. You would've expect a bit more to it. It was a very short level too, which is what disappointed me about the first game really.
If your going to be linear, then you need to really throw sheer size at the problem to make it less boring and be able to capture peoples attention.
The Bungie guys said it perfectly in thier documentary.
"You have to make a game to keep the gamer having fun for atleast 30seconds. Then you can add that with another 30, and another. Soon you have a whole game. Without that first 30seconds though, it's doomed to fail."
I think it's particularly true. When our attention span is for games that don't entertain us for more than 5minutes, then it'll just be turned off.
This demo barely lasted 5minutes, that was even taking it slow and cautiously. When things are short you'll feel slightly ripped-off. I mean something has to feel it'll last longer than 5minutes of entertainment to be worth that $50 price tag.
"You have to make a game to keep the gamer having fun for atleast 30seconds. Then you can add that with another 30, and another. Soon you have a whole game. Without that first 30seconds though, it's doomed to fail."
The problem was that they copied and pasted those 30 seconds of fun over and over again.
As for the demo. tbh the difference between DirectX 7 and 9 modes were fairly, meh! Graphics reminded me a lot of Brothers in Arms or whatever it's called. It's nice but, no real difference from any other WW2 game really.
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I guess you missed the soft stencil buffered character shadows, very high polygon models and textures, per pixel shaders and normal and bump maps all over everything then? Sometimes Raven, I seriously wonder If you actually consider what you're saying before making one of your longass posts!! It's a huge leap graphically from BIA and any other WW2 shooter. The Art team have done a bang up job. But my point still stands. The developer neglected to update the gameplay one iota. There is no genuine AI to speak of in this demo at all. It's a shame. I find B.I.A much more fun.
Brothers in Arms:
COD2
Having played through CoD1, this demo and also BiA i come down firmly on the CoD side. While initially impressed with BiA, most of the gameplay degenerated into me screaming "goddammit, when i shoot someone in the HEAD i want them to go DOWN for christs sake!".
This demo fulfilled this wish brilliantly - i swear, in the interior scenes you can see the suddenly terrified faces of the enemy briefly illuminated in 3 frames by your single muzzle-flash, before his neck is snapped back in a cloud of red.
that would account for the lack of ragdolls and dynamic lighting ?
daz, i agree with you that the developers are not exploring the possibilities of giving more depth and innovation in the experience besides cramming fancier graphics
The guys that made Metal of Honor (based on the Q3 engine I think), wanted to take it in a new direction but the publisher wanted to play it safe, EA I think. So they broke off, licensed a new copy of Q3 and set about making the improvements they wanted. I THINK* they are still using the same engine but it has changed so much it's not really Q3 any more. Kind of like how Half Life was based off of Q2.
It has death animations instead of ragdoll. It doesn't make sense to toss them around like Raggedy Ann not everyone that is shot will or should go limp the second they are hit. After they lose consciousness its ok to apply ragdoll but they didn't. I think ragdoll has its place, but shouldn't be the only answer to death in games.
I keep waiting for the FPS WW2 shooter that lets you take prisoners or make non lethal shots (arm, hand leg) to take enemies out of combat without killing them. Then interrogate them to better define your mission objectives or find hidden stores of weapons/ammo. They kind of did this in CoD:UO but it was as a scripted sequence you watched, and you didn't have the option to kill the prisoner and press on with the vague mission objective.
On second thought continue to wow me for the first 3min and bore me for the rest of the game. I really do only want better graphics at the expense of game play, what was It thinking.
I have to remember screenshots sell games not gameplay...
It'll be great to play through once, and it'll be great on the LAN. And top marks to the particle guys - superb smoke.
I think I'm still in love with the game and I'm sure I won't be able to put it down after I pick it up. After all CoD had me in its grasp for almost 6 months...
Cheap, I didn't mean to imply they where using the MoH engine. I ment I didn't know if the engine they used for CoD2 is the same as CoD, it looks like it but I can't be certain.
Just kidding. Finished it in a couple of days. Then, for the next 2 years, I enjoyed the real strength of COD, the multiplayer. The maps are very well laid out with choke points and room to flank. The best team deathmatch maps around, imo.
To be honest, I could care less about the single player version of any game, as it's the competition and teamwork of multiplayer that I really enjoy. Does the demo have multiplayer?
I guess you missed the soft stencil buffered character shadows, very high polygon models and textures, per pixel shaders and normal and bump maps all over everything then?
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CoD2 doesn't look like that here. Not in DirectX9 mode.
lol the game looks awesome, plays nice too, I don't care about replayability, i loved playing through it seems very polished, should be pretty damn awesome. I'm rarely impressed with ww2 games, hell no games that have come out just recently managed to impress me at all... but this was really neat, i liked it.
Some things missing -Blood! and sprinting. I found it odd that they would remove that. Being that it is a crucial component in online play. Also did you notice the swastikas were replaced by +.
I seem to be shooting a lot of Germans in the back with this demo.
I'll probably play through this demo a few more times, but not sure if I'll get the full because there are so many new games coming out now.